Pathos Pathos Interview

INTERVIEW: PATHOS, PATHOS | Upcoming Show: “Sadie Hawkins Dance” at Will’s Pub, Orlando, FL | Friday, February 10, 2017

by • February 3, 2017

[Editor’s Note:] The following is a sincere correspondence with one of Orlando’s most loved musicians. My words, not his. One thing he did say which stuck with me, was the time he referred to the band as ‘Potatoes, Potatoes’. 

Pathos, Pathos is:
Matt Walsh – Vocals/Rhythm
James Murphy – Drums
Frank Jesmar Palencia – Lead Guitar

I first met the Pathos frontman at our Memorial Day Bash this past May where he stood alone, without the cover of shade, watching the band, whilst the sun mercilessly laughed from above. His peers gathered in small wood shadows and beer tents but Walsh stood content, stoic, as if unbothered by the brutal heat beating.

It’s not much of an anecdote, I realize. He could have a inner superhuman strength equipped with a constant running cooling system which makes him more tolerant to warm temperatures. I don’t know.

But regardless of possible other powers at work, that’s the kind of person Walsh is; present, kind, and genuine. The guy that’s going to show up to your 2:30pm set on a balls-hot Florida summer day and stand directly front and center, smiling and clapping the whole damn time.

(So, does this make you guys baked Potatoes, Potatoes??? I’ll wait for laughter … and t-shirts.) 🙂

 

Enjoy.

 

 

Sarah Schumaker, SIGT: Hello! Welcome back! You had a lot of people worried this past fall when you took a small hiatus. People were getting mutinous. Did you realize you had such a fan base here in Orlando? Pathos is a gang. What do you call Pathos, Pathos fans? Pathosians? PaTHOT’s? 😛

That’s like 10 questions, sorry.

 
Matthew Walsh/Pathos,Pathos: Thank you! It’s good to be back! Honestly, it’s pretty unbelievable the amount of support we get from our fans. We’re extremely grateful and we couldn’t do it without them (so quick shout out to them!). It was really amazing to see how many people continued to support us throughout our hiatus. Also, any Pathos, Pathos related gang name is acceptable. 
 

SIGT: How was your time away? Were you guys thinking about music at all or was it a complete detox?

PP: It was really bittersweet. On one side, it was really nice to be able to take a break from the business side of music. I didn’t have to stress about booking, marketing, merchandise, etc. On the other side, I love the shit out of playing music. Even more than that, I love the shit out of playing music with some of my closest friends. We all really took a semester to just kind of focus on school and our jobs. Honestly, it sucked (for me at least). There’s no real joy in school or being a barista for mostly shitty customers at Starbucks. There would be weeks at a time where I wouldn’t even take my guitar out of its case.

I think the thing that really pushed me to keep Pathos, Pathos together was going out and watching local shows in Orlando. It’s such a great community, and every time I’d see an awesome local band I’d say to myself, “I miss this.”. So, here we are.”

(You can put your Kleenex away now).
 

SIGT: One of my favorite things about a Pathos show is the bounce-ability factor. Have you ever seen so many people happily bopping around in a room before? Rhetorical. No. But you’re juxtaposing these high energy dance tunes w/ some pretty gut wrenching scenarios. Where does the skeleton start?

PP: Man, the energy of the crowd is really what fuels us. It’s so amazing to see so many people participating. I know that’s not answering your question, but kudos to you guys!
As far as the skeleton goes, I’ve always preferred songs with a catchy chord progression and simple time signatures. I’ve also come to realize that most songs (regardless of genre) tend to be depressing. I think it’s easier to write. I like to create theses scenarios with all different types of players and see how it plays out as I write. I’ll start with an idea like, “Oh, what if an artist falls in love with his own painting?” and then I’ll add more depth as it goes along. Typically though, our songs aren’t about any personal experiences.
 

SIGT: Pet Names is incredible. The perfect bite. What’s next?

