We are so excited to bring you our 3rd Artist Of The Day for 2024 – Nashville based indie rock duo Friendship Commanders, they have recently released epic concept record “Mass” .

We recently caught up with the duo ( Buick Adura, songwriter, vocalist and drummer/bassist Jerry Roe to talk about all things Friendship Commanders and of course all about “Mass” You can listen to “Mass” Here

The Whole Kameese: First off, we are so excited to get the chance to talk about your wonderful album “MASS.”

Buick Audra: Thank you so much! We appreciate you taking the time to talk about our new work!

The Whole Kameese: Can you introduce yourselves and your roles in the band?

Buick Audra: Hello, I’m Buick Audra, the vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter in Friendship Commanders.

Jerry Roe: Jerry Roe, and I play drums! I also play bass on our recordings.

The Whole Kameese: Your latest album “MASS” is a well-written and beautifully crafted body of work. Can you talk about the concept of the album?

Buick Audra: Thank you! The album is about my time as a teen and younger adult living in the Boston area. I had some experiences there during that timeframe that were intense and formative, but after I moved away from the area, I packed those memories up and put them away for a long time. When my friend Marc Orleans died, I started to remember my time there. He and I became friends when we were both part of the extended Boston music community and then we remained in touch after we both left. But his suicide took me right back to those days, and when I reviewed my experiences there through my current lens, they looked wild. So, I wrote a whole album about it. Ultimately, the record is about returning to what once almost took you down and being able to name the things that happened. Bullying, abuse, silence, complicity, loss, etc. I felt strongly about opening the album with BLUE because it has a message of hope, of survival, of living to tell. I think the thesis of the album is contained within the lyrical phrase, “If you don’t yet have the language for what you want to say, you will.”

The Whole Kameese: How was the writing process for “MASS”? Did it take a lot of time, or did it quickly come together?

Buick Audra: So, the first two songs I wrote for the record were A RETRACTION and FAIL, and they each unfolded kind of slowly, like over a couple of weeks. I tend to be a quick songwriter, usually completing a song in one sitting, so for it to take multiple days or weeks is uncommon. But those two songs took a while, and as they were coming to me, I became aware that I was writing about my time in Massachusetts. I leaned into that, and the rest of the album was written over a very short period of time. Less than two months total. The process involved a lot of listening to myself; remembering things I had long forgotten; grieving people, places, and things; and letting the music be whatever it wanted to be at first. Also, I tuned my guitars to four different tunings to give my ear some different options and not be stuck in riff or progression ruts. That benefited the writing process greatly.

The Whole Kameese: The album was recorded at God City in Salem, MA (which is right down the street from us) with Kurt Ballou. What was it like working with Kurt at God City in Salem?

Buick Audra: It was productive and fun! We had worked with Kurt as a mix engineer on several projects before we went up to Salem and tracked MASS with him, so we already had some professional and personal camaraderie. But the workflow was good, the vibe was easy, and we were thrilled with the results. He’s the dude.

Jerry Roe: Truly, it was fun, comfortable, and honestly very easy! He created an environment in which we could work with ease and challenged us in all the right ways. I greatly appreciated how much he cared about exploring tones and making sure we were getting all the sounds exactly right and how they should be. That doesn’t tend to happen all the time, and I feel like that’s one of the primary reasons why you’d ever want to record with someone else (versus doing it yourself). He’s the best at it, I think.

The Whole Kameese: Did the city of Salem influence the record at all?

Buick Audra: Not really, but it was a peaceful, safe place to make the record for sure. None of my history with Massachusetts took place in Salem, so it was a respite of sorts. Neutral ground. Loved it, can’t wait to return!

The Whole Kameese: For someone who has never heardFriendship Commanders, how would you describe your sound?

Buick Audra: I tend to say we make melodic heavy music, but if I were to put a finer point on it, I’d say it’s very heavy grunge with pop sensibilities and soulful vocals.

Jerry Roe: I guess I would say we’re sort of a sludgy doom grunge rock band with a big emphasis on songs and song structure.

The Whole Kameese: The album is accompanied by a memoir. Did the memoir come first or was it something that developed while recording?

Buick Audra: I wrote the album first, and then the memoir. The book is there to expand on the story contained within the music.Because the album is autobiographical, it seemed like a natural thing to go into more detail in prose. It was a lot of work to render both, but I’m so glad they exist as a set.

The Whole Kameese: How has it been playing the songs from “MASS” live? Is there a particular song that really stands out when playing live?

Buick Audra: I’ve loved playing the new work live; we toured for almost two months after the album came out last year, and it was so refreshing and empowering to perform the new songs I love all of them, but FAIL is intense for me to play because I wrote it about the death of my friend Marc. Musically, it’s a beast to pull off, but emotionally, it holds so much sentiment and truth for me. And every time we play it, I get to say, “For Marc Orleans.” Feels good to say his name. BLUE is a gift every night, no question.

Jerry Roe: BLUE really feels like an important stake in the ground, and a mission statement of sorts. We’ve been closing our shows with it, and it feels triumphant and heavy as hell all at the same time. Kind of like a big reward at the end of a 45-minute marathon. It’s wonderful to play.

The Whole Kameese: What is next for Friendship Commanders in 2024???

Buick Audra: We’re doing some more touring on MASS, we’re working on some new work that I’ve been writing, and we’re working toward getting the next body of songs together!

The Whole Kameese: Thank you so much for talking with us at The Whole Kameese, today. We hope that 2024 is an amazing year for Friendship Commanders.

Buick Audra: Thank you! Really appreciate your time and attention. Hope your year kicks ass