Cove Reber of Dead American

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Recently I was able to schedule a Zoom call with one of my favorite post-hardcore vocalists, Cove Reber. The ex-Saosin singer looked back on what he was most proud of from the early days of his career, and we spent the majority of time discussing his new band, Dead American. Dead American’s brand new, full-length record called New Nostalgia is out today wherever you stream your music, or you can pre-order a physical copy (Vinyl/CD) here.

Thank you for your time today, Cove, and congrats on the upcoming release of your debut full length record called New Nostalgia, which comes out February 11. What’s your range of emotions, as now new music is starting to come out from the album?

The way you said it makes me think you’re referring to how I feel right now going into the record, so to answer that question, I’m excited! We’ve been sitting on this record for three years now, and by the time it comes out, it’ll be like almost three and a half years, or it’ll at least be three. So it’ll just be a nice relief to finally let these go. Because throughout the entire pandemic’s been on, we’ve had this record to listen to, but nobody to show it to. It’s so frustrating. But I think it’ll be a nice relief. As far as on the record, I think the range of emotions, it’s just all of them. The record is called New Nostalgia for a reason. I want to make people remember, and when they first hear this, it’s the updated version of me. Lyrically, for the first time with the record, I’m exposing who I am. Every single word on this record is mine. So I tied into the feelings that every every piece of music that these guys gave me. It’s kind of all over the place, but I feel like the name and the feels on the record are all just tied together. Have you heard the full album yet?

I’ve heard the first few singles, but I need to get an advance for the rest of the stuff.

So yeah, you definitely do!

Yeah, it’s definitely an exciting direction that you guys are going in, so I’m stoked to hear the rest!

Yeah, we were kind of shocked when we were in talks with the label, and they asked, “What are you guys thinking as far as the singles?” We had a couple in mind. But all of them were the couple in mind. So we all chose three. And when we asked the guys in the label, they said, “Yeah, we think this one,” and all of us looked at each other. And those were the songs that we were like, “No way!” <Laughter> We thought they’re never gonna go for that. And so when they did, we were stoked. We said, alright, we’re gonna leave this one in your hands. I’ve been out of the game for too long. So I kind of put all my faith in the guys in my band, because they’re a little bit more up to date. And obviously, the people who work at the label, they’re going to be way more up to date as far as what sounds are going out, right? I’m still mentally stuck as far as this genre of music goes. I’m still listening to Louder Now by Taking Back Sunday.

Yeah, and there was just that huge billing that got announced for this fall in Vegas…

I’m like, damn, Dead American would have been perfect for that. It was cool. I was like, Saosin is playing too! Vegas is an hour and a half down the road, so I gotta weasel my way into that show. <Laughter>

So let’s talk about the new single, “Full Of Smoke.” What was the lyrical inspiration behind this track? And can you describe how it came together with the bandmates?

It’s weird. Every time I go into a song, I don’t go into a song with an idea, or this is what I want to talk about. It’s always just listening and the words are gonna just start flying out. And with a melody, it’s usually at the same time. Or I heard this, that made me feel that. So with that song, I don’t know, the songs are so old, that I kind of have lost the original feeling that I had at the time. But the best part about the way I write is that it is just like fine wine. I think it gets aged really nicely. So, “Full of Smoke” kind of hits me a little bit differently now. I feel like there’s a lot of people just blowing smoke up our asses. But I don’t intend to go into a song and write about one specific thing, because I want all “the feels.”

Yeah, and that kind of interpretation comes down to music in general.

It’s kind of a weird one that that was also kind of one of those on the record. And for the record, I was wanting Anthony to sing on the song, since it would be a sick duet. So I sent him a song like a whole bunch of different times, and it just never ended up panning out. But it’s one of those songs that hits, because it gives me this feeling and it’s almost like a circle feeling to me. And when I was hearing it back in, and when I heard that, I’m just really proud of the way that Chad, my guitar player,who’s “the filter,” where musically everything goes through him. And then he said, “I’m gonna jumble this all together and make it how it needs to be.” Our producer, Fred Archibald, they both worked together really well. And Chad has this vocal side to him as well. And when it was all coming together, his ideas were completing mine. I was like 98%, and Chad was adding that little salt to it. And edited everything just kind of right in those moments. When I hear it, it just makes me more angry I guess than it did at the time that I was recording it. It’s not like the whole record is just not nice. So we still maintain from the EP that we’re a “fuck you band.” We just don’t care.

