{"id":1027,"date":"2023-12-14T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-12-14T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/neworleansmusicians.com\/blog\/?p=1027"},"modified":"2023-12-10T06:02:37","modified_gmt":"2023-12-10T12:02:37","slug":"pious","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/neworleansmusicians.com\/blog\/pious\/","title":{"rendered":"Pious"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"newor-before-content\" id=\"newor-1800247782\"><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-8687276566169212\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-8687276566169212\" \ndata-ad-slot=\"8064447764\" \ndata-ad-format=\"auto\"><\/ins>\n<script> \n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); \n<\/script>\n<\/div>\n<p>Genres have veins that are fed by the lives we live. We gravitate toward these genres just as we are attracted to the lifestyles that come with them. The two are part in parcel. The consequence of this is that, in order to truly represent these genres, you have to live them. Through their band, Pious, Eric Fox (guitar\/ vox) and Mike Dawsey (bass) could not better represent this abstraction. A character of youth is that we move toward many things at once. Due to age, we gain and lose focus quickly. But over time we stick with what suits us. Pious\u2019 main objective in the sonic space is to accomplish this in a manner that both draws from and builds upon tried-and-true arrangements in the rock genre. This is what they thrive on. It is a slow, meticulous process that requires a great amount of time and introspection. Not only for the desire to appropriately pay homage to the greats they were raised revering. But to build upon that in a way that expresses their own individuality. There is a sense of permanence that comes with recording a song. And publishing it with your name on it signifies not only that it has been finalized, but that it is your eternal contribution to the artform. It is no wonder that both of them are tattoo artists. The deal is inked. As you walk out that door, just as with music, you are a living, breathing representation of what they are made of.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mike and Eric met in high school in Slidell, Louisiana. Eric, a freshman and a transplant from New Orleans, stuck out like a sore thumb. There was suddenly a lack of people and an abundance of trees in his view. And I\u2019m sure we can all remember back then the daunting task of finding one\u2019s tribe. Meeting Mike made things a bit easier. The two shared interests in the creative arts and had a mutual friend. Bobby Carney (singer, Mule Skinner, R.I.P.) was a few years older than Eric and Mike and was already a regular in Slidell\u2019s hardcore scene. Mike would play in a band with Bobby in garages and wherever they could find a space to jam. Now, at the time, the caliber of player Mike was, generally speaking, was as a student of the art. And I realize you\u2019re always a student. But Mike\u2019s strategy was to make noise until it made sense. He was especially focused on how bands layered multiple instruments to result in something that congealed. Getting together to jam would suffice through high school. But for Eric, graduating high school became a catalyst of sorts. He knew he wanted to continue to play. And a part of him wanted more for himself as a musician. So, in \u201998, he formed Captain Howdy with friends Michael Ball (guitar), Donald Albanese (drums), and Damon Morse (keyboard). This band, by name and line-up, would soon change though. Keyboardist Damon Morse would leave and be replaced by bassist Mike Dawsey. And anticipating copyright repercussions from Hoya Productions and Warner Bros. for the character\u2019s namesake in The Exorcist, the band\u2019s name would change to After Human. Eric\u2019s plan was to try to grasp what other bands were doing and implement those components into his own sound. Wanting to \u201cmake it in the industry\u201d, his interests lied with what was new, and how he could get out in front of that curve. The coming years would deliver advancements in their exposure. They were able perform often during this time. The early 2000\u2019s era was their big heyday, so-to-speak. Nu-metal was abundant, and they played a lot on the gulf coast, most notably at CPR Fest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As the dust settled, maturity began to take hold and Eric would embrace a shift in priorities. \u201cMaking it\u201d no longer held top appointment in his eyes. And the glimmer of what was new had begun to pale. The friends he played with had remained with him all this time. And his influences well before the Nu-metal phase had done the same. Conjecture leads me to believe these things had an influence on his line of thought. He started to concentrate on what stood the test of time in music. Never mind fads. What bands had made an indelible mark on the world of rock? Who were the ones that