MESSER – Cuts Like a Knife

By starrymag | November 17, 2023

By: Dana Jacoviello

 

 

Q) What got you into rock n’ roll or who influenced you?

 

Maddox: My dad, definitely! Rest in peace Gangsta. My dad and I would go to local music store every week to get the latest cassette tape of whatever was new. He had a massive thousand plus cassette tape collection and car stereo with speakers and subs and lights! This was the 1980s and Rock was having its moment. I owe my love and passion for music to him.

 

Q) What was the motivation or inspiration behind wanting to re-create such a classic artist and song like Bryan Adams’ “Cuts Like A Knife?”

 

A) That’s easy! MESSER literally translates to “Knife” in German. We thought what better band to take a stab at this classic rock song than a band whose name is Knife! But seriously, who doesn’t love Bryan Adams voice? Plus, we are huge KISS fans and he wrote like five KISS songs.

 

Q) You put your own twist and creative changes on “Cuts Like A Knife.” What was that like and how long did it take to get satisfied with it?

 

A) Good question. Normally when you do a cover song, it’s nice to have a contrast from a male to female vocal if the song was originally sung by a male or vice versa. But with this song, it was important for us to pay homage to a song that was already great. We wanted to maintain the integrity of the song while adding the cutting-edge sound that we have created in our rock guitars. The overall project took place over about nine months from start to finish.

 

Q) Do you plan on performing this song live at any point?

 

A) Oh, most definitely. We’ve already been rehearsing the song live in our set along with a few other songs that we haven’t released yet, so you’ll definitely want to catch our live show if you can in order to get a sneak peek at these new songs.

 

Q) What is your most favorite aspect of this Bryan Adam’s cover of “Cuts Like a Knife?”

 

A) I would have to say it’s a tossup between the guitar solo which just melts your face and the “Nah Nahs.” Who doesn’t love a good “Nah Nah” sing-along?

 

Q) How do you go about choosing which songs you might want to do a cover of?

 

A) [laughs] This has been the root of many arguments. It’s very difficult to choose a song that you want to cover and release. There’s so much pressure I think to either reinvent the song or reimagine in someway. It’s definitely a challenge but something we really enjoy. We have a few more covers songs in the can. (wink, wink)

 

Q) Do you have your next cover planned or will it be an original?

 

A) We definitely have another cover song in the can that we are super excited about, but we also have a couple new originals as well as a special deluxe Dolby Atmos edition of our entire Bat catalog which is going to also include a few bonus tracks that were super stoked on You’ll definitely have to stay tuned for those. They’re coming very soon.

 

Q) What is one piece of advice another musician gave you that stuck with you over the years?

 

A) Definitely this one “don’t be a dick.” I think if you’re just nice, that’s 90% of the job if people just wanna hang with you specially on the road with other bands trying to get along with different personalities. When everybody’s away from home there are definitely a lot of stressors that play into that. So, I always just try to treat people as nice as possible so don’t be a dick!

 

Q) Who is your ultimate guide in the music business that you admire most?

 

A) I’d have to say Brent Smith and the guys in Shinedown. I really love what they are about. We are the same in the aspect of positive messages in our songs. And the overall desire to just help one another be better and live happier lives.

 

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who are fans and supporters of the music that you make? 

 

A) Thank you so very much. Our hearts are filled with so much gratitude from all the messages that we’ve gotten through the years of how our songs have helped people get through their lives and adversity that they are facing. It is something that we take very serious and as the years have gone by, I think our team has just gotten more focused on our brand of positive messages have gotten stronger and we continue to lean into that more. The power of music is strong and we’re really just happy to do our part as musicians to make the world just a little bit better.