Can you introduce everyone in the band and what instrument do they play?
Allen Jolley - Vocals
Eric Garland - Guitar
Zach Young - Drums
Jake Bethune - Bass
AJ Stromando - Driprishi (spiritual advisor)
How long has everyone been musicians for?
Allen 20 years
Eric 22 years (I know I am old as fuck)
Zach 19 years
Jake 16 years
How did you guys decide on a band name? Is there any secret meaning or story behind it?
Zach and Eric started the band and we are really into horror movies and scary/violent stuff in general. Kongju mean Dread in Chinese means fear or dread.
What artists influenced each of you as a musician?
Eric: Taking Back Sunday, Explosions in the sky, The Bled, Thursday. Your basic 2000’s sadly shit.
Jake. I listened to a lot of thrash metal and grunge in high school. Since then, my tastes have diversified alot. Artist/Bands I listen to frequently- Bell Witch, Jethro Tull, Woods Of Ypres, 2814, Thergothon, The Doors.
Allen: The Dillinger Escape Plan, Jack White, Nick Ross
Zach:
Abe Cunningham, Joey Jordison, Morgan Rose, Herb Alexander, and chris adler.
What is your favorite song that you’ve recorded and what is the story of how the song came to be? (Is there a story behind the song)
Jake: New Normal. It's a fun riff, and I have a cool part at the chorus with a slap bass line and tapping/sliding. It's really melodic and we slow it down at the chorus which I love as a fan of doom metal.
Allen: Spaced. It’s got this almost hopeful sounding riff that contrasts really nicely with the rest of our material. I want my part to add to the song, not BE the song, so I’ve been working on the structure, phrasing, and lyrics of that one for a while. The thing I love about it is that I haven’t performed it the same way twice yet. It’ll be locked in very soon, but for the moment the somewhat improvisational feel does it for me.
Eric and Zach: Never Sleep Again. It is spooky as hell and extremely aggressive one of the songs that we hit the nail on the head as far as what we wanted it to sound like.
What is the best piece of advice that someone gave you about making music?
Play what you want to listen to and you’ll always have an audience.
Before a show most venues will play music what do you guys wish the playlist had on it?
Zach:"Me Vs Me" by Yo Moneybaggs
Eric: "No Flockin" by Kodak Black
Jake: "Days Of Thunder" by The Midnight
Allen: "Knights Of The Abyss" by Dragon Pie
Where can we find you guys at?
We are on every major streaming platform!
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