Vile Talks #10: Jamie of World of Malice

On todays episode, I sit down with Jamie of World of Malice, and we about talk his musical journey, his battle with addiction, and his love of playing music. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Hey everybody. I'm back with another episode of Vile Talks. We're here at Frankie's and I'm here with Jamie from World of Malice. How's it going today, bud? It is going well. It's good to hear. Um, I'm excited for your set tonight. I am too. Yeah, you guys are always fun. You guys are always super scary too, which I really appreciate. Um, I wanted to get started with your musical journey, how you got basically how you got to where you are today. Yeah. So when did you find yourself getting involved with music, be it listening to music, or yeah, we'll just start there. Where yeah, go ahead. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 0:44

So um, I've always appreciated music since I was a very young toddler. My dad's a rocker. No, there's no musicians in my family besides my sister. She played clarinet in the school band. But um he's from the 60s, and he grew up in a super religious house. So he wanted basically nothing but to get away from that, and he found a good way to defy his parents was to listen to Black Sabbath, Alice Cooper, Led Zeppelin. That's awesome. So that eventually bled into me when I came around in his life. Um, so like I remember my first favorite song when I was probably five years old was Iron Man by Black Sabbath.

SPEAKER_00 1:28

That's a good one.

SPEAKER_01 1:28

Yeah, so I I just I've always loved it. And I started with Guitar Hero and Rock Band.

SPEAKER_00 1:37

I'm one of those kids. That's awesome. I think I was too. I think a lot of how old are you? I'm 30. Uh I'm 33, so I feel like a lot of people in our generation. That that was way for sure. Yeah, for sure, for sure. Yeah, because I think it was Tony Arc Pro Skater before us, and then Guitar Hero was our generation.

SPEAKER_01 1:57

Yeah. Or you can be an idiot like me and just have far too many money-consuming hobbies and also be a skateboarder and a musician. But uh, yeah, that's that's where it came from was hearing rock from a super young age, being influenced by that, and then eventually getting that video game, and then finding out I had a decent sense of rhythm, because you know, I I was in bands playing drums before guitar. This is my first band playing guitar.

SPEAKER_00 2:25

Okay. Yeah, that's uh so so drums came first.

SPEAKER_01 2:29

I owned a guitar first, but drums came naturally, and then I went more towards that.

SPEAKER_00 2:35

Okay. Yeah, because you were in yeah, okay. Uh yeah, because that was one of my questions. Uh, what came first, drums or guitar? Do you consider yourself a drummer or do you consider yourself a guitar player?

SPEAKER_01 2:47

It it's funny because as of late I've been wondering that more so because I I always thought I was a drummer, but I always could mess around on guitar. Yeah. Um, I think that I'm more capable to expand my vocabulary on drums than I am on guitar, but I'm consistently trying to get better at playing guitar.

SPEAKER_00 3:08

Yeah, yeah, that's awesome. I mean, and I mean, like, you're not playing anything like super technical.

SPEAKER_01 3:15

No, no, it's it's a lot of jugging and you know.

SPEAKER_00 3:18

I mean, that that's the best stuff though. Like, I mean, yeah, that's awesome though. Yeah, cool. Um, so what was your first show? Do you remember? First show.

SPEAKER_01 3:30

Um yeah, that is a good question. So there was a skate park in a town called Fenton, Michigan. It was called the Misfit Lab, it was an indoor skate park, and there was a hardcore kid there. Um, his name is Morgan, and I'm sure he'll be happy about the mention because he fucking rules. Um and he got the shop owner to let him book shows there because the shop owner was a punk guy. But those were my first shows at that skate park, and um they were just local sh. I'm sorry, that got me.

SPEAKER_00 4:10

No, no, no, it's okay.

