Wax Donut Records just dropped “Day Old Donuts,” their latest tribute compilation that reinvents early rock and roll classics, and brings together a diverse group of both old and new friends of the label, spanning rockabilly, post-punk, and alternative metal. With fresh takes on timeless tracks, “Day Old Donuts” got us hooked to dive into a multi-interview with most of the bands involved in this compilation.
“Day Old Donuts,” was released on July 26 and features contemporary bands covering songs from the 1960s. The new album follows their ’80s covers comp, “New Wave Donut.” It features NIGHT GOAT covering LaVern Baker, THE TRICERATOPS taking on The Crystals, GENRE IS DEATH doing The Sonics, and more.
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Proceeds from the sale of the compilation will be donated to the CDP Global Recovery Fund, an organization committed to maximizing the impact of efforts to help victims of catastrophes worldwide.
In our multi-interview, 11 artists shared their experiences with this project, their inspirations, and their choice of songs. Paul Allen Fiscus III from OLD COFFINS, Christian Dines from LOVE ETHIC, Dave Melkonian from BALM, Matt from SKELETONIZED, Chris from NIGHT GOAT, Michael Siciliano, Scott Werren, and Salvador Lorenzana from DEAD SENSES, Chip Whitson, Berton Averre, and Kyle Brenner from CHIP WHITSON FEATURING BERTON AVERRE, John Van Atta from THE TRICERATOPS, Erikk the Broken from BOVINE NIGHTMARES, Dominika Em, Shayna Dulberger, Chris Welcome, and Oran Canfield from CHASER, and Ty and Tayler from GENRE IS DEATH.
Here we go.
How did you get involved in the “Day Old Donuts” compilation project, and what inspired you to participate? Why did you choose the specific track you covered?
Paul Allen Fiscus III of Old Coffins: Became friendly with Wax Donut Records over Instagram-we were floored and humbled to be asked for a contribution track. Old Coffins has always had a fondness for old school R&B-our drummer Carlos Waller picked the track.
Christian Dines of Love Ethic: Wax Donut is the home of our fellow Pittsburgh comrades Rated Eye, and maybe that helped put us on the Wax Donut radar. Morey reached out and asked if we’d like to be involved, and I had actually already had some studio time booked to work on a few (forthcoming) songs we did with the legendary Dale Crover. We have a great producer and friend in Mario Quintero, and since the DC work had no deadline, we did a little pivot and it worked out perfectly just before Spotlights went on their Euro tour for the summer.
Our bass player is working in Cleveland for the summer, so Anthony and I loved the challenge of choosing an old song and having the parameters of what is great vs. what is great AND what we could also actually pull off! We love old doo wop and girl groups anyway, but they’re not easy to do! I am Coasters-obsessed, but anything of theirs would have sounded weaker in non-Coasters hands, as it regularly did at their height.We tossed more ideas back and forth for a few days. When I went to my golden oldies archive, I remembered The Big Hurt and how weird and perfect it was. The Toni Morrison original was my model, but Del Shannon did a great version too just a few years after, which made me feel better about also needing a different key. Great company to keep.
Dave Melkonian of Balm: Morey from Wax Donut reached out to us via IG and asked if we were interested in contributing a track to the comp. We were happy to oblige and decided to cover a song called Egyptian Shumba by The Tammys. Covering a weird song is right in our wheelhouse. We are primarily an instrumental band but this one seemed to work.
Matt of Skeletonized: Morey reached out to us via Instagram & we were delighted to be involved. We chose our track because it was a bit lesser know and we thought we could have fun creating our version of “Valerie”.
Chris of Night Goat: We have been consistently involved with Wax Donut’s tribute releases and have been thrilled that Morey asks us to do such interesting things. We love the process of finding an interesting song and then trying to recreate it in a way that matches what we do as a band. It’s creative and fun to do. We chose Voodoo Voodoo by Lavern Baker because it’s a fantastic old song with a feminine perspective and a dark vibe.
