An Interview with Martin J. Polak of The Desperate Mind

Martin J. Polak

Punk Rock is a genre that can cover all sorts of topics and current events, especially politics, current events, and pretty much whatever else. No doubt these past few years have given artists enough material to go around that we’re most likely to see a lot of musical fallout for years to come, and The Desperate Mind is one of them.

The Desperate Mind is as Punk Rock as they come. Hailing all the way from the Czech Republic, this 4 piece Punk Rock band can play with the best of them. Having toured around the EU, they take inspiration from American Punk rock bands like Anti-Flag, Bad Religion, NOFX, and more! Join me as I talk with Martin about the band’s history, interests, motivations, time on stage, and what’s in store for the band’s future!

Anthony:
Hey guys! Thanks so much for reaching out to us for an interview! How’ve you been holding up during this dumpster fire of a year?

Martin:
Hello! Thank you very, very much for having us, you guys have interviewed some of the greatest names in music before, so it is a huge honor! Obviously, we miss playing shows, meeting new friends and fans. Music is in our blood, it is basically our DNA, our life. On the bright side, this weird, weary year sparked our creativity, so we are working on our next album.

Andrew:
Can you tell our readers about yourselves? How long have you guys been around? Who makes up the band, and where are you from?

Martin:
We got together in 2011; I started this band back in high school with my friends when we were 15. We are from the beautiful South Moravian city of Brno, Czech Republic, Europe, and The Desperate Mind is me, Martin J. Polak on lead vocals and guitar, Filip Bursik on the lead guitar and backing vocals, David Havelka on bass and backing vocals, and Winc Janecek on drums!

Anthony:
What were your musical beginnings? How did you all get together to form this band?

Martin:
The love for music is deeply rooted in my family; I watched a lot of concert videos with my brother and my father, they actually got me into Punk Rock. I always loved watching those bands play, and I wanted to be like them! So my dad bought me my first guitar when I was 13, and two years later, I formed The Desperate Mind with my friends. We were at first called “Green Talent” because we loved Green Day and Billy Talent - what an original name! We then changed our name and made some lineup changes, and here we are!

Andrew:
So, you’re from the Czech Republic; I’ve previously interviewed someone very close to you guys in Austria, a lot of good music coming over from there! What’s the music scene like over there for your type of music?

Martin:
The scene here is amazing! The Czech Republic is home to one of the greatest Punk Rock festivals in Europe, Mighty Sounds. The people in the Punk Rock scene are super nice and friendly here and they tend to stick together and that is just beautiful and it really captures the spirit of Punk Rock. And there are some pretty great bands, too! Pipes and Pints, Boy, Burning Steps, Rabies, and many more.

Anthony:
I know you guys told us already, but for the sake of our readers, who are your influences for your music? After listening to you guys, my first thought was you’re an American punk rock band; I would never think this music comes from the Czech Republic, and it’s awesome!

Martin:
Why thank you, that is so nice! I think it all stems from the fact that we are heavily influenced by American Punk Rock - our biggest influences include Anti-Flag, Strike Anywhere, Stray From The Path, Bad Religion, NOFX, Pinhead Gunpowder, early Green Day, and many more. Recently, we are also influenced by the genre of Post-Hardcore, so you can throw bands like Beartooth, Silverstein, Cancer Bats, and others into the mix.

Anthony:
When you make your lyrics, what are they based on? Are they specific to the world around you, or do you try to make it relevant to anyone that listens, or do you take inspiration from all sorts of events and places?

Martin:
The whole wide world is my inspiration, but it really depends on the theme of the record. Our last album was inspired by events around the world. Our next album is going to be a concept record - a dark story about romance, death, and revenge, a bit supernatural. My inspiration for the whole story was works mainly by Stephen King and William Shakespeare.

David Havelka

Anthony:
You’ve guys done some touring; what are some of your favorite places you’ve gotten to visit, and who have you shared the stage with?

Martin:
We’ve been to many nice places, but if I had to pick my personal top-3, then it would be Munich, Germany, Budapest, Hungary, and Vienna, Austria. I loved all of the bands we have played with. However, one show, in particular, will forever stay in my memory - January 23, 2019, at Club Eleven, when we played with the UK punk legends The Vibrators.

Anthony:
What do you miss most about touring?

Martin:
Performing, making new friends, fans and exploring all the new and exciting places.

Our shows are really energetic, and being up there on stage, having a blast, is the best thing ever. I can have a bad day, feel sad, or whatever, but once I get on stage, it all goes away, and I enter a state of bliss.

