Vigorously with Val Kleinhans
Vigorously with Val Kleinhans, includes artist interviews, conversations with creatives, and solo reflections from me that go past promo and into the real human side of creativity.
Candid conversations that go beyond the surface — exploring who artists are, how creators think, why music matters, and what inspires the work we connect with.
Through interviews, solo reflections, and commentary on artist news, Val explores the psychology of creativity, the pressure of visibility, and what modern music culture is doing to artists and fans behind the scenes. Vigorously.
New episodes go live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube weekly.
Inquiries: val.kleinhans@gmail.com
Vigorously with Val Kleinhans
Vicky Psarakis on Sicksense, AI, Gaming, and Creative Identity
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Welcome to a new Tuesday and Thursday schedule for the pod!
In this first Tuesday guest episode, Val chats with Vicky Psarakis of Sicksense about whether or not the range actually helps with Call of Duty play, AI ethics, and the upcoming Funerals EP that mirrors all the thoughts that surround these moments.
PRE-ORDER the Funerals EP: https://ffm.to/sicksense-funerals
Get more Sicksense: https://sicksense.com/
Get more Val at https://valkleinhans.com/
I would just fall into this trap where, like, because of the noise that was happening on the internet and the industry, I would feel like I'd have something to prove. And then I think over time I've just been like, nope, I don't have anything to prove.
SPEAKER_00We should be living life vigorously. Welcome to another edition of Vigorously with Val Klein Hands. That's me. I'm the one that you hear yapping all the time, early week on this podcast. And today I have the absolute pleasure of welcoming Vicki from Sixth Sense on the pod today. I'm thrilled to have you. Welcome.
SPEAKER_02Thank you. Thank you so much for the invite.
SPEAKER_00Happy belated birthday. You're thanks. You're a cancer. I've got a lot of cancer in my chart too. I mean, true to the stereotype, do you feel all the feels as well?
SPEAKER_02Oh, yeah. Yeah. I'm I think I've read that cancers are like the most loyal. They value loyalty above all else. And I think that's like my main thing too. Like I feel a lot of things, but I think I'm able to shut a lot of that off for, you know, my own well-being. Um except when it comes to like like loyalty, like the people I love, like, you know, I'll die for them type thing. Which, yeah, I think I don't think that would ever go away. And and vice versa. I hope to have people in my life that feel the same way about me. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00It works better when it's reciprocated. We we need that, and because I I will we will cut you off. If we if we've had enough, we will cut you off. Exactly.
SPEAKER_02Exactly.
SPEAKER_00We're over it. But I'm a Capricorn son, so I need a lot of structure. I need to focus on the business as well, too. So those two, I don't know. They're constantly pulling at each other. This one wants to like be empathetic, and then the other side is like, nah, business folk business first.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I haven't done a deep dive to see the rest of like my whole, you know, zodiac composition um to know what else is there, but maybe I should.
SPEAKER_00It's fun, it's interesting. And what is funny is that even though we've got all this emotion happening, it's not always projected externally. So yeah, like we love a quiet introvert who feels all the feels and just kind of keeps them in until they're comfortable because it's almost like getting a gift, which by the way, thank you for going on Garza's podcast and standing up for us introverts. I did watch that. And I was like, I was like, thank you. Somebody needs to say this. So how many times, just in music in general? I mean, people expect them to be extroverts, but I'm kind of finding more of the opposite too.
SPEAKER_02No, I think I think a lot of us are, especially I think the songwriters. Because I think people that are like natural-born performers that maybe don't necessarily care about the composition of the song, but like playing live shows and like being on stage and stuff like that. I think maybe the percentage of those people being extroverts is a bit higher. Uh, but when it comes to songwriters, you know, lyricists and all that, I think we're more inclined to be introverted because a lot of the things that we want to say in real life and we can't say in real life, we put into our art instead.
SPEAKER_00It's better. And I'm sure the new single, which we are gonna get into, is definitely a prime example of that because AI is a topic. AI is a topic right now. Well sure is. We'll dive into that, but uh back to the Garla interview. Another favorite part of that for me was watching you get a little bit emotional uh when you were talking about your why and being reminded of your why as in why we do what we do as creators. Like this conversation happened a minute ago. So I wanted to just ask: Does your why look different today?
