Formed in the US, Tempt is an up & coming hard rock newcomer that have just started their long way into rock music. They may be young but they are really mature when it comes to music and they keep in mind that this is just the beginning. Grande Rock had an interesting & in-depth chat with vocalist Zach Allen & guitarist Harrison Marcello about the band, their debut album and rock music in general… check it all out below…
Welcome to Grande Rock Harrison and Zach. It’s good to have you here. First of all, do give us a brief bio of Tempt.
Z: I was very young and playing in a band when the writer, producer, manager, Jack Ponti found me. Jack began mentoring me and along the way he really felt that I needed a partner. Someone that was my own age and that could bring a lot to the table from a musical perspective. He envisioned a collaboration along the lines of the Glimmer Twins, Page/Plant, Perry/Tyler etc. He had seen YouTube videos of Harrison playing and said “that’s the kid”. So Jack was the guy that put us together. I called Harrison and we met in NYC. Good bye Red Bank!
H: It turned out that Zach and I had a lot of mutual friends and it was actually strange that we had never run into each other before. There aren’t that many kids our age who were into playing rock music! I had just started college at the Boston Conservatory so we had to take a very disciplined approach to working together because I was coming down just on weekends to work. That really helped us focus. We already had a clear idea of what we wanted to do and what we loved musically so we really just started writing. We came up with about 10 songs in 4 months. The next step to solidify our partnership was to record the material. I produced very extensive demos at home that fleshed out the vocal and band arrangements and we went up to an amazing studio in Vermont, Guilford Sound to make the record. We cut the basic tracks in 2 days!
How did you come up with the name Tempt initially?
Z: Names are always so hard and we certainly went through a lot of them. We were looking for something that was a fun name but that also was a bit of an enticement for our friends to leave the pre fab pop behind and come rock with us. Let us Tempt you to the dark side!
Which are your basic music influences and which are those bands that inspired you to take the decision to be a musician?
Z: I remember watching Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” music video and being completely entranced by his musicianship and performance skills. He also had an incredible voice. Also the first album I ever bought with my own money was “Appetite for Destruction”, and that album introduced me to rock music!
H: My parents always played a lot of music for us. As a toddler, I was brought up on The Beatles. I can remember very vividly hearing “Round and Round” on a car trip come blasting off a mix CD and being blown away. My first concert when I was about 8 was Rush. These experiences made me go: “I want to do that”! Other bands like Foreigner, Def Leppard, Europe and Dokken were big influences as well as guitarists like Randy Rhoads. I’ve always loved music but the guitar playing in a lot of the late 70s to early 80s bands really inspired me to start seriously playing the guitar and contributed to my ear for strong anthemic pop melodies and guitar riffs.
In 2014 you self-released the “Under My Skin” EP, which featured 4 tracks. Do you think that this release was crucial so as to make yourselves known to the music world and move on further? How did the idea to feature the 4 EP tracks come about? You did re-record them, right?
H: We were invited to play a large US rock festival, Rocklahoma and we needed a way to help finance a tour out and back. We already had the album completed and we decided to do a limited run EP that would only be available on our tour. We did not re-record anything for the full length album. The EP tracks came from the same sessions. There is absolutely nothing that is different between the EP and album tracks. Although the EP was originally not conceived as a way to make ourselves known it did have that effect and we ended up selling a thousand of them.
How did the cooperation with Rock Candy Records occur? Did you have the debut fully recorded & ready to be released?
Z: We were shopping the record around to various labels looking for a partner that really got what we were trying to do. So many labels want to change you. We actually had one “A&R” guy say he wanted to sign us and turn us into the next Fall Out Boy. That’s the type of deal we were only too happy to say “Next” to. Derek heard the record and loved it.
H: We were very fortunate to be able to make this record on our own. It meant that we could do what we wanted and stay true to our vision for our music. Not being dependent on a label for an advance meant that we could turn down offers that were not right and to be patient.
And whose was the idea to work with multi-platinum producer Michael Wagener (Skid Row, Motley Crue, Dokken, Alice Cooper)? I bet the whole experience made you see things from a different, more mature, perspective huh? So how crucial is working with such a renowned producer?
H: Our record was produced by Tag and Billy from Sticky Audio Labs. They were crucial to our development and as a sounding board for the writing and production. They took very seriously the idea that their job was to help us get our ideas down the way we wanted them. They challenged us on the writing and the production and the results were that things were improved. Although Tag was partners with Nile Rogers and Billy has worked with many artists, I wouldn’t call them renowned. I would call them great! They did an amazing job. When you’re writing and recording in the bubble it can be easy to second guess yourself. They never let us do that. They not only kept us and the project on track but they also brought in people that elevated it as well from mixers to musicians to studios. Although Zach and I were just 18/19 when we recorded this, we were dead serious while working on it.