SPEAKER_01 4:13

Um they were local shows with local hardcore bands, deathcore bands, you know, things like that. And I was about I was 15 going on 16, and then that shop had closed or well, skate park, I should say, um, closed within the realm of me being 16. It didn't really last long. Um, and that was my invitation to hardcore and shows just in general. Like I learned how to mosh there and you know, all that. But I had I can't fucking remember my first show. I think it might have been like Flint Metal Fest or something. I stopped in and like checked some locals out. But as for like, do you want first big band show too? Yeah, okay. Um first big like legit band show was a fest when I was 18, and uh it was called Common Ground Fest. I had never heard of it happening ever again or before.

SPEAKER_00 5:10

Yeah, I've never heard of it.

SPEAKER_01 5:12

Yeah, and it was in Lansing, Michigan, and the lineup was insane. But I went there to go see Circa Survive. Cool, one of my favorite bands. I have their album artwork tattooed on my arm.

SPEAKER_00 5:23

Hey, no judgment. I'm a fan too.

SPEAKER_01 5:25

Fucking a right. I know bands got riffs.

SPEAKER_00 5:28

I know, true.

SPEAKER_01 5:29

Um, but yeah, there was a whole fuckload of people on there, and like this is showing age as well as already just listing it, but like I think that was the last tour brand new did.

SPEAKER_00 5:40

Oh my god.

SPEAKER_01 5:41

Yeah, which by the way, fuck that band entirely. Yeah, fuck that band. I sucked before the allegations, but anyways, yeah. Um, that was the first one, and then like obviously I caught other people's set, like I saw a little bit of say anything.

SPEAKER_00 5:54

Oh, I'm jealous. I never I I never got the chance to see I don't know if they do shows still.

SPEAKER_01 6:00

I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 6:01

I don't, but I would love to see them at some point, but like I feel like they're the size where I would have to see them at like a club, club or like a festival, festival. And I'm like, I don't I I can barely do like tied down.

SPEAKER_01 6:14

Yeah, dude, I I so feel you on that.

SPEAKER_00 6:17

Like I'll go, but I will struggle through every single second of it. Exactly.

SPEAKER_01 6:22

Like it fests are fucking hard, dude. I love them, but yeah, they're hard to like get yourself together.

SPEAKER_00 6:29

Yeah, because it's like you have to especially like if you want to be. I mean, I don't know if you're like me, but I want to be there before doors get in before the first band and watch basically every band and probably mosh for majority of them.

SPEAKER_01 6:44

Well, that's definitely where you and I differ because you know I don't I don't really mosh. No, I I don't think I've ever seen you mosh, dude. I maybe at some point you'll see it come out, but it's it's super rare. I've just I've hit my head a lot in my life, and that's fair. I'm afraid that if I get my bell rung one more time, I might not function the same. So that's kind of my way of looking at it.

SPEAKER_00 7:06

That's totally fair. I've uh I really started moshing hard like at the beginning of this year, and I told myself, like, okay, I'm gonna give myself one full year of just straight mm. And then I'm I mean, like I said, I'm 33, I'm not getting any younger, so it's like, okay, one full year, and then I'll I won't retire. I'll just save it. I'll just save it, yeah. For sure. That's awesome. Respect the fuck out of that. Um, what was your uh what was your first band?

SPEAKER_01 7:32

First band. Um I attempted to make bands happen all throughout my teenage years, and where I'm from, the music scene isn't super strong. It's great right now. Yeah, it's the strongest I think it may have ever been outside of like probably there was some shit going off in the 80s or something. But uh yeah, I tried starting bands since I was like 14, could never get anything to stick, and then just randomly after um a couple bands popped up, I tried out for one band under the knife, for anybody that remembers that band. Yeah. I got the spot in the band, but at the time I was actively in um addiction, and I actually handed off that band and I told him, Hey, this kid Jalen is sick as fuck, because I knew him through skateboarding and I knew he played drums. And um, I told him, like, I I can't make this work because my life was just falling apart. Yeah, and um they they picked him up and they did their thing, and now Jalen and a few other people from under the knife are just doing the goddamn thing, so it's awesome.

