THE FREQUENCY CONSPIRACY, the new project by 24-7 Spyz, Seventrain, Shockhead drummer, Joel Maitoza – featuring members of Last in Line, Lynch Mob, Raven, Pat Travers Band, Tyketto and many others – released worldwide their debut album titled “Quarantine Covers” on January 1st, 2022 (New Years Day) through So Cal Records / Alliance Entertainment.

Just recently we sat down with Joel Maitoza to talk about the debut album “Quarantine Covers”.

1. Why did you decide to name your new project The Frequency Conspiracy?

A number of years ago, I read an article about the frequency conspiracy and it intrigued me (although I’m not really into conspiracy theories in general). In a nutshell, standard instrument tuning is 440 which was standardized in 1953. If you tune the A string to 432, it’s known to have more healing properties, easier to listen to and more in tune with nature. It was suggested that the monopolization of the music industry features this imposed frequency (440) that is ‘herding’ populations into greater aggression, psychosocial agitation, and emotional distress predisposing people to physical illnesses and financial impositions profiting the agents, agencies, and companies engaged in the monopoly.

2. What inspired you to record an album of cover songs?

When the pandemic hit, bands stopped touring and the world basically shut down. I decided to contact some musicians I’ve always wanted to work with and record an album of cover tunes with a hard rock/metal vibe. The songs are some “hand-picked” favorites of mine that I thought everyone involved could have some fun with and the fans would enjoy hearing.

3. How did The Frequency Conspiracy project come about?

It all started releasing two videos in 2020 featuring Last in Line/Lynch Mob vocalist Andrew Freeman and it just took off from there. I recorded the drum tracks in the studio by myself without any music. Just a click track and the arrangement in my head. Then I sent the tracks out to the individual musicians I wanted to have perform on the songs. The artists recorded their parts in their own home studios and sent the files back to me. It was really cool to hear how each musician interpreted and performed their parts. The songs just evolved. The creative process was absolutely fascinating and I think we captured some amazing performances on this album.

4. Why did you want to work with a bunch of different musicians instead of just forming a new band?

I kind of took a chapter from the Steely Dan playbook and didn’t want the same musicians playing on every song. I could distinctly hear each chosen artist performing each song in my head prior to recording the track. It took some time to figure out who would play on what, but I think everyone did a great job working together and making their individual parts fit like a glove.

5. What was the biggest challenge in making this record?

Individual tracks (sound files) and mixing. It’s much more cohesive when the entire band is all working together in the studio and bouncing ideas off each other. This was a bit more difficult because the individual tracks were recorded in various studios all over the world so the overall mix of each song sounds a little different, even though the engineer and I tried our best to keep everything consistent.

6. Are you planning on touring at all?

Not at this point. If the album starts to take off, a few of the musicians that played on the album have already agreed to do a short run of dates in the US. Nothing is set in stone yet, but I have been receiving some show offers scheduled for summer 2022. It also depends on the pandemic. We’ll see.

7. What’s the future of the new project?

I plan on releasing a couple of more videos to promote this album and have a few radio interviews scheduled. I’ve also been working on an album of original material which I hope to release in early 2023, but no release date is scheduled yet. I’m not sure if I’ll record another “covers” album, but I really enjoyed recording this one and had a blast working with everyone involved.

“Quarantine Covers” Tracks listing:

1. Carry On Wayward Son
   • Feat. Christophe Godin – Guitars / Jaimie Scott – Bass / Andrew Freeman – Vocals / Joel Maitoza – Drums
2. Hell Bent for Leather
   • Feat. John Gallagher – Vocals, Bass / Joshua Jones – Guitars / Joel Maitoza – Drums
3. Locked Out of Heaven
   • Feat. Jason (JMR) Richardson – Vocals, Guitars / David Pastorius – Bass / Joel Maitoza – Drums
4. Words Get in the Way
   • Feat. Craig Soderberg – Guitars, Vocals, Keys / Jaimie Scott – Bass / Joel Maitoza – Drums
5. Rock Candy
   • Feat. Joshua Jones – Guitars / Andrew Freeman – Vocals / Rick Skatore – Bass / Joel Maitoza – Drums
6. Turning Japanese
   • Feat. Craig Soderberg – Guitars, Vocals, Keys / Jaimie Scott – Bass / Joel Maitoza – Drums
7. Shapes of Things
   • Feat. Jason (JMR) Richardson – Vocals / Joshua Jones – Guitars / Miguelon Rodriguez – Bass / Joel Maitoza – Drums
8. Sailing
   • Feat. Craig Soderberg – Guitars, Vocals, Keys / Jaimie Scott – Bass / Joel Maitoza – Drums
9. Life in the Fast Lane
   • Feat. Craig Soderberg – Guitars / Miguelon Rodriguez – Bass / Joey McCaw – Vocals / Joel Maitoza – Drums

Joel explains, “When the pandemic hit, bands stopped touring and the world shut down. I decided to contact some musicians I’ve always wanted to work with and record an album of cover tunes with a hard rock/metal vibe. The songs are some “hand-picked” favorites of mine that I thought everyone involved could have some fun with and the fans would enjoy hearing. It all started releasing two videos in 2020 featuring Last in Line/Lynch Mob vocalist Andrew Freeman and it just took off from there. I recorded the drum tracks in the studio by myself without any music, just a click track and the arrangement in my head. Then I sent the tracks out to the individual musicians I wanted to have perform on the songs. The artists recorded their parts in their own home studios and sent them back to me. It was really cool to hear how each musician interpreted and performed their parts and the songs just evolved. The creative process was absolutely fascinating and I think we captured some amazing performances on this album.”

Watch “Quarantine Covers” Promo Video:

Also check out the earlier released cover version singles:
‘Carry on Wayward Son’ by KANSAS – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdrbcunU4do
‘Rock Candy’ by MONTROSE – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlD9yzVTkco

The album was recorded at Exum Studios by Scott Exum (Stabbing Westward, Unwritten Law), Room 9 Studios by Jerry Whiting, DML Studios by Don Lithgow (RIP) and AJP Studios by Alex Pappas (Finch).

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