Michael Siciliano, Scott Werren, Salvador Lorenzana of Dead Senses: Morey asked us and it was between this and “He’s a rebel,” but we chose “Tell Him” because it’s more of bumping groove. That said, the lyrics seemed old fashioned. “Tell him you’re only going to love him!” 2024 felt like it should be more empowering, less subservient. That said, the original is such a classic (and the original video is a hoot as well).
Chip Whitson, Berton Averre, Kyle Brenner of Chip Whitson featuring Berton Averre: I’ve been a fan of Wax Donut Records catalog and the label head, Morey, for a few years now. I’m primarily a roots rock style artist and Morey was kind enough to offer a spot on the collection to me, knowing it was in my lane. I love 60s girl group music, and my favorite of them all is “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow”, so I requested that as long as it wasn’t taken
John Van Atta of The Triceratops: Wax Donut reached out to us saying that someone had dropped out and they needed something with a really quick turnaround. When I found out the cause and the theme of the comp I needed to make it happen.
Erikk the Broken of Bovine Nightmares: Morey from Wax Donut reached out to us, asking if we would be interested in this compilation. He is a friend, a confidant, and an influential figure, so we gladly accepted. We selected this track by tossing thirty-five songs from the genre into an online randomizer. It just so happened that the app selected Be My Baby.
Dominika of Chaser: I had a dream that the band was asked to do a doo-wop song. The next day, I got a message from Wax Donut Records asking if Chaser would like to contribute to this doo-wop compilation. How crazy is that?
Ty, Tayler of Genre is Death: I cant remember exactly how we got involved but I remember Morey reaching out to us about the project and it just sounded like a good time—- we were in!
Can you tell us more about the track you chose to cover? What’s the story behind it and why did you feel it was a good fit for your band?
Paul Allen Fiscus III of Old Coffins: Our drummer, Carlos, has always particularly loved the Four Tops.
Christian Dines of Love Ethic: The Big Hurt is so purely paranoid in those lyrics – just obsessing over someone leaving the house and convincing yourself they won’t come back and how much that would hurt so much that it actually hurts.
I am related to a lot of mentally ill people. Hell, my *terrier* acts that way and it’s not appropriate. I played around with the third verse because who other than a substance abuser or agoraphobic could be that nuts? And all set to that rhumba beat with the 50s phaser all over it?? It was made for this!
Dave Melkonian of Balm: There are obvious choices from the era, but we felt this one gave us a lot of room to make a mess and make a weird song even weirder. We took an interesting approach to vocals, and took an absurd amount of liberty with the tempo.
We are all Killdozer fans, and have a soft spot for their “For Ladies Only” cover song record. We channeled some of that and some of the Butthole Surfers’ Sabbath ‘cover’ (Sweat Loaf, ha). Basically we made a slab of gnarly bass and guitar with chopped and screwed vocals played at a glacial pace.
Matt of Skeletonized: We found this song on Youtube & thought there was a unique and humorous element to it. We thought we could create our version of the song with a twist and punch up the humor on the vocals.
Chris of Night Goat: When Morey asked us to be part of this comp we had absolutely no idea what to do. After a lot of searching we pretty much just stumbled into the song and fell in love with it. It seemed like the perfect song for us to cover and mutate into our own bizarre version.
Michael Siciliano, Scott Werren, Salvador Lorenzana of Dead Senses: Again, it’s a banger song, but for us, it came out almost like a pop punk cover and so we got weird with the middle section, like the Pop Group, or at least that was the intention. Weird, noisey, a bit dubby. Kick that douchey man to the curb. Tell him!
Chip Whitson, Berton Averre, Kyle Brenner of Chip Whitson featuring Berton Averre: I worked up an upbeat, somewhat rockabilly version of the song, and then remembered that while following social media account of my favorite guitar player, Berton Averre of The Knack, he had mentioned Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow as one of the best written songs ever. (Carol King).
I took a wild swing and reached out to him to ask if he’d consider playing on my cover for this project and he agreed to. I’m seriously over the moon to have collaborated with a true guitar legend. (Wrote and played the amazing guitar solo on My Sharona)
John Van Atta of The Triceratops: I’ve been a huge fan of the Crystals for years, and was kinda shocked that Then He Kissed Me wasn’t taken. It’s one of the great melodies, the best example of what pop can do, wring so much beauty out of just a few notes. And it sounds so huge too! Our version is kind of how I heard it in my head, where the Crystals used a lot of instruments we use a lot of noise.
