Daily Grind Exclusive Interview

Photo by David McCandless

We caught up with Brad Hammer of Pittsburgh rock band Daily Grind after their recent signing to Misra Records. Daily Grind just released their debut EP back in May and it didn’t take long for them to get noticed. The band is the first to be signed by new Misra manager Jeff Betten, formerly of Wild Kindness Records. Daily Grind joins a solid roster featuring Phosphorescent, Great Lake Swimmers, Destroyer and Pittsburgh native Emily Rodgers. These guys will be making waves in 2016 so get to know them now. See them live November 12 at Rex Theater opening for July Talk and Little Hurricane.

Sound Scene Express: Where does the name Daily Grind come from?

Brad Hammer: A daily grind is something everyone can relate to, so it was just a natural fit for us.

SSE: How long have you been in the band together?

BH: We’ve been a band for 3 years.

SSE: When did you form your band? What inspired you to make music together?

BH: A local college asked us to play a gig for them in January 2012. The gig made us feel like there might be something more to the music; we’ve been gigging and writing ever since.

SSE: Who writes your song lyrics? What is your Inspiration?

BH: Brad: I write most of the lyrics and then bounce them off the band. My inspiration for writing comes from the human condition; especially from the people closest to me.

SSE: What genre of music do you consider your work to be? Who are your major influences?

BH: Dinosaur-Hop Rock if we have to put a label on it. We’ll leave it up to the fans, we just love playing music together. We collectively listen to music from Sinatra to J.Cole and a lot in between.
What band would you love to open a show for?

SSE: What band would you love to open a show for?

BH: The dream gig would have to be opening for the Red Hot Chili Peppers circa Slane Castle 2003.

SSE: Where have you performed? What are your favorite venues?

BH: We toured east coast to west coast on our first tour in 2014 and have done two more runs of the east since. Some our favorite venues include: The Dobbs in Philadelphia, The Spot in Rhode Island, 12th and Porter in Nashville, and The Canal Club in Richmond.

SSE: What are your rehearsals generally like? Do you have a set time each
week, in which you practice or are rehearsals more spontaneous?

BH: Practices are like The Rapture, and like The Rapture, they are at God’s discretion. We’re writing our next record right now so the goal is to be in the practice space 4 to 5 times a week.

SSE: What do you think of the Pittsburgh Music Scene?

BH: The music scene has been consistently strong to those who have their eyes open to it around here.

SSE: Who is your favorite Pittsburgh band/ musician?

BH: Our good friends in Croatoan have been writing some awesome music over the past few months.

SSE: What is your all time favorite Daily Grind song?

BH: A new song loosely titled “All My Friends” hits home for everybody right now.

SSE: You guys just signed to Misra Records, what was that like?

BH: It brought the band back together as people and as musicians, and it’s pushing us to put out our best record yet. We want to thank Jeff Betten for giving us the opportunity and believing in us.

SSE: Your motto is Stay Grinding, do you guys live by those words?

BH: Absolutely we do, daily.

SSE: What’s next for the band?

BH: Our debut full length album will be released in May 2016. The goal is to tour off the record for the 4-6 months following.

SSE: Is there anything else you wold like to add?

BH: We want to encourage everyone to stay grinding, and make sure you tell the ones closest to you that you love them. It goes a long way.

Read more about Daily Grind HERE