How did you go into it picking players? So obviously you've got Seth and Jim in the production side of things, but how do you go about picking players for a new project?

Well, with Lowell, he's a really sought-after session drummer.

But- We met through friends, and I didn't really know his background, and I just, we just really got along really well, and, uh, liked talking about music and things like that.

So he's been on every single Weird Nightmare song that's been released.

So he's been...

I used to send him stuff, and then he'd play on it.

He lives out east in Canada.

So in terms of the, the record itself, you know, and Weird Nightmare as a, as a project, I remember around the first album you did a feature for us and you said that this was, like, about finding joy in music again, and you've kind of touched o- on it in the, at the start of the interview, but how long had that m- sort of material been inside you in terms of Weird Nightmare, and what made you make the switch when you did?

Well, you are a punk and hardcore kid at heart, but you have so many musical influences and musical loves, and it sounds like Weird Nightmare gives you a broad palette to paint with, and I know you love everything about making music with Mets, but can you talk about the itch that Weird Nightmare scratches for you, both musically and creatively?

Yeah.

I think my first love might have been British Invasion and that type of garage-y, melodic songwriting.

I think most people probably are quite heavily influenced by what is in the house when they're growing up.

Like so many people, it was stuff like, well, The Beatles, The Kinks and stuff like that.

So I think that simplistic songwriting is coming from that place.

You know, on this record, it was like a very honest and quick process as far as writing.

I can't

... fair to say?

say?Yeah, you know, in order to make money, uh, in this industry, you have to be on the road playing as much as you can.

Metz was really good about that.

We started- I, I think we were pretty good about balance as well.

When Chris and I had kids, we were all sort of on the same page.

That, okay, we can't do it like we used to do it.

But yeah, there, there became a point when I was- I would find myself, like, in the hotel room after the show, and I'd just be sad.

Right

Uh, what can you, what can you tell me about that one?

Yeah, I think it is.

I mean, the line is, you know, love, it will come.

And it was just, I find myself nowadays trying to not be a grump, not being a curmudgeon, although it's really hard.

I think that's my natural setting.

Like that idea, I'm a dad now and just having seen how people what the world's like now for kids to grow up in and wanting to put something out there that's like in at the end of the day, positive in its in its message.

I think that was something that I wanted to do and did with that song.

Have you ever thought about adding psychedelic jug band to any of your songs?