Considering I’ve only been doing radio professionally for about 7 months, it’s safe to say sitting down with one of my favorite bands this past weekend was quite nerve-racking. Especially since it was my first in-person interview ever.
Wage War stopped by the Razor studio prior to heading up to Green Bay for their scheduled performance at Capital Credit Union Park on July 23rd, alongside ZERO 9:36 and Three Days Grace. Since I spoke to them that morning, I did not get the chance to talk about the cancelation of their show due to their equipment getting destroyed by severe weather. I mainly talked to them about the multi-part behind-the-scenes documentary they have posted on their YouTube page. When asked about some of the best moments that came out of their Manic writing sessions, vocalist/guitarist Cody Quistad talked about when the songs came together.
“‘Teeth’ and ‘High Horse’ were like the big ones that I feel like got done, and the first time that Briton had all the vocals down and we had built out the end of ‘High Horse’ where it’s like so ridiculously pounding, we’re all sitting back behind the monitors just like, jamming the song. That was super special.”
When asked about navigating those who have agendas and finding people to trust, vocalist Briton Bond said it can definitely be tough sometimes.
“It’s definitely hard. I feel like we’ve had a great team behind us from the beginning. If we’ve had any problems we’ve been able to air them out, and I feel like having people that you trust from the beginning is huge but adding new people in, you never know.”
I asked if there’s ever turmoil within the band, and Briton continued saying that things are always worked out.
“I don’t think we’ve ever gotten into like, screaming matches. It’ll just be someone picking at somebody and they’ve had enough and, says a snark comment and walks off. But we’re usually hugging it out five minutes later.”
Guitarist Seth Blake chimed in.
“That’s the one thing I absolutely love about our camp, not just band but crew too. If anything ever does happen after a three month tour and somebody gets a little edgy or whatever. It’s literally five minutes later that everybody’s good. It’s such a quick comeback. I think that’s one reason our machine is so well-oiled and works out really well for everybody.”
You can feel the brotherhood atmosphere in Wage War’s camp even after spending just 20 minutes with them. A fantastic group of guys hell bent on making the best art possible. Check out the full conversation below!
