In conversation with Kyle Ransom of The Tomb Tones

Having just re-released their first album "Pumpkin Guts", completely remixed, reworked, with a plethora of exciting extras, Sarah recently sat down with Kyle Ransom of THE TOMB TONES.With smooth vocals, rockin' moves and the kind of spooky vibes that would not only soothe the Creep himself, but would most definitely be on Elvira's playlist they discuss deceased mill workers, the makings of "Ghost Of Toast" and the last meal he ate! Order / Listen Here: https://thetombtones.com/pumpkin-guts/

© Jawdropper Studios

Sarah - Vibing Media: Please start off by introducing yourselves, where are you from, when you started playing as The Tomb Tones (were you in bands together before?), Who plays which instrument? Do you have a primary song writer or mix it up between yourselves?

Kyle Ransom - The Tomb Tones: We're The Tomb Tones from Atlanta, GA. I'm Kyle Ransom, lead singer and guitarist, our bassist is Carl Sin and drummer Brent Cognito. We've officially been an act since October 2017, but we have a long history of playing in various bands together, all the way back to our High school's Jazz combo 20 years ago.

I typically write a rough draft of a songs idea through temp, lyrics and melody. I record a demo for the guys and then we arrange the music as a group and fine tune things together. It's very much a collaborative process- sometimes the finished song sounds almost nothing like the demo!

Vibing Media: What and/or who influences The Tomb Tones musically and lyrically?

Kyle: Musical influences for us are kind of all over the map... there are sprinklings of old country, classic punk, grunge, new wave and, of course, novelty Halloween music. Wanda Jackson, B-52's, Ramones, Buddy Holly, Screaming Lord Sutch, The Cramps and many others I could go on about. Lyrically, I'd say Ray Stevens is one of my biggest influences, I love his comedic storytelling.

Vibing Media: What influences you most when it comes to horror? Is there a particular genre or movie that inspires you? You mentioned the comedy aspect but I feel like you guys have a darker side. What horror inspires you personally?

Kyle: Personally, I love a broad range of horror media, but the bands specific influences tend to lean into the kitchy, retro stuff. Elvira is a huge inspiration, but also Goosebumps books, The Munsters, Scooby-Doo, Tales From The Crypt, Hocus Pocus, even the old Pizza Hut Halloween commercials. There is a certain campy wholesomeness in these properties that I think a lot of people have a deep nostalgic fondness for, but it has been a bit lost in recent years. The genre has taken a shift towards becoming more violent, more "gritty", more viscerally scary and it has been at the expense of some of the wonder and magic of Halloween, and that is what we are trying to (re)capture.

Vibing Media: Can you give us a rundown of The Tomb Tones releases to date?

Kyle: Yes, absolutely! Our first release was December 31st 2017 called "New Years Evil" which was a three song demo. Next was "Valentines Day Double Feature", a two song release in February 2018.

Then we wrote and recorded our first album "Pumpkin Guts" which originally came out in October 2020 and is currently undergoing a slight rework for a re-release which will include re-recorded versions of the old demos. Then there is "Ghost Of Toast" that landed this past June.

Vibing Media: Funny you should mention that... Ghost Of Toast has a great and humourous story running alongside the album. The ill-fated story of poor Bill Higgins. Which came first the story (and album title) or the songs? Was it always the plan to have a wraparound tale for "Ghost Of Toast"?

Kyle: We arrived at the album concept in a kind of roundabout way; originally the album was just going to be called "The Tomb Tones In Hi-fi Scary-O", and we had started recording the songs at home during Covid. At one point while dreaming up album art ideas, I threw the words "Ghost Of Toast" on a draft as a joke for the guys- this was the name of a "fake" punk band Brent and I had used at our high school talent show in the early 00's. The guys loved it and we decided to lean fully into it. I started on new artwork around the concept and when I saw what the art was turning into, I was inspired to write and soundscape a story as the open and closing poems in a Vincent Price-esq gag. So the story concept actually came together very close to the end of the album production and we just pivoted to work it together.

The idea of a commercial for the company Bill worked at struck me as we were almost ready to release, but I felt we needed a way to revisit the narrator as a "late night horror host" and also to add some extra humour and much needed meat (no pun intended) to Bill's story. I spent a spare day writing and recording that at home and I think it makes a big difference in the albums pacing.

Vibing Media: I feel like there is a bit of an underlying Halloween III: Season Of The Witch vibe here too. Do you think there will be a continuation of Bill's story or The Miracle bread Co?

Kyle: I can absolutely see that comparison with Halloween III! There are definitely some parallels with the childlike melody and poking fun at consumption and the capitalism of Halloween merchandise. No shade truly intended though, I love going on a good Halloween shopping haul, it's therapeutic.

I wouldn't say never, but I'd be surprised if we revisit Bill. There would have to be a new angle and I'd prefer to focus on keeping it fresh. Maybe as an easter egg down the line.

Vibing Media: Talk us through a few of the tracks on "Ghost Of Toast", what they mean to you, are any about a particular experience or person... "Jumpy", for example? Did you always have "Wormhole" down as a single for the album? This is probably a dumb question, but as it is my favourite song, what exactly is "Googly Eyes" about?

