BiB: Calvin (The Happy Fits) – Going Viral Overnight: How A DIY EP Changed Everything!

0:00 What is going on? It is Adam welcome back to Bringing It Backwards, a podcast where both legendary and rising artists tell their own personal stories of how they achieved stardom. On this episode, we had a chance to hang out with Calvin of the band The Happy Fits over Zoom video. Calvin was born and raised in West Jersey. He grew up on a farm and he comes from a musical household in the sense that his grandparents were musical. He said it skipped a generation and then his siblings and himself are very, very musical. He's the youngest in the family, so his his siblings already had played piano and were doing violin, so he started picking up piano and eventually cello. Calvin tells us about jamming with his siblings as his real first band. We hear about him meeting Ross informing the band The Happy Fits. Calvin and Ross wrote the first EP at the end of high school, put it out not thinking anything of it, went their separate ways to college and the EP blew up. It ended up being number five on Spotify's US Viral charts and they started getting calls from major labels.

1:06 So that was kind of the jump start of the band The Happy Fits. We hear about the other albums the band released and all about the new album and the major changes that have came with the band since the new album. It was 10 months of a lot of ups and downs, but the album's incredible and the band is stronger than ever. They're kicking off the tour to support the new album Love Sick in November, so check them out. Check out the video version of this interview on our Facebook page and YouTube channel at bringing it Backwards. It'd be amazing if you subscribe to our channel like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram X and Tik Tok at Bringing Back Pod and if you're listening to this on Spotify or Apple Music, Google Podcasts Please rate and review the podcast. It helps us out tremendously. We'd appreciate your support if you follow and subscribe to our podcasts. Wherever you listen to podcasts, we're bringing. It backwards with The Happy Fits.

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4:34 Bringing it back, Bringing it backwards, bringing it backward, bringing it backward, bringing it backwards. Going good, going good. For missing you that first time. Oh, it's all good. We were unexpectedly traveling through France the whole day and I had no service the whole day. Oh, bummer. Oh, all good, man. I'm glad we're able to, you know, get it to work out today. Yeah, man. Really stoked to be here. Sweet. I'm Adam and this is about you and your journey in music. And we'll talk about the band and the new album. Awesome. Heck, yeah. We kind of start off with your. Your origin story. Are you from Jersey? Born and raised in. Yeah, born and raised in New Jersey West Jersey. So not the Jersey shore part. More of like the farmlands in the rural area. Um, okay. Yeah. I grew up on a really nice, like, DIY farm that my dad made.

5:44 He was, like, super into gardening and growing vegetables and stuff and like, you know, right around Me is just like, farm animals. Horses, cows. That's. That's kind of the area I grew up in. Oh, that's rad. Wow. Okay, cool. Do you come from a musical family at all? It kind of skipped a generation. My grandfather, he was, like, an amateur violinist, so I think he went to, like, the University of Miami or something for, like, a classical violin scholarship. Okay. He tried to get his kids to play, so that would be my dad, and they're a bit tone deaf, so they, you know, they played as kids, and no one took it further than that. And then basically, I have two older siblings. Older sister Justine, she's six years older. My brother is two years older. Andrew, my sister, she plays piano. My brother, he plays violin and piano, and he's a conductor as well. And basically, when I reached, like, six, my parents were like, all right, you have to choose an instrument. So I chose piano and cello so that we could, like, play chamber music together. So that was kind of like, my first band was with my siblings. That's rad. Wow. So everyone in your family's musical? I mean. Yeah. Like you said, it skipped a generation. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's like, all right, well, everyone in this family is going to be musical. Yeah. My brother and my sister definitely pushed me, you know, Like, I was pretty desperate to not be, like, the youngest one who couldn't play music, so. Sure, they were. They

7:15 were great to have around. Like, they were, you know, just, like, eons, like, better than I was. And that really pushed me growing up to keep up with them. That's awesome. Did you stay. Did you stay doing piano and you still play cello, but, like, did you stay with piano, like, through middle school, high school, all the. All the way into college and all that? Yeah. My last year of, like, serious classical piano study was probably, like, eighth grade. But I, like, I, you know, still play for fun. I write mainly on guitar and piano. So, Yeah, I owe, like, everything to, like, to. To my piano teachers, you know? Yeah. That's awesome. Yeah.

