EMQs With CLEEN

Hi everyone! Welcome to another EMQs interview, this time with USA Stoner Rock/ Metal/ Doom band, CLEEN. Huge thanks to them for taking part. 

What is your name, what do you play and can you tell us a little bit about the history of the band?

Patrick Newman guitar/vocals, Jordan Conrad Drummer, Cooley on bass.

We are a collection of best friends with contrasting musical backgrounds that came together in 2023 though CLEEN was originally formed by Patrick and Jordan in 2020 in Pat’s basement.

How did you come up with your band name?

Jordan came up with the idea of clean, Pat said two e’s then we agreed on all uppercase letters. The name’s meaning was born from two Best friends trying to get Sober in the most f**ked up way possible.

What Country / Region are you from and what is the Metal / Rock scene like there?

We are from Flint, Mi USA. The community here is strong and growing by the day. We share the region with some of the best talent like Solar Monolith, Sonic Smut,Bog Wizard, Angel of Mars to name a few.

What is your latest release? (Album, EP, Single, Video)

Our debut album “Excursion” was released on May 10th, 2024 out of Electric Desert Records. Currently working on our second album, with some songs we plan to debut this spring while on the road.

Who have been your greatest influences?

Patrick: Josh Homme Jordan: Solar Monolith

Cooley: 90s Gangster rap and Detroit rap.

What first got you into music?

For Cooley it was MTV and BET, Jordan was naturally turning everything into a drum set by 10 yrs old, and Patrick it was his oldest brother Greg playing guitar when he was five and his Grandpa who taught him playing and singing at 8 yrs old.

If you could collaborate with a current band or musician who would it be?

We would love to collaborate with Solar Monolith on a track.

If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?

DESERTFEST NYC and Rhune Mountain Fest because they have all the aesthetics and culture that we love and on a large scale.

What’s the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?

One time an elephant threw its pants at us on stage.

If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?

Thank you to everyone listening, supporting, and coming to shows to rock with us. We can’t wait to show everyone the new songs that will be on our sophomore album in 2025.

If you could bring one rock star back from the dead, who would it be?

Jordan: LEMMY Cooley: Jimi Hendrix Pat: Ian Curtis

What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?

Having a place to be ourselves, unfiltered, and organic while letting us grow as people and create something unique in the end that people can enjoy. We really don’t hate anything about being a musician, we know what we signed up for.

If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?

More free cheese.

Name one of your all-time favourite albums?

Jordan: The Flaming Lips – “Soft Bulletin” Cooley: Anything from the Detroit rap scene Patrick: Sonic Youth – “Daydream Nation”

What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CDs or Downloads?

Vinyl is always gonna be at the top

What’s the best gig that you have played to date?

Grand Rapids DoomFest 2024

Shout-out to Jason and Shane, the organizers of that festival

If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?

We can’t really imagine what else we would be other than art lovers and skateboarders.

Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?

Jimi Hendrix, Matt Pike, Stephen Malkmus, Thurston Moore and J Mascis.

What’s next for the band?

Finish our second album, tour Canada this spring, and hopefully hop on the larger festivals this year and next.

What Social Media / Website links do you use to get your music out to people?

We are on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/cleentheband

And Instagram https://www.instagram.com/cleen_the_band

You can also find anything CLEEN related on our website cleenband.com

There’s a long-standing food-based debate here in the UK. And we’d like your help. So… A Jaffa cake – is it a cake or a biscuit? Discuss!

It’s a biscuit more than a cake, but we can’t say either is wrong.

Thank you for your time. Is there anything else that you would like to add?

Shout-out to Electric Desert Records who have been with us on this journey since we first were trying to finish our Debut album and helping us grow into a wider audience and showcase us as if they were in the band. And to all our fans, you all are amazing, can’t wait to see you at the next show, and thank you for buying everything CLEEN.

Disclaimer: This interview is solely the property of Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this interview, unless you have the strict permission of said party. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.