Sweet dudes and Immaculate Conception found at the Hotel Apocalypse.

By: Travis Naegle

If you’ve never listened to Since By Man, now would be a great time to start. Be prepared to withstand a musical avalanche of screamo, metal, and punk, and then live to tell the tale. With a brand new record out, the Milwaukee five-piece have lot to look forward to, namely their April 8 th stop in Vegas on their spring trek with The Bled and As Cities Burn. What does Since By Man guitarist Brad Clifford have to say about the new record, spring tour, and super-heroes? Check it out.

You guys just released “Pictures From The Hotel Apocalypse” on Revelation Records in October. Could you describe the overall goal that you had in mind while writing and recording the new record?

We just wanted to create something diverse, and something that we liked. Other than that, there are no boundaries. We wanted to explore some areas that we hadn't really gone into that far, and see where our minds took us. 

There’s a recurring theme/concept throughout the new album, both musically and visually. Could you explain the idea behind that and how it contributed to the songwriting process?

It came more lyrically than musically, as far as the concept goes. Musically we just tried writing sick shit that we knew would make men flex their muscles in the mirror a whole lot and cause women to immaculately conceive every time they listen to it.

How would you say that Pictures From The Hotel Apocalypse differs (in terms of songwriting and overall vibe) from 2004’s A Love Hate Relationship and 2002’s We Sing The Body Electric?

I think this record is our heaviest, and most risk-taking. It's all pretty cohesive the way everything worked out as far as the music and lyrics exploring different areas while still having one single unifying goal in mind. "We Sing..." was great and heavy with nice parts and I back it. "Love/Hate" was kind of non-stop fury, and this album is just the next step of all the emotional ranges of all of us.

Since By Man is hitting the road with The Bled and As Cities Burn this spring (April 8th in Vegas!). On a scale of 1 to 10, how stoked are you for this particular tour? What is your favorite part of touring?

I'm pretty stoked for this tour. We've been home almost all winter decompressing from everything and being normal human beings, but we're all excited to get back out again. The Bled dudes are sweet men, the shows look good, and tour means we get to design a shit load of new merch, which is always fun. We're going to Europe for another month directly after that tour... so we'll be out for a hilarious 3 months solid. Oh baby. 

Can you describe your live show for any Since By Man first-timers? Can we expect to hear a solid mix of old and new jams on this tour?

Definitely old jams and new jams and us being as uncoordinated as ever. Broken equipment almost always, and cracked eyes/heads if you're lucky. Sweaty boys doing sweaty things.

What are your favorite songs to play live?

From the new record, probably "Emergency And Me." We always seem to put it into the set and we all love playing it for some reason. Maybe because it is the kind of jam that you can really sing a long to, mosh to, and then there's the total get high smoke session towards the end of the song, so we're really covering all the bases on that one. 

While on tour, what do you guys enjoy doing before or after the show?

Before the show we enjoy accidentally eating things that are bad for us so that we throw up when we play. After the show we enjoy hanging out and trying to convince people who live in that city that they should take us out and do fun shit like sneak into pools or dance to music not created by white people.

You joined the band in 2004. What’s the best, most rewarding part of being in Since By Man?

Touring, hanging out with some of my best friends. Being really really mean to each other, but never questioning our undying love. That sounds gayer than it is. Check.

Did you get a chance to see your label-mates Curl Up And Die before they disbanded late last year?

Dude. It sucks they broke up. I saw them for the first time in like 1999 in Chicago when there were like 10 people there for some retarded weekday reason, and they were great then as they are great now. Well now up until like three months ago. But yeah. Epic dudes, epic band, epic balls, epic mammalian brothers.

Who or what was your main inspiration to start playing music?

Yeesh. That's a hard one to pin point. I guess when I started playing guitar I was super into Guns N Roses and Metallica, because Slash and Kirk Hammet are fucking awesome.

I hate to get all John Cusack on you, but what are your top 5 favorite recording artists of all time?

The hard hitting questions. On the fly, let's say Black Sabbath, Metallica, The Mars Volta, At The Gates, Led Zeppelin.

What have you been listening to lately?

Work calling me in on my days off, the new Minus the Bear record, my girlfriend saying hilarious shit in her sleep, new Mogwai, the sound my apartment makes because I haven't left it all winter, Three Six Mafia, Bob at Revelation Records daring me to say "mammalian" in an interview, Old Man Gloom.

Coke or Pepsi?

I'm on this kick of trying not to drink either too much. I don't want my teeth to rot out because I hear that's what happens if you drink too much soda, and I believe everything I hear of course. But when I'm off the wagon, I'm a Pepsi man I suppose. A Mountain Dew man.

If you could inherit the power of any super-hero in the history of super-heroes, whose would it be and why?

The Hype Man. He's the best superhero because it's his job to keep the crowd into shit at parties. You do cool things like dance with hilarious props, take out money and then rip it up and throw it on the floor, anything you can think of to show people you're so into it you just don't give a fuck. Like if people are dancing around but not feeling it really, they just have to look up at me, Hype Man, dancing on a table and shining a flashlight on my dick, and then they think "Oh man, no, yeah, this party is really fucking great." And that takes a special superhero talent I can only dream of.

Thanks very much for taking the time to talk with me, Brad. Any closing remarks, plugs, or shout outs?

Come see us on tour. We're fucking awesome, I totally promise. Okay, no, that's not really true all the time, but we're hilarious if nothing else. Come to a show and get really into us, or stand in the back with your arms crossed looking at us like we're on crack and not in the good way. We don't care as long as you take us swimming afterwards.