October 2, 2025 • 9 mins
New York’s own DES ROCS has released a new single “This Land” featured in the opening sequence of the new Borderlands 4 game now available worldwide. Buy/stream “This Land”. Des is currently putting the final touches on his new album, to be released first quarter of 2026 on Sumerian Records.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey, what's going on?
Speaker 2 (00:00):
It is hit Man with you and I've actually got
on zoom and I'm still trying to learn zoom.
Speaker 1 (00:05):
Here it's Des Rocks, dude. How are you, buddy?
Speaker 3 (00:09):
I'm good. How are you?
Speaker 1 (00:10):
I'm doing good now.
Speaker 3 (00:12):
You know.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
I was talking to somebody the other day about describing
Des Rocks, and I said, this is what it is.
He's he looks like James Dean, He's a storyteller like
Bruce Springsteen and rocks out like Paul Stanley of Kiss.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
Is that the best?
Speaker 3 (00:33):
Man?
Speaker 1 (00:33):
Is that a good description of you?
Speaker 4 (00:36):
I love that you want to be my publicist. That's fantastic. Yeah, man,
I think I think you really hit the nail on
the head there. You know, I really try and draw
from many different places and I'm I'm pretty shameless about
my influences, and I try to create this weird version
of what I consider Bedroom Marena Rock, you know, but
(00:57):
also with the heart of somebody like Bruce.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
So I really appreciate that. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
So you have a new single out called this Land.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
It's going to be on the new Borderlands for game show,
which Borderlands, I hear is a huge video game.
Speaker 1 (01:11):
Here's my question for you. This is different to.
Speaker 2 (01:14):
Me because I'm so used to you know, people releasing
singles and CDs and albums, but this is actually being
released on a video game.
Speaker 1 (01:22):
How did this come about?
Speaker 3 (01:24):
Oh, it's crazy.
Speaker 4 (01:25):
You know, Borderlands the game itself is just this like
insane vibe. You know, it takes itself not too seriously,
but also it's a very intense shoot them up game.
At the same time, and they were really looking for
an artist to collaborate with on the intro that didn't
fit the traditional rock and roll mold and wanted something
that was electric and pretty wild. So they reached out
(01:48):
to me, and I happened to be working on my
album at the exact same time, so it was really
love it first sight in creating a song in that
book would be the first single from my album, but
that could also live in the intro of their game.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
And you've been doing a lot of stuff lately.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
I've read also that you've got it like a partnership
with UFC.
Speaker 3 (02:06):
Also, well, we do a lot of music. We have
a lot of music that's placed in the UFC.
Speaker 4 (02:12):
Yeah, and Dana White and that whole family are just
such amazing people and incredible supporters of What I Do.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
So the single of this Land when Tyson called me
to tell me to take a listen to your single
and I listened to it. It's a great single, he
asked me. He asked me, he goes, okay, what he
always likes when I try to describe what I think
of the single as and I told him, I was like, Okay,
this single sounds perfect for Borderlands, but I can also
(02:40):
picture you playing this full blazing in a packed crowd
at CBGB's.
Speaker 4 (02:50):
Yeah, one hundred percent, we're not. I can literally almost
see it right here. There's little rooftop I'm on in
Queen's right now. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (02:57):
Yeah, it's not too far away.
Speaker 4 (02:58):
I mean, the spirit of New York City is completely
infused into every single ounce of my music.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
Wow, we're talking with Des Rocks concerning his new single
the new album. You're still working on the on the
rest of the album right now.
Speaker 3 (03:11):
It is officially finished.
Speaker 1 (03:12):
Aw, so when can we expect it to be out?
Speaker 3 (03:15):
And about top of next year. I'm working on the
next next album already, you know.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
Really you're that far ahead. Wow, that's that's actually kind
of cool. What goes into the process of writing your
songs and producing them.