Z: After the record was completed, it was Tag who suggested that we look into bringing in some fresh ears for the mix. We were familiar with Michael’s work and sought him out right away. He heard the rough mixes and loved it and agreed to do it. We also had a number of the songs mixed by Mario McNulty who worked on the last couple of David Bowie records. In fact the song Aamina has a mix by Michael and a mix by Mario on the record. That was the only track that both mixed and we thought it would be fun to include both on the record. We actually worked remotely with Michael. Sending stems and then approving the mixes. We didn’t meet him until well after the record was done when we play in Nashville. We got a chance to hang with him at his studio and he came to our show. We hope to work with him again on the next record.
How did you come up with the album title “Runaway”? What does it declare?
Z: “Runaway” was a cut on the album so we wanted to have the album titled after a song on it. We picked “Runaway” because it was bit symbolic. We wanted to get as far away from the prefab pop that is so prevalent. We didn’t want any part of the DJ pushing a button and waving his hands in the air. So in essence it speaks to getting away from all of that nonsense.
Do tell us a few things about each track…
Z & H: “Comin’ On to You”: Powerful, favorite live riff…
“Under My Skin”: Anthemic, Drop D…
“Paralyzed”: Hard rocker with a great riff; first song we wrote together.
“Use it or Lose It”: Big chorus, lots of bgvs, One – Two…
“Runaway”: Power ballad, favorite solo…
“Aamina”: Strippers, big finale, strongest song.
“Sapphire”: Ripper, fast paced, hardest solo.
“The Fight”: Inspirational, written on the Jersey shore home to Bon Jovi, Bruce and many other rockers…
“What is Love”: Loose, playful, haven’t played it in a while…
“Time Won’t Heal”: Sentimental, the BIG ballad…
“Love Terminator”: Powerful, big chorus…
“Fucked Up Beautiful”: Ironic, funny, big shout out to Nino TD!
“Neuro-Child”: Robot aliens, neurotic…
“Dirty One”: Fun, riff driven…
Do you plan to release any concept or lyric video at some point?
H: Yes, we are shooting a video for “Under My Skin” at the end of September and following that with three more performance videos.
What are you touring plans so far? Any plans to come to Europe too?
Z: We are planning to come to the UK this fall and hopefully will make it to the rest of Europe shortly thereafter.
How would you describe your band’s music style to someone that has never heard of your before?
H: It’s hooky guitar driven rock music.
Z: Fun…
What are your expectations from “Runaway” and what do you wish to achieve with Temp in the near future?
Z: We are just at the start of what will hopefully be a long career working together. I think we expect there to be a lot of hard work ahead as well as a lot of fun. “Runaway” is the first step…
H. We’re very excited to get out on the road and keep playing. We’ve also started work on a second album and when you see us you can expect our show to be about songs from the album and half brand new material.
Time for our “weird questions”!!! If you found a genie in a bottle and you only had 3 wishes what would they be?
Z: I would wish for unlimited wishes, a lifetime supply of White Castle cheeseburgers, and a Tesla.
H: For some reason I am reminded of the Jon Butcher Axis line “If wishes were horses then dreamers would ride”. Oh OK, a Ferrari 458 Italia! I’d be happy with that oh and a couple more Suhr guitars.
Best 3 hard rock albums of all time?
Z: “Slippery When Wet”, “Appetite for Destruction”, “Hysteria”…
H: Def Lep – “Hysteria”, VH – “1984”, Foreigner – “4”…
Which is the record you wish you had written and why?
Z: “Thriller” by MJ, because there are so many hits on that album and the grooves are undeniable!
H: I wish I had written “Hysteria”. It is the perfect album. All the songs are hits, the production is stellar, and the performances are amazing. Mutt Lange is the man.
Is the “free downloading issue” & “the streaming” the main reasons why the music industry has taken the downhill or this is just the tip of the iceberg?
