We recently caught up with some of the band members and discussed this seminal record. When asked about their impressions when they listen to these songs now, drummer Brian Vermin said “A lot of years went by before I revisited it. Once my son showed an interest in music and wanted to know more about the bands I was in, I played him Losers of the Year. His response was ‘these songs could still be popular today,’ so obviously the young boy has great taste. The songs are a timestamp in my life.” Singer Dan Schafer added “I also went years without listening to Sludgeworth and forgot that I used to intentionally sing a little gruffer. Honestly, I might have subconsciously imitated James Hetfield from Metallica, although I never would have admitted it then, (laughs).”
We’re sharing the video for one of the unreleased songs below, called “To Be the Same”. When recalling what inspired the creation of this song, Schafer said “I can remember playing bass with Brian and Dave, (guitarist Dave McClean). Strat, (bassist Mike Hootenstrat) was running late to practice and we started playing the parts via improvising. I thought about the idea of turning a blind eye to what is clearly wrong for fear of not fitting into the group. The words ‘To Be the Same’ came out and I rolled with the concept.” Guitarist Adam White shared his thoughts from a stylistic standpoint and said “I feel like we found a groove and went with it. I hear a lot of Fugazi influence in this song and love that. I liked that Sludgeworth kept experimenting with different stuff and did not fall into any simple formula like a Ramones-type band.”
When speaking about how the two unreleased songs complement the rest of the album, White said “I was actually surprised how well they fit in as far as the production and sound quality, but I always felt that these songs needed to be released. They’re definitely a good representation of our music and style.” Schafer was also pleased with their inclusion and said “I always liked how the record was sequenced, but was encouraged to find some unreleased tracks. These two were the obvious choices. I thought they were lost forever, but they were somehow thankfully retrieved.” Check out the video below and be sure to pre-order the record here.