Speaker 4 (03:28):
Well, the process of writing the music is really just
like the process of figuring out my process. You know,
I have no idea what it is. There's no rhyme
or reason to it. I wish I didn't though. However,
for this album, once everything was written, it made the
conscious decision to record the whole album live as a
rock band. You know, in the past, I've done it
playing a lot of the instance myself, and we really
(03:51):
wanted to capture a special kind of energy that a
lot of bands leave on the table today.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
So okay, so, and I remember that from your last
singles that we've played here see one on one, and
they've done very very well here. Touring wise, how how's
it going when you're when you're out with the crowd
and arenas and and and other great locations.
Speaker 4 (04:11):
Yeah, we love it, man. Touring is the absolute lifeblood
of what I do. It was what I was good
on this earth to do. And if you told me
you have one choice. You can write and report music
for the rest of your life, or you could tour
for the rest of your life, there would be no
question about it, Absolutely no question about it. We love
to perform and I love having that connection with other
human beings.
Speaker 3 (04:29):
It's it's so spiritual and so important to me.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
I remember you blowing the crowd away in Las Vegas.
You were playing in front of a bunch of radio
people like myself and just blew everybody away.
Speaker 1 (04:44):
How was that playing there in Vegas doing that?
Speaker 3 (04:47):
Thanks? Man.
Speaker 4 (04:49):
You know, it's always interesting when you have a room
full of industry people. You know, it's like a different
shade to what a show normally is normally, and it's
always I like any circumstance where I kind of have
one arm tied behind my back, you know what I mean.
Speaker 3 (05:04):
They go, Okay, walk into.
Speaker 4 (05:06):
This pool hall in Las Vegas near Fremont Street, the crowd,
no fans, only industry people, and I kind of like,
I almost like get off on that. I think it's
I think it's fun. I like I like the challenge
of trying to make some heads turned, you know.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
So with the with the new singles this Land, could
we expect this type of this type of sound for
the rest of your album.
Speaker 4 (05:29):
Now, there's a lot of different flavors that are experimented with,
and importantly to me, I hate things that are one note,
you know, So for me, the album needs to be
like a film. It needs to have all these different
beats that the summation of which is an incredible piece
of art. So I want you to rock out, I
want you to laugh, I want you to cry, you know,
(05:49):
and then I want to end it all with a
bow by track ten. You know, So this album is
the gateway. So this song is the gateway to the album.
Speaker 1 (05:59):
Wow, you make it sound like you want to do
a rock opera.
Speaker 4 (06:03):
At some point, I think I have to, you know,
I don't have a choice.
Speaker 2 (06:07):
So okay, let's get let's go off the side for
a little bit. And so what do you like to
do in your free time?
Speaker 3 (06:14):
Dude?
Speaker 2 (06:14):
I know you love to play music. I know you
love to perform, But what do you do on your
free time?
Speaker 3 (06:19):
What is free time?
Speaker 1 (06:22):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (06:23):
I mean, you know, I wish I had a lot
of hobbies and interest but I don't.
Speaker 3 (06:28):
I just love music.
Speaker 4 (06:29):
And even now we're not we're not we're not touring
for months, and right now I'm here rehearsing with the
band and we're just going over one twelve second chunk
of the show for the last three hours really and
just tinker, Yeah, just tinkering with it endlessly, endlessly, endlessly, endlessly.
Speaker 3 (06:46):
And but if.
Speaker 4 (06:48):
I had to choose some hobbies, man, I love I
love old things, I really do.
Speaker 3 (06:53):
I love vintage clothing.
Speaker 4 (06:55):
I love diving in various different places in New York
City and finding a tea that's one hundred years old
and has twelve holes in it. And I love I
just love old things, I really do. I love walking
around New York City, and I love food. Those are
the things that make me tick.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
Yeah, you would love.
Speaker 2 (07:12):
I would love to set you up with my morning show,
my Morning Guy, because one of his one of his
biggest treasures that he has is he has this leather
jacket that somehow he actually got it autographed by Stevie
Ray Vaughn. Wow, and it's it's one of his treasures
(07:32):
and he literally has it mounted inside your studio and
he sees it every single day. Who is your inspiration
concerning you know, if you could look back, who is
your inspiration to who you are today?
Speaker 4 (07:46):
I think it's a tremendous amount of different ingredients that
kind of go into the des rock stew. You know,
I'm obsessed with Queen, I'm obsessed with Prince I'm obsessed
with Ruis Springsteen.
