Sam Porter, lead singer of up and coming punk band The Howl was kind enough to talk more about his writing process and share some useful life advice. I’m most intrigued by The Howl’s strong Gaslight Anthem influence, but they’re clearly going in their own, heavier direction.
It sounds like you guys are gearing up for a big 2015. What should we be looking forward to?
We
are! Our main goal is to finish up the record we’ve been working on and
release it. After that we just want to tour on it in as many cities and
countries as we can. We’re pulling for a couple of festivals this year,
so that should be something to look forward to as well.
What are your most significant inspirations for songwriting? What is your process as a band?
Lately
I’ve drawn a lot of inspiration from my more distant past, and how
those memories pertain to me now. Like comparing and contrasting them in
a more objective way and writing about that process of growth.Usually
I’ll write a out a basic draft of a song and take it to the rest of the
band and we’ll toss around ideas for it and re-work it. Then months of
spit shine and elbow grease until it’s hammered into place.
I get a lot of submissions from folks who record in their bedrooms. How
did you guys decide to take the plunge and go full-time?
Well,
we did that too when we were starting out with an 8 track in johns
basement. After that we had a friend who offered to record us in his
basement studio. When we started working on the full length we knew we
needed to make the jump to a nicer studio to get what we wanted out of
the recordings. It’s a process to get to that point, everything takes
time. I think it’s important to note that we all still have jobs or
school when we’re not on tour. We’re real people, for now.
What is your biggest lesson from 2014?
Take care of your tour vehicle and take care of each other.Your
band vehicle is really your bread and butter and it’s important to both
keep it clean and livable as well as oiled up and running! We’ve been
through 3 vehicles in our time as a touring band for one reason or
another. It’s an expensive lesson to learn!We’ve
met so many amazing people and bands on tour. You have to remember that
even though you just drove 15 hours and you’re hungover, hungry and
tired and smell like shit, the sound guy or the local band you’re
playing with is experiencing you for what is probably the first time. Be
kind and courteous, make a friend AND a memory that’s positive for both
parties. Inside of your band, you need to take care of each other
physically and emotionally. We’ve seen and heard of so many bands
falling apart just because of high tension and low patience. Be
excellent to each other.
The Howl — Facebook, Bandcamp (You can name your price for “Sputter” there)