7:56 That stuck with me growing up. When did you start writing your own songs? You know, it started, like, as, like, just, like, silly songs that I would write to, like, you know, kind of, like, make my parents or my friends, like, laugh around, like, fourth grade, you know, I was really into, like, Weird Al Yankovic. It's, you know, like, like, parody songs. Exactly. Yeah. And, like, you know, I would. That would always be like, my, like, school project of choice would be to do, like, a rap or, like, you know, some. Some kind of, like, pop song and like, rewrite it for, like, I don't know, you know, the Lewis and Clark expedition or something. Sure, yeah. Yeah, yeah. So I don't know. Yeah, that just got. That got me, like, really into, you know, like, wordplay and stuff like that.

8:40 And I think it wasn't until around high school when I realized I was like, okay, I'm finding myself, like, spending more and more time thinking about writing music. I knew, like, to be, like, an artist or to be in a band, like, was really hard. So my original plan was, like, I'm gonna go to school, I'm gonna graduate, get a degree, get a stable job, and then I'll, like, you know, then I'll dabble in releasing my own music. But the year before going off to college, me and Ross, the original guitarist of The Happy Fits, who's no longer in the band, we released our first ep, Awfully Appealing, and just put it out on Spotify. And then basically we went to school, we both went to college, and like, two weeks later, it started, like, charting on, like, the USA viral 50 and, like, the global. Yeah. Really?

9:29 Yeah. Because I think back back in the day, in 2016, you know, playlists meant a bit more. So we were on, like, Fresh Finds, I think is what it. What did it for us. Sure. But, I mean, for an independent band to be found on, you know, Spotify like that, to be put on Fresh Finds is insane. Yeah. I mean, the story. Yeah, it's. The story is even a little crazier. Like, our. Our first manager, Tyler Miranda, who he's now a lawyer, and we have different management, but we're still great, great friends. He ran a music blog back in 2016, and one of his friends told him to look up the Happy Hits playlist that was on Spotify, and he accidentally typed in Happy Fits and our original artwork for Awfully Appealing I made on Ms. Paint. So it, like, stuck out in a very bad way. Yeah, you can look it up on Google. It's horrible. I'm gonna look at it right now.

10:28 Yeah. And he saw that. He's like, this is the dumbest thing I've ever. This has to be horrible. And then he listened to I think it was While youe Fade Away, and he was like, oh, wait, this is great. And I think he had one of his friends from college was, like, interning at Spotify some. That was kind of like the. The gateway or the connection we got to Fresh Finds, and later on, he reached out and he was like, hey, like, I really love your music. I'd love to, like, you know, work with you in any capacity. And. Yeah, then he managed us for, like, two years, and that's crazy. So you're. I'm looking at the album cover. That'. The Banana. The banana with the mouth and stuff and the eyes again. We just released it for, like, friends and family, you know, like, we didn't have any plans of, you know, going viral, so. Right. But the fact that your album cover looked like that and the guy typed in word and wrong, and he's. What the hell is this? And he liked it enough to send it to. Yeah.

11:29 What a weird chain of events. It's awesome. I know. I honestly, I think that's probably the luckiest we've been in the entire. It was like, it started off a million percent lucky, and then it's just kind of been like a slow downhill from there. Well, after, like. Okay, so you guys put that up on Spotify. Not you were a band, but you. It was just like, you didn't think that that was gonna be like. Yeah. It wasn't like, this is the band that's gonna do it for us. Because you had plans to go to college or you were going to college. Right. And you put this thing out. I was at the school, and it blows up. Yeah. I was going to school down in Macon, Georgia. Robert McDuffie, center for Strings. I was going for a cello.

12:12 Classical cello degree. And. Yeah. I mean, when I remember waking up, like, the day after it got on. Fresh Minds, because it takes like a day for, like, you know, stats to update. Yeah. The numbers of show. Yeah. And it was like, you know, they had just launched Spotify for artists. So, like, it was like, went from literally, like 12 streams to like, 32,000 in a day. And we're like, that's crazy. Yeah. And it's also funny because I still have the screenshots from that time and that time in. I love that in American meme culture, I think we were number three in the usa and the top two songs at the time were Dicks out for Harambe.