Speaker 3 (07:58):
I'm obsessed with Elvis Pros.
Speaker 4 (08:00):
I'm even obsessed with like Tom Jones and Barber streisand
and lefting center things. And I also love like much
heavier music as well. You know, it's a humongous spectrum
of artists. But not just musical, you know, it's also
places like I'm again tremendously inspired by the electricity of
the place in which I live.
Speaker 1 (08:17):
Wow, that's great.
Speaker 2 (08:18):
Now, of course, the new single this Land is going
to be on the Borderlands four game as an intro,
and then it's going to be released. It's released out
to radio right now. In fact, I think you're going
for ads right now. And if one last question, I
wanted to ask you if if you ever wanted to
do a let's duets? Doing duets is your dream? Who's
your dream duet?
Speaker 4 (08:39):
Well, anything I do that's a collaboration, it would have
to be unexpected, you know what I mean. I hate
the idea of something that, oh, yeah, that makes sense,
they should get together. I don't like that. Yeah, And
it would need to just be absolutely insane. So I
think I would do a duet with Barber streisand you know,
I really would, you know.
Speaker 2 (08:59):
I it's that I could literally see that I could
see you doing something like that or or believe it
or not, And I mean it's he's already passed.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
But why do I picture you with Tony Bennett?
Speaker 3 (09:13):
Oh?
Speaker 4 (09:13):
I mean it'd be so cool, like the way in
which Lady Gaga did a bunch of stuff with Tony Bennett.
I want Barbar Schreisen to be my Tony Bennett.
Speaker 3 (09:20):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (09:21):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (09:22):
Well, I appreciate you taking the time, you know, out
of your schedule, to out of practice too, to spend
some time with me. And of course, like I said,
this Land is out now on all streaming and then
you can actually follow him on his website, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, Spotify. Yeah,
and you've got millions of streams on Spotify. Looking forward
to seeing even more of that. Is there anything you'd
(09:42):
like to pass on to any of your fans.
Speaker 4 (09:45):
Yeah, if you're listening, just buckle up, that's all I'll say.
Buckle up because there's a lot of really intense and hypercharged,
emotional rock and roll music heading your way.
Hey, what's going on?
Speaker 2 (00:00):
It is hit Man with you and I've actually got
on zoom and I'm still trying to learn zoom.
Speaker 1 (00:05):
Here it's Des Rocks, dude. How are you, buddy?
Speaker 3 (00:09):
I'm good. How are you?
Speaker 1 (00:10):
I'm doing good now.
Speaker 3 (00:12):
You know.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
I was talking to somebody the other day about describing
Des Rocks, and I said, this is what it is.
He's he looks like James Dean, He's a storyteller like
Bruce Springsteen and rocks out like Paul Stanley of Kiss.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
Is that the best?
Speaker 3 (00:33):
Man?
Speaker 1 (00:33):
Is that a good description of you?
Speaker 4 (00:36):
I love that you want to be my publicist. That's fantastic. Yeah, man,
I think I think you really hit the nail on
the head there. You know, I really try and draw
from many different places and I'm I'm pretty shameless about
my influences, and I try to create this weird version
of what I consider Bedroom Marena Rock, you know, but
(00:57):
also with the heart of somebody like Bruce.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
So I really appreciate that. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
So you have a new single out called this Land.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
It's going to be on the new Borderlands for game show,
which Borderlands, I hear is a huge video game.
Speaker 1 (01:11):
Here's my question for you. This is different to.
Speaker 2 (01:14):
Me because I'm so used to you know, people releasing
singles and CDs and albums, but this is actually being
released on a video game.
Speaker 1 (01:22):
How did this come about?
Speaker 3 (01:24):
Oh, it's crazy.
Speaker 4 (01:25):
You know, Borderlands the game itself is just this like
insane vibe. You know, it takes itself not too seriously,
but also it's a very intense shoot them up game.
