Today I have an interview with bassist and vocalist John Massaglia of The Truth Council! If you like 80s Rock, Progressive Rock, and Metal, then you’ll like the music these guys put out! With an EP released this month and another on the way, it’s obvious to see that they’re hard at work putting together music for lovers of all genres to enjoy.
Anthony:
John, thanks a lot for reaching out to us for an interview! It sure has been a crazy year. It seems like you’ve kept busy recording; how have you been handling the whole COVID situation?
John:
We have been working on our 2nd EP, Green Planet.
Anthony:
Can you tell us a little about the band and who you guys are, and where you’re from? How did The Truth Council form?
John:
We are based out of Central Illinois. The Truth Council is Jason McMichael, guitars, Mitch Bland, vocals and acoustic guitar, Brock Massaglia, drums/vocals, and myself, bass guitar/keyboards/vocals. Brock is my son, and the others have been friends of mine for over 20 years.
Anthony:
How’d you guys come up with the name of the band? It’s always interesting to see how band names are formed.
John:
I wanted a unique band name, and it was just something I put together.
Anthony:
As mentioned above, you’ve got an EP that came out this month called 13 Degrees and also another upcoming EP, correct? Can you tell us a bit about what they’re about and how they came to be?
John:
I came up with the idea for 13 Degrees during a cold Illinois winter when gigs were getting canceled. It was my first foray into songwriting, and I wanted to see if I had a knack for it. The next EP, Green Planet, hopefully, shows a maturation of my songwriting abilities.
Anthony:
You guys have a pretty unique sound that seems to have a bunch of 80s rock mixed with progressive rock and a tinge of metal. How would you describe the sound?
John:
I agree with you. That is an accurate assessment. I wanted to write songs that were interesting to play and interesting to sing. I’m a big fan of big hooky choruses, something you can hum an hour later, and hopefully, it gets stuck in your head.
Andrew:
Who are some of the influences for the band and yourself as the bassist?
John:
Rush, Queensryche, Dream Theater influence us. I’m a big fan of Asia and Night Ranger. As a bassist Geddy Lee and John Patitucci influenced me. Dug Pinnick of King’s X is another significant influence.
Anthony:
Is bass something that comes naturally to you, or was it self-taught and lots of practice?
John:
I took lessons when I first started. I practiced a lot but was in bands quickly and learned a lot from other musicians. Playing live makes you get better quickly.
Anthony:
Aside from influences, who are your favorite artists and bands? Any particular albums that mean the most to you?
John:
Rick Springfield-Working Class Dog, Queensryche-Operation Mindcrime, Dream Theater-Awake, and King’s X-Gretchen Goes to Nebraska.
Anthony:
Here’s one of my new favorite questions to ask, what kind of bass do you use to record with? It’s interesting to see all the differences there are between play styles and genres that can vastly differ what’s used.
John:
I play Spector basses exclusively. I’ve recorded with 4 and 5 string basses.
Anthony:
Do you collect any physical forms of music like records, CDs, tapes, cassettes, or are you all digital?
John:
I try to buy as many CDs as I can. I’m afraid to start the rabbit hole of records, but it may get out of control financially. 🙂 I am old school and still like a physical copy of the music.
Anthony:
What are some of your other passions in life? Do they also affect you as a musician, or are there some things you try to differentiate other passions from “work?”
John:
I like bicycle riding, a movie buff. I have two dogs, Skeeter and Phil, that are fun to spend time with.
Anthony:
There seems to be a love/hate relationship between artists and streaming services; what are your thoughts on streaming services?
John:
I’m old school, and I don’t personally use them. It’s nice that the music gets out there, but it doesn’t exactly pay the artists what they’re worth.
Anthony:
What does the future of The Truth Council look like once COVID is done with? Live shows and more recording?
John:
We’re finishing up recording Green Planet. We should be finished in April. The live shows are starting to assemble.
Interested in learning more about the music of The Truth Council? Check out the link below:
Dig this? Check out the full archives of A.M. Radio, by Anthony Montalbano, here: https://vwmusicrocks.com/a-m-radio-archives/