H: LOL, that’s a simple one! Are piracy, streaming and downloading issues? Absolutely! They’ve changed all of the economics of the business and there has to be a restructuring of rates and how artists are paid. In the US, the DMCA must be re-written as well. There is also the issue of YouTube/Google. This is how the majority of people consume music. In essence, YouTube is the world’s biggest pirate. But the bigger issue is how the importance of music has changed culturally. It doesn’t seem as important a part of the cultural fabric for people anymore and it faces stiff competition from all of the various screens that people use. Even the way people listen to crappy MP3 files on horrible sounding ear buds is a devaluation of the experience. It’s rare that people dive into an entire album and devour the music as well as who made it. Who are the engineers. musicians, producers, songwriters etc. All of that has been lost with the single download or on demand stream. Deep cuts are discovered. On our album if you’re just listening to the focused tracks then we feel like you’re missing some good tunes. What does remain is the fact that there really is nothing like the experience of live music. That will never change and the more people of our generation that we can expose to that the better. Especially on the rock side.
Were you obliged to give just one album to extraterrestrials that would represent the whole human music, which album would it be and from which band/artist?
Z: The “White Album” by the Beatles, since The Beatles influenced so much incredible music in every genre!
H: I would give the aliens an album of Bach. Probably the “Well Tempered Klavier” or a selection of his “Cantatas”.
Top 3 Horror movies of all time?
Z: “The Babadook”, “The Conjuring”, and “The Visit”, but I’ve only recently gotten into horror movies, so I need to watch the classics.
H: I don’t watch horror movies.
Fill in the phrase… “Hard rock music wouldn’t have evolved the way it did, if it hadn’t been for…”
Z: Bon Jovi and Def Leppard, who understood how to incorporate pop-like catchy melodies into hard rock songs.
H: Changing technology.
Best pick-up line that has worked for you several times in the past?
Z: I don’t use pick-up lines, but if I had to, it would be “Was your dad a farmer? Because you sure know how to raise cocks”.
H: “Hi my name is Harrison”…
What’s the worst thing one can say right after sex?
Z: “I have to go home to my children”…
H: “What?”…
You have the opportunity to have sex with a movie-celebrity/porn-star of your choice. Who would it be & why?
Z: Margot Robbie, because she’s my celeb crush and is stunning in every way. She’s also a great actress!
H: I really have no interest.
Which of the Seven Deadly Sins do you reckon is the one, that’s more likely to send you straight to Hell, in the afterlife?
Z: Definitely malicious Envy.
H: Sloth, although in all fairness I should point out that I’m an atheist so I don’t believe what I say!
Imagine that your girlfriend is selling your whole album-collection just to buy an expensive ring for herself. How would you react?
Z: I’d be quite upset and would probably tell her to hit the road.
H: Here in the US, we have a saying: “Want Justice? Judge Judy!”…
Thx for talking to Grande Rock. Wish you and your band the best for the future… Take care guys!
Z: Thanks we appreciate you getting the word out…
H: Thank you!
Z: I was very young and playing in a band when the writer, producer, manager, Jack Ponti found me. Jack began mentoring me and along the way he really felt that I needed a partner. Someone that was my own age and that could bring a lot to the table from a musical perspective. He envisioned a collaboration along the lines of the Glimmer Twins, Page/Plant, Perry/Tyler etc. He had seen YouTube videos of Harrison playing and said “that’s the kid”. So Jack was the guy that put us together. I called Harrison and we met in NYC. Good bye Red Bank!
H: It turned out that Zach and I had a lot of mutual friends and it was actually strange that we had never run into each other before. There aren’t that many kids our age who were into playing rock music! I had just started college at the Boston Conservatory so we had to take a very disciplined approach to working together because I was coming down just on weekends to work. That really helped us focus. We already had a clear idea of what we wanted to do and what we loved musically so we really just started writing. We came up with about 10 songs in 4 months. The next step to solidify our partnership was to record the material. I produced very extensive demos at home that fleshed out the vocal and band arrangements and we went up to an amazing studio in Vermont, Guilford Sound to make the record. We cut the basic tracks in 2 days!
How did you come up with the name Tempt initially?
Z: Names are always so hard and we certainly went through a lot of them. We were looking for something that was a fun name but that also was a bit of an enticement for our friends to leave the pre fab pop behind and come rock with us. Let us Tempt you to the dark side!
Which are your basic music influences and which are those bands that inspired you to take the decision to be a musician?
Z: I remember watching Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” music video and being completely entranced by his musicianship and performance skills. He also had an incredible voice. Also the first album I ever bought with my own money was “Appetite for Destruction”, and that album introduced me to rock music!
H: My parents always played a lot of music for us. As a toddler, I was brought up on The Beatles. I can remember very vividly hearing “Round and Round” on a car trip come blasting off a mix CD and being blown away. My first concert when I was about 8 was Rush. These experiences made me go: “I want to do that”! Other bands like Foreigner, Def Leppard, Europe and Dokken were big influences as well as guitarists like Randy Rhoads. I’ve always loved music but the guitar playing in a lot of the late 70s to early 80s bands really inspired me to start seriously playing the guitar and contributed to my ear for strong anthemic pop melodies and guitar riffs.
