US rockers Highly Suspect have just finished up playing two awesome shows in Melbourne and Sydney, on their first ever visit to Australia. We managed to get a hold of drummer Ryan Meyer for a chat.
What were some of the bands that influenced you growing up?
When I was a teenager I listened to Leftover Crack, NOFX, Reel Big Fish – massive punk bands; and that’s what I played. I played punk, and I played reggae and that’s how I got into Ska music. That was a massive part of my upbringing.
How did you evolve from that sound into creating something that’s your own?
It’s just a natural progression. If you want to create art, want to become an artist, your experience is translated through your talent. All my experiences would include the music which I grew up listening to, which includes the bands I just listed, and all the bands which followed after. I was listening to everything. Every year it was a different style of music from Linkin Park to Nonpoint to Black Keys.
You moved to Brooklyn, do you feel that influenced your sound or style?
Definitely. When we were growing up we were doing covers, and playing reggae. When we moved to New York, it was this giant culture shock. New York is this constant flood of everything, all different kinds of influences and styles.
How important is it for you to prepare for the road physically and mentally?
We’ve been on the road our whole lives. We’ve been living and playing together for 10 years. When you’re touring with one another the only struggle is to live on top of each other constantly, be around each other constantly, and deal with all the stresses of life. Because we’ve already been doing that, it was a super easy transition into tour life.
Can you tell us about your relationship with Gojira?
They’re our homies. We met Joe Duplantier a long time ago when he moved into the building we were living in in Brookyn. We became friends and he took a liking to our band. He actually produced the first version of ‘Lydia’ which is a demo on our Black Ocean EP.
Joe’s brother Mario lived next door to us and we were definitely influenced by them, those guys are amazing. Joe was the main influence on Johnny’s song-writing for Mister Asylum, which is the title track on the album.
Are there any other bands which you’re tight with?
It changes constantly. We make a lot of friends, and we love meeting new people. As long as you’re not a douche, we want to hang out. Last night, Johnny went out and somehow got into a Wolf Alice show, and made friends with the frontwoman.
Do you remember your first band t-shirt?
The first T-shirt I ever had would be a foo fighters T-shirt, because that was the best band that I’d ever heard ever in my life. It was a cream T-shirt that had a 2-inch tape player on it.
The first song I ever learned as a drummer was Everlong which is one of the biggest tracks ever. I learned it when I was 11, and it took me a long time to learn it.
Is there anything you’re looking forward to about visiting AU?
I want to see all the fucked up creatures you have that could kill you. All the snakes, spiders and all that crazy shit.
What Makes you a Maniac?
I’m a Maniac for the drums. I’m obsessed with the style, the cymbals, and how the drums sound. I like talking to drummers about how they tune things. I’m mad about sound in general. I went to BU and studied sound engineering. I really love making sounds.
