Following the release of the brand new single and video Lose It All, we caught up with artist Toxsick to find out more about the music, the artist name, the song-writing process, and plenty more. Here’s how it went.
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Hey – thank you for the interview, powerful new single and video. What can you tell us about this release – how did the collaboration with Andrew come to be, and what does the song represent for you?
Andrew and I are cousins. We started doing music in 2007/2008 and after all these years we took an old idea and breathed new life into it after taking it back to the drawing board.
The track is incredibly emotive, from the delicacy of your verse vocal to the explosive contrast of this infectious electro-pop hook. Is this typical of your sound and style, or does the concept of each new track dictate which direction you’ll take it in?
It is a song very dear to my heart. This particular sound developed by the mood/headspace we were in. I cant say everything in the future will or will not be in the same vein. It’s kind of Whatever the Song/mood calls for and what emotions are flowing that day.
Just for those who don’t know – how long have you been making music, and what does the artist name Toxsick encapsulate for you?
I have been making music all my life. I have been in a touring rock band called Blue Felix since 2003 and before that i was making songs on a Tascam 4 track As a teen. The name Toxsick comes from my auto immune disease. I have a condition where my body produces too much histamine and I have swelling spells if I don’t take my medication. It started randomly in my mid 20’s and for 2 years no doctor could explain. They said it was idiopathic and that I was basically toxic to my own body.
In my years as a mechanic in the shop when the spells first started happening, my mentor/great friend Randy Darling (RIP) use to say I looked like the “toxic avenger” when I would still be putting in 50+ hrs a week as a mechanic while certain extremities would be painfully swollen. Over time everyone caught on and I was known as “toxic” around the shop and by the parts delivery guys. So the name has always stuck. I adapted the new spelling a few years later.
How did the video-making process compare to that of writing and recording – how do you decide what the visuals need to represent, and what do you hope people take away from the experience?
I wanted the video to invoke emotion. Smiles, tears, joy and sadness while being inspirational at the same time. Andrew and I dialled in the visuals over the course of a few weeks and he shot it near our hometown.
Looks like you’re a fellow guitar player – is this your go-to when writing, and what does a live show from you generally entail?
I love playing guitar. I’m not technically good, but I feel I’m pretty good at bringing out the emotion of simple chords. It does help with the writing process as well.
Playing and singing is very therapeutic for me. A live show with Blue Felix, is over the top, visually explosive with full production, that I only frontman in (no guitar). However in my own time I do a lot of low key singer songwriter gigging locally as a solo artist.
As far as future shows as Toxsick, I may add a live guitar performance on a song or two. Anything is possible!
What’s your plan creatively over the coming months and years as an artist?
My plan is to create, inspire, and keep on keeping on as much as I can before I leave this earth. My goal is to release 4-6 singles per year and also some videos. I also build custom rat-rod cars and make Custom clothes for myself and for hire.
I also just finished filming in an indie film called I Am Hell that I built the entire set, costumes, co-starred and helped create the music for. To be released in the coming months. Ultimately, my goal is to just keep on living through my art. Whichever medium I’m using, it’s always an expression of myself.
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Check out Toxsick on Instagram.
