Nashville duo Friendship Commanders will be releasing MASS on 29 September. The heavy duo joined TGEFM for a Roll of the Dice in advance of the release where we had a chance to discuss the record, working with Kurt Ballou and whats next. Order your copy of MASS here, and check the band’s tour dates here.
1. Thank you so much for agreeing to this interview. Congrats in advance on the upcoming release of “MASS.” For the uninitiated, could you tell us a bit about yourself, the record and how it came about?
Buick Audra: Many thanks! We’re so excited to be sharing this new album with the world! So, we’re a melodic heavy duo from Nashville; I’m the songwriter, vocalist, and guitar player, and Jerry Roe is the drummer. MASS is our new album, and it’s a concept album about memory, language, and the state of Massachusetts. I moved to Massachusetts a bunch as a kid (I’m actually from Miami), and I had some weird personal and social experiences there that still shape parts of my identity. The record came about because my old friend from the Boston days, Marc Orleans, died by suicide. When I was grieving that loss, I started to recover all of these old memories of that time and place, and I wrote the album in a couple of short months. We recorded it in Mass. with Kurt Ballou, whose studio is out in Salem. Ultimately, the record is a map of how to leave somewhere you don’t belong, and a glossary of terms you might not have applied to your own life at a younger age.
2. What album or band or significant singles made you go, “Yeah, this is what I want to do.” Not just an influence but who or what was the catalyst?
Buick Audra: I always knew I was a musician; I’m from a musical family. But I’ll cite Badmotorfinger by Soundgarden, which is referenced on the last track of the album by name. The track is called “DISSOANANCE,” and it’s a spoken word piece. That record hit my life when I moved back to Boston for the last time, and I think it both gave me a lifeline, and a glimpse into a better future for myself. “OUTSHINED,” in particular, changed my DNA.
Jerry Roe: That’s hard to nail down, as I was born into a family of musicians, and this was what was expected of me. However, at a very young age my father brought home a chunk of heavy records by bands such as Prong, King’s X, Metallica, Slayer and the like, and took me to my first concert; Fugazi with a local band called Buzzkill (featuring a young Hank III on drums). I knew pretty early on that making loud and heavy music was my calling.
3. What is it about music that you are most passionate about? What motivates you to keep writing and playing?
Buick Audra: I don’t think that’s a question I can answer in a way that will make sense to anyone else. Music is my first language; it’s who I am. It’s not about motivation, but about what calls my name. I write my obsessions, what gets a grip on me and won’t let go.
Jerry Roe: It’s such a big part of who I am. I’m not fully alive if I’m not doing this, and I don’t totally understand why, but it just is. I’m not too curious to understand it further. Playing heavy music live and making the best records we possibly can brings me the most joy on this planet.
4. “MASS” dives headlong into quite a bit of personal trauma and experiences. Confronting these moments is very healing for many people, how did the writing, performing and/or recording process affect the healing?
Buick Audra: I don’t tend to think of the work as healing. I think of it as organizing my stories for other people to understand. I’ve been an abuse survivor all my life, so sharing about it is not where my recovery happens. Sharing about it happens much later in the recovery process. But writing the record and recording it was satisfying, and I believe we absolutely did the songs and sentiments justice on the album. And I’ll say that I know a song works if I feel like it says EXACTLY what I mean. That’s not always the case. But it’s the case on this record, so I feel some relief in that. I think the biggest takeaway from the body of work, more than that trauma, is the message of, “You can move. You can get the hell of situations that are unsafe or unwelcoming. You can change your mind.” A lot of people don’t know that—I certainly didn’t. And that felt good to put forth!
5. “MASS” was recorded at God City Studio with Kurt Ballou. I would think the presence of a musician of his caliber and a producer with his resume would put my personal anxiety through the roof. Was there any added pressure or need to impress working with such a goddamned legend? What advice did he bring into the room to help you bring out your best in the studio?
