THE BITES – AN INTERVIEW WITH DRUMMER MARK HYLANDER
Photo Credit: Dustin Genereux
By Ralph Beauchamp
The Bites are a four piece rock ensemble based out of LA. Their music merges the excitement and fun of classic rock with contemporary nuances. The Bites offer powerful guitar riffs, dynamic rhythms and soaring vocals. They easily balance raw energy with cinematic hooks. In addition, the band delivers high energy soundscapes and sonic explosions. The Bites know how to rock.
The Bites are comprised of Jordan Tyler (Vocals), Jono Richer (Guitar), Zack Currier (Bass) and Mark Hylander (Drums). Their debut album was Squeeze released in 2023 via Earache Records. They will be releasing their self-titled sophomore full length on Sept. 18th, also on Earache. In the meantime, The Bites dropped their newest single, “Aftertaste”.
“Aftertaste” showcases The Bites core essence. It contains driving guitar work and a brazen arrangement. Tyler’s vocals hit with a vibrant intensity. Richer’s guitar flares with aural fervency. Currier’s bass rocks with bold groves while Hylander’s drums have an edgy snap. The track features an unbridled excitement and a punchy cadence. This is the kind of song you blast as you are driving down the road on a summer day with the windows down. It’s totally infectious.
The Bites‘ combination of classic influences and modern day production gives the band a sound that has universal appeal. They are definitely a group to watch.
Drummer Mark Hylander was kind enough to sit with AMP for this cool interview.
AMP: Your music feels rooted in the golden age of rock while still sounding fresh. How do you balance nostalgia with originality?
MARK: It’s undeniable we’re influenced by rock bands of the late 60s through the 80s, but we also pull inspiration from other artists and acts within that timeline and well outside it. We’re all fans of music in general, and we all listen to genres outside of nostalgic rock, giving us a wider range to pull from, which is immediately evident in our upcoming album.
We don’t put too much thought into trying to capture that golden age sound because it’s rooted in us, having listened to it since we were kids in the backseats of our parents’ cars. To the fresh part of our sound, because we listen to modern music as well, we are subliminally influenced by those sounds, arrangements, and writing techniques which we blend in for a unique twist on both.
AMP: Do riffs, melodies, lyrics or grooves usually come first when you’re writing?
MARK: Truthfully, it depends on the song, and it depends on the day. I’ve had titles and lyrics come to me that I’ve brought to the band that springboarded us forward. We’ve all had riffs and grooves we’ve started with and built songs around those, and sometimes it is just a melody that’s stuck in one of our heads that we develop into a song. We don’t rely on any one method of writing, but we try a variety of options to avoid falling into safe habits.
AMP: What makes a great rock anthem in your opinion?
MARK: What makes a great rock anthem is what makes any hit song: A memorable melody with universally relatable lyrics that you can scream at a concert, in your car, or at karaoke, and everyone is willing to join.
AMP: What aspects of your sound are most important to preserve in the studio?
MARK: We’ve joked that this record is a drum record, and like all humor, there’s a good bit of truth to it. We tracked the drums at East West studios, where many greats have recorded massive records over the last several decades. We really dialed in the sound we wanted (on my vintage Ludwig kit once owned by Bobby Chouinard of Billy Squier) and our producer/engineer, Keith Armstrong, dialed it up to 11.
Beyond that bombastic sound, we also want to capture our finesse on our instruments and vocals. No one plays or sings the way we do, even in an intra-band sense. Whether Jordan is showing Jono a riff, Jono is teaching Jordy a song idea, or I’m pitching a guitar part, what you hear is our specific style, and we made sure to capture that essence on this record.
AMP: Your new single is entitled “Aftertaste” released via Earache Records. Can you give us a little insight into the track?
MARK: So “Aftertaste” is a fun one and, going back to an earlier question about what comes first when writing, is a fun glimpse into one of those methods. The big riff that comes after the intro chorus is something I had been toying with for a couple days at one point and had sent Jordan in a voice memo. From that, he made a skeleton of the rest of the song, plugging in some puzzle pieces of first-verse bits and an early draft of the chorus.
From there, we all got together and filled in the lyrical and melodic gaps up through chorus one, and then wrote out the second verse and second pre-chorus in an afternoon. Jordan had the main idea of “Aftertaste”, which boils down to being in a relationship with the wrong person, even though you love them. That was a story we all were able to connect to immediately, and we each were able to develop the story of our collective protagonist loving a girl who is, to borrow a popular term in the dating world, toxic.
What makes this song special is that relatable story: a lot of people have dated someone they shouldn’t have, and red flags just look like cloth in the wind when you’re wearing rose-colored glasses.
AMP: Which member is most likely to push the band toward trying something unexpected musically?
MARK: Pick a day, and then pick a member. I’ve mentioned here and previously, but we each lived 100 lifetimes between writing Squeeze and then writing The Bites. For this new album, we wanted to pull in those other influences I mentioned, whether it was a more ELO and general 80s pop sound, or pop punk, or a little more blues.
Each one of us put something new and different forward at some point in the record, and we all trusted each other, because at the end of the day, we all want to push ourselves beyond the limits of our writing and performing abilities to something greater that can connect with people at all levels, whether it’s humming along in a store or screaming with us while we’re sprinting and jumping around on stage.
AMP: What do you want your audiences to feel during a The Bites show?
Personally, I want them to feel that for the duration of our set that nothing else matters in the world. No bills. No arguments. And no reports that have to be on your boss’s desk by Friday.
I want people to have catharsis about a past relationship that didn’t work (and that’s okay, it’s for the best) when they hear “Aftertaste”. I want them to feel hopeful about tomorrow when they hear “Hold On”. Also, I want them to want to drive with the windows down when they hear “Tattoo”. We’re writing more about our vulnerabilities, our wants, and our difficult life experiences to give someone else in this world a place to rest. We want people to know that they aren’t alone in what they feel, whatever it may be.
AMP: Are there songs that surprised you by becoming bigger crowd favorites than expected?
MARK: When we wrote Squeeze, we knew the big rockers like “Knockin’ on the Door” or “Dirty City” would get people moving. I personally didn’t see “Do Me a Favor” becoming such a rallying song for the crowds, but I’m happy it did. We built that song into the climax of the set where I had a big drum solo to give the other guys a break and get the crowd raring for more. I’m excited to see which songs off the new album connect in unexpected ways.
AMP: If you could collaborate with any producer from rock history, who would it be and why?
MARK: I think Jeff Lynne would be up there for me, personally. Speaking for the band, I think Roy Thomas Baker, Don Gilmore, and Mutt Lange would be an incredible and invaluable experience.
AMP: Rock music has constantly evolved over the decades. Where do you see The Bites fitting into that ongoing story, and what do you want your musical legacy to be?
MARK: I see us being the band people go to see to be a part of something somewhat forgotten. Music is meant to make you feel something, and we want people to move, dance, and sing with us at every stage. It used to be that people would get together and look for bands playing in their area to go see and connect with other people.
I’m not entirely sure why we lost that along the way, but I want that to be a part of our legacy. I want people to come to our shows because they know they’re not only going to hear catchy songs that resonate, but that they’ll meet people who can become lifelong friends throughout it all. I want people to feel like they’re missing out on something esoterically special if they’re not at the show.
Beyond that, I want our legacy to be catchy, anthemic songs that blend rock and other genres into musical juggernauts that people 10-20 years after will listen to and want to play along to.
Views: 0
