By: Kat Harlton
One Bad Son have shared the stage with top talent including Three Days Grace, Monster Truck, Theory of a Deadman, Default, Buckcherry and Crash Karma. The band were also crowned the victors of SiriusXM‘s Rock The Grey Cup, where they represented the Saskatchewan Roughriders and played during the festivities at the 101st Grey Cup.
Formed in Saskatoon in 2004, One Bad Son consists of Shane Volk (lead vocals), Adam Hicks (guitar), Adam Grant (bass guitar) and Kurt Dahl (drums). The band are in the studio putting the finishing touches on their fifth studio album and will hit the road this summer.
We had the opportunity to catch up with One Bad Son’s drummer Kurt Dahl about writing, inspiration and what’s next for the band.
Kat: Could you speak a little bit about the inspiration behind your new single “Raging Bull”?
Kurt: For me, this song captures a feeling of building tension and intensity and energy that is about to explode. What I like is that it’s not clear if this tension and release is a good or bad thing. We wrote it around the time of the U.S. election, and terrorist attacks happening around the world. It’s not about any of those things specifically, but it’s informed by them. It’s a reflection of our times.
Kat: Did you have a specific sound in mind for this single, or was the writing process more organic?
Kurt: We never set out to achieve a certain sound, yet it sounds different than anything we’ve done. Producer Gavin Brown had a real hand in that, pushing us to be better writers and to really capture what it is that makes OBS special. They tell me it’s our most modern sounding song, but I’m not a very modern guy.
Kat: What’s the writing process like for the band?
Kurt: It’s been an interesting process with this record. We’ve always kept collaborating between the four of us as writers, which makes OBS unique I think. For this record, we opened up that process to an outsider for the first time, and let Gavin in to the OBS circle. All five of us contributed to the lyrics on this record, and that helped push the songs to the next level.
Kat: What’s been the most memorable moment of your career so far?
Kurt: Playing stadiums with Def Leppard and Judas Priest was pretty surreal. I could pretend that it wasn’t an amazing experience, but it was. We’ve always written music that is meant for that size of venue and crowd, so to finally get that opportunity after a dozen years is pretty special, and is not lost on us.
Kat: Can we expect a new album soon? If so can you give us any hints about it’s direction?
Kurt: We’re hoping to finish the record in May and release it by fall. All I can say is, it’s going to be a game changer for OBS!! We’ve put our hearts and souls into these songs, and we’re really connecting as a band right now.
Kat: What’s next for One Bad Son? Can we expect to see you on tour soon?
Kurt: Now that new OBS music is on the airwaves, we’ll be touring like crazy!! Lots of summer festivals and then a full national tour in the fall. Our first US and Europe tours should be coming soon as well. It’s going to be a busy year!!
Connect With One Bad Son:
Instagram: @OneBadSon
Facebook: /OneBadSon
Twitter: @OneBadSon