Andi: When I was a kid I played piano, flute, and saxophone for short periods of time. Nothing called to me more than the used drum kit my parents got my brother that he never played. I was in 10th grade and was immediately hooked. I practiced on my own and made YouTube drum covers in order to keep improving. Since I got into drumming in 10th grade, my public high school wouldn’t let me join the band as a percussionist because I “should’ve joined in 9th grade,” so I’ve never had any formal training. I’ve always wanted to keep drumming a priority in my life, in any and all ways I can.
James: When I was younger, I loved playing drums and was in a school band. I stopped to pursue sports during the majority of high school, but then, at the end of my junior year, I actually picked up a guitar. I soon realized I had a passion for music. I am self-taught and started a couple of projects in high school senior year with some friends at the time. Even though my original plan in college was to solely pursue business, I ended up switching majors to pursue audio engineering and music business.
John: Growing up an only child, I was always looking for new ways to keep myself entertained. My first obsession was art, then when I got burnt out on that it became skateboarding. Then once I realized I’d never be a pro skater, I picked up the guitar. I knew early on that I was never going to be a regular 9-5 adult and my love for music was the one constant that had been with me the whole time. I got serious about my playing around high school and since then I haven’t looked back. I studied audio engineering in college, and after working in the event industry for a few years, I joined this band as the bass player. Now performing and writing is my main focus and what I want to do for the rest of my life.
Zach: I took up cello at three years old after begging both my teacher and my parents for many months (until I came along, the teacher required students to be at least 4 years old to take lessons). I was playing in groups with high school-aged cello students shortly after. At the age of 10, I took a few guitar lessons before realizing I was able to self-teach and started taking bassoon lessons for a band at school. Since then, I’ve played in numerous jazz ensembles, classical ensembles, and rock bands. I became fascinated with the art of writing, recording, production, and mixing in high school and proceeded to record myself, friends, and clients throughout college and the period of time before my commercial recording studio, Black Barrel Records, was founded in 2021. Although I’ve been intrigued by science all my life and studied biochemistry and physiology in college, I’m really glad that I pivoted my professional career path toward the musical arts.
Who were your early influences and how did they impact your career?
Andi: I realized how important music was to me once I started listening to a ton of pop punk and alt-rock at ~10 years old – especially Good Charlotte, Linkin Park, and all those iconic bands of the era. I listen to a variety of genres, but those were definitely my roots. Since I started drumming, I had always wanted to play/create music with others, but besides casually jamming with friends, I was pretty much alone in the basement making drum cover videos before joining The Inside Out. Being in this band has allowed me to meet a ton of talented friends in the music industry that make me grateful to be here.
James: My earliest influence was when I was around 15. I was constantly listening to my younger brother Nick play guitar constantly in his room. It made me want to try it out. I was already listening to bands like Death Cab for Cutie, Modest Mouse, The Killers, Brand New, and many more. It was exciting teaching myself the bass and guitar parts of songs I loved.
When I was in college, I was fortunate enough to be involved with jazz and blues ensembles. It was awesome learning with friends and jamming all the time. I started a few groups in college and met so many like-minded individuals. It wasn’t until after college and after a few DIY tours that I reconnected with an old friend, Nathan Sage of Sage Sound Studios, who took me under his wing. I learned so much working with him. It absolutely played an integral part in who I am today.
John: My initial influences were the artists and producers that made all of the music I liked. My entire teenage years were spent glued to MTV and YouTube dissecting everything about Blink 182, Taking Back Sunday, Yellowcard, and many others. I was always trying to accumulate knowledge on how to reach those levels of success and creativity.
All the peers and friends I made in college/joining this band have also been huge influences for me. Like, seeing people I know work with my favorite artists, play huge shows, and get nominated for Grammys makes me just want to work harder and be better. My friends and family also put so much wind into my sails in those formative years. Without them, I probably would have given up a long time ago.
Zach: Although I’ve been playing music from a very young age, the first time I really paid attention to all the working elements in music was when I stumbled upon a Sting CD at my grandparents’ house when I was about 8. I’ve been a fan of actively listening to the unique parts of albums ever since. These days I listen to a lot of indie rock, Hip-Hop, and electronic music. I’ve always enjoyed broadening my musical horizons through talking to and playing with new musicians on multiple instruments, whether in classical, jazz, or rock settings.
Following the success of your debut album “No Brains, No Blood.” and multiple appearances at the Launch Music Conference, you’ve dropped a new single “Mr. Arrogant’ Please tell us about the track
“Mr. Arrogant” is about losing sight of the present tense while all of life’s normal and abnormal stresses are with us. It describes a larger situation as well, where we literally, as a society and human race, keep going and going to reach our goals, and it never ends because we’re constantly aiming for something new. Sometimes this constant race has consequences on our surroundings and environment, and at this point, in most cases, we’re the problem and the solution. Time is infinite, but our time on earth is finite. It’s sad sometimes to realize how fast things can change or fade away without a moment’s notice. It’s important to be in the now as much as possible without getting too lost in where you’re headed or where you’ve been.
Band Members James Howard and Zach Stout, are also audio engineers and co-own and operate Black Barrel Records. Can you tell us more about the label and some of the projects it’ll be releasing?
Black Barrel Records is a hand-built recording studio and record label based out of Shelton, CT, and was founded in 2021. We offer a custom-tailored approach to working with artists of all backgrounds. Some of our recent releases, aside from our own band, include an indie-rock band called Dulcit, a death-metal band called Delta Protocol, and an indie-grunge band called Whitewood Drive. Linked below is all of Black Barrel Records’s current releases. We greatly look forward to propelling new artists to commercial success via our studio and label divisions!
What other projects are in the pipeline?
We recently wrapped filming the music video for our latest single “Mr. Arrogant,” so stay tuned! We’re working on our next album Road Trip, which has an upbeat, dancier vibe. This is a 180° from our last album, No Brains, No Blood., which was more dark and angry. We think listeners will really dig the creative pivot as much as we are, and we’re excited to release more singles in the near future!
Speaking of our upcoming album Road Trip, we’re also road-tripping from CT to down South this October! All our show info can be found at the “Show Schedule” tab on our Linktree. We regularly update IG with the latest announcements, so that’s the best place to go to stay up-to-date.
Where can our readers find out more about you?
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/theinsideout
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theinsideoutband/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theinsideoutband
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheInsideOutMusic/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxkuE78QomJkv1hXkG7Qujw
BBR Spotify Release Playlist:
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