In 2014 you self-released the “Under My Skin” EP, which featured 4 tracks. Do you think that this release was crucial so as to make yourselves known to the music world and move on further? How did the idea to feature the 4 EP tracks come about? You did re-record them, right?
H: We were invited to play a large US rock festival, Rocklahoma and we needed a way to help finance a tour out and back. We already had the album completed and we decided to do a limited run EP that would only be available on our tour. We did not re-record anything for the full length album. The EP tracks came from the same sessions. There is absolutely nothing that is different between the EP and album tracks. Although the EP was originally not conceived as a way to make ourselves known it did have that effect and we ended up selling a thousand of them.
How did the cooperation with Rock Candy Records occur? Did you have the debut fully recorded & ready to be released?
Z: We were shopping the record around to various labels looking for a partner that really got what we were trying to do. So many labels want to change you. We actually had one “A&R” guy say he wanted to sign us and turn us into the next Fall Out Boy. That’s the type of deal we were only too happy to say “Next” to. Derek heard the record and loved it.
H: We were very fortunate to be able to make this record on our own. It meant that we could do what we wanted and stay true to our vision for our music. Not being dependent on a label for an advance meant that we could turn down offers that were not right and to be patient.
And whose was the idea to work with multi-platinum producer Michael Wagener (Skid Row, Motley Crue, Dokken, Alice Cooper)? I bet the whole experience made you see things from a different, more mature, perspective huh? So how crucial is working with such a renowned producer?
H: Our record was produced by Tag and Billy from Sticky Audio Labs. They were crucial to our development and as a sounding board for the writing and production. They took very seriously the idea that their job was to help us get our ideas down the way we wanted them. They challenged us on the writing and the production and the results were that things were improved. Although Tag was partners with Nile Rogers and Billy has worked with many artists, I wouldn’t call them renowned. I would call them great! They did an amazing job. When you’re writing and recording in the bubble it can be easy to second guess yourself. They never let us do that. They not only kept us and the project on track but they also brought in people that elevated it as well from mixers to musicians to studios. Although Zach and I were just 18/19 when we recorded this, we were dead serious while working on it.
Z: After the record was completed, it was Tag who suggested that we look into bringing in some fresh ears for the mix. We were familiar with Michael’s work and sought him out right away. He heard the rough mixes and loved it and agreed to do it. We also had a number of the songs mixed by Mario McNulty who worked on the last couple of David Bowie records. In fact the song Aamina has a mix by Michael and a mix by Mario on the record. That was the only track that both mixed and we thought it would be fun to include both on the record. We actually worked remotely with Michael. Sending stems and then approving the mixes. We didn’t meet him until well after the record was done when we play in Nashville. We got a chance to hang with him at his studio and he came to our show. We hope to work with him again on the next record.
How did you come up with the album title “Runaway”? What does it declare?
Z: “Runaway” was a cut on the album so we wanted to have the album titled after a song on it. We picked “Runaway” because it was bit symbolic. We wanted to get as far away from the prefab pop that is so prevalent. We didn’t want any part of the DJ pushing a button and waving his hands in the air. So in essence it speaks to getting away from all of that nonsense.
Do tell us a few things about each track…
Z & H: “Comin’ On to You”: Powerful, favorite live riff…
“Under My Skin”: Anthemic, Drop D…
“Paralyzed”: Hard rocker with a great riff; first song we wrote together.
“Use it or Lose It”: Big chorus, lots of bgvs, One – Two…
“Runaway”: Power ballad, favorite solo…
“Aamina”: Strippers, big finale, strongest song.
“Sapphire”: Ripper, fast paced, hardest solo.
“The Fight”: Inspirational, written on the Jersey shore home to Bon Jovi, Bruce and many other rockers…
“What is Love”: Loose, playful, haven’t played it in a while…
“Time Won’t Heal”: Sentimental, the BIG ballad…
“Love Terminator”: Powerful, big chorus…
“Fucked Up Beautiful”: Ironic, funny, big shout out to Nino TD!
“Neuro-Child”: Robot aliens, neurotic…
“Dirty One”: Fun, riff driven…
Do you plan to release any concept or lyric video at some point?
H: Yes, we are shooting a video for “Under My Skin” at the end of September and following that with three more performance videos.
What are you touring plans so far? Any plans to come to Europe too?
Z: We are planning to come to the UK this fall and hopefully will make it to the rest of Europe shortly thereafter.
