Telltale
Telltale
Richmond, VA
I love supporting local bands and these guys are a few miles up Route 95 from where I am. These guys rock hard and if you check out their artist page on Spotify, they’re “perfecting the recipe of saccharine sentiment and self-awareness.” Listening to their music, I couldn’t have said it any better.
They have some great songs and some impressive stats on Spotify with Rose being streamed over 4 million times.
We had a great chat and I hope you listen to their music and enjoy today’s interview.
Ian: Thanks for letting me feature you on Audio Angst! Before we get into all the questions, tell everyone who you are and where you’re from.
Telltale: Hey Ian! Thanks so much for having us on. My name is Tim Fogg and I play bass in Telltale. We’re an alternative rock/pop punk band from the suburbs of Richmond, Virginia.
Ian: How did you all meet and how long have you been playing together?
Band: We actually met in 2014 when we all played in other bands in the local Richmond/Virginia Beach scene. Our previous groups ended up disbanding so we formed Telltale together in March 2017 and the rest is history. We’ve been playing together the past 6+ years.
Ian: You guys are definitely on the harder side of what I normally listen to. It’s great because you really give a refreshing sound to my playlists and great music to throw on in the gym or whenever I just want to rock out. How would you describe your sound?
Band: I’d describe our sound as self deprecating alternative rock. We pull from a variety of different influences including metalcore, classic rock, grunge, and pop punk so once you combine all of those elements, you get Telltale haha. Some of our notable influences include Counterparts, The 1975, Led Zeppelin, Basement, The Story So Far, Green Day, and Rage Against The Machine.
Ian: My favorite songs are Rose, Letting Go and Dazy. Do you have any stories or “behind the scenes” things you can tell us about any of those? (if you don’t but any of these but you do a different song, let me know and I’ll include the song name above)
Band: We appreciate that Ian, those are definitely some of our favorite tracks as well too. We can dive into Rose a bit - that was actually one of the first tracks we ever wrote, even before we had signed to SharpTone back in 2018. We were able to build the Timeless Youth EP around that track and I think it helped set the foundation for who we wanted to be as a band at the time. I think collectively Rose is our favorite song to play live just because so many people connect with the lyrics and end up singing it back to us.
Ian: I don’t think that I’ve ever heard of any pop punk bands coming from the Richmond, VA scene. What’s the overall scene like in the area and how did you guys find your niche in it?
Band: Our scene here in Richmond is very close knit. We all grew up cutting our teeth playing house venues and that eventually blossomed into a very thriving DIY community that we’re still very connected to. Richmond veterans like Broadside, Conditions, and Race The Sun really laid the foundation for this newer wave of pop rock/alt artists such as ourselves to succeed. Special shoutout to our friends in House & Home, belated, and Zach Benson - all artists from Richmond that we encourage you to check out.
Ian: So you guys were busy in 2022. Your EP came out in March in addition to other songs as singles. Did you have time to do anything else in 2022?! What else were you up to?
Band: We were indeed pretty busy in 2022 haha. We did a short album release tour for our EP Lie Your Way Out in June and then followed that up with a two week tour with Rarity that included a stop in Michigan for Excellency Music Fest. We rounded the year out with our annual Holiday Show in Richmond with our friends in Savage Hands. We’ve all been diligently writing and preparing various demos though for our upcoming LP so it’s definitely been a grind this year as we round back into pre-pandemic form.
Ian: Any big plans for 2023? Hitting the road, or studio or both?
Band: Funny you should ask, Ian! We actually just booked studio time with Alan Day of Four Year Strong to record our debut LP. We’ll be going up to Massachusetts in March for about three weeks to create the next chapter of Telltale. Aside from that, we have a short tour in February with this really cool band called Rightfield that we’re looking forward to. We’re working on some other tours for later in the year that will span across the country, but we can’t share the fine details just yet haha.
Reader Questions
Ian: I have a couple reader questions to ask you guys:
If you could play/work w/anyone, who would it be & why? You’ve collaborated with some pretty cool artists like Crooked Teeth and Honey Revenge, who would be your dream guest-artist on one of your tracks?
Band: Oooof this is such a hard question! I know this answer would vary depending on which member of the band you asked, but I would personally love to work with Tom Morello of Rage Against The Machine. He’s extremely innovative in his song writing and has created some of the most iconic rock riffs in history. I think he brings an interesting and refreshing perspective to rock music and he’s someone I’d love to collaborate with if given the opportunity.
Ian: Other than your hometown, what's been favorite city (or cities) to play?
Band: We really enjoy playing in Orlando and Phoenix. Both of those cities have treated us like family since we first started touring and we have made a ton of new friends in those markets so I’d have to say those two cities.
Support Telltale
Ian: It’s been great to get to know you more and hear about all the exciting things you have going on. Where can readers find you so that they stay up to date with all the great stuff you're doing
Band: You can stay up to date with Telltale on our social media channels! We’re on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok, etc. You can find us at @telltalerva on all platforms.
Follow Telltale on the Socials
Spotify
Upcoming Pop Punk Releases
2/14/2023- (YESTERDAY!!) My Nightmares by KIPSY (Boston, MA)
2/17/2023- Winter Hill by Stay Safe (Manchester, England)
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