everyone\u2019s sound seemed to be rooted in? I could pause here. And we could split hairs on who were \u201cthe greats\u201d, and who was a predecessor of whom. But I\u2019d prefer to zoom out a bit. Because what was happening then, and what is happening now within Eric, was a negotiation of sorts with himself. When you\u2019re young, you get involved however you can and delve into the existence of the scene around you. These are the times when a musician is recognizing his or her capabilities. But one of the many markers of a departure from adolescence is both the realization and movement toward an explicit set of characteristics; ones that aptly represent one as an individual. Assimilation to the environment is second best at that point. Ironically, integrating oneself and one\u2019s desire then becomes easier because it is the very act of being genuine. Sonically, and socially for that matter, the manifestation of self becomes less contrived, more natural. And suddenly both you and your music seem to make sense to those around you. This is a testament to individuality. And in music, it is spoken of as \u201cbringing something new to the table\u201d. It\u2019s how one adds lasting value to their contributions. Eric wanted timelessness. For that, he poured over decades of music, filtering out everything he\u2019d pursued in the recent past. Going back in time would be the study of a universal language everyone spoke, both then and now, positioning him closer to the source.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The embodiment of these ideals would become Pious. Being there since day one, this is what makes the most sense for Mike. As he explained, \u201cI quit school really early. And I told my parents I was going to be either an artist or a musician. I set out not to give myself another choice. It\u2019s a lot like what he (Eric) is saying. You reach a certain point where it\u2019s like, it would still be nice to be able to consistently make a living playing music. But it really doesn\u2019t matter. The only thing that really matters is trying to make something that is solid. You can follow trends. You can do all this other stuff. But what are you really doing? This is just my opinion. But it really needs to be more natural. It needs to be more you as an individual.\u201d &nbsp;It\u2019s an overused concept but, everything functions in cycles. Back in 2015, this band was formed on the grounds that it would bring value to the world of music by offering something as eternal as music itself. At the time, for both Eric and Mike, this meant a deviation from the previous aspiration of wanting to become what was present. Fast forward to 2021, I am of the opinion that it\u2019s been happening all over again. There has always been a respected element of diversity within the band. Mike and Eric have always shared interest in heavier music like Suffocation, Deicide, and Terrorizer. But their drummer, Donald, had an affinity for bands like Beck and Modest Mouse. Michael Ball, on the other hand, preferred alternative rock bands like Jesus Lizard. The absence of egos not only permitted this, it capitalized on it. And now, those sentiments are being amplified as history repeats itself. They have sharpened their skillset all these years in their ode to the masters of the past. But they have reached further outside even their genres of choice, pushing the envelope of continuity. The result has been a highlight of commonalities through the lense of something heavier. And it works. Case in point, their choice of covering Tom Waits\u2019 Going Out West on their album, Crawling Head. The original, although dark and experimental, was never seen as hardcore. And it probably never would have been. But for guys like Eric, Mike, Donald, and Michael, the acceptance they shared amongst their own tastes enabled them to see past what was merely present and into what could be permanent. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Their current project, on the cusp of completion, addresses a meeting of the minds on so many fronts. The EP will be a collection of just three songs at eight to ten minutes a piece. In a world where singles are king and full albums are losing ground, this is a perfect fusion in format. And as for its sound, the phonic qualities deepen the connection between what has been solid in the past and what can possibly be of the future. As Eric explains, \u201cWe really delved hard into, I guess, more of our influences than just the Sabbath, Zeppelin aspect of things, to pulling out from everything we know\u2026. and just letting anything fly. And we created, as far as I\u2019m concerned, three of the best songs we\u2019ve ever written. And to just compile that, it\u2019s going to be more of a themed album. It\u2019s changed themes over the past; since 2020. It\u2019s gonna be a stable of everything we\u2019re able to do. We wanted to lay the smorgasbord down.