Adrian Patrick [vocals], Ryan Patrick [guitar/vocals], Corky Gainsford [drums/vocals], Andrew Pugh [guitar/vocals], & Tony Carboney[bass]
They have become one of the big dogs in today’s modern rock, and show no signs of stopping. With what they have achieved with their most recent offering, Peace At All Costs, Otherwise have positioned themselves as a true pillar of the rock community. They aren’t here to simply play music. They are here to move you, give you hope, tickle your emotions, while they continue to pave their way, one note at a time, into the upper echelons of Rock and Roll.
RockRevolt had a lengthy conversation with Adrian Patrick, lead vocalist for Otherwise. Come, sit, read, listen to music, check out tour dates, and learn about all things Otherwise.
I read that you first picked up the guitar at age 2, which is amazing. I couldn’t get my two-year-old to do anything. Tell me more about your musical upbringing.
My dad always tells the story about me grabbing a guitar and wanting to play with it and pluck on the strings. I really didn’t start learning it until I was in my 20s. Technically, yes, I did pick it up at age 2, but wasn’t serious about it until I was 20.
Which was just a couple of years ago.
Yeah! When my Nana passed away, and I realized that my aspirations to play college football weren’t going to happen because of injuries, you need something to do to pass the time. I got a bit of a late start in comparison to some other guys, peers, and contemporaries, but despite having started later in life, I am very proud about we’ve been able to accomplish.
You all are a band from Las Vegas. Were there any advantages or disadvantages to being a band from Sin City?
Both. It’s a good question. It’s a double-edged sword, because there’s so much competition out here. It’s so concentrated. It really is the entertainment capital of the world. Every night you are competing with international headliners, multimillion dollar clubs, all these uber cool DJs, and celebrity hosted parties; any night of the week there’s something to do that would be a lot of fun. For us to be able to, long before we were even signed and on the radio on a national level, make the noise that we did and acquire the following that we have here at home, is definitely is a testament to that competition. Because of the extreme competition, you really have to hone in your craft.
Is that why you’re called “otherwise”? “You have got all this other stuff you could do, otherwise it’s just us!”
Absolutely! The name is very fitting for us. The definition of the word is actually “other than supposed.” It’s kind of how we carry ourselves. What you see is not always what you get with us. We can be extremely heavy and aggressive on certain parts of our album, and other parts we have tender heartfelt moments. We are human beings. We are not always angry, we’re not always sad, we’re not always happy. It’s good to show all of those different facets of the human condition. The name Otherwise absolutely means what we stand for.
You all aren’t just a bunch of guys, you are also family. Your brother Ryan is in Otherwise. Does having family in the band change the dynamic between the players at all?
Absolutely. My brother keeps me going. He is one of my best friends, my business partner, and my bandmate. He’s an extremely talented guitar player. He’s on the road with me, so it’s like having a piece of home out there. It’s very difficult to leave your family, your loved ones, and go and pursue your dream. It can be very heart-wrenching. Having him out there, it’s good to know that there is somebody who feels how I feel. We are both really tight with our parents. We are both extremely fortunate to have a very strong circle of friends out here in Vegas. We also have beautiful girlfriends that we leave to go do this. It’s nice, because he’s my blood, he’s my brother, he’s my family. I wouldn’t want it any other way.
I read that it took a moment to get the right players for Otherwise. What had you been looking for? Why is it so difficult in a city that is just full of musicians?
We found a lot of guys that would say, “music is my life! This is what I’ve always wanted to do!” But the reality isn’t really what you think it is, especially with the state of rock ‘n roll. If we were a pop band, and we sounded like Panic! at the Disco, Imagine Dragons, or The Killers, it would be a different story. We would be out there, and be on MTV, and be at the VMA’s. We don’t sound like that. We have a heavier, darker message. When the reality of what we do sets in, a lot of these guys realize that they don’t have what it takes. For a long time my brother and I were searching for the right players. We estimated that we both had a half-dozen guys for each position, and now we’ve been on the road with Corky (our drummer) and our guitar player Andy going on three years. Hopefully we can sustain and keep them going with this, because my brother and I are not going to stop. We are going to ride this rock ‘n roll train until the wheels falls off. It was very difficult to find the right guys, and it took a lot of time (many years). Right now we feel that we are at our strongest. It’s great. We have our latest addition in the bass position. His name is Tony “The Beast” Carboney.
Tony “The Boney” Beast?
(laughs) We call him the beast, because he is a beast of a musician. He can play all kinds of instruments. He’s very well-educated in music theory. We are lucky to have him. He just jumped on the bandwagon with us back in December. The whole touring thing is fresh and new to him and it’s exciting to see him be excited about it. We’ll see. You never know what the future will hold. My brother and I don’t give up. We do our best to keep each other hopeful. That’s our message. We have a hopeful message put to darker and aggressive music.
How has he been adjusting to your music? You have Peace At All Costs, and things from the previous albums. With this upcoming tour, and him being so fresh, is he keeping up?
