One of the more interesting Rock bands to emerge over the last decade has to be Highly Suspect. A group of friends out of New England who came together two decades ago, the journey has been long and unpredictable, yet full of many triumphs. Breaking into the mainstream spotlight back in 2015 with their debut album Mister Asylum, it earned them a Grammy nomination for the Best Rock Album, plus Best Rock Song, “Lydia.” Quite an exciting time, just a year later in 2016 their album The Boy Who Died Wolf brought even more success; getting another Grammy nomination, plus a number 1 song on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart with “My Name Is Human.”
All extremely impressive, Highly Suspect has continued to navigate their way through the ever-changing world, all while facing their own trials and tribulations. Working through it all, as individuals they have grown into a more cohesive band than ever before, and they want to show the world with the forthcoming album As Above, So Below. Set for release on July 19th, As Above, So Below is one of the most anticipated Rock releases in 2024, but what is it really all about? Feeling invigorated and ready for the next chapter in Highly Suspect’s story, co-founding Drummer Ryan Meyer sat down to talk about the years gone by, working together, pouring your soul into the music, plus finding a balance in between it all.
Cryptic Rock – Highly Suspect is rather interesting. Starting as a cover band, you started creating your own music, and it really took off from there. Over the past decade the band has attained a lot of success. So, how would you describe the journey of the band to this point?
Ryan Meyer – Have you ever been to Six Flags? It’s been a roller coaster, but it’s like a really long line. You wait in forever, and then you get on the roller coaster and the first thing it does, after you’ve been waiting for hours, is just jettison you up to 60 miles an hour and throw you up through a bunch of curves. It’s both exhilarating, terrifying, and it’s everything all at once. It’s definitely better after a couple of drinks.
Cryptic Rock – Like you said, you go from 0 to 100 miles an hour pretty quickly. The band had tremendous success starting with the first two major label records; 2015’s Mister Asylum and 2016’s The Boy Who Died Wolf. You hit number one on charts, and you know it was nominated for a Grammy Award. It is really remarkable.
Ryan Meyer – Yeah, I know. It seems like a different lifetime ago.
Cryptic Rock – Well, you have continued along and grown since then. How would you describe the progression of the music?
Ryan Meyer – Well, I’ll just be blunt with you. This band has been through a lot of things. A lot of interpersonal issues that have made writing music together difficult. We’re all so connected, that if one of us is going through a tough time, we are all going through a tough time. With the lyrics on this new record, John does get into some of the things he’s been going through. So just by proximity, we all went through those things in a way together.
MCID (2019) was an experiment. We voluntarily let John take the reins on that one. He thought that it would be the best move. And then COVID struck immediately after that and impacted the mental health of everybody right after that.
The Midnight Demon Club (2022) was made during COVID. It directly reflected a lot of the issues that we had with a bunch of steroids being sprayed on them, and it got way worse. That was also a difficult record to make for the wrong reasons. They were experimental, and we learned a lot through the process.
As Above, So Below in particular was difficult for the correct reasons. We did it the right way and we’re really, really fucking proud of it.
Cryptic Rock – And you speak of the new record. The first thing that hits you with this new album is that it sounds very cohesive. The other thing that hits you is it seems there is a lot of pain, a lot of sorrow in this record. You can feel it inside the music and lyrics. You mentioned it was a hard record to make for the right reasons. What can you tell us about that?
Ryan Meyer – What I meant by hard to make for the right reasons is – there was no running from the truth. There was no running from the issues that we’ve had. We’ve been together for almost 20 years… that’s a long marriage. We had to work together in the room. We had to put our egos down and make this thing happen. John was going through all the pain that he was talking about in those lyrics during that process. By proximity, again, we all went through it.
If he had a mental breakdown, we all had to experience that together and help him get through it. But also, the music was able to gel, because we were able to make it together. And like I said, like a 20-year marriage, you know there’s a lot of communication that goes on musically together that you’ve built up over time. We were able to capitalize on that by playing together in the same room.
You can make great songs on a computer. You can write great lyrics and great melodies, and make everything cohesive in a computer sending tracks back and forth. It happens all the time. But I’m a firm believer in tradition. Originally, recording was designed to record a performance in a room of a bunch of musicians working together off of one another. They would speak back and forth through their instruments. When you’re overdubbing, the thing that you’re overdubbing is, nothing else can move, so you can react to the other characters in the room, but they can’t react to you. Versus recording altogether, you all interact together.
