Promise Kept: An Interview With Cleveland’s Saints of Lorain

Saints of Lorain is a band deeply rooted in the past of their previous incarnation, Al & the Coholics, but they operate with a refined and forward-looking determination. The current group is largely composed of four-fifths of the original Coholics lineup, but they bring a quarter-century of life and musical development to the material. Their latest EP, "Before We Were Saints," is a collection of previously unreleased Coholics songs, now properly recorded and executed to finally give them the audience and quality they deserve. The title itself signifies the tumultuous period before a pivotal promise made by Rob to his late brother Jonny Blood—a commitment to ensure the music would endure. This new phase of the band is not a retreat into the past, but a dedicated act of continuance, transforming the reckless energy of the Coholics into an intentional, focused effort to tell their story of survival and honor those they lost.

The band's current sound is a gritty blend of Cleveland street punk mixed with a diverse range of genres including hip hop, rock and roll, blues, hardcore, and metal, and their identity is shaped by the collective perseverance of its members. The Saints are committed to authentic expression, refusing to pretend to be anything other than what they are—raw and honest survivors. With the release of their EP, their immediate objective is to aggressively pursue more music releases, complete their catalog of songs written with former guitarist Styles, and expand their touring beyond local Cleveland haunts.

We had a chance to sit down with Nick, who is a writer as well as a musician. He has been working on completing a novel called Coholic that's about the story of the Coholics, firefighting, and a dream world which he’s come to understand is his response to the horrible things he has seen. His journey has taught him how to turn trauma into art.

Welcome! You've got a new EP coming out. What does the title "Before We Were Saints" signify in the context of the band's history and the themes on the EP?

Before We Were Saints is about the chaos that came before the promise. Before Rob made the promise to his brother Jonny Blood to keep the music alive. Before we became something worth believing in. The title reflects who we were while the album cover is a warning. It's a reminder of what we lived through and the people who didn't make it.

Can you walk us through the evolution of one song on the EP, maybe one that started as a Coholics track and was completely re-worked, or one that was brand new?

All six songs on this EP were originally Al & the Coholics tracks, but outside of the few people lucky enough to have a physical copy of a burnt CD, they don't exist anymore. The Saints versions have 25 years of experience behind them. We know what these songs were always supposed to sound like. Now they're getting the treatment they always deserved. Same DNA, better execution. We didn't want these songs to die, and we know Blood wouldn't either. That being said, we're not going to be reaching into that bag very much longer.  We've still got a few more Coholics songs that need to be heard, but we still need to get through what we wrote with Styles  before we even get to the new Saints material. 

Photo by Paul Goon

The EP dropped on November 1st. How did you celebrate the release, and what are your hopes for how fans will react to this first new music?

We celebrated at our annual All Saints Day bash at the Hydrant. This year we were able to pull off the Saints theme in its entirety as we were joined by Bessemer Saints and Hardway Saints. It was a very busy night in Cleveland as far as music goes. Legendary acts were performing all over the city, and we didn't really know what to expect. The fact that people chose to come out and pack the Hydrant for us meant everything.

As for people's reactions, it was awesome. Not just people choosing to come out, but the constant reposting of the release online. Seeing people share it, talk about it, connect with the story, that's what we hoped for.

If a potential listener could only hear one song from the EP to understand the current sound of The Saints of Lorain, which track would you recommend and why?

Hard to answer. I would of course say go listen to every track. But if I had to pick one, it'd be "No Style." There's a line in that song that takes on new meaning now: "Take a good look at me, you better learn something from me, there's nothing pretty about my life or my style." When we wrote that years ago, it was defiance. Now it's truth. It's a warning and a testament to what we survived. That's what the Saints are. Raw, honest, and refusing to pretend we're something we're not. If you want to understand us, start there.

What was the biggest creative challenge in recording this EP with the new lineup and balancing the legacy sound with the new fire?

I wouldn't even say we set out to capture the old sound. It was more like, here's the song, let's go do what we do. The challenge was more in why do them at all. The argument about playing old songs. To me, 99.99999 percent of the world has never heard us. They're new. The Coholics only existed for a handful of people with burnt CDs and fading memories. These songs deserve a real chance, a proper recording, an audience beyond the few who were there. That's not nostalgia, that's giving these songs the life they never got to have. Once we settled that, the rest was easy.

You are four-fifths of the old Al & the Coholics lineup. What is the key difference in identity and purpose between the two bands?

