Andrew Dex
The latest batch of bands for this years Reading and Leeds Festival has been announced with Queens of the Stone Age and Paramore joining as headliners. Other names announced include Enter Shikari, A Day To Remember, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Jimmy Eat World, Basement, Hacktivist, Deaf Havana Letlive., Foster The People, The Hives, Peace, Chvrches, Lower Than Atlantis, Don Broco, The 1975, Sleeping With Sirens, Marmozets, and Neck Deep. This Will Destroy You have been announced for this years Arctangent Festival with their appearance being UK festival exclusive. They will join fellow headliners Russian Circles with the final remaining headliner to be revealed in the coming weeks. The next set of bands for Sonisphere 2014 have been announced with Dream Theater, Devil You Know, Band Of Skulls, Gary Numan, Yashin,The Bronx, Gallows, 65daysofstatic, Sebastian Bach, Chiodos, and Glamour Of The Kill being amongst the names announced. Other names confirmed are The Cadillac Three, Palm Reader, Broken Hands, Fort Hope, The One Hundred, Collibus, Carcass, New Model Army, The Winery Dogs, Bam Margera’s Fuckface Unstoppable, Anti Nowhere League, and Little Matador.
Charlie Simpson has announced a run of UK headline shows taking place in May. May 12 Glasgow King Tuts 14 Manchester Deaf Institute 15 Birmingham Academy II 16 London Islington Academy 17 Brighton Concorde II 19 Bristol Thekla The final set of bands for this years Hit The Deck Festival has been announced with Kvelertak, Baby Godzilla, Pulled Apart By Horses and The Xcerts being amongst the names added. Other names announced include The Charm The Fury, Death Remains, Lacey, Dinosaur Pile-Up, Lyger and The Gnarwhales. Northern punks Bear Trade have revealed details of their debut album, 'Blood And Sand', which is set to be released through Everything Sucks Music on May 5th. The following bands have been added to Slam Dunk Festival: Mallory Knox, Kids In Glass Houses (exclusively playing Smart Casual in full!), We The Kings, Chiodos, Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Capdown, Jesse James, Gnarwolves, MC Lars, Heart Of A Coward, Save Your Breath, Modern Baseball, Ghost Town
Essex rockers Our People Versus Yours have announced their debut album will be titled 'Machine Hearts Machine Minds' and will be released on April 28th via Transcend Music. French pop-punks Chunk! No, Captain Chunk! have been added as support for Bury Tomorrow's May UK tour. Demoraliser and Napoleon will also be supporting. Portsmouth quartet Midday Committee have confirmed their third release will be titled 'Girls In Open C' and will be released on April 7th.
Converge have announced three UK dates as part of a European tour. Support comes from Martyrdod and Okkultokrati. August 04 - Manchester Academy 05 - Glasgow Classic Grand 06 - London Scala
Feed The Rhino have confirmed their new album, ‘The Sound And The Sorrow’, will be released on June 16th via Siege Of Amida Records/Century Media Records. Australian 5-piece Tonight Alive have announced they will be returning to the UK on November for a headline tour. November Mon 24 Wedgewood Rooms Portsmouth Wed 26 Koko London Thu 27 Solus Cardiff Fri 28 Institute Birmingham Sat 29 Academy 2 Manchester Sun 30 Garage Glasgow Brighton punk quartet Fighting Fiction are to split up and will play their final show at Sticky Mikes Frog Bar in Brighton on March 15th.
The Afterparty will self-release their debut mini-album entitled 'Distances' on 7th April. Every Time I Die is currently recording new material at GodCity Studio in Salem, Massachusetts with producer Kurt Ballou of Converge. Rise Records has signed Atlanta’s Nightmares.
