Telemarket, a local Athens band, released their new album Aug. 25. “Ad Nauseam,” a Latin saying meaning “referring to something that has been done or repeated so often that it has become annoying or tiresome.” Adam Wayton, the lead vocalist, stated that he felt “the main inspiration for ‘Ad Nauseam’ was an internal feeling of being trapped in a rut or that everyday was running together.” This album was written before and throughout the pandemic up until now. He stated that the feelings seemed to magnify that they were there long before lock down: “This feeling was magnified when the shutdown happened, but the feelings were ruminating long before that.” He establishes that the album’s main inspiration was the feeling of the days running together, being repetitive, being trapped in a rut.
This release is anything but that. Telemarket gives a fresh taste to the indie rock genre, making their voices loud and proud. This is only their second album. Their first album, “You Deserve a Hard Day’s Work After a Long Night’s Rest,” was released in 2019 with 7 songs, and “Ad Nauseam” almost doubles that with a catalog of 13 songs. The band consists of members Adam Wayton (vocals, guitar), Will Wise (guitar), Jack Colclough (percussion), Hunter Pinkston (bass) and Josie Callahan (vocals, keyboard). Originally, Wayton and Pinkston met at UGA, Wayton then met Colclough through craigslist, and Wise and then Callahan joined later. The band, and the name of the album, insinuate something you have heard before, something you might have chosen to ignore. Their music takes you on a trip — telling a story from start to finish, proving they are not something to skip. Within in the first listen, I caught the pieces that made it an incredibly indie rock album. Following the release of the album, there have been various raving reviews about the new album.
“Ad Nauseam” is something all Atheinans need to hear, with its alternative storytelling, somber atmosphere, and endearing lyrics. It is an album that you should loop, much like the feeling that inspired it.
The Full Interview with Adam Wayton:
How did Telemarket start?
Telemarket has been my first real attempt at putting together a band. Everything came together when I moved back from living in the Netherlands for a little in 2016. I bought a ‘92 burgundy mist Fender Strat with my student loans and decided it was time to put some effort behind playing and making music. I had just started the Music Business program at UGA and met Hunter Pinkston (Bass) while we were both interning at New West Records. We hit it off and started playing in one another’s bands. Hunter and I still play together in the Pink Stones, and are signed to the same label we met at with that band which is pretty cool. Jack Colclough (Drums) and I found each other on Craigslist which is pretty funny considering how close we’ve gotten playing music together over the last 6 plus years. Hunter, Jack, and I were the first iteration of Telemarket with our first EP “What’s Behind You?” being just the three of us. Since then, Will Wise (guitar) and Josie Callahan (Keys, Organs, and Vocals) have joined the group. Will produced and recorded our second EP “You Deserve a Hard Day’s Work After a Long Night’s Rest” in one of our spare bedrooms when we lived together on Vine St in Athens. Since then, we’ve spent a lot of time working on projects and recording together in our new studio on Odd St. He joined the band playing guitar after that last EP and we recorded our new record Ad Nauseam together during the shutdown. It was a cool and highly collaborative process with many 3 am nights spent putting our heads together, coming up with production ideas for the songs, and making a lot of noise. Josie joined for the new album as well, singing and playing on the record and in the band. It’s great to have someone with a pretty voice to counter me yelling and coughing up gravel. Josie and I play together in her project Honeypuppy as well.
What is the inspiration for Ad Nauseam?
I think the main inspiration for Ad Nauseam was an internal feeling of being trapped in a rut or that everyday was running together. This feeling was magnified when the shutdown happened, but the feelings were ruminating long before that. The whole album is dedicated to late Athens artist Patrick Dean. His work inspired a lot of what came out as well and really resonated with me during the making of the album.
Is there a track that is your favorite or that stood out during the writing/recording process?
My favorite tracks to make were “Please! Don’t Leave Me (Alone)” and “In The Morning.” In both cases, we tried some really interesting recording techniques and I got to yell a lot which is pretty fun. PDLMA was great because we hadn’t really tried anything like that, but I’m really happy with how it came out.
Where did the band name Telemarket come from?
Telemarket came from Jack and I sitting in my old apartment and trying to come up with a clever band name probably close to 5 or 6 years ago now. We pulled all the books off my shelf and thumbed through the pages to find something and somehow Jack came up with Telemarket. Josie worked as a telemarketer when she was in college.
