Comb The Desert is an alternative hardcore band from New Jersey.
Please list all of your band members and their roles in the band.
Joe Galuppo - Vocals/Mind Control
Mike Bell - Bass/Managment
Kelly Addison - Drums/Marketing
Justin Sherwood - Guitars/Voice of Reason
For starters, what bands were you guys a part of prior to Comb The Desert? How long has the band been around?
Members of Comb the Desert were former members of former NJ bands Atlas/Control/Maverick/Royden/Stillwelle. Joe Galuppo currently is involved with solo work as a folk musician. Comb the Desert has been a band since 2015.
What’s the origin of that name and have you changed the band’s name before?
While in early stages of writing music we were talking about Spaceballs of all things. Comb the Desert just kinda rolled off the tongue. We had a good laugh about it. It just stuck. Nope, no plans to change it either.
Who writes your songs? What are the main themes or topics for most of your songs and do you think these topics will change over time?
Mike enjoys confining himself to a basement or a quiet room for a few days to track out basic structures of repeating riffs using drum machines. Next, Kelly and Justin and Mike all get together to edit cut and add more elements to give it a live energetic feel while Joe prefers to sit on the music for a while to develop the lyrical content. Our lyrics are sort of like poetic diatribes of false flag conspiracy theories ranging from the hipocracies of religion and secret government projects and their cover ups. CTD's sound and scope is ever changing.
What bands are currently inspiring the music that you’re making?
Our influences we feel belongs to a punk hardcore style developed by artists such as Thrice, The Refused, Converge, Norma Jean. However, we also have those guilty pleasures that every so often seep out into our material. It could be an 80's hair metal riff or a pop punk fill on the drums. It just happens naturally and even comically as we tend not to take ourselves too seriously.
Was there a particular band/artist or concert that inspired you to start a band?
Not really because its different for each person individually. But we all kinda belong to the golden years of the MTV generation. We all remember coming home from school to Kurt Loader's announcement of Cobains death. That kinda never left us.
What do you do to prepare for a show? Any flexing, exercises, ect …
Lots and lots of sweaty rehearsals.
What has been the biggest highlight of the band’s career so far?
Not one thing really sticks out. It's our nature to just progress and enjoy the ride. Having the opportunity to play alongside the bands we admire and having our friends and family come out to support us is what I think we enjoy the most.
If you could tour with any bands, past or present, who would they be and why?
We would have to say Andrew WK because it seems like that he would be a whole lot of fun to be around!
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Comb the Desert wants to be your forever friends.