12:53 So. Yeah, that was the snapshot of the times when we blew up. That's so cool, though. Yeah, I know. Crazy was almost 10 years ago. Yeah. Like, when that's happening, are you, like, now you guys are all. Because you said you and Ross had put that out together. Just the two. You were in the band at that point. Yeah. We didn't even get it mastered. It was just us and then this guy, Matt Moralekis, who's a great friend of mine still, he works in la. Now, he had a studio in Patterson, New Jersey, and, like, he heard some of the demos. We'd shopped around at a few studios and we're just, like, looking for someone who is, like, cheap and not, like, smelly.

13:34 Sounds like. Yeah. And, like, Matt was in this awesome band, Born Cages, and, like, he was willing to cut us a deal. And, yeah, we spent, I think it was like, four days at his studio. So chill, just guy. And even to this day, you know, we see each other whenever we go to la. I think he's like, work with, like, Jacob Collier now. Like, he's like, yeah, he's. He's really doing things. Yeah, exactly. But, yeah, honestly, I lost my train of thought there. Yeah, so you guys had put that out and it was just a two you. And then you go yourself. Because he didn't go to the same college, right? No, he was going to University of Delaware. So. So this is happening.

14:15 And then what are you guys, like, should we move on or what? Yeah, there was like a week. I remember I'm just like, constantly leaving class because, like, something crazy just happened. Like, I remember, like, one of them was like, oh, my God, my mom's friend's friend knows the drummer of Dr. Dog. And he just listened to it or something like that. Leaving class to be like, oh, my God. The funniest, I think, memory from that time was waking up at like, 9am I was, like, late to my music theory class and I got a call from literally, the president of Elektra. And he called and, like, I just woken up. I was like, hey, what's up? And, like, he was like, you know, we want you to come in and, like, play for us. And I was like, oh, sick. And then, like, I was like, such an idiot. I was like, so you guys, like, signing us or something? And he was like, like, no, like, you're gonna come. You come in and play, you know? And, like, after that call, I was like, I was like, telling all my friends, I was like, I think we're gonna get signed. I think they're gonna, like, take us on, like, a world tour. I think this is it, you know? And then we played that showcase in New York in, like, October 2016, and then, like, never heard back. Oh, so you ended up going to Elektra and doing that thing? Yeah, we did a show and I think that was our only, like, record label showcase to this day. We brought all of our parents and their friends, you know, so it was like. It was like two rows in,

15:45 like, a tiny little, like, Recording booth. It was like two rows of parents and then like president of Elektra, head of A and R of Elektra in the back. You know, it was like just lining the walls. Ye. It was. You nervous playing that show? I was so nervous. I mean, we hadn't like, played shows really. We had done like, I think like two or three, like, charity shows over the summer. You know, just like local stuff because, like, that was it. We're just like a local band for friends and family and. Yeah, we had. We were playing in like short shorts and shoot no shoes because Brittany Howard from Alabama Shakes plays with no shoes, so we suppose she does. And yeah, you know, we were just like really naive kids that like, had no idea what we were doing. But, you know. Yeah. I still to this day, like, strongly believe you need that, you know, to make it. Oh, 100%.

16:36 That's amazing. Naivety. Yeah. So do you end up finishing school like you both finished school? Because I know with this new album, obviously there's been a lot of changes to the band, right? Yeah, yeah. So. Well, I want to get into that part, but I'm just curious with Once that's all kind of happening in the. And you both are at two different schools and the. The band's like, doing well online. Like, how do you. Yeah. You end up getting back together and just saying, let's just try this as a band. So. Yeah, Ross dropped out after, I think it was the. For his first semester. And then for me, it took me two semesters because basically the program I was doing there, there's only like 24 kids that get in and we're an orchestra.

17:22 So if I were to leave, I would be. There's 23. That'd be very. Yes. Yeah, it was very like, you know, it was a full ride thing too. So like, and I at the same time was like having a great time, learning a lot. Like, it was a very amazing opportunity. Sure. Robert McDuffie is just like this world class violinist and like, he. He had his support for the band like from the start. So, you know, that was. That meant a lot to me because, like, there were some like, you know, classical mentors of mine that weren't so st. That I was doing rock and roll music. Sure. You're wasting your talent, boy. Yeah. Yeah, I think. Yeah. Like, that was. That was like, definitely like the vibe from my parents when I first told them, you know, that I was leaving school. So.

