Page 39 - Black Velvet Rock Magazine - Issue 100

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he journey to get to this stage in their ca- whatever the sound is that’s ‘right now’. If a band they were no longer connected with the label. “A
Treer hasn’t been easy. Rick says they like Greta Van Fleet or Imagine Dragons is hot, lot of people along the way tell you they love you
felt lucky to have a major label behind them for your label president will literally walk in and say, and then they take massive advantage of you to
the first two albums - 2009’s self-titled and ‘Alright guys, Adelitas Way come on, meeting where it’s hurtful. It’s like the minute we left the
2011’s ‘Home School Valedictorian’ - they en- time. We need you to make a Greta Van Fleet label everybody gave up on us, everybody. Our
joyed being there as the label treated the band record with Imagine Dragon vocals.’ It’s a lot of agents left us, the managers, everyone just
well and worked hard for them. Unfortunately, pressure to hear people say that. Even beyond goes away; it happens that quick,” recalls Rick.
things would change. When Black Velvet last it, I think the tactics they use are what causes Thankfully, it was at this point where the
spoke to Rick in 2014 upon the release of the mental illness. Like, for me, they wouldn’t pay us band began to feel as though it was the begin-
third album ‘Stuck’, it was clear that the band anything. They wouldn’t let us tour; they wouldn’t ning of getting themselves back, no longer did
had been having a hard time with their label let us go in the studio; so they almost dragged it they feel like a slave to the system. “It sounds
throughout the making of the album, but little did out to where I had no money. I had a baby on like a terrible thing, ‘Oh they left the label and
we know at that time the amount of pressure the the way, I couldn’t afford to feed my family and everyone left them’, but for us that was when we
band were under and the effect it was having on they’re telling me, ‘Well you’ll be able to feed were rejuvenated almost. When we became in-
their mental health. your family if you write us an Imagine Dragons dependent the fire burned times ten, because it
“I think a lot of people aren’t honest about single,’ you know, ‘You’ll be able to feed your was going through all the hoops that makes you
what it is like being in that system,” Rick notes. family if you just change the tone of this record question what you are doing. Sometimes when
Explaining that it can be hard for artists to be and give us a hit.’ It’s very, very dirty.” you want to plan a tour and you haven’t toured
themselves when tied to a major label contract, What also left the band emotionally drained in seven months, there is no possible way to do
the frontman says, “No one wants you to be was the way in which the people who once it; or you want to go in the studio and make a
yourself at some point. They want to chase rooted for them were quick to dismiss them once record and there is no possible way to do it, you
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