No siree! In fact, while most are working their way through the entire Netflix catalogue, Flanagan has been writing the next Cro-Mags studio album and by that I mean, he and his bandmates [Rocky George, Garry “G-Man” Sullivan, Joseph Affe] are waste-deep in writing mode, ready to push the boundaries of the bands celebrated return with more energy than you’ll find in your local nuclear power plant.
Since Overdrive last caught up with Harley back in May 2020 [read the full feature here], it’s apparent from the get-go that Harley is even more hungry, revitalised and excited about his plans than ever before.
OD – Okay, let’s start with this new EP ‘2020’, can you talk me through the timeline of when the tracks began to take shape, as I heard you had some of it written prior to the release of ‘In The Beginning’?
HARLEY – I had a few ideas, but it really all came together because of the impact of the pandemic. We were supposed to be going on tour around that time, kicking off with what we all refer to now as “The Quarantine Sho” [which took place on March 15th, 2020 in Webster Hall, New York]. * This performance was one of the first to take place amidst the lockdown restrictions and has to date, garnished up to 200k views online and growing.
We were stuck in a situation where we were like: “What do we do now?” and my drummer [Garry “G-Man” Sullivan] lives in Germany and so, he was stuck in NY for like…7 months! So, like always, I try to make the best out of a shitty situation and took advantage and started writing straight away.
I just got stuck into the writing and booked the studio for recording time. I looked at this as a gift and figured: “Well G-Man is still here, so, let’s get something done“. We got to work and not only got the tracks on ‘2020‘ down but also started working on the rhythm tracks for what will be the next Cro-Mags album that we’re now currently working on.
Check out the recently released video for ‘Life on Earth‘ below;
OD – How many tracks do you currently have for the next studio album?
HARLEY – Hmmm… I would confidently say, we have about 16 to 20 tracks, depending on what the final edit will be. One may turn into an intro to another song.
All I know is that I’ve got a really good album in the works and we’ve not even had the opportunity to tour the last album or this EP so far. There’s no point in just sitting around bitchin’ about things. I’m the kind of person that just looks at the glass as being ‘half-full and take each day as an opportunity that can make some real differences in my life.
OD – How did you find the recording process for ‘2020’ as I’m sure it was a bit stressful with the lockdown measures etc?
HARLEY – Life is gonna throw some curves and can be stressful at times. I’ve never had easy circumstances and I have learned to bob and weave through it all. How often do you have an ideal situation? Quite honestly, the upside of frustration and world chaos is it can lead to inspirational bursts of creativity, which is exactly what happened with ‘2020‘.
I think this EP is some of my best recordings, of course, this is my opinion. I feel that the songs are really evolving without losing integrity; which is a very hard thing to do. I really feel that I’ve moved to the next level of songwriting all-the-while keeping the true essence of Cro-Mags. I believe that’s what all artists strive for no matter what they do. I’ve always been a reality-based lyricist and this year has been great from that perspective [Laughing].
All I had to do was look out my window…and there was my fucking album, playing out right before my eyes. Shit’s been really fucked-up but this is not anything new as far as world crises in the past. There have been other plagues and diseases, atrocities that have hit the world in the past but we will get through this. We always do.
I mean no disrespect to people that have suffered or are currently suffering. I’ve seen my own neighbours being carried out on stretchers on oxygen masks and have personally known several people how have, thank God, recovered.
But at the same time, people’s state of mind has become something like a bunch of crybabies. What the fuck has happened to people these days. They are so offended by everything. It’s fucking crazy.
I mean, what are people really missing the most? From what I can see, it’s social interaction. Figure out how to occupy your time and do something with your lives! This ain’t that bad! Most people are sitting on their asses at home watching Netflix!
I feel like I’ve been blessed because I love spending time with my wife and I hate people [Laughing]. I can live in isolation, no problem. Going on tour is enough social interaction for me, for the rest of my life. I barely get a moment to myself.
