Big thanks to my fellow DelCobra Jim Lorino for sending Afterall my way! In this interview, we chat about Afterall’s EP Obsolescence, his complicated relationship with alcohol, and his recording process–among other things!

Afterall is a cool name for a project. How did you come upon it?

I’ve been through a lot in the industry. A lot of suggestion, a lot of doubt, a lot of label pressure, a lot of self doubt. But these songs were my feelings after all of that. This is me. After all. 

Your EP Obsolescence is about your relationship with alcohol and the trouble it has caused. A project along those lines could have the potential to feel heavy-handed, but the lead track “Who Cares?” feels pretty hopeful. How do you strike a balance between the weightiness of your subject matter and the more upbeat form of the pop song?

Who cares felt like the most positive way to look at the duality of my artistic existence. And it’s why the song is first. Because the phrase “who cares” has been the most healing. If you take one perspective it means that no one is listening and everything is meaningless. If you take another it’s that no one is listening so make the art anyway. Those two words both held me down for a long time because of insecurity, and also, set me free to just be myself because of the shift in perspective. 

Where do you stand in relation to alcohol at this point in your life, if you don’t mind me asking?

I have a love / hate relationship. I’m definitely a lot more mature these days, but alcohol has absolutely had its grips on me. I’m learning how to wrestle the beast but lately I’ve been able to fend it off. It’s a long process to “de-program” your habits over a few decades. I’m learning. I’m growing. It’s not perfect. But it’s better. 

How do specific songs from the EP reflect or relate to your journey?

I spend a lot of time alone. As you get older and things change you spend a lot more time by yourself. As that happened I tended to lean on booze to deal with that change. Every song on this record addresses different points in that process. “Who cares” is my most “fuck it” moment. I might as well keep creating. Do the thing anyway. “I didn’t mean to let you down” is apologizing to my younger self for the person I became. “(Not) alright” is about how petty I used to be about competition in the scene. I wasn’t confident in myself so I was very callous and self centered. “Something no one wanted to say” is about when I was in the depths of my drinking I prayed that someone would just “see me”. I got so good at being drunk that no one in my sphere knew how bad I was. And “what they don’t know” is the literal conversations I would have with myself about booze and the fact that I know what I’m doing to myself, but if others knew the truth, they’d be aghast at how I was treating myself. 

You’ve also mentioned that the album is about complicated family relationships. How do those show up in your music?

I think any relationship can be complex, but my family and I had a falling out years ago. It was dark and ugly, and I’d love to forget it. We’ve pretty much reconciled, but the scars of us having lost 15 years continue to show up. The song “hate to say” is a description of the worst of those moments. I’m angry about it, I’m happy about it, I’m ok, but the wounds sometimes open up. 

You recorded the EP at home, and it has a crisp, clear sound. What’s your home-recording setup like?

I’ve been recording on protools for over 20 years. My home recording studio is modest, but I think I know how to make something sound good. I really just tried to write in the moment and get the first take that ‘felt’ good because I wanted it to be authentic. I don’t have any fancy equipment, just a vision and a history of making records.  My old band mate introduced me to some new friends who were local (John “JB” Browne and Jon Smith) at Kaleidoscope Studio in Lancaster, PA who were able to mix my productions and I’m so happy they kept all the feel and nuance while bringing it to another level. 

And you played all of the instruments on the album.What was your process for recording? Was it the same for every song, or did it vary?

I was in a really dark place when I decided to therapeutically make these songs. So I honestly just hit record on any guitar part that made me feel. Every song was an instantaneous spurt of creativity. But when I knew I had centered on my alcohol consumption it all just came out. Most of the tracks were first takes and I really tried to NOT make things sound perfect and redo things. When the floodgates opened and I was ready to deal with my alcoholism everything came so quickly. 

“Obsolescence in E Minor (Interlude)” is a tender instrumental track with the faint sound of what might be children playing in the background. It’s a stark contrast to the more raucous sounds that surround it. What was behind the decision to include that one and to place it in the middle of the EP?

It felt like a break. And a turn in the record. The second set of songs is way darker than the first set, but the interlude is an expression of playing something brilliant but no one is listening anyway. It harkens back to the theme of the first song “who cares”, but in the bleakest setting. It’s a man making art in a room where no one is listening. It felt right to separate the first half of the record that is more positive, to the second half that is much darker. The last two songs were difficult to record because it was possibly the most bleak I had ever been. But I am so glad I documented it in these songs because it makes it a stepping stone to grow.  

Who are some of your musical influences? 

I was inspired by grunge. Nirvana. Smashing pumpkins. But I was absolutely ignited by pop punk. Especially the skate punk of the late 90’s. NOFX and Lagwagon are my favorite bands of all time. However my songwriting was inspired by New Found Glory, Yellowcard, Fallout Boy and the like. The first two Weezer albums changed my life and as I tried to ground myself again, this EP is almost an homage to the early Weezer records. 

Do you have any new projects on the horizon? 

I hope to write more for AFTERALL. This EP was so much of a stress relief. And I’m really proud of it. I hope to be this visceral and real on future releases. I will always struggle with my demons, and if I can capture that in the future as I’ve captured it on this EP, then I will continue to fight. I’ve released a lot of music in my life, but this record was the most vulnerable I’ve ever been and I hate it, but I love it, and I love the way I feel when I listen to it still. I’m gonna continue regardless of who is listening because… “who cares”?