The Coholics were pretty reckless. We lived fast, and so did those around us. I saw some old footage the other day and it was sad to realize many in that room are dead now. We lost a lot. It's part of the reason I became a firefighter. As my friend Vic from the Brazen Rogues says, "firefighting became my salvation." It changed me and how I look at music as well. The Saints are all about what happens after. What happens after you make it through the darkness. The Coholics were chaos in real time. We were living it, not looking back. The Saints don't honor that chaos, we're just fully aware of what we survived. Making sure the music doesn't die with the people we lost is a better story than who we used to be. We're older, more focused, more intentional. The fire is the same, but the purpose is different.

The story hinges on the promise Rob made to his late brother, Jonny. How does that promise influence the band's creative decisions and its presence on stage?

This was not a decision that was 100 percent received. There's a lot of emotion tied to that part of our lives and to who we lost. Rob telling me he made that promise to Jonny helped me know I was making the right decision with how to lead us. Our story, where we came from and who we are now, is unbelievable and needs to be told. We're doing it because these songs deserve to be heard, and we owe it to Jonny, and to everyone we lost, to do it right. Honoring something bigger than us was worth fighting for.

Losing your Saints guitarist in 2023 was a catalyst for this new configuration. How did that loss shape the emotional tone of the songs or the urgency of the music you are making now?

When Al, Styles, and I started the Saints, it wasn't planned around the Coholics history. It was just us playing music. But when Rob joined in 2021, both Al and I had these moments where we'd catch glimpses of Jonny being in the room again. Eventually Styles got to the point where he couldn't play anymore, and we went looking for someone new. We found two. Dill Hams came on board first and immediately started having an impact on us. He's chaotic good. Boots on the ground, always helping the music scene, very energetic and optimistic. Once I realized who he was, I knew he was in the right place. As it would turn out, he shares a history with the Coholics too, but that's a story for another day.

When Greggie joined, it was another miracle. There was a period when we all thought he'd never play again after bolts and plates in his C5, C6, and C7 caused nerve damage that left him unable to hold a pick. He never gave up though. In a way, he taught himself another way of playing. His perseverance paid off and he arrived just in time. When I looked around the room, I knew what had to be done and what story had to be told. Suddenly we had four-fifths of the original Coholics lineup in the room. This wasn't just about playing songs anymore. It was about remembering where we came from, honoring our past, and making sure these songs didn't die with Blood.

The only music the Saints ever put out was a demo. The plan was always to release it properly, but setback after setback stopped that from happening. This new lineup not only allowed us to tell the story of the Coholics, but to finally complete the songs we wrote with Styles in a way he never could have imagined. And the urgency? We're pushing hard because we're trying to get to the songs this lineup is writing together. There's a future here, not just a past.

Greg Melnyk returned, and Dill Hams joined as a long-time scene veteran. What unique musical perspective or element does each of them bring to the current band dynamic?

Dillon brings a love for rock n roll, punk rock, and blues that feels fresh but also familiar. It's actually an element the Coholics had. Kind of gives me goosebumps to think about. He's bringing new fire, but he's also restoring something that was always supposed to be there. He's not just a player. He's got a great ear for songwriting dynamics. He knows when to push, when to pull back, when to let a song breathe.

Greggie's fingers don't move like they did in his younger days, but what he's done is learn how to bend and transform his sound with some very angry-sounding pedals. He's found a new way to make his guitar scream. Not only that, but Greggie is great at finding the notes in between the notes. It brings in an element most people wouldn't think to play. He's a truly gifted guitarist, and honestly, if you didn't see him shred back in the day, you wouldn't know any better. He's still ripping, and he's got that grit and perseverance that refuses to quit.

Their chemistry, in my opinion, was built during the Coholics songs. Instead of both of them learning songs that Styles helped write, Greggie showed Dillon what he himself played, his own vision for the songs he wrote. That created something genuine between them, a more honest exchange where both guitarists could be themselves.

How do you honor the spirit of Al & the Coholics without falling into the trap of nostalgia?

We don't forget where we came from, but we're not Al & the Coholics. We've become something different. They're a foundation, not a ceiling. We're not trying to recreate what Blood and the Coholics were. We're carrying forward what they started. These songs deserve to be heard, and we're the ones who can do it justice. But beyond that, once we get through the songs we wrote with Styles, we're moving on. This lineup has its own fire, its own voice, and we've been busy writing new material as well. The spirit of the Coholics is in the grit, the survival, the refusal to quit. That's what we honor. Not nostalgia, just the truth of where we came from and where we're going.

Nick, how do you see this evolution connecting with or departing from the musical direction of the Coholics?

I think people's jaws dropped to the floor when we were younger, but that was more for our antics than our music. We still get a little crazy, but we've grown in every aspect of what it means to be a musician. We know how to feed off each other and anticipate. Everything we're doing is more focused and done with intent. People always say the younger version of themselves would kick their ass. I would destroy the kid I was. That's not arrogance, it's 25 years of experience. We've got the same fire we had back then, but now we know what to do with it. The Coholics had the raw energy. The Saints have that energy plus the skill, the discipline, and the wisdom to make it count.

