DEADSHOT. LONG ISLAND, NY
Deadshot from Long Island, NY have only been around for about a year now but have created a good buzz so far opening on various bills, and now releasing their debut titled “Not A Shot” which is now available on CD from 51st State Records. I must have gotten 5 or so texts or in person interactions where people said “Yo, have you checked out them Deadshot kids?” After grabbing a copy of their debut my eyes were opened as they are already a really good band that sound like they have been together for longer than they actually have. I later would meet George and Wes at an Everybody Gets Hurt show on Long Island where the groundwork for this November 2024 interview got started. Read below to get more of their story. All photos supplied by Deadshot.
IE: Who are you, how old are you and what do you do in the band?
George: What up, I’m George Kenniff, I do vocals for the band and I’m 15 years old.
Wes: What’s up I’m Wes Petersen and I play drums and I am 15 years old. Kian Marcus plays guitar and he is 16. Jonah Staab also plays guitar and he is 17. We have a new bassist named Evan Lawston and he is 16.
IE: When did the band form and start practicing?
George: The band formed about a year ago, September ’23 when me and Wes jammed in his basement for the first time, and we have had weekly rehearsals since then.
Wes: We started to jam at the start of 9th grade. We started in my basement playing Metallica but soon wanted to form a hardcore band. We went through a few lineup changes until we found one that worked.
IE: How did you find out about hardcore/metal/punk music? What were some of the first albums you remember getting? What about first shows you attended in person?
George: I was originally into thrash metal music, like Metallica and any big thrash band around at that point (only the older stuff haha). I first learned of hardcore when Wes asked if I wanted to go see a Sick Of It All show in the city, and I said why not. It had Life Of Agony, Pain Of Truth, Outburst, and Regulate. Until recently, I had no idea how star studded of a lineup that was!
Wes: I always liked older metal like Iron Maiden and Metallica, who I’d seen a couple times, but was also into some hardcore. I saw No Redeeming Social Value on my 11th birthday at Amityville Music Hall, and then two years later, I filled in on drums for No Redeeming at the Meadows in Brooklyn when Glen’s wife had a baby, and I was hooked.
IE: Who in the band were the main catalysts for putting Deadshot together and what was the motivation to start a band?
George: It was Wes and I putting it together, I had just picked up guitar and he wanted to start a heavier band than the one he was in. We go to the same school so we met up one day and just talked about making it happen!
Wes: Then George and I started going to hardcore shows together and started to think we could actually do this ourselves. The scene was so much fun… we wanted to become a part of it.
IE: What bands would you say most influenced your sound and style?
George: For sound and style, Pain Of Truth definitely comes to mind, definitely like Mike’s interactivity with the crowd and things like him swinging the mic like a bat. Same could be said for Drain, always trying to keep the crowd immersed in the show even if there are barricades up. Definitely Bayway as well, with Jay’s rapping style and that kind of groove.
Wes: As far as drumming goes, I would say Nick Barker from Pain Of Truth, and Machine Gun Benny from Sunami are who I look up to. I try to do my own thing as well. I love the energy of Everybody Gets Hurt, too. They are as New York as it gets.
IE: You just put out your debut called “Not A Shot”. Was this everyone’s first trip into the recording studio and what was that experience like for you all?
George: I personally loved it. Doing what I love with my good friends and getting to sit on a nice couch and listen to our music in a studio, the whole thing was a ton of fun for me. It felt a little intimidating before I actually just sat down and started playing/singing.
Wes: I have recorded in studios before, but for everyone else, it was their first time. We all loved the experience at Cove City Sound Studios with John Arbuckle and we are happy with the quality of the record.
IE: Your song “Deep Down” has Dean from No RedeemingSocial Value doing guest vocals. How did his appearance come about? How was it working with him?
George: Dean has been a supporter since day one, he’s Wes and Wes’s dad’s friend, and we love listening to NRSV, it was one of the first hardcore bands I ever heard and I thought it was hilarious that this guy was singing about beer and chicken but making it sound dope. Working with him was great, he was super nice and kept telling us how great we sounded, talking to us about bands, and basically got his feature on the first try.
Wes: NRSV is one of my favorite hardcore bands of all time. My dad grew up with Dean and his brother Kent so that’s how I started listening to them. Once we had all of our members ready to record, I asked Dean to sing a part of the song, which he killed. He nailed his verse on the first take which was insane, and overall it was a great experience with him. Chris from Overthrow also did a feature. I met him through Dean.
IE: I have seen you on bills with Fury Of Five, Shelter, and you had Dean from NRSV do some guest vocals as we mentioned. Have you gotten any good advice from older members of the scene? If so from who and what have they told you?
George: I’ve gotten some pretty good advice from older members, it all kind of goes back to one thing, which is just loving what you do and to not to count on making it a career. I’ve been told that when it starts feeling like work, it’s not going to work out too well. This comes from basically anyone I’ve asked.
Wes: All of the older members from bands always tell us to keep writing songs. All any band needs is one good song to be a hit. We are trying to write as many good songs as we can to try to keep going in the scene. Chris from Everybody Gets Hurt told us to stay away from drugs and bad scenes like that.
IE: How many new songs are there outside of the ones on the new EP?
George: We have 2 complete songs outside of the EP… they’re called “No Use” and “Content”, and a few more in the works at the moment.
Wes: We also have a bunch of parts of songs that we keep working on. Lately, our writing is inspired by Turnstile and a little bit of Gorilla Biscuits.
IE: How many shows have you played so far and which has been the best one?
George: We’ve played around 10 shows, and my favorite had to have been the time we opened for Shelter at Amityville Music Hall. It was awesome being able to meet and talk with some NYHC legends, and a few of our friends came out and supported… shout out to Stand Still!
Wes: Although it wasn’t officially our show, Civ invited us on stage to dance at the Bowery Ballroom in the spring. He asked if we were in a band, we told him we were, and then he had us play a song after CIV’s set and before Shelter’s. Our bassist Jonah had only joined the band and learned some of our songs that morning! We owe Civ a big one for that. Good guy.
IE: What are your top 5 favorite records/albums or releases all time even if they aren’t punk/hardcore/metal?
George: My top 5… in no particular order would have to be: Capital “Homefront”, Stand Still “Steps Ascending”, Koyo “Painting Words Into Lines”, Pain Of Truth “Not Through Blood”, Turnstile “Step 2 Rhythm”.
Wes: That’s a tough one. I’d say… NRSV “Wasted For Life”, Everybody Gets Hurt “The Dark Seeds Of Man”, Overthrow “React”, Turnstile “Pressure To Succeed”, CIV “Set Your Goals”.
IE: Five “bucket list” bands that you would love to play with one day?
George: Bucket list bands would definitely be Turnstile… a 2011 set if possible, haha… Koyo, Drain, Angel Du$t, and of course Pain Of Truth.
Wes: I’ll say Everybody Gets Hurt, Gorilla Biscuits, Sunami, Gridiron, and I have to add Pain Of Truth too, because being on a bill with those guys is definitely a goal of ours. We are looking for some shows for the winter and spring if anyone wants to hit us up!
DEADSHOT CRUCIAL LINKS:
