# Protest the Hero — *Within* Interview Q&A
## Rody Walker
### Album & Creative Process
**1. *Within* is your first full-length album in six years. Looking back, what changed the most creatively during that time?**
**Rody:** Well firstly, we lost our drummer. Michael was a huge creative force and a real driving factor when it comes to writing. I think Luke needs a creative partner for writing, and I am just not that kinda musician, haha. So he worked with Milen on this one, and I believe that’s the MOST significant change.
**2. The album title comes from the phrase, “As within, so without.” What drew you to that concept, and how did it become the thread connecting these songs?**
**Rody:** As with most our shit, it was done writing before it was titled. I was discussing the concept with my wife and she was like, “Hey, have you ever heard the rest of that hermetic maxim?” And it fit so perfectly with the ideas inside the album that it just had to be!
**3. You’ve described *Within* as your most personal record. Was there anything emotionally difficult about writing or recording these songs?**
**Rody:** Absolutely! “Liberty Spike” was a really difficult song to write. Being so openly vulnerable is a very difficult thing to do, all while trying to express the different levels of grief, and while attempting to respectfully honour the memory of my friend.
**4. Every Protest the Hero album has its own identity. What makes *Within* different from albums like *Palimpsest* or *Volition*?**
**Rody:** I’m not sure how to describe it, but each record has a kinda aura about them. Maybe it’s the sound of the production or something, but this record feels like summer to me. Whereas an album like *Palimpsest* feels very wintery to me. It’s probably just because it lives more in major keys.
**5. The album balances technical musicianship with emotional storytelling. How do you avoid letting one overshadow the other?**
**Rody:** I don’t know. I’m sure they do overwhelm each other at different points, which is probably why it appeals to vastly different people. Some people like the melody and the relatable lyrics, I suppose, while a whoooooole lot of others love the flashy guitars, haha. I understand the vast majority of our listeners are here for guitars. I’m not a complete fool… though I am a partial fool.
—
### Songwriting
**6. “Mouthpiece” was the first song fans heard from *Within*. Why was it the right introduction to the album?**
**Rody:** I didn’t think it was the right introduction to the fans at first. Luke had to talk me off a ledge at the last minute. I thought we were leading with the wrong song, and retrospectively he was absolutely right. It’s funny how a little time and distance can change your perspective so drastically. I was convinced it was the weakest song on the record, and after its release, and getting to play it live, it’s one of my absolute favourites!
**7. Are there any songs on *Within* that surprised you during the writing process or ended up somewhere completely unexpected?**
**Rody:** I was surprised “Fish Hook” even existed. I opened it up, had a listen through and went, “Oh fuck yes.” I was so happy to hear a song that was relatively uncomplicated and relied on a punk beat through the majority of the song. I wrote almost 3/4 of the vocals in like half an hour. I was so happy, it just came flowing out of me.
**8. Without giving too much away, is there one track you hope fans spend extra time with because it reveals something deeper?**
**Rody:** I think there’s so much to dig into in “The Mariner.” It would take forever for fans to dig through all of it and understand what’s happening there totally.
—
### Independence & Ownership
**9. This is the first album in your catalog that you fully own. How liberating was it to make creative and business decisions without label interference?**
**Rody:** It’s both liberating and terrifying. We live and die by our own sword at this point. If this record doesn’t do well, we have to eat it. We paid for everything ourselves and right now our business is in the fuckin hole. So it remains to be seen if we can dig ourselves out of this shit.
**10. You’ve spoken openly about the importance of owning your intellectual property. Do you think more artists are beginning to rethink traditional record deals?**
**Rody:** I would hope so. I’m just not sure a traditional record deal is totally necessary for bands to get out on the road and make records. Maybe there’s a point when you get really big, the traditional ways make more sense, but I believe it’s about adapting with the times, and the times are changing rapidly. I’m very excited to see where all the future bands go, and what they do with this changing landscape!
**11. Has becoming fully independent changed the way you approach the future of Protest the Hero beyond this album?**
**Rody:** I think with the production of the next record we’ll probably try to be a little more conservative with spending. Home studios as much as possible. That’s all I could think of really.