SPEAKER_02I don't think so. No, I think it's uh it's the one thing that like I hold on to when a lot of the noise and a lot of the bullshit and all that stuff, you know, some days you wake up and it's just not your day and everything's going wrong, and you feel like I've had enough, maybe I should just quit, you know, and all that, and then I just that comes back into my mind, and I'm like, no, you gotta keep going because of my own personal why, but of also the progress and the community that I've built and how far I've come, you know. I I'd like to think that if I were to disappear off the face of the earth, because I think that's what I would do, if I would quit music, I I don't think I'd be on social media anymore. You know, I'd be like, Finally, I have no reason to do this. Exactly.
SPEAKER_00Trailer park in Arizona, no one will know where I am.
SPEAKER_02Goodbye. Yeah, yeah. So I think um, but when I think of that, if I were to disappear, I think it would impact some people's lives. I think um I'd like to think so, you know, and uh a big part of what keeps me going is knowing that I make some kind of difference in people's lives. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, your words matter, your actions matter, and that kind of adds an element of responsibility too, which is a lot.
SPEAKER_02It's a lot. It and I try, I feel like a lot of people fall into that trap of like people pleasing maybe a little bit too much, where it's like my fans or my community or whatever expect this of me, therefore I'm gonna do it. And I think that's okay when that aligns with something that you want to do as well. But if you feel like you're starting to do things that maybe don't actually connect with who you are as a person, that's where it can be toxic and very detrimental to your mental health because you're like, you know, doing these things artistically that maybe you don't want to do, and then if you don't get the response that you were expecting, you're like, I just sold out my soul and sold my so yeah, and what did I get in return? Nothing, you know.
SPEAKER_00Right. You have to rely on your own moral compass and just pray to God that nobody's speaking over it, your emotions aren't doing what they do over it. It's tough, it's tough because you're taking in so much energy and so much external stuff from everybody else. I mean, especially as a creative, you're out and about, you're meeting a bunch of different people all the time. It's hard.
SPEAKER_02It is a hundred percent.
SPEAKER_00Does your why look different as your career advances?
SPEAKER_02No, I don't think so. And sometimes I like to, you know, play that game and think in my head, like, would I be any different if I were bigger? Like, you know, say Sixth Sense blew up overnight, and suddenly next year we're headlining these like big venues or whatever. Would I be any different? And I don't I think that's like a you don't know until it happens, as with anything. But I don't think I would be. I think, you know, um my day-to-day would certainly change and like the structure of the shows and all that, and just a lot more pressure and responsibility overall. Um, but I don't think I'd be any different. I think I'd still have the same reasons why I'm doing this. Um I don't even know if I'd feel more um what's the word? Pressure in the sense that like what if I do something wrong and I upset people and all that? I don't even think I would because I feel like these days it's it's this business has always been high risk, high reward, but I feel like if you have a big audience already, you can just do whatever you want. Sure, you'll alienate some people that say you switch genres and they're like, oh, I'm not about this, but you'll gain a whole other audience in doing that. So I don't think I would change. I think if anything, I think I would be um more uh able to handle the stresses. Like the stresses would be more, but I think mentally I'd be better pr in like tackling them because suddenly, you know, I'd have real financial income coming from this. So I feel like I'm the type of person like if you give me more work, I can handle it as long as like all this is calm and centered.
SPEAKER_00But yeah, and you'll never let anybody know that it's bothering you either. No, no, exactly.
SPEAKER_02And and I think I speak for everyone where it's like financial burden is a main issue for a lot of musicians because it's like it's not why we do it. I'd like to think metal musicians at least that's not why we do it, but the older you get, the more you're like, okay, like I have to start seeing something. Because if I don't ever see anything, and I don't have a a day job, like a lot of people have day jobs, and right um, but some people have a day job that they're passionate about. They're like, I like this, maybe not just as much as music, but I like it, so I can I could be okay doing this and quitting music. But a lot of people get, you know, stupid day jobs that just cover the basic stuff and they're like, I'm gonna make it, I'm not gonna need this job anymore. Or people like me, I don't even have a day job, like this is all I do. So I feel like if that burden was uh, you know, lifted, I'd be able to handle a lot more of the the work that comes with the rest, you know. But I don't think my why would change. I think like I'd still be doing it for the same reasons.
SPEAKER_00The point was to put yourself in the booth, in the studio, and to put yourself on stage, regardless of whether you had a second job at any other time. Now you're like, this is it, this is all I've ever done.
