'We Are the Worst' — The Triumphant Return of Do It With Malice
(EDITOR’S NOTES — At a time when bands are under constant pressure to enslave themselves to an algorithm few people, if any, truly understand — an algorithm, in fact, that arbitrarily demands bands drop new music on the streams every six weeks or else risk being cast into oblivion — there are few if any artists that can go 14 years without releasing new music and not only maintain both a presence and relevancy, but also pick up followers along the way. Then again, there are very few bands like Buffalo’s Do It With Malice, whose extraordinary musicianship and powerful and furious live performances have allowed the band to stand out and make an impact on listeners and show-goers alike throughout the years, while seemingly telling the algorithm to go fuck itself. Now, after years of navigating lineup changes, job relocations, and the obstacles that life often presents, Do It With Malice on Friday (Oct. 30) will drop on the streams new music for the first time since 2012, releasing a four-track EP titled ‘We Are the Worst.’ An engaging blend of ska, funk, hardcore, punk and metal, ‘We Are the Worst’ — produced by Jason Wright (Flower House Records/On the Cinder) — is a masterful piece of musical architecture, featuring skillfully and intricately layered instrumentation that sets both the perfect pace and tone for the EP’s songs, all of which are punctuated by a flurry of desperate verbosity against a sonic landscape of anthemic rage, urgency and beauty. Recently, 1120 Press spoke with Do It With Malice guitarist Chris Delmont to discuss the excellent new EP, the band’s ability to stay together for more than 20 years in wake of the challenges it has faced, and how it’s managed to stay on people’s radar despite going nearly a decade-and-a-half without releasing new music. — The current Do it With Malice lineup includes Josh Snyder, vocals & bass; Chris Delmont, guitar & vocals; Trevor Jennings, drums & vocals; Thom Kramer, saxophones; TJ Izzo, trumpet & vocals; and Kyle Gustafson, trombone. NOTE — The band at the time of the recording was comprised of Josh Snyder, Chris Delmont, Tyler Jennings, Thom Kramer, Dom Testino, trumpet & vocals; and Chris Gorman, trombone.)
1120 PRESS: Thank you for taking the time to speak with us and congratulations on the new EP which drops this Friday, Oct. 30. This marks the first new material from Do It With Malice in 14 years. We don’t want to put words in your mouth, but we would imagine there has to be a range of emotion that comes with this release. How are you guys feeling about it all?
CHRIS DELMONT: Thank you so much for having us. We are extremely excited about the release, but you nailed it with the range of emotions. Certainly, feeling relieved to finally put it out into the world but nervous/anxious for how it will be received all at the same time. Some of these songs have been in the works since right around the time we put out our last release; shoutout to Bryan Polk for putting together The Big Ska Gamble 7” series back in 2012.
1120: Just to back track a bit, given the 14-year span, can you catch us up on what the band has been doing over the years and why there was such a gap in the release of new music?
CD: Well, I’ll try to give the short version… Shortly after the release in 2012, Josh moved out of state. Technology wasn’t quite as advanced as today, so that was a bit of a challenge. By the time he had moved back, our sax player Thom had also moved out of state. We still actively wrote but didn’t play a show until what we billed as our reunion show in 2019. We had a great response and that kind of fueled some more writing for the next few years as we continued to lurk in the shadows. In 2022, we returned to the active scene with some new members and renewed enthusiasm and have been playing out ever since. We released a couple live studio recordings, and some covers since then, and now we’re ready to put out our new EP.
1120: We’ve listened to the EP a handful of times, and we’ve have been blown away. The songs are really powerful. In approaching the writing of this new record, and knowing it was going to mark the band’s ‘return,’ so to speak, was there a certain direction you guys wanted to take with these new songs, or even a musical statement you wanted to make, with the new record?
CD: My favorite thing about our band is that we have never tried to go in any certain direction. We write riffs, horns, and lyrics and if we like them, we keep them, regardless of style or anything else. The one thing that I think has always been a common thread throughout our music is having a lot of layers. That’s certainly something that we tried to focus on again for this release.
1120: The band finished recording the songs on the new EP about two years ago, and then there was a lot of ‘back and forth’ afterward and in between. Can you provide a little more insight into that? Were there major rehauls done, or was it more a matter of continual refinement? What was involved in that process.
CD: There weren’t any major overhauls on the release. The back and forth mainly centered around vocals and mixing. We went back in to do vocals several times. It was mainly about layering and background vocals to fill everything out. After we were happy with that, we moved on to mixing. We went back and forth several times. Mainly small tweaks here and there. That’s the problem with putting as many layers as we do: On one song there might be drums, bass, two-to-three guitar tracks, three-to-five horn tracks, three-to-five vocal tracks and anything else you may have added in. Getting them to fit together takes precision and patience, two things our engineer certainly has.
