The thing you remember the most about your favorite bands isn’t when they’re playing a packed stadium forty years into their career and you’ve payed hundreds of dollars just to get a glimpse of them from afar. It’s the early years, when you see them touring in cramped clubs, out there making a name for themselves as they begin tasting the success that every rocker dreams of. Those are the times that they build their strongest fan base. Those are the people who will follow their career from small clubs and concert halls and onward towards the packed stadiums and beyond.
It was nine o’ clock on a Sunday in Indianapolis at the Hi-Fi club, and as the night progressed, the Hi-Fi grew more and more crowded to the point that you couldn’t move without bumping into someone. As talented as the two opening bands were, if you listened to the audience you could hear them say, “I can’t wait til Highly Suspect comes out!” The club was packed with locals and travelers who made their way to the Circle City just to see the rock band from Cape Cod. Highly Suspect have made a name for themselves over the past six years since they formed. They are the band that makes for a great VH1 documentary, two brothers and their best friend – three guys who just loved playing music and formed a band. That band would eventually have their single “Lydia” featured on MTV and sit at number four on the U.S. Mainstream Rock Songs chart and at number 37 on the U.S. Alternative Songs Chart.
The audience erupted in applause as Highly Suspect made their way on stage. Singer/guitarist Johnny Stevens slowly began to play his guitar, building up the suspense to “Bath Salts.” There was an immediate understanding to first time listeners as to why everyone was so eager to hear this band. It wasn’t just what they played but how they played it. Full of energy, it was hard to pin-point influences, as this is a band that is one hundred percent its own.
Next up was “Lost.” This song gave you the urge to dance. At the very least, feet were tapping. “23” was next, a clever song that featured Sasha Dobson on the album. “Blood Feather” was an excellent love song. The title track of their first album, “Mister Asylum” was up next, followed by the sensual, “Fuck Me Up.” Bass player Rich Meyer took the lead for singing the Bluesy tune, “Mom”. Johnny took back the mike for “Vanity.” The hit single, “Lydia” was second to last. The show was ended with an upbeat tune called “Claudeland.” Johnny Stevens told the audience to dance and they did. The whole club was shaking to the lyrics, “dance mother fucker dance the night away.” It was the perfect song to end with. It was full of energy, a great guitar solo, and had you leaving with a smile. Johnny told the audience that the band wanted to meet them all.
Highly Suspect proved at this concert that they had all the qualities of a great band. They write great songs, have a great stage presence, and interact superbly with their audience. There are only three members but this little band has a huge sound. Johnny, Rich, and Ryan are at the top of their craft and are an example that real rock and roll isn’t going anywhere.
I appreciate you guys taking the time to do this interview. Where did you guys get your start?
Johnny: Well, we got our start in a basement. We were playing together. They’re twin brothers and I’m one of their best friends since high school. We met at a party, Rich and I. He was riding a motor cycle and I was riding a motor cycle, and we both had acoustic guitars on our backs. And I thought, “who’s this guy stealing my style?” I kicked the tires a little and said hello. We started playing, got a house together, just because we were good friends with similar interests and started doing the basement stuff and had people over and they thought we were decent to listen to, so we just took it to bars. That was in Cape Cod Massachusetts. We got our very first bar shows were we would open for other local acts for fifteen to twenty minutes. Eventually it became half an hour and eventually we would have a whole bar show where we would play three hours a night – just doing cover songs. Then we started writing.
You started in Brooklyn, right, though you’re from Massachusetts?
Johnny: We got our real start in Brooklyn, once we moved there four years ago. That was when we started making waves, so to speak.
When was that first moment when you realized you would be doing this for a living?
Johnny: I don’t know if there was a definitive moment. We kind of just started playing and realized this was becoming everything. We kept doing it more than regular work and kind of slowly transitioned into being able to sustain ourselves through music alone. I guess that was probably in the last three years. We decided, “hey, you know this is it! We can do this!”
Rich: It happened like that, when we were doing covers and we were playing bars in Cape Cod. We all eventually quit our jobs and that was all we did. Then we went to New York and continued doing it. At one point we couldn’t make ends meet, so we all just stopped and got jobs. Then it happened again, and started playing music for a living. It was pretty awesome!
Does it feel like there’s a difference playing the big venues then the bars you started in?
Johnny: Yea. They all have their own pros and cons.
Rich: It’s kind of cool to play in both. The big venues have a lot of people, huge sound systems, and green rooms. They’re awesome. There are a lot of pros to it but there’s also a little disconnect, because the crowd is behind a barrier and they are six feet from the stage. When we play small rooms they are right on top of you. You could be swimming in people and its supper connected and intimate.
What bands were you influenced by?
Johnny: Every type of music you can think of! We listened to everything from Hip Hop to Reggae to Electronic to Rock to Jazz to Classical – just music in general. We try to take the best parts of things that we like and incorporate it into what we’re doing.
Highly Suspect – Lydia [Official Video]
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What was it like to work with Joel Hamilton?
Johnny: Joel is a, I don’t know! It would be really hard to work with anyone else because the guy comes from Cape Cod, just like we do. So, there’s like a certain lingo/language we share. It makes him really easy to work and communicate with. Plus, he knows when we’re writing songs, he’s not a song writer but he knows how to say, “You know what? Maybe we should take apart that song. Move that drum beat there. That would make more sense,” and “Nice chords, but why don’t you phrase them differently instead of playing them open and hard on the seventh, it’s going to resonate better.” He is a genius with sound. Bose hires him to test their products. That’s no joke! It’s a dream and always a dream working with Joel. He’s an awesome person.
Rich: He’s also hilarious. So if there was tension he would just crack a joke and we would all be laughing. It’s huge because there is always tension. It’s part of it.
You guys have been touring with some pretty big groups. How’s that been?
Johnny: Dope! Several times before we went out on tour (I speak for myself) I would question whether or not it would be the right fit. You’re always nervous and you wonder, “will they dig us?” or you wonder if it’s a good look or if it’s a good thing to do. Every single time you go on tour with any band, it’s always a good idea. No matter who’s in front of you. You pick up new fans; you learn from seasoned pros, you learn from what they do, you get new markets behind you. Running with the big dogs is invaluable. It’s always a good experience.
What’s next for Highly Suspect?
Johnny: We’re going on tour with The Struts. I can’t tell you the next tour because it’s not confirmed yet but it’s pretty cool. We’re going to keep playing this album live for the next eighteen months until album two. We just put the album out, so we’re going to support this one, try to keep writing songs. This winter we’re going to Europe for the Carnival of Madness with Shinedown, Halestorm, and Black Stone Cherry. That’s going to be amazing. Next summer we will be doing a lot of the festivals. This wasn’t a big festival year for us. We were getting geared up for the release. Next year if the album’s doing well, we’re going to be hitting a lot of festivals around the world.
Thanks for taking the time to do the interview.
