Makeout

By starrymag | December 27, 2019

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

Q) How would you describe your sound?

A) It’s high energy pop/rock. Loud guitars and drums but very melodic.

 

Q) Who are some of your musical influences?

A) We all grew up loving Blink-182, Sum 41, Green Day, etc. But we’re also influenced by a lot of current artists, as well.

 

Q) How has Makeout’s music evolved now that you’ve added Kyle and AJ to the band?

A) We intend to keep the elements of our music that people love from our first record, The Good Life, but the new songs we’ve been writing are a touch more aggressive.

 

Q) What did it mean to you to have over 500 people vying for the role of lead singer?

A) We’re very grateful for everyone that participated in the audition process. The fact that our fans continue to support us and believe in us, after everything we’ve been through, just makes us want to work even harder. We had a lot of great submissions, but Kyle ended up being the right fit.

 

Q) For Kyle, what made you so passionate about wanting to be a part of Makeout?

A) I’ve been a fan of the band since the beginning, so it was a no-brainer for me. I had seen them perform live several times and their live show was so energetic and the songs have so much attitude. It’s right up my alley.

 

Q) Kyle, what did you take away from your time on “American Idol” that you have brought to the band?

A) “American Idol” was a great opportunity. I met so many cool, talented people during that process. But if there’s anything I learned from that show, it’s that being a talented singer/musician is only part of it.

 

Q) With new music in the works, what is your song writing process? Do you need music before you can create lyrics? 

A) Each song is different. We did a co-writing session with Jayden [Seeley] from With Confidence recently and we wrote an entire song from scratch in a couple short hours. Other songs we’ve had the music written for a while and the lyrics fill in later.

 

Q) How much of a hand do you have in the production of your music? 

A) John Feldmann produced our last record and we were all on the same page about what the production would be. Right now, we have a clean slate to experiment with sounds and direction and we’ve been heavily involved in that.

 

Q) When can fans expect some new tracks released from Makeout?

A) We don’t have a definite date yet, could be next month, could be two, but definitely soon.

 

Q) Will there be a full EP or album coming in the near future?

A) It’s looking like an EP first, but a full length will happen at some point.

 

Q) Where are some of your favorite places to perform and what makes those locations so significant to you? 

A) We have a song called “Salt Lake City,” so performing there is always rad. We love playing our hometowns near Boston/Rhode Island. And now, with Kyle and AJ [Khah] joining, Chicago is a new home base for us, too.

 

Q) Who would you most like to collaborate with on a song in the future?

A) Awsten [Knight] from Waterparks would be cool!

 

Q) What album/band are you currently listening to and why do you dig them? 

A) We all love State Champs. Grayscale’s new record is great. Stand Atlantic is great. It’s hard to choose just one. Our drummer Scott [Eckel] is also playing in a new band with Tyler Posey called Five North. Check them out!

 

Q) You are a part of social media. Why is that such an important way for you to connect with your fans?

A) Social media is awesome because we can connect with fans from all over the world. It allows for us to directly communicate and get to know the people that support us. We like to post updates while we’re on tour and, hopefully, fans that couldn’t make it out to the shows can still get to see what we’re up to.

 

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and your work?

A) We really owe everything to our fans. The reason we’re able to continue on, even with a new lineup, is because our fans still believe in us. We’re very lucky and if you support us in any way. Thank you! 🙏🏼

 

 

All Questions Answered By Lead Singer Kyle Dee