Interview with Pete Devine of Pete’s Rock News and Views (http://petesrocknewsandviews.com)
PD: What type of artist are you?
DT: Die Tired is a 4 piece alternative rock / grunge band from Reading, Pennsylvania.
PD: Tell us the brief history of yourself.
DT: Guitarist/Vocalist Matt DeAngelis and bassist Jim Lee have been long-time friends and collaborators. After previous projects dissolved they continued to write and pursue their next band. Second guitarist Sean Boyle was added to the mix after being introduced through mutual friendships at the guy’s barbershop. The trio began writing and putting together the groundwork for what would later become some of the songs to appear in the current set-list. Once this early version of Die Tired started hitting their stride, they knew it was time to bring in a drummer. One day, as Matt was scrolling through social media, he saw a post from a local drummer playing a deep cut from the band “The Used.” Matt quickly shared the video with the other guys and all agreed we had to contact him. After successfully reaching out, drummer Brandon Ballantyne was added to the mix. This version of Die Tired quickly hit it off and the music was electric. Over a year later and the band was signed to SODEH Records.
The band’s name is originally derived from the old Marines adage: “You can run, but you’ll just die tired,” one might assume that their music has ominous undertones and potentially dark themes. Well, to Die Tired it is a punk rock way of saying, “Carpe diem!”
PD: Who are your musical and non-musical influences?
DT: I (guitarist/vocalist Matt) take a lot of my guitar influences from Jerry Cantrell, Dave Mustaine, Dimebag Darrell, mixed in with the grunge era stuff from Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Pearl Jam. Deftones are also high on my list as well as their longevity and on-going creativity is incredible. A final shout out to Cave In as well as they have shaped a lot of my instincts and thought processes behind tones and use of effects pedals.
One act that I really admire is Devin Townsend. His ability and musicianship is incredible and I admire his ability to hit all different genres and styles at such a high level. His Ocean Machine project and work with Strapping Young Lad (particularly “City”) really hit me.
Non-musically speaking, I enjoy the work of Albert Camus, Clive Barker (“The Hellbound Heart” in particular), and Neil Gaiman. George Miller and Dave Gibbons “Watchmen” and James O’Barr’s “The Crow” are also high up there as well. Lyrical themes and concepts come from everywhere and anywhere from life experiences to inspiration from other acts and artists.
PD: What are your dreams and goals?
DT: We plan to continue to make music that is meaningful and exciting to us. We hope it resonates with our audience and that they enjoy and feel something. In addition to music, we strongly believe in creative branding and collaborations. We see a second music video, a live “In Concert” video, expanding our merch line, and working with talented artists to create unique Die Tired pieces such as concert posters, shirt designs, and stickers in the near future.
PD: Who writes your songs, what are they about?
DT: Our songs tend to come out organically. Sometimes it will be a guitar riff or bass line strummed at a jam, other times one of us comes with a fully conceptualized idea. The lyrical themes range from a variety of emotions to little mini stories of their own. For example, our new single “Play” is about leaving the things that drag you down behind and
pursuing what you love. On the flip side, our other release, “Whatcha Gonna Do?” is about a botched bank robbery. What we love about music is that it can represent such a wide range of the human experience. We try to capture that through our songs, tones, and lyrical ideas.
PD: How do you promote your band and shows?
DT: This is combination of online social media promotion, organic word of mouth, and some bigger media appearances such as regional news and local radio. We recently had the opportunity to appear on the “New Music Monday” program on the regional news station for our area. This was a great opportunity to share our sound and promote some of our upcoming shows (you can find the link to our video of the performance on our website). We also believe strongly in collaboration with other artists and businesses. For example, we worked with local brewery Willow Creek to do a beer collaboration called the “Die Tired IPA.” We celebrated the release of the beer with a huge show at their venue.
PD: What do you think about downloading music online?
DT: I (guitarist/singer Matt) see it as something that has been here, and is certainly here to stay. I find that the ability to share your music to the world easier than ever and certainly a good thing for many bands. However, the economics of it all certainly do not favour the musicians and is something that I would advocate for change.
I personally enjoy a great art package for an album or other music project. I do think that downloading and streaming does take away from these types of packages and listener experiences. However, it does provide opportunity for artists and musicians to be creative and offer unique collectors’ items or packages for loyal fans or music lovers in general. I dig it when you can go to a show and only buy a product at the show and nowhere else. It makes it special and you remember that show and where you bought that item ever time.
PD: What song do you wish you’d written and why?
DT: This is a great question. Probably anything from the Silverchair Frogstomp album. They influence a lot of what we do particularly when it comes to the interplay between instruments
PD: What are some of your pet peeves?
DT: Faulty cables and messy pedal boards/signal chains.
PD: What is your proudest moment in music?
DT: Getting signed to SODEH Records!
PD: So what are you working on at the moment?
DT: We are working on a number of additional singles, an EP, and a full length album; all which will be released gradually over the next several months. Previously recorded singles can be found on Spotify, which include “Whatcha Gonna Do?”, and “New Condition.”
PD: What music have you available online and where can we buy it from?
DT: We are now on all major streaming services out there. You can also find our music on our website (dietiredband.com) and YouTube channel. We have a fully functioning web store as well with customizable shirts and other gear. Any items ordered are shipped directly to your address. We also have limited edition merch (such as hoodies or a physical copy of an EP) that are only sold at our lives shows for those that love a good collector’s item.
Die Tired links:
Band/Artist location – Reading, Pennsylvania
Website – Facebook – You Tube – Bandcamp – Merch –
Twitter – Instagram – Apple – Spotify – Amazon – Deezer – LinkTree –
Check our page for Die Tired
