Photo Credit: Morgan Larsen

Metal Inside(r) Home Quarantine is Metal Insider’s new column during this time of isolation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We asked artists five questions on what’s been keeping them busy ranging from their favorite movies, food they’ve been eating, music they’ve been listening to and more. We caught up with Veio bassist/vocalist Kris Lewis as he’s been spending this time writing new music.

What have you been doing to pass time during Quarantine?

I’ve been spending a lot of time creating content for the release, Vitruvian, as well as writing some new music that’s almost ready to go. It’s been a good thing in that regard because it has freed up some time for us to put some more things together for the release. I think a lot of music folks have taken that approach since no one is touring. 

Have you been listening to any music or have any playlists worth checking out?

I’ve definitely been listening to a ton of music. We try to keep our ear to the ground in general, and there are a lot of folks out there that may not have a huge following that are still making amazing music. We’re really looking forward to the new Caligula’s Horse and Haken releases. A common question we’ve gotten from fans is asking us “what stuff are you listening to?” So, we’ve also put together a workout playlist of bands that we enjoy with a few of our tracks included for fans to check out and hopefully enjoy: 

A lot of people have been spending this time cooking including making their own bread, what food have you been prepping during this time?

Cooking is a huge hobby for me and I try to make new recipes all the time. One of the downsides is some of the ingredients that are needed have been a bit hard to find at times along with long lines at some grocery stores. That being said, I’ve covered a lot of ground over the quarantine. My favorite cuisine to make is Italian: Chicken marsala, alfredo, pizza, scampi … I try to make them as often I can. I cook all the time on tour, too. Crock pot stuff does well – you just have to get your ingredients in the pot before sound check and when you get off stage, things are good to go.

In terms of entertainment, what movies, TV shows, books, or games have been keeping you busy?

I’ve tried to keep somewhat normal hours in the sense that I try to get a full day of work in before I put on Netflix. I mostly watch sports on TV, so with no NBA or MLB, the Michael Jordan documentary has been fun to watch. As a band, we’ve been experimenting a lot more with sound creation so I’ve spent a fair amount of time learning and getting better with sound design and programming and honing in on my craft in general. That being said, I’ve definitely been able to dive into a few great TV shows. I’m really digging “Westworld” and “Ozark” at the moment. I’ve also been trying to balance the screen time with getting out as much as possible. My dog has never had it better, we’ve been able to get out a ton this last month. 

What advice do you have for your fans in isolation during this time?

Do what you can to stay in good health and good spirits. I think even folks that are homebodies are still getting some cabin fever during all this. So do whatever it is you can to keep yourself from going too stir crazy. Even though this event has been politicized I think it’s important to remember that we are all in this together. Everybody’s life and plans have taken an impact from the epidemic. Be supportive to others and try to stay positive.