Today, we’re premiering a new cut from the upcoming Whoa Thunder album, The Depths of the Deep End. The second teaser track from the album is called “What Not to Say” and sounds like this:
Yesterday, the one constant in the band, songwriter Brian McClelland, spent the better part of the day working on a music video for a new Kansas tribute project, called Portrait. After shooting that promo video inside of Delmar Hall for a good chunk of his day, he was well ready to chat about his personal music, which, for the last year and a half, has solely been Whoa Thunder-related.
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This time out, he called on a standing live band that coalesced after the band’s initial album, You’re Under Attack, including Syrhea Conaway, Mic Boshans, Dan Meehan, and Joe Taylor; unfortunately, in some respects, that group’s not going to make it to the finish line of the CD release of The Depths, as two members have since departed, making this a time of transition for Whoa Thunder in the live context. McClelland’s 20-year-old son/guitarist, Alex, who is studying science at the University of Missouri, is also featured on the album; in fact, it’s just the two McClellands playing on “What Not to Say.”
“The whole record is a lot darker,” McClelland says. “I went through a bad breakup during the fall of last year, and while the previous record had some dark stuff lyrically—well, a few moments here and there—this one definitely came in darker. That heartbreak experience really informed all of the stuff on the record. It’s been hyperactive pop, lots of harmonies and having fun with it all. But going through something tough makes music a lot more interesting, more complex, while tapping into more emotions.
“We released a flexi-disc a few months back,” he adds. “Because our band’s had so many people in it with other projects, this album was supposed to have come out four months ago. But as you get older, your bandmates go into demand, due to families and so forth. I wanted to show there’s some activity happening and maybe create some interest in the project. I basically have really just wanted to get something out and this is a song I feel strongly about.”
While The Depths is essentially done, it’s not officially done, as McClelland is pondering a couple last tweaks, “wanting to get a few more things tracked.” The other quirk that he hopes to correct is that “with all the videos I’ve done, I’ve never made one for a band I’m in, which is kinda ridiculous. It’s something I hope to correct.”
A 911 dispatcher by day, McClelland’s got an eye on the prize, saying that “I’ve got seven years to go until I get a pension that’ll last the rest of my days.” At that point, he says, “It’ll be video all the time.” With, of course, an occasional time-out for some self-expression via Whoa Thunder.
