Can you tell us about the origin of the band name, a history of the band and a little bit about the various members?

Sure, so this is a solo project for me, and one that has really come together in the last 5 years. It started out as originally titled “Warstead” and I recorded an EP and an album under that name. In 2022, it was changed to “Brand Slogan” and I’ve recorded 2 Ep’s and a full album as “Brand Slogan”. In the bands I played in over the years (guitar and bass), I was always also writing music and lyrics. But in 2018, I started to write songs that seemed to have a throughline in theme. It felt more personal and therapeutic. Sonically too, I was playing music that was more influenced by the alternative metal/rock, emo and shoegaze bands I grew up listening to. The name “Brand Slogan” and really the songs are a response to how society has changed (or mutated) in the US and how we have become such a divided and uber-capitalist monster. The rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer and just feeling this disconnect. At the same time, and especially during the pandemic, we just become more introverted and closed off into a bubble. I just felt “Brand Slogan” encapsuled the time we live in where everyone feels the need to sell themselves as a “business” with a “brand” and a “slogan” and become more selfish and less giving. One of the best tools we use to communicate and connect is music, and I wanted to put this anger and frustration into these songs, but also as a way to reach others who might feel the same way. I was also going through a lot of anxiety personally, so the music was a way to help me dig out. At the same time, I also was stretching out with other instruments like drums and synth and singing more. I felt I had more tools to work with in the music and with my anxiety.

Are you all from the same area? How did you get together as a band?

Well, being just me this time, It wasn’t that hard this time to get the band together, hahaha. I’m from just outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and have always played music in bands from this area. I live with some of the best rock critics on earth; my wife (also a singer) and my two kids. The kids usually sing my songs back to me in a mocking tone, but my wife always gives me good notes on my vocals.

Who are your favourite artists/bands and how have they influenced your own sound? 

A ton of bands that I grew up listening to and a few newer ones. I would say my top 3 favorites are Deftones, Sunny Day Real Estate and Soundgarden. It is strange how I write and it’s never in the same way song-to-song, but I hear their influence once I am done. Sonically with Deftones and Soundgarden and lyrically with Sunny Day. I have also been influenced by 90’s synth and electronic music like Depeche Mode, NIN and New Order and also newer Synthwave like Gunship and Carpenter Brut. Some of the heaviest music I listen to like Lamb of God, Slipknot and Loathe comes through too. It’s all in the soup. Even with my kids playlists, you listen to them enough, you start to hear Dua Lipa and Bruno Mars in your own songs.

Did you always have the ambition to be a musician and in a band or did you originally have other plans?  

I grew up playing violin from an early age. I learned through the Suzuki method, where you develop and eventually play music by ear. Once I became a teenager, I wanted to quit violin and move on to guitar, and that is when I joined my first band. I always came back to violin and also wanted to learn any instrument I could get my hands on. I started to write songs more when I met my wife in college and we played as a band since. I have felt like I have been a musician since I was a kid, and art and music are so intertwined in my life, I couldn’t live without it.

What songs or albums are on your current playlist?

Right now, Royal Blood’s new one “Back to the Water Below” and Bad Nerves EP (because I just saw them both live last week). Also, my friend’s band “feedtherightwolf” excellent debut EP. The new Hives album and “Memento Mori” from Depeche Mode. Also, the new Slowdive album. My current playlist is also sprinkled with some older cuts from Catherine Wheel (‘Chrome” is one of my favourite albums) and early Deftones and QOOSA.

Do you sing in the shower?

I hum a lot. I am usually humming a melody that is stuck in my head. If I feel like it’s a good one, I make it a quick shower and jump out and make a voice memo. That is usually how these songs begin.

Do you have any plans for the band for this year and into next year?

I am always working on new music, so a new full album could be coming by early 2024. I also plan to put out a new music video for “Stay Inside” (off my new “Variants” EP) by this winter. By next year, I hope I can start to develop a live show for Brand Slogan and rope in some of my musician friends to make this more of a live band. My best friend also happens to be the best drummer I know, so hoping he can help me out to play these songs live soon.

Do you currently have any new songs/albums ready to be released?

I am putting the finishing touches on a new song “Scanners”, which could be the lead single to a new full-length LP. I plan to release this single by the end of fall.

If you could play at any venue in the world where would you choose?

I’m an east-coast kid, so I have to go with Madison Square Garden. But if I can cheat and add a second choice, I’d say also Royal Albert Hall, since Zeppelin played one of their legendary shows there and it’s such a unique and beautiful space.

Do you have a favourite album? If so, what is it?

I have 3 and they are:

Soundgarden- “Badmotorfinger”, Sunny Day Real Estate- “Diary” and Deftones- “Around the Fur”.

Do you have any guilty pleasure songs/albums?

I don’t really feel guilty about listening to a lot of different styles. I can’t stand “Bro-Country” music but I love a lot of old school country music, classical music and Hip Hop. There are some amazing Pop songs that have come out in the past decade that I jam out too. I get the most pleasure out of Rock and Metal, but I love a good pop song. I really like Dua Lipa’s new one for the Barbie movie. I used to listen to Miley Cyrus’s “Party in the USA” on repeat. Caroline Polachek is making some amazing Pop music right now. I also love a good rock stadium anthem, and I think Foo Fighters are the kings of those epic rock songs. Such an amazing live band too.

If you were putting together the greatest show on earth, who would be playing?

The ghosts of Bonzo, Chris Cornell and Layne Staley would have to return for this one. It would be Deftones, Soundgarden and Alice in Chains opening up for Led Zeppelin (playing all of their albums in chronological order) for 3 nights at the Royal Albert Hall.

Can you remember the first album you bought with your own money? What was it and do you still have it?

 This is going to get weird and also age me a little bit. The first album I bought with my own money was a cassette, and it was Michael Jackson narrating the ET soundtrack. Absolutely bonkers! He would have conversations with ET (“ET Phone Home…”) throughout the album and there would be the cinematic music from the movie throughout. I don’t have that cassette (or my stuffed ET doll anymore), but a few years ago I found it again on Vinyl, and it is even more magical than what I remembered.

As your fans will be reading this, is there any message you would like to send out to them?   

Well, I just want to thank those who have listened to my albums, and I really hope that these songs connect and help in some way. Be 100% unapologetically you, don’t take s**t from anybody, get weird, stay curious (as my grandfather used to say), and all bullies can f**k right off!

Finally, let us know all your social media sites so your fans, old and new, can find and follow/like you! 

 The website is brandsloganmusic.com, but you can also find all album/EP links on brandslogan.hearnow.com. You can follow Brand Slogan on Spotify and all digital/streaming services. You can also follow Brand Slogan on Instagram (@brand.slogan) and on YouTube and TikTok under “Damon Kardon” (lots of music videos).

We, at The Metal Asylum, would like to thank you for your time. Is there is anything further that you would like to add?  

Just thanks for the time and I appreciate The Metal Asylum and your community of bands and fans. Sending love from Philly!

This interview is the property of The Metal Asylum