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| Deaf Rhino's Adam Schlett |
"Snakeskin"
By Matt Chrystal
Since their inception in 2015, Deaf Rhino, a beast of a rock n roll band from Glen Rock, NJ, have been making quite a ruckus across the Garden State and have been smashing down all barriers into the NYC rock scene.
The powerhouse quartet have been giving their all on stage to the delight of their loyal listeners, whether it be during their residencies in Hoboken or when throwing down at gigs along the Jersey shore.
The band have also won over countless new converts during their high-profile opening spots for the likes of the Deftones, Refused, Willie Nile, and Nicole Atkins, just to name a few.
In June of 2017, Deaf Rhino released their latest single, "Snakeskin," along with an accompanying music video. The video tells a gritty crime-noir tale that pays its respects to Tarantino in the form of drug deals gone wrong, intense interrogation tactics, and some badass female ninjas.
Speaking of badasses, I recently caught up with Deaf Rhino's frontman, Adam Schlett, to ask a few questions about the band's experiences recording the single and making the video for "Snakeskin." We also got to talking about music, politics, and some other stuff too.
CoolMattyC: The Tartantino-esque video for your single "Snakeskin" just dropped earlier this month. The video was made for the band by Film Forge. Whose idea was it for the storyline? How much input did the band have in production, and can you talk about the making of video?
Adam Schlett: I'm gonna go 80-20 Film Forge to Deaf Rhino. We knew video wasn't our forte. We wanted to avoid "the same old thing" when it comes to videos and we really love when we get a chance to collaborate with creative people. We sent them the song, and they came back with a skeleton for the final product. After a few conversations where we shared both ideas and inspirations, we landed with the video concept.
CMC: The "Snakeskin" video does not feature members of Deaf Rhino, and I was wondering if you could share the band's reasoning behind the decision to not be featured in the video?
AS: We simply wanted something different. We wanted to avoid doing anything cliché and we wanted the video to be a stand-alone piece of art that wasn't just used to promote the band. The video was filmed in Columbus, Ohio and we made the executive call to let the actors and the story do the work.
CMC: Deaf Rhino recorded the song along with a batch of new tunes at Studio G in Brooklyn. "Snakeskin" features Sasha Dobson, a high-profile session player and bassist for Norah Jones's band, Puss & Boots. How did the band hook up with Sasha?
AS: We have made records with producers who we know through the local scene many times and for this one, we made a band decision to work with a "big name" producer as a change of pace. Joel Hamilton who has worked on some mammoth records and has one of the hottest bands in modern rock (Highly Suspect) produced these tracks for us. He had a relationship with Sasha and one day was like, "We need a female vocal here…do you care if Sasha sings on this?"
It was a no brainer for us. She is crazy talented and added a nice energy to the sessions.
CMC: What were the recording sessions at Studio G like?
AS: Honestly speaking, the sessions were hard for us.10 songs in 5 days is a huge undertaking with the level of production that went into these tracks. We're going to release 5 of the tracks. Some are going to be re-approached in the coming months at some different studios.
CMC: In addition to the "Snakeskin" single, you have posted a clip of "My Two Eyes" which is listed as a track off of Deaf Rhino’s forthcoming album which will be the follow up to 2015's Dirt, Rust, Chaos. What details can you clue us into about the new record?
AS: A full LP may be a ways away. Some of the tracks hit it hard from the Studio G sessions. Some need to be tweaked. Balancing a touring schedule, jobs and the right bandwidth to come in with fresh ears in a new studio is what we're figuring out right now. At the least, we will have an EP out in the fall of our favorite tracks. "My Two Eyes" is up next were working on a video to support that release.
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| Deaf Rhino at Asbury Lanes |
CMC: You often curate and share Spotify playlists that include a sampling of artists ranging from Blondie to Alanis Morrisette to the Drive By Truckers… and the band has also been known, on occasion, to perform some full on Black Sabbath sets…. So I guess it\s safe to say you have some pretty eclectic tastes when it comes to music. With all that said, who are you currently listening to or drawing inspiration from these days?
AS: I have personally been listening to a lot of Hank Williams this week. I've been obsessed with lyricism and trying to get better as a writer over the past year or so. I try to stay open to new stuff all of the time as to avoid the constant repeat of playing my favorites over and over again. The playlists are fun to make and the few folks who follow them enjoy the new tunes. I don’'t know what it is, but getting a text saying "I LOVE this new song or band" makes me happy.
CMC: Deaf Rhino just played a show at Maxwells with the Last Internationale. What are your take-aways from working that show with them in Hoboken?
AS: This may sound cocky but [Maxwells] is our room. We have hosted multiple sold-out shows there and even had a two month residency in the front bar.
We love that place! It is literally down the block from where we live and is one of the only hubs for original music in our neighborhood.
We decided to take a break from doing our headline shows there and are only doing support slots now in Hoboken.
We got asked to play with the Last Internationale. We are fans of theirs and any chance to play with a band that is "bigger" than us is something we really don't take for granted.
We had the room packed, and we played what we felt was a great show.
The opener is supposed to get the energy in the room up and that's what we did.
We also partied our asses off with the Last Internatioanle after the show. A bunch of rock and rollers getting toasted and celebrating rock and roll!
CMC: The Last Internationale are known for their outspoken political commentary and I was wondering if you'd be comfortable with sharing your thoughts on the current political climate in the U.S. and your hopes for the future?
AS: Be comfortable with the idea that you aren't always right. Debate and disagreement are GOOD!
That is how we grow as people, as artists and as a society. If everyone spent more time understanding ideals that are different from their own, then we would be in a much better place to make effective changes to complex problems…I think…..
CMC: Oh and hey, one last question: what's up with the band's fascination with Randy Jackson and Guy Fieri?
AS: Making a stop in Flavortown on the way to Hollywood. Out of bounds my man. Out of bounds. It's a yes for me dawg.
The new single, "Snakeskin," is available on Spotify and Apple Music.
Deaf Rhino will be performing:
June 29th at Pianos in NYC (along w/ Faux Furs, Nemes and more)
Aug 11th at The Saint in Asbury Park, NJ (along w/ Wicked Hollow)
Aug 14th at the Wrat in Long Branch, NJ (acoustic set)
For more info please go to www.DeafRhino.com.
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