SPEAKER_02Basically, yeah, I stopped working, you know, other jobs years ago at this point. And being a freelancer, it's like some months can be great, some months can be awful, so it's a lot of money management. Um, and six cents being independent. Um, there comes there's some months where like the like we know we have a separate bank account for the band, and some months um the band's doing really well, and that can just pay for anything, but then there's some months that I have to dip into like my personal finances and shoot some money there that I know I'm hopefully gonna get back at a later point, you know, and that's fine. I'm happy to do it, um, as long as everything is okay and balanced. But again, I think I don't, yeah, my why wouldn't change. I think I just make music because what else am I like that's all I I feel like I'm meant to do? I don't know.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it's a calling, it's a calling. It's it's a strong pull toward look, this is what I should be doing, and I will do whatever I can to ensure that I'm doing it for a long time.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, based on that. That's it.
SPEAKER_00That's that's it. I I'm hoping that the fact that I mean you definitely have a team around you, but for anybody that doesn't know, Sixth Sense is a dual vocalist situation, which isn't unheard of, but it's rare, and even yeah, more rare is that your other vocalist is your husband. So that that's gotta work out in very interesting ways. But vocally, in what ways does your husband push you? Because I'm sure you're exchanging those tips all the time.
SPEAKER_02I mean, he definitely got me to do some rap parts that I'd never done for sure, prior to Sixth Sense. Yeah. Um, I don't think it's like a push necessarily when it comes to vocals, maybe the songwriting. I think a lot of it is just when we bounce ideas back and forth or we're writing lyrics. Sometimes I might we're just like having brainstorming sessions, right? And I'll throw a lyric his way or he'll throw a lyric my way, and the other person will be like, uh, that's kind of stupid, you know, or I like this part, but I don't like the line after that. So I think it's um it's a filter-free environment where you can just bring out the best in each other if as long as there's no ego, as long as it's not like my idea has to win, which I think is a toxic thing I've seen in a lot of bands with multiple songwriters. It's not necessarily about making the best song, but it's like whose idea it is. And a lot of people might come up with something and you know they get demoitis, they're like, This is the best thing ever, and then someone else might come in and and change it, and they don't know how to deal with that. Um, but with us, I especially now, I don't really care. Like the the older I get, I'm like, I just want to write a really awesome song. And whether my contributions are, you know, 50% or 80% or 20%, that doesn't matter. At the end of the day, I still find a way for it to feel like it's my song, you know, it's our song.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. The respect is there, and everybody's gonna get a turn. Everybody's gonna get a moment to do what they do and shine in the way that they do best. And I I'm sure, or I can imagine, and you can correct me if I'm wrong, dual vocals. That's gotta be a little bit advantageous though, when you're trying to like preserve your voice, either of you.
SPEAKER_02Uh yes and no. I it it's cool because it allows me to maybe do more difficult stuff. Um, because I know that like, okay, if I have a really big moment that I don't know, I go for the high note or whatever, the next part, you know, Robbie can come in and I can take a little breather. Whereas maybe if you're doing a whole song yourself, you might be like, oof, this is too many like vocal gymnastics back to back. Because that's a lot of things that people don't realize um when you're performing a song live. Sometimes, you know, people will look at live videos and be like, they sound like shit or whatever. Um, but people don't realize it's not that you can't sing what you wrote or scream what you wrote. Um, the studio environment's a lot different because you can do a take, take a little breath, you know, have some water and this and that. Live, it's not like that. And you have adrenaline, and if you're a good performer, you're moving around, you're talking to the crowd, and it's about the endurance of doing all these parts back to back. Um, so a lot, everything that I record, you know, there's moments where it feels difficult in studio, maybe, but it's gonna feel 10 times more difficult live, you know. Um, so that's kind of the advantage with splitting the vocals, is like, okay, I have a big moment, but it's fine. I'm gonna feel tired, maybe winded for like a second, but I'll be able to recover.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and everybody takes a turn. So it was it's like it wasn't necessarily a strategic decision to do the dual vocalist thing. You just kind of it was kind of a happy outcome that you discovered after the fact.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah. We just started doing music and um originally I think in the earlier 6N songs, I was mostly just singing choruses. We weren't as heavy, we were more like rap of rock metal or whatever. Like we had some screaming, but nowhere near like what we're doing now. Um, and I think my singing was a lot more mid-range. It wasn't the tunings were different in the songs, you know, the dynamics weren't as wide. So uh we just kind of started writing, and then it it slowly became evident that like we wanted to do more. We're like, we can do more, let's do more.