SPEAKER_00 8:40

Jalen from Enough said that's what I thought. Yep, awesome, awesome dude. Oh, he's the best. Yes, yeah, that's that's I it was not I was honestly not aware of that. So that's super cool. Um so when did you join World of Malice?

SPEAKER_01 8:55

I joined World of Malice a year ago in August. Oh, that recent?

SPEAKER_00 9:00

Yeah, I was not aware of that, honestly. Yeah, yeah, that's awesome. Um, how did that come about?

SPEAKER_01 9:05

Um I played my first show with my old band Triflin at the same gig that World of Malice played their first show. And I fucking loved their music, and I just befriended everybody in the band over time because I would play shows with them here and there with you know my other bands, because I did barefaced as well as Triflin together for a while. I ended up leaving Barefaced, um, stuck with Triflin, but I would still play shows with them, see them at shows, you know, and uh their guitar player ended up having to leave, and uh I just hit them up because I had been playing guitar and helping write riffs and trifling and all that, and figured why not like ask and try to give it a shot.

SPEAKER_00 9:51

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 9:52

And uh they said, Yeah, absolutely. And the first full song I ever learned on guitar was World of Malice songs.

SPEAKER_00 9:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 9:59

And I went and I tried out and they said, You have the spot if you want it.

SPEAKER_00 10:02

That's awesome.

SPEAKER_01 10:03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 10:03

So so you were a drummer for Barefaced and Trifling?

SPEAKER_01 10:06

Yeah, I was doing both of them at the same time for about a year. Um, and then I ended up leaving Barefaced and uh just did Trifling on its own for about a year. Okay, and then when I got the spot for Malice, I ended up leaving Trifling as well.

SPEAKER_00 10:23

Damn, I did I guess I didn't I've I didn't I was not aware that you were in you were doing both bands at the same time. Oh dude, it was brutal. I bet I I I give people props. I've talked to people, interviewed people that are in multiple projects, like Zach from Concrete Teeth, who's playing tonight, he's in three bands. The drummer of World of Mount well, I mean Brendan is in every band ever. Yeah. And it's like I give people props who have multiple projects and that have that mental fortitude to pay attention to all the shit.

SPEAKER_01 10:57

Well, honestly, I'm about to make it even worse for myself because there's a project that will be coming out soon where I'll be back on drums.

SPEAKER_00 11:05

Hell yeah.

SPEAKER_01 11:06

And I'm a vocalist in a band now.

SPEAKER_00 11:08

Oh, yeah. I mean, good for you. Good, good for you, dude. Um, you guys dropped what amounts dropped a new record this year. Bastard. Yes, it's awesome, by the way. I'll say that. Thank you very much. Um, it might be it's so far in my top records of the year. Oh, dude, you roll. Yeah, no, you guys roll, stop. Um, what was the writing process for that like?

SPEAKER_01 11:32

So the writing process, I'm I'm probably not the person to ask, honestly. But um they had pretty much everything locked and loaded already. Oh, and uh we self-produce, and as far as I know, Dylan, the vocalist of World of Malice, uh, they master everything too, I'm pretty sure. Cool. So I I had known that that was gonna be coming out, and um just when it did, it did. I I don't have any I didn't write anything on that uncredited. Okay, but uh I I didn't touch that.

SPEAKER_00 12:03

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 12:04

But the record rips.

SPEAKER_00 12:05

It does rip. Well, I I I was not aware of that either. Cool, cool. Um so uh what does playing in bands and doing music mean mean to you?

SPEAKER_01 12:17

So in reference to the earlier mention of being an active addiction, I've obviously I'm clean and sober, and I have been for four years. Congratulations, by the way. Thank you very much when you commented on my post. I really appreciated that. Yeah, and anybody that's listening to this that also commented, you are so appreciated. I was not prepared for that outpouring of support. Um, what it does for me is more than what drugs and alcohol ever did for me when I was actively using them. It provides me a space where I truly feel comfortable, happy, excited. Um and it just it it lets me breathe. Yeah. Because just like most people, I'm sure you deal with it too, within our scene, like I deal with having anxiety and you know, feeling out of place on a common basis. Yeah, you know, it's so w when I find something that lets me get away from that, yeah, I I just I go full in on it. And once I found that through playing live music, I I don't know if I'm able to stop.

