Adverts “Across the world round the globe your online with Total Rock”

Malcolm Dome: You certainly are online with Total Rock. This is A Nu World Order. Now on the line from America, from Sacramento is a young man in a band who I think your going to hear a lot from in the coming months. There called Simplistic, Its Nick Kellogg… Nick, Are you there?

Nick Kellogg: Yeah, How are you doing Malcolm?

Malcolm Dome: All right. How are you?

Nick: Yeah, I’m pretty good.

Malcolm Dome: Now you’re an interesting band because A: you come from an area of America which has become very interesting over the last few years with Deftones, Will Haven etc. and the Revolution Smile, lets not forget them, and your also the first band to sign to Mike Shinoda from Linkin Park’s label aren’t you?

Nick: Yeah.

Malcolm Dome: Now the label is called The Shinoda Imprint isn’t it?

Nick: It is yes.

Malcolm Dome: How on earth did you get involved with him?

Nick: You know what we actually I went to a Linkin Park show here in Sacramento about a year ago and really, really enjoyed the show and talked to Mike afterwards he was out signing autographs and my band had just come out with our first demo. I gave him a demo and he really liked it. He called us back about a week later. And it was pretty simple although it wasn’t really anything what we expected (Malcolm laughs) but it just kind of worked out that way.

Malcolm Dome: Dream come true I would have thought for you?

Nick: Yeah definitely.

Malcolm Dome: Now the deal you’ve got is a demo deal isn’t it? Which means he’s going to work with you on a demo which then your able to shop to other labels?

Nick: Yeah. We actually are in the process of pre production right now. Were working on some of the songs and getting ready for the recording for a four song demo that were gonna make in the next nine months.

Malcolm Dome: Right. (Pause) Nine months - that’s a very long period isn’t it to work on a demo?

Nick: It is. Its just because Mike has a lot of ideas for the label and for our music and we want to get everything out on the table before we actually put together what were going to present.

Malcolm Dome: And it also gives you an awfully long time to do it properly take your time there no rush no pressure.

Nick: It does definitely and were still developing as a band I mean we’ve only been playing together actually the four of us have only been playing together for about 6 months now. The band’s been together for about two years.

Malcolm Dome: Yeah you got together in 2000 didn’t you?

Nick: Um-Um We did.

Malcolm Dome: Now Sacramento as I said seems to be a hot bed for talent. Is that because people have put the spotlight on it and its no more exiting than a lot other places in America or is there something about Sacramento?

Nick: It’s strange because there is a lot of really talented bands in Sacramento right now but there’s not enough places to play (Malcolm Dome: Oh right) which makes it really competitive to get shows here to get the crowds here and knowing your name and coming to all the shows and stuff like that but its definitely fun the kids that do come to the shows really get into it and they make it really fun for us.

Malcolm Dome: That’s cool. Do you play a lot of local shows or have tended to spread out a bit now beyond that?

Nick: We’ve played a lot of local shows but we’ve also tried to spread out in the last few months we’ve played a lot of out of state stuff and we’ve recently gone down to LA and played some stuff down there.

Malcolm Dome: How did you get down there? Were they impressed?

Nick: Yes they were actually… very impressed… were going back in early June to play the same place that we played before and kids are emailing me asking me if they can buy tickets now because they think its going to sell out and there all really stoked. We signed quite a few autographs that night and stuff like that. It was pretty cool.

Malcolm Dome: That’s cool – excellent! Now you’ve actually done a demo before haven’t you?

Nick: We have. We’ve actually done three demos.

Malcolm Dome: Three demos right. Some of these track are available for download on your website aren’t they?

Nick: They are. The newest demo has seven tracks on it and its downloadable on simplisticmusic.com and you can get all of those for free and there a bunch of other stuff there to that you can down load.

Malcolm Dome: Because I downloaded a track called ‘So Close To Zero’ which is excellent.

Nick: Thank you. That’s very nice.

Malcolm Dome: Very, very good indeed. You seem to have this ability and it seems to be something about Sacramento bands you take a lot of influences from both the traditional area and the modern area you put them together and you come up with something that yours.

Nick: We have a lot of very diverse influences I think that’s one of the most fun parts about the four of us writing music is because we all come from very different styles of music and we kind of throw them together and it becomes something different and new.

Malcolm Dome: Which is definitely the case from what I’ve heard of you. Now you are a 4-piece is that the way you wanted it to be or is that the way it turned out to be?

Nick: It was that was they way it started out and we actually just we have replaced one member since the beginning of it and it was just the drummer (Malcolm Dome: Right) so it wasn’t too much of an effect it didn’t have too much of an effect on our style except our new member he’s played professionally for a while it kind of gave us a professional edge that we didn’t have before and its just helped us to grow and mature as a band.

