The music world is always changing and evolving – as it should – and sometimes, the bands we love evolve without each other. While that can be heartbreaking to hardcore fans, something fresh and exciting can rise from the ashes and bring a new soundtrack to our world.
The Defiant is aimed at doing just that. With the unmistakable voice of Dicky Barrett (The Mighty Mighty Bosstones) up front, Pete Parada (The Offspring) behind the drum kit, Greg Camp (Smash Mouth) on guitar, Johnny Rioux (Street Dogs) handling bass, and Joey LaRocca (The Briggs) managing keys and guitar, they have a new album headed our way, and intend to share it in person shortly after. Their first single, “Dead Language,” drops today, with the 12-song album due out in October.
Much has been written about Barrett and his decades in the music world, and certainly the bust up of the Bosstones was massive.
Forming a new group when everyone is so associated with other groups is certainly a daunting task. OC Music News figured the best place to get intel was from Mr. Dicky Barrett himself…
Traci: Hey Dicky! I have to start off with a super hardcore question.
Dicky: Okay….
Traci: What was your last tattoo?
Dicky: I think it was probably my second daughter’s name.
Traci: That’s so sweet! Okay, so you have this new band, The Defiant. You guys were all in established bands previously, so how did you know you could join together? Do you slide into each other’s DMs, like, “Yo, let’s form a band?”
Dicky: If I was technologically sophisticated enough, yes, I would. But I could never figure out how to slide into anybody’s DMs. But I’ve been writing and creating music, and part of the American punk rock scene for many years, ska scene, and you just kind of hear things and say, “I wonder if that guy would want to work or write with me,” or it was just basically kind of cold calling friends of friends, that sort of thing. So it wasn’t all that difficult. Did we know each other beforehand? Not really. But did we cross paths many times? Yeah, for sure. And you sort of realize that guys are going through mutual things and you say, “Well, I think I’ll reach out to those guys and show some support and then garner some support from them.” And I ended up meeting some really great guys, and as people will soon find out, we ended up creating some really great music. If that sounds like bragging, I apologize.
Traci: No, it doesn’t. I love “Dead Language,” (the first single which officially drops today) and I totally picture a crowd of people, in a pit, singing that with you. That chorus just totally works for that. I read that Greg brought the song to you. Was that the full song or just lyrics or music?
Dicky: He wrote the lyrics and the music and that was a completely finished song. When we started talking, Greg said, “I’m interested in doing music with this type of spirit, with this type of energy and this type of feel.” It’s unapologetically, just sort of feel good, and has a real unifying vibe to it. He played me the song and I was like, “Oh, my God, I love that song.” He suggested we work on it and I go, “I don’t think we need to. I think it’s completely intact.” He agreed and it was really step one and that’s why it’s the first song we’re releasing. Although we love them all, every song on this record, we’re very proud of them, [“Dead Language”] is the one that sort of brought us all together and said, “Yes, let’s do something in this vein with this sort of energy and this sort of mindset.” It’s the flagship of songs on The Defiant album.
Traci: I’ve listened to the full album and “I Can’t Stop Crying” is another one I see the crowd being totally into it. I really enjoyed “Everybody Loves Me.” That’s going to be awesome live too.
Dicky: Yeah, Greg and I wrote that one together and I pictured singing that just pompously up there, bragging that everybody loves me while people in the audience are screaming, “No, we don’t. We do not. We hate you. You’re dangerous.” (laughing) And me being oblivious.
Traci: So it sounds like the album was really collaborative. Did you write the other songs or did you all participate in that?
Dicky: I think I wrote 95% of the lyrics with Greg filling in the rest. He’s very prolific and all the guys are super smart and super friendly, super nice. I think I wrote “Crying” with JG, the keyboard player for the Bosstones. It was something that I’ve been working on and Greg, too, so real communal project. Traci: The album will come out in October and then you’ll hit the road?
Dicky: Yes! We’ve got to take that on the road, right?
Traci: I don’t mean to suggest you can only play small clubs, but for some reason, I just picture a tight group of people in a pit, fists in the air, singing the choruses back to you. Several of the songs, they… visually spoke to me in that way. That sounds so stupid, but I hope you get the point.
Dicky: I’m glad to hear that. And I speak stupid. (laughing) That’s my first language. But I do feel like they are very visual.
Traci: When you go on tour, is there something that you like to do? Are you like a record store guy? Are you a food guy?
Dicky: I have different stuff. I do kind of like checking out the food. First of all, you never see a city the way you want to see a city because it’s all about the show that night. So you roll in from the show the night before, you’re sleeping on the bus. The next time you hit the stage will be 10 at night, so you’re really prepping for that. If you can get to a local restaurant, that’s pretty good. If you do hit a record store, that’s always fun. I traveled with a bunch of guys in a big band, so you always had somebody like, this is the guy I like to go clothes shopping with. I know who’s always up for a record store. This dude’s a foodie, so I’ll grab him for dinner. That’s kind of convenient and fun, but you spend a lot of time going, “When I’m not on the road, I’m going to come back here and really check this place out.” If you get to that’s good, but I’ve never been back to Melbourne, Australia.
Traci: Do you have a “go to” snack when you’re on the road?
Dicky: Maybe I should come up with one so that they can send them to me for free. (laughing)
Traci: Exactly! Okay, a very tough question to wrap this all up, and I need you to think seriously about this because this is going to determine your future.
Dicky: Okay.
Traci: What is the biggest animal that you could beat in a fight?
Dicky: Oh, gosh. (he ponders this, which gives me great joy) I saw a guy in a video and he fought a bear. But seriously fought the bear. All of a sudden, the bear came out of nowhere and he was doing a lot of loud yelling, which was kind of unnerving the bear. He did a couple of punches to the bear, but he also used the bear’s weight against it. If it came at him, he would step aside and kind of throw the bear to the left. And as I was watching that in my brain, I’m thinking I could probably do that, (laughing) handle that, maybe a mid-sized bear. I feel like if I was in the right mind frame.
Dicky continues: My oldest daughter was in first grade, kindergarten, and with her class on a hike through the woods. We were living in California and they came upon a bear – a baby and the mother. The teacher said, “Everybody be very quiet.” My daughter goes, “No! Make a lot of noise.” So she started yelling, and the bear went away. The teacher said it was the most amazing thing, “Where did she learn that?”
Traci: She knows what’s up.
Dicky: I was very proud of her.
Traci: And you’ve got pipes so you could totally scare the bear with your voice.
Dicky: I feel like then I could do that. I would definitely start yelling. I wouldn’t want to fight a snake. Those things strike too fast. A large bird would be difficult, like a bird of prey. If the eagle came down on you or a raven, I can see that talons would be a problem. Would I win? I don’t know. I’m not as much as with tough guy as people think. (laughing)
Traci: Well, dang it, I was going to bring an eagle to your next show, but guess I won’t.
Dicky: The guys would be into it. “You gotta do it, dude! Want to go viral or not? Dicky fights eagle!”
Everyone save up your eagle money and make Dicky go viral when The Defiant hit the road. Thanks to Dicky for the chat and look out for bears, snakes, and all things that fly!