18:06 Yeah, so it took me a year to leave and then, you know, in terms of like finishing School. I just have that one year of classical conservatory under my belt. And then over the pandemic, I went back for, like, accounting, and I'm like half a semester away from getting a full on account degree. But hell, yeah, you know, you know, things just started picking up after the pandemic, and now I'm like, you know, one day. Yeah, you're back in the music world. Exactly, exactly. Yeah. Okay, so you. You both end up dropping out, and then the band goes for a few years before this, you know, newest album, New venture. Yeah, this is the longest we've gone without recording a record. It's been like two years in between each one.

18:51 This one was three. Yeah, we just went through a lot of changes, you know, starting with obviously, Ross leaving and then trying to find, you know, new members of, like, trying to decide what is the future of The Happy Fits, what is it gonna look like, and, you know, income. Raina Mullen and Nico Rose, like, they. They've been with us now, you know, I like to say, like, basically two years at this point. And they've just been so awesome to work with and, like, really have help elevate. I think this. This last record that we did, Lovesick, it's just been. Yeah, it's been so different being able to work with, you know, two amazing women who are bringing in female vocals on top of, like, what we already do, which is kind of just like pop rock, indie pop music.

19:44 So a lot of our inspiration for this record was just like Fleetwood Mac, abba, you know, like two girls. Yeah, like Moms and the Papas. Like, we were like, almost like, study their. Their music and the way that they harmonize to be like, okay, which kind. How do we want to attack this harmony? Do we want to sound like, you know, the Mamas and the Papas, or, you know, do we want to take it more in like a, you know, classic Fleetwood Mac direction? So it gave us so many more options. Yeah, because you had, you. You have. You had three albums out before that, plus that, the ep that did well. Yeah. And so this album now you have two female, or you have a.

20:24 You're adding two people to band. And then, like, that must have just changed everything, right? I mean, you have female vocals now, which is a big difference. And then obviously the whole, you know, writing the album was that different. Are you writing with them? And, like, did you guys start it, the project, clean, like, Lovesick. You're gonna go into this as just the four of you now as a new project or how did that. Yeah, I'm a very, like, private writer. Like, I need to be kind of alone by. By myself and, like, kind of isolated to, you know, to really think. When I started writing with, like, Ross, that process was, like. He would show me something on, like, his looper pedal that he made, just, like, an instrumental, and then I would take that home, listen to it a million times, and try to think of, like, words and melodies on top of it, you know, just like, based off of, like, what does music make me feel?

21:20 So, you know, I've done some, like, songwriting camps, too, and even in those, I'm like. I feel like kind of like the Ugly duckling a little bit, because I'm like, ah. It's just so. It's just not how my brain works. I like to just, like, be alone. So when. When it comes to writing with. With these guys, my process is kind of, like, the same where I'll work on something pretty heavily by myself sometimes, like, flesh out a demo program, like MIDI drums or something, just so I can get it to the way that I'm like, here's this way in my head, like, that I've, you know, been hearing it this way for months or years or something. And then when it. When once I have that and I'm happy that that version exists, then I'm like, okay, now I'm ready to show it to people. I'm ready to have everyone, like, give their influence, make it their own. I just, like, need to, like, get that original spark out first. Yeah.

22:11 So, like, a big example of that is like, like, Lovesick, the song. That one was probably the one that changed, like, the most. You know, we also have, like, an amazing producer, Ayad Al Adamy, who's also our manager. So that. That song just was. Started as, like. It was kind of like a acoustic guitar intro that, like, led into, like, the rockier section of Lovesick, which still in the song. And he had came into the studio, and he was like, I just had a dream about this song, that it should be, like, kind of like a doo wop slow 60s, you know, like, I'm trying to. Trying to think of, like, the right. The right song, but he was like, just trust me on this one. We're like, all right, we'll go there.

22:56 We worked on it for, like, two hours. Started, like, caking some stuff in reverb. I started trying to sing it, you know, a little more sultry, and I was like, something's just not right. And we were basically about to give up on it. And then Raina Just started singing it and she was like also very tired because we had been working on this for hours now. Yeah. Just like we all immediately like stopped and we're like, oh my God, Reina, you have to see the intro. And it all just like. It all just like came. Came together from there. And then like the guitar solo, like having Nico just like ripping the guitar solo in that song, you know, it just made the song feel so much like this new version of The Happy Fits.