SPEAKER_00 13:29

Yeah. Well, that's I'm super proud of you for one taking the steps you needed to get sober, because you know, I was I I struggled with substances, but obviously not on the same, probably on the same level as you. But it it takes steps, it takes a lot for someone to realize one, realize that there's a problem, and two, take the steps to better themselves for themselves and the people around them. So again, I'm super proud of you for doing that, and I'm happy you're still here to do shows because I would be sad if you weren't. Thank you. That serious that means a lot. Yeah. Um, I guess oh, since I guess my next thing was when did you get you said four years? Four years, yeah. Okay, cool. Um I don't I don't what was there a tipping point? Yeah. Weird question. You don't know not weird question. Oh okay, okay.

SPEAKER_01 14:30

I'm I'm an open book. Okay, cool. I feel like being open about it is far more productive than being cagey about it. Okay. Because it it allows some type of education. Um the tipping point. So there was a a lot of tipping points. Um just like any addict alcoholic, like there's there's many rock bottoms before one finally resonates with you strongly enough to make you change. And um I I just I had a lot of really unfortunate things happen throughout the duration of my usage because I was basically an active addiction from the age of 19 to 26. Yeah, it was I what's hilarious too is I was a late bloomer because I got drunk for the first time at 19. And I basically just didn't stop.

unknown 15:19

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 15:20

Um, but the tipping point was a very close friend of mine and I were um getting high and doing uh and and drinking and all that, and uh I I had blacked out before and you know lost time or whatever, woke up somewhere not remembering how I'd gotten there and all that. But there was one time in particular where I still to this day do not remember this happening, and this has never happened to me ever in my life. Um we were speaking to one another, and apparently I got hyper-aggressive and like partially violent towards him. And still to this day, I don't remember why. I don't remember doing it. I don't I don't remember anything until the snapshot of him pushing me away from him, yeah. Which I got off really light because that dude is way fucking bigger than me and could have easily just folded my ass. Wow. But I woke up the next day so hilariously terrified, and I was able to apply the knowledge that I don't remember why this happened, I don't know how it happened, X, Y, and Z.

SPEAKER_00 16:33

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 16:33

And I applied that to everybody else, including the person that that happened with. Like I applied that to everybody in my life that I care about. And that was the thing out of all of the bad things that happened, and there's a fucking a long list, dude. Yeah, um, that was the thing that scared me enough, and I was able to go like get away from it and find who I was again before the drugs now.

SPEAKER_00 17:03

Yeah. Well, I'm it's like I said, I'll say it again, and I'm super proud of you for getting sober. Thank you. Because it's it's hard. It's hard. Um total shift of topics. Bring it on. Um could you tell me three albums that have no skips on them? Three albums that have no skips. Um any genre, doesn't matter.

SPEAKER_01 17:31

Any genre. Okay, so that opens it up a little bit.

SPEAKER_00 17:35

Yeah, because I mean, I know I'm I'm sure you I I listen to heavy music, but I don't listen to only heavy music.

SPEAKER_01 17:43

Yeah, I mean, there's plenty of people that do, and I respect the fucking of that.

SPEAKER_00 17:47

But like, I don't always want I don't want to wake up on a Sunday morning and listen to listening to Devourment.

SPEAKER_01 17:52

Yeah, exactly. Like nothing but respect to anybody that does because they're hard as fuck.

SPEAKER_00 17:59

But like I do love my Sunday night drives to the story so far.

SPEAKER_01 18:04

Dude, fucking yeah, bro.

