Alt-rock outfit Mynd Reader, made up of Brian Sachs and Matt Schultz, recently released their debut single, “Radio Warning,” the title track from their upcoming debut album, set for release next summer.
Sachs was the drummer of The Authority during the ‘90s. Along with playing more than 200 shows per year with The Authority, he has shared the stage with Phish, Blues Traveler and Dave Matthews.
On his part, Shultz’s keen ear for melody and talent for crafting rich soundscapes provides a matrix for Sachs’ lyrics. evolve. His ability to seamlessly blend genres, and his production skills enhance the raw energy of Mynd Reader’s sound.
Vaguely reminiscent of Alice In Chains, The Black Crowes, and Kings of Leon, “Radio Warning” is at once addictive, powerful, and drenched in kick the door down raw energy.
Tattoo.com spoke with Brian Sachs to discuss the inspiration for “Radio Warning,” his time with The Authority, and why he makes music.
What three things can’t you live without?
1. Live music that is transcendental.
2. Doing breathwork every single day.
3. Love.
What inspired your new single, “Radio Warning?
For the past 13 years each summer I go into the Alaskan wilderness on a backpacking expedition. I go with a guide, and we have to get from point A to point B, we are completely cut off from the outside world, and it’s incredibly challenging mentally and physically. I find that this is a great time to write music. Matt laid down some random guitar nuggets, and this song arrived pretty quickly. I never have an idea what a song is going to be about. I randomly started singing a melody and lyrics, and the song kept evolving. I was inspired about hope for a new beginning…. and what is a life without Love? The character to me sounds like someone saying, ‘I don’t know where I’m going, but I’m on my way and I want Love as my companion.’
Brian, once upon a time, you played drums for The Authority, and the band’s manager was Bill Graham. What was it like working with him? How did you get started in music?
I started playing drums in the 4th grade in the public-school music program. At that age I felt like I wasn’t good at anything, but somehow, I was able to play the drums. I was able to play ‘Real Me’ by WHO and my status in all the junior high school bands went up. I also played drums along with the chorus in 6th grade… and my identity became that of a drummer. In terms of Bill Graham, the guys in the Authority went to the New School of Music with both the members of Blues Traveler and Spin Doctors. David Graham (Bill’s son) went to Columbia at the time and introduced Blues Traveler to Bill, and then David introduced us to Bill. Bill was Santana’s manager and loved the Latin funk sound that The Authority had. Unfortunately, Bill died just as he was going to manage us, and I never had the opportunity to meet him. David took over the management of The Authority at that time…. and David understandably was in a very bad place after Bill died so unexpectedly.
Why do you make music?
I’m going to get a little woo woo, but I believe in a collective consciousness that we all tap into, each with our own individual gifts. Drums chose me, and I feel like drumming has literally saved my life. It is the best friend I have ever had. I never thought of myself as a song writer, but through some very deep transformational work emotionally and spiritually, these songs started to appear and chose to come through Matt and me. It’s funny, our next release is a song called ‘Simply Avante.’ and to me the song sounds like it’s been in the ether since the days of Woody Guthrie…. and the song chose this time and season to come through Matt and me. I feel like we are just channels for songs that are in the ether and come to the collective consciousness at the right time and place….
How, when, and where did Mynd Reader get together?
I met Matt when I auditioned for a band around 11 years ago…. I immediately vibed with him and saw what a raw incredible talent he was. But he didn’t feel comfortable with that project and he left it about a month after I joined. I continued to play in that band for 10 years and I was unexpectedly fired from that band. I immediately called Matt and said let’s play some Rock and Roll! He said take some time and we’ll see what happens. About a month later, I went to go see a friend play, and for the first time in my life I ran into Matt seeing the same band. We knew it was a sign; we went outside and I said let’s do this… let’s play the music we grew up on, and it just flowed so perfectly.
Which singers/musicians influenced your sound?
As these songs came to us and when we heard them, we said our dream singer would be Chris Stapleton….but my favorite singers growing up were Chris Robinson, Freddy Mercury, Jeff Buckley, Ronnie James Dio. My Morning Jacket is a huge influence on me. It’s the only band I can go see for three nights in a row, they are transcendental, they have no ceiling. Matt and I saw Anderson Paak at Red Rocks this summer and it was incredible… a 3-hour dance block party, his backing band started the show…each highlighting their talents, and it reminded me of an all-day music celebration. To me the greatest talent of our generation and the Mozart of our time is Prince. I also am a Springsteen fanatic.
What can you share about your writing process?
Matt creates different patterns and sends them to me; he doesn’t have any memory of creating these parts. I dig through and if I get a melody and lyrics then I know we have something. There is a joke in songwriting circles, do you know the three greatest songs ever written? ‘Amazing Grace,’ ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water,’ and the song you’re currently working on. It takes time to know if the song is any good. Writing songs can be an incredibly challenging experience. It’s like trying to solve a puzzle. It’s very, very encompassing.
Which artists in your opinion are killing it right now?
It’s an incredible time to be an artist because through algorithms you can find your audience. So many artists who I never heard of have over a million monthly listeners. Spotify is the world’s jukebox. In terms of who I’m digging currently – The Blue Stones, The Lucky Strokes, The Cold Stares,
Michael Brauer mixed our album, he has worked with everyone from the Rolling Stones to Coldplay. He told me he loved mixing Grizzly Bear’s ‘Shields,’ there is a song called ‘Sleeping Ute’ on that album that blows my head off. And I love My Morning Jacket.
How do you define success?
Success is defined by happiness. I believe that success is constantly working on being the best version of yourself in all that you do. I feel successful in music because I really love what we are creating musically and it’s brought me tremendous joy.
Do you have ink?
I don’t have ink. But if I did I would get a hummingbird, an eagle, a snake and a panther… hummingbird is creativity and ideas, eagle is vision from a high level, snake is vision from the ground, and panther brings all of it together with execution.
What’s next for Mynd Reader?
Next for Mynd Reader is world domination. This is real music being played by real people for real reasons. Old school and new school arena Rock and Roll!! Get the rafters shaking!!!!
Follow Mynd Reader Website | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | Spotify