In this interview spotlight, I chat with Zak of Ferentz and The Felons about the latest release, motivations, challenges and more.

Full Q&A along with links and music below.

If you missed my previous feature about Ferentz and The Felons, find that article here.

Where are you from and what style of music do you create? (In your own words, not necessarily in marketing terms or by popular genre classifications.)

We are from Hudson County, NJ and the best way for me to describe our music is by using the word pure. Our music is pure rock and roll; the lyrics, the music, the feeling, it all comes from the heart. Our goal is to keep the music as close to its natural sound as possible.

What led you down this path of music and what motivates you to stay the course?

I wanted to put a band together that just put out real passionate rock music, plain and simple. We’re not trying to reinvent the wheel here, but we’re also making sure we do it our way. As for what motivates me to stay the course, it’s the people out there that want to hear music that makes them feel again. There’s no better feeling than creating art that makes a person think about what they’re hearing, you know, putting themselves into that situation or feeling where the song comes from.

How is your new release different than previous ones? Did you set out to accomplish anything specific?

This will actually be our first release, and we weren’t going for any specific sound. I wrote all of these songs in my room on an acoustic guitar and when I showed them to the band they just got in my head and put their musical twist on them. It was a really natural writing process.

Do you face any challenges as an indie musician in a digital age? On the flip side, how has technology helped you (if it has)?

I mean the big challenge is always finances. It’s so hard to make a dollar on any form of art, but thats not why we do it. Think about it, there are so many “starving” artists out there, but you don’t really see many of them giving up on that passion. Some fade because they weren’t true to their art, but most of us can’t get away, it’s like an addictive drug. No matter how broke we are, we just want to create. As far as technology goes, its a double edged sword. It’s so easy to connect with each other now and thats a plus, but the negatives outweigh the positive in my eyes. You put your heart and soul into this just for most people to either never give it a fair chance, or just completely bash it. My way around that is to just focus on those who support you, no need to take on any negative energy.

Where can we follow you online and hear more music?

Google Ferentz and The Felons and everything will pop up.

Anything else before we sign off?

Thank you to anyone who truly supports underground art in any form, and thank you for interviewing me. Without you it would be that much harder to get our voices heard. Peace and Love!