Frontman Sam Haft of The Living Tombstone expressed his initial shock at the surprising popularity of their gigs across North America as they wind up their first national tour. Haft stated in an exclusive interview that the band has enjoyed an exciting ride during the nearly full sell-out of the tour, despite his fears.
The band extended the tour dates after its three test performances in Southern California in October 2023 sold out in record time. "We initially planned for eight to ten shows, but here we are going on thirty," Haft said. Since then, Los Angeles-based electronic rock group The Living Tombstone has played in towns ranging from Harrisburg to San Diego, with the exception of their first gig, which did not sell out. Several of the tour's remaining dates in Montreal, Toronto, Detroit, and Columbus, Ohio, have already sold out. The tour is scheduled to end in these cities.
The band is working hard on their second studio album, Rust, which is now rescheduled for early 2025, in addition to touring. Haft underlined the group's dedication to excellence and artistic liberty, adding that they are unaffected by outside deadlines. "It's important to us to really get it done right," he stated.
Rust promises a change from their first album Zero_One, emphasizing more outside influences and life's unpredictable elements. Haft continued, "This album was a challenge because we tried to not tread on any of the same ground," suggesting a change in the band's overall theme.
The singer-songwriter also discussed the significance of fans to the band's development. Their music has a devoted fan base since it is frequently influenced by pop culture and video games. A significant event occurred when their song, which was inspired by the video game Five Nights at Freddy's and has over 372 million views on YouTube, was included in the 2023 film version of the game. Haft said, comparing the experience to seeing a dream come true, "They invited us to set, which meant so much, especially to Yoav who created the song alone in his room a decade ago."
Haft's love of fandoms has influenced his career in both musical and non-musical ways. He is the lyricist and composer for Vivienne Medrano's web series, Helluva Boss and Hazbin Hotel. His participation in these projects has given him the confidence to publicly embrace his nerdy interests, something he was previously afraid to do. As an adult, I had to relearn a lot of things, such as the fear of being cringe. He said, "We were all enmeshed in these strange anticipatory shame cycles.
His path in the creative industry has been one of self-improvement and discovering his genuine passions. Significant turning points in his career have included meeting his music partner Yoav Landau at a karaoke party and later collaborating on several songs with Medrano and co-writer Andrew Underberg, a buddy from school.
Haft is still appreciative of the creative freedom and discipline he has developed over the years, especially as Helluva Boss gets ready to premiere the second part of its highly anticipated third season and Hazbin Hotel gets ready for its second season. He said, "It has freed me from a lot of self-judgment and allowed me to just play freely, creatively," anticipating the opportunity to keep making an effect on the animation and music industries with his special brand of ingenuity mixed with fandom adoration.