As Beartooth celebrated the release of their fifth studio album, The Surface, on Friday, Oct. 13, frontman Caleb Shomo admitted he’s still kind of shocked the band has lasted this long.
“It’s a surreal feeling,” he told Chuck Armstrong on Loudwire Nights the night the album came out.
As he reflected on the earlier days of Beartooth and the release of their debut EP, Sick — on which Shomo handled all vocal duties, played every instrument and produced, mixed and mastered it — he admitted it was never his plan to see Beartooth grow.
“I was choosing to make sure this wasn’t going to be a thing. That was kind of the point. I had done a whole run with my previous band, Attack Attack!, and I was still a young buck. I was like 19 years old and I wanted to be a music producer.”
Even so, Shomo did some live shows as Beartooth early on and the response was too much to ignore.
“It’s not what I expected. I’m not mad about it. I’ll take it.”
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As Shomo thought about Beartooth’s growth over the years, Chuck also asked him what it’s like regularly being mentioned in conversations about the future of rock and roll; peers like Papa Roach‘s Jacoby Shaddix are not shy to heap praise on Shomo and Beartooth.
“It’s a hard pill to swallow,” Shomo admitted. “I’ve been quite active over the years to try to stay out of any spotlight. I’m not very good at social media. I love to tour, but it’s hard for me to put myself out there.”
He admitted that he’s reached a point, though, where he’s able to recognize the success of Beartooth and get excited about what they’re doing as a band.
“I’ve decided, if people are listening to what I’m saying, I want to just say something that’s worth their time and that I think really matters.”
The earlier days of Beartooth found Shomo singing about exactly what was happening in his life — and he knows that could get pretty dark, heavy and negative. Today, however, he explained that he feels like he’s on a new journey.
READ MORE: Hardy Discusses New Song With Beartooth + Dream Collaboration
“[It’s about] trying to take care of yourself and learn what self-love means and all of that. It’s hard to put into words but at the end of the day, it’s just an honor to be able to bring anything to the music scene — I just love rocking and I love playing shows. I love going nuts up there. I love singing. I love playing guitar. I love drums. All that. I get to do my true favorite thing in the world.”
As those words came out of his mouth, Shomo was quick to add, “Thank you to everybody who has been behind us, that let us do this … It’s an honor to be able to do what I love.”
What Else Did Beartooth’s Caleb Shomo Discuss on Loudwire Nights?
- Why he loves Sevendust and what it’s like watching them perform live
- How he got hooked up with Hardy and what his experience was like working with him on “The Better Me”
- What fans can expect from Beartooth in 2024
Listen to the Full Interview in the Podcast Player Below
Caleb Shomo joined Loudwire Nights on Friday, Oct. 13; the show replays online here, and you can tune in live every weeknight at 7PM ET or on the Loudwire app; you can also see if the show is available on your local radio station and listen to interviews on-demand. Stream The Surface at this location and then check out Beartooth’s full tour schedule.
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