STRANGELY ALRIGHT INTERVIEW:

Strangely Alright is:

Regan Lane - Lead Vocals
Sean Van Dommelen - Lead Guitar,Vocals
Troy Moss - Guitar, Vocals
Ken Schaff - Bass
Raymond Hayden - Keyboards,Vocals

Jason Bair - drums

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BOOTLEG METAL: So let’s get things started with the name. Who came up with the name and what’s behind it?

STRANGELY ALRIGHT: I (Regan) did. My wife and I were doing some counseling for our marriage and as you could guess it was a bit uncomfortable at times. I was talking to our bass player Ken Schaff and he asked how I was feeling after one of the sessions…I told him “Strangely Alright”…The lightbulb went off! Ah ha, a band name…lol.. I hear band names all the time in everyday conversations…Obviously I’m easily amused…lol

BOOTLEG METAL:  Where is the band from?

STRANGELY ALRIGHT: We are all from the Seattle/Tacoma area in Washington State. We have a little bit of everything here…Close to the Pacific Ocean with lots of lakes, mountains, streams and contrary to public perception plenty of sun… not just the rain that this area is known for…lol

BOOTLEG METAL: Is this the original line up and how did you guys find yourselves in the same band ?

STRANGELY ALRIGHT: No it’s not. It’s been an interesting journey. I started this thing with Ken.  We are both in recovery and he hadn’t played for a looooooong time…I kept calling him my new bass player…lol…We went through a couple drummers, guitar players and keyboard players till it became what it is today…Some of them met untimely demises, which is weird but true. What I’m saying is things like that remind me how fragile being on this plane can be. The key to making great music AND having fun doing it is chemistry. Finding folks that can play is easy. Finding people that can play and that you can click with is the tricky part.

BOOTLEG METAL: How long has Strangely Alright been around and how long after your first rehearsal was it before the first show?

STRANGELY ALRIGHT: The current lineup has been together for 15 months.  We did a month’s worth of rehearsals before we took it out. It clicked right away. On a human being and musical level. It’s only gotten better, which is very exciting! BOOTLEG METAL: Wow, only a month of rehearsing before gigging. Good deal.

BOOTLEG METAL: Does everyone contribute to the writing process or does someone generally write the lyrics and/or music?

STRANGELY ALRIGHT: I do demos with Reason and bring them to the band. So yes, I generally do the music and lyrics, but I encourage the guys to be who they are. We all know when something works or doesn’t work. From my outlines they do their interpretations. Having that give and take only makes this thing better.

BOOTLEG METAL: What are your songs about? Fact?  Fiction? Personal experiences?

STRANGELY ALRIGHT: All of the above! Lol… Writing songs is kind of a voodoo magical mystery thing to me. Songs come from anywhere and everywhere. The news…things my daughter says… dreams, whatever! Songwriting never gets old to me. It’s just the coolest thing. Each song is like a puzzle that needs to be figured out, but when you feel it clicking together it’s the most amazing satisfying feeling ever!

BOOTLEG METAL: What genre do you feel Strangely Alright fit’s in the best and what influenced your writing to get you there?

STRANGELY ALRIGHT: We’re a rock band, but I’m definitely interested in the electronic side of things. Not so much stylistically but more as icing on the cake for some of what we do. And my songwriting is something that continues to evolve. I hope…lol.. And as for influences, obviously The Beatles and British rock in general, as much for the adventurous nature of the bands as for the actual songs. Then there’s The Carpenters, The Ramones, The Sex Pistols, 21Pilots, Weezer, Bob Dylan….There is so much that I feel all of us listen to that make us who we are.

BOOTLEG METAL: All Of Us Are Strange. Besides being a cool tune, let me tell you why I dug it. It’s got a bit of a Beatles vibe right? But there was a band I really liked in the early nineties called Darling Cruel and you guys sparked the memory so you can add that to The Beatles and maybe even throw in some Space Hog and you get Strangely Alright.  That being said, is there any message behind the song?

STRANGELY ALRIGHT: Yes. That we are all in this together. That our/my hope is for a more inclusive world where fear of what seems or feels different to each of us melts away and we can all co-exist on this planet…Look for the similarities and not the differences because in the end, in some shape or form…All Of Us Are Strange! BOOTLEG METAL: Amen.

BOOTLEG METAL: All Of Us Are Strange video. Seems like everyone is grooving. It looks like you guys had a great time doing it.  Anything you can tell us about making it?

STRANGELY ALRIGHT: There’s a certain energy that happens when you find the right people to work with. This single was recorded at Crash Bang Boom Studios with David Mark co-producing. David is doing some amazing stuff out of CBB and I’m grateful to be working with him. He’s always trying to get better and we have grown into good friends with a great creative energy happening between us. And this is just the start. I feel like we can only get better and that’s exciting! And the video was story boarded out, shot and edited by Cedric J. I’ve wanted to work with him for a while now, and the timing was right. He gets me! Lol I’m hopeful we’ll do more in the future! Such a talented dude! Carrie Martin helped us design the set and the people that showed up for the shoot were amazing! It was shot at our keyboard player Raymond Hayden’s house and our good buddy  Brian Groves made burgers for everyone! A really cool communal vibe, with lots of great energy!  I’m glad you dug it. Thanks for the kind words!

BOOTLEG METAL: What was your latest gig? 

STRANGELY ALRIGHT: We did a Christmas show on Dec 23^rd @ The Swiss in beautiful Tacoma Washington. Every year at holiday time we do a gig where we donate a bit of $ to a charity of our choice. Our drummer Jason is a vet and suggested NORTHWEST BATTLE BUDDIES, an organization that empowers combat veterans with PTSD to regain their freedom and independence by partnering them with professionally trained and specifically matched assistance dogs at no charge…Pretty Cool.. And we were awesome that night,if I don’t say so myself….lol

BOOTLEG METAL: Where have you played live this year?

