INTERVIEWS NASHVILLE PRINT

Interview: Nashville based Bad Cop discuss new EP and inspirations

Jon Berrien
Latest posts by Jon Berrien (see all)

 Nashville based indie rockers Bad Cop haven’t missed a beat since the release of their critically acclaimed EP The Light On.  The fellas have been hard at work channeling their rambunctious energy and now they have three seamlessly crafted songs ready to go for their upcoming Wish You Well … and Goodbye EP. The band will be releasing their latest project through their imprint Jeffery Drag Records on October 28th.

GroundSounds was fortunate enough to catch up with the guys for a quick exclusive interview, check it out below. 

For those just discovering Bad Cop can you tell us about the early formation of the band and how you guys started making music?

The band formation is complicated, since I have played with many people under the name Bad Cop. But I continue on with the project cause it’s “my thing,” I guess you could say. If i played in another band people would still say “and the guy from Bad Cop,” so I kept the name. It’s almost become an identity, since I have been doing this since I was 19, but started writing songs that ended up on our first album at 15. In the past year or so, the band has become Kevin and I. He’s played with me the longest of any member, from drums to bass to guitar, and kept playing through some hard times, and some really amazing times, so I decided it was only right that he was officially a member of the group at this point. He is also the most talented musician I had ever met, and living in Nashville, that is something you don’t come by often. So naturally, I wanted to keep playing with him. As far as playing, in the early days we just played a ton. Everyday for weeks sometimes, we just wanted to be undeniably good… and have our live set be incredibly tight. We always worked very hard, so a lot of the early days were spent trying to catch up with bands who had been together for years, because we always had a huge ambition to share our music with everyone. Things started fast, and haven’t slowed down since, and I enjoy that. 

What inspired the name Bad Cop?

I am not really sure how to phrase this, I guess the best description would just be it displaying or sort of joking about the end of the “American dream.” We talk about that in a lot of our songs, our wild society. I feel like the kids born in the late 80s and early 90s definitely have watched the “falling of our Rome.” We’ve come to see that a lot of the things we were told to trust and love is BS. America can really cram some unhealthy stuff down your throat, so the name is almost a joke, but serious, about the time we live in. Everything we do, I try to keep relevant with the present. We never want to be a band lost in the past, or something that has already happened.  

Can you tell us about working on your upcoming EP Wish You Well … and Goodbye? What all did it take to bring this to fruition?

We were very lucky to be invited up to New York City last fall by the good ole’ folks at Converse Rubber Tracks. We were all very inspired during this time, as we had been touring and had just released another EP via Jeffery Drag Records/Frenchkiss Label Group, so there was a lot of good things happening around us that made us feel inclined to write songs that reflected that. We spent a few days recording the EP, and producing it with the help of Hector. The songs had been written and worked on for awhile… some recorded a few times, but we ended up really liking these takes and decided to release this to the public for free, as we got to record it for free. We wanted this to be a rad experience for us, and use it to give something rad back to the people who follow the group and listen to our music. 

What has been the most rewarding part about working on the upcoming Wish You Well … and Goodbye EP

The best part has been getting to see it all come together, and for people to already be digging the first single, “Wish You Well.” The most rewarding part of any album or EP I think is the release, to get all that off of your chest, and to share your creation with the world. 

What should every visitor see and do in Nashville?

Eat at Boltons Chicken, go catch a show on Elliston, and grab some drinks at the Gold Rush.

When you guys are on stage performing what typically goes through your mind?

Nothing. Haha. We’re absolutely lost in the music. It’s evident when you see us perform. We completely connect with each other at the same time, as well as the audience through the energy onstage, and the energy they are giving us back. It’s like going into a trance. It’s strange haha, but makes for a wild and very “felt” show. 

What is it about rock & roll that you guys enjoy most? What attracts you to this sound? 

The energy, and it’s also an avanue to express how we feel and what is going on around us and our society. It’s a powerful form of expression… so powerful that some people playing rock & roll have, at points, changed the world. Rock & roll is as much fun as it is a weapon almost, you can use your voice and emotions to really shed light on a situation, or create a feeling of ecstasy for someone. I love how the one thing everyone connects through is music, and I just feel this specific medium is a great place to share the things we have to say.  

Can you tell us about the inspiration for the track “SHOTGUN?”

It was inspired by my youth, growing up very early on in Joplin, Missouri. It’s a very country town, and has a very eerie vibe to it, although it is a beautiful place. It was a bizarre place to live. I felt the idea of a “ShotGun” was a good visual representation to the feeling of living in that city. Slow, but impactful. 

After the EP release what is next for Bad Cop?

We currently are planning and recording more songs. Hopefully for sophomore LP, that’s the idea. We have really worked on these songs for a long time though, and really crafted them. These are songs we wouldn’t put out unless we felt they were perfect, so it’s taken some time, but I think people will be seeing it next year.