23:37 Wow. And because this album took you. It said. I was just reading about like what you guys have put out about it, like, or it took. It was like 10 months. Just a bunch of. Yeah. Mishaps. Right. Some one thing after another. Yeah, yeah, it was 10 months of just trying. Trying stuff out. I mean, even down to like the mixing phase. We were. We were kind of changing stuff. You know, our mixer was really awesome. Daniel Warman and yeah, like, there was like that song Wild in Love. I remember that was like one of the last ones we mixed. And we're all sitting around the booth and like, you know, down to like the beginning of that song.

24:18 I was like, oh, there's something missing. And then I was like, wait, can we add in like a little like weird little hissy like sine wave sound that sounds like a bomb is falling. And then like we just lost like another like three hours trying to like do that thing, figure that out that we should have done in like production. But then like, we all did it and we were like, we were very happy that we ended up doing that. It worked. Yeah. Yeah. It's. It's fun being able to sit with these songs, you know, because you like, you, You. You grow as a person within 10 months. So like, sure to grow with the music and like change it up to the last minute. I. I think is. Is really awesome that is with going into this new album were like when. When Raina and Nico joined the band, had you had start. Had you had started this album already or were. Did they join and you guys were wrapping up some of, you know, under the Shade of Green tour or something like that. And then you had a.

25:16 Or were they put in the band? Like, did you know the band was going to keep going prior to the album starting? I'd say so like timeline wise. Yeah. Yeah. Ross stopped wanting to be a part of things around like middle of like 2023. So bought Reyna to play Lollapalooza with us in 2023. So that was our first show with Reina. Okay. And Nico, she was Being managed by our managers, too, in a different project called the Gooms. And then they started falling apart. So she. We asked her to, you know, join our band. Well, actually, I think the story goes, like, our manager was like, hey, you should audition for The Happy Fits and, like, send them, like, you ripping a guitar solo or something. And, like, she said it, and it was an instant, like, okay, she rips. She's in the band. Yeah. So around that time, too. So this is fall 2023 now. We're going on the last tour for under the Shade of Green, our B and C market tour, you know, in smaller cities. And that's when Luke started struggling a lot, too, you know, staying sober. Cause he'd been trying for a whole year to be sober. Oh, wow. So he kept falling off the wagon. And, you know, him and I had, like, a really deep heart to heart, and I was just like, I think you should take this tour off and just, like, focus on yourself, because, like, it's not gonna be easier on the road, and it's especially not gonna be easier once you get back from tour.

26:38 And, like, he. He really listened to me. And, like, you know, since then, we, like, we haven't looked back, so. He did miss that tour, but it was for literally, like, everyone's benefit. Even, like, after that tour, after I'd seen how much he'd grown, I was like, oh, I should stop drinking, too. So I also stopped drinking. Did you really? That's awesome, man. Congratulations. Yeah, so I'm like, two years sober, California sober. He's completely. But yeah, he. He just, like, he blossomed, you know? And so while I was on that tour with Reina and Nico, we had Trevor Hogan, who's in this band, Wall Carpets. Everyone should check it out. It's great. Great band. He. He filled in on drums. Literally, I want to say, like, a week or two before he just, like, learned everything, which is wild. But he. He was, like, young and hungry, and it's like, I loved feeding off that energy because, like, you know, it's like, man, I missed when I was 21 and, like, you know, I could just learn 21 songs like that. So, yeah, we just toured like that, and it was. It was definitely, like, interesting seeing the fans reactions. They were overwhelmingly supportive. You know, we had a few naysayers here and there of, like, it's just Calvin, like, what's going on? Yeah. But, you know, like, I think 99.999% of people that came out to that tour had a great time.

27:58 And, like, we're just blown away by Nico and Reina. Especially like the happy fits with female vocals. It just makes sense. Yeah, it's so cool. So after that tour, it was actually on that tour that I left a seven year relationship because I just had. There was a lot of metamorphosis that happened on the tour and basically Nico and Reyna got to see me basically at my lowest of lows. But that was kind of when I started writing and demoing out this next record because, like, if it was for the first time, you know, we were growing out of like the kids that we were during the pandemic, you know, all the bad habits that we left behind, the drinking and the drugs and, you know, just trying to find responsibility and find out who I am as a person. Being on that tour by myself, being surrounded by people that were like super excited to be on tour, that wanted the show to be the best, that it could be, like feeling a part of a team that kind of like changed my whole perspective of like, oh, this is why I wanted to do this in the first place. I wanted a team. I wanted, you know, I wanted to be in this really positive environment. And that when I was on that tour and, you know, around all those people for like the first time, I was like, this is what I need every day in my life. So that

