Stay Hairy: An Interview with Sap
By Eli Duncan-High
Source: Sap
From the Lone Star state comes a band that combines the heavy primal sound of grunge in an unexpected blissful and melodic way. Sap, which consists of vocalist and guitarist Evan Fundora, bassist Hank Barna, and drummer Jared Cox came roaring onto the scene with their debut album, Lard Baby, which resurrects the grunge sound of the 90s. Sap is a young and exciting new band that should find a comfortable spot in everyone’s playlist.
Eli: If you had to choose a song or an album that represents you what would it be?
Hank: What’s coming to mind is Shelf in the Room by Days Of The New. There isn’t another band that I’ve heard that I can connect to from the lyrics to the sound like them.
Evan: I’ve been listening to Exhausted by Foo Fighters a lot so I would choose that.
Jared: I’ve been listening to Sonic Citadel by Lighting Bolt. Whenever I was traveling or going to class in school I would always play that album. I’m not sure why but it’s something about the energy that connects to me.
Eli: Your melodies are very well structured to where they can make a smooth transition to acoustic. How do you create these songs?
Evan: Our debut album, Lard Baby, and most of the other songs that we write are on acoustic. I’ll come up with a guitar part, add a melody, and then arrange a practice to play the song. That’s how songs like “Hairy Jerry” and “Bulimia” were created.
Eli: If you could choose a concert or festival to attend that has occurred at any point in history what would it be?
Jared: I would have loved to see Woodstock ’94, that festival was crazy. A lot of my favorite bands played at the festival and a lot of them were in their prime.
Evan: I liked Reading ‘92 because there were so many good bands. Both Nirvana and Mudhoney played really good sets.
Hank: In 1998, Days Of The New opened for Jerry Cantrell and Metallica which would have been cool to see. If not that then the Unplugged concert with Alice In Chains.
Eli: Evan, you moved from Houston to Austin to form Sap. What is the culture and music scene like in Austin compared to Houston?
Evan: I moved from Houston to Austin because of the music scene. I was playing in a high school band in Houston and we were playing in the bars and small clubs but there wasn’t a scene at all. Houston is so big that it’s not scene-friendly because a lot of bands are far away. In Austin, it’s like a 15-minute drive from the bottom of the city to the top. Everybody in Austin lives close to each other which makes the scene a lot better.
Eli: Hank, what is your favorite Sap bassline to play live? Have you also thought about doing bass solos live and on future Sap releases?
Hank: My favorite Sap song to play live would be “Big Fat Macho Man” but I also like to play “Hairy Jerry” and “Mr. John”. The reason I like to play “Big Fat Macho Man” is because it has a slow tempo but it also has high energy. We’ve also talked about doing more bass solos in the future.
Eli: Jared, Sap has some raw and intense drum lines. What goes through your mind when you pick up your drumsticks and start banging on the drums?
Jared: If I’m recording, my mind kind of just flows. I don’t even think, I listen to the melody and then I’ll play the drum line. After playing the line I’ll listen to it again and go back to make the necessary changes. When I’m playing live, I try to get into a certain mindset like “Oh I want to be angry” or “Oh I want to feel like this”. When I get up there I get in a certain feeling.
Eli: My favorite Sap song has to be “Mr. John”. The slow and heavy sound pairs well with the dark lyrics about the ominous character Mr. John. Is Mr. John based on anyone?
Evan: People ask us in our DMs about “Mr. John” and what it’s about but Mr. John is made up. Even though Mr. John isn’t based on anyone, people will tell us they can relate to the song. So if you relate to the lyrics and you can connect to the song then the song can be whatever you would like it to be.
Eli: How did you guys create the riff for “Mr. John”?
Evan: We were at this space practicing and we started messing around when Hank tried playing “Roses” by Silverchair but he messed it up badly and played the “Mr. John” riff instead. When I heard him play that I thought it sounded cool so I hopped on and we jammed on it which is how “Mr. John” came to be.
Eli: You guys have sent me two singles that both sound amazing. One of the singles, “Bleed In The Sun”, which has you venturing deeper into the alternative sound is scheduled to release on February 15th. The other single is yet to be officially announced or released however it is one of, if not the most, raw songs you’ve created. Are these two songs a signal for more exploration into the alternative sound?
Hank: We recorded both of those songs back in May and a few months later we tracked them. We experimented with those two songs. Some cello and piano can be heard on “Bleed In The Sun”.
Evan: The new music we’ve been writing currently is different from Lard Baby.
Eli: If you had to create a guitar riff, bassline, and drum line that has already been created what would it be?
Evan: “Everlong” by Foo Fighters is an iconic and timeless riff. It’s a riff that anybody can listen to and like.
Jared: I would go with the “Everlong” drumline – I got to match with Evan’s guitar riff.
Hank: For bass, I would choose any Primus song but most likely “My Name Is Mudd”.
Eli: With the releases of two new singles, do you plan on getting back in the studio soon to make another EP/LP? Also, will there be a tour of the East Coast in the future?
Evan: I’m not sure when we are going to the studio to record our second album, maybe after our West Coast tour with The Jins. However, we’ve been writing songs for our second album but as of right now, we’re currently going to be releasing singles. Our next to do is to play on the East Coast.
Follow Sap at @sapstinkss on Instagram, and listen to them anywhere you stream music!