\u201d Mike backed this by saying, \u201cYou could say it\u2019s more melodic, but it\u2019s dirtier. It\u2019s got more atmosphere to it. But it\u2019s heavier. Like he said, it\u2019s more of everything.\u201d The heavy parts are heavier. And the softer parts are softer. Auditory elements presented in contrast only serve to expand upon what makes them different. If all you listen to is soft, you never realize just how soft it is until you hear something hard. So, to present them both in the same body of work really drives home the amount of expansion Pious has conducted. The music has always come first. In the periphery are the possible ways in which it will physically manifest. There have been talks of vinyl pressings. And the idea of assembling these few songs with others to form more than an EP is still a possibility. Though Mike has always done graphic art for the band, Eric is contemplating a foray into acrylic for this album\u2019s art. Both are resident tattoo artists at Eric\u2019s shop, Turning Point Tattoos, located in Mandeville. And don\u2019t quote me on this, but it is rumored that the album\u2019s name could potentially be Black Magic and Robots. You can find Pious\u2019 present works on Neworleansmusicians.com and all streaming platforms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Author: David Trahan<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/neworleansmusicians.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Neworleansmusicians.com<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<center><div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCJYroaE-LdzB0f5JarBpDTQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Press here to check out our YOUTUBE music videos and interviews. <\/a><\/div><\/center>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:100%\">\n<style>\n.podcast-grid {\n  display: grid;\n  grid-template-columns: repeat(auto-fill, minmax(120px, 1fr));\n  gap: 16px;\n  max-width: 900px;\n  margin: 0 auto;\n}\n\n.podcast-grid a {\n  display: flex;\n  align-items: center;\n  justify-content: center;\n  width: 120px;\n  height: 120px;\n}\n\n.podcast-grid img {\n  width: 100%;\n  height: 100%;\n  object-fit: contain;\n}\n<\/style>\n\n<div class=\"podcast-grid\">\n\n<a href=\"https:\/\/neworleansmusicians.podbean.com\" target=\"_blank\">\n  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/neworleansmusicians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/NOM-Webstream.png\" alt=\"Podbean Webstream\">\n<\/a>\n\n<a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/6PB9BrQJeNHQ60LN74fblW\" target=\"_blank\">\n  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/neworleansmusicians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Spotify-150x150-1.png\" alt=\"Spotify\">\n<\/a>\n\n<a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/neworleansmusicians-com-podcast\/id1617150338\" target=\"_blank\">\n  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/neworleansmusicians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Apple-150x150-1.png\" alt=\"Apple Podcasts\">\n<\/a>\n\n<a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.google.com\/feed\/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkLnBvZGJlYW4uY29tL25ld29ybGVhbnNtdXNpY2lhbnMvZmVlZC54bWw\" target=\"_blank\">\n  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/neworleansmusicians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Google-150x150-1.png\" alt=\"Google Podcasts\">\n<\/a>\n\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.pandora.com\/podcast\/neworleansmusicianscom-podcast\/PC:1000695788\" target=\"_blank\">\n  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/neworleansmusicians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Pandora-150x150-1.png\" alt=\"Pandora\">\n<\/a>\n\n<a href=\"https:\/\/music.amazon.com\/podcasts\/52c3514e-bb93-4c25-b2fa-0d4f08ea4109\/neworleansmusicians-com-podcast\" target=\"_blank\">\n  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/neworleansmusicians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Amazon-150x150-1.png\" alt=\"Amazon Music\">\n<\/a>\n\n<a href=\"https:\/\/podchaser.com\/neworleansmusic\" target=\"_blank\">\n  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/neworleansmusicians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/podchaser-pro-150x150.png\" alt=\"Podchaser\">\n<\/a>\n\n<a href=\"https:\/\/deezer.page.link\/7QZHqLVw48CswV2f8\" target=\"_blank\">\n  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/neworleansmusicians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Deezer-150x150-1.png\" alt=\"Deezer\">\n<\/a>\n\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.podbean.com\/pi\/pbblog-w4xtz-1ca786\" target=\"_blank\">\n  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/neworleansmusicians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Podbean-150x150-1.png\" alt=\"Podbean\">\n<\/a>\n\n<a href=\"http:\/\/tun.in\/plga7\" target=\"_blank\">\n  