Frederick, Maryland based Alt Rock/Hip Hop band MiltonJ and The Leftovers are gearing up to release their Vain Wisdom album on 4/15/2016. The 12 track LP is showing that these newcomers are consistently evolving their sound and image, moving more to a rock sound more akin to From Ashes to New, POD, and Linkin Park, but with a unique twist. Check out the RockRevolt Exclusive Premiere of the track “Enough” and get some behind the scenes info on the band!
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How did you each, individually, get started in music? How old were you? What instrument? Was your training all formal or informal?
For most of us it was during our childhood.
(MiltonJ) When I was younger and lived in California, my mother would blast Ricky Martin and I would get up on the table and sing and dance along. As I grew up, I became more interested in music and listened to a lot of rap and hiphop MCs that basically inspired me to expand on my lyricism. I also play acoustic guitar primarily and took classical lessons and that carried on until college where I majored in business and minored in music and played in the classical/jazz ensemble.
(Kristina) My brother and I started when we were really little too. I know my brother played piano throughout elementary school with my sister and the both of us did band/orchestra up until high school. He played trumpet and took guitar classes and I played violin and taught myself guitar. We kinda followed in the footsteps of our Dad who would play his guitar when we were younger and would listen to RHCP, Foo Fighters, Chevelle, Ozzy, and a lot of other rock influences. But I think I realized when I was in high school after playing guitar for a couple years that I really loved it and wanted to be in a band.
(Garrett) I didn’t really have any formal training or take any lessons in drumming or music but I was still kinda young when I picked up drumming. My old friend J.C. and I were in a band when we were in high school and he basically influenced me to pick up drumming and I realized that I loved it and music. So I’ve been trying to build on it ever since and channel my inner MJ by looking up to classic greats like The Who, The Stooges, and other really early Punk artists that laid a foundation in music.
(Silverio) I’ve always been really into music. I don’t play any instruments, besides DJing, but I grew up listening to a lot of different artists and styles. I’ve always liked hiphop and heavy rock like Deftones and Chevelle so that’s definitely influenced my interest in playing in a band and doing backups. But most of my training is informal and done all on my own. Fun fact: P!nk used to go high school in the town I was born in just outside of Philly, so that’s pretty cool.
(Eddie/GOOD ‘OL BOY) Like Kristina said, we kinda grew up surrounded by music. Once I got into high school, I traded my trumpet for my acoustic guitar and took guitar classes but never any like serious lessons or any formal training. But once I met MiltonJ, Silverio, and Garrett, that basically pushed me into the realization that I wanted to become a rapper too. I’ve always had a knack and way of just writing really well and really lyrically, and once I got into hiphop that was it. I knew what I wanted to do and after years of practicing, writing, and being around these guys here I am.
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Think the term ‘Music Icon”, what name immediately pops in your head?
Chino Moreno.. Lady Gaga.. Tupac. They’re all music icons because they laid a foundation from the get-go for what they wanted to do and what they wanted to accomplish and they’ve continued to be a part of the music industry for years. They are/were successful, and even though Tupac died young, he’s still extremely relevant today. He’s considered a legend for how he influenced so many people and made a name for himself in 90’s hiphop and a lot of rappers and artists look up to him and continue to. Lady Gaga just turned 30 and she’s accomplished so much since she started playing music as a teenager in New York. Chino Moreno is still so relevant ever since Deftones and he’s become a household name because of his style, vocals, and the all around influence that Deftones has along with his side projects like Crosses and Palms.
What’s the meaning behind your upcoming album title, Vain Wisdom?
Vain Wisdom is a quote taken from John Milton’s Paradise Lost. MiltonJ has always taken pride in the fact that he was named after him and has always found inspiration from his works. Every album that we’ve written has some reference or relation to Paradise Lost and it’s symbolic of that influence. It’s also a metaphor for modern ignorance these days when it comes to giving advice or wisdom to other people because everyone has their own perspective and mindset on things. Human beings are vain because we are not perfect. Some of the advice or perspective on things that we give can be vain as well because we only know so much.
What’s the story behind “Enough”? Does its tone represent a piece of the album theme or is each song an individual story in itself?
“Enough” tells MiltonJ’s perspective on love and what it means to him. It’s meant to represent the fact that love is not superficial nor is it always, quite literally, enough. The way that it’s portrayed on TV and in the movies is in no way how it is in real life. Love is never easy and it’s never always rainbows and butterflies, and in some cases calls for a lot of strength from within. Love, however, is a very beautiful thing that can’t be contained whether it’s between two people, family, friends, a passion for something, etc. which is one of the many ideas that encompasses our music as well as our personal beliefs. In a way it’s both a piece of the album as well as it’s own story. Each song on the album tells a story about a struggle or an experience that we can all relate to. It also makes up the entire album in that the album is a telling of the struggles one faces in life. And if you were to listen to the album in sequence, it’s like life too in that there are ups and downs but also amazing moments that we all look forward to.
Tell us about your songwriting process on Vain Wisdom? How are you inspired to start a song and how does that develop from writing to composition, recording, and completion?