—
### Recording & Collaboration
**12. *Within* was created across several studios and with collaborators in different locations. Did working that way present new creative opportunities?**
**Rody:** I suppose so, but also the heart of what we do never changes. I have discovered that I’m very stuck in my ways and don’t take others’ advice very well. Some suggestions were made to change things and I was initially very receptive, but then when it came time to record I changed a lot of it back to what I had done in the first place. I am the worst.
**13. Adam “Nolly” Getgood mixed the album, and William Lamoureux contributed orchestral arrangements. What did each bring that elevated the final record?**
**Rody:** Nolly is incredible. I really can’t say enough good about him. I wasn’t sure at first because he’s really a metal producer and there are some punk elements to our music that could easily get overlooked, but he fuckin nailed it. First mix, the group chants were dry and up front and I knew we had the right guy. Also, he’s very nice and I like him a lot.
I actually haven’t met William, but I love what he did on the album. He also recorded and mixed his shit himself. When we sent it to Nolly for mixing he basically said, “Uhhh, I think this is fine the way it is.”
**14. Cameron McLellan has been a longtime collaborator with the band. What makes that creative relationship work so well?**
**Rody:** Ol’ Crime Spree? He’s the best. Been a long-time friend and is an amazing bassist. It’s really easy to work with him because we just send him the music and he fires back completed shit. He’s so good at what he does I don’t think he even has to think much about it. I love him. No. I’m IN love with him.
—
### Live Performance
**15. After six years without a new studio album, how excited are you to finally perform these songs live?**
**Rody:** I’m always super scared to play new stuff live. I’m so comfortable with everything we do I feel like introducing new stuff is going to make everything just fall apart. However, getting out there and hearing people scream along with the new stuff is really invigorating. Makes it all worthwhile!
**16. How do you decide which classic songs stay in the setlist while making room for new material?**
**Rody:** Really hard to say. I hate playing long sets. It’s mentally exhausting looking at a setlist that’s longer than 12 songs for me. There are songs that we have to play, and we put them in the set, then we just have to fill the rest out with what we WANT to play, or what’s not overly taxing on the body and mind!
**17. Does *Within* present any unique challenges from a performance standpoint compared to previous records?**
**Rody:** So far, no. Both songs that we’ve performed from it have been easy as pie for me. I think it’s very different for the other instruments. I think their jobs are absolutely fucked.
—
### Legacy
**18. Protest the Hero has now been making music together for more than two decades. What keeps the band inspired after all this time?**
**Rody:** I think Luke is the driving force behind everything. If he didn’t sit down and write this fucking record we would be drifting off into obscurity at the moment. Without him driving the ship, the ship sinks.
**19. Fans often describe Protest the Hero as a band that constantly evolves instead of repeating itself. Is reinvention something you consciously pursue?**
**Rody:** I don’t think we’ve ever tried to make anything specific. Arif used to say, “We’re just trying to write the song we hear in our heads,” and I think that’s the best description of where the band’s sound comes from.
**20. Looking back at *Kezia* and looking ahead to *Within*, what do you think has remained constant about Protest the Hero’s identity?**
**Rody:** We write fast, complex songs that hopefully people want to sing along to. That’s always been our thing.
—
### Fan Questions
**21. The first single has already generated hundreds of thousands of streams. How has the early fan response compared to your expectations?**
**Rody:** It’s weird, it felt really different. Maybe it’s been a long time since people were excited to hear from us, but it just felt exciting to BE exciting again.
**22. Your audience has remained remarkably loyal over the years. What do you think has created such a lasting connection with fans?**
**Rody:** We can take no credit for that. The loyalty of the people who listen to our band is something that will baffle us until the day we die. Which is a day we have planned and will all be together.
**23. Is there a particular reaction from listeners to *Within* that has meant the most to you so far?**
**Rody:** It’s difficult to isolate specifics, but I think hearing the people sing along to the new songs live even though they were out less than a month was really remarkable and made a huge impact on me.
—
### Looking Ahead
**24. With complete ownership of your music and your business, what possibilities are now available that weren’t before?**
**Rody:** I guess the sky is the limit! I just wish we were younger, and better looking. Then we’d do REALLY big things.
**25. After fans spend time with *Within*, what do you hope they take away from the experience?**
**Rody:** It’s the start of a new chapter.