We checked in with Skeletal Remains’ Chris Monroy and Court Order’s Ace on how they spent 2020, what they learned, and their thoughts and hopes for what 2021 will hold, as part of our New Year’s Evolutions Series!
Chris Monroy – Skeletal Remains
Chris Monroy of Skeletal Remains misses the road, but might have added some years to his life with all of the fast food he’s skipped.
I hardly ever get to take a break like this from touring, because we usually do at least 2-3 tours a year with the band, sometimes more.
I took advantage of it and focused on my family and worked on myself, trying to eat cleaner. It’s usually fast food most of the time on the road, so that shit takes a toll on you, that and just trying to be more active.
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Skeletal Remains actually just started writing new material for our next release. We figured we should just keep writing to try and stay active since there isn’t really much we can do at the moment.
We did a bit of jamming when we could, but for the most part it was just writing material and ideas from home and sharing them with each other via email.
I’ve been busy, as having two kids takes up a lot of my time, as well as having a full- time job that kept me pretty busy. I had to keep my job for longer than usual because usually I would have to quit to go on tour and then find another job when we stopped touring to be able to cover the bills.
The only thing I’m gonna be doing this year if it continues the same way as last year, is writing new music for our next release. Even if this pandemic were to continue for the next 5-10 years, I will still continue being a musician. Even if it means not being able to play live shows and only online streaming events, I will still continue to write/release new music. There was definitely a lot of support for the (new) record so we were really grateful about that, but I can’t wait for shows to come back so we can get back to touring. It sucks releasing a record and not being able to tour it.
Ace – Court Order
At the start of 2020, Court Order finished tracking their EP, Court Order, and were ready to deliver a blistering set with revamped production as they lined up the biggest shows in the band’s career. Instead, they watched them all get cancelled. They sat on a massive merch inventory to hustle at shows with no strategy besides an online store to move it.
March in New York got intense super fast, and the band rushed to film a live performance playing the new set not knowing when they’d be able to get together again. Everything closed instantly and at the time the media made it feel like it’d be this way forever.
In May when the protests started to spill out into the streets of Brooklyn, it was nice to see people gathering, providing hope that Court Order would someday be able to perform to massive crowds again, after months of isolation. If you go to the band’s YouTube and watch the live set, you can sense the climate of their community in the rushed urgency of the performance.
Court Order quickly recovered and was more productive in 2020 than ever. All of 2019 was spent on the road and getting to new markets to spread the band’s positive message, but without being able to perform, Court Order began to curate its brand strategically while at home and in the studio. The band focused on enhancing its songwriting process and became more patient with its output and put emphasis on creative visuals.
“Court Order focused on what we could control, and we tried to get our voices heard on as many podcasts, magazines and blogs for ads and features as we could,” says Ace, drummer & co founder of the band. The band continued to deliver new merch designs and connected with their fans in new ways, while working to identify their primary objectives.
Aside from the live set, Court Order filmed the video for “Poor Excuse,” a song that’s appropriately about overcoming anxiety, and marketed the campaign for the Court Order EP and put an emphasis on their store. The support from their fans has left the band stunned and they managed to sell all of their inventory, donating a month’s worth of proceeds to the George Floyd Memorial Fund.
In August, Court Order recorded a two- song single titled “Split Between A Dream And A Failure” and partnered with Bloodblast Distribution and filmed its accompanying video.
“The song highlights the duality of emotions we experienced during this era; once being self-validated and at our best, and then suddenly so low when the world instantly closed right in front of us,” explains Ace.
Court Order also signed a deal with Extreme Management Group to help navigate this strange time for the band.
Court Order also tracked ten demos for an upcoming full- length that was outlined in December as they shacked up in a rented house in Elizabeth, NJ for a week.
Without being able to get together in person as often as they’d like, the band learned new ways of sharing information digitally from afar before getting together in a room like they’re used to, and it enhanced the songwriting process and allowed Court Order to develop new skills with technology that were never utilized in the band’s writing process prior.
“The new songs focus on mental health and how toxic continuous negative thought pattern are on a person’s well- being and path to survival. With much of our world at a standstill and the inability to travel without consequence, it’s concerning to see what people stuck at home with a lack of liberties are going through,” says Ace. “Many are privileged and have thrived in this climate. But many have not, and global empathy has just been entirely lacking.” The band hopes to complete the record before 2021 is a wrap.
“2020 taught us to stay focused on our dreams and pursue our passion with intensity. It also forced us to have conversations with each other about subjects we otherwise never would have an opportunity to discuss when all we worried about was when’s the next show and which town we’re headed to next. It definitely brought us closer together and made us a better band in the studio, but also a better team and better people, so that when the time comes to hit the pavement again, we’ll be more unified and patient with each other.”
Image courtesy of Court Order.
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