The West Michigan-bred hard rock band plays GLC Live at 20 Monroe in Grand Rapids and Fillmore Detroit this week on its ‘What Remains’ tour. The Local Spins interview with Leigh Kakaty.
‘Super Proud’ of the New Album: Leigh Kakaty and Pop Evil (Publicity Photo)
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Pop Evil has long made waves from the band’s home shores of North Muskegon to the hearts of listeners and fans around the globe.
As a force of musical muscle to be reckoned with, the alternative hard rock band shares its heartfelt and anthemic songs with audiences in hopes to connect on a deeper level.
They recently launched a national tour in support of their new record, “What Remains,” with vocalist and frontman Leigh Kakaty, who co=founded Pop Evil in 2001, taking time to speak with Local Spins from the road.
Pop Evil performs at GLC Live at 20 Monroe at 8 p.m. Friday (May 9), with tickets ($48-$112.10) available online here. Devour the Day and Oni open the concert. The band follows that with another Michigan show at the Fillmore Detroit at 8 p.m. Saturday (May 10), with tickets available here.
Local Spins: Before this call, what were you up to, what do you have going on?
Leigh Kakaty: Day one of the tour starts today here in Tulsa, Okla., so we’re running all around trying to get all those little loose things and little things that make a touring life a little bit easier, you know, so I’m off to try to find a couple things to sleep a little better.
Local Spins: How are you feeling about getting back on stage?
Leigh Kakaty: We’re excited. I probably won’t be able to process it all till probably after the show when I put my head down on my pillow and I’m ready to kind of go to bed, but I’m excited to get back after it with the guys. Obviously, seeing all the other band members from the other bands. It’s been a nice little reunion to see everybody and we can’t wait to get things kicked off.
Back on Stage Again: Kakaty and band at The Intersection in 2023. (Photo/Eric Stoike)
Local Spins: What are some things you enjoy about being on the road?
Leigh Kakaty: The camaraderie is great, you know, especially this time of year when you tour during the spring and summer, it’s just fun because it gets warmer. It means grilling out. It also makes hanging out on the off days a little bit better, you know, with your brothers.
Local Spins: How about some of the challenges of touring?
Leigh Kakaty: Sleeping is tough sometimes, man, getting used to sleeping back in a small space, you know. Going from a bigger bed to a small bed gets a little bit harder as you get older, right? Maintaining my health and making sure my voice is ready to go overnight can be challenging at different times depending on the weather and, you know, what my body’s doing and what kind of energy my body’s giving me back every night.
Local Spins: What can people expect from your live show?
Leigh Kakaty: A lot of energy. I mean, especially now with new music. I don’t think there’s ever any better a time to see a band than when they have a new album because that fresh energy just kind of surges through everybody on stage and we’re super proud of this new music, this new album, and, you know, we can’t wait to finally play it on stage.
Local Spins: What was, what was kind of your experience making the new record?
Leigh Kakaty: It was therapeutic for me. I started off just kind of writing to see what would happen, just letting those feelings come out and then the more I started to write, the more you start to process. I had some mental health issues I had to deal with, you know, and that struggle had kind of just been pushed down, as long as I could. Probably started stemming back to the early parts of my career all the way up until now and then COVID. It’s just kind of a lot to kind of bury when you’re the leader of your project or you’re the leader of a family. There’s no time to be depressed or have anxiety, right? You’ve got to push forward. You’ve got to kind of be focused on the next thing and, and then constantly trying to grow. So I think that this album, more than any, was an opportunity to kind of let some of that stuff out. If I feel this way, it’s important to know that other people might feel that way too and an opportunity to help someone with the music is always something that I know we really try to be responsible and aware of.
‘Focused on the Next Big Thing’:Kakaty (Photo/Anthony Norkus)
Local Spins: What were some of the things that helped with the anxiety and depression?
Leigh Kakaty: Well, you know, getting a chance to write and getting the support from the band, I think helped. Once I had their support, it really allowed me to kind of dig deeper and then to really get things out that I had buried for years and. Once you have support from people that are not judging you and giving you a healthy platform to kind of release it, it really helps. I’m sure as I start to play these songs live, it’lI be even more of a release and I think that more of that weight will lift.
Local Spins: What’s it like returning to West Michigan to perform?
Leigh Kakaty: It’s always special coming home, you know, because you get family, friends that haven’t seen you in a long time and people that come out of the woodwork that, you know. People who are there to kind of see the growth of the band, you know, and they have their own stories and attachments to the band when, when they were involved or when we played that certain show years ago when. So there’s a responsibility we have to make sure that if you’re great at any part of the tour you want to be great for the hometown show for sure. So it’s definitely exciting, a lot more pressure in a way, right? So you want to be, you want to be hitting on all cylinders.
VIDEO: Pop Evil, “What Remains”
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