Backstage With Local Recording Artists - The Heroes Lie

It's incredibly humbling, and an absolute privilege to observe former drum students as they imprint their life signatures on and around the people they meet, the places they go and the art they create.

Followers of my blog postings may recall a story I wrote that included former drum student Paul Newlin. Since then, he and local band, The Heroes Lie, have been up to some pretty cool projects -- including making a music video.

The Heroes Lie - The Video

The Heroes Lie (THL) consists of Eric LaBrosse (vocals), Andrew Ballard (guitar - currently on short-term leave from the band), Chris Newlin (lead guitar), Brett Dumstrey (bass), and Paul Newlin (drums). They play a brand of rock that just screams, "Make a music video outta me!"

I interviewed the band at Menomonee Falls-based Cherry Pit Studios, which LaBrosse runs.

Guys, congratulations on your recently released music video, Angels Wear Armor. I've watched it several times. Nice work!   

What inspired your song, Angels Wear Armor?

Eric: The song's about building walls. Sometimes, we can build walls so high that they change who you are as a person. You don't get to be yourself anymore. I was in a situation where I became somebody I wasn't. Turns out, half the battle is realizing what's going on, and the other half is doing something about it.

How did the band select this song for the video?

Eric: It was a mutual decision. Everybody felt it was one of the best tunes we had on the album. Actually, when we did the video, not all of the songs were written yet. It was the best one we had thus far. It had everything we've always wanted to put into a song.

Who did you use for your video production?

Eric: We used Peter Doucette. I saw Peter's stuff on Facebook, and I've always admired his work. I'd seen a couple of his videos. For as young as he is, he's got some major skills and talent in editing and color correction. I thought, if we push him and ourselves, we could get a cool, bad-a** video out of this!

What was your most memorable video shoot moment?

Paul: The very last shot of the video. It's kind of a wide shot. It was not planned, but we'd been blowing circuit breakers a lot that day, and right at the end of the take, perfect timing, the breaker blew. So, that's what you see at the end of the video (laughing).

Brett: The shoot was in the upper room at the Eagles Ballroom, right during the Packers and 49ers game. We'd take breaks and run down to the lower room where they had TVs, to see how the game was going.

Chris: It was also the night of that horrible ice storm. When we were loading out at 11 p.m. after six to seven hours of shooting, the van was covered in a thick sheet of ice. We were all completely exhausted at that point, so it took forever just to scrape the van off and get ready to go home.

Eric: Running two (video) takes, and being exhausted. And Peter's like, "OK, we have 20 more to go." None of us could move for three days. There's a lot of effort and energy; you're goin' to town all the time. You've got to give the most you've got. Twenty times in a row -- for like five, six hours!

The Heroes Lie - The Band

The Heroes Lie was founded in 2009, when three local groups merged. They've recorded three albums to date. Their first, The Heroes Lie, hit the airwaves in 2010. Another former student, Bob Packard, was the band's original drummer (he left the group for work reasons). His drum tracks propel the band's debut recording.

Seven Sins, produced in 2011, finds new drummer Paul Newlin behind the kit. He picks up admirably where Bob left off; same energy, same drive, but Paul's drumming voice.

Their third, Angels Wear Armor, is available for pre-order as of this writing.

How did the band's name come about?

Eric: It looked cool on paper (laughs). Brett: We wanted to have something in-depth and meaningful (laughs). Eric: No, that was pretty much it! We had the name on a piece of cardboard, and it looked cool!

What was your favorite THL live performance and why?

Brett: We've had so many great performances, but I think my favorite always boils down to Summerfest. It's hard to beat the biggest gig in the world!

Chris: It was the very first show we did at the BBC, Bob Packard was drumming at that time. Seeing so many people in the audience who had come there to see us, I mean, the energy level was just amazing. I don't know if we could ever duplicate that.

Paul: The Summerfest 2011 show. It was my first Summerfest show. It was just a really good show!

What's been the band's biggest challenge?

Eric: Schedules. Everybody in this band is busy. Now that we're done recording the CD, we have to get back in the flow of things [for upcoming gigs].

I watched your 2011 Summerfest show from backstage. Compared to that performance -- which rocked by the way -- Angels Wear Armor seems to have an even harder edge. Was this a conscious decision?

