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- We’re very excited to be speaking today with acclaimed Sacramento-based heavy rock band extraordinaire, Sages; greetings and salutations, gang! Before we dive into the Q&A mosh-pit, could you each say ‘hi’ and introduce yourselves to our ever-inquisitive readers?
Hello, Chris here.
Hi, Matt here.
Dino here.
Ryan here.
- Major congratulations on the release this very month of your freshly-minted new EP I! Dino, what inspired one of the very best EP releases of 2023?
First of all, thank you for the kind words about the EP, it’s very much appreciated. The whole thing just sort of came out of nowhere. For a couple years up until we started writing songs for the EP, we were all focused on different things, different projects, life, etc, so when it came time to start writing Sages songs again, everything just poured out.
- Ryan, we’re tremendous admirers of Walk Away off of the new Sages EP I! What’s the VH1-Behind the Music origin story on this gem of a ditty?
Dino and I were living together at the time. I remember hearing him yell “just walk away!” over and over again. I knew he was writing and I remember thinking that those lyrics would be a sick hook in a chorus. Sure enough that’s exactly what happened. Shortly after the demo was recorded we all got in the room together to jam it out and we all kind of just knew this was gonna be a good one for us.
- Matt, no less of an industry stalwart than Beau Burchell of Saosin fame served as the producer on I! What was the collaboration process like between Sages and Beau in the studio while working on this gem of an EP?
Working with Beau was and continues to be great! He’s the perfect blend of constructive criticism and allowing you to be yourself. I think when you listen to EP-1, you immediately understand what it’s like collaborating with Beau. The tunes say it all.
- Chris, what differentiates I from the Distinguished Competition on the 2023 music scene?
The five new tunes we dropped we are all very proud of and believe they effect us deeply. All we can do is put out music that moves us and be rewarded should others be impacted positively and find the music to their liking as well. I don’t really see other music/bands/songs as competition as music is not a zero sum game. However I would simply say that the strength of song is what Sages brings that is undeniable and is unique in its delivery and quality.
- Dino, in the wake of the November release of the new EP, can fans look forward to an LP release from Sages in 2024?
I’d say it’s a pretty safe bet. We already have another EP recorded that we’re likely going to start peppering out in January. After that one gets released, I think it’s pretty likely that the follow up will be an LP.
- Ryan, how is I similar to some of the past music of Sages? How is it different?
I think this release at its core still sounds a lot like us. But I think we all feel this is the first batch of songs that feel timeless for us. The songwriting is more mature, the production is top notch. I think we will all be able to look back on this in 10+ years and the songs will still hold up.
- Matt, with the release of the amazon new EP, what does the touring/performing dance card look like for Sages in the coming weeks and months?
In all honesty, we’re pretty selective about live shows. We’re much more about quality than quantity. We’re not chasing anything, so if a show doesn’t make sense for us, we’re not gonna play it. Having said that, we’re working on some stuff for early next year.
- Chris, who are some of the artists who inspire and inform the sound of Sages?
Matt Franks, Ryan Cavali, Dean Vidovich, and myself are the inspiring forces that inform Sages. The well that each of us individually pull from is substantial and diverse. Our collective interactions of life and music trigger the inspiration to allow the creative antenna to be at its most powerful.
- Dino, Sages is based out of the beautiful city of Sacramento, California. How do those roots manifest themselves in the sound of the band?
Well, from my perspective, there was a period of time when bands like Deftones, Far, Simon Says, Papa Roach, Oleander, Cake, etc, were all doing big things in the industry at the same time as one another, and there was a sound and a vibe that was coming out of Sacramento that was unique and very impressionable on me as a player, performer, and writer. Coincidentally, Chris and Matt happened to be in two of those bands that I just mentioned–Far and Simon Says, so if you combine all of those factors, and you add Ryan into the mix who’s been in the scene since he was barely out of high school, there’s no way that that Sacramento sound couldn’t manifest itself in the Sages songs.
- Ryan, at the end of the day what do you hope listeners walk away with after giving many-a-spin to the rockin’ new Sages EP, I?
I just hope they feel something. Whether it’s feeling like throwing down in a pit to Walk Away or bringing a tear to their eye after listening to Happy. We all put in so much of ourselves into this record. Hopefully that emotion is something that is translated through the speakers.
Stream ‘I’ EP on Spotify | Apple Music