MXPX have announced a one-off UK show at The Underworld in London as part of a Spring European tour. The show takes place on May 10th. Support at the London show comes from Bodyjar and The Murderburgers. The likes of Drug Church, Headroom, Malevolence, and Desolated have been added to Liverpool’s Fury Fest. Other names recently added are Shields, Arcane Addiction, Doomed From Day One and Buckle Tongue. With their debut album, 'The Fearless Ones' set to be released next month, Yorkshire metallers With One Last Breath have announced a short headline UK tour in support of the album. May 3rd Manchester, Satans Hollow 5th Southampton, Joiners 6th Leeds, Cockpit 7th Nottingham, Rock City Basement 8th London, Barfly
Chuck Ragan has announced a UK tour in support of his new album, 'Till Midnight’' which is released through SideOneDummy on March 24th. May Tues 27 Nottingham, Rock City Wed 28th Bristol Thekla Thurs 29th London Garage June Tues 24th Brighton The Haunt Weds 25 Manchester Gorilla Thurs 26th Leeds Brudenell Japanese rockers FACT have announced they are set to release their fourth album, 'Witness' on May 5th.
Heaven’s Basement have announced their next single, 'Can't Let Go' will be released on April 14th via Red Bull Records.
Fearless Vampire Killers have confirmed they will be touring the UK next month with Southampton quintet Dead! April Sun 13 Exeter Cavern Mon 14 Portsmouth Cellars Wed 16 Nottingham Red Room Mon 21 Cardiff Clwb Ifor Bach Tue 22 Leeds Cockpit Thu 24 Sheffield Corporation Sat 26 Glasgow Attic Mon 28 Birmingham O2 Academy Birmingham Wed 30 London O2 Academy Islington
Brody Dalle has announced a short run of UK shows in support of her debut solo album, 'Diploid Love'. April 21 Glasgow, Garage 22 Manchester, Academy 2 24 London, Electric Ballroom 25 Sheffield, Leadmill 26 Birmingham, O2 Academy 2
Drummer Longineu “LP” Parsons III has left Yellowcard. A joint statement said: "Longineu has decided to pursue other musical interests. We wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors."
Bane's new and final album will be titled 'Don't Wait Up' and will be released through End Hit Records on May 12th.
Killer Be Killed, the new band comprised of Max Cavalera (Soulfy, ex-Sepultura), Greg Puciato (The Dillinger Escape Plan), Troy Sanders (Mastodon) and Dave Elitch (ex-The Mars Volta), will release their debut album on May 12th via Nuclear Blast Entertainment.
No Bragging Rights have joined Pure Noise Records. They are currently recording their new album with producer Will Putney.
Nine Black Alps have revealed their 5th album, ‘Candy For The Clowns’ will be released on 21st April. Aerosmith have been confirmed as the first headliners for the Calling Festival, a new version of Hard Rock Calling, which will take place in the South London park on Saturday, June 28 and Sunday, June 29. Thunder, Walking Papers and Joe Bonamassa have also been confirmed to appear.
Due to public demand, a second date at The Forum in London has been added to New Found Glory's 'Pop Punk's Not Dead' UK tour. Support comes from The Story So Far, Candy Hearts and Only Rivals. November Sat 15 Institute, Birmingham Sun 16 o2 Academy, Newcastle Mon 17 o2 ABC, Glasgow Tue 18 Rock City, Nottingham Thu 20 o2 Academy, Liverpool Fri 21 Academy, Manchester Sat 22 o2 Academy, Leeds Sun 23 Uni, Cardiff Tue 25 o2 Academy, Bristol Wed 26 Pyramids, Portsmouth Fri 28 Forum, London Sat 29 Forum, London (just added) Emerging UK rockers Empress have been announced as the main support for Kvelertak's forthcoming UK dates. April Thu, 17 Sheffield,The Corporation Fri, 18 Leeds, The Cockpit 2 Mon, 21 Manchester, Academy 3 Tue, 22 Glasgow, The Cathouse Wed, 23 Wolverhampton, Slade Rooms Birmingham indie-rockers Dearist have joined Giant MKT Records and will release a limited 7” single on 22nd April.
Quicksand have announced a headline show at the Electric Ballroom in London on the 12th June ahead of their slot at Download Festival. Milton Keynes ska act Anti-Vigilante have announced they are splitting up.
And So I Watch You From Afar have announced a run of UK dates with more shows to be announced soon. April 28 Leeds, Belgrave Music Hall 29 Newcastle, Cluny 2 30 Edinburgh, Studio 24 May 02 Leicester, Handmade Festival
Lonely The Brave have set a release date of June 2nd for their debut album, 'The Day’s War'. The album will be released through Hassle Records with an exclusive show at Dingwalls in Camden on June 4th to celebrate its release.
