Interview The Distinguished Order of Disobedience

The D.O.O.D. discusses their politically charged single "Subterfuge," blending serious themes with a lighthearted approach in their music and videos, while teasing upcoming projects and tours.

1. "Subterfuge" has a strong message about governmental deception. What inspired you to delve into such politically charged themes for this single?

Jonzey: We do not have a political view that leans one way or another per se. We write about real life, and in real life there is a fair amount of distrust going around; especially when dealing with politics. Not everyone has our best interest in mind and that is where the subterfuge comes in.

Monkeyboy: Living in today’s society it’s a subject that is hard to avoid, people are so concerned with political affiliations amongst the people that we forgot that at the core of things the main goal is to improve the lives of all the people. This single is a reminder that the government- the media, all the powers that be, should be working for the people. A reminder that we should always question authority. That sounds kind of heavy but the truth sometimes is. We don’t have all the answers, but it is about time we stop being led by the nose and start looking for the answers kinda thing.  

2. The music video for "Subterfuge" has a storyline involving a hit ordered by a Governor running for president. Can you tell us more about the creative process behind the video and how it ties into the song's message? 

Monkeyboy: I have always been a big fan of the old 70’s spy movies. This song obviously has political connotations so I started thinking of a storyline that might be in one of those old spy movies. With the song being called Subterfuge, which I have always associated with spy culture, it seemed like a good place to start having a politician doing something shady and covert operations cleaning up the mess. As we progressed, we put a lot of our personalities into it, which aren’t exactly serious all the time, and it just developed from there, then it was just finding locations and people to help and filming it.  

Jonzey: : In the video, one of these politicians gets wind of the band calling him out online. To silence the dissention, our fictional politician hires out a hit on the band. In the end, the politician wins, the band is massacred, and Tootles the cat turns 100! 

3. How do you balance the serious themes of your music with a lighthearted or campy approach in your videos, as seen in "Subterfuge"?  

Jonzey: We make most of our own videos and that is really the answer. We love what we do, and we have fun doing it, and therefore it shows in everything that we do. Monkey Boy is the master mind behind most of the videos. He knows the shots that he is looking for and does the editing of the video. We never take ourselves or others too seriously and Brian is always willing to just be human. People love that! 

Monkeyboy: We don’t feel our music all has to be serious, but we are serious about our music. As a band we like to have fun- if there’s a message that’s great- but people in general including us don’t want to be preached at nonstop about anything, so in Subterfuge we took the serious topic of lies and corruption from the media and government and used it as the core. As I said before big fan of the spy movies of the 60’s and 70’s but the thought struck me that what if we had all these spies who are doing all the covert tropes of those movies- swapping briefcases around, meeting in dark places and public parks, but dressed and acting in a way that there would be no chance that in today’s world they could go unnoticed. The thought that a politician would care at all about what some heavy metal band was saying about them is a bit ridiculous in itself. It’s all subtle stuff but it usually give the song a more lighthearted feel, serious as it may be.  

4. Your upcoming studio album is described as the next evolution of The D.O.O.D.'s music. How would you say your sound has evolved over the years, and what can fans expect from this new release?

Jonzey: We have all been playing for a long time, but we have now all been playing together for a long time. We are growing as musicians as we put in the hours, days, weeks, months, and now years on our instruments. We bring a different level of fluency to the game which has allowed our pieces to grow in technicality when needed. The writing has taken a more collaborative approach in this album with everyone pitching in to write and organize riffs into pieces. We all love metal. Metal encompasses a lot of subgenres and each of us has our own little niche in the metal world. We work to bring together the elements and techniques of the music that we love, creating pieces that are unique to us and convey a myriad of emotions. Our fans know that we are not tied to any one subgenre and that we paint with all the colors on the pallet. They will not be surprised by the variety of songs, sounds, and techniques but some of our new fans might. 

Monkeyboy: For sure and each and every album we do we put together a new approach at what we are doing, I don’t think we will ever stop trying to inject some different elements into new albums.  

5. With influences like Lamb of God, Pantera, and Avatar, how do these bands impact your music, and how do you ensure that you're paying homage while also forging your own identity?

Jonzey: We all listen to very different music and when you put it all in the blender and give it a whirl, out comes something new and old, different yet familiar. We do not have a certain intention for the songs when they are written. They just kind of take on a life of their own as they go. Some make it, and some don’t. We save all the songs that don’t make it on the album, and all the cool riffs that we didn’t use, and revisit them when writing new material. We write constantly and always have new songs in the works.

