Flat Out Insult is a punk band from Charlotte, North Carolina. They are known for absolutely wild live performances, insane parties, and hardcore punk attitude. To go to a show featuring Flat Out Insult is to get a taste of the true underground punk scene that growls below the depths of Charlotte. They are a spark in a scene that most would regard as dead, a beast in a place that has been empty for so long. For fans of punk, or even metal, they are a refreshing welcome of great music that carries more than just a couple dudes playing guitar. Its founding member, Isaac Schrum, was able to sit down at East Frank’s in Monroe to talk about the band and what plans they have in the future.
Current Lineup:
– Isaac Schrum: Guitars, Vocals, Songwriter
– Ewen Lyons: Bass
– Jacob Gregory: Drums
The Interview
Q: What would you say your biggest influences are?
Well, my number one influence would definitely be Dave Mustaine of Megadeth, cause everybody who knows me knows I am a tremendous Megadeth fan. Also him as a person, obviously he started off being that kind of rockus snotty asshole, which I see myself as sometimes, but he’s climbed his way up to make himself a better person, so I pretty much model myself after him. Minus the whole drunken beating the shit out of people everyday thing.
Prince is another big musician. I am a humongous fan of Prince. I gotta also give a shout out to the guys who got me into rock music to start with, AC/DC. I still remember being 8 years old and I watched the VH1 Top 40 Rundown. Every morning I would go down to the living room and before my 8th birthday I saw this little dude in a fucking schoolboy outfit coming out with a guitar that had devil horns on it and they were playing ‘Rock and Roll Train’. I remember seeing the video and thinking this is the best thing I’ve fucking ever seen in my life. At the very end it said AC/DC Black Ice is out now. So I remember running to my mother and was like ‘mom, mom, mom, I know what I want for my birthday, get me that Black Ice CD’. Not only did she get me that, but she got me the Best of Ozzy, Evil Empire by Rage Against the Machine, Issues by Korn, and all sorts of records. I was just down the rabbit hole from there. I was soon onto Rammstein, then Metallica, Megadeth, and now I listen to like Behemoth, Cannibal Corpse, and Vektor.
Q: How would you define Flat Out Insult? (Genre, style, place in the scene, etc…)
Well I see us as, hm, we just want to be more genuine and unique. Not trying to call anyone out in the local scene but saying that everything we do is to try and make ourselves stand apart from the other bands. That’s why, you know, whenever we started off as just a ‘punk’ band we were always trying to just branch off and bring different elements. I mean, you look at me, I’m a stereotypical thrasher on guitar and vocals. Our bass player is really into death metal. The new drummer we got now, he’s into a lot of rock music. We try to bring in a bunch of different elements just to look different when we are out there.
As for our place in the scene, I’d say we are something of a dark horse. We don’t pull millions and millions of people every show. You know, we aren’t packing out the house, but the people who have come out seem like die-hards and we do appreciate that. I am perfectly fine being that, I don’t want to be one of those guys who just pack out arenas. I feel like you lose a little bit of yourself doing that and I’d rather remain genuine and remain underground.
Q: Describe your creative process?
Really, really, really erratic. In the sense that some days I’ll set out to write a song and I can get a song written, or in the case of one of the songs that is going to be on the new EP called Fall, which those of you who have seen it live will definitely understand the song. That was a song where I woke up at 3 o’clock in the morning in a cold sweat and just wrote it all there. The process is, oftentimes I’ll just get a name in my head, or an idea, and it’ll just pop in there and I’ll jot it down. Then I’ll get an idea for what I want the theme of the song to be, and I’ll write everything around it. Typically, being a vocalist who plays an instrument I write the riff down first so I know the melody I can put on top of it. There have been some songs where I have been able to write lyrics down and build the guitar riff around.
Q: How do you feel about the scene in Charlotte?
It’s a really intriguing scene, because I do think that there are very good bands here. But, it feels like it’s, well I feel like we don’t really belong in the scene because there’s a lot more indie pop and folk acts that come around here. Which, I get it, that’s great and all, but when a thrash metal band goes up to play a show with an indie band and a folk band it’s kind of a weird hodgepodge.
Q: Is that what usually happens at these shows? The strange mix of polarizing genres?
It used to happen a lot whenever we were just trying to get as many gigs as we could. We were just trying to play with just about anybody and we’d often be the one metal band. We had a gig December 22nd (2021) right before Christmas. It was literally us and four rappers. I mean, it was a great show. Shoutout to all the other rappers, you know, people who played with us like Spraypaint Jesus and Seph Dot, they were great. It is very unique because the metal scene around here is more or less buried underneath all the indie acts that are around. So we really got to try hard to mix with the other scenes that are around here.
