POP EVIL's LEIGH KAKATY Praises Band's New Lineup: 'We're Definitely Excited About The Future'

In a new interview Terrie Carr of WDHA-FM 105.5 FM, the rock music station licensed to Dover and Morristown, New Jersey, POP EVIL singer Leigh Kakaty spoke about the band's longevity and perseverance, nearly two and a half decades after POP EVIL's formation in North Muskegon, Michigan. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Yeah, it's that blue-collar mentality, that Midwest kind of roots, where we come from. We came around in a different era, in a different time for rock, and the fact that we're still here, it's humbling and it's exciting at the same time. We feel like we're just tipping the iceberg about the best music for POP EVIL in the future. And the [changes in the band's] lineup, obviously — not to get into the whole COVID talk, but that really… Obviously, there was a lot of negative, but there was so much positive that came out of that for the band and we needed to go through it to kind of clean the air and trim the fat, so to speak. And those that wanna be here and move forward on the vision stayed and those that didn't kind of left, and it was awesome to finally kind of [be] able to have some of those tough talks, it was awesome to finally be able to kind of be shaken a little bit, the fact that this can go away like that. So it kind of, really, again, humbled us and made us grateful for those things that we really wanted to come after moving forward, if we had another shot to play, and here we are, and again, that blue-collar mentality is still here, but there's a resurgence and an energy here that just hasn't been in the past. We're definitely excited about the future and what we're hopefully on the verge of here for POP EVIL."

Kakaty also talked about the addition of Blake Allison to POP EVIL. Allison replacing departed drummer Hayley Cramer, joining Kakaty and fellow bandmates, guitarists Dave Grahs and Nick Fuelling, and bassist Joey "Chicago" Walser. He said: "There's such a commitment to be in a rock band in this day and age that people's lives change in it. You're basically growing up in the public eye. So you're changing it, and you're touring for — I mean, in the early POP EVIL days, we were touring over 200 shows a year. So there's a huge commitment that, people's goals, identities, they all kind of evolve and you grow and you change and you adapt. And, yeah, obviously we've had issues with drummers just kind of coming and going, and it's a tough position 'cause it's the root, it's the foundation of any house. It could be any reasons. And again, Hayley, we're obviously still close to Hayley. She's such a talented, talented person, both on and off the stage. Obviously, we all know her as a drummer, but for the for the bandmembers, we know her as Hayley. And when she wanted to kind of step down, it was definitely a surprise to me, I'm not gonna lie. But her and I talked about it, and it just felt like it was time for her. She's dealing with her own things, both on and off the stage, that she will have to explain, but for us, for POP EVIL, it's very important that we just keep we keep rolling. The people that wanna do it stay… And whether people come and go for good or bad reasons, that's up to them. I can only speak for myself, and it's always scary losing a bandmember. Certainly someone like Hayley, who is such a big part of the band — she's been for so long — but it opened up another door for someone to come in. And, obviously, having Joey from EGYPT CENTRAL and DEVOUR THE DAY in the band — unbelievable rhythm section that he's a part of in his other bands with Blake Allison, and Blake's an incredible drummer. But he hadn't played drums in a few years. It's been a minute."

This past August, POP EVIL released a new single, "What Remains".

It's the dawn of a new era for POP EVIL, which the band promises will be its most sonically heavy.

POP EVIL first rose to international prominence with debut album "Lipstick On The Mirror", featuring RIAA-certified-gold single "100 In A 55". After Kakaty famously tore up the band's major label contract onstage, POP EVIL signed with eOne Music (now MNRK Heavy). 2011's "War Of Angels" debuted in the Top 10 of the Rock Albums chart and produced three Top 10 singles.

The band's 2013 album, "Onyx", put them in the Top 40 of the Billboard 200 for the first time and boasted three consecutive No. 1 rock songs, two RIAA gold singles, and one platinum single "Torn To Pieces". POP EVIL's next release, "Up", was the No. 1 Independent Album in America and made it to No. 25 on the Billboard 200. It featured several Top 5 rock songs and a chart-topper with "Footsteps", which also went gold.

POP EVIL's 2018 self-titled set included the No. 1 hit and newly certified gold single "Waking Lions" and two other Top 10 hits. 2020's "Versatile", meanwhile, scored two No. 1 rock songs: "Breathe Again" and "Survivor". In 2023, the band released its seventh studio album "Skeletons", which spawned their eighth and ninth No. 1 singles: "Eye Of The Storm" and "Skeletons".

When Hayley announced her exit from POP EVIL, she wrote in a statement that "reached a point" where she wanted "to branch out and find new paths and adventures - into the unknown!"

Cramer joined POP EVIL in May 2016 as the replacement for Josh "Chachi" Marunde, who exited the group in April that year.

Photo credit: Nick Fancher