Hello again, Pat Veil! Congrats on your latest album! How have things been since your last album that we talked about in our last interview?

Thank you, Thommy. Things have been pretty good. Fate hasn't lowered the final curtain, yet. Of course, this existence is like a pinball game, forever knocking us mortals between agony and ecstasy. It's that constant battle between joy and pain, creating the tension which somehow motivates each one of us to carry on.

Your latest album is called "Blacklight". What is the meaning behind the title?

The blacklight evokes something mysterious and dreamlike. It conjures images of glowing Kiss posters, Spencer Gifts, cool bars, and crime scenes. The title also could refer to the eternal quest of each individual to find some light within life's darkness.

The blacklight is a form of light that illuminates, in colorfully fantastic ways, while also preserving darkness. Blacklight is a very respectful light, in that regard. It does what it has to. I tried to make this the sort of album that one could listen to in a blacklit room. The songs feature colorful, bright melodies, but not at the expense of darkness.

On this new album, there are a few songs that were not written by you. Could you tell us a bit about who these songwriters are and how you got to work with them?

Certainly. Each of these songwriters comes from my past, in one way or another. Pete Jager was the lead guitarist in my old band, The Beach Needles. He also is the tunesmith of The Extras Inc., an excellent band who I had long wanted to cover. Kirk Ellis is a Canadian rocker who lived in the US, for a little over a decade, during which time he was a key member of our old music scene. He is an amazing talent. Ryan Garifine, a younger member of that same now- defunct music scene, was 14 when he wrote "New Song." I'd heard his demo recording of the song, and immediately enjoyed it. He said that if I ever wanted to record a cover of it, I could. And so, I did. And Johnny Larkin was the lead guitarist of Sunshine Flipside. We were very close friends, years ago, but we'd fallen out of touch for a decade. I lost touch with most people, after I vanished in 2015. Last year, we got back in touch. He and I had many wild adventures, in previous times. Johnny knows where all the bodies are buried.

The first track is called "Start of Something Good." The song was written by Pete Jager. A fitting track to kick off the album! The lyrics seem to relate to the end of a rough relationship that turns into a new beginning; into something better. How did you decide to kick the album off with this song?

Well, to be fair, the song's title kinda gave it an unfair advantage. With this song leading off the album, it meant that I had to make sure the rest of the album was good. I mean, when the first song is called "Start of Something Good," then what comes next had better be good. Also, I envisioned a bit of a conceptual framework to the album, and this song perfectly commenced the trajectory of this album's hidden story.

"Wake Up" is such a chill and an instant classic. Written by Johnny Larkin, this track definitely has a 70s/80s influence to it, which fits your vibe perfectly. On top of that, it seems to be a breakup song. What place was Larkin coming from when writing this song? Did he go through a relationship like he wrote about in the lyrics?

I am willfully self-exiled into the '70s and '80s, for sure. While a relationship seems to be ending, especially in the second verse, the narrator seems utterly disinterested in that loss. The larger context of the song seems to point towards a much more critical breakup. That would be a breakup between the narrator and the world that surrounds him. Society demands a lot of a person. One must inevitably fake it, on occasion, but especially if they can see the fraying seams of the fancy scrimm that is intended to mask society's cage.

Is this song about the cage of a dying relationship? Is it about the cage of societal artifice? Is it about the cage of incarnation, itself? Well, I know what the song means to me, within the context of the album. As far as what it meant to Johnny...

Years ago, a mutual friend had written a song about a girl he knew. This friend was more sentimental about matters of love than Johnny or I, and the song was quite lovely. We were hanging out in a room, each of us quite wasted, when our good friend played his song. Afterwards, Johnny played us a song he had written about the same girl. That song was "Wake Up." This girl must have been quite the muse. Calliope incarnate, or something.

Most love songs focus on the genesis of love, or the routine mechanics of love. Whereas here, "Wake Up" looks past all of that and portrays the putrefaction of love.

Of course, there are songs written by you as well. One of which is called "Scene Clean". Funny enough, I honestly could not make out what the lyrics mean. So what DO all the lyrics mean? What is the subject matter of the song?

Scene Clean is the name of a company that cleans crime scenes. Murders, suicides, corpses of those who died alone, unidisovered until the process of decomposition was well underway. That sort of thing really messes up a carpet, you know. Well, the coroner will often enlist a company, such as Scene Clean, to swoop in and make the place as good as new.

