Zach Bedsaul, the guitarist of the alternative metal/hard rock band called SAUL, was so kind to answer a few questions about their debut album “Rise As Equals” which was released on October 23rd. He talks about the album’s writing process and collaborations with David Draiman of DISTURBED, which was a little bit difficult because of the lockdown, their livestream and what they are going to do in their private life while they can’t do a tour.

Sarah-Jane: How long did it take to produce the album? Did you face any problems due to Covid-19?

Zach Bedsaul: We started writing the record in June of 2019 with Chris Dawson and Jimmy Beattie in Derby, KS. It was just months after signing with SpineFarm Records and after we released our ep “Aeons.” After Covid hit and all touring got postponed we decided to go back and write 3-4 more tracks, and we’re extremely happy we did! I wouldn’t say “problems” but some set backs and curves.

Sarah-Jane: You wrote some songs with David Draiman. How was it to produce these songs via Zoom, not being in the same room and having a different interaction? I'm sure you are one of the few bands who produced songs like this.

Zach Bedsaul: We had the privilege to write “King of Misery” with David. It was a blast at times, and very difficult at others. You can’t really get a feel or vibe flowing like you can being in the same room or studio. There were some technical issues at times like Zoom glitching out or completely compressing our audio signals. We rolled with the punches as best as we could, and KOM turned out fantastic in my opinion. I would do it again in a heart beat with David.


Sarah-Jane: Producing a full-length album for the first time what is the difference between this and your former productions? What is the learning process from this production for you?

Zach Bedsaul: We had typically put out 4-5 song EP’s in the past, and the mountain we had to climb to finish this full length was interesting. We had an awesome time tracking and writing at our manager’s studio, and then got to do some amazing co-writes with other song writers. You are constantly learning as you go, and if you’re not then you’re probably not investing enough or the right amount of energy into your craft.

Sarah-Jane: "We focused on lyrical content that would mean something to everybody who heard it. We harnessed this positive energy out of real-life experiences.” How important was it to focus on lyrical content? Was it due to personal experience that you concentrated on the lyrical content?

Zach Bedsaul: Lyrical content is probably the most important piece to the puzzle. If it’s not relatable or connecting with your audience how can they connect with the band? We had a lot of ups and downs over the last year or so from Blake and myself losing our mother to William losing his father. Life is rough sometimes and if you let it get the best of you, you’ll never make it out alive.

Sarah-Jane: “When times were down and we weren’t doing music, it was about my inner struggle being bitter at myself and my life,” Blake states. “It’s really personal. Zach and I agreed this would be our last hurrah if ‘Brother’ didn’t hit. Thankfully, it did.” 
Would you have given up on making music if “Brother” hadn’t succeeded? How difficult is it to perform a highly emotional song like “Brother”?

Zach Bedsaul: Yeah, we honestly had multiple conversations about this unfortunately. I think we put in as much time and energy as we could at that time in our lives, and if we didn’t see something real react it was time to go. I think the most emotional part of “Brother” is hearing stories from =Equals= before the show about their lost loved ones. When we take the stage we love to dedicate it to those individuals, and THAT chokes us up, as it’s easy to feel their pain all over again.

Sarah-Jane: Is the song “Get It Right” something which reflects your personal feelings and attitude?

Zach Bedsaul: We actually co-wrote this song with Justin DeBlieck in upstate New York while we were on tour with “Light The Torch.” It’s about giving everything you have to the one thing you love and adore. You have so much passion for this that you will try over and over until you get it right.

Sarah-Jane: What message do you want to get across with the album?

Zach Bedsaul: The world needs some more positivity, and togetherness. We are stronger in numbers, we need to boost each other instead of break one another down. We all need to RISE AS EQUALS!

Sarah-Jane: Let’s talk about the upcoming livestream.

What is the challenge of doing a livestream performance for your band? Do you need the reaction of the audience for the performance? How important is it to read the messages of the fans towards your livestream performance?

Zach Bedsaul: I’ve noticed that there’s a lot of frustration and anxiety that leads up to our stream performances. We try to keep everything in house and do the streams ourselves that it’s always a gamble on our end. It’s different not playing in front of a live crowd, but at the end of the day we always have a blast doing these streams. We always love to see and read the reactions/comments of anything that we put out. It’s good to know what the =Equals= want and need.

Sarah-Jane: I've listened to an unplugged version of "Brother" in an interview - would you do unplugged songs again?

Zach Bedsaul: Yeah, we absolutely love performing our sets unplugged. There’s something special and unique about stripping down the compositions and making them feel a bit more vulnerable upfront.

Sarah-Jane: With your big breakthrough at this time, what are you going to do since you can't get on the road and do a tour? Is there something you now want to do in your private life?

Zach Bedsaul: I just had a baby girl at 7:21 am on November the 4th. We’re all family guys so we love to spend as much time as we can at home and with the kids/wives. We recently bought a bus and we’ve been spending time updating and remodeling the inside to suite our needs.

Sarah-Jane: How important is to you to combine different genres with your music?

Zach Bedsaul: We think it’s very important to add different styles. It’s how music and musicians grow and take on their own life forms. Some of our favorite bands are very experimental in that aspect, and it keeps the compositions interesting.

Sarah-Jane: What is your favorite song or songs on this album?

Zach Bedsaul: I think “Brother” is a given as we brought it over from Aeons. Honestly, I really enjoy “Rise As Equals” and “Sticks and Stones.” We wrote RAE as a theme song directly for and towards our fans (=Equals=). There’s nothing more powerful than an energetic crowd getting into a song they love. There’s so much raw emotion and energy that you can’t recreate unless you do it the next night on tour. I personally love this whole album and I’m happy with how it came out.

Sarah-Jane: What kind of music do you listen to for inspiration and motivation on daily basis?

Zach Bedsaul: I really enjoy the artist called ‘The Weekend.” He’s very brilliant with his singing style and melodies. He reminds me of a new age Michael Jackson, and who doesn’t love his music? I’ve also been crushing some “Bring Me The Horizon.” I got on this train way late, but I’m glad I eventually caught up and glad to be on. They are innovators in many ways and very creative with mixing multiple genres together.