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.
Brett Wisniewski is an illustrator, podcaster, songwriter and guitarist for Wisconsin’s alt-pop act Newski. Brett was kind enough to speak to TGEFM in a Roll of the Dice interview. Check it out below!
Thank you so much for agreeing to this interview. Congrats, in advance on the release of “Friend Rock.” Could you tell us a bit about this album and how it came about?
The iron fist of the Pando kept our touring band in the lurch, so I just tried to write a shit load of songs and ask my friends and musical influences to guest on them. I knew they were all at home, so it was the only time to swing for the fences and get some of the bigger names.
“Friend Rock” features a slew of guests including members of Nada Surf, Verve Pipe and Guster. Other than the obviously awesome ability to work with such influential artists, what do these features bring to the album? What do you take away from your time in-studio with them?
It was an honor they were keen to collaborate. I mostly knew Nada Surf, Guster, and Verve Pipe from MTV when I was a little kid. They were mythical giants. So to become friends and collaborators with them is pretty neat 🙂 I think they were also flattered a younger band is touring for a living and flying their flag as a musical influence.
What is it about music that you are most passionate about? What motivates you to keep writing?
It’s basically just going to the brain gym. Creating is brain exercise. If I don’t work it out, it atrophies and gets weak. Then I feel terrible. “Making it” in the music industry comes down to two very simple principles.
1. Can you create good stuff consistently?
2. Can you refrain from losing your mind
You’re also involved in podcasting as creator of Dirt From The Road. Have you found any carryover or benefit between your history as a frontman/vocalist and now as a podcast host?
In many ways the podcast influenced the new album, because I got in touch with so many musical heroes of mine and formed relationships. I think once we chatted for an hour, they realized I wasn’t a kook or a Jabroni and began to take me seriously.
According to your press release, you’ve already got plans for a 100-date world tour in support of this record. What can fans across the globe expect from a Newski performance? What new tracks are you most excited to play live?
We are not a “cool” band, but Freak Flag Fly is perhaps our “coolest” song. It floats on a slow burn groove which is not something we are known for. Perhaps we need to smoke more CBD.
The music world has also changed a lot over the last few years. What are some of the biggest changes you’ve come across in your time within the scene?
I think my lack of “scene cred” makes me feel outside of any type of “scene”. I just try to keep making stuff that I think is good.
If you could book your own tour with three other bands, who would they be and what venues would you want to hit up?
Frank turner, Nada Surf, Guster
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?
H Burns, The Shabs, The Secret Beach, Nada Surf, Guster
Beyond the release of “Friend Rock”, what’s next for Newski?
Working on a new touring route in Mexico. I am in love with that county. The beauty just crushes you; the people, the places, the food, the robust energy. You want to take the aura on loan and bring it home to your own country.
Mexico City: It’s really a matter of what bursts first; your heart or your brain. It’s everything all at once, and it’s the only hyper-stimulation I’ve ever found healthy.
The love is injected into all the pores of the city; it’s in the pastel paint on walls, it’s in the street food vendor that’s been perfecting the same single dish for 30 years, it’s in the dogs that lovingly wrestle each other in the public parks after just meeting.
Mexico is one of the rare places where community takes priority over cash. Space is limited and there’s no room for many material possessions. Money is an obvious limitation for most, but it’s a limitation that doesn’t hold people in a cold grip. Unlike America, the cost of living here seems to run parallel to what common people can actually afford.
Time is used wisely. It is spent carefully on friends and family. Outsiders are welcomed too.
The people don’t ponder where Gods at, it’s just assumed she has your back. They don’t preach or shove beliefs down the throats of passersby or vulnerable eyeballs staring at a screen. They just live. If any city deserves a love letter it’s Mexico City.
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/