Monkeyboy: As far as forging our own identity, I think it happens naturally. We may cross over into different territories at times but as a listener I think a signature sound is apparent.  

6. The D.O.O.D. has a theatrical stage presence. How does this theatricality enhance your live shows, and what do you aim to convey to your audience through your performances?

Jonzey: We added in the theatrical element for a CD release party for Playtime in the Apocalypse, and some of it has carried over into our current sets. The visuals add context to the songs that we play and keep the show entertaining and fun. We are a very interactive band; willing to break through that fourth wall. We are cordless and not bound to the stage. We will come interact with you. Fans have been known to get sprayed with silly string, to participate in a paper ball fight, and even let out a little of their pint up energy with a pool noodle bash! 

Monkeyboy: Honestly the main goal is to put on the best show we can and make sure that the audience is happy that they paid their money, and they took their ride so to speak. The show changes up, sometimes even nightly, but no matter what the main goal of anything we do is to make sure everyone has a good time.  

7. You've received praise for your live performances and video production. How important is the visual aspect of your music, and how does it contribute to the overall experience for your fans?

Monkeyboy: The visual aspect has always been important. We have always liked to do something that is at the very least interesting and I think it has worked well for us and our fans over the years. Having said that, it is important to point out that the visual aspect is only one side of the coin, if the music isn’t there then visuals alone will not carry a show or a video or an album. I think we have become a bit more music centric as of late, but we don’t forsake the visual aspect of what we do, its fun for us and fun for fans, and it gives each album/tour its own distinct feel.  

8. Could you share some insights into your songwriting process? How do you approach crafting lyrics and music that resonates with listeners?

Jonzey: The song writing process is different for each song. Some songs start as a riff and are a song in a day’s time and others take months. Sone are just riffs that we hang on to until the right moment presents itself to use it. The song Chaos For The Fly started as Indy’s riffs, and we worked through them instrumentally until we had all the parts down and a structure that we liked. Then Monkeyboy added vocals and we adjusted the parts as needed. Other times Monkeyboy will write a song and then we each add our own spin on it, like Back of Hell. Either way, we play it a million times and make sure that it has the flow and the feeling we like. Then we play it at a few live shows to see how it’s hitting and what the reaction is from the audience. If all goes well, it becomes a new song. Even having said that, not all our songs end up on the album.

Monkeyboy: As far as lyrics are concerned sometimes the song will strike me a certain way and it becomes obvious from the music what the song should be about- but on a lot of them it could be Jonzey, Indy, Ray, or Rudy coming up with ideas for the content of a song, there have been many times when I have written lyrics and Jonzey will tell me, “hey you know what would sound good instead of that…” and then give me something brilliant to work with. Overall, I think we all write music that we want to hear as listeners, and we have been very lucky that others have the same taste in music. 

9. As a band that has been active since 2004, what have been some of the highlights and challenges of your musical journey so far?

Jonzey: We have had the pleasure of seeing a great deal of our beautiful country and we have played with many of our favorite bands. We opened for bands that we grew up listening to, met people that were our heroes, and made friends all over the world. We were very fortunate to cut our teeth at the State Theatre in St. Pete with JRock and Patty and Rock-Solid Pressure. They put us and many of our fellow bands on the big stage and taught us the ropes. We participated in Industry Showcases, learning from the judges what the labels want and are looking for. Being a band for so long means that life is going to make changes and that can be a challenge. We are very much like one big family, and we spend a lot of time together. We try to stand by each other in the band and in life, we are brothers. Our only real obstacle is that we are not filthy rich, just in case any of you want to adopt a band. 

Monkeyboy: Yes, please send money and foodstuffs to the Save The Musicians Fund.

10. Looking ahead, what are your aspirations for The D.O.O.D.? Are there any upcoming tours, collaborations, or projects that you're excited about sharing with your fans?

Jonzey: We are heading back to Reno in May! This will be a return visit and we are always glad to get a chance to get out there and see them. Upon our return, we will be in the studio for the rest of the month finishing up our album at the one and only Morrissound in Tampa, Florida. We will be out on the road this summer in support of our new album, and in June we will be headlining Skull Fest in Kentucky, and we will be touring that area of the country in June as well. Our album will drop in the fall, and we will see what happens from there. We have plans for touring Europe by next year.  

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