Fox Reviews Rock

Introduction

We had the pleasure to chat with Billy Resendes, the lead vocalist of Feverhill, to dive into everything about the band! Their music is brimming with emotion and unfiltered energy, blending contemporary vibes with powerful rock elements.

Drawing inspiration from legendary rock bands and innovative pioneers, Feverhill keeps a keen eye on both the history and the future of rock music. With a captivating mix of driving drums, heartfelt vocals, and edgy riffs, this band certainly knows how to leave a lasting mark!

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For Fans Of – Sevendust , Bad Omens, Wage War

Interview

There sounds like you had a slight musical shift from your album to your new single. Your album is a little heavier with screaming, but straitjacket is more melodic, do you think that helped? Was it just a change for this song or is it a new direction you’re going in?

Great question. We started writing for Follow Me [Down] in September of 2019, and obviously, Covid hit shortly after, and, of course, the entire world changed. So I feel like as we get older and time goes on, our musical tastes naturally change, and subsequently the writing process has its own ebbs and flows.

“Straitjacket” is a pivotal song for us in that it kind of tested our own perceptions of what this band sounds like and the message we convey through our music. Writing with a producer (especially one like Kile Odell) gives us the opportunity to really push the boundaries and also to have some industry perspective that we wouldn’t otherwise have.

As we are a relatively newer band, we are still sort of toying with different things as we go along to really hone in on what our identity as artists and as a band. We have several new songs that we are finishing up that really showcase a variety of sounds and ideas inside rock/metal and its respective subgenres.

You worked with Jaycee Clark on “Devil in my hand.” Did you know her prior to making the song, and what made you select her?

So, I (Billy) actually used to play bass in Jaycee’s band “A Light Divided” many years ago. They have been part of our NC local scene for a long time, and earlier bands that I had in the area played alongside ALD many times before I joined. Jaycee is a dear friend and an incredible singer/performer. So when I was deciding on whom I would like to feature, it was an easy choice to make, and she absolutely killed it!

You have a brand new drummer (Troy). What was the auditioning process like, and how did you know he was the perfect fit?

Troy was an easy natural choice for us. He has previously been in a band with Nick and myself. He has plenty of real band experience from his tenure in “Failure Anthem” and “Hephystus,” and he is just all around a great guy.

We love Ryan and thank him for his contributions to Feverhill. We are all still close with him. So we knew when we had to find someone else, filling his shoes would be a tall order. Troy has certainly risen to the occasion, and we are super glad to have him on board. Great drummer, great friend, and band mate.

Billy, you lost a really impressive 185lbs in 2 years. First of all, congratulations! What lifestyle changes did you have to make to make this happen?

Thank you for the question. And thank you for the kind words! On March 20th, 2023, I had a procedure called Sleeve Gastrectomy. It’s a type of bariatric surgery. That, coupled with diet and exercise, is how I did it. It’s been a blessing. I was 395 pounds on Jan 1 of 2023. I had diabetes, sleep apnea, hypertension, and a liver that was teetering on cirrhosis.

I have two kids and knew that at the rate I was going, I wouldn’t live long enough to see them grow up and have lives of their own. So I decided to do something about it. The total projected weight loss was about 115 pounds, so I have exceeded everyone’s expectations, including my own.

And now I sit right at the 210-pound mark. It has really been a miracle, and I encourage anyone who is considering it to do research and see what options are available to you. Get well, stay well.

Did you think that straitjacket would get this much attention?

We knew when we started writing it that it was a special song. We poured so much of ourselves into it and it is undeniable. We had no clue that it would be as special as it has become but we are definitely happy with the traction it has garnered us.

You speak about mental health in your songs and social media fairly often , what makes this subject so important to you?

I want to say, I really appreciate the thought and time you have put into these questions! We have all been through a lot these last several years. After I had surgery, the way that I think and feel has changed a great deal. I was diagnosed with Bipolar disorder 1 earlier this year, and it has been a struggle to wrap my head around why I feel the way I do sometimes.

I have found that there are so many others like me who just want to understand why and spread awareness. I also believe that men’s mental health specifically is something that gets largely overlooked. Society wants us to be “manly” and just take whatever happens in life on the chin and keep it moving because “we are men and that’s what men do”.

But we take our own lives at a rate 3-4 times higher than women. I don’t know why that is, but I do know that I have had those feelings, and I don’t want anyone to ever think they are the only ones and that there are people out there who do care and do love you. Your life and your mental health matters regardless of gender, age, race, etc. Again, get well, stay well! With that being said, it’s allowed us and our music to be incredibly relatable, which has definitely helped us with getting the message across

Where did the name for the band come from? We noticed a book by Michelle Paver with the same name, is it in any way linked?

That is exactly where our name came from!

Which bands inspire you the most?

We take inspiration from many different bands. Sevendust is one of our favorites. Also, Bad Omens and Wage War are on regular rotation with us! Sleep Token and Loathe are also in Billy’s regular rotation.

What was the scene like in North Carolina, and what bands have you become friends with along the way?

NC has a ton of great bands that have come out of our music scene over the years. We love the guys in Laniidae from Charlotte, and Drown Out from Greensboro are great friends of ours as well. Also, our producer was the mastermind behind the band “Failure Anthem,” which is super cool since we love that band as well!

If you could play at any festival in the world, which one would it be and why?

It has been a dream of Nick and me to play Wacken Open Air since we started playing music together back in 2005. We always loved the bands that play at that festival, so it only seems fitting! Also, Download is a huge bucket list item for us too.

Is there any intention to play a show(s) in the UK anytime?

We would love to come to the UK tour. We would love to just go to visit as well!

Follow Me (Down) came out last year, how was it received and is there anything you would change about it now if you could?

The reception of the record was hugely positive. A lot of great feedback with almost no negative input. The only thing we would do differently is, we would have released more songs as singles instead of as an album.

What is the bands mission statement?

That’s an easy question. This has been our mantra for months: It takes way more energy to be mean than it does to be kind.

If you could describe the band in 5 words, what would they be?

Passionate, artistic, relatable, expressive, love.

What can fans look forward to in the next year or two?

New music, new shows, new life.

All the songs, used in this interview belong to their respective owners and this website does not claim any right over them. All images were provided by Feverhill and were taken by Ryand_Photos & Jazmine Styers.