The songwriting process sort of varies. Kristina or Eddie/GOOD ‘OL BOY will come up with a riff on guitar/bass that will then be built upon with lyrics, drums, and other instruments, MiltonJ will start with lyrics he’s written or will have a beat in his head that he’ll compose in Logic and then run with it. Whichever way a song is started, everything manages to come together when we’re all composing together. A lot of the lyrics will be written based on how MiltonJ, Eddie, etc. will feel on a certain subject or how we’re feeling in the moment. “Still Make It”, for example, was written about MiltonJ’s son and when he found out that he was having him at 20 he was terrified. So all those feelings he felt channeled into the lyrics and created a very moving, heavy, song that is very both rock and hiphop. “Sun”, on the other hand, expresses a very different side of the situation and how he felt when he was brought into the world and seeing him get older each day. “Sun” is also extremely moving, energetic, but it has a much more uplifting vibe.
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What is your #1 Rule of Touring Etiquette?
Probably to keep your stuff/space to yourself and to make sure you throw out any trash. We don’t have a huge tour bus or anything so we’re usually crammed inside our van every time we drive to a show with all our equipment. Also Garrett’s captain of the backseat.
Milton J – What is your voice care methodology while on the road?
Drink lots of water. You always want to stay hydrated before, during, and after a set because your vocals can go out really quickly if your throat is too dry and you try to go too hard. I also like to bring honey along with me to shows and eat some before the set because it’s good for your vocal chords.
DJ Silverio Montano — What software do you prefer? Do you ever combine your tools into a hybrid, how do you decide what to add? What attributes do you look for in the individual components?
Right now I have a Pioneer DJ set that Eddie our bassist got me so I’ve really gotten used to 
the DJ Serato program. I like scratching and using the different sound effects but what I usually do to find a sound I like or want to add is I’ll just listen to a song or sample over and over and then just gradually scratch along with it until I have a good flow with the song. I really want to integrate more samples or even pre-recorded vocals into it to see what I can do with it.
GOOD ‘OL BOY, Kristina Hong, Garret Hall — If you could choose your #1 dream instrument sponsor, what brand would it be and why?
(Eddie/GOOD ‘OL BOY) As a bassist, I would definitely love having either Peavy or Mesa Boogie sponsor us for amps and cabinets because they make really good quality equipment and their sound is the perfect mix for alternative rock and heavier rock. Their sound would also 
mix well with what we’re trying to achieve and it would give us a lot more room to experiment
with heavier ends. For instruments, Fender, G&L, and Ernie Ball would all be awesome brands to be sponsored by. I recently went bass shopping and was considering all of these, especially the Ernie Ball Music mans but I ended up going with a G&L in a tobacco sunburst and I’ve never been more satisfied with a bass.
(Kristina) I would definitely side with Eddie on amps. But for instruments I’d have to go with either Schecter, ESP or PRS guitars. I grew up playing Schecter guitars and I’ve always leaned towards heavier rock and metal so Schecter would be perfect because they make really
good quality guitars and hardware, their aesthetics are awesome, and they have really fast necks. The same goes with ESP, but PRS would also be pretty rad because they’re a Maryland based guitar brand with such a unique, personal style so that’d be cool because we’d be representing where we grew up.
(Garrett) If I had a choice it would probably be Ludwig. A lot of the legends in the music scene endorsed that brand and their quality is amazing. I could throw my kit down a set of stairs and it’d still be tickin’.
Big Festival or late night club? Why?
I don’t know, this is kinda a hard question. We usually play a lot of clubs and bars during the week and weekends whereas festivals have mainly been over the summer or one time a year. I guess it would have to be a big festival because of the increased opportunity to get our music out there. A lot more people show up to festivals rather than smaller shows held during the week, and a lot more artists and bands are on the roster for festivals. It also gives us an opportunity to network with other musicians and possible promoters to help build upon our list of contacts as well as possible shows in the future. We’ve had the opportunity to play Frozen Harbor Music Fest held in Baltimore, MD along with Bless the Woods music festival in Fairplay, MD for 2 years in a row. Frozen Harbor brings a lot of people into the hub of Baltimore’s Market Place and links all of the venues together for an awesome weekend of different artists and music styles. Bless the Woods is farther away from the city life and is a weekend-long camping trip in the woods with an outdoor stage, vendors, food trucks, and they bring along a charity to bring awareness to organizations and promote their causes.
If Milton J and The Leftovers were a Superhero film, what role would each member play? Who would be the antagonist? Who would be the comic relief?
MiltonJ would definitely play the main superhero as he fights against the forces of evil with his lyrics. Silverio would probably be a villain that plays both sides but in a non-serious way because he can joke around but he can also be pretty serious. Eddie/GOOD ‘OL BOY and Garrett would be his comic relief sidekicks that always mess up his plans because they’re always doing stupid stuff or goofing off. Kristina would then probably be the human/scientist/genius that helps MiltonJ save the world and fight against the other members cause she handles a lot of the serious/grunt work that happens behind the scenes.
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