Frank Turner has been confirmed to headline this year’s Y Not Festival. He joins the previously confirmed headliners Dizzee Rascal and White Lies at the three-day festival in the Peak District. Other names set to play the festival include Reel Big Fish, Andrew WK, The Blackout, Itch, Lonely The Brave and Brawlers. The Y Not Festival takes place from August 1 to 3 at Pikehall, Derbyshire.
Manchester-based label TNS Records have announced three shows in two days as part of their 10th Birthday celebrations. The shows will take place Friday 11th and Saturday 12th April with the main show taking place at Sound Control and will be headlined by Random Hand. Friday 11th April – The Bay Horse (7.30pm Doors) The Franceens The Kirkz Acid Drop Officer Down Hated Til Proven Saturday 12th April – Sound Control All-dayer (1.30pm To 10.30pm) Random Hand Revenge Of The Psychotronic Man (also Celebrating Their 10 Year Anniversary!) Bootscraper Beat The Red Light Faintest Idea The Autonomads 3dbs Down (played The First Ever TNS Gig!) Sounds Of Swami River Jumpers Saturday 12th April – Joshua Brooks Aftershow (11pm To 4am) The Domestics Black Star Dub Collective Rising Strike Bomb Ibiza DJ Set Details of the 2014 UK Tech-Fest have been announced with The Ocean, Vildhjarta and Glass Cloud amongst the bands announced. UK Tech-Fest takes place at the Showground in Newark, Nottinghamshire from July 10th to 14th. Other names set to play include The Safety Fire, The Eyes Of A Traitor (UK exclusive), Felix Martin, Modern Day Babylon, Napoleon, No Consequence, Disperse, Drewsif Stalin, Friend For A Foe, Deadly Circus Fire, From Sorrow To Serenity, Carcer City, Hord, Aeolist, Bear, Kadinja, The Bellerophon Project, Lies Of Nazca and The Sun Explodes. French electro-metal producer Remi Gallego aka The Algorithm has confirmed his new album will be titled 'Octopus4' and is set to be released on June 2nd via Basick Records. The latest round of bands for this years 2000 Trees Festival have been announced with Band Of Skulls being confirmed as headliners. Other notable names added to the lineup include The Bronx, Kids In Glass Houses, Maybeshewill. Turbowolf, Baby Godzilla, Decade, LostAlone and Brawlers. Newcastle quartet Castor Troy are set to release their debut album 'Across the Water' on 26th May. Isle of Wight trio Godard have announced they will be releasing a split with Singapore band The Caulfield Cult in late May through Don’t Shoot The Messenger Promotions (UK) and Shivery Productions (Germany). The release will be supported by a joint UK tour. May 23 London, Urban Bar 24 Cheltenham, Secret Show 25 Leeds, The Fenton 26 Glasgow, 13th Note 27 Aberdeen, Cellar 35 28 Dundee, Kage 29 Bristol, The Hatchet 30 Newport, Le Pub 31 Portsmouth, Edge Of The Wedge
London experimental metallers Exist Immortal have confirmed their debut album, 'Darkness Of An Age' will be released on 12th May. 1. Insanity Project 2. Legions 3. In Parallax 4. Edge Of Infinity 5. Imperator 6. Desolace 7. The Participant 8. Embrace The Cycle 9. Liberator 10. The Omen Machine Neutral Milk Hotel have announced two Uk dates before their appearance at London’s Jabberwocky Festival in August. August 12 Bexhill, De La Warr Pavilion 13 Leeds, Leeds University 15-16 London, Jabberwocky Festival
Yellowcard have joined Razor & Tie. Their new album will be released in the fall. Finch have announced they will be releasing a new full-length album this year. Tigers Jaw have confirmed their new album, 'Charmer' will be released on June 3rd through Run For Cover Records. 01) Cool 02) Frame You 03) Hum 04) Charmer 05) Nervous Kids 06) I Envy Your Apathy 07) Divide 08) Slow Come On 09) Teen Rocket 10) Softspoken 11) Distress Signal 12) What Would You Do
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Interview with Joe & Nick
Can you tell us about the formation of Knuckle Puck? Joe: We kind of loosely knew each other. Nick and Kevin had known each other for a long time and were already friends, I kind of knew Kevin, and Kevin knew John from going to shows. We all got together and just started rocking out. You know?