Q: What drives you guys to go up onstage and have a very crazy wild performance instead of the normal ‘getting on stage and playing your instruments’?
My biggest pet peeve, whenever I go to a show, is to see a band that goes up on stage and just sits there, plays, and then gets off stage. That makes me upset because why am I gonna pay money when I could just as easily sit at home, put on a record, and listen to it for free. When I go up onstage I want to leave everybody saying ‘wow those guys were nuts.’ I want to put on a show because that is half of what being a musician is when you are up onstage, it’s being a showman. If it takes me stripping down naked, if it takes me running into the crowd, if it takes me yelling at people, I will do whatever it takes. I don’t care. I’ve done so much shit onstage and people remember that.
Q: What is your vision for the band?
I definitely want us to go heavier. That’s the direction that we have been going down since the beginning. I also want to get a bit deeper in lyrical themes. Obviously, our first EP was a lot of partying and drinking, which is fun and all. On this new EP, though, you’ll hear more ‘punk’ style lyrics, in the sense that its very anti-authoritarian amongst other things. I just want us to continue getting heavier but at the same time still having a good message that doesn’t get muddled up by sound. I want to write a song that people think sounds great but when they read the lyrics they can find a lot of enjoyment out of that. It’s just an experiment of seeing what sorts of soundscapes I can put into words.
Q: Looking back to when you started the band, did you ever think that you’d be the only original member left out of the three original members?
Of course not, whenever you start up a band and you get going after a little while you really grow tight with your bandmates. You don’t just join a band and think ‘oh I’m gonna kick these two assholes out and it’s just going to be the Isaac Schrum Show.’ I never wanted anything like that. It’s whenever you join a band and you got the guys you want, you join up in a band with them for a reason. So, you wanted to take that as far as you could. Unfortunately, differing personalities, different workloads, and different visions come in the way of that a lot of times. That’s unfortunate that it’s what had to happen.
Q: Does the new lineup (Ewen on Bass and Jacob on Drums) have the same feel as the original lineup (Darrel on vocals+ bass and Hyzy on drums)? Is it better? Worse?
I wouldn’t say it’s better or worse, it’s definitely a different feel. They (Ewen and Jacob) are two very different musicians than the people I originally started off with. Obviously Darrel, our original vocalist and bass player came from more of a skate punk background. Hyzy was coming more from a stoner sludgy background. I was the thrash guy. Bringing in Ewen who is more into death metal and Jacob who is closer into hard rock with a little bit of the thrash, it’s a much different flavoring than the band that we had. I’d say everybody I’ve been in a band with I have tremendous respect for as musicians and as people. It’s just different flavors of the day.
Q In your words, describe the breakup with the original members. (Darrel and Hyzy)
Without delving into too many things, I think we all expected different things. We all went about it in different ways. Anybody who has been in the band with me can attest to this, whenever I show up, not trying to make myself sound like an asshole, I just tend to grab ahold of as much of the band as I can. I do as much as I can for that. From the beginning it’s been taking care of distribution, actually getting the music up, working with the producer to try and get it to sound good, and taking over as the primary songwriter after Darrel’s departure. Whenever I get attached to a project I try to do as much as I can. I will say it is a little bit unfair to expect the same out of other people. I think I do expect the people I am with to carry the same workload with me.
Q: Do you think the new crew is carrying that same workload?
Well, we haven’t gotten into the new writing yet, so that remains to be seen. Obviously, with them (Ewen and Jacob) having experience in being in a band we go about things a little bit differently. We do stay on the same page a lot better than we have before. Again, we aren’t out there to just break up and get replaced every couple of months like people going through oil changes.
Q: So let’s switch gears. Tell me the thinking behind the following lyrics from the song FOI? Was this based on someone in particular, or just people who criticize you?
“So you’re telling me to get a job?
Says the fucker with a tiny knob
Nothing you say is ever gonna change me
Your outdated rules don’t phase me”
Nah, it’s really just the attitude that we were feeling at the time. We were a little bit younger. I was 20 and I think Hyzy was 21. Obviously we were young snotty adults so unhappy with the situations that we were in because I’m in college, Hyzy was in college, we worked jobs we didn’t like, surrounded by people we didn’t like. It was a middle finger tossed back at those older people who always looked down on us just for what we wear, what we look like, and the age that we were.
