As a writer, the most challenging part of this interview was resisting the urge to add an “e” to the end of this week’s featured band’s name…
THIEV [almost did it again] is a brilliant example of the organic creative process at work. Founding members Paul and Wade played together locally for a while, but only after Wade moved away did the two decide to collaborate on a unified project. They worked across the distance to write a healthy catalog of songs before searching for their remaining members. The result is a respectable library of meaningful songs with a mature and consistent sound that brings to mind echoes of some of the greatest punk bands in recent generations. Their self-described “Epi-Fat” sound is energetic, open, and carries forward meaningful lyrics with power and classic punk vibes. THIEV is a band for fans who live by the “resistance through joy” mantra; if you love to have a good time in defiance of all the B.S. the world throws your way, this is the band for you.
Keep scrolling to check out my lightning round interview with Paul from THIEV; and be sure to follow along on socials [@thiev_nj on Insta and @thievnj on youtube], and tune in to all major streaming platforms. Don’t forget to save the Under Exposed playlist on Spotify to listen to my favorites from THIEV and the rest of the Under Exposed lineup!
Interview
Cameron Conrad sits down with Paul Alan
Give me quick, 2-sentence intros for each of your band members.
Buzz plays guitar and is a big teach guy. He won the 2008 guitar hero world championship.
Ryan loves hockey, black metal and plays drums, and should not be confused with other Ryan who plays bass and makes award winning cheese for a living.
Pat delivers mail and shredding leads. He also loves comics and attends FEST in Florida every year.
(Paul) I'm a special ed teacher and I collect aluminum neck guitars and I'm horrible at anything handy.
Wade lives in Indiana and THIEV would not be a band without him. He's good at everything. I think he just started to paint. I love to see him tackle new styles and different forms of art.
What’s your dream venue, the place that will feel like you’ve “made it” once you've played there?
I’ll try to be reasonable. Stone Pony Summer stage or Gilman street.
If you could pick any band or artist, past or present, to tour with, who would it be?
Pennywise.
If each of you was a Disney character, who would you be?
We are collectively Timon and Pumbaa.
What’s the craziest, cringiest thing you’ve done for the sake of your music?
Continue making it. Ha honestly prob the tick tock stuff I’ve been doing. At first I had my Tt as a THIEV account and never posted because I didn’t want to drag anyone under the bus with me, but once I made it personal, I embraced all humility.
If we gave out high-school superlatives today, what would each of you win?
Ryan- most likely to learn a full set and play a show before meeting all the members of the band.
Buzz- most likely to unofficially win at guitar hero.
Ryan- most likely to never miss a beat.
Pat- most likely to shred humbly.
Me- most likely to take 3 hours to change a windshield wiper…it was cold!
Any new music or upcoming tours we should know about? Anything brewing behind the scenes you can give a hint about?
We are recording the final ep to our four ep series in April. Each one depicts a set of shoes hanging from the phone wires in different parts of the day. Matt Apol did a great job! The final one will represent nighttime and we’ve yet to come up with a one word title but I want it to have a “calm before” vibe. The ones we have are called break, fade, & grow. Do you have any ideas?