How did you guys get to the name Knuckle Puck, and what does it mean to you? Both: It means nothing. It's just a name. What bands have influenced you since starting out, and also can you tell us a bit about the bands sound? Joe: We all grew up listening to our own stuff. I grew up on Taking Back Sunday and Blink. I think I knew I'd stay into that music if I were to make it. Overall though, I think we just want to make music that we'd like to listen to if we were still the kids going out to shows like we did when we were younger. We still are those kids, you know?
What was your first ever full tour like for you guys, and what do you think you learnt the most from this experience? Nick: Well the current tour we're on is our first actual full US tour, but it's just helped us to be more responsible for the band we're in. We didn't bring anyone on this tour for merch, or anything like that. We kind of wanted to try this tour as a 5 piece and see how we're able to tackle it. It's going pretty well in that aspect.
You've just put out a split with Neck Deep, so how did this idea come about, and can you tell us about your songs that feature on the split? Joe: We wanted to release some music before we left, so we started writing some songs. Then we all thought that a split would be a really cool thing to support the tour and get people involved in the tour. We're only selling limited copies per night - so it's a cool way to make it more special for the people who come out to the shows. It throws some excitement back into it all.
Can you tell us about the main themes and influences that run throughout your latest EP release 'The Weight That You Buried'? Nick: We're just kids who have lived life up until this point, so we are just kind of translating our experiences into songs. Musically and lyrically.
What songs are you currently enjoying performing live the most at the moment, and why?
e Joe: I'd say gold rush/fences. Those two have been really fun to bring out. It's always awesome being able to play new material.
What else can we expect to see from Knuckle Puck in 2014? Lots. Keep your eyes peeled.
Interview with Sean
You guys are currently on tour with The Wonder Years, Defeater, Fireworks, Citizen, and Real Friends. How has this tour been for you guys? It's been really great; amazing honestly ~ just a bunch of great guys and bands on this tour. We are all bummed Defeater couldn't make it out with us, but we wish Derek a quick recovery and hope to play with them soon!
So You just put out a new record. What's the response you've gotten from people? What's it based around? People really seem to like it!! We sold out of our first vinyl pressing (4,000) and charted on Billboards Top 100! We are all very proud of this record so seeing people like it is very very cool, really puts a smile on our goofy faces.
Is there any places you would love to play or tour? And are there any memorable cities that really stick with you? We would love to play Ireland, just because we won't be able to hit there during our UK/Euro tour in May and we have always heard great things about shows there. We love Chicago a lot, and Pittsburgh and Long Island have always been great to us.
What are you most looking forward to in 2014 both with your band and in the music industry? Any albums you can’t wait to drop? We are all very excited to head over to the UK and Europe with our homies in Real Friends & You Blew It!, it's just something you dream about, you know? I'm really excited for the new Saintsenaca record and ALL of us are excited for the new Menzingers record, could be quite wiley.
Sticking with the personal preferences, what have you been listening to lately? Something fans should definitely check out if they haven’t already? The new Hotelier record is wild good, also the new Frankie Cosmos record. I've been jamming the new Bayside record, such a good record, definitely check all of those records out!!
With touring, what do you do in your down-time when you aren’t driving, loading in, or playing in front of people? We rarely have any down time even at the show we are catching up on emails or calling family and friends or just trying to catch a little bit of extra sleep before the show ends. Sean and Jake are also working with The Wonder Years on this tour, Sean is Mike Kennedy's Drum tech and Jake is doing lights so they are pretty busy until the show ends. Also since I love The Wonder Years I watch them every night haha.
This question is more directed to Sean: Recently you posted a link to share the “foursquare of craft beers.” Do you have a preference to the type of beer you drink? Favorite brand? And what is one of your favorites for those who can drink? I don't have a strict preference per say, but I do favor stouts and Belgian beers. Favorite brands would probably be Weyerbacher, Philly Brewing Company, and Dogfish Head. A great beer I’ve discovered this past winter is Anchor Brewing Company's Merry Christmas Happy New Year. Plus you can buy it in a big ass wine bottle.
