We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Exceptional Failures a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Exceptional, thanks for joining us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

Corey Distler (Guitar/Vox/Harmonica): Well I took classical piano lessons when I was 7, but found it pretty boring. Then I discovered guitar and rock n’ roll, and that was it. I joined my first band at 11 and songwriting has been my main purpose in life ever since. For better or worse…

Dambo (Drummer): My mom, dad, and step dad have been musicians and artists all their lives. Growing up, I wanted nothing to do with that lifestyle beyond getting free backstage passes to festivals and sweet swag from touring artists. Watching my parents in tears every other week because they couldn’t pay their bills left a sour taste in my mouth for the industry. But here I am, a glutton for punishment. AND I LOVE IT!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

We basically became a band by accident. We’ve know each other since high school, but were more of house show acquaintances. About 10 years later we started jamming for fun in a moldy basement, but Corey was on keys instead of Guitar. No singing. Experimental prog rock. A few years after that, Corey’s main band fizzled out, and Dambo had just finished a solo project he was working on. Then the magic began. We started as a 4 piece, one band member quit. Then a 3 piece, then another band member quit. So we settled on a two piece and changed the name to Exceptional Failures.

Bio:
Exceptional Failures is a dynamic rock duo from Portland, OR whose thunderous drums command the beat, shredding guitar riffs captivate the audience, and sentimental vocals wrap around you like a malfunctioning heated blanket. With a long-standing friendship and deep-rooted musical connection, these local musicians have crafted their sound to imperfection, blending sweet melodies with ever-changing powerful instrumentals.

Exceptional Failures:
-Placed 2nd in the 2023 High Sierra Music Festival Band Contest
-Competed in NPR’s 2023 Tiny Desk Band Contest
-Placed 6th in The Opening Act 10th Anniversary We Can Survive benefit concert by helping raise money and awareness for The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

[Corey]: I feel like the mission of this group for me is to be as genuine as possible and just lay out as many feelings and as much pent-up energy as I can. There’s so much expectation for artists to fit into a certain genres or categories and act or create in a certain way. I just want to throw that out and embody as much of who I am into our recordings and performances.

[Dambo]: Superbowl half-time show

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Venues require you to setup your own bill, which is a huge barrier for folks who are just getting started and don’t know many bands to connect with. We hope that music consumers are aware of this. The amount working musicians make from their recordings and performances generally pales in comparison to the amount it costs to even get the music to them. One fix to some of this could be venue owners help newer bands curate their bills, potentially having a list of local bands that are down to play shows, instead asking bands to present them with a full lineup or they don’t get the slot.

When you try and release music, you have to pay to record (unless your DIY, then you have to pay for your own equipment), then you have to pay to mix and master (unless you DIY which then costs more money for software). Then you release it, and in order to get PR you have have to either know people or hand more money out to get your music sent to the industry decision makers. It’s a never ending circle of monetary pain. There’s no easy fix, but if society collectively comes together to make change, there’s always another way. Like governmental stipends for working musicians.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.exceptionalfailures.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/exceptional.failures
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/exceptionalfailuresband/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@exceptionalfailures
• Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0LByBxSv9q47gtKtBL4tHO?si=3s936PyRSPGSHGx37cJIeQ Bandcamp: https://exceptionalfailures.bandcamp.com/

Image Credits
Heather Redman, Stanley Penrose, Corey Distler, Damian Moye