At the same time, and they were really looking for
an artist to collaborate with on the intro that didn't
fit the traditional rock and roll mold and wanted something
that was electric and pretty wild. So they reached out
(01:48):
to me, and I happened to be working on my
album at the exact same time, so it was really
love it first sight in creating a song in that
book would be the first single from my album, but
that could also live in the intro of their game.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
And you've been doing a lot of stuff lately.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
I've read also that you've got it like a partnership
with UFC.
Speaker 3 (02:06):
Also, well, we do a lot of music. We have
a lot of music that's placed in the UFC.
Speaker 4 (02:12):
Yeah, and Dana White and that whole family are just
such amazing people and incredible supporters of What I Do.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
So the single of this Land when Tyson called me
to tell me to take a listen to your single
and I listened to it. It's a great single, he
asked me. He asked me, he goes, okay, what he
always likes when I try to describe what I think
of the single as and I told him, I was like, Okay,
this single sounds perfect for Borderlands, but I can also
(02:40):
picture you playing this full blazing in a packed crowd
at CBGB's.
Speaker 4 (02:50):
Yeah, one hundred percent, we're not. I can literally almost
see it right here. There's little rooftop I'm on in
Queen's right now. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (02:57):
Yeah, it's not too far away.
Speaker 4 (02:58):
I mean, the spirit of New York City is completely
infused into every single ounce of my music.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
Wow, we're talking with Des Rocks concerning his new single
the new album. You're still working on the on the
rest of the album right now.
Speaker 3 (03:11):
It is officially finished.
Speaker 1 (03:12):
Aw, so when can we expect it to be out?
Speaker 3 (03:15):
And about top of next year. I'm working on the
next next album already, you know.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
Really you're that far ahead. Wow, that's that's actually kind
of cool. What goes into the process of writing your
songs and producing them.
Speaker 4 (03:28):
Well, the process of writing the music is really just
like the process of figuring out my process. You know,
I have no idea what it is. There's no rhyme
or reason to it. I wish I didn't though. However,
for this album, once everything was written, it made the
conscious decision to record the whole album live as a
rock band. You know, in the past, I've done it
playing a lot of the instance myself, and we really
(03:51):
wanted to capture a special kind of energy that a
lot of bands leave on the table today.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
So okay, so, and I remember that from your last
singles that we've played here see one on one, and
they've done very very well here. Touring wise, how how's
it going when you're when you're out with the crowd
and arenas and and and other great locations.
Speaker 4 (04:11):
Yeah, we love it, man. Touring is the absolute lifeblood
of what I do. It was what I was good
on this earth to do. And if you told me
you have one choice. You can write and report music
for the rest of your life, or you could tour
for the rest of your life, there would be no
question about it, Absolutely no question about it. We love
to perform and I love having that connection with other
human beings.
Speaker 3 (04:29):
It's it's so spiritual and so important to me.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
I remember you blowing the crowd away in Las Vegas.
You were playing in front of a bunch of radio
people like myself and just blew everybody away.
Speaker 1 (04:44):
How was that playing there in Vegas doing that?
Speaker 3 (04:47):
Thanks? Man.
Speaker 4 (04:49):
You know, it's always interesting when you have a room
full of industry people. You know, it's like a different
shade to what a show normally is normally, and it's
always I like any circumstance where I kind of have
one arm tied behind my back, you know what I mean.
Speaker 3 (05:04):
They go, Okay, walk into.
Speaker 4 (05:06):
This pool hall in Las Vegas near Fremont Street, the crowd,
no fans, only industry people, and I kind of like,
I almost like get off on that. I think it's
I think it's fun. I like I like the challenge
of trying to make some heads turned, you know.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
So with the with the new singles this Land, could
we expect this type of this type of sound for
the rest of your album.
Speaker 4 (05:29):
Now, there's a lot of different flavors that are experimented with,
and importantly to me, I hate things that are one note,
you know, So for me, the album needs to be
like a film. It needs to have all these different
beats that the summation of which is an incredible piece
of art. So I want you to rock out, I
want you to laugh, I want you to cry, you know,
(05:49):
and then I want to end it all with a
bow by track ten. You know, So this album is
the gateway. So this song is the gateway to the album.
Speaker 1 (05:59):
Wow, you make it sound like you want to do
a rock opera.