Interview with Dave
How did you get to the album title 'Last One Standing'? The album title comes from the struggles that we have over come as a band through the years. Sometimes it feels like persistence is the key to success in the music industry, and to now finally be able to release our debut album the title seemed fitting!
What are the main themes and influences that run throughout Last One Standing? The stand out song on the album for a real life theme would have to be '27 down', that song is specifically written about the Sandy Hook shootings in America. The rest of the songs are more personal to us and our own experiences, some look into the way society forces us to conform to its restrictions whereas others explore human emotions, there's a specific few based around anger!
How would you say this release compares to what you have done prior as I Divide? This release is a much more refined and mature version of our earlier releases. We've branched out a bit more in terms of musical spectrum, added some more keys, strings and maybe even a female vocalist!
As this is your debut album, then what were your main aims and goals when heading into the studio to put this record together? I think with a debut album, that tends to be the one where the band have had the longest to write it. Meaning even though they might not be as good as they may be on further albums, they should still be pretty good! We are also aware that with the current climate in the industry, your first album can be make or break, so we really wanted to make sure we got it as good as it could be!
What else can you tell us about the writing and recording process for this record? The majority of our songs are made into a demo at first, josh has a small studio set up at I Divide HQ where a lot of writing happens between the computers and smashing it out in the rehearsal rooms! We tend to record ourselves live a lot to hear the songs from every angle possible. The album was then recorded between Red Bull studios and Outhouse Studios. It was all produced by Ben Humphreys, mixed by John Mitchell and then mastered at H Bomb studios in Canada!
What track would you say means the most to you on this record at the moment, and why? Personally it is a song called 'I'm not leaving', it is going to be the next single we release so you'll get to hear it soon! It's quite different to what we've done before, there's a bit more melody and it's broken down quite a bit, but for reasons I can't quite put my finger on, I love it! It's a song that really gets stuck in your head and as soon you have heard it once it feels like you've known it for ages!
The artwork for Last One Standing is really cool, can you tell us a bit about how it came together, as well as what it means to you guys? Cheers! We had a very talented guy called John Barmby create that for us. We wanted an image that conveyed a journey, and what greater journey than one through space! Obviously the name is also conveyed by the single figure in the centre of the artwork with nobody around him!
How happy have you been with the growth and support from your fan base over the years, and what do you think it isthat fans like so much about I Divide? We have been astonished by how far and wide our music has spread over the years, the distances we've travelled to play a show before to find a hundred people there all knowing the words to our songs is not something we will forget quickly. We like to think that our personalities come out through our live show, we're very interactive with our fans which I like to think they appereciate!
How would you say the rock scene has progressed in the UK since you first started out as I Divide? I think the British rock scene is currently going from strength to strength. Not only are we currently producing some fine worldwide rock bands but our export of music across the whole spectrum of genres, and also the amount of successful artists for such a small country!
What else can we expect to see from I Divide in 2014? Plenty of touring! We're very keen to get out there and just play to as many people as we can, hopefully we'll have another great year for festivals and if we're lucky we might even head out into Europe for some fun times!
It's been close to four years since the release of 'Love Let Me Go' so can you give us a couple of your main achievements since then? As a band, not really too much. We've been playing it quiet, did some sweet tours and finally agreed on putting out 'What's left of me'. As for our personal lives TK got married and moved to Berlin, James finished his tattoo apprenticeship and has became a full time tattooist.
How did you get to the album title 'What's Left Of Me' and what does it mean to you? It's the third song on the record and we felt it represented the overall mood of the LP. It also kind of ties in to us as a band, still pushing our progression of melodic hardcore in a time where it seems to be quite sparse.
Also, can you tell us about the main themes and influences that run throughout 'What's Left Of Me'? A lot has happened over the last few years in our personal lives. I think this is reflected heavily in the lyrical content. A main theme that runs through the record deals with relationships with loved ones then looking at yourself and the person you have become overcoming a personal event. Another theme that made this record the way it sounds is family values and dealing with illness, which has changed my life and everyone around me. I think everyone has experienced this or will at some point in their life, be it a family member or a friend of a friend. It affects everybody and I think people will have their own personal connection to the lyrics and be more than just some made up writing on a page to go with a song.