PP: Awwwww thank you. You’re incredible. We plan on releasing a new single sometime in April/May, followed by a short EP in July/August! We’re stoked!

SIGT: Have you ever asked someone to a dance? Any horror stories? Give me the gory glory. 

PP:

In middle school, my home phone rang and I answered it. There was a robotic voice on the other line that said something like, “Hi Matt. This is xxxxxx and I was too embarrassed to call you and talk to you in person so I used this automated device to call you and ask you if you’d want to go to the dance with me.” Sooooo, yep. Already weird. But cool? I guess? Turns out it was my brother using a computer to mess with me. I didn’t go to the dance. (BRING BACK THE KLEENEX)“

 

SIGT: Bowling or Roller rink?

 
PP: SO HARD TO CHOOSE. I was actually on my high school bowling team. I had my own shoes and ball and everything. 
 

NERD!“

Yeah I know, guys. So I guess by default I’ll have to go with bowling. But I do have some very fond memories of the roller skating rink I used to frequent quite often in middle school. So many games of Red Light, Green Light and regrettable kisses. 
 

SIGT: Where did music enter your lives?

PP: In 6th grade I broke my arm and my friend brought me over to his house to play Guitar Hero. That’s when I met Rock n’ Roll. (I just played the air guitar after finishing that sentence). James’ father is a producer and Frank has been playing music for quite a few years as well. Frank mostly played acoustic before meeting myself and James (think all that crazy finger picking stuff you see sometimes). He’s great.
 

SIGT: In your opinion, what is the best part of the music scene in Orlando? Are we growing?

PP: There are two best parts. First, I’m going to sound like a broken record because every local band is saying this, but Marshal Rones.  The man (dude), the myth, the legend. Honestly though, the kindest, most welcoming dude (and yes he’s more than a man, he’s a dude) in the Orlando music scene. He’s done so much for the scene and continues to fight for us.

Secondly, I would say the support (both from other bands and fans alike). Everybody seems to live by the “sharing is caring” motto and it’s great. I would certainly say we’re growing. We just turned 3 years old as a band and the scene is 3 million times better than it was when we started.”

 

SIGT: If you could pick any 5 artists, alive or dead, to play your funeral, who would they be?

PP: David Bowie, Andy Hull (Manchester Orchestra), of Montreal, Kanye West, Otis Redding.
 

SIGT: Last question, well, a proposition,  

I don’t know why, but I have this vision for a video for “The Heart And The Hunter” with a guy dressed as BigFoot but he lives in the real world and has a crush on the girl, blah, blah and she gets made fun of by her friends for his attention but secretly likes him and she spurns him and then it gets to be cont…as she falls asleep on a bed then it segues into “Pet Names” and she wakes up but you’re not sure if it’s a dream or not and she’s a turning into a BigFoot now. What do you think? Production value could be like Wekiva. LMK:) 

PP: When do we start shooting? That sounds amazing. We’ve always wanted to do a music video! 
 

SIGT: I kind of feel like I just interviewed you for TigerBeat magazine or something. Sounds about right. 

PP: TigerBeat is my favorite magazine. I read it in bed while laying on my belly, kicking my legs in the air, and twirling my locks of beautiful hair. 
 
P.S. That picture is how we look with our backs against the wall at our middle school dance, checking out all of the ladies on the opposite wall, trying to decide who we should woo. 
Pathos, Pathos Orlando FL

NEXT SHOW!

Will it be you ladies???? Don’t wait until the last minute to ask! Catch these (lovable) nerds guaranteed to make you groove, Friday, February 10 at Will’s Pub in Orlando, FL for a Sadie Hawkins Dance Planned Parenthood Benefit. Zoya Zafar, SugarPlum, and RV join the dudes to round out a perfect evening.

Pathos, Pathos Will's Pub, Orlando, FL

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Pathos Pathos Interview 2017 by Sarah “Sweaty Septum” Schumaker.

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