A lot of these songs are just one take. You’re hearing us interact together. We can’t play that song exactly the same again. There’ll be nuances that I think the music connoisseur will really enjoy. They’ll hear a guitar hit the wrong note in a certain place or a drum hit out of time. A lot of those old-school records, you can’t help but have those tiny little issues in there. Cadillac Records and Motown, those guys were recording with like a couple of microphones. They just used the best take they had, and there’s something really special about that.
Cryptic Rock – Absolutely. to a bigger point, that is kind of what is missing with modern music in general. It is those nuances, as you said, that make music what it is. It makes it real. Listening to a completely perfect recording seems hollow many times. Not to say perfection is not wonderful, but it is those nuances that make the music what it is. It is what makes it human.
Ryan Meyer – Oh, yeah. We’re on the same page. And I don’t think that it’s saying that those types of recordings are wrong. I think however you choose to make it is up to you. But if you’re a fan of the old school, if you’re a fan of traditions, and you’re a fan of speaking through your flaws, which is how I believe humans communicate, then you’re going to really like this record. We left a lot of stuff in there that we could have melodyned, we could have overdubbed, and we could have edited. There was a little bit of that, you know if the mistake was really bad. There’s a track on the album called “The Reset,” and it was an instrumental that we had built on the first day that we were recording. John didn’t really know what to put over that lyrically, but we all really liked the track. Instead of re-recording it and perfecting it, we had a run-through of us all in the room just to get the parts down. We rehearsed it, and we had this one take (I think it was like the fifth take we did), and we just liked the way it felt. “Summertime Voodoo” was the same way… it’s one take.
Cryptic Rock – People are going to enjoy it for that reason; because it has that real feeling to it. As mentioned, you can feel the sorrow in the record. Highly Suspect has a really strong feeling of Blues in the music. Is that something that you feel when you are writing and recording?
Ryan Meyer – Oh, yeah. It just is just a thing that happens naturally. I wouldn’t say that the collective group only listened to blues growing up. In fact, it was probably quite the opposite. That’s why it’s so influenced and not just 12-bar Blues on repeat. I think it’s just the natural thing that comes out of when we get into a room and write; which is really what we wanted to do. The concept going into this record was to capture the fingerprint of the band. Wherever we were at, whatever that looked like, we weren’t trying to go for charting. We weren’t looking at who was blowing up at the moment. We just wanted to be as real and genuine as possible.
We had no idea what it would sound like when we started making it, and I don’t think we could do it again. Wherever we’re at now, a year later, recording that record will be different.
Cryptic Rock – Right. Feelings and the way you approach things change. The album encapsulates a moment in time. You mentioned about when one person goes through something, they all go through it. That is a really profound statement, because it’s true. If someone we love is going through a hard time, we go through it as well. Does something like that bring you closer together in the end?
Ryan Meyer – Yeah. I think musically, we were trying so many things, because as a group, we were lost. Then when we made this record the way we did, it helped all of us get through whatever we needed to get through. It brought us closer together; just like you would if your spouse is going through a hard time and you help them get through it… it just brings you closer together.
Cryptic Rock – Absolutely. That is inspiring to hear because living in the world we are living in, it seems like we are surrounded by negativity everywhere we look. It is nice that people are working together rather than going their separate ways. It seems many people do that nowadays, no matter what facet of life it is, no one actually wants to work together.
Ryan Meyer – Yeah. I don’t know what to say to that other than agree with you. It is unfortunately the case. Luckily, this isn’t a new project. We’re all nearing our 40s, and we’ve been doing it since we were kids, so this is a part of our lives. It is our lives. We didn’t really have the option to quit.
Cryptic Rock – The end result is a very strong album. For your upcoming touring you are playing some really cool venues. Going back to what you said about the wild ride; playing from smaller venues to large crowds. Do you have a preference of what type of venues you like to play?
Ryan Meyer – Yeah. So, there’s a multifaceted answer for that. Playing arenas is by far my personal favorite because you just have facilities, catering, and comfortable environments. There’s separation for anything if you want it; whether it’s your bandmates, fans, crew or anything. There’s plenty of space. That being said, there is no love lost for small venues. The reason why we’re doing this small venue tour is because it’s what we’ve found to be the favorite for true music fans. We wanted to get out and get amongst the people. Some of these venues, in order to get to the stage, we have to walk through the crowd. I think there’s a really great reason why the Foo Fighters will play at a 150 cap venue. You A, stay grounded as a group, but your relationship with the fan stands grounded as well; because you’re not just behind a barrier on a gigantic screen on a gigantic stage and you’re larger than life and you’re untouchable. You’re still physically just a person, and it keeps that… you’re right there and people can reach out and touch you.