SPEAKER_00There's an obvious evolution. I mean, since cross me twice, your sound is definitely leaning a little bit more corn now, in my opinion. But I do want to talk about the common thread between that album and the funeral ZP that is on the way, and that's the hip hop elements, which I know to you was a little bit like maybe whoo, okay, I gotta learn. This is an adjustment at first. But break down the origin of that for me. Was that more of a Robbie thing? Or was that just something that was always there?
SPEAKER_02Uh well, Robbie's like, you know, a great rapper. He he always has been. Um, and he he was, you know, prior to Sixth Sense, he had a local band at one point where he was rapping and screaming. He doesn't sing, which I find funny when we get some comments, they're like, How about some melodic vocals from you know the dude? And I'm like, Do you want those? You do not want that. Um, but yeah, no, he's he's always been uh really good at rapping and really good at writing lyrics uh for that as well. So um, I mean, it would be such a waste. We start a band and he's only screaming, and we're doing the angel and devil thing, which like okay, cool. A lot of bands do that. They get a woman to sing and a dude that screams, and it's fine and it works, but we're more like, well, why would we limit ourselves if like we have so many other skills um in our toolbox, you know? Like, why not? Why not do it and why not find a way to to make it kind of work? And I know some people are gonna think it's disjointed or that it doesn't belong or whatever, but um, I think you know, our music's not for everyone. If I wanted to write radio rock, I could. I don't want to, yeah. Um but I think we still find a way where it's like it's not also like progressive metal, where it's like I'm a fan of prog music, but I don't like it when it's like too much. It's like 10 minutes of a song and nothing stuck with me after 10 minutes. Like, I like there being a hook, you know. So I think we're taking certain things that like prog metal has to offer, but we're we're doing it more so in combining all the different elements and styles rather than playing a million notes. Um, and we try and make sure there's still a hook, whether it's like usually a singing chorus, but maybe like a song like Newsflash, that's not that's a screaming chorus, but I think there's still a hook. Um, so that you know, people that find it a little bit all over the place, it's like, well, at least there's a chorus you can come back to and there's something you can remember.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, which uh all the criticism about like doing different things, doing different sounds, trying out different vocals, all of that. Man, it it's ironic to me because I feel like now more than ever, metal is opening up a lot more when it comes to genre blending, just as just in general.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, it's it's kind of weird because to me it's it's a phrase that you is used as a compliment and as a criticism. Like it's not a bad thing. It's just when you do that and people like it, they use it as a compliment. When you do it and they don't like it, they use it as an insult. So it's just it's not a bad thing. It's just it's does this resonate with you or not? That's the only question people need to be asking. They don't need to try and figure out why they don't like it. I think that's the problem with like internet culture. Um, that people it's MDK syndrome.
SPEAKER_00I I call it machine gun Kelly syndrome. He this man is a prime example of this.
SPEAKER_02Where like people don't genre switching, you mean they don't know what to do with them.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, they don't know what to do with them. And it's like the man, this guy has always floated between the two worlds.
SPEAKER_02Right, but like is it a good song or not? Like when he first made his switch to pop punk, and uh, I don't remember, is the song Forget You or whatever the song that says you want me to forget you with Halsey. I was like, I don't even really listen to Pop Punk, but this is a great song. This is a good song. Like, why why would I hate on it? Period. Like, but I think that's and that's all that matters. I think people associate the music to the people way too much, first of all. And uh then they also try and find reasons to justify why they don't like something. Whereas I think if I'm listening to random songs or like I do my music reactions on on Twitch every Monday, um, I people will suggest something, I'll check it out. Sometimes I don't like it. I don't necessarily need to find a reason. Maybe on my streams I'll try and explain why I didn't like it as Vicky because I know like my personal taste, but like I don't that process typically doesn't go in my head. I'm just like, it just didn't click with me. Whatever, next. But if people need to find a reason and they need to tell the artist what it was. I'm like, what do you want me to do? Go back into the studio and re-rework on it just for you?
SPEAKER_00Like I will I want an answer to that. That's a great question. Every time we run into that. I mean, yeah, you you hit on this a little bit ago, but newsflash, I mean, it is definitely all about owning and embracing what you love and protecting your individuality. And those are two important things you gotta do when you're trying to block out all of that excess noise. So for you, how do you do that in a world where it gets chaotic?
