I could fall for Living off Leftovers based solely on the fact that Travis Kadylak has both seen and referenced the greatest Nicholas Cage movie ever made. (If you have not seen Vampire’s Kiss, find it and call me so we can talk about how awesome it is.) Still, there’s plenty to love about the music Travis, vocals, is making with multi-instrumentalist Mike O’Connor – with or without amazing taste in Nicholas Cage films.

Living off Leftovers is still brand new, having formed in January, but already you can sense the presence of a cohesive artistic vision, and I’m excited to hear what these guys are putting out this time next year. I could say more, but I’d rather let Travis and Mike fill you in.

Here’s a few tracks to listen to as you read the TRT interview with Living off Leftovers.

Living off Leftovers

Living off Leftovers went from a casual collaboration to something more serious pretty quickly. So, are you guys officially a band now – is Living off Leftovers here to stay?

Mike: Living Off Leftovers is DEFINITELY here to stay, which is funny because, originally, we didn’t necessarily plan on being a band. Just five months ago, I was living in Spain with a friend who listened to these freestyle raps by Travis almost every night.

I was so impressed with the way Travis could rap to anything (guitar riffs, people beat boxing, instrumental mixes, etc.) that I contacted him to see if he wanted to collaborate on a few tracks. Travis and I jammed for the first time in January and found that we shared both a strong musical connection and vision. Despite the fact that we’ve only been a “band” for a few months, we’re committed to making great music and sharing it with as many people as possible.

With the group so new, how are things going? Have your expectations or goals changed at this point, or are you still just trying to really define the original vision for Living off Leftovers?

Mike: Things are going great. The thing I really like about this band is the fact that we really employ a teamwork approach to creating music, which is helpful in unifying our differing ideas and visions. We’re both very open to each others feedback, which is extremely helpful.

If Travis can justify a change to a song’s structure or arrangement, we’ll make it. Likewise, if I have an idea for bringing out his vocals, we’ll implement that too. At the end of the day, we both want a sound that incorporates unique elements – African drums, swirling & ambient guitar riffs, well placed electronic instruments, and rap vocals – and we collaborate to implement them as effectively as possible.

Every time we write a new song, we grow and refine our original “vision” of creating fun loving, thought-provoking, music.

My first impression was that Living off Leftovers reminded me of groups like Brougham and Hot Action Cop – though, when you listen more closely, you’ve got a lot more going on musically. How would you classify your sound and who influences it?

Mike: The things I love about working with Travis is the fact that he has completely different musical influences than I do, yet somehow we’re on the same page with our band’s sound – which is somewhere between indie, alternative and hip-hop.

I don’t listen to much rap or hip-hop, so most of my influences are in the alternative and indie rock realms. Off the top of my head, I’d list Radiohead, Ben Harper and old school Red Hot Chili Peppers as my biggest “influences” (which is kind of funny, as we don’t sound anything like these bands).

Personally, I think contrast and innovation are elements that make for great music and I try to implement both when appropriate. For instance, I really like the layering in our tracks “Leftovers” and “Where Are You.”  I’m really looking forward to hearing Travis’ vocals for our unreleased song “Sway This Way,” too.  He has a unique knack for placing raps around layered grooves.

Travis: Yeah, I can see how you might draw a slight comparison with us and those groups, though I think, without question, we bring alot more substance to our music.  The content of our songs really ranges from lyrics about partying and enjoying your life to the fullest – to lyrics that take our music in an entirely different direction, touching on issues like poverty, education and politics.

As far as influences go, there isn’t much that doesn’t influence my songwriting. Everything from personal experiences, beliefs and my view on events taking place around the world are influential to me every time I sit down to write. However, some of my musical influences are KRS-One, Flobots, Lauren Hill, The Kinks and the Beastie Boys – just to name a few.

What’s next for Living off Leftovers? How do you see the band evolving and where would you like to see yourselves in a year?

Mike: Personally, I just want to keep making what I consider “good music” and to sharing it with as many people as possible.  Both Travis and I eventually want to use our songs as a medium for positive social change, but first we need to get more people listening.

In the next year, we’d like to get signed to an Independent label, cut a record and do a small tour of festivals and medium-sized venues.  These are definitely ambitious goals considering the fact that we’re, respectively, a full-time professional and student, but I think we can do it.

If you could play a live show with any artist or group out there right now, who would you pick and why?

Mike: Great question! Off the top of my head, I’d have to say U2. Being Irish-American, I’ve always found their politically-inspired lyrics and passion for social justice inspiring (especially their older material). Say what you want about Bono… but, in my opinion, he’s done a lot of great things for the world.

Plus, I know I could rock the Djembe out to many of their songs!

Travis: Yeah, I think preforming with U2 would be a ridiculous experience haha…

I think it would be really cool to jam with Bobby Ray because he encompasses so many different musical styles – or maybe DJ Tiesto. Even though we have completely different musical styles I think it would be fun to play in front of 100,000 people who are all tripping on ecstasy … haha.

So, for current and future fans – what can we do to help get you guys off the ground?

Mike: We’ve been working hard to promote our YouTube page, since we see it as our primary marketing medium. So support on there would be most appreciated. If you like our music, PLEASE subscribe to the Living off Leftovers YouTube Channel and comment on our page or videos.

If you’d like to connect with us on a more personally level, check out the Living off Leftovers Facebook page.

Soap Box: Tell us anything about Living off Leftovers that we forgot to ask – favorite book, least favorite national landmark, Nicholas Cage’s accent in Con Air … other?

Mike: Another great question! I guess we should use this as a platform to talk about our band’s name…

When Travis initially pitched the name “Living Off Leftovers” to me, I was very resistant, as I didn’t think it conjured up the “vision” I desired for our band. However, after giving it more thought, I realized it was a perfect fit, as we were literally feeding off nothing but leftover dinner scraps and outdated frozen goods when we recorded our first few songs.

I’m happy to say that living off leftovers didn’t give “Living Off Leftovers” scurvy!

Travis: I think Nicholas Cage’s accent in Vampire’s Kiss is def. better than Con Air haha. Simply because he makes himself sound stoned out of his mind the entire film, yet still intelligent – kind of like Keanu Reeves, minus the intelligent part.

Still reading? Check the video for “Reevaluation” and feel free to share it!

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