Representing sunny South Florida, COWARDS AND THIEVES (members of Ether Coven, Fero Lux, and the Prescription) are an emotionally and politically charged super group. The members pull from eclectic and diverse backgrounds and influences, combined to create a simple, but powerful soundscape. Reminiscent of the grunge era, the band utilizes elements of South Florida hardcore culture, hard rock, stoner doom, and palatable pop oriented organizations to deliver a refreshing and unique style. With earth shaking bass tones, catchy riffs, and massive drum sounds, Cowards and Thieves delivers a wall of sound, the likes of Torche, Hum, Soundgarden, Deftones, and Smashing Pumpkins.
Consisting of experienced and committed artists, Cowards and Thieves challenges the status quo of society, government, law, morality, and equity. Their latest offering “Bread and Circuses”, is an aggressive, anguished, and hypnotic questioning of world policy and a timely call for empathy. To celebrate its recent release, we are pleased to give you a full stream of their multi-song music video, showcasing all songs from “Bread and Circuses”, revealing their multi-faceted nature through a unique and really great concept work, as well as quick Q&A session below.
True to their DIY roots, Cowards and Thieves members utilize their experience and connections to self produce merchandise, records, videos, and create thought provoking visual aesthetics. Motivated, passionate, and with the ultimate goal of longevity, the band continues to push forward rapidly, creating consistently professional content.
What does the band’s name mean?
SB: Cowards and Thieves is a generalization of my experience in the music industry. When you make all the right moves and play all the politics correctly and are left with nothing but crippling debt and a complex given to you by people that used you in the first place.
Biggest influences?
SB: I draw influence from adversity and effort. I like early qotsa because Homme had to do it on his own after kyuss, I like ozzy because sabbath fired him. I like when someone sees a vision through and exceeds expectations.
How did you all meet?
SB: I’ve played in bands with Chip and KP and toured and played a lot of shows with Ali. I’ve played drums in every band for 18 years and Ali and myself would nerd out on drummers, gear, and our own styles. Naturally she was the only option to play drums in this band. Chip and myself toured a lot with our old band and Keith and I built 3 venues and ran a bunch of shows for about 2 years.
What’s the songwriting process?
SB: We are spread out across South Florida so our writing process has slightly changed post-COVID. We all write a lot and we demo and send to each other. We start with ideas and riffs, then structure. We find a tempo and record the frame of the song to a click then send to Ali and she sends back her drum ideas. We build from there by creating lyrics, melodies, and harmonies in pre-production. We then move on to recording drums in and old theatre and then guitars, bass, vocals.
How would you describe the music you create?
SB: Diverse but simple. Our group is made up of 4 people that have a ton of different influences. So we blend it all into our own style creating heavy guitars over catchy melodies or politically charged lyrics over odd time signatures but you can still bob your head. We’ve been called stoner rock, doom, metal, grunge, 90’s alternative throwback. I can’t describe who we sound like, but it’s the music I’ve always wanted to play and listen to, and it’s with people I love to create and jam with. Bread and Circuses is our 2020 offering and our best stuff to date. We’re still a new group and I think this album is the perfect glimpse into the unrestricted future of Cowards and Thieves.
Why did you create a short film for “Bread and Circuses”?
SB: The pandemic took shows from everyone and we felt the best way to make up for that is to make a movie. Every song gets a video and we release it all at the same time. As a new group we have to make an impression and since shows are off the table, we need to set the bar high for ourselves and give an audio and visual experience. We genuinely like music videos and now we genuinely like creating videos. Now we can experience the songs a little bit more.
Why should people check out Bread and Circuses?
SB: It’s heavy, it’s catchy, it’s dark, and it’s honest. Like the rest of the world, we’ve been through a lot and this is our stamp in time. Something catchy for people to bite into while exploring something new. If you have listened already, we appreciate it so much. If you plan on checking it out, let us know what you think of it. We appreciate the support and look forward to our musical future. Thanks so much!
