INTERVIEW BY JOE FITZPATRICK
PHOTOS BY CHESBAY360
In 2006, Virginia Beach alternative rock band REVERY was at the top of their game, after signing to EVO Recordings the previous year and releasing their debut album Avarice & Absolution. However, when the record label went bankrupt, things went south for the band as they struggled to survive. After an 11 month break, the members of REVERY regrouped and refocused their love for music to move forward together. Now back on the scene, the band is getting a second chance at success, but this time they are doing it on their own terms. Consisting of guitarists John Adkins and Mike Doyle, vocalist Jason Martinez, drummer Tripp Johnson, and bassist Jason Jacquin, the band recently released their second studio album Adora De Phonic and are eager to get back on the road. We spoke with Martinez regarding his band’s new album, their transition from a signed band to independent, as well as their plans for the rest of the year.
How did the writing and recording process on your latest studio full-length album Adora De Phonic compare to your previous records?
We had a lot more time, but towards the end we didn’t. We had about 20 songs at the end of the writing process for Adora De Phonic, and we were trying to get in the studio to get it out and ready so we could hit some summer tours. Avarice & Absolution was back when we were signed with EVO. We basically had most of the record done when EVO stepped in, and we suddenly had money in the bank (laughs). So we had time to record, and our manager had quit his job to build a studio for us. We basically had a lot of freedom to do whatever we wanted on that one. On this one, we were lucky enough to find an investor, but we were a lot more limited. It was the same process as far as attacking the songs. Either Mike or John would come in with an idea, and sometimes it’s a whole song and pretty much ready to go and I’ll put a melody to it. Sometimes John, our rhythm guitar player, who is also a singer and songwriter, will have a melody, and he’ll come up with a melody for the chorus and I’ll come up with the melody for the verse. I write most of the lyrics, but John also sometimes writes some of the lyrics, quite a bit moreso on this record. He’s got one song that’s his, and a couple verses on a couple different songs are his too.
Why did you choose to name the new album Adora De Phonic?
Actually John came up with the name (laughs). It was kinda odd. It’s kinda like Spanglish. My last name being Martinez, I’m half Puerto Rican. As far as I know, it’s not a real saying in Spanish, but it was really loosely translated as “the gift of music” (laughs). It just sounded cool to us. None of us really like to just pick a song title, and name the album after one song. We try to encompass the whole idea.
Your music has been described as “harkening back to the day of album-oriented rock,” but I’m curious as to which albums in particular inspired this musical direction?
With this one, there was a lot more contribution from everybody. For me, lyrically, I’ve always been a fan of STONE TEMPLE PILOTS, SOUNDGARDEN, [ALICE IN] CHAINS. Those guys are the reason why I started writing music. I always liked PEARL JAM but I was never a huge, huge fan. But I got the new PEARL JAM record Lightning Bolt from my girl because she is in love with Eddie [Vedder]. I was really interested in the way he was writing. He was very straightforward, I think. For me, [music] was always about what the song meant to me and whatever it means to whoever listened to it. I think the way he wrote stories subconsciously snuck into my own writing.
Can you tell me what your song “Look Away” is about and why you chose to do a stripped-down approach to it for the new album?
Actually, “Look Away” was written by Mike and John a couple years back when we had to come off tour because the label went broke, and a lot of bad things were happening for them. So we basically, with our legal advice, disbanded for about 11 months, and they had done a project together called RISE THE SUN. They didn’t do any records because it was a real brief sort of thing. But it felt good stripped-down. It’s relationship based, and it’s kind of an epic.
When did you split with EVO Records?
We haven’t been with EVO since 2006. We are independent again. Nowadays, the way people download music, the “big deal” isn’t as much as I would like it to be. It really isn’t necessary. You can go out on your own, and like I said, we were lucky enough to find an investor to help get the record recorded. Now that we have the record, we are working on getting PR, management, and that sort of thing so we can get back on tour.
Did you get a private investor or was it a crowd funding type thing?
It was a private investor, but we have a crowd funding project coming up. I think we’re going to use Indiegogo to try to do a crowd funded tour. We’re gonna try that angle because I have seen it work for quite a few people.
Do you have any more details on what you hope to achieve with Indiegogo?
Nothing super solid right now. We still need to figure out a number anywhere from $50,000 to $100,000 to get a solid tour down. It gets really expensive to do it properly. It costs $3,000 to $4,000 to get a PR firm to market you, and to get a publicist. So we’re talking $1,200 to $1,500 for a month, or two months, or three months to get all those people that are in the industry . We’ve done this for so long, and when we were with EVO, we were so close to really hitting it [big]. So we are looking for people who are already in the industry and have been doing it a long time as well.
Do you have any upcoming shows anytime soon?
We’ve only got three on the books for the rest of the year. We’ve got November 14 at Hoss’s Deli in Newport News. November 16 we’re playing at Shaka’s with SPONGE, and December 12 we’ll be at the Norva with SEA OF SOULS.
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO ADORA DE PHONIC
What do you hope for your band to achieve in 2015?
On the very top of the list is to get back on the road and get in front of crowds. When we were on tour in 2006, things were going well. So the main goal is to get back on tour and to get people to hear the record.
