Alright. This absolutely rules. Our latest Profile is for Nuclear Dudes, a project that offers up a wild mix of extreme metal… noise… grind… synth-y stuff, and honestly I have no idea what else. Who cares? It’s fast and it’s entertaining. Anyway, they dropped their fifth full-length album, Truth Paste, earlier this month and it is absolutely worth your time. And, I mean, it’s like 22-minutes long so why the hell not? But if you would like to learn a little bit more about Nuclear Dudes before making such a commitment, take the jump and read Jon and Brandon’s (also entertaining) responses below.

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How and when did you first get into playing music, or metal more specifically, and how did your band get its start? Any pushback from family/those close to you?

Jon: I started with punk at a very young age. Once I saw my first punk show at an all ages teen center it was all over. I was ruined for life.

This project (like many others) started as Something To Do during the Covid lockdown. People kept asking me if I was ever going to play it live, and I am an idiot, so I eventually figured I’d give it a try. I knew I needed help so I called Brandon.

Brandon: I started playing horrible punk music in college. My first metal band was a band I formed with my brother called Teen Cthulhu. It was a family affair. That’s also when I met a very young Jon Weisnewski. We’ve been buds for the hundreds of years since then.

How would you describe your band and what you play to someone who is completely in the dark?

Jon: The thing I keep coming back to is “Gary Numan trapped in a studio with Carcass trying to write
songs”.

Brandon: If you’re completely in the dark, this isn’t for you. Go outside, nerd.

Is there anything about your latest album or about your band that no one will find in any interview or review that you care to divulge?

Jon: If we had focused we probably could have finished it in a week. But it took about a year. We are bad at this.

Brandon: Hmmm. I stole tons of lyrics from Soundgarden? Does that count?

Any funny stories from playing shows / tours / festivals, etc?

Jon: All my memories of shows are brutal levels of anxiety about the logistical set up of the gear and PA and samples and backing tracks… and then trying to calm that anxiety with alcohol and hoagies.

Brandon: The shocked silence of an audience after our set is priceless. I could break down our gear in awkward silence forever.

What do you see as some of the great things happening in and around the metal scene (yours or just in general) and what are some of the worst things happening right now?

Jon: My favorite part of the metal scene is the camaraderie that happens outside of metal shows. It’s like “sports” for music fans. Like if you’re waiting at a dentist office or at your partner’s work holiday party, and then someone comes in wearing a Slayer shirt, you can just zero in and hang out with that person and talk about contentious opinions of niche subgenres of extreme music and have a really nice time.

Brandon: I’m such a horrible piece of shit. I don’t go to any shows and have zero clue on what is going on. Total parasite on the scene.

Most folks have passions for a cause or causes that are close to them. What, if any, are some of the most important issues (social/political/humorous/etc.) for you / your band and how do you insert those issues into your music?

Jon: We have a song on “Truth Paste” called “Juggalos for Congress”.

Brandon: I mean, we all know the bacon is burning. You can smell it for yourself. That said, if I ever catch someone being mean to a dog I’ll throttle the fuck out of them.

Do you have day jobs or hobbies you want to share?

Jon: I’m a videogame designer at a pretty high profile studio. As far as jobs go it’s pretty damn great.

Brandon: I have the most boring job on earth. If I told you about my job you’d die of boredom. Jon makes
video games, which is much more interesting and cool. Hobbies? I love a good hot bath.

What advice do you have for music critics and outlets out there? How can we all better serve the genre in the eyes of a hard-working musician?

Jon: A thing I despise is numerical reviews. My friends in Great Falls released arguably one of the best metal records in the last decade recently (“Objects Without Pain”) and I kept seeing reviews that were like “9 out of 10” or “4.5 out of 5”… and my friend, what was that last little thing you expected from this band to hit a perfect number? How did they fail you? What, in your precious mind, did they not accomplish in the years of making and producing this album? If you love the album, just say you love it. Don’t put a qualifier on it that only matches your personal criteria. And if you don’t love the album, just shut up and don’t say anything. Someone else might adore it and you shouldn’t make them feel stupid for that.

Brandon: If you can help talk bands out of doing that photoshoot thing where they all stand looking at the camera being menacing that’d be peachy. Maybe dig into that pile of demos and review that stuff. Give some kids the thrill of their life and breathe some life into the corpse.

Any specific long term goal(s) in mind?

Jon: The only long term goal is just keep making ripper Nuclear Dudes albums. The project is prolific and I like it that way.

Brandon: I really, really want to open a little tiny shithole of a dive bar.

When you’re not obsessing over your own material, what are some of your favorite albums to listen to currently?

Jon: I am in a deep, dark, Oingo Boingo hole these days. I keep trying to climb out but I am weak.

Brandon: I’ve been jamming on Luigi Mangione lately. That dude and his band absolutely ripped.

What is the near future outlook for you or your band? Any specific events on the horizon that the masses should be aware of?

Jon: I fucked the whole thing up by moving to California for a job, so we gotta figure out how long distance is going to work for shows. But hey, if anyone out there in the LA area wants to book us, Brandon will fly down and we’ll squirt some “Truth Paste” on your teeth.

Brandon: I literally just show up where I’m told. I’d love to fly somewhere weird to play a show. Someone
should get Jon on the horn and book us in Vegas or some basement in Chicago.

Summarize your band in one word.

Jon: Frijoles.

Brandon: Frijoles.

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Many thanks to Nuclear Dudes for the time!

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Truth Paste is available now. For more information on Nuclear Dudes, head over to Instagram.