Anthony:
So, you’ve released an album last year, what’s in the future for the band as COVID starts to sort of wind down? Did COVID give you guys a chance to sit down and work on new stuff?

Martin:
We will resume our All Walls Will Fall Tour, that is for sure. We can`t wait to be back on the road. And yes, we have also started working on our next album, and it is really going to be our most ambitious project yet. We’ve already put some of the new songs together and they sound amazing!

Anthony:
Can you tell us a little about All Walls Will Fall?

Martin:
Sure thing! We started working on it way back in 2015, a few months after the release of our debut album Amassed Sickness. The world was an extremely vile place, especially back then; with all the violence, mass shootings, the rise of racism, the rise of nationalist and fascist parties and politicians, it was just depressing to be a witness to it all. We felt like we could not be silent; we felt like we had to speak out. All Walls Will Fall is essentially us telling the world to resist. To not give in. To fight all of that vile shit. To me, to be in a Punk Rock band is to be the voice of the voiceless.

Anthony:
Here’s one of my favorite questions to ask! What equipment do you use to play live? Is it the same that you use to record with, or are they the same?

Martin:
Amazing question! We play with the same stuff we record with! I use ESP LTD and Gibson guitars, and Orange amps. Filip uses mainly ESP LTD guitars as well, Dave has a thing for Fender bass guitars, and Winc has his secret drum setup!

Anthony:
Influences or not, who are some of your personal favorite artists and albums that mean the most to you?

Martin:
In no particular order, 5 albums changed my life - Insomniac by Green Day, Welcome To The Black Parade by My Chemical Romance, Give `Em Enough Rope by The Clash, For Blood, and Empire by Anti-Flag, and The Decline by NOFX. When it comes to individual people, I have to go with Billie Joe Armstrong, Gerard Way, Justin Sane, Joe Strummer, Paul McCartney, Fat Mike, Brian May, Woody Guthrie, and many others.

Winc Janecek

Anthony:
Do you guys have any passions outside of music that may or may not influence your music? In other words, what do you do when you’re not on stage or recording?

Martin:
We love to hang out together and with our friends! Besides that, I’m also a huge animal lover, so I`m also hanging out with Daiki, my Maine coon cat. I also love horror books and movies about dark arts and witchcraft, and I absolutely LOVE ice hockey. I am a huge fan of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Winc loves sports and tech stuff and is absolutely fascinated by space and science fiction. Dave is a huge lover of dogs, and he and his girlfriend often hike in nature with them. Filip loves hanging out with friends, and he loves to eat and sleep (I mean, who does not? It’s the best!).

Anthony:
Here’s one we ask everyone, do any of you collect physical forms of music? Records, tapes, cassettes, CDs, or are you all digital?

Martin:
We all own physical records, even though everything is easily accessible digitally nowadays. However, I collect vinyl records from time to time, and I bought a vintage record player not too long ago.

Anthony:
Post-COVID, what do you see in the future for
The Desperate Mind? I bet you can’t wait to get back on stage.

Martin:
Exactly! We cannot wait to be back; it really is our life. In the not too distant future, we`ll be touring hopefully everywhere; we are already setting some shows up. And then there’s that new album in the works, so we are and will be busy! I am really grateful because even during these COVID times, we have a lot of stuff to do, and that is something not many bands can say. We are blessed.

Anthony:
Here’s an easy, where can we find your music?

Martin:
Everywhere! Spotify, Apple Music, Bandcamp, Google Play, Youtube, Deezer, and many other stores! If you are into physical copies and tees, we also have a merch store at www.thedesperatemind.com!

Anthony:
Guys, thanks again for doing this with us, is there anything else you’d like to add that we may have forgotten or didn’t mention?

Martin:
No, thank you very much for having us, this interview was fun, and we loved the questions; they were very interesting! We’d love to, however, leave this message to other bands here: hang in there, these times will pass and we will all be touring and sharing stages very soon! Again, thank you very much for having us, and please stay safe.

Filip Bursik

Interested in learning more about the music of The Desperate Mind? 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/

About Post Author

Anthony Montalbano

Anthony Montalbano grew up in New York and North Carolina. Anthony is a baker by day and a contributor to the Vinyl Writer cause by night. With a passion for podcasts, Pop Punk, video games, and more, Anthony brings a unique and fresh perspective to the team. Anthony's column is a catch-all for the things he loves most, and he wouldn't have it any other way.
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