A Chat with Mad Painter (15.07.26)
Drawing inspiration from iconic bands Deep Purple and Uriah Heep, US-based band Mad Painter is a time machine, dragging us back to 70s rock. We speak with the US-based group about their upcoming album, Island Poetry, inspiration, future plans, and much more.
OSR: We spoke to you back in 2023 about your previous album, Splashed. It’s been a few years, but what have you been up to since then?
Mad Painter: We have been very busy. Almost immediately after Splashed, we began working on what became Island Poetry. In a sense, the new album follows the same path as Splashed: it was recorded track by track with Tom Hamilton at Lowell Street Sound in Peabody, Massachusetts, and Tom also produced and mixed it.
There has also been a lot of live activity and continued development of the band itself. The current Mad Painter sound has become more focused, heavier and more representative of us as a group. Splashed was intentionally broad and drew from many different periods, almost everything and the kitchen sink. With Island Poetry, most of the material was written specifically for this album, even though a few songs have older roots.
We have also continued building the band’s identity around Hammond organ, guitar, strong melodies, layered vocals and that 1970s British rock spirit that has always been at the center of Mad Painter.
OSR: Looking at your upcoming album, Island Poetry, what can you tell us about it? Is there a backstory or theme, and how did it all come together?
Mad Painter: Island Poetry is our forthcoming third album, to be released via Epictronic. It is intentionally varied, but it is also heavier and more cohesive than Splashed. The concept comes from an image I had of people gathered around a campfire on a small tropical island, under the full moon. They are chanting, meditating, perhaps praying to the stars. It is communal, but also spiritual and mystical. That is the imaginary place where the “poetry” of the album is born.
The idea is also related to the romantic notion of getting away from ordinary pressures in order to create freely, a little like Kevin Ayers, who really did decamp to an island environment and write and record at his own pace.
Musically, the album moves across different parts of our influence palette: Deep Purple-style hard rock, Status Quo-style boogie, Rainbow drama, Queen-like theatricality, Wishbone Ash-inspired roaming textures, Motörhead heaviness, Moody Blues and Barclay James Harvest-type art rock, and even space disco on Nektarized’. But it all comes through the same band, the same Hammond-led sound and the same production approach, so it still feels like one album rather than a random collection.
Epictronic has also provided a release schedule. The album announcement and ‘Spin Your Ventilator’ single/video press release are planned for August 18, 2026. A ‘Debt Collector’ single/video press release follows on September 7, with an advance album download link going to media on September 29 for reviews and interviews. The digital release is scheduled for October 9, 2026, followed by an ‘Empty Bottles’ visualizer press release on October 28. The CD release date is still to be announced, depending on when we receive the CDs in-house.
OSR: Over the years, you’ve produced and released several singles and albums. What are the most challenging parts of creating and producing music, and what are the fun bits?
Mad Painter: The most challenging part is always turning the idea in your head into something that works as a finished recording. A song may begin as a melody, a riff, a lyrical image or even a stylistic impulse, but once the whole band is involved, it has to become real. The arrangement has to make sense, the sound has to support the song, and everyone has to find their place inside it.
Another challenge is preserving the personality of the performance. In modern recording, it is very easy to polish everything until the life disappears. With Tom Hamilton, we work digitally in Pro Tools, but the aim is to achieve warmth, movement and a natural analog-style character rather than sterile perfection.
The fun part is when the song suddenly reveals itself. That can happen when the Hammond and guitar start answering each other, when the backing vocals lift a chorus, when a rhythm section finds exactly the right feel, or when a lyric by Dmitry Epstein sends the music somewhere unexpected. Those moments remind you why you do it.
OSR: If you could change anything about Island Poetry, what would it be and why?
Mad Painter: I would not change anything fundamental about the album. It represents the band honestly at this moment: heavier, more cohesive and more of a group effort than Splashed. Of course, with any record, you can always imagine small things you might adjust after living with it for a while, but the important thing is whether the album captures the spirit of the band and the songs. I believe Island Poetry does that.
If there is one thing I would have liked, it would have been the opportunity to include some of the newer songs we now play live, such as ‘Brasilia Nada’ and ‘Desperados in the Night’. They would have made the album feel even more satisfying to me, but they were not ready yet when we were doing the sessions. So in that sense, they belong to the next chapter rather than this one.
OSR: Do you feel Island Poetry is a true representation of Mad Painter at the moment?
Mad Painter_ Yes, very much so. In fact, I think it is more representative of Mad Painter as a band than Splashed was. Splashed had a lot of different material on it, including older songs and pieces that some people felt resembled more of a solo project in the second half. Island Poetry is still varied, but it feels more focused and more like a group effort.
The lineup, the sound and the writing all point in the same direction. The Hammond organ is still central, the 1970s British rock influence is still there, but the band feels heavier and more cohesive. The album has rock and roll, hard rock, space rock, art rock, progressive touches, bluesy jamming, balladry and heavy metal, but it all sounds like Mad Painter.
So yes, I would say this is a true representation of where we are right now.
OSR: What do you hope people take from Island Poetry, and what does the album mean to you?
