Artist Spotlight is a segment that we started to introduce our listeners to some deserving up and coming artists/bands. They have made an impact on us for all of the right reasons. We think they kick ass and we hope you do too! Today we’d like to shine the spotlight on alt-punkers Everything But The Everything!
Led by Izzy The Gent, the Bay Area-based Everything But The Everything continue to deliver fresh-sounding alt-punk vibes. Their new 7-inch A&B Sides Volume Two was recently released with more new music to follow.
The co-conspirators that make up Everything But The Everything are vocalist Sophia Prise, guitarist Ian Dowd (Fire In The Hamptons, JonBenet Stranglehold), drummer Chad Roxxit (The Hot Takes, Chad and Scott), and Izzy The Gent (JonBenet Stranglehold, The Frail, The Cons, Fake Your Own Death) on bass (and everything else).
The dual single release A&B Sides Vol. Two delivered two edgy and melodic alt-punk tracks, “Hotshot” and “Salt,” produced by Rex Shelverton (Vue and Tamaryn). Izzy The Gent shares, “The first day in the studio with Rex, I showed up with a $99 Casio keyboard and played stock grand piano sounds. Rex didn’t bat an eye. He put the cheap keyboard through his vintage equipment and got it to vibe.”
“Hotshot” has a new wave-inspired feel that showcases the emotional depth in Prise’s vocals. “Salt” blends punk rock rawness with pop polish and melody. Everything But The Everything has delivered everything you could ask for in a compact yet potent punk rock experience. These two tracks aren’t just a quick fix—they’re a full-blown rock n’ roll assault.
A&B Sides Vol. Two is a testament to the band’s collective creativity, progression, and passion for music. Whether they are delivering a punk anthem or a haunting ballad, they convey a wide range of emotions with authenticity, backed by solid musicianship and a good time.
We sat down recently with Everything But The Everything bassist Izzy The Gent!
Every superhero and villain have an origin and an artist is not different. Well, minus the radioactive spiders and secret government experiment. What’s the origin of Everything But The Everything?
Everything But The Everything was an idea I’ve always had. I never really thought it would come to life. At some point I wanted to take a swing at being a songwriter. None of it went as planned but with sheer persistence, things started to come together, one piece at a time.
You recently released your dual single/7-inch titled A & B Sides Vol. 2. What was the writing and recording process like, will there be Vol. 3?
Volume three is 2/3 ‘s completed. The plan is to give volume two the full push while we simultaneously keep ironing out the wrinkles to volume three.
There were two main differences which separate this release from the others. “Hotshot” was a song that was mostly done in my mind but when our guitarist Ian Dowed came into the fold, he commandeered the track. When I asked him to record a few lines in the studio, he just kept rolling. Everything he played was clearly better than what was there, so we kept replacing parts. “Salt” was a demo that was speed tracked by necessity. We needed to add a song to our live set. The energy was always there with that single. When we took it to the studio, the opportunity allowed us to hone in and fine tune it to a sleek machine.
A & B Sides Vol. 2 featured two tracks, “Hotshot” and “Salt” each with its own unique vibe. Can you talk to us about the inspirations for each.
“Hotshot” always felt like a drone-ey track. The bassline just rolls, and thus allowing samples and weird guitar noises seemed right at home. As aforementioned, Ian saw the single differently and his take was clearly better. He understands music on another level than I do.
“Salt” is special for me for two reasons. One, it’s the first song I’ve written on a guitar. Every song has always been completely written and mapped out on bass first, then the other layers come. “Salt” was a simple punk riff I wrote and recorded on my phone as a raw idea. When I would play back those raw idea recordings at a later time, I would delete the terrible ones, “Salt” always made the cut. Finally, when I decided to push forward, I slowed it down considerably to the groove that it is today. Slowing down the tempo allowed more ideas to come.
When were you bit by the music bug and how has music, your own and from other artists impacted you?
I was bitten by the music bug thanks to my parents taking the family to see the movie La Bamba. At that moment, I too wanted to play guitar just like Ritchie Valens.
Whatever music I’m into, be it a project I’m involved with or someone else’s music I love, I’m fully in. I play the same songs on repeat over and over, day in and day out. Every song impacts me differently, almost like a change of clothes. Sometimes the impact of the song happens like a stroke of fate, where I’m feeling a certain way, and the perfect song just happens to play from somewhere to match the moment.
If you could put together a fantasy all-star jam to perform with, who would you pick, they can still be with us or not.
Oh, it’s the Led Zeppelin drummer of course John Bonham, Robert Smith on vocals, Trent Reznor on keys and Randy Rhodes on guitar. Rawk!
If the songs on A & B Sides Vol. 2 were a cocktail what would be in it?
The concoction would most certainly be an agave based cocktail. I’m thinking something comparable to a mezcal negroni.
What is the craziest situation you have even been in as a musician?
When we were driving to SXSW, we brought along a cameraman who forgot to mention he was carrying drugs. There’s a notorious check point along the way that legend has it has snarled up many rock stars like Will Nelson. Well, we were asked to pull aside, drugs were found, and we were held for four hours. The owner of the drugs let them know they were his and they let the rest of us go but with Texas laws, we didn’t think that was going to be the case. I started doing push-ups and sit-ups to pass the time.
What’s up next for Everything But The Everything?
It’s a multi-pronged attack. We will continue to push our new release as we shape the following volume. We need to keep playing live and get the next batch of songs ready. Luckily, I have more than a few songs in demo mode that I think are close to being ready but, hey… one thing at a time.
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