SPEAKER_00 18:06

Yep. I have been jamming, you know what song Quicksand? Yeah, I have I have been jamming that song. I listened to it seven times in a row to this morning. Yeah, as you should. Yeah, okay, cool. Fuck yeah, dude. The the self-titled record is the shit. I personally am uh under under soil and dirt. Yep, under soil and dirt. Love that record too. Yep. Uh or uh was it Things I Can't Change. Yeah, the the single off of that record, I think.

SPEAKER_01 18:31

Yeah, yeah, that shit. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 18:33

That was that was the first song I ever heard by them. That's a good one. Oh fuck, I know I didn't get into that. I that record was the record I got into them, and then I flint back and like, oh, under soil and dirt is just the the bad shit, dude. Okay, sorry.

SPEAKER_01 18:47

No, you're totally fine. You're so fine. It's so funny to me because we're doing this in your car and we have our mics on sticks. And usually when you and I talk amongst each other, we look at each other in the eyes. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 18:59

And we've just both been looking out the windshield the entire time. I know, but I can't, I I can't be like, dude, I know I get it. You gotta save your neck. Yeah, right. But um, all right. Three three fuck.

SPEAKER_01 19:11

Three records with no skips. Um I gotta do it because it's tattooed on me. On Letting Go by Circuit Survive.

SPEAKER_00 19:20

I'm not hip, I'm gonna have to listen.

SPEAKER_01 19:22

Oh, dude, it's it's fucked up. Literally, the there's three records in a row that they put out Jeterna, On Letting Go, and Blue Sky Noise. No skips on any of those. Um but second, let's see. Alive or just breathing Kill Switch Engage.

SPEAKER_00 19:44

Well, there's more shit going on. Jay was just over talking to him.

SPEAKER_01 19:54

What else? Um dude, the third is so hard.

SPEAKER_00 20:05

It's it is it is you can do it. I believe in you, dude. Uh you have far more faith in me than I do currently. Dude, I listen to so much music. That's fair. Like, I I only uh Jess, the photographer did mine. Mm-hmm. Did my interview. Yeah. And like I the only reason I came up with mine so quick is because I thought about it beforehand.

SPEAKER_01 20:37

Fair.

SPEAKER_00 20:38

Because like I knew, like, I obviously gave her the questions for me, but like I knew she was gonna ask, so I did my homework. But having someone, you trying to figure it out on the spot, totally get it.

SPEAKER_01 20:50

Yeah, totally get it. We got two, and like I I love this band. I love the people that are in it so dearly, they're the best, and they just got signed to the rejuvenation of Ferret Records. So I'm gonna go with uh I believe it's called A Vivid Depiction of Collapse by Wounded Touch.

SPEAKER_00 21:11

Oh, okay, cool.

SPEAKER_01 21:12

I think that's what the record's called.

SPEAKER_00 21:14

Did it just come out?

SPEAKER_01 21:15

It's the one before that, but the one that just came out is equally as sick. They're the fucking best band ever.

SPEAKER_00 21:22

Okay. Yeah, I've seen them a few times, but I haven't I haven't I've listened to them, but I haven't listened to them a lot. I'll have to do I that that's one thing I do like about this is I love getting homework. Like you've given me homework to do, which I appreciate.

SPEAKER_01 21:37

Well, you know the the kill switch record, right?

SPEAKER_00 21:39

Which one was that? I'm sorry.

SPEAKER_01 21:40

Alive or just breathing. Oh, the one with the face.

SPEAKER_00 21:43

Oh okay. Yeah. I personally am uh as a daylight as daylight dies guy. Hey, dude, they're literally all so good. Yeah. Uh I yeah, but the it does that have Jesse on it or Howard?

SPEAKER_01 21:56

It does have Jesse on it.

SPEAKER_00 21:57

I'm a Howard guy. See, and here's the thing is I don't I don't even

SPEAKER_01 22:00

care to pick because they both rock. I I think the end of heartache is just as good. I just found the alive or just breathing record first. Okay, fair. That's fair.