29:32 caused a lot of reflection of like, what was. Why was I, you know, in that relationship for seven years if, you know, if I wasn't the best person that I could be? And you know, also at the same time, right after that tour, I moved to Brooklyn and started living alone for the first time in my entire life. Wow. Yeah. A lot of big stuff. Yeah. So I was like, I was single and I was in Brooklyn and I was just like, I was. Felt like a little kid again of just like falling in love, like feeling butterflies in my stomach. And like, that was so special to me just because that was all the music I grew up listening to, like the Beatles. It's simple love songs, but it's just my favorite kind of. Yeah, and they're the best songs.

30:16 Exactly. Yeah. And you know, and coming from under the Shade of Green, you know, where I'm talking about, you know, songs like in the lobby of like glorifying how, you know, how crazy it would be to be a shitty government lobbyist and just advocate for myself. You know, there's that, there's songs like that, there's songs about, you know, how it feels like the world's ending, you know, going from that place to just Going to a place of, you know, just pure vulnerability and passion felt so refreshing and kind of like a return to form for myself as a songwriter of like, you know, this is where it all starts. I feel like for everyone, the love song, you know, like so. And then that kind of all spilled out into the album, like all of the. Yeah, yeah, there was, it was, it was fun. There's songs like Cruel Power. Like, you know, when I first moved to Brooklyn and this girl, she.

31:13 She DM'd me and we started hanging out a bunch and I was like, I was like super ready for it. And then I found out she had a boyfriend. I was like, why does she keep hitting me up to like, you know, hang out, hang out with her? And then she left for like a vacation. She was like, hey, can you wash my flowers while I'm gone and like, you know, water them? I was like, okay. Like, sure. Yeah, yeah. And then, you know that song. On the trip? Yeah, no, he didn't though. But. Yeah. So that song ended up being Cruel Power, which was like, you know, some of the fans favorites now. That's awesome. Yeah. So it was nice being able to actually like write about, you know, real things that actually happened to me. Where I think there are some love songs on like under the Shade of Green, where I was like, oh, this feels kind of like a little soulless.

32:06 Where like the spark was real when it. When it happened. Like, there's a song like Sweet Things, which is like so old. Like, I want to say like I wrote it in like high school or something. So like when I was writing it, it felt so real. But when I was recording it, there was kind of like felt like a mental dish disconnect. Like a disconnect from it. Sure. Yeah. Yeah. But like this whole record was like very fresh off of Falling in Love Again. Yeah. Did you record it in the same place that you did the other albums or was that different? Yeah, we recorded this Applehead recording studio in Woodstock, New York. Okay. Which is this old converted barn, beautiful room. Like I think it's like 30 foot ceilings. Like it's.

32:50 Yeah. So it was engineered by. By Chris Bittner, who works there. And we chose that room specifically because we wanted like a big rock drum sound. So throughout the entire like production process, which. This was my first like Happy Fitz record co producing with aad, that was like the biggest thing was like, how do we keep the natural reverberations and, you know, delays and echoes of the room in the track while you're listening to it? We Even had, like. We had, like, a bunch of what, you know, I call them, like, flavor microphones. Like, just, like, hidden basically throughout the room. There was one, like, in the loft, like, at least 40ft away from the drum kit that would just, like, give this, like, crazy, crazy echo sound.

33:37 Yeah, it just makes the room sound huge. They also had at Applehead, they have a real plate in, like, their back room. So just, like, I don't even know if you've ever seen them. They're, like, huge. Like, it. Literally, it's a wall. It was like the entire room is just a reverb plate. Ye. There's songs like, you know, superior, the Beginning of Love, Sick, where it has that. Just, like, that snare and that huge echo that comes after. That's all from that plate reverb, really. I have to. I'll go back and listen to it. I want to hear. I love hearing those little things. Yeah, I love it, too. So, yeah, we printed a lot of the. That. That realness that was up at Woodstock and all the guitars, too. What made this record a little different is other Happy Fits records, we would, you know, we would track as a band, but we would just record drums. And then, you know, we'd overdub, like, all the guitars and everything. And then, you know, usually, like, Luke would be in there doing, like, 20, 30 takes by himself. This one, we had the girls and Luke, and then our friend Graham on bass. They were actually just playing the track in the room together. Cause we actually had the space to do that. And then amps were in their own sidewalk. Sure. But, like, that was so cool because then I was just behind the console in the. In the control room. Just, like, hearing my song played back to me. Being able to make tweaks, like, live, which is like, you know, feels like you're a wizard. You know, when you're doing. Sure, yeah. You're like, yeah, change this guitar part.