SPEAKER_02I just, you know, I try to be good with myself. Um, I try to like I think it goes back to the cancer thing that we were talking about in the beginning. Like, I feel a lot of things. Um, when other people wrong me, it bothers me, but like it's like whatever. Not everyone can love me. It's fine. Um, but if I wrong myself, I carry that with me. You know, I'll go to bed at night and I'll be like, that was so stupid. Why did I do that? Or why did I say that, you know? So I try and live my life in a way that I'm gonna be happy with, and I try and treat people with, you know, the respect and the the dignity that I want to be treated with. And um, I think that just kind of helps me navigate through all of it because again, I don't I have a conscience. I understand that maybe some people don't, but like I want to go to bed at night and feel like I'm a good person and that I I did, you know, right by myself for first and foremost. And uh that's just yeah, that's just kind of how I deal with it, I guess.
SPEAKER_00What's one thing you thought you wanted from the industry that maybe you realized you didn't actually want?
SPEAKER_02Oh, that's a great question. Um, maybe when I was younger, I I think respect. I think I would have like I see this comment pretty often, even to this day. People are just like, You're so criminally underrated, you know? Um Um and it's like, yeah, sure, I am, and so many other artists and bands are too. You know, it's not necessarily the best musicians and the best bands that make it out there. Sometimes they do, but sometimes we see people at the top that it's just like their music is manufactured and cookie-cutter and maybe they're terrible people behind the scenes as well. Like the world isn't fair, you know, it's not that like only the best people thrive. Absolutely not. But I think when I was younger, it was like I felt like I had something to prove vocally as well. Like, you know, not that that was why I was doing it, but it would infiltrate a little bit into my why, and it would mess with my head a little bit more because I would get compared to other vocalists.
SPEAKER_00Um with the females all the time, especially with the women, especially there.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. And I would be compared to women that like sound nothing like me, or sometimes people be like, so and so's way better than Vicky. Like as it's as if it's an objective, sorry, as if it's an objective fact, right? They wouldn't say I prefer so-and-so's voice over Vicky's, because that's fine. But I'm it was just like there's sometimes they're you know, I don't want to name names, I don't even remember at this point, but maybe they would mention vocalists that like objectively from a technical standpoint weren't as good as I, you know, am. Because maybe they just like did the one thing and stayed in their lane, which is like that's fine too. But I would just fall into this trap where like because of the noise that was happening on the internet and the industry, I would feel like I'd have something to prove. And then I think over time I've just been like, nope, I I don't have anything to prove. Like, if I do difficult, cool shit vocally on a song, it's because it works with the song, and it's because it adds to the song, it's not because I have something to prove. Um, I'll I'll see comments sometimes, people being like, they'll see a 30-second clip on the internet and they're like, eh, she sounds okay, I guess. Uh, but like, you know, and I'm like some people really. Yeah, and I'm just like, dude, it's 30 seconds. You want me to make a 30-second reel of every vocal style I can do just to please you? Like, and I think a lot of vocalists struggle with this too. So if anyone's watching this, just like that's just noise you need to shut out. Like, if you want to be respected, just be true to yourself and the people that are worthy of it, you know, will respect you and you'll respect them back. But I really like I feel like at this point I have nothing to prove. Like, if people want to do a deep dive and look into my discography and see all the shit that I do, it's up there. Some stuff I don't even do anymore because I just don't feel like I need to prove anything, you know, and I think it's a very liberating feeling.
SPEAKER_00There's a lot of artists that listen to this that I know are gonna appreciate what you just said for sure. So thank you for that. And but and what I take joy in is that it does look like you're able to maybe poke fun of it, I guess I'll say, some of the time. Artificial irrelevance video, the new single, being a prime example of that because I do love the fun vibe of the video. To me, to me, it is obvious that you're kind of sort of ish taking shots at AI and other industry stuff happening in there. I mean, and given how it's permeating the music industry right now, this is something that you have every right to speak on. And yeah, my biggest concern with AI is just how quickly that we've adopted it at all without asking the necessary questions or doing our due diligence and understanding its capabilities or the consequences of its use. Like, I I don't know, I don't know that the average person hasn't questioned it. I think some do, but surely the decision makers who decide how AI shows up in our lives, I mean, they have not. They're they're full send at this point.