So how did Dead American come together, and what was the energy like when you started writing these songs that eventually became New Nostalgia?

Chad was introduced to me by a guy who got me into my first band in high school, with the guy who’s now managing me who plays in the US. His name is Joey. Joey plays guitar in The Used now, we were in high school in our first real band together.

<I show Cove a picture of me with Bert McCracken, of The Used>

That’s Bert, alright! That’s so cool. Have you seen the artwork for the record?

Yes. I love it!

Thank you! Yeah, that was one of those things, where we had the name and I was kind of joking around, and I wanted it to look like these first two records. I feel like the best is from the EP, is in this record, but I feel like our best is yet to come. Who we really are as a band is yet to come. So I wanted to kind of keep the vibe of the EP, and bring it into the full length. And just kind of stamp what we’re doing right now and be good with it. We can develop and still be ourselves. So this is our most true introduction to the band. Chad was introduced to me by a friend, Jordan, and Jordan just told Chad to give me some heavy songs. And so Chad sent me the song and Chad wrote it when he was 14, and it ended up on the EP called. And I said, “You know what? I’m just gonna yell.” And so in about 30 minutes, I recorded the song and sent it back. And I was just screaming and I was thinking, “There’s no way anybody’s gonna like this.”<Laughter> And Chad and Jordan were like, “We got another one for you.” And he told Chad to write a punk song. So Chad wrote a punk song, and I thought it was a fresh punk song. Some of it had come from when Chad was younger. And he sent me this and I sent it back. So, long story short, Chad and I met and we recorded the EP together, it was just him and me, and a few other people in the studio. And so fast forward, we ended up moving to California together. Our bass player was living with us. So we released the EP. Before we even released the EP, we knew we were going to play one show. And so I convinced one of my best friends to just play one show with us. He was the best drummer I knew. So his name’s Kyle, and we used to have a project called Patriot. So Dead American is kind of like the antithesis to that. And then Chad was like, I got this guy. So Jamie came in and helped us write some of the songs on New Nostalgia and a song called “Wandering,” that we put out, but it’s been weird looking back from this point. But for what this record is to me now, I’m kind of grateful we sat on it, because I feel like it fits more.

Sure, I can see that.

But yeah, the next song that we’re going to release is the first song on the record, and it’s called “Not Buying In.” And that song is just like…shots fired. The break down chorus, whatever you could call it, is just me being frustrated, and getting to do it again. We did a tour with The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, and we played it, so just getting to do it again. I don’t know if this would have hit as it does now.

So I understand you guys are gonna be hitting the road next month with D.R.U.G.S. and Scary Kids Scaring Kids, among others on the Velocity Records Tour. How do you think these new songs will translate to the live setting? I’d imagine you played some of them you know before live, but are there certain ones you’re really excited for everyone to hear once the record comes out?

Yeah, I’m really curious as to what song people want to hear. Hopefully, we’ll be playing it. We played a lot of new songs on the Red Jumpsuit tour, and that was a lot of fun. But I feel like for this tour, I finally convinced everybody that we should do two sets and flip-flop them, so that way we can play more songs. So that way, I want to be ready to go with a proper headlining set, just right out of the gate. Not that I think we should be headlining but just to be able to play like 13 songs.

And then all the time you see these bands that are getting sick with COVID or things like that, so you could end up with a much longer set. So it’s better to be over-prepared.

Right, and so I’m really excited to be playing a whole bunch of new stuff. We’ve played five of the new songs live before, and all of them just leave me jittery. Yeah, I can’t wait to do that live with people who’ve heard it.