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/neworleansmusicians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Tune-In-150x150-1.png\" alt=\"TuneIn\">\n<\/a>\n\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.iheart.com\/podcast\/338-neworleansmusicianscom-pod-94946699\" target=\"_blank\">\n  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/neworleansmusicians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/iHeart-150x150-1.png\" alt=\"iHeartRadio\">\n<\/a>\n\n<a href=\"https:\/\/lnns.co\/t4Wrf71b3ou\" target=\"_blank\">\n  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/neworleansmusicians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Listennotes-150x150-1.png\" alt=\"Listen Notes\">\n<\/a>\n\n<a href=\"https:\/\/podcastaddict.com\/podcast\/3896004\" target=\"_blank\">\n  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/neworleansmusicians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Podcast-Addict-150x150-1.png\" alt=\"Podcast Addict\">\n<\/a>\n\n<a href=\"https:\/\/pca.st\/podcast\/78218050-d6ea-013a-d9ad-0acc26574db2\" target=\"_blank\">\n  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/neworleansmusicians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Pocket-Casts-150x150-1.png\" alt=\"Pocket Casts\">\n<\/a>\n\n<a href=\"https:\/\/overcast.fm\/itunes1617150338\" target=\"_blank\">\n  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/neworleansmusicians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Overcast-150x150-1.png\" alt=\"Overcast\">\n<\/a>\n\n<a href=\"https:\/\/player.fm\/series\/neworleansmusicianscom-podcast\" target=\"_blank\">\n  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/neworleansmusicians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Player-FM-150x150-1.png\" alt=\"Player FM\">\n<\/a>\n\n<a href=\"https:\/\/castbox.fm\/channel\/id5002864\" target=\"_blank\">\n  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/neworleansmusicians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Castbox-150x150-1.png\" alt=\"Castbox\">\n<\/a>\n\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.audacy.com\/podcast\/neworleansmusicianscom-podcast-52860\" target=\"_blank\">\n  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/neworleansmusicians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/audacy-150x150.png\" alt=\"Audacy\">\n<\/a>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"newor-after-content\" id=\"newor-654489612\"><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-8687276566169212\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-8687276566169212\" \ndata-ad-slot=\"8064447764\" \ndata-ad-format=\"auto\"><\/ins>\n<script> \n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); \n<\/script>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Genres have veins that are fed by the lives we live. We gravitate toward these genres just as we are attracted to the lifestyles that come with them. The two are part in parcel. The consequence of this is that, in order to truly represent these genres, you have to live them. Through their band, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1029,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"templates\/template-full-width.php","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[749,748,281,746,744,751,36,60,65,747,745,750,41,34,752,58,354],"class_list":["post-1027","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","tag-bobby-carney","tag-damon-morse","tag-david-trahan","tag-donald-albanese","tag-eric-fox","tag-heavy-metal","tag-indie","tag-louisiana","tag-louisiana-music","tag-michael-ball","tag-mike-dawsey","tag-mule-skinner","tag-music","tag-musicians","tag-new-music","tag-neworleansmusicians-com","tag-pious"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/neworleansmusicians.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1027","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/neworleansmusicians.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/neworleansmusicians.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neworleansmusicians.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neworleansmusicians.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1027"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/neworleansmusicians.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1027\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1030,"href":"https:\/\/neworleansmusicians.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1027\/revisions\/1030"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neworleansmusicians.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1029"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/neworleansmusicians.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1027"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neworleansmusicians.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1027"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neworleansmusicians.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1027"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}