Motivik Interview With Ryan Roebuck

How did you discover heavy metal music in general and then underground music? Who are some of your favourite bands? 

Ryan: Good question. Yeah, back in the late 1980’s when I was 11 or 12, I discovered Metallica. It was the “One” video on MTV that reeled me in. I thought it was awesome. I had, of course, heard other stuff before that, but nothing got my attention like that! It was a few years later, in the early 1990’s, when I met some friends who introduced me to more underground bands like Tourniquet and Believer. Great stuff! I was hooked.

Now you play all the music in Motivik, and band member Courtney Simmons also sings as well as you. How did the 2 of you meet, and did you look for any other musicians at all or early on did you decide it was just going to be the two of you 2? 

Ryan: Courtney and I met when we were around 14 or 15. We had a band in the 1990’s called Unorthodox. We were kind of a crossover thrash/hardcore band. We disbanded in 1998. When the pandemic hit, we reconnected after being out of touch for about a decade. I had written most of the tunes by then. Because we were all locked down, at that time, I just decided I would record everything for cost's sake and time. We both have two different types of vocal styles, so it works really well together for verses and choruses, and just changing things up.

How did you come up with the name for the band and the logo as well? 

Ryan: I wanted a one-word name. Something simple. I wanted it to describe our sound and theme. Motivic is an English word relating to motif. In music, there’s a thing called “motivic development.” So, I decided to alter the spelling and add a K on the end. Motivik, it was! I then hired a graphic designer to create the logo.

Now, how long were you 2 together before your debut release came out at the end of 2020, called "Death of the Gunman"? 

Ryan: By the time Gunman came out, we had been together maybe 10 months. Of course, this doesn’t include our old musical efforts in Unorthodox.

How did you end up working with Roxx Records, who have put out all your releases in all of the bands you're in? 

Ryan: I had posted a little video promo of some of the songs I had already recorded for Death of the Gunman on Facebook. I shared it on a few different groups. It was about 20 minutes later that I got a private message from Bill. He was interested and liked what he heard. And as they say, the rest is history. Roxx Records is a great place with great people.

How was the response to your debut release?

Ryan: We dropped Death of the Gunman in December of 2020. The reception was strong. We got some radio play, reviews, and it let people know we were around. It’s tough launching something new these days, but we’ve been very blessed with the reception.

Now, one of your other bands, Ritual Servant, you joined in 2020. How do you make sure they and even your 3rd band, Vultures Gathering, don't sound like Motivik? 

Ryan: Yes, I love both of those bands because of the folks in them. Great people. In Ritual Servant and Vultures Gathering, I was contributing lead guitar. I wasn’t writing the songs. In Motivik, I write most everything. So, they all sound different and have all been a lot of fun.

How do you find the free time to be in 3 bands? Now, in the other 2 bands, other members would enable you to play live. In Motivik, it is you who plays all the instruments and is the singer. Have you ever played out live using session live players? 

Ryan: For a while, there wasn’t much time between my family, work and my music projects. Now, since I have wrapped up my involvement in the other bands, I have a bit more time. In Motivik, we want to get out there and play a few shows for sure. We are currently working on assembling some players who believe in the vision. Stay tuned, that's all I can say!

Which is the hardest to play, guitar, bass or drums, and did you take any lessons for any of them? Favourite players of all 3? 

Ryan: For me, drums would be the most difficult. For “Renouncement,” I hired it out. And Alex did a phenomenal job. My background is primarily in guitar. I did private lessons for years while growing up. Then, I went on to college with a focus on music and business. If it has strings, I can figure it out. Piano and Keys would be my secondary area of focus.

Now, a series of singles followed until we got to a 2nd full length called " Renouncement", which I think kicked some major ass. How long did it take to come up with the songs for it? How long were you in the studio for?

Ryan: Thank you! Yeah, we had a lot of singles. I started releasing them in early 2022. I had hoped to finish the 2nd record that year. But that didn’t happen. So, basically, I spent three years writing and recording. The writing process varies for me. Sometimes, it’s like the song just appears in my head, and it’s basically done. And sometimes, I chop at it for a little while or years. You can’t really predict it. It makes it fun. Since I have a studio in my home, I’m constantly recording and re-recording until I am fully satisfied with the songs.

How has the feedback been towards it so far? 

Ryan: The feedback has been fantastic. It has been super encouraging. The truth is, you never know how people will respond. I never write with the intention of it being ‘liked.’ I always try to stay true to what I’m feeling and going for. If people dig it, then it’s even better.

For someone who has never heard the band's music, what would you say you sound like? 

Ryan: We have a hybrid mix of styles. We love thrash and heavy metal, but we also like hardcore, punk and rock n roll. Plus, we dig acoustic guitars, pianos and organs. We throw it all in the stew, depending on the song, and just let it be. If someone asked me what bands we sound like, I’d say Tourniquet, Believer, Testament, Coroner, Avenged Sevenfold and many others.

I see in July of 2024. Roxx Records put out a release called "The Unorthodox Years 1993-1998". What is this release all about? 

Ryan: This release was a compilation of our demo sessions from the 1990’s when we were called Unorthodox. We were teens and early 20’s then. There were 4 of us. I wanted to polish the songs a bit and release them as they were never officially released back then. They give a peek into our history and the evolution of our sound that eventually became Motivik. Fans have enjoyed the history lesson, I think.

Now, would you consider adding other band members, or is it going to be just you 2? 

Ryan: We would be down for that. It would just have to be the right people. It’s hard to nail down a permanent lineup. Hopefully, that will happen in the future as it’ll make playing out a lot more fun and give us more opportunities.

What are your plans going forward? 

Ryan: Well, we are beginning to write for our third album and flesh out ideas. We may have a new single or two drop this year, but a full album is probably going to happen in 2026.

Please plug any websites or social media sites the band has. Where can people here buy your music as well? 

Ryan: Sure, we appreciate that. Come follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Bandcamp, Spotify and any of your other preferred streaming sites. We should be on all of them

Ryan. Thanks for your time, and best of luck with the band going forward. Any last words to wrap this interview up? 

Ryan: Thanks again for chatting with us. We really appreciate what you do. I would just say go check out our music, and if you have, we want to thank you for that. Shoot us any feedback. We’d love to hear from you.

https://www.facebook.com/MotivikBand