Joker’s Hand – Seeing Red

By starrymag | March 22, 2023

By: Jennifer Vintzileos

 

Q) How would you best describe your sound?

 

A) Modern alt rock with a dash of pop punk and hip hop. 

 

Q) Who are your Top 3 musical influences?

 

A) As time goes on, our list of influences has grown massively. The Top 3 would have to be Rage Against the Machine, Linkin Park and Green Day.

 

Q) Tell us the story behind your latest single “You’re Why I Don’t Sleep at Night.”

 

A) “You’re Why I Don’t Sleep at Night” is, at its core, about the loneliness felt in a one-sided relationship. Relationships of any kind require effort on both sides of the fence. When the efforts of one are not matched by the other, it can make one question the other’s intentions and think, “Does this person really like me?” The song also dances with the themes of a former lover moving on too fast and, along with our previous single “Danny Phantom,” being ghosted by someone you crave attention from.

 

Q) You also recently released a music video for “You’re Why I Don’t Sleep at Night.” How did you come up with the concept for the music video?

 

A) We approached our production team, Casino Collective, with the song lyrics and the idea of the video reflecting a one-sided relationship. We wanted visuals that matched the lonely mood of the song, but there are also chaotic scenes with partygoers in the background dancing the night away while the main character stares off like a zombie, trying to forget the reason for his insomnia.

 

Q) Since its release, what has been the overall reaction from fans and listeners to “You’re Why I Don’t Sleep at Night?”

 

A) We’ve gotten so many positive reactions from this song! We’ve heard from fans that this song is a favorite on the EP and that they’re enjoying the new modern elements we’ve been incorporating into our music. We’re so stoked to hear people are digging it!

 

Q) What message do you hope fans take away from the song?

 

Wishing someone would take the time to make the effort to be a person in your life is a painful and lonely experience. The emotional takeaway from this could be feelings of being hurt or being betrayed. There isn’t an overarching message behind the song but there is an emotional takeaway.

 

Q) “You’re Why I Don’t Sleep At Night” is part of your upcoming EP Seeing Red, which is set to release on February 17 via Wiretap Records. What are some themes you will be exploring with this upcoming EP?

 

A) Aside from loneliness in a one-sided relationship, Seeing Red explores themes of political unrest and the want for change. Some of the songs on this EP are very personal. One in particular, “Anxiety,” deals with mental health, societal pressure and the undying feeling of not being good enough.

 

Q) You have some upcoming dates this month and in March in California. With the release of Seeing Red, will you be performing any of your new songs off of it?

 

A) Of course! We’ve been opening our shows with “Remedy” and have been playing “Danny Phantom” and “You’re Why I Don’t Sleep at Night” since they were released. But we have yet to play “Hunting Hour” or “Anxiety” yet. Now that the EP is out, we can’t wait to perform those two live along with the rest of our set.

 

Q) Which song(s) are still your favorite to perform live?

 

A) Off of this EP, our favorite song to perform is “Danny Phantom.” We’re always able to get the crowd singing along with us and it’s a song you can really move to! If you’re asking our favorite song to perform out of our entire discography, right now I gotta say it’s “Hijacked” from our first EP in 2020. When I wrote that song I meant every word of it, but we would occasionally get abrasive reactions from audiences when playing it live, especially if we were in more red areas of the states. At the time I’m sure anyone politically aligned with the right felt this song was a slight to them. It was not. It was a slight to the man who hijacked their entire party all for his own personal gain. It was a slight toward a man who would do anything, even betray his country, to win. And as time has passed, this song has aged like wine. It became clearer and clearer to the public that this man was not there for the betterment of his country, his party or even his loved ones. He is, and always has been, in it for himself. And I think everyone, no matter what side of the political spectrum you fall under, can see that clearer now more than ever.

 

Q) If given the chance to collaborate with anyone on an upcoming project, who would you love to work with and why?

 

A) Holy Wars. They’re an artist I discovered by chance on one of my few ventures to the “browse” section of Apple Music (I have been rather slow to embrace the algorithms.) I remember immediately falling in love with their song “1% Milk” and then listening to their entire discography. Kat and Nick are such cool musicians and their sound as Holy Wars is something so unique and hard hitting. It would be a dream come true to be able to work with them on something in the future.

 

Q) What would you like to say to your fans and supporters of your music?

 

A) Thank you. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you. This is seriously a dream come true for both of us that we’re even able to do this in the first place. Neither of us grew up believing we belonged on stage, but we knew we wanted to give it a try. The fact that we have people who like what we’ve done, even on such a small scale, really means a lot. It motivates us to shoot for the moon.

 

 

 

All Questions Answered By Kevin Kawano