After 20 years of collaboration in multiple music endeavors, Nashville natives Chris Husak, Cory Johnson & David Woods come together to present a new rock outfit, Malibu Blackout. Their sound is refreshing in a time when rock n’ roll is more effects driven than tube driven. They pay homage to various eras that shaped their style, which includes Grunge, 80’s Alt Pop, Post Punk, & Stoner Rock.
The band formed in the Spring of ‘17 and committed to refining the art rather than pushing to the public. In the Summer of ‘18, Malibu Blackout entered the studio to track their debut singles at Welcome to 1979 in their hometown of Nashville, TN. The singles will be released throughout the course of the Fall of ‘18 through the Winter of ‘19, starting with “What I’ve Done” (out now).
In this interview spotlight, I chat with members of Malibu Blackout about their latest project, motivations, challenges and more.
Full Q&A along with links and music below.
Where are you from and what style of music do you create? (In your own words, not necessarily in marketing terms or by popular genre classifications.)
CJ: We’re from Nashville, and we play rock n roll. I like to use this general genre, because it encompasses many facets which you will hear as we continue to release our music. I had an old friend tell me once regarding a project I had in my early 20s, “You guys are good, but you need to pick a style and roll with it.” Looking back, I did that, and I feel that it was a terrible mistake. The most iconic bands in rock meddle in plenty of styles. In addition to that, I would never want to pigeonhole our writing.
What led you down this path of music and what motivates you to keep going?
CJ: My father is also a musician, and he had a strong influence on me. On my tenth Christmas, he got me a Squire strat, and I never looked back. Besides that, something within keeps me going. I’ve always felt like it’s my calling to be a musician. It is the thing that I am best at in my life. I don’t want to be the guy that is known as ‘yada yada businessman from some company that someone else started.’ No, I want to be known as that badass, old school rocker that continued to do the damn thing and etched out his foothold somewhere, no matter how small, in rock history.
DW: I got into playing music as an awkward kid, where it was a way for me to connect socially. It quickly became a huge part of my life, and my primary creative outlet. Over the years, I’ve been through a few hiatuses from being in bands. I find that when I’m away from it, I miss it so much that I’m envious of anyone who’s actively performing. That’s how I know I need to keep it going.
CH: It started trying to pick up girls and soon became a passion purely for the love of music.
How is this new release different than previous ones? Were you trying to accomplish anything specific?
CJ: Well, it’s the first one for this group. But for myself, it is about me going back to do me. I had hopped around several acts throughout my twenties, even as a session bassist for a little while. The latter showed me that I don’t want to play someone else’s music. I want to write and be a strong part of the creative process. This release is for me, Woody and Chris…only us.
DW: This is the first time I’ve recorded in a professional studio. All of my previous experience has been DIY. For this recording, we wanted the polished sound of a professional mix and master. The great people at Welcome to 1979 helped us to get the sound we were looking for.
CH: This project, and this release especially, is one of the most collaborative music moments I’ve been a part of, and the music reflects a sound created by three forces and not one majority pushing the dial one way or another.
Name one or two challenges you face as an indie musician in this oversaturated, digital music age? How has technology helped you (since we know it does help)?
CJ: Social media. I feel like it’s a rather shallow way of promoting yourself, but it’s a necessary one in this age. Instead of putting out cool tunes, hanging posters, & booking gigs, I am now worried about, “What time of the day should I post to get the most likes? How do I cater to this algorithm??” That’s not very rock n roll if you ask me. It takes everything I got to force myself to maintain it. However, I do not mind the age of the DSPs and the ease of releasing music and being independent that they have brought to the industry.
CH: One – I’m kinda old for this game, and it’s social media which is all too important these days that happens to not be my forte. Two – I just don’t like doing it haha.
What was the last song you listened to?
CJ: I listen to so much music throughout the day that this is tough. But, I think it was the new Beirut single “Gallipoli”. However, the song I currently have in my head is by an old friend that I haven’t spoke to in years. The band is called Hot Damn Brunette, and they’re in a similar position right now and in the process of releasing their debut. Check out his track “The Donut Days”; it’s pretty rockin.
CH: Anderson Paak. “Your heart don’t stand a chance”. It has a great groove.
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?
CJ: I hate to say it, but I prefer MP3s. I love the idea of vinyl, and I do actively buy them, but I always end up listening to music through Spotify. It’s just so easy!
DW: I love vinyl. I recently acquired an old Fisher turntable and stereo to replace my all in one Crosley, and I’ve been loving it. You can sometimes catch me Instagramming or tweeting some record I’m spinning on a drunken Saturday night. Those posts get deleted in the morning though 😛
CH: I love the sound of vinyl and the delicate process of playing and caring for the records. It really makes you appreciate them. But I’ve gotta say I definitely appreciate the ease of an mp3.
How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?
CJ: Spotify. This may all sound random, but I consider myself somewhat of a handyman. If something breaks, I fix it. I don’t call someone. The same goes for my computers. Though, I bought a MacBook Pro a few years back, and it broke down on me….I couldn’t handle fixing that haha (I did try). I went back to PC and deleted all of my Apple stuff, including iTunes. Also, all the platforms that bands can utilize to share music are getting to be a little much, in my opinion. I stay away from Bandcamp and sites of that nature.
DW: I’m on Apple Music… just because when my wife and I signed up, they had a family plan that allowed streaming on two devices, which was cheaper than two Spotify accounts at the time. I’m not sure how the options stack up currently, but I’ve been happy with Apple Music.
CH: Spotify is a God send for me. I think 10 bucks for pretty much everything out there is a hell of deal if you ask me.
Where is the best place to connect with you online and discover more music?
We try to stay current on the major socials like Facebook, Instagram & Twitter. You can always go to malibublackout.com as well.
Anything else before we sign off?
Please stay tuned. We have a healthy roadmap which should provide releases every couple of months for a while. If you do or don’t like this single, just wait. The next one is dancy and more in a pop vein. We’ll be keeping it fresh, and I think it will be fun to keep up with it.