The concept of the "music scene," in my experience, is not entirely dissimilar to that of a neglected corpse full of maggots, let to sit way too long. Dead infrastructure infested by indistinguishible clones, all dreaming of the day they will grow wings and fly away. I believe they call that process "artist development."

I never really cared much for scenes. It's just friendship with added busywork.

That's what the song is about.

Another song that you wrote is called "Guess Who". The subject matter seems to relate to karma. The lyrics feel like they are related to an experience you went through. Funny enough, as the lyrics state, I honestly didn't know what the song was about. What is the subject matter of the song and where did the idea for them come from?

This song is parable, using the allegory of internet drama farming gone wrong, as a lesson on karma. I've heard it said that when one expresses outrage on the internet, it gives them an endorphin rush. They find some sort of empty personal satisfaction by prosecuting people in the court of social media. Regrettably, this practice has occasionally resulted in real life tragedy. Modern problems, really.

In essence, this song is about an equal reaction against an opposite action. Karma's marching orders, as it were.

The last song, written by you, is called "Digging My Own Grave". The lyrics clearly have a theme of afterlife, which is a bit of a deep way of thinking. Was this a subject you thought about often as a young man growing up and do you often continue to do think about it?

I suspect I have already been inhabiting the afterlife for some time, now.

The main character in this song, on the other hand, has not yet arrived there. But he will.

A good friend of mine feels that this song's message is to live "lightly and beautifully." I endorse that interpretation.

One more thing that I thought was interesting was that you dedicated this album to a guy named Atsushi Sakurai, who was the lead singer and primary lyricist of the Japanese rock band Buck-Trick. He sadly passed away in 2023. How important was Sakurai to you as a musician and songwriter?

In the past two years, I have taken an interest in Visual Kei. It is a Japanese genre of music that is visually theatrical and blends multiple genres of hard rock. It is often quite melodic. Buck-Tick is my favorite of the V-Kei bands. Very shortly after I first heard their excellent music, Sakurai died, having collapsed onstage at a concert. Brainstem hemorrhage. Utterly tragic.

Moved by the band's tragedy, I listened to Buck-Tick often while I wrote and recorded "Blacklight." I felt that it would be a sign of respect to dedicate the album to Atsushi Sakurai as a thank you for his hard work. I hope that anyone who reads this interview checks out the music of Buck-Tick.

Recently, you announced that you and your former band, Sir Dove, will be releasing a deluxe edition of your critically acclaimed album, "Stay Home". Could tell our readers more about that?

Your wish is my command. The "Stay Home" album came out in 2013. After the band broke up, it was removed from physical and digital circulation. Last year, I made the album available to download on Bandcamp, with two extra tracks. But, many people have written, asking me if I could release the album on other major streaming apps and whatnot. I spoke with the other members of Sir Dove, and we all agreed to give the album wider distribution. So, it will be available everywhere music is streamed, this Autumn.

Right now, I am digging through the Sir Dove archives. For this edition, we plan to include some previously unreleased tracks from the vaults. It's a cool album. I think it still deserves to be heard.

You have a show coming up on July 29 at The Wonder Bar in Asbury Park, New Jersey. Are there any other shows coming up that you would like to tell us about?

Hmm. There must be some sort of fissure in the dimensional plane. A July 29 th show at the Wonderbar? This is the first I have heard of it. Hah! Truthfully, I would never play there. I'd rather eviscerate myself.

I'm currently working on the logistical planning for some overseas shows. Most of my audience is in Europe and Asia, and so I will play there.

I have no interest in performing locally. In New Jersey, live music is a total racket. Playing local shows only leads to more local shows, in infinity, like a snake eating its own tail. Some people I have known are addicted to performing live. Good for them! That is not me. Whatever addictions I may have, playing local shows is not one of them.

Is there anything you would like to share with our readers?

When visiting Hokkaido, be sure to join the party at V Rock Bar Kiryuu, in Asahikawa. Tell them Pat Veil sent you.

(and here are the pertinent links to find me on the information superhighway...)

Music: https://patveil.bandcamp.com

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/@patrickveil

Everything: https://linktr.ee/patveil





Artist Bio:
Pat Veil is a phantom.

He hides by day and moves under the cover of night.

Once a guitarist/vocalist in the acclaimed rock band Sir Dove, since 2020, he has released a string of albums showcasing his "pop/rock with sharp claws," melding of 70's and 80's rock with Veil's penchant for extremely distressing, yet often humorous, lyrics.

For those who dare...