Even when Todd Wicks is Poppin’, he Rocks! All Over The Shop is the name of his new band (and the self titled debut EP).

Sweet Sweet Music spoke to him about The Set That Never Was, listening to your own music and a hard-rock guy like Nikki Sixx.

How did this record come together?

The idea behind this project was to write some songs that we could perform as a stripped-down rock trio, similar to the first Ex Hex record. We spent a few months sort of trading instruments but when Brandon moved from drums to guitar and my brother Joel came out to play drums it all clicked. Then, when shows went away in 2020, we decided we could afford to record the 5 best songs from The Set That Never Was. 

Recording music. What’s all the fun about?

I’m usually so time/budget-conscious that it’s difficult for me to let go and enjoy the recording experience. The most fun is bringing a song to practice and hearing what Brandon and Joel do with it. They’re so good and funny and bring so much to the table. I also hope we get to play a show at some point. 

Lyrics are too often taken for granted.  What is the line of text or are the lines of text that you hope listeners will remember?  And why?

I’m proud of “Tongue-Tied” because we wanted to pay tribute to a friend of ours named Eric Damore who passed away. I was struggling to come up with anything that didn’t feel cheesy or hadn’t already been said in 100 other songs. Finally, I decided to write about the last night I saw him and the unusual setting it was in and that felt good. I like that while most songs tell you “It’s all right” or “It’s gonna be alright” this song clearly says “It ISN’T alright” because losing someone young never sits right, even years later. 

How great is the urge to stay creative? To keep writing songs and lyrics?

I would normally make fun of the idea of “self care” but during the past year I realized that’s what writing songs is for me: it’s 100% to help me feel good about myself. My family catches me listening to our own music all the time and I used to get embarrassed, but now I’m completely unashamed; as Brandon says, “If we don’t enjoy listening to it, why bother?” 

Plus, if you stop writing songs then you don’t get to go to practice and have a night off from your regular routine. That’s very important. 

You can pick 3 co-writers to write new songs with. Who? … and Why?

Jim Vallance (R.I.P.)becauseSteven Tyler spoke so glowingly about him in the “Making of Pump” videocassette, plus Bryan Adams’s “Reckless” was a big influence on our EP. I think we could have made some hits together in the ‘80s. 

Andrew Farriss from INXS because he’s underrated as a songwriter and seems like an easy-going collaborator. I feel like I could embarrass myself in front of him trying different things and he would be encouraging. 

I would also love to write with a hard-rock guy like Nikki Sixx or Stephen Pearcy because I sincerely love stuff like early Crue, Ratt, Faster Pussycat and L.A. Guns yet it’s the hardest thing in the world for a guy from the Michigan suburbs to write in that L.A., shoot-from-the-hip style with mega attitude. I would probably be horrified by their approach toward life but could learn a lot creatively. 

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All Over The Shop is Todd Wicks, Brandon Malik and Joel Wicks