Mad Painter_ I hope people hear it as a complete album experience. The songs do not tell one continuous story, but they do create a world. The listener moves from zany rock and roll to hard rock, then to space rock and art rock, then into more progressive and bluesy roaming, then dramatic balladry, then back to heavy metal, and finally into the grandeur of Uriah Heep’s ‘Circle of Hands’.
To me, the album means that Mad Painter has reached an important milestone. A third album is not a small thing. It shows that the band has continued to grow beyond Splashed and that we have a clearer sense of who we are.
I also hope listeners feel the warmth and personality of the performances. This is not music designed to disappear into the background. It is meant to be bold, melodic, theatrical, sometimes heavy, sometimes strange, and always full of character.
OSR: You mention a lot of inspiration from iconic bands like Deep Purple, Queen, Motörhead and Wishbone Ash. It sounds odd, but what about these artists inspires you? Also, are there any contemporary musicians you find inspiring, and if so, why?
Mad Painter: What inspires us about those bands is not simply their sound, but their freedom. Deep Purple showed how the Hammond organ and guitar could compete, collide and lift each other into something dramatic. Uriah Heep brought grandeur, fantasy, vocal layering and a spiritual quality that is very important to us. Queen had theatricality and an arrangement sense. Motörhead had directness, force and attitude. Wishbone Ash had that melodic, twin-guitar, open-road quality that works beautifully for more roaming material. Those bands were not afraid to be ambitious, melodic, heavy or larger than life. They could take risks without apologizing for them. That is something rock music still needs.
As far as contemporary bands, Horisont and Honeymoon Disease are good examples of acts that inspire us. They are retro, but not in a weak or cosmetic way. Horisont have that European hard-rock foundation, with the swagger of early 1970s boogie, progressive ambition, twin-guitar power and classic metal muscle. They understand that the tradition is not just about tone or vintage gear, but about conviction, songwriting and attitude.
Honeymoon Disease are inspiring for similar reasons. They had the old hard rock and rock ’n’ roll DNA, but also strong hooks, vocal confidence, energy and a visual identity that matched the music. That matters to us. If you are going to live in this tradition, you cannot treat the sound as one thing and the presentation as another. The best bands understand the whole package.
That is also how we see Mad Painter. We are not a throwback or tribute act. We are rooted in the era, but we are writing our own music and presenting it with our own personality. The influences are real, but so is the band.
OSR: Live performances are known for being life-changing experiences. What is your most memorable gig to date, and why that show?
Mad Painter: One of the most memorable gigs for us was March 8, 2020, at The Jungle in Somerville, Massachusetts. It happened just before the Covid lockdown, and everyone could feel that something ominous was coming. We knew we were about to enter uncharted waters with the pandemic, and everything was going to shut down for a while, although nobody knew for how long. That night, we received a standing ovation and the hottest reception possible. It felt like the beginning of something much bigger for us, even though the world outside was about to close in. There was a real sense that the future lineup and future identity of Mad Painter were being cemented right there.
In a way, that moment also connects to ‘Empty Bottles’, because the song is essentially about keeping faith in the face of adversity and persevering despite the odds. On that night, we felt that we had a future. We felt the possibility of upping the ante and becoming a professional band with our own footprint and identity, even as everything around us was becoming uncertain.
OSR: What can we expect from Mad Painter in the future?
Mad Painter: First, the release of Island Poetry through Epictronic. The digital release is scheduled for October 9, 2026, with the CD date still to be announced. We will also have several press and video events around the album, including ‘Spin Your Ventilator’, ‘Debt Collector’, and the ‘Empty Bottles’ visualizer.
We are also continuing to perform live, mainly within the New England and New York perimeter. That regional circuit feels realistic and natural for us at this stage.
There is more writing ahead as well. Six of the songs on Island Poetry feature lyrics by Dmitry M. Epstein, and there are more of his poems waiting for me to work on. We also have newer live songs, such as ‘Brasilia Nada’ and ‘Desperados in the Night’, which were not ready in time for the Island Poetry sessions but point toward where we may go next.
Beyond that, the goal is simple: keep making records, keep playing, keep developing the Hammond-driven Mad Painter sound, and keep carrying forward the spirit of classic rock without turning it into museum music.
OSR: Do you have a message for our readers?
Mad Painter: Thank you for listening, reading and supporting music that still believes in songs, albums, musicianship and personality. If you love Hammond organ, guitar, melody, heavy riffs, layered vocals and the adventurous spirit of 1970s rock, we hope Island Poetry gives you a place to visit and spend some time. And if you also happen to appreciate the 1970s rock ethos and fashions – the spirit of loon pants, long-collared shirts and the glorious refusal to look like you are on your way to a corporate meeting – then you may feel especially at home with us.
We are not a throwback act or a tribute act. We are the whole package: brash, rambunctious, theatrical and unapologetic about our roots and influences. The theatricality of the material and the delivery has been pointed out many times, and that is not accidental. This is the music we love, the sound we believe in, and yes, the aesthetic world we are happy to inhabit. Give the album a full listen, from beginning to end, and join us around the island campfire.
Many thanks to Mad Painter for speaking with us! Find out more about Mad Painter on their official website, Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube, Bandcamp and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