Cove, I’ve followed your career path from the early days of Saosin to doing guest spots with bands like 09, that you did a guest spot on last year. So what are you most excited about this new band and album?

I think what gets me the most excited is when the last time I had people screaming words back to me was with Scary Kids. We finally were able to do an East Coast run. And so I think as a musician, and as somebody who…I’m selfish with my music. But once it’s out, all I crave is just getting a response, and getting that yell back…I want to hear a 200-person club just go bonkers.

So it sounds like one of your goals is obviously that trajectory going up rather than people being tuned out, obviously, from the get go. It looks like people are excited about the new direction that you have.

To be honest, I want to go into House of Blues, and sell it out. That’s my goal. I think by the end of this album cycle, it’s possible, but it’s just one of those things with music now, because I’ve been so tuned out, I don’t know.

Yeah, you don’t know until the music gets out there, and people react to it.

Yeah, so I decided to play and see the reaction and be in front of people again. That is what I feel like I was kind of meant to do in life, is just write songs, and attach myself to people and let them attach themselves to me. I see people that I saw time and time again, from the Saosin world. And when they come out, it’s almost like a reunion, but it’s nice having people like that. Still, it’s been 10 years since I’ve put out a full length record <Saosin’s In Search of Solid Ground> and it excites me. I’m able to showcase 13 songs that are 100% me, and everything I say on this record is mine. It’s kind of scary, but it’s also exciting, because it’s me with no filter.

That kind of shows that you don’t have any limits to your sound too because you’re obviously progressing as both a singer as a musician and also just as an artist altogether. It sounds like you have a pretty good path forward.

I trust a couple people there. I trust my guitar player I play with and make music with. They’re more connected than I am to what’s happening. I trust my best friend and manager, because he’s more connected to what’s happening. And I trust my label. And my label just happens to be my booking agent, so I trust him. And then and the whole squad. I’m just kind of like, “Here you go. I’m not gonna screw this up, just put me on the road. That’s all I ask.” I’m a tour dog. All I want is to just be in front of people. Be talking to people, be engaging with people. And hopefully relating after 10 years of not tapping into this many songs.

That’s awesome to hear you so excited! Is there anything else you’d like to share with your fans who are excited about the upcoming record or just hearing your voice again coming through the speakers?

I want to tell anybody that’s listening. Just give it a shot, front to back. There’s something that you’re going to like there. At the beginning of this interview, I answered the emotional question about the record. I try to cover all of the bases. This record has made me cry multiple times since recording it. It’s made me cry writing it. It’s made me take long drives and scream in my car frustrated at the world while writing it. It’s the thoughts that live inside my head.

That sounds like the next album title right there!

Yeah, it’s one of them. So there’s a song called “Hollow Voices,” and I’ve always kind of felt those thoughts have been contained. And that’s one of the lyrics, there is no more containment on my thoughts, and I’m just gonna get it out. Because if it doesn’t come out this way, it just lives in here, and it’s not healthy for me. So we’re excited about the release, we’re sorry, it took us so long to get it to you. We are prepared going into this release with eight or nine ideas for the next record. So God willing, nothing shuts us down again! I will be releasing a lot of music, and not just like 10 years apart. I know it took forever for Saosin to do something, and now it took forever for me to do something. But I’ll leave you with this…it’s the beauty of the delay. And the time I’ve been able to live my life and live a life that I didn’t think I would ever live. And it’s been up and down. It’s been a crazy ride. I’m going into the first Saosin record, and we view the Dead American record the same way. Where it is 19 year old Cove putting 19 years of his life into that record. And with this record, I’ve had a lot of life experience and I feel like it’s just kind of culminated and led to this. And so even if you don’t like the first song. Trust me, there’s something behind it that’s going to make you feel something. Trust me.

All right. Well, thank you so much for your time today, Cove! I wish you nothing but the best as you move forward with Dead American, stay safe on the road, and stay in touch!

Thank you, brother. Thank you!

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