September 25, 2018 — We recently chatted with Justin Bonitz of the band Tallah about a number of topics. Below is what Justin had to say to us:

Need406: Could you please tell our readers a little about your band?

Justin: The band originally formed with drummer Max Portnoy, lead guitarist Derrick Schneider, and bassist Andrew Cooper back in September 2017. I, joined in January 2018, and there were a couple changes in rhythm guitarists until Eric Novroski joined around July 2018. The band name "Tallah" was adopted when Max was filling in for the band "Dollskin." He set up a stand that said, "Help me name my new band," and some little girl just wrote her name down on the list. Max liked it, and the rest is history.

Need406 : What was the band's goal  when it came time to record No One Should Read This and how do you feel the band met those goals?

Justin: I was not part of the band during the recording process of the instrumentals. When I joined on January 1st, everything had already been recorded, but not mixed. I wrote all the lyrics, and self-recorded all the vocals in about six days time, then we had our first show on January 7th at St. Vitas. My personal goal was just to come up with some lyrical/vocal parts that Max was okay with, that told a dark concept, and that I would be able to perform live without too much trouble. I cannot speak for the rest of the band, but I am sure their goal was to sound tight, and to come up with some wicked riffs that would make us stand out and get the blood pumping.

Need406: No One Should Read This is Tallah's latest EP can you tell us how the band came up with the EP title?

Justin: It was just a cool line that I wrote for the pre-chorus of Placenta in order to drive the concept forward, and we thought it summarized the concept nicely, was catchy, and would make for cool merch designs.

Need406: How did the band come up with the placement of songs on No One Should Read This?

Justin: Max wrote all the instrumentals, then gave them to me to write the lyrics/vocals over. He told me the order of the songs that he wanted, and he gave me time-stamps of where he wanted the vocals, and I just did my thing.

Need406: Can we get your take on the songs, Kungan, We The Sad and Red Light?

Justin: Instrumentally, "Kungan" is a fast, catchy song that is great for an intro. It has a little bit of everything, and I think it is a fantastic way to showcase what we as a band are all about. Lyrically, the song is kicking off the concept of the entire EP. You are introduced to the narrator, his predicament, and how he feels about it all as he demonstrates weakness and cowardice.

Instrumentally, "We, The Sad" is probably the chillest song on the album. While it is still quite heavy, it is just more melodic than the others, taking a break from the chaos induced by the first two songs. Lyrically, the song is the rising action of the concept. The narrator is starting to slip, recognizes the oppression of his captor (his mother), and finally decides to do something about his situation.

Instrumentally, "Red Light" is one of my personal favorites. It is erratic, portentous, and sums up our sound as a band quite nicely. Lyrically, this track is the resolve of the concept. The narrator did what he did, and now he has to face the consequences of his actions as he spirals into the plot twist.

Need406: How did Tallah come up with the concept for the "Cottonmouth" music video and how long did it take the band to film it and edit it?

Justin: The music video for Cottonmouth was all Max and I. Max wanted to make a gross, edgy video, so I tried my best bounce ideas that could help make that happen in a cost-efficient way. The entire thing was directed, filmed, and edited by Max while I was the actor/set designer who tried to feed Max's vision. We worked fantastic together, and the whole thing was made in just a couple days.

 

Conceptually, we wanted the video to have a very loose story, but we wanted the primary focus to be on the disturbing imagery. We wanted people to know that something was happening, but we also wanted shock value that would make them watch it again and again. The story part was extracted from the first breakdown of the song where lyrics focused on how the narrator played dead in order to draw his mother in closer so that he could brutally dismember her. The lyrics here are bizarre, but they certainly parade the contrast between childlike innocence and cold-hearted insanity, and we think the video reflects it perfectly.

Need406: Max directed the "Cottonmouth" music video. Was it easier or harder to make the video having a member of the band directing it?

Justin: I thought it was easier. Max is the band leader. He is the one with the vision. To me, that is a lot more direct than working with somebody who does not really understand the music, concept, or imagery needed for that. The music was composed by Max, and the lyrics/vocals/story were written by me. We are the only two people on the entire planet who are going to be able to perfectly give life to our own creation. My job was simply to help Max make his vision happen with my background in film and theater. Having made a fair share of homemade, low-budget music videos, I had the knowledge and experience needed. Max told me what he wanted, I followed up, and he filmed/edited everything. It was short, sweet, and to the point.

Need406: What video equipment and editing devices did Tallah use to create "Cottonmouth"?

Justin: I do not know. Max used a small camera with a fixed lens to film it, and I think he used Final Cut to edit it, but I am not 100% sure. That is pretty much it for equipment. Everything else was just props.

Need406: How long did it take to put all those papers on the floor used in the "Placenta" music video and how long did it take to clean it up?

Justin: It did not take too long to put them on the floor. I just whipped stacks of them up into the air while running around and screaming. It was maybe five minutes to get them down and five minutes to clean them up after. What took a while was drawing and writing on them all.

Need406: After watching "Placenta" on an online video website, one of the comments a person wrote was, [Tallah] sounds like Korn, mixed with Slipknot, mixed with Suicide Silence, mixed with an orgasm. What do you have to  say about this analogy?

Justin: I would agree. I think our sound definitely has that nu metal vibe that was showcased by bands like Korn and Slipknot, but my false cord screaming and some of the heavier parts of the instrumentals definitely bleed into Suicide Silence's earlier work. As for the orgasm part, with the way I deliver my lines, I do often unintentionally make moaning breaths at the tail-ends, and I suppose that could lend to why that specific commenter would mix that in with Korn, Slipknot, and Suicide Silence.

Need406: What benefits do you think Tallah gains by self-releasing an EP instead of releasing via  a major or indie record label?

Justin: I am not really sure. I have been self-releasing solo projects since 2013, so releasing something under any type of record label is entirely foreign to me. I am not aware of what types of constraints, freedoms, or benefits a label has to offer other than more publicity.

With that being said, I think self-releasing is a lot harder in the sense that you have to do everything yourself. It would be a lot easier to just write and record an album, have it mixed, make the art, then send it on its way. When you do everything on your own, it is obviously a lot more time consuming and requires you to have skill and knowledge in not only the creative and engineering aspects, but the business ones as well, and quite frankly, I think most artists are not very good at the business side of the music industry.

I will however say that when you do a self-release, there is no middle-man who needs to get paid, so percentages are bigger, you do everything on your own time, and everything feels a lot more personal which can lead to the entire thing being much more psychologically satisfying as you have your prideful "I did this all by myself" moment.

Need406: Can  you describe the Tallah concert experience using five words of less?

Justin: Insanity.

Need406: Where do you see Tallah five years from now?

Justin: As every other rising band ever, we are hoping to make it to the top. There is no lying about it. As good as they are, bands like Korn, Slipknot, System Of A Down, Linkin Park, etc. are not going to be around forever. The members are getting older, some of them are dying, and the industry is going to need some new talent. Will we get that big in only five years time? Probably not, but we are hungry, passionate, and we are not pulling any punches. In five years, we would like to have a good-sized following, be able to tour other countries, open for the big name bands, hop on festivals, and all around become a band people talk about even if they do not necessarily like our music.

Tallah is: Justin Bonitz (Vocals), Max Portnoy (Drums), Derrick Schneider (Guitar), Andrew Cooper (Bass) and Eric Novroski Guitar). Tallah hails from Philadelphia, PA.

Tallah Discography:
No One Should Read This (August 2018)


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