This week in Interviews From The Crypt we jump in the way back machine and rerun a piece that was originally on From Dusk Till Con in 2016. 

Check out our chat with Ryan McKenney (vocals) and Brian Izzi (guitar) of Trap Them.

by Adam Holtzapfel

AH – Trap Them has been going strong for fifteen, what do you attribute your longevity to?

RM – The writing, and consequential feeling of hearing anything we do in its finality, hasn’t changed and that’s because Brian and I have always made the music that we’ve intended to. Is there an excitement in hearing a finished record? Of course. But, that’s what’s supposed to happen. I know this isn’t some extensively deep answer, but it doesn’t need one. I’m just happy to have the opportunity to continue creating something such as this and happy to know that, even after all these years, there’s no sensation that the well is running dry. Brian and I have had this expression we’ve used since the onset and it has continued to be relevant. We’re Trap Them and we do what the fuck we want.

BI – Ryan is exactly on point with this. I’d like to add that, in this world where it’s easy to feel helpless, it’s empowering knowing this band is something we have control over. We can make an album whenever we want to. It’s a good feeling.

AH – Being horror fans, how does that play into your writing?

RM – I think the bleak nature of all thematic elements of the horror genre simply provide us a foundation/connection for what we do…be it artwork/literature/film/etc., they all filter their way into our everyday approach to creating anything.

BI – From a riff writing perspective, yes. I am definitely influenced by Horror composers. Especially Fabio Frizzi, John Carpenter, Jay Chattaway, Steve Moore, etc. A lot of the quick reverbed out leads on this album are a nod to horror movie cues.

AH – How does being based in Boston and Seattle work when writing and recording?

RM – I let Brian do his thing and write the songs, which he will then bring to practice to show Brad and Galen. The three of them fine tune the direction and once a song is fairly fleshed out, they’ll send it my way. They don’t really know what I’m going to do until we go in the studio. It’s predominantly a matter of trust…I know that Brian will write an incredible album of songs and he knows that I’ll go into the recording session and do everything in my power to give them justice.

BI – Living nearby and becoming good friends with Brad & Galen is kind of what saved the band. It made it easy for me to get excited about writing again because I knew, that with the extra time, I could write the record I’ve always wanted to with these guys. They aren’t scene whores or whiny babies looking to be “the most popular” or “the most tough”. They are passionate musicians and they understand what being in a band means. In regards to Ryan, we just trust that he’ll kill it when it’s time to lay the vocals down. He has never disappointed and it’s really exciting to be in the studio and hear it unfold in real time. It’s kind of magical.

AH – With torrents and bootlegging being a big issue, do you see most people buying from your bandcamp site or buying physical media?

RM – In the long run, I believe the people that enjoy this band prefer the physical media, much due to our intentions of having our artwork as a part of the overall presentation. When we do a record, it is not just about the music, it’s an effort to create a piece of art in multiple forms.

BI – I’d say the same. Most of our supporters seem to buy vinyl, which is great. But honestly: stream it, buy the CD, LP, whatever. If you think it’s made an impact on your life, maybe buy a shirt, go to a show, or listen to the free stream on youtube. It’s all good by me.

AH –What can fans expect for the rest of 2016 heading into 2017?

RM – At the moment, we are about a month away from releasing Crown Feral, in which time we’ll be preparing to do some autumn touring. October will provide us another opportunity to visit and play in front of the fine people of Europe, followed by an east coast US tour in November where we will drive extra slow to each show so that we can take time to gaze upon the glorious fall foliage that can only occur in the northeast. The red, orange, yellow and brown that appears is inarguably the best on the goddamn planet.As far as 2017, I suppose we’ll figure out a plan once the new year gets closer.

BI – 2 tours this fall, which is actually a lot for us. We haven’t done any headlining tours in a long time, so I’m pretty excited about that. These new songs just rule to play live. It’s what they were made for. 2017? Who knows. We want to tour the west coast US, but other than that, we’ll see what happens.

AH – All of us at the site are foodies, do you cook a lot at home or have a favorite spot when you’re not on the road?

RM – I cook at home. I’m a cheap bastard…I don’t like going out to eat. I don’t like paying someone to make food for me when I very much enjoy the process of making dinner for myself. On tour, I mostly eat Clif bars and drink coffee and Naked juice…I’m rarely hungry enough to eat a full meal.

BI – I do enjoy cooking at home as well, but if not, I like to hit up the local bars like Lord Hobo, get Thai food, Pizza. I’m lucky living in Boston. There are way too many good restaurants to choose from.

AH – Last but not least, what’s your top 5 movie of all time?

RM – 1- Step Brothers 2- Step Brothers 3- every found footage movie that has been made, even the absolutely fucking horrible ones 4- Step Brothers 5- Creep (2014)

BI – 1. City of the Living Dead 2. City of the Living Dead 3. every found footage movie that has been made, even the absolutely fucking horrible ones 4. City of the Living Dead 5 – Phantasm

Interviews From The Crypt – Trap Them