Buick Audra: We did make the record with Kurt, but we’d already worked with him for years prior to doing that. I don’t see him as all that. I respect him, but I see him as a peer and a collaborator. I liked working with him and I’m sure we’ll do it again! He didn’t offer advice; we were co-producers on the album, so the process was led by the songs, and the production evolved organically among all of us.
Jerry Roe: Kurt is just a dude, and thankfully a very warm, considerate, and cheery one! There was tons of talking and laughter throughout this whole project, and we felt very supported the whole way. There’s always a concern about how someone will be towards you or behave during the recording process, but he’s mixed all our stuff since early 2020, so we had a bit of a report going in. We just like the way he makes things sound the best. He’s great at what he does.
6. The music world has also changed a lot over the last few years. What are some of the biggest industry changes you’ve come across in your time within the scene?
Buick Audra: Fewer venues, for sure. More bottlenecking in touring. More of a dog-eat-dog vibe among the scenes.
Jerry Roe: Monopolization of both how music gets distributed, and the venue landscape is tough, and very sketchy honestly. Streaming was supposed to democratize things, but it’s only made all of the problems we faced with compensation and equality worse. Folks like to talk about how everyone being able to release music all the time has made things more egalitarian, but that’s horseshit. It’s easier than ever to get buried, and harder than ever to get any traction on DSP’s. With venues, it’s losing local promoters and independent operators who are more likely to give local and smaller bands a chance. We were lucky to have Exit/In here in Nashville when we did, but it got bought out by a company that’s simply playing good cop for LiveNation, and now it’s just mid-level major label touring acts only. I remain optimistic, as art always finds a way, but local scenes everywhere are suffering for it.
7. You’ve been at this all for a while, what is your biggest regret? A gig you turned down, advice you didn’t take, what’s one thing do you wish you handled differently as a musician?
Buick Audra: I regret ever wasting any time on what other people think of me, especially sexist folks (which includes women).
Jerry Roe: Glad to say I have no regrets with this band! I’d say I wish I’d met Buick sooner, but I’m so stoked with where we are now musically. Whatever got us here was exactly what we needed.
8. One of our obligatory questions in these interviews also tends to be the one I have found most important on a personal level. Who are some bands on your radar that TGEFM readers may not know about, but you think they should?
Buick Audra: The Bad Plus!
9. Once the world has its hands on “MASS,” what’s next for Friendship Commanders?
Buick Audra: Tour! This record has been 2 years coming, so we’re celebrating the hell out of its release and playing these songs live for a while!
Jerry Roe: We’re gonna tour until the wheels fall off our van starting September 30, and then we’ll be back in to track another record, probably by the end of 2024? Buick already has some killer songs in the can. Can’t wait!
10. Was there anything I missed that you’d like to share or dive deeper into with our readers?
Buick Audra: Thank you for listening and reading! We hope you love MASS! I wrote a memoir in essays that we’re publishing alongside the album, called MASS: Essays on Memory, Language, & the State of Massachusetts. Anyone who wants a more in-depth version of the story told within the album should check that out! And remember, friends: you’re allowed to change your mind. All the love!
Roll of the Dice is a short interview format with a variable amount of questions. A pair of dice is rolled and the total, between 2 and 12, is the amount of questions we can ask. All questions are given to the interviewee(s) at once, and no follow-ups are allowed. The interview may be lightly edited for content and clarity.
Bad Dad (occasionally called Ed) has been on the periphery of the punk and punk-adjacent scene for over twenty years. While many contributors to this site have musical experience and talent, Ed’s musical claim to fame comes from his time in arguably the most punk rock Blockbuster Video district in NJ where he worked alongside members of Blanks 77, Best Hit TV and Brian Fallon. He is more than just an awful father to his 2 daughters, he is also a dreadful husband, a subpar writer, a terrible dresser and has a severe deficiency in all things talent… but hey, at least he’s self-aware, amirite?
Check out the pathetic attempts at photography on his insta at https://www.instagram.com/bad_dad_photography/