Eric: Yeah, it was. You know, it's not just what we want to do. A lot of music -- country, rock -- it's all starting to sound the same. I kind of wanted to try something new; sound different. For example, add some screaming in the music, but only as an accent, a little here and there.

Where can folks buy or sample your music?

Eric:  Facebook.com/theheroeslie. Click on the "store" tab from your PC browser. You can order our first CD, The Heroes Lie, and our second, Seven Sins, from itunes.

Anything you'd all like to share, from new merch to upcoming shows/tours, or The Heroes Lie's upcoming new album, Angels Wear Armor?

Eric: We're going to release our new record before our CD release show on May 18 at The Rave. We'll be playing with a bunch of bands. Doors will open at 7 p.m. We're also playing Summerfest again on July 3 at 6:30 p.m. with Divyded, The Black Saints, and Drowning Pool. 

Cherry Pit Studios

As I mentioned earlier, Eric LaBrosse serves as Cherry Pit Studios' producer, engineer and owner.

Undoubtedly, Cherry Pit Studios has been busy lately producing THL's latest offering. What else has your studio been up to? 

Eric: I'm working on a metal band's EP, Above Charted Waters. I'm mixing Conniption's second album and recording their third album in September. I did a single for Ronny Munroe from Metal Church. From Minnesota, City of the Weak (in fact, the girl in our video is from that band), did a five-song EP here. Pretty fun!

In August of 2012 you set up a show, Cherry Pit Studios Presents, at The Rave/Eagles Club, featuring bands whose work has been recorded and produced at Cherry Pit. What inspired this event and will you do this type of show again?

Eric: I worked with all the bands, and had the resources to set up a show and kind of celebrate that. So I threw out the idea to all the bands. Everybody was yeah, totally, hands down. We had three stages, 20 bands, and the show went really well with over 500 in attendance. And, yes! We will be doing a second Cherry Pit Presents on May 18! It is also our CD release party for Angels Wear Armor.

UW-Milwaukee has invited you to share your recording studio experience on a couple occasions. Who did you speak to and what were some of the topics you covered?

Eric: I spoke to a senior-level multimedia class. I gave them the gist of what I do, and how I do it, basically a run-down of how you record a band -- without going into too much detail.

You start by tracking the drums, double-up some instruments and make some other adjustments. To a student who may not necessarily be going to school for recording, these examples show insight into how things are done in a studio. Even though you won't hear certain things in the mix, the adjustments add up to make the recording sound full.

I also discussed the licensing aspect and how to put music out into the national market, like I do with the bands I work with, and how to use that as another source of income for them because this is a business. I also commented on song licensing in general. They had some questions on copyrighting.

How can a person or band contact Cherry Pit Studios if they're interested in working with you?

Eric: Look me up on Facebook and shoot me a message or call.

Is there anything else you'd like people to know about Cherry Pit Studios?

Eric: I record and produce every style of music there is. I'm not limited to one type of job. I have singer-songwriters come in here with a guitar and want to record a song, and they leave here with an entire production with piano, drums, vocals and guitars. All this after just coming in here with a guitar.

One other big thing, Cherry Pit Studios does something different than other studios with song licensing. I've put music from other bands into things like WWE, Food Network, and all that. I've built a partnership with a licensing company in California to do these types of things. Just because a recording is done in a basement in Menomonee Falls doesn't mean it's not good enough for the national market.

At this point, there are tons of TV stations and networks that have used music from Cherry Pit Studios: college basketball, WWE wrestling, ESPN, American Chopper, Food Network. Anybody that's watched Food Network has probably heard music from my studio, because about nine different shows use it.

When you're done working with me in the studio, the work's not done. It goes beyond the recording, to the licensing -- if artists choose to do that. We can take something that's local and put it in the national market. I think that's pretty cool!

Please support local talent -- forward this article to everyone you know!

To The Heroes Lie: Thanks for your time and sincerity, dudes!

Interested in drumming/percussion lessons? Or, just curious about my studio? Please contact me via my studio's Facebook page. You'll find much to explore - including all of my past blog posts. Hit the "like" button to let me know you've visited. Thanks - I appreciate you! 

My studio can also be followed on Twitter: @JimKubeDrums.