Cryptic Rock – Well, again, it goes back to the whole idea of being in person, recording in a room, feeling each other out with the music. It’s the same exact thing.
Ryan Meyer – That’s exactly the reason why we want to do it now. And that’s not to say that we’re going to be doing these size venues for the rest of this album cycle. I think they’ll be spotted along the ride. As a business, of course, we want to play the largest venue possible. Anybody that says otherwise is completely lying to you. There’s definitely a rhyme and a reason why we pick these little venues in these specific areas. Many of these cities hold a lot of meaning for us. We’ve had really great times there in New York; I mean, John talks about New York on half the record. A lot of the things that he’s going through happened in Brooklyn. That is where the three of us moved when we stopped being a cover band. We have roots in those places. Memphis is the Blues capital. I know John doesn’t really like this, but we’re very much going very much going back to the roots and grounding ourselves. We are doing the same for the fans, the ones that were with us from day one; the ones that love Mr. Asylum and The Boy Who Died Wolf. This is very much like a continuation of that record, specifically. The other two albums have their moments and they’re certainly enjoyable, but they’re not as much of a Highly Suspect record as this current one is. I’m sure you could hear it when you listen to it. This new album sounds a lot more like the first two records.
Cryptic Rock – Agreed. There was some sort of a report going out that John did not The Midnight Demon Club. That was like all over the internet, but John said it is incorrect that he did not like the album. Looking at The Midnight Demon Club, there was still a rawness in it. That is the one thing with Highly Suspect, each collection of songs strike a nerve.
Ryan Meyer – Well, just to clear the air there, he did not like the last record. He didn’t really work on it with us. He was sort of forced to do it. We were contracted to do it with the label. Because he was forced to work on it with us, and he didn’t want to, he doesn’t like it. It holds a lot of bad juju with him.
We played one song consistently off that album when we toured last year, and it was pretty brutal for the rest of us, because we enjoyed the record… we made it. That was pretty rough. He openly talked shit about it before it even came out, and then it came out, and he talked shit about it. He didn’t want to play the songs. It was a tough time for the band. We’ve come 180 degrees from that with this record. We all have a lot of attachment to The Midnight Demon Club and a lot of love for it. We’ve gotten through all the shit that we were going through.
The performances now will be more fun for us; because when each member is playing the song, it’s like your song. You created it and you have an attachment to it.
Cryptic Rock – Most certainly. And to be honest, The Midnight Demon Club is a very solid record. We have all been through so much over the past 4 to 5 years with all the Covid stuff. As a band, and as an individual, what do you think you have learned from all these experiences?
Ryan Meyer – Trying to sum it down into a simple answer is tough, but I think having the thing that you love ripped away from you, and getting a second chance at it, is a profound thing for someone to experience. COVID sucked for everyone, especially because we couldn’t work you know and we were locked in our homes. That really sucked. I think I’m just grateful for life more so on a larger scale. Grateful for my band, grateful for the people in my life that I can interact with in a normal way.
I think any sort of great trauma like that can build a lot of important life lessons. It’s going to be different for everybody, but I think that it all boils down to a few simple ones. That’s really just gratitude and the idea that nothing is forever and that we’re incredibly lucky to have the things that we have.
Cryptic Rock – That is a good way to put it. It brings you back to reality, because you are right… nothing is forever.
Ryan Meyer – I think in a lot of ways it made all of us grow up. I think when you’re young, you feel like the world owes you something. Then you get older and you realize it doesn’t owe you shit. (Laughs) Then you’re just lucky to have every day that you get.
Cryptic Rock – 100% true. You mentioned how not everyone in the band grew up listening singularly to the Blues. What are some of your personal musical influences?
Ryan Meyer – It pretty much spans everything. I think everything has a purpose; you know what I mean? I like Hard Rock, but I don’t want to listen to it when I wake up in the morning. Also, I wouldn’t want to listen to a Motown record when I’m in the gym.