Kyle: "Jumpy" is absolutely an ode to my wife, Melissa. if I don't announce myself when I walk in a room I will scare the crap out of her when she finally realizes I'm there (even if I'm not intending to scare her). I'm a bit the same way though, easy to sneak up on! I figure it's a pretty universal experience! Or maybe we both just have horrible anxiety and spacial awareness.

"Wormhole" I think we knew would be the lead single early on. It stands well on its own as a track that has a good rocking groove and is a bit more versatile than some of our sillier songs. That song has been in formation much longer than the band existed, I first wrote an early draft of it in 2006 I think!! I tried recording it myself several times and just could never get it to feel right. That's one of the reasons I love being in the band with my guys, they bring their own flavour and talent that brings ideas to life that I could never achieve on my own.

Glad to hear that about "Googly Eyes"! We gotten a lot of positive feedback on that one, which I'm very happy about as we weren't sure whether it was a good fit for the album or how it would play for our typical crowd. It's not fast, it's not punk and there is very little distortion. so I'm very glad to hear that many have called it their favourite. That type of response gives us the confidence to do weirder and zanier things outside of genre bounds. It's not about anything or anyone per se. I knew we wanted that Ricky Nelson/Dion 60's high school dance type sound and then the song kind of wrote itself when I challenged myself to come up with as many rhymes for "eyes" as I could.

Vibing Media: Where did you record "Ghost Of Toast"? How long did it take from start to finish and who is responsible for the extra instruments on the album?

Kyle: We recorded "Ghost Of Toast" primarily at home during Covid. We did get some help with drums from our friend Patrick Egan who has a recording rig at his house. Everything else was done in each individuals home. I would record guitar and vocal parts and then Dropbox them to Carl who mixed everything.

Most of the keyboard parts I did myself as they were some of the last things we recorded for the final touches. The saxophone solo on "Mr. Babadookie" was played by our friend Sean McFarland from the Atlanta band, Taj Motel Trio.

Vibing Media: Your cover of "Come On, Lets Go" originally by Ritchie Valens is a great showcase of your style and I love how you've given it more life by making it faster. Was this your intention? Did you have that song specifically in mind to cover and are there more plans to give other 50'/60's Rock N Roll bands a horrorpunk twist?

Kyle: That song has a fun story. Our first public performance was at a local event called Hollyfest put on by the Star Community Bar and Andy Hawley, where each band plays 3 or 4 songs by Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens or the Big Bopper. So we learned "Come On" and a handful of others for the event. We really liked how well that one meshed with our sound and it's become a regular set closer for us. So we knew we wanted it on this album. There are several 'tribute' events like this in Atlanta, one for the Ramones, one for Johnny Cash and a few others. So we've kind of developed a repertoire of classics through playing these community showcase events. I'd love to do a full album of twisted covers!

Vibing Media: What is next for The Tomb Tones?

Kyle: Right now I'm working on a re-release of our first album "Pumpkin Guts" which will have a few new tracks. That's coming out soon, but we wanted to give "Ghost Of Toast" a chance to breathe. We've also recorded a fun spooky cover with horrorpunk artist Jess-O-Lantern, which I cant wait to release (hopefully this October). Our big upcoming shows are the Little 5 Points Halloween Parade in downtown Atlanta on October 22nd, and the MarksterCon Vampire Ball in Savannah, GA on November 3rd. We've got nearly a full album of new material written as well, so once we're through our busy season I imagine we'll be right back into recording mode!

Vibing Media: What is the one question you hope people would ask you about The Tomb Tones but never do?

Kyle: We touched on it a bit earlier but I love to talk about our process. Conceptualizing, writing, recording, etc. Creating something from nothing. Not just because I'm proud of what we've made, but also because I struggled for years to find my voice as a songwriter (and my literal singing voice as well), and if I can share what I've learned through writing and recording to help inspire someone to make their own art , that would make me very happy. The main takeaway there is just to get started.

Vibing Media: What do you do outside the band to make a living?

Kyle: I work as a digital colorist in the film industry here in Atlanta. A few notable projects I've done include; Game Night, Netflix's Haunting Of Hill House and the upcoming Exorcist: Believer.

Vibing Media: What did you have for dinner last night?

Kyle: Spaghetti and salad, haha. Sorry that's not more interesting. I mean... brains. Yeah, so many brains!!

Vibing Media: What is the one item of clothing you can't live without?

Kyle: Can't live without a belt. I'd drive all the way back home before going without a belt for the day.

Vibing Media: Going by your social media profile you seem to be a bit of a movie fanatic, so any movie recommendations greatly appreciated.

Kyle: Yes, I love movies!! Alfred Hitchcocks VERTIGO (1958) is a huge recommend!!

Vibing Media: Thanks so much for taking the time out to do this. Lastly do you have anyone you want to 'shout out'?

Kyle:Yes! Would love to shout out to my wife, Melissa, Brent's girlfriend Nikki, our friend Cara Caravan, our home base venue the Star Community Bar in Little 5 Points and everyone that has supported our silly spooky art!

© Jawdropper Studios

Check out The Tomb Tones and keep update with all that is going on with them as well as past, present and future releases! See links below;

Website:https://thetombtones.com/music/

YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@thetombtones9347

Bandcamp:https://tombtones.bandcamp.com/album/ghost-of-toast

Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/thetombtones/

Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/thetombtones/

Interview by SARAH.