Malcolm Dome: What about the demos. You said you’d done three I mean when was the first one recorded?

Nick: The first one we did we actually recorded very soon after we became a band. (Malcolm Dome: Right) We did that actually two months after we had gotten together and started writing songs we recorded four songs there and that was with the old drummer and that kind of thing. Actually we went back and did the two other demos at the same recording place.

Malcolm Dome: Right and did you work with an engineer or a producer on those?

Nick: We did the producing ourselves we worked with an engineer named Eric Broyhill who is very good, he is very well known in Sacramento and he gave us some ideas as far as producing most of the stuff we did ourselves.

Malcolm Dome: Oh cool – excellent. So it’s going to be interesting now working with someone like Mike Shinoda with his experience?

Nick: It is definitely. He is very, very good at what he does. He’s an incredible artists and he has a lot of good ideas that he’s already run passed us and we’ve been working on the songs for the passed few months and we really like how it’s coming out.

Malcolm Dome: Excellent. So is he going to produce or is he going to be involved in helping?

Nick: He actually he’ll be very involved with the band on the music side and the business side aswell he’s gonna do some producing as far as getting the demo together (Malcolm Dome: Right) and he will also produce the full length album when the distributor is contracted.

Malcolm Dome: Right so basically… so your effectively going to do an album for The Shinoda Imprint it’s just a case of what distributor goes with the label.

Nick: Exactly. Mike will be shopping that demo and essentially shopping his label at the same time (Malcolm Dome: Right) to find a distributor for his label.

Malcolm Dome: Fair enough. So you will be the first release hopefully on The Shinoda Imprint?

Nick: Apparently, Yes.

Malcolm Dome: Excellent. So what songs will you be doing on the demo do you have the titles yet?

Nick: You know were not sure the three songs were essentially working with right now are ‘Far From Found’ which is track one on the new demo and then ‘So Close To Zero’ the song that you mentioned (Malcolm Dome: Yep) and ‘Simple Lines’ is one that we are working on that’s its track six on the new demo (Malcolm Dome: Right) and were kind of picking that song apart a little bit and working with it (Malcolm Dome: Cool) to see what makes it the most effective so…

Malcolm Dome: Now while your working over the next nine months on the demo will you also be out gigging?

Nick: Um We will. Were gonna kind of lay back on shows right now. We’ve been playing a lot of shows for the last few months (Malcolm Dome: Right) to try and grow our fan base and stuff like that but I think were gonna kinda lay off of shows play maybe a show a month or so to keep our fans here happy just so they can see us every once in a while (Malcolm Dome: Sure) but I think a lot of our advertising and stuff is going to be done over the internet. We’ve done a lot of things on the Internet that have grown our fanbase quiet a bit and we’ll be just passing out flyers and getting CD’s out all over the place and that kind of thing.

Malcolm Dome: Excellent. And of course as far as the UK and Europe is concerned you’re a new name but it’s a name that people are going to be interested in obviously because of the connection with a member of Linkin Park and that can’t be a bad thing for you?

Nick: (Laughs) No, I mean we do get some criticism simply because we not… We don’t sound too much like Linkin Park but it could be in the same genre and some of the opinions that have already been formed round Linkin Park have come over to us so we’ll see how it works out but were pretty happy with it.

Malcolm Dome: Well I mean judging from what I’ve heard I know what you mean about your in the same ball game as Linkin Park but I think you’re a different band.

Nick: Great, great. Thank you.

Malcolm Dome: Well Nick thanks ever so much for your time.

Nick: No problem.

Malcolm Dome: Good luck with what’s going on and I think it’s going to be an interesting time for you lot and we’ll certainly keep in touch because as I said before it’s a young band that we reckon here at Total Rock might well be going places.

Nick: Great, thank you Malcolm.

Malcolm Dome: It’s very interesting to be talking to you at this point in your career. And as I said we do have ‘So Close To Zero’ so I think its only fair that we let everyone hear it. Thanks Nick. Thanks for your time and please keep in touch.

Nick: No problem. Great talking to you.

Malcolm Dome: Bye-bye.

Nick: Bye-bye.

Plays ‘So Close To Zero’

11:45pm: Malcolm Dome reads out an email sent from Clare:

“Just want to say hello to Clare who was very kind enough to send an email saying she’s been a fan of Simplistic for about six months and she was delighted to hear a UK based radio station playing the band and we’ll be playing a lot more of them Clare believe you me in the coming months… least I hope so.”

Simplistic are:

Malcolm Dome has written for UK based rock magazine Kerrang! and currently writes for Metal Hammer magazine UK. His programme A Nu World Order can be heard every Monday at 9pm (UK) on Total Rock Radio.

Total Rock is broadcasted in over 30 countries with an audience of 1.25 million in the UK.

Email your request to get Simplistic’s music on Total Rock at studio@totalrock.com