Growing up, I think a lot of the influence came from the Classic Rock radio stations. I grew up doing a lot of construction/landscaping, and we’d have a boombox somewhere that’s blasting the Classic Rock albums. Also, a lot of the Nu Metal stuff that was fresh at the time; the Linkin Parks. I grew up on a lot of Everclear, Our Lady Peace, Eve 6, Foo Fighters, stuff for us which is now considered Classic Rock. I also grew up with that being fresh and the radio stations playing artists like Eric Clapton and AC/DC. The guys in the band are a lot of the same way; we grew up with a lot of the same stuff.
Guess that’s what you can really hear with As Above, So Below. We were joking at one point, looked at each other and we were like, “I guess we’re making a Classic Rock album.” I don’t really have a problem with that! Whatever is the truest to us when you sit down and you vomit your idea out, what does that look like? There’s just this very Classic Rock feel. When you get a chance to listen to “Plastic Boxes,” at the end of that song John does a solo that just sounds like it’s something that was written 30 years ago by Stevie Ray Vaughan or something.
Actually, my advice to a lot of other bands is to, to follow suit, to, to quote 311, “All Entertainers Come Original.” It fucking works! (Laughs) Just write what’s true to you.
Cryptic Rock – It makes a lot of sense. Actually, listening to As Below, So Below, there are many moments where you can hear The Doors and Jim Morrison feel.
Ryan Meyer – I totally hear that vibe. So, it’s pretty on-brand.
Cryptic Rock – There is something to be said of just letting things flow, like you said, to just go with your gut. Sometimes when you are not overthinking things too much, that is when the best material comes out.
Ryan Meyer – We really hit a point after the past couple of records where we just needed to be free of all the industry speak or just creating a product. The way we made this album, if nobody liked it, I wouldn’t give a fuck… because I love it so much.
I was recently hanging out with the Halestorm crew; who we have known for about a decade or so. They were going into making their latest record that they’re working on putting out. Lzzy was a little nervous and said, “I don’t really know what direction this is going to be. I don’t know what we’re going to do.” I looked at her and said, “That’s great.” And said, “What do you mean?” And I said, “You shouldn’t have a direction. You should just sit down with your band. You guys have been together for a long time. You already know how to talk. Just let it come out.” Fast forward to a couple of nights ago, over a couple of glasses of wine, she was saying the exact same shit that I’m saying. She was like the record we made – I love it so much. We did it ourselves, we just recorded it, and it felt like we were a bunch of kids in our parents’ garage. She basically said, I love it so much, I don’t care if anyone likes it, because I like it and I’m going to love performing it.
I think realistically, that’s what we’re doing. We’re creating some sort of energy that really makes us feel good. Then we’re just broadcasting that to a group of people. They’re feeling that, and they’re feeling good too. That kind of gets lost in the sauce a little bit. It gets a little corporatized, charts this, and co-writers that. That’s all fine and good, but I think the music speaks for itself.
Cryptic Rock – It is understandable how the business aspect of things when you are being steered in a different direction. As an artist, when you create something, you do it because of a way you feel. Then someone comes in and says, “Okay, but this sells better.” It is understood that you are trying to sell a record, but does that formulation really kill it when you are trying to change the art to sell something?
Ryan Meyer – Yeah. Well, you’re now creating a product. I think for me, it kills it, and we had to experience that in order to know that that’s the truth. I don’t think I could really speak for anyone else; because I’m sure for some people, you know if it does really well and they make a lot of money, they’re stoked. I’m sure that happens over and over again, probably more times than I even know. I can’t speak for those people, but I do know that the art that stands the test of time – your Van Goghs and Fleetwood Macs – was truly unique. In order to do that, you’re not looking at chart positioning and you’re not looking at current trends. You’re making something that your art is your life translated through your talents. You learn an instrument your whole life, and then you can find this space where you can shut all that off and let your muscle memory do the talking. Then you have an actual connection of brain and soul to your instrument. That’s how I want to do things moving forward.
Cryptic Rock – You have to follow your heart. It is not always about clicks and streams. There has to be a balance.
Ryan Meyer – But there is that element. That’s the hard part is, a balance. At some point, when you’re a kid growing up and you’re like, “Oh, I want to make music for a living. I want to be a painter for a living.” At some point, you have to think, “Oh, shit, I got to pay my water bill.” You know what I mean? You’re having a different conversation at that point. So, there is something to be said about the economics of music. However, if you let it own you completely, then yeah, the art will suffer.
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