How would you describe your band’s music style to someone that has never heard of your before?
H: It’s hooky guitar driven rock music.
Z: Fun…
What are your expectations from “Runaway” and what do you wish to achieve with Temp in the near future?
Z: We are just at the start of what will hopefully be a long career working together. I think we expect there to be a lot of hard work ahead as well as a lot of fun. “Runaway” is the first step…
H. We’re very excited to get out on the road and keep playing. We’ve also started work on a second album and when you see us you can expect our show to be about songs from the album and half brand new material.
Time for our “weird questions”!!! If you found a genie in a bottle and you only had 3 wishes what would they be?
Z: I would wish for unlimited wishes, a lifetime supply of White Castle cheeseburgers, and a Tesla.
H: For some reason I am reminded of the Jon Butcher Axis line “If wishes were horses then dreamers would ride”. Oh OK, a Ferrari 458 Italia! I’d be happy with that oh and a couple more Suhr guitars.
Best 3 hard rock albums of all time?
Z: “Slippery When Wet”, “Appetite for Destruction”, “Hysteria”…
H: Def Lep – “Hysteria”, VH – “1984”, Foreigner – “4”…
Which is the record you wish you had written and why?
Z: “Thriller” by MJ, because there are so many hits on that album and the grooves are undeniable!
H: I wish I had written “Hysteria”. It is the perfect album. All the songs are hits, the production is stellar, and the performances are amazing. Mutt Lange is the man.
Is the “free downloading issue” & “the streaming” the main reasons why the music industry has taken the downhill or this is just the tip of the iceberg?
H: LOL, that’s a simple one! Are piracy, streaming and downloading issues? Absolutely! They’ve changed all of the economics of the business and there has to be a restructuring of rates and how artists are paid. In the US, the DMCA must be re-written as well. There is also the issue of YouTube/Google. This is how the majority of people consume music. In essence, YouTube is the world’s biggest pirate. But the bigger issue is how the importance of music has changed culturally. It doesn’t seem as important a part of the cultural fabric for people anymore and it faces stiff competition from all of the various screens that people use. Even the way people listen to crappy MP3 files on horrible sounding ear buds is a devaluation of the experience. It’s rare that people dive into an entire album and devour the music as well as who made it. Who are the engineers. musicians, producers, songwriters etc. All of that has been lost with the single download or on demand stream. Deep cuts are discovered. On our album if you’re just listening to the focused tracks then we feel like you’re missing some good tunes. What does remain is the fact that there really is nothing like the experience of live music. That will never change and the more people of our generation that we can expose to that the better. Especially on the rock side.
Were you obliged to give just one album to extraterrestrials that would represent the whole human music, which album would it be and from which band/artist?
Z: The “White Album” by the Beatles, since The Beatles influenced so much incredible music in every genre!
H: I would give the aliens an album of Bach. Probably the “Well Tempered Klavier” or a selection of his “Cantatas”.
Top 3 Horror movies of all time?
Z: “The Babadook”, “The Conjuring”, and “The Visit”, but I’ve only recently gotten into horror movies, so I need to watch the classics.
H: I don’t watch horror movies.
Fill in the phrase… “Hard rock music wouldn’t have evolved the way it did, if it hadn’t been for…”
Z: Bon Jovi and Def Leppard, who understood how to incorporate pop-like catchy melodies into hard rock songs.
H: Changing technology.
Best pick-up line that has worked for you several times in the past?
Z: I don’t use pick-up lines, but if I had to, it would be “Was your dad a farmer? Because you sure know how to raise cocks”.
H: “Hi my name is Harrison”…
What’s the worst thing one can say right after sex?
Z: “I have to go home to my children”…
H: “What?”…
You have the opportunity to have sex with a movie-celebrity/porn-star of your choice. Who would it be & why?
Z: Margot Robbie, because she’s my celeb crush and is stunning in every way. She’s also a great actress!
H: I really have no interest.
Which of the Seven Deadly Sins do you reckon is the one, that’s more likely to send you straight to Hell, in the afterlife?
Z: Definitely malicious Envy.
H: Sloth, although in all fairness I should point out that I’m an atheist so I don’t believe what I say!
Imagine that your girlfriend is selling your whole album-collection just to buy an expensive ring for herself. How would you react?
Z: I’d be quite upset and would probably tell her to hit the road.
H: Here in the US, we have a saying: “Want Justice? Judge Judy!”…
Thx for talking to Grande Rock. Wish you and your band the best for the future… Take care guys!
Z: Thanks we appreciate you getting the word out…
H: Thank you!