Dominika Em of Chaser: Shayna found this obscure track by the Relatives, which had never been released previously. She and Chris laid the groundwork for the Change of Heart. They have changed the song beyond recognition (laughs). Oran and I added our parts later and revamped the form and feel together. The Relatives went on to become The Ronettes.
Ty, Tayler of Genre is Death: We had originally wanted to do a Shangri-Las song but somehow ended up jamming on Strychnine and had a lot of fun with it and said yeah this is it, let’s do it.
Share a bit about your band’s journey this year. What are your plans regarding new releases and upcoming concerts?
Paul Allen Fiscus III of Old Coffins: Old Coffins is a three-piece from Wichita, KS, formed in 2017. We have released 5 EPs and 2 LPs, currently recording our third LP, “Saved by the Bell Witch.” Our last show was in Wichita on July 28th.
Christian Dines of Love Ethic: Love Ethic has just put out two new Spring singles on one delicious vinyl 7″ ourselves with a new video to match. Had some great shows on the road and at home to support it.
We’re always working looking to play outside of Pittsburgh as often as opportunities materialize. The aforementioned Dale Crover songs are still in the hopper, a second record of other new songs ready for the studio for when the financials are balanced again, a new video to accompany this Wax Donut release is forthcoming as well – more of everything!
Dave Melkonian of Balm: We opened for Cherubs a couple months ago in Detroit, but there are no other shows on the docket at the moment. There are some live show things in the works and they seem really cool. But nothing concrete yet. We are demoing songs for a full-length record, that may be trickled out as a batch of singles, or a full LP.
We record all the time and are more concerned with putting out the raw, primitive versions of our songs. In my opinion, it’s silly to slave over a mixing board fine-tuning nuances that nobody other than us would ever notice or care about. We record live and prioritize the feel of the song over attempting (or using studio trickery) to spit-shine a recording. We just rely on obnoxious volume and hideous distortion to get the point across.
Matt of Skeletonized: Skeletonized has been playing live shows as a trio quite a bit in 2024. We plan on starting to track a new written album this Summer and release it on Bandcamp and CD in the Fall/Winter.
Chris of Night Goat: Night Goat has had a slower year in 2024. We are playing less shows mainly to try and have our best shows be regional instead of a bunch of local shows.
We are currently writing material for the follow up to our 2023 album TOTEM. The new record is tentatively titled NAIL and we have the skeletons of about eleven new songs for it. Looking to hopefully release it in 2025.
Michael Siciliano, Scott Werren, Salvador Lorenzana of Dead Senses: We’re an LA noise rock band with an upcoming LP that should be out in November. Pre-orders open in September. It’s for fans of Amrep, 90s touch & go, and brutal but groovey music. Stuff that leaves you confused as to whether you should fight or fuck (to reference the almighty Really Red, a bit).
Chip Whitson, Berton Averre, Kyle Brenner of Chip Whitson featuring Berton Averre: I’m primarily a solo songwriter and recording artist now, although I still play live in a cover band called Big Boombox, and have a side recording band called The X Ray Men. I plan on a couple more singles before the year is out.
John Van Atta of The Triceratops: We are a noise-pop duo out of Brooklyn, NY. If you think noisy and pretty go well together you’d like our stuff. Our self-titled debut EP was just released on Learning Curve records, our full length “Charge!” will be out later this year. We will be playing Holy Frijoles in Baltimore, MD.
Dominika Em, Shayna Dulberger, Chris Welcome, Oran Canfield of Chaser:: The members have been involved in a myriad of projects. Oran is part of the cult band Child Abuse. Shayna and Chris have played in other bands, including Cellular Chaos, Hot Date, Mothguts and the Flying Luttenbachers.