Ohh! He’s amazing! He is making us better players! He’s making us step our game up. We have a House of Blues here at the Mandalay Bay and back on December 27th of 2014 he had just about 10 days to learn two hours worth of music, and he did it! He nailed it! For us to have long-term fans and supporters say , “Wow! That’s the best show I’ve ever seen you do!” And to be going out on the road with him and have diehard fans across the country go, “Dude! What is going on?! Your guys’ vibe at the show was so amazing! The energy is so intense!” Tony helped us step our game up. We are very fortunate to have him.
Peace at All Costs just released this past September. You worked with David Bottrill [Tool, Muse, Staind, Stone Sour] on it. I read that you had mentioned that he contributed a lot to the vibe of the album. Would you mind expounding on his contribution to it and what made it different?
We had real pre-production with David for this album, which was hugely beneficial, because we were able to literally pick apart every song, note for note, chord by chord, and adjust it. A lot of his suggestions were very subtle sometimes, but they made a huge difference in the overall identity and, as you said, vibe of the song. He helped us really focus and find our voice, especially me as a vocalist. I think you can hear the that throughout the album. Every song stands on its own and has its own identity, but at the same time there is a common linear thread throughout the entire album. That is largely in part due to Dave’s contributions.
I read in another interview that the song “Love and War” really helped to prove to your fans that you were here to stay and that it was your call to arms. How so?
That is the opening song on the album, and probably the heaviest tune musically on Peace At All Cost. That riff my brother came up with is just so brutal and powerful. It has everything! It has this “Pantera-esque” riff, but then we have this huge sing-along opusy chorus, and an amazing solo. You can dance to it. I see people dancing to that song! I don’t see people moshing to that song, I see them dancing to it, and that is awesome to me. That we can put out a heavy, yet catchy, song that people just totally gel with. That song emulates to me what we’re all about. We can be just as catchy as any of those pop bands that I mentioned, but also we can be just as heavy as any of the bands that are in the active rock genre. We feel very confident in our ability to be diverse and have a wide variety of vibes to choose from.
I read that the name of the album was from a direct quote from your grandmother. That “Peace at all costs is a double entendre, and it’s interpreted as “Give us peace of we’ll take it from you”. She sounds like a very wise woman. Besides this phrase, has she inspired the band in any other ways?
Yeah. The first song I ever wrote is called “Heaven” on True Love Never Dies. I started that song when she passed away. Ironically, I finished the song, and the first time I ever heard a recorded version of it was after my cousin Ivan Patrick passed away. We are very influenced by our family overall. My grandmother was a very strong woman. She raised four kids by herself. We can’t thank her enough for keeping our dad and his three crazy sisters alive. If it weren’t for our Nana, we wouldn’t be here today.
Otherwise – Coming For The Throne (Official Music Video)
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You all are on the verge of hitting the road. How are you are preparing?
It’s always tough, especially now since I have my six month old. Thankfully he’s been with me here for the last couple of weeks here in Las Vegas. It’s hard. I call rock and roll the world’s most righteous mind fuck. It’s so hard to leave your family and loved ones, because often times you question whether it’s worth it. But when you get up on the stage, and see hundreds of people connecting with your art, that’s when you remember that yes, it is. It’s a difficult thing preparing mentally. I also try to go to the gym as much as I can, because it’s difficult once you’re on the road to balance, and eat good food. Sometimes it’s hard to get to gym. I’ve been trying to stay going to the gym as regularly as possible while at home.
Do you have any preshow rituals?
Yeah. I do a whole hour warming up, which includes a short warm-up that Corey Taylor once personally showed me back two years ago. I still use that warm up every day. I also do a lot of stretching while I’m warming up my vocals. I do a sea salt gargle for my throat to clear up all the mucus from the vocal cords. It’s a process! I have my neti-pot to clean up the sinuses. It’s not all fun and games being a lead singer, I can tell you that much.
I tried the Neti-pot once, and I don’t think I’ll ever do it again
Yeah, does give you that sensation of when you’re a kid and you swallow water in the pool. Once you get used to it, it’s pretty easy to get it done. It’s a very uncomfortable feeling at first, and you panic a little bit.
I felt like I was drowning myself. I read that you have a clothing line and a writing camp called Life By Music?
Yeah. That’s my brother’s brainchild. He’s got one design that is kind of the flagship design, and it’s doing very well. It’s always nice to see people wearing at the shows. It’s like the music-based initiative. Our main goal is to keep music relevant in children’s education. You read about it all the time how music programs across the country are getting shut down, and it’s strange because music is one of the most stimulating forms of expression that a kid embraces and uses to develop all those neural synapses. When schools cut something out, the music program is the first to go, and we want to make it possible for all kids to have the option to pursue that. Life By Music is an intiative, it’s a way a life. We live a Life By Music at all times, and we want to try sharing it with the world, especially who kids who want to be a part of it.