Q: Do you face a lot of criticism? From parents, peers, or just people in general?
Not a whole, whole lot. I wouldn’t say we go through it all the time. I mean every once in a while we will get a snide look, or we’ll get people who don’t like our music. It is what it is. I will say my parents may not enjoy the music that I make, but they have been very supportive. I am very appreciative of that.
Q: The criticism that you do get, how do you deal with it?
It’s really just understanding that you can’t please everybody. Not everyone is going to like it. I’m of the philosophy that if there’s somebody out there that hates it, that means there is somebody out there that likes it. That’s what keeps me going. For all the people I know that absolutely hate the stuff I do, I know that there are just as many people that enjoy it. There are seven billion people in the world, just because one person has a problem with what you are doing doesn’t mean it’s the end of the world.
Q: As I touched on before, Flat Out Insult is known for being a force of chaos. While onstage you guys are shouting, taking your clothes off, and working the crowd. However, this chaotic nature doesn’t leave when you guys get offstage. FOI is known for its absolutely insane parties, and for how they party. Your (Isaac’s) party stories alone are something legends are told about. Do you have a favorite party story that you could share?
Ah man, where do I fucking begin? Especially with myself there are so many different stories. I guess I could mention, well, a lot of the party stories I only remember about half of them because I had enough alcohol to kill a grizzly bear. Usually what happens is, well those who have been to parties with me know I get very rambunctious and I am kind of hard to keep a hold of. I’m like a toddler whenever I get really drunk. I always wander around and get into shit I shouldn’t be getting into.
I have a buddy, I’m not gonna name his name, but he was tasked with being my handler for about an hour. He lost track of me at this party. He’s outside looking around and he says, “dude where the fuck did Isaac go?” As that happens the door swings open and I have a bottle of Smirnoff in my hand saying, “‘Alright, motherfuckers let’s get at it. I got two more shots in me. Let’s fucking go.” That is amongst many, MANY, other drunken escapades that I’ve had.
Q: You guys are releasing a new album and on April 22nd the single is being dropped titled ‘Chainsaw Lobotomy’. What was the inspiration for this song?
I was driving on the way to work, and I don’t know what spurred this idea. I got this image in my head of a doctor just sawing into someone’s scalp and thought ‘huh, chainsaw lobotomy, that’s got a good ring to it.’ So, I wrote it down and I looked at the title and thought, alright how can I make a song out of this? While thinking I looked back at actual lobotomies. Obviously that was a very very cruel and medieval practice that was done up through the 80s. That wasn’t that long ago if you think about it. The song was written around the perspective of the doctor. The lyrics detail the doctor absolutely butchering this poor fool who came in and had a mental disease. The song is supposed to really show how cruel mental patients were treated back in the day, and in some ways they still are treated pretty badly.
Q: Would you say that you (Isaac) are FOI?
I mean I don’t want to sound arrogant enough to say that I am FOI. I mean, being the last founding member and the primary lyricist makes it kind of hard to say that you are not. What FOI really is not only ourselves (the band) but it’s the people who love our music and come to our shows. We wouldn’t be FOI if not for the people who came out and supported us. It’s not one person being FOI, it’s the collective of people who are FOI.
Q: To other people looking to start a band and get into the local metal or punk scene, what is your advice?
Make friends. One of the best ways to get shows is just to engraciate yourself with the bands in the scene and be friendly with them. If you’re stuck up shit creek and can’t get a gig and you make friends with a band that has an open bill they can be like, ‘hey, we have an open bill, hop on that.’ The upside is you get exposed to more people, you meet more people, and you get to show yourself to more people. The more people that follow you will hear your sound. The best thing I can recommend is to make friends and take risks. If you are gonna be up on stage and you want to get fucking naked, get fucking naked. Go nuts. That will be a story that people will have and they will remember you for shit like that.
Q: This is the end of the interview, however I want to give you a chance to speak directly to the fans. Tell them what you are working on and whatever you want to say to them.
We have the album coming out. That is the culmination of at least like a year’s worth of work. Some of this stuff is stuff that we were working on even when Darrel was still in the band. It has been a long, arduous, mind numbingly laborious process that has taken us forever to scrap and save for. I am very happy with it and expect more stuff like it. I’m not one of those people who is going to phone in any sort of performance and try to follow any trend. I’m going to write songs as they come into my mind, I could care less how weird or off kilter or even bizarre it comes out as. That’s just what we do. We want it to be from the heart because that is as genuine as it can possibly be.