I just make sure that I’m keeping clean, wearing a mask, washing my hands and not being a fucking moron. If everybody just stopped bitchin’ about it all and worked together looking out for each other, the pandemic would be finally under control once and for all.
OD – I can really hear a lot of progression on this EP than that of ‘In The Beginning’. There’s a huge cross-over feel about it. Were you trying to achieve this or was it something that just happened?
HARLEY – Honestly, all of my conceived ideas were on ‘In The Begining‘ so, this was a clean start. I just went in there and freestyled without looking back. Normally, when I get to the studio, I have about 60% of everything locked down and everybody knows what they are doing and the tracks are tight-as-fuck!
Then I like to have enough time to let shit just fly! This is where instant creativity takes place and it’s like capturing an idea in real-time. I like to capture a lot of spontaneous combustion. I guess this comes from my love of Jazz music. I’m a firm believer in inspiration and letting yourself just be free and feel alive.
To me, that is the perfect balance of a sort of organised chaos if you will. Like Metallica‘s ‘Ride the Lightening‘ which is super tight and like a military attack and then there’s room for just primal, free-falling creativity that can only come from being lost in the moment.
To be able to capture that on record is a very unique and incredibly special thing, which I feel makes the music so much more exciting.
OD – Of course, this EP was recorded in Steve Zing’s new Trick or Treat studio and you brought back in Arthur [Rizk, producer on ‘In the Beginning’]. Did you find that it was a case of just picking up where you left off with him on the previous album?
HARLEY – Yeah, I actually think we were one of the very first bands to release a record that was recorded in that studio.
Also, that’s another reason why the lockdown was a kind of a blessing in some ways because all of the studios in NY were shut down and it was really fortunate that ‘Zing‘ [Arthur] moved into his new house and was building the studio last year, so he just rang me up and said: “Hey Harley, the studio is up-and-running.”
We are all very careful with social distancing and made sure that we did everything to be extra cautious and we just went for it and got busy recording the EP.
Arthur and I have a real connection and he owes me another eight records! [Laughing] Honestly, he really understands where I’m coming from and when I have moments of doubt, which everybody does from time-to-time, he really encourages me to do what’s right and that inspires me. He also says things that make me feel that I’m doing the right thing.
When I first started working with Arthur, I was unaware that he had a great knowledge of my discography and had a deep understanding of what I was trying to do, all the while keeping that trademark Cro-Mags sound.
I like to take chances all the time. ‘Age of Quarrel‘ [1986] was an album that was a huge leap forward in sound. There was nothing like it at the time and that set the precedence for me going forward.
No disrespect to that bands’ that provide consistency, like AC/DC or Ramones. People want that formula and they were/are very good at doing that. There’s a market for that, bands like Sick of it All and Hatebreed, there’s nothing wrong with providing that and if that makes people happy, then more power to them.
For me, I like to take chances.
OD – With regards to the writing, was there much influence from Rocky [pictured below] and Gary on this, and did Joseph (Affe, M.O.D, Maximum Penalty, Harley’s War) bring anything to the writing?
HARLEY – I went in a tracked them with Gary and then sent them to the rest of the guys and then I sat down with ‘Affe‘ and tracked the guitars with him and from there, Rocky just did his own thing. He usually sends me about two or three ideas for each song and I just pick what I think is gonna work.
Most of the time, I end up using ideas from all his parts. Rocky really thinks outside the box and it’s cool to have that element because my songs and style of writing has a sort of chemistry to the music and Rocky brings the ‘spice’ to the sound.To be honest, his [Rocky] style has really changed over the last twenty to thirty years because of the type of music that he’s been listening too. I wouldn’t say he’s a different person, but his style has become really eclectic and that’s something that I really dig.
OD – Do you find inspiration from any other sources of music other than your previous comment on Jazz?
HARLEY – I really take inspiration in other music and when I find something that appeals to me, I don’t try to use that in the context of my own style.