SPEAKER_02Well, I think I think because the primary motivating factor is like money and control, right? Although I've heard that that AI is bleeding money, they're losing a lot of money on it, so hopefully it'll go away. I don't really know. I don't involve myself in that, but ethically speaking, obviously it's it's wrong. Um, the thing that makes me laugh a little bit is what people are surprised that it came to this. I'm like, you were surprised? I'm like, d how did you not see this coming? Um, anyways, but I don't want to be the type of person who's like, I told you so. You know, I don't want to mock people um that maybe were a little naive to what was gonna happen with AI. Um, I uh some people say it's here to stay, some people say it's gonna go away because they're bleeding money. I don't really know. We can't predict the future.
SPEAKER_00It's gonna look different. I think that's I mean, they've all yes, they have already literally and figuratively invested in it quite a bit, but it's gonna look different. It's like anything else. Social media doesn't look the same way it did because 15 years ago when that was popping, like you know, at first, it looks completely different today. I think I think that's more so what we're gonna see. But you saw clues ahead of time. You sort of like the breadcrumbs were there for you.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I mean, just like with social media, and social media originally being a platform for people to connect, and then people realized, oh, wait a second, we can have ads on here and companies can make money, and then it became a business, you know. It's just at the end of the day, money and power and control will trump anything really. And um, for for me, artificial relevance, it it's part of that, and it's part of like the whole social media culture that exists in general, that like people seek validation on the internet, they create their this persona online that you know um they try to live by, but then once the camera's off, you know, they're a completely different person, and um just the toxic doom scrolling culture and the the constant instant gratification of like give me something in the first three seconds, otherwise I'm gonna scroll away.
SPEAKER_00Which when did that change? I'm like, does it who how are we really that old now that we forgot what waiting in line was like?
SPEAKER_02Like Yeah, I really don't know. It just it does make me feel old when I see this stuff. I'm happy to have grown up, you know, millennials have it the best because we got to experience real life and then we got to experience you know the introduction of technology. And I'm not gonna be a hypocrite and say I don't like technology. Like, look, we're doing this interview right now because of technology. Like, I'm able to stream on Twitch, I've I've been able to build a community online because of it.
SPEAKER_01Yes.
SPEAKER_02But I think I'm also allowed to call out when um it kills authenticity and it kills the genuine human experience and and interaction. And I think it's a problem how much people are glued to their phones and how much the self-validation that they seek is reliant on that. Um, and that's what artificial irrelevance is about because at the end of the day, you know, Instagram or TikTok or whatever, it could all go away. And then who you who are you after that? You know, if you lose your half a million followers, who are you after that? Like, I think you need to have bodies of work that speak for themselves outside of this internet space.
SPEAKER_00So stand on something. And I speaking of that, I definitely want to get to the evolution of your career, but to go like on to what kind of what we're talking about now. Uh, Sixth Sense has obviously used human artists before. You still do when it comes to your artwork, your merch. And I noticed that it looked like you might be using the same artist for your upcoming funerals EP that you did on King Today, Fools Tomorrow. Is that right?
SPEAKER_02Yep, yep, same one.
SPEAKER_00She's amazing, whoever that is.
SPEAKER_02She's incredible, yeah. Her name's Alexandra uh Morozova. Um, she's just an independent artist. We just really love her work. And uh when we had the idea for this EP, I'm like, okay, her art style's really gonna work really well. So I'm I'm very happy to bring her back. And it's just her work is so striking. It just so it stands out in the sea of everything right now that's either AI or just like yeah, photoshopped or whatever, you know, digital art or it it does.
SPEAKER_00It caught my attention. And I uh you're busy working on new merch at the moment-ish. So what do you think makes a good piece of merch?
SPEAKER_02I think if it tells some kind of story, you know, like uh the story is like part of it, but like I think it just has to have something that people want to wear, you know, whether it's the design or the colors or whatever it may be, you know. So yeah, we we're a lot of our merch is inspired by our songs and our lyrics, and we try and build a design that that brings that out. So um so far, so good. And we experiment with our merch too. We don't just do the one style, just like our music. So I think that's cool because it's like if someone doesn't like the super serious metal style, well, we got the funny jokey ones too, and we have colors and we have you know just white, so we just mix it up.
SPEAKER_00I did peep Instagram lately, and I love seeing them mixing it up all the time, not just not just when it comes to artwork and creativity, but you and your personal life too. I mean, I you're at the shooting range. This one is at the shooting range. You went for the first time recently. I know.