SPEAKER_00 22:13

Well cool. I just got a few more and then we'll wrap this up and we'll get back inside. Do you have any advice for someone who's just getting indie heavy into heavy music?

SPEAKER_01 22:26

Any advice for anybody that's getting into heavy music? Is this somebody that's like interested in starting a band or is this just like as general as possible?

SPEAKER_00 22:35

As general as possible. Going to shows starting a band.

SPEAKER_01 22:39

Okay. Any advice for anybody getting into heavy music? Go to shows for sure big and small. Be somebody that's integrated into the scene. If you are a musician that is the best way to find future band members. It's the getting into the local scene and the bigger scene is one of the best ways to find fellow people that deal with the same things that you may deal with. Yeah. That you have common ground with and you can make lifelong friends that turn into family.

SPEAKER_00 23:13

Yeah like I I'm not to cut you off but I I have met so many people I I didn't I was a COVID I've mentioned it on here before. I was a COVID. I was a hardcore car I found hardcore during COVID. Damn really okay I mean I was into heavy music before but I was into like death core slam shit which I'm still kind of into but not so not like super anymore. But like I found hardcore I found Knocked Loose in 2021. Wow okay yeah and knocked loose was my gateway and then I found everything else after that and then I've been going to shows since 2023 and it's just been like I've I have met people that have become my family. Yeah absolutely like there's people that you included there's people in this in this building tonight that are my family.

SPEAKER_01 24:02

Yeah absolutely like whenever I see you at a show now that we because I feel like we both get kind of hesitant when we see each other but I just make sure to go out of my way to say what's up to you at this point because I've just seen you so much and we always get along super well.

SPEAKER_00 24:16

And I I appreciate that because I I always appreciate anyone coming up and saying anything to me at a show even if I mean okay I I suck at remembering people's names. Same. But since I mean since we had this conversation I will not forget your name ever. If you do it's totally fair totally fair but there's some people that I'm sure it happens to you too where people all come up to you be like oh dude what's up and then and then she's you're put in the position of you know you don't know their name so you have to figure out the next move you make.

SPEAKER_01 24:48

Yeah facts and it's like and it's like I would never be like who the fuck are you but it's like I don't I don't know your name I just need to like be okay with to be like dude I know I know you what's your name yeah yeah dude I I totally get especially like being in a band at this point we'll have people come up to the merch and they'll be reoccurring people.

SPEAKER_00 25:08

Yeah be like oh you good set guys and you're like I don't remember your name you you have to like become callous to asking like I'm so sorry I know I know you what is your name and it's like fucking hard dude yeah that's really funny yeah I I mean I'm yeah shout out to people shout out to people oh man uh that's really funny well I uh I appreciate you taking the time to talk to me today during the show. Uh last thing uh do you have any shout outs for anybody?

SPEAKER_01 25:44

Uh first off I appreciate you for giving me the time because you're the one that's putting in work. I'm just talking into a microphone on a stick.

SPEAKER_00 25:52

I appreciate that. Of course dude um any shout outs for anybody shout out to everybody from the Flint scene um so that'll be Nuff said uh Bearface Trifling um and then I could mention other bands that aren't active anymore but they they who knows if they'll even hear this but uh shout out to everybody in the Lancing scene um for putting on awesome shows Abby Mayhem in particular and everybody that helps the bunker shout out to the bunker yeah uh the Detroit scene yeah those guys rock yeah they do um shout out to Michigan shout shout the fuck out to Michigan yeah shout out to Michigan shout out to hardcore I guess shout shout out to hardcore r dot hardcore r slash hardcore yeah I I don't even know what Reddit is I've never been on there so I that was a poor attempt I I haven't been on Reddit in forever and I think that's probably a good thing I I've heard it's something yeah right well cool uh I appreciate the conversation I'm excited if you're set tonight um yeah cool thank you so much thank you dude yep bye bye