For example, I may take an element of something I’ve heard on a Miles Davis album or something from a classical arrangement and work on how to apply that to a Hardcore or Metal structure. I’ll apply the Cro-Mags DNA to is and that’s pretty much what I do. I try to channel something new and constantly be evolving and moving forward.
OD – With regards to the new material that you’ve been working on, would it be an accurate assumption in saying that the new stuff is akin to what we can hear on ‘2020‘ rather than ‘In The Begining’?
HARLEY – I think this next record is very Cro-Mags as far as it has the same ingredients with reference to style. There’s some Motörhead, Venom, Discharge, Black Sabbath and Bad Brains. You can hear all of those elements, but I did something a little different.
I think this next album is not losing those elements but it’s a little more ‘darker‘. If anything, it’s like old-school Cro-Mags with old-school Black Sabbath but with an open, free-fall Jazz type of approach. It’s much heavier and there is some slower stuff on thee.
I’m not one for sub-genre titles but a friend of mine was saying: “That sounds so fucking doom!” [Laughing] I don’t know what that means because fuck all of those tags! It’s just fucking ‘HEAVY‘ and that’s all that matters.
The new stuff is shaping up to be a great album and I’ve got my fingers crossed for a guest to perform on the album. I can’t say too much right now but if it all comes to plan, this collaboration will be one of the proudest moments of my career.
OD – We’re all keeping our fingers crossed that things will be returning to normal at some point this year but in the likely hood of the EU/UK dates not being able to happen, have you any plans in place?
HARLEY – At this point, nobody knows what’s gonna happen. It’s gonna suck if things can’t go ahead, but I really believe in people taking charge of their own lives and if I have to sit out dates then I’m just gonna focus on finishing this new album. I will never allow myself to be depressed, displaced and lazy. I want to focus on being the best that I can both mentally and physically – at all times.
I’m heading towards my mid-50s and in great shape. After all the things I’ve done to my body, that’s an accomplishment in its own right! [Laughing]
But, honestly, if things have to be cancelled then I’m sure all the dates will be rescheduled, but as of now, I’m just focusing on things as planned.
Cro-Mags are scheduled to perform in Ireland this coming June. Details/tickets are on sale here.
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OD – Touch wood but if you do get to tour this year, have you been thinking about the setlist?
HARLEY – Yeah, I’ve been looking at what songs have been downloaded the most and to be honest, I’ll most likely get to touch on about two tracks from each album except for the most recent stuff.
Who knows, most of the time we change things on stage if we hear people screaming for certain songs. Anyway, I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.
OD – When things eventually return to normal, and you have the chance to put a package tour together with a few other bands, who would be on that bill?
HARLEY – Ohh shit… I’d have to say Misfits because that was the most awesome show. It was such a good time. I would jump on tour with those guys today, if possible. I would also love to go out on the road with Body Count… there are so many bands that I would love to tour with. If I could put on a gig, I’d have so many awesome bands on that bill. I just want to get back on stage again so badly.
OD – Of all the music you’ve been listening to over the last year has there been anything that’s really caught your attention that you’d like to share with us?
HARLEY – I go through so many different genres of music on any given day, I honestly listen to more R&B, old and new as well as old-school Reggae than anything else. I find it just relaxing and keeps me calm. But it’s gotta be said, my playlist is fucking vast!
One thing for sure is that this grim and traumatic time is gonna produce some amazing music, art, literature etc. It always has been a platform for exercising chaos and making the world a more tolerable place, despite all the bullshit.
This is not a time to sit around feeling sorry for ourselves, it’s a time to better ourselves and build up our strength both mentally and physically.
Cro-Mags ‘2020’ will be available as a limited special coloured 3-piece 7’’ vinyl boxset, as well as limited coloured 10’’ vinyl and CD.
Stream, purchase and save your vinyl/CD copies here.
Oran O’Beirne
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