SPEAKER_02What did you think? I it was fun. I enjoyed it. I was like, damn, this is a lot of work. I didn't expect it. Well, I expected it to be work. I didn't think it would just be pew pew, you know, like obviously expected the force and you know the kickback and all that, but it's different actually doing it. Um, but you know, our bassist Rich, he he's in the gun um industry and knows a lot about that. So he he we used his gun. He brought his personal gun and he just showed us how to do it properly and all that, and I think that helped make it easier for you know my first time.
SPEAKER_00Does it help in Call of Duty? That's what I don't want to know.
SPEAKER_02I I actually haven't played yet, so I don't know.
SPEAKER_00Oh, okay. I was wondering tell me I you love gaming, that's obvious. You've been on some soundtracks, you've been doing your thing in that industry. What where did the love of gaming and all that where does that originate?
SPEAKER_02Oh, just from being a kid, you know, like I was I was playing on the original NES console, and then you know, I saw that evolution as well. And when the first PlayStation console came out, I was people were like, holy shit, this is like the best thing ever, you know. And uh that's probably the console I played my most of my games on was the original PlayStation.
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_02Just because I was like at the right age, I was in middle school at the time. So like old enough to get a few years.
SPEAKER_00So young close skater, the like piece of handout.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah, yeah. Old enough to like be able to play a little bit of the more mature games, but still young enough that like I have the time for it. Um, and yeah, I'm definitely more in like the RPG kind of world, uh, more so than like FPS. I've never been like an FPS or an online gaming type of person. Not that I wouldn't do it, but it's just I originally was drawn to RPGs, and that's just kind of most of the games that I play.
SPEAKER_00I feel you. I was weighing whether or not to pre-order GTA 6 this weekend. I know that I I know that that was out and that was like news, but I'm like, man, are they gonna delay it again? I don't know. So we're we're we're watching that. But how does one go from the music industry to now we're doing soundtracks and voiceover work for games and we're all in on the gaming industry too? We're we're balancing both worlds.
SPEAKER_02Um, I mean, how does one there's many ways to go about it, you know. In my situation, it was just pure dumb luck, I guess. Um, I just got discovered and got offered, you know, these opportunities based on the work I had done in the music industry. Um yeah, yeah. It was just like, I like your voice. Do you want to do this or do you want to audition for this? You know, um, but obviously that's a whole world. It's it's you can go on Twitter, there's a whole like casting call environment, or maybe LinkedIn, and just kind of dip your toes. It's something I do want to do more, but I've definitely been focusing on music more so. Um, but I would love to do more voiceover work and and I think I can do more stuff with my voice for sure. I have more to show. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00What do you uh is does that involve working with the vocal coach if you were to take on more of that or just experimenting and having fun on your own?
SPEAKER_02Um I I don't think at this stage I would do a vocal coach. Maybe it became like a serious thing, but the thing is when um you get hired to do VO work, there's typically an audio director there. So they kind of like, you know, it's not just a free do whatever you want. They they direct you, they tell you what they want. So it's kind of like coaching while you're recording. So I feel like that's sufficient enough at this stage. And I also think I wouldn't be chosen to voice something that I can't do, you know. Like if I auditioned and they liked it, that means it's something I can do. I think I would only work with a coach if it's like I'm trying to do stuff that's outside of my wheelhouse and you know, improve.
SPEAKER_00Funerals EP on the way, past the next EP. What's next? What are the goals for Sixth Sense?
SPEAKER_02Um, hopefully some touring. We're working on that, hopefully. And uh more music right after this EP. We're not gonna stop.
SPEAKER_00We're not gonna stop. Cannot wait. Vicki, thank you so much for stopping by. We can't wait to see it all. Mark your calendar for September 25th. That is when the Funerals EP is out. There are also two brand new singles for you to enjoy if you have not done so yet, which are out for your consumption, for your enjoyment. News flash, artificial irrelevance. They're both out now if you want a little bit of a taste before the EP drops in September. Shout out to Vicky for joining me today. This was a fun conversation. I really, really, really think they have something to say when it comes to what's going on in the world, particularly with artificial irrelevance. So if you listen to one thing, make it that. So that's gonna be my recommendation. I'm also gonna recommend that you listen to this podcast every Tuesday and Thursday from now on. I just feel vigorous ones like that schedule would work out better. It would fare better for the both of us if we do a guest situation on Tuesdays and then your solo chat with me, our solo episodes. We'll do those on Thursdays. I think that's gonna work out better for a number of different reasons. So that's we're starting it now. We're starting it this week. So thank you for joining me. Spread the word and join us again next week. Bye.