Describe The Saints of Lorain's sound to someone who has never heard you. What are your main musical touchstones or influences?

It's funny, I had this conversation the other night with my friend Drew Beni, lead singer for Gouted Corpse, about my influences and it blew his mind. I said of course there are people that I like, like Matt Freeman from Rancid, but besides that, I don't really have any, and I do that on purpose. I don't want to emulate anyone or study them. I don't want the music in my head to be messed with too much. I only answer that way because it's been brought up many times, the way I play live. People notice it. I'm not trying to sound like anyone else on bass. I play what the song needs, not what some other bassist would do.

As a band, our influences come from many different music genres. We've got punk rock, hip hop, rock n roll, blues, hardcore, metal; it all bleeds together. If you're looking for a clean comparison, you're not going to find one. We sound like Cleveland street punk with 25 years of survival behind it.

What makes the current dynamic between the members, mixing the old grit with new fire, a unique formula for writing music?

Having four people who lived through the original era creates a shared understanding that speeds up the process. Dillon will say there's a difference between the way the Coholics wrote songs and the way the Saints wrote songs, and I would say that's true. But we're the product of both. We were able to take two different styles of writing and blend them into something new that works for the five of us now. It's not about choosing one approach over the other, it's about using everything we've learned, and letting that inform what we create together.

The old grit is still there. The new fire is real. But what makes this work is that we're not stuck in either one. We're building something that pushes toward where we're going.

What are the band's favorite local venues to play in Cleveland and why do they feel like home?

We have some favorites for sure, like the 5 O'Clock Lounge and the Hydrant. They treat us like family. It's not just about having a stage to play on. It's about the people who run these places, the crowds who show up, and the respect for what we're doing. Those venues support the local scene, and they've given us a home when we needed one. That's why we keep coming back.

The band's motto seems to be: "refuse to let your past define your future." Beyond the music, how does the band live by that philosophy?

I wouldn't say we have a motto, but I guess that does hold true to who we all are. We've overcome a lot to be here. Greggie taught himself a new way to play after nerve damage could have ended his career. Rob stepped up to honor his brother's legacy instead of letting grief stop him. We've all survived things that could have buried us, but we're still standing. Beyond the music, we live that philosophy by refusing to quit. We keep moving forward. We support each other and the scene. The past is part of us, but it doesn't get to decide what happens next. That's on us.

What does a typical songwriting or rehearsal session look like for the current lineup of The Saints of Lorain?

Hilarious. We have no problem poking fun at each other. We don't take ourselves too seriously. We can have fun, and that freedom and comfort with being around each other makes things easier. We're getting to the point where practices are evolving into rehearsals. There's a difference. But we still like to go into a random jam if someone has a good idea, or sit around the bar with the acoustics and write. It's not rigid. We trust each other enough to follow wherever the music goes, and we're comfortable enough to tell each other when something isn't working. That balance is what makes it work.

Do you have plans to create music videos or other visual content for the new EP, and if so, what artistic direction are you exploring?

Before We Were Saints was very visually influenced from the start. We worked with local artist Chad Kimes to help make this vision come alive and turn it into a very emotional story. I told Chad what I was thinking, and I feel like he stepped into my head and pulled out my dreams of what I imagined things to look like. When he drew the character for Saints of Lorain, it did nothing but cement this idea in my head. We were able to take that character and show him piecing the Saints together, finding the Coholics' fallen skull, seeing the memories and taking it with him, comforting Rob at Blood's gravesite, finding Dillon (who we refer to as "the wanderer"), and essentially creating this band.

What's the biggest goal for The Saints of Lorain over the next year, now that the EP is released?

We have 19 more songs set to release and probably another 10 to record. We're not slowing down. We're eyeing up more regional shows and out-of-state trips, as well as hitting the road with The Hams again this year. The goal is to keep pushing the music, get these songs heard, and build momentum. We've got too much material and too much fire to sit still. This EP is just the beginning.

In one sentence, what do you hope a first-time listener takes away from hearing "Before We Were Saints"?

After knowing the story, hope. And that goes for us as well.

Thank you to the many amazing artist and photographers who have helped us on our journey. We really cannot do this without your support - Chad Kimes, Angie Marie, David Guativa, Paul Goon, Rhiannon Gyongyos, Sean Burns, EMB Artistry, Attila Custom Guitars, and Jason Chamberlain.

Links

Website: https://saintsoflorain.com/

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/saintsoflorain