Speaker 4 (06:03):
At some point, I think I have to, you know,
I don't have a choice.
Speaker 2 (06:07):
So okay, let's get let's go off the side for
a little bit. And so what do you like to
do in your free time?
Speaker 3 (06:14):
Dude?
Speaker 2 (06:14):
I know you love to play music. I know you
love to perform, But what do you do on your
free time?
Speaker 3 (06:19):
What is free time?
Speaker 1 (06:22):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (06:23):
I mean, you know, I wish I had a lot
of hobbies and interest but I don't.
Speaker 3 (06:28):
I just love music.
Speaker 4 (06:29):
And even now we're not we're not we're not touring
for months, and right now I'm here rehearsing with the
band and we're just going over one twelve second chunk
of the show for the last three hours really and
just tinker, Yeah, just tinkering with it endlessly, endlessly, endlessly, endlessly.
Speaker 3 (06:46):
And but if.
Speaker 4 (06:48):
I had to choose some hobbies, man, I love I
love old things, I really do.
Speaker 3 (06:53):
I love vintage clothing.
Speaker 4 (06:55):
I love diving in various different places in New York
City and finding a tea that's one hundred years old
and has twelve holes in it. And I love I
just love old things, I really do. I love walking
around New York City, and I love food. Those are
the things that make me tick.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
Yeah, you would love.
Speaker 2 (07:12):
I would love to set you up with my morning show,
my Morning Guy, because one of his one of his
biggest treasures that he has is he has this leather
jacket that somehow he actually got it autographed by Stevie
Ray Vaughn. Wow, and it's it's one of his treasures
(07:32):
and he literally has it mounted inside your studio and
he sees it every single day. Who is your inspiration
concerning you know, if you could look back, who is
your inspiration to who you are today?
Speaker 4 (07:46):
I think it's a tremendous amount of different ingredients that
kind of go into the des rock stew. You know,
I'm obsessed with Queen, I'm obsessed with Prince I'm obsessed
with Ruis Springsteen.
Speaker 3 (07:58):
I'm obsessed with Elvis Pros.
Speaker 4 (08:00):
I'm even obsessed with like Tom Jones and Barber streisand
and lefting center things. And I also love like much
heavier music as well. You know, it's a humongous spectrum
of artists. But not just musical, you know, it's also
places like I'm again tremendously inspired by the electricity of
the place in which I live.
Speaker 1 (08:17):
Wow, that's great.
Speaker 2 (08:18):
Now, of course, the new single this Land is going
to be on the Borderlands four game as an intro,
and then it's going to be released. It's released out
to radio right now. In fact, I think you're going
for ads right now. And if one last question, I
wanted to ask you if if you ever wanted to
do a let's duets? Doing duets is your dream? Who's
your dream duet?
Speaker 4 (08:39):
Well, anything I do that's a collaboration, it would have
to be unexpected, you know what I mean. I hate
the idea of something that, oh, yeah, that makes sense,
they should get together. I don't like that. Yeah, And
it would need to just be absolutely insane. So I
think I would do a duet with Barber streisand you know,
I really would, you know.
Speaker 2 (08:59):
I it's that I could literally see that I could
see you doing something like that or or believe it
or not, And I mean it's he's already passed.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
But why do I picture you with Tony Bennett?
Speaker 3 (09:13):
Oh?
Speaker 4 (09:13):
I mean it'd be so cool, like the way in
which Lady Gaga did a bunch of stuff with Tony Bennett.
I want Barbar Schreisen to be my Tony Bennett.
Speaker 3 (09:20):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (09:21):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (09:22):
Well, I appreciate you taking the time, you know, out
of your schedule, to out of practice too, to spend
some time with me. And of course, like I said,
this Land is out now on all streaming and then
you can actually follow him on his website, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, Spotify. Yeah,
and you've got millions of streams on Spotify. Looking forward
to seeing even more of that. Is there anything you'd
(09:42):
like to pass on to any of your fans.
Speaker 4 (09:45):
Yeah, if you're listening, just buckle up, that's all I'll say.
Buckle up because there's a lot of really intense and hypercharged,
emotional rock and roll music heading your way.
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