Dominika has worked and recorded with classical music composer David Buddin in Nebadon and Angel of Retribution. Chaser released their second album, Planned Obsolescence, in January 2024. The band just wrapped up their East Coast mini tour and is currently focused on writing new songs. You can catch them playing in NYC regularly.
Ty, Tayler of Genre is Death: We have a single dropping August 13 called “Talk Talk”.
Which albums from this year in your genre would you recommend? Do you have any nominations for the best albums and releases of the year?
Paul Allen Fiscus III of Old Coffins: Baratro – “The Sweet Smell of Unrest,” Barren Womb – “Chemical Tardigrade,” No Man – “Glitter and Spit”
Christian Dines of Love Ethic: Geez, we’re all already getting schooled by the new Jesus Lizard. Our pals in Continuals have a great new record out on Dischord. We just played here with Leche from Austin, TX and they were really great with new things out. Also – Erik Nervous is so damn cool – buy his whole collection!
Dave Melkonian of Balm: I really like that Bronson Arm S/T record. The new Shellac is fantastic, yet heartbreaking. Gaswar’s record was technically last year, regardless, I’m likely going to be into something that includes members of Hammerhead, especially when teamed up with a Cow. Beyond that, I am still stuck in the 90s AmRep/Skin Graft/Touch and Go era, a la Slug, Mt Shasta, Unsane, Mama Tick, Wig, Laughing Hyenas, Guzzard, Dazzling Killment, etc, etc.
Matt of Skeletonized: The new Rated Eye album on Wax Donut Records is great. This band is also from Pittsburgh, and we’ve played live with them and they have a great energy and style.
Chris of Night Goat: Definitely our favorite album this year so far is WHORES- War. We are also really enjoying GOUGE AWAY – Deep Sage, BLACK BOUQUET – Pray to the Knife, JULIE CHRISTMAS – Ridiculous and Full of Blood, SHELLAC – To All Trains, CRIPPLING ALCOHOLISM – With Love From A Padded Room,
Michael Siciliano, Scott Werren, Salvador Lorenzana of Dead Senses: Tropical Fuck Storm, Chatpile, Microwaves, Rated Eye
Chip Whitson, Berton Averre, Kyle Brenner of Chip Whitson featuring Berton Averre: The album I’d seriously give some attention to is also on the Wax Donut label, it’s called “New Wave Donut”
John Van Atta of The Triceratops: Hands down Ridiculous and Full of Blood by Julie Christmas
Dominika of Chaser: Our record came out on a small DIY label, Decoherence. There are a lot of cool bands on the roster. Also worth checking out are Psychic Graveyard, There, Bleeders, Flesh Narc, Mangled, and Mysery Chord. Label UgExplode is a goldmine of good stuff as well.
What other compilations, whether similar or completely different in concept, would you recommend to fans looking to discover new bands and artists?
Paul Allen Fiscus III of Old Coffins: Wax Donut’s Jesus Lizard comp, “GOAT.” So amazing! Wax Donut Records is stellar.
Christian Dines of Love Ethic: Lover of these kinds of bands and records should, naturally, hit the internet to find the earliest Sub Pop compilations — of course 100 + 200, but even before that the ones that came with the fanzine. They are so ecclectic and set such a great mood – some of my favorite rare little gems. And, please, get a big fat compilation of the original Coasters hits (not the 70s remixes — the real deals!) So uninhibited, skilled, and unchained. No matter what you like, you’ll find some of it in the Coasters.
Dave Melkonian of Balm: I’m too out of touch with modern comps to give an informed answer. But I swear by these oldies:
– Dope, Guns, and F**cking in The Streets (all volumes)
– Hangin’ From The Devil’s Tree (Your Flesh)
– Jabberjaw 7″ series (Mammoth Records)
– 20 Years of Dischord, 1980-2000
Matt of Skeletonized: The Wax Donut Records compilation/tribute to Jesus Lizard is great and worth checking out.
Chris of Night Goat: Darkness Calling puts out really cool compilations as well. Check em out…
Chip Whitson, Berton Averre, Kyle Brenner of Chip Whitson featuring Berton Averre: Again, back to New Wave Donut on the Wax Donut Records label.
