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A few moments with Joe Paisley...
(Top:) Kc Marotta (Left to Right:) Robby Erickson, Joe Paisley, Conner Schneberger 
©Tyler Lunde Photography
METAL PULP AND PAPER: Hello Joe. So glad to be catching up with you. Thank you for taking the time to answer some questions for Metal Pulp And Paper. Much appreciated. 

How are things going? How has the summer been so far for you and your band Moretta

JOE PAISLEY: It’s been just dandy. Enjoying the sunshine and excited to have just released our newest album on July 28th.  

MPAP: What can you tell us about Moretta

JOE: We like short walks on the beach and favor soft shell tacos.  
 
MPAP: Have you always wanted to be a singer, or did you at one point pick up an instrument and want to do that instead? 

JOE: I actually went to college on a percussion scholarship. I’m crap at drums now but, I could flap-around pretty well back in the day. I have actually been playing both drums and guitar for far longer than singing. Once I started writing songs on acoustic guitar, I began working on my singing skills. 
 
MPAP: What about your other partners in crime in the band? Who are they and what do they do? 

JOE: Kc Marotta- Drums, Robby Erickson- Guitar/Backing Vocals, and Conner Schneberger- Bass/Backing Vocals.
 
MPAP: Who has been some of your musical influences? 

JOE: My biggest influence has been Thrice. Nearly everything they have done has something amazing about it. From their lyrical content, style merging, to helping raise money and awareness for great causes around the globe…all of it.  
 
MPAP: Your stomping ground is Coeur d’Alene, Idaho? If you could change the city welcome sign, what would you want it to say about your band? 

JOE: "Welcome to Coeur d’Alene: Hope you brought earplugs, Moretta lives here." 
 
MPAP: Let’s talk about What’s Left Means Nothing? It was just recently released on July 28th, 2017 with some good reviews. Sophomore albums can be a bit nerve racking. Was there any pressure making this album? 

JOE: Not really, if I’m honest. We aren’t trying to outdo ourselves by any means; I feel we’ve just simply become better over time. We feel this album perfectly showcases us at this very moment and we will continue looking for ways to improve. 
 
MPAP: Was this self-produced on your own label? 

JOE: Not on our own label, but yes, it was all done in my basement. I decided to get back into the audio world about a year ago, so I built myself a little studio and got after it.  
 
MPAP: How would you say you’ve grown as a band in the short amount of time since your first self-titled release Moretta in January of 2016?
  
JOE: The more time we spend together playing music, the better the outcome. We all bring our own styles and personalities to the table. The more we play together, the better we become at infusing those two elements into our tracks.  
 
MPAP: What’s Left Means Nothing is a very dark title. Is there a specific message behind it, or is it whatever the listener draws for themselves about what it means? 

JOE: It’s a little bit of both. It’s actually pulled from the song "Watch Me Suffer", which is on this album. We thought it was a neat representation of us having poured it all into this disc, but it’s also dark and fits the album’s overall mood.  
 
MPAP: For the new listener, is there one song you want them to listen to first to draw them in for more?
  
JOE: It definitely depends on what they are into. If they are into the heavy stuff, I would send them to "Modern Day Coward", "Headstone Remorse", "Death Wish", or "The Unknown". If they aren’t much for aggressive vocals, I would send them to "At One Point", "Hurricane", "Watch Me Suffer", or "Revive the Broken". 
 
MPAP: You’re considered metalcore with character, is there something that makes Moretta stand out from the others? 

JOE: I think our conscious effort to mix things up does a lot of good for us. We don’t enjoy writing songs that sound similar to other songs we have already written. You get the heavy stuff, the catchy Rock stuff, the mathy stuff, the softer-emotional stuff… all layered with lyrics that seem to connect with a lot of listeners.  
 
MPAP: Going back to your hometown of Coeur d’Alene, what is the music scene like there?  

JOE: Coeur d’Alene and Spokane, WA are all rolled together into the same music scene. They sit on the border between Washington and Idaho. The music scene is doing pretty good, especially in recent years. There seems to be a lot of talent doing some cool things in our corner of the world right now. 
 
MPAP: Is it hard for a metalcore band to break out of there?  

JOE: The Internet has made it possible for anyone from anywhere to have a chance. But the roughly 750,000 people around these parts are able to attract some of the biggest acts in the world and know the importance of supporting the local scene.  
 
MPAP: Radio stations that play certain genres, especially anything metal and hardcore, are few and far between. Is it easy to be heard in Idaho? 

JOE: I actually work for one of those stations haha. Rock 94 ½ out of Spokane, WA plays and books a lot of local bands in the area.  
 
MPAP: The first time you played a show out of state, far away from home, was there something you did that you told yourself you would never do again at the next show? 

JOE: Hahaha… nope, but I’m curious as to where that question could go.  
 
MPAP: What’s next for Moretta, what’s in the crosshairs for you and the band?
 
JOE: We will be releasing a brand-new lyric video for our track "Death Wish" soon… new music video… keep pushing the new album… we actually have our CD release show tomorrow with Every Time I Die, Islander, He Is Legend, and many more (August 5th)…we plan to keep playing, learning, and recording. 
 
MPAP: Before we bring this interview to a close, any last words you’d like to say to the readers and your fans out there? 

JOE: If you’re looking for something with power, that doesn’t just chug the entire time, give us a gander. New album What’s Left Means Nothing is available all the places. Physical CD at www.moretta.bandcamp.com 
 
*Fart noises* 
 
MPAP: On behalf of myself and Metal Pulp And Paper, I’d like to thank you, Joe, for speaking with us and getting to know about Moretta a bit more. Look forward to what Moretta does to finish out 2017 and beyond. 

   


                          



Find Moretta at:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/morettaband
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Morettaband/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moretta_band/

Find Moretta music at: 
Bandcamp: https://twitter.com/morettaband