1120: You recorded the new EP with Jason Wright of On the Cinder and Flower House Studios. What was the experience like working with him on this record and what do you think he brought to it?
CD: Jay is someone we’ve been trying to work with for years. At one point, during our hiatus, we recorded some demos with him but never got further than that. He brought the perfect blend of professionalism, experience, comfortability, and flexibility to allow us to work freely. It was a great experience for us. He might not say the same — we can be an extremely frustrating bunch. And unsurprisingly, he was extremely helpful with our general tone and gave the songs an edge that our previous recordings may have lacked.
1120: In this day-and-age of algorithms and the constant pressure bands feel to ‘feed the beast,’ it’s astonishing that a band can go 14 years without releasing new material and maintain the following that Do It With Malice has. Obviously, that’s a credit to you guys. What’s been the band’s philosophy/approach as far as maintaining a sense of momentum and keeping your name out there?
CD: Realistically, I can’t explain this one. I know the streaming service Pandora made a big impact for us gaining fans outside of Buffalo during our hiatus. Spotify playlists helped quite a bit as well, but we really didn’t do much to keep momentum going, so it’s been really cool to see where we’re at. I know our former trumpet player Dom, who also played on the EP, worked really hard to get our Instagram going when we got active in 2022. Prior to that, we had strictly been a Facebook band due to the era we operated in, and a MySpace band before that.
1120: We’ve spoken with a handful of artists from ska bands in Buffalo over the years who have talked about how, due to the number of people a ska band usually includes and the instrumentation involved etc.., there are unique challenges when it comes to things like touring that bands in other genres — such as a three-piece punk band, for example — don’t necessarily encounter. Is this sort of thing something DIWM has grappled with? Just curious as to how the band has navigated such challenges over the years.
CD: The band hasn’t toured extensively throughout its lifespan. The amount of members has certainly been a contributing factor. Unfortunately, you don’t get paid based on the amount of members in your band. We have managed to tighten up our travel requirements recently through gear sharing with other bands and creative use of space, and that’s allowed us to do a good amount of one-offs and weekenders. The tour we did back in, like, 2011 required two vehicles and wasn’t very cost effective. Luckily, gas prices weren’t where they are today or we never could have done it.
1120: Along that same line, why do you think you have been successful in keeping the band going as long as you have? Twenty-two years is rather remarkable.
CD: I truly think it’s love for the music and what we do. We’ve had a number of members over the years but every one of them has been enthusiastic about our particular brand of ska and that’s what’s kept us going.
1120: How would you characterize the ‘ska scene’ in Buffalo, and how does it compare to when you started? There seems to have been a fair share of ebb and flow over the years, and now with the creation of Buffalo Ska Fest, a resurgence, perhaps? Also, given the wide range of influence in your music — from hardcore to funk to metal to punk — how do you guys think of yourselves, categorically?
CD: Man, that’s a fun question for me. As for the bands, I’d say it’s extremely solid but aging. A lot of the current groups in the scene are true vets. From Working Class Stiffs to Skamagotchi to The Abruptors, every band features several members that have been part of the Buffalo ska scene as long, or longer, than DIWM. Buffalo Ska Fest has done a great job of showcasing the bands that have been putting their heart and soul into this scene for years. We are so grateful for Laura and the entire Riot Squad team repeatedly giving Buffalo the shine it deserves. I think overall, there has been a great ska scene here as long as I can remember. Not only the shows that came through town, but the local openers that inspired us to do what we do: Mexican Cession, Ten Cent Tip, Dinkus 9, Skamikazee just to name a few of my favorites. I think the connection to the punk scene is also worth mentioning. I’ve been to so many local punk shows where a punk band would bust out a ska punk cover and everyone in attendance just goes nuts. On The Cinder, who you mentioned earlier, has some deep ska roots. We used to play shows with Mike and Tyler when they were in a band called The Steakouts and I know Jay was in another ska band, Fleet Street, in Syracuse at one point. As far as how we think of ourselves, we call it Ska-Core, but at the same time, try not to keep ourselves in a box. But regardless of our classification, we will always be proud members of the Buffalo ska scene.
1120: With the release of the new EP, what’s on the band’s immediate agenda? Will there be more local shows, or any sort of tour to promote the record?
CD: We submitted to a couple festivals for consideration this year but no major touring at the moment. We’ve all got families now, so I’m not sure a prolonged tour will ever be on the agenda. We’ll be taking some time to write and focus on finishing more material. I’m sure some local shows will pop up, as well as an EP release show, but we’ve got nothing planned at the moment.
1120: Thank you so much for speaking with us. Before we go, is there anything else you want to add about the EP or anything else that we haven’t asked?
CD: Again, thank you so much for having us! Not much more to say, just a huge thanks to everyone involved in the making of the EP. Please check it out and we hope y’all enjoy it!!
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