Exploring the Musical World of Brent Newbold, AKA ‘Aging Teen Idol’
We asked Brent Newbold, also known as ‘Aging Teen Idol’ some questions about his music. Coming from Cincinnati, this multi-talented musician has been causing a stir with his rock album masterpiece, ‘Aging Teen Idol,’ infusing the raw energy of metal and vintage punk influences. One standout track, ‘Lost Cause,’ has soared to nearly 300,000 streams on Spotify. Eager to uncover the process of Brent’s musical arsenal and the wellspring of his inspiration, we embarked on a conversation to explore his compelling repertoire.
What is your favourite release and why?
My favorite release is ‘Negative Exposure’. I think it is the most consistent piece of work I have done so far. It is a concept record that tells of a story of someone that is fed up with how society was/is being run and the direction it was/is going at the time. It was originally written around 2014. It does have some of my best guitar work. My favourite tracks are ‘Harmony’, ‘Spite’, ‘Last Back Turned’, and the solo from ‘Who Will Go?’
‘Decent’ is a great song, but what you hear here, is not how it was supposed to be. It was an instrumental in three different time phrases occurring at the same time. I will more than likely re-release this in the form it was originally intended; with only three pieces and no vocals.
One of the biggest regrets I have about this project is that all of the masters appear to have been destroyed. Lost, or deleted. It’s a shame really. Re-recording just will not be the same, however… I’m open to have this done as a band at some point, I have no problem with allowing ‘Negative Exposure’ is be designated a ‘demo’. That’s what it really is.
Who’s your inspiration and how affected this your songwriting?
My inspiration… Wow, OK. This is deep…
Musically , I was very aware at an early age. My father was really big into The Rolling Stones and the Kinks (early Kinks before they got shitty as my dad would say). Anywhere we went in the car was spent listening to them. He had a lot of attitude.
My mother was very big into the old country ‘story songs’ and did not listen to any one particular Artist. She also liked the Beatles and 50’s rock. So, she and I listened to those in the car.
I had a toy guitar and a black leather suitcase I would use as a drum. I would stack metal clothes hangers together to create a hi-hat. I would listen to their records and either try to play the guitar or the drums alone with the music.
Then 1977/78 hit, I saw KISS on TV. My friend next door has a pretty cool dad that liked KISS, Rush, and Van Halen, and those types of bands. I would go over to their house and beg to listen to their records. Funnily enough, they would let me. They has a set of HUGE can headphones. I would listen while looking at the record sleeves.
I also had a babysitter that liked The Ramones and the Sex Pistols. She would bring the cassettes over.
My mother liked rummage sales, I would beg to get all the records people were selling that I liked the cover art to. I ended up with most of the KISS records at the time, MC5, Cheap Trick, Rush, Rolling Stones, Beatles, Frampton, Led Zeppelin, and others. At the same time, I would would snag any 45 that was on the ‘Buddha’ record label because I liked the sticker. These were mostly ‘bubblegum artists’ from the 60’s and 70’s.
The next biggest thing to hit me was Pink Floyd’s ‘The Wall’. I had the cassette and listened to it a tonne as well.
Then came Randy Rhoads, and it was over! I absolutely adored the playing on those two records.
If you listen to my music, you will hear any combination of all these things mixed together.
What’s your favourite album of all time?
….. God…. I can’t do it!
Here’s a few, not in any order:
- KISS: Alive II
- Ramones: Leave Home
- Rolling Stones: Hot Rocks; More Hot Rocks and Fazed Cookies; Sticky Fingers
- Pink Floyd: The Wall
- Captain Beyond: Captain Beyond
- Led Zeppelin: First Five
- Sex Pistols: Sex Pistols; Filthy Lucre Live
- Nerf Herder: Nerf Herder
- Humble Pie: Rock On; Filmore; Smokin’
- Buckcherry: Buckcherry
- Mick Taylor: A Stone’s Throw
Do you have any new releases coming out soon?
I am currently working with Gee Nelson and Matt Warren of The Perics on an EP. We collaborated on a song on their latest Album ‘Songs to Clean House To’.
As far as my own stuff, I’m sitting on about 14 songs that I am working on. I will probably choose 8 or so to release. Realistically, They might not be ready until 2025. I may put some singles out in spring or summer 2023. I’m just being very patient at the moment.
What’s your process of writing a song? Where do you start?
Most of the time, I grab a guitar and just start playing; warming up. If I come up with a riff I like, I record it. I will try to put the riffs together and see how they work, or, I will adapt them. Very seldom do they ever stay the same as the original idea.
Sometimes, I sing a line of words I make up on the spot, usually to answer a question I have been asked. I have fun with those. Sometimes, I can come up with a little rhyme. If it’s neat, I write it down. I might add the word to a riff, or just create a song around it. ‘On the Bright Side’ and ‘One Minute Song’ are examples of this.
‘Time of your Life (Saturday Night)’ was something I wrote on the spot – riff first and words as I was putting it together. It took about 2 hours. I recorded it the next day. This one sounds a lot like KISS, Chuck Berry, and ‘Some Girls’ era Ron Wood (Les Paul solo) to me.
Well, thanks for taking the time Brent and good luck with all your future releases.
Thanks for this opportunity to answer some questions, and thank you for your interest in me!
Keep up to date with Brent on his social channels:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Agingteenidol2
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aging_teen_idol
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/AgingTeenIdol