35:08 Do that, do that, do that. And it's like, yeah, that was the coolest experience. And everyone, like, really felt it, too. In. In the room. When they would come back in, they'd be like, oh, this feels like. Like. This feels like a real, like, live rock song. Which is the vibe that we wanted from the start. Love it, man. Well, I. I think the album is amazing. And your tour kicks off a couple, like, Monday or so. Tuesday. No, Saturday, I think. Right. The day after Halloween. Yeah, that's our US Tour. We actually just finished up four weeks in Europe and the uk and they learned the words very fast. Like, it came out the 17th, and then our first show was the 24th.

35:49 And they knew all the lyrics. Yeah, it was so fun hearing people sing it in all the different accents. Like, that was the coolest. Yeah, that was the coolest thing. And songs that you had just put out and you're in a totally different part of the world and they know all the music. That's crazy. The kids are so, so fun over there. And I know it's gonna be the same in the US Just a little bit bigger. So. Yeah, I'm in Nashville. You're playing here next week, I think. Yeah. Are you coming? Definitely. Go. I want to check it out. Yeah. I didn't realize that it was coming up this quick, but I'll put it on my calendar. And Pom Pom Squad. I've had them on my show before. Oh, really? Oh, yeah. So forgot her name. The singer. I also don't know her name, but I can tell you. You'll meet her, you'll know her well.

36:36 Starting on Saturday. This small world we live in, the music world, it's like. So her manager is Taylor Allen, who used to play in Flip Turn. I've had Flip Turn on as well. I love that band. Yeah. And then Flip Turn and us, we used to play shows together, like all the time, you know, when we were all starting in the scene. And then also this last summer. Two summers ago, actually. So I was doing a songwriting camp and in one of my sessions was Cody Fitzgerald, who produced the Pom Pom Squad record, so. Oh, cool. It just felt like the universe was pushing us towards Pompom Squad as the feature under tour. Exactly.

37:17 And her new record rocks. I love it. So I'm really excited to get to know her. And, you know, that's awesome, man. Show us together. Well, I appreciate your time, Calvin. Thanks so much for doing this. And hey, congratulations. I'm sober too, so I think that's rad that you guys were able to do that. And I loved reading. I. Maybe it's was in the press release I got. I think it might. It might. Maybe it wasn't you because you guys kind of did like you kind of sat him down and did like a little like intervention thing, right? Yeah, yeah. It was like a one on one intervention that we had. And you know. Yeah, because I think he says in this, I want to find the thing to quote him, but he basically said like he wasn't even mad at you and that he just needed to hear what you had to say and that he needed to do it for himself. And that's like. So that's like everything AAA teaches, right?

38:09 And I thought was crazy. I was like, damn. Like, he actually got it. Because most people get pissed and they're like, I don't need this. Exactly. The fact that it worked out the way it did, I think that's so cool, man. Yeah, it was. It was like a really. Just, like. It was a really beautiful experience. It was hard. It was the hardest conversation I think I've ever had to have. Oh, I'm sure. Yeah. 2023 was the year of hard conversations. There were a lot. But yeah. Yeah. I think I realized after that year of, like, okay, confrontation is hard, but it's so necessary for, like, any relationship. Like. Sure. Being able to communicate, especially with yourself, that's like, really gotta. You gotta take inventory on yourself 100%. Well, I. Again, I appreciate your time, Calvin. Thanks so much.

38:57 I have one more question. I want to know if you have any advice for aspiring artists. Okay. I. Whenever I get this question, I always say, find yourself a team that, you know, supports you, challenges you, most importantly. And, yeah, just wants to collaborate with you. You can't do this alone. There's. There's too much. There's too much. So find a. It. Bringing it backward. Bringing it backwards, bring it backward, bring it backward, bring it backward, bring it backward.