STRANGELY ALRIGHT: Well, because its now 2018, nowhere yet…lol… We are playing a festival on January 20^th at a club called Louie G’s in Fife. All Ages. Really great lights and sound…We do a 45 minute set and there are some really great bands on the bill.

BOOTLEG METAL: Is there a favorite cover that always finds its way on your set list and is there a story behind it?

STRANGELY ALRIGHT: Oh yea! We have one that we close the show with. “How You Like Me Now” by The Heavy. It was brought up by our drummer Jason I believe and it had kick ass energy. In the midde of the song we do a breakdown and Sean and Troy to a hippie psychedelic jam on their guitars that people really dig. Then we go into a couple verses of Fame by Bowie and the song ends with me screaming and laying on the floor doing my best Iggy Pop impersonation…lol BOOTLEG METAL: I love everything about that answer. If it every makes it’s way to youtube let me know. I’d love to see it.

BOOTLEG METAL: Is there a past show that stands out from the rest?

STRANGELY ALRIGHT: Man, not really. We have had some really great shows recently. When you get people singing to your songs, it’s pretty damn exciting.

BOOTLEG METAL: So what’s in the works for (the band)?

STRANGELY ALRIGHT: We are finishing our EP (or album) called STUFF, depending on how many songs we end up with. Vocals and then mastering and it’s done. We will do a limited 250 run of cassettes with some cool swag to go with it. We’ll also do download cards and cd’s, but the cassette’s will be the initial run. Our friend/lawyer Charlie Dent has started a record company called Ombrello Records and he will help with the production and promotion. We are pretty excited!

BOOTLEG METAL: What are your thoughts on your local music scene?

STRANGELY ALRIGHT: There are some very supportive musicians out there and there are those that try to make themselves feel better by being negative. We have a pretty healthy group of folks around us. Darby Picnic and  Limberlost  are a couple of the bands that reciprocate shows and talk highly of other musicians. We try to do the same. As my Grandma Adeline used to say: “If you can’t say something nice then don’t say anything at all”…And it’s true…LOL

BOOTLEG METAL: Is there a recent album/EP release you’d like to tell us about and where can we get it?

STRANGELY ALRIGHT: We just released a single/video called All Of Us Are Strange. All of our music is on ITunes. Or Amazon. Or CD Baby. Here’s the link to Itunes:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/strangely-alright/652869268#see-all/top-songs

BOOTLEG METAL: Do you have merchandise for sale?

STRANGELY ALRIGHT: Yes! Sean Van Dommelen is my brother from another mother and plays guitar, sings, engineer’s our music and helps write some stuff with me occasionally! He’s also a great Photographer and has a website called PNW Love with his photos and lot’s of cool merch and he’s been kind enough to let SA put some of our stuff on there. Here’s the link: https://pnwlovebrand.com/collections/t-town-music-merch

And here’s to the PNW Love home page:

https://pnwlovebrand.com/

BOOTLEG METAL: Where can you be found online?

STRANGELY ALRIGHT: Here are a few links, starting with our website:

www.strangelyalright.com - - Band Website

www.facebook.com/strangelyalright - Facebook

https://soundcloud.com/strangely-alright - SoundCloud

http://www.youtube.com/user/StrangelyAlright1 - You Tube

https://www.twitter.com/strangelyalrite - Twitter

www.instagram.com/strangelyalright - Instagram

www.reverbnation.com/strangelyalright - - ReverbNation

BOOTLEG METAL: As far as videos, sites, merch, ect. Are you guys more of a DIY band or do you hire out?

STRANGELY ALRIGHT: We are definitely DIY. I/WE love the whole creative process! Making posters, production, CD artwork, videos, whatever….And it has to do with only one thing. You can’t make anyone love what you do as much as you do. We care about the message and the vibe that we present. It may be a bit more time consuming and not always look “professional”…lol…but in the end we get things to look and sound exactly how we want them to!

BOOTLEG METAL: Do you have or are you looking for a label/manager?

STRANGELY ALRIGHT: No. Not right now.

BOOTLEG METAL: One question I like to ask. What song (if any) by another artist do you wish you wrote?

STRANGELY ALRIGHT: Close to You by The Carpenters. The chord changes, the harmonies. It has one of those timeless melodies and the words feel hopeful and naïve.

BOOTLEG METAL: Is there another artist or band that is totally not your genre that you listen to?

STRANGELY ALRIGHT: 21 Pilots, Imagine Dragons and K Flay off the top of my head I guess. My daughter loves those bands, and I try to share the radio on the way home from school with her. One of the things I’ve learned is to stay open minded and give things a chance! So when it comes to music outside my wheelhouse, I try to give it a chance to sink in. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t…lol

BOOTLEG METAL: If you could pick, past or present, would there be a dream collaborator (artist/producer) you would like to work with?

STRANGELY ALRIGHT: Maybe hang out with Phil Spector, Harry Nilsson and John Lennon in the mid 70’s….lol.. I’d love to see that craziness happening…

BOOTLEG METAL: How do you think downloading music whether legal or illegal affected the music community?

STRANGELY ALRIGHT: Well, there is no perceived worth to digital music now. You can get and listen to it anywhere. So for us, giving our music away is a way to get people into what we do. It’s through CD’S and merch we can generate revenue. We creating a new reality and mindset for ourselves in 2018.

BOOTLEG METAL: Thanks for taking the time to talk with us and answering the questions. Is there anything you’d like to add?

STRANGELY ALRIGHT: Man, this has been great. Thanks for taking the time to listen to our stuff and want to find out what we’re all about. We truly appreciate it. I’ll send you the new EP STUFF to you in the spring! Thanks again!