How did you end up working with Neil Kennedy & Alan Douches, and what were they like to work with? We'd heard couple of records he had recorded/produced via some friends bands, plus he had also hit us up previously with an impressive sample reel asking if we were interested in working with him. So when we decided to go ahead with the LP we had kinda already made the decision to work with him. Working with Neil and the rest of his crew at Ranch productions was awesome, it was a really relaxed environment with Neil giving plenty of input which I definitely feel improved the outcome of 'What's left of me'. Neil suggested working with Alan Douches and with his back catalogue of punk records that we grew up listening to we couldn't of been more happier to let him work on mastering 'what's left of me'.
How would you say you have progressed as a band since the release of 'Love Let Me Go'? We've all definitely changed as people since the release of LLMG, our taste in music has not necessary changed but broadened and I feel that is very noticeable when listening to the new LP.
What would you say was the hardest part about putting together 'What's Left Of Me' for you guys, and why? Pretty much everything to do with the record, our drummer TK recently re-located to Berlin and the rest of us all work pretty flat out full time jobs. We live in separate towns, so writing was tricky and spilled over into recording time, but the recording process with Neil was pretty easy and straight forward. Alex at Holy Roar records has also been great and super helpful, not to mention patient.
Can you tell us how the video for 'Do You Remember' came together, as well as a bit about the narrative behind the track? We chose the song not only because we think it's one of the strongest tracks on the record, but it gave people a look into the change and progression of More Than Life. We get a bunch of stick for not touring that often, at least not as much as we used to. We wanted to use this video to show people that we have other priorities in life outside of More Than Life, even if it's only a small token of us working in the different towns/cities we live in and hanging out with our friends.
Also, your video for 'Do You Remember' has now hit over 300,000 views, so how awesome is this for you guys, and what do you think it is that fans like so much about More Than Life? Yeah the reaction was sweet, like mentioned above the song is definitely a lot different to anything we have put out before, so having a reaction like that is always a good sign. Can't really say why people like our band, if we're honest we just do our thing, write what comes naturally to us and hope for the best.
You are hitting the road with Architects soon as well, so how excited are you for this, and how happy have you been with the growth of your fan base across mainland Europe so far? Currently on the road now! It's going good so far, we're all excited to visit some new countries and new cities that we would normally never venture to. We can't thank mainland Europe enough, the fact the people still come to see us playing the same old songs and make it 100% worth it is awesome, it's definitely a strong fan base for MTL.
Also, how excited are you to be a part of Hit The Deck festival this year? We're excited for sure, one home town show and two days of seeing Brand New will be awesome.
So for those that don't know, can you tell us how Jag Jago ended up in Polar, as well as what he has been like to work with so far? When Max O'Neill departed our band in December 2013, we wanted to fill his position as quickly as possible due to our touring schudule starting in February. Jag was the person we all felt would fill the position perfectly, so we sent Jag the record and as they say the rest is history. He has brought a fantastic level of professionalism to the band but he is like a unicorn on tour often spoken about rarely seen.
How did you end up on 'In At The Deep End Records' and what have they been like to work with so far? Mark who owns IATDE heard 'Create' on the 'Inspire, Create, Destroy' EP and loved it so we caught his interest. He hadn't heard any of our back catalogue and made a decision to sign us on the direction we were going with the new material. Mark put all of his trust into us along with a fair bit of money and left us to write 'Shadowed By Vultures'. We have a great working environment between us and Mark, we hope to make Mark and the label proud and to also continue together to achieve as much as possible.
How did your recent European tour go with Being As An Ocean, Hundreth, Counterparts & also what was it like to perform some new material from 'Shadowed By Vultures'? All the bands on the recent European tour were nothing short of incredible every night, it was a highlight in our career and an honour to share a stage with very talented musicians. We loved every moment of the tour and built some solid friendships for life even though they thought I sounded like the pirates from pirates of the Caribbean. We have really embraced the new songs live, the response to them live has been overwhelming. We never thought we could go to Europe and have people singing the words back at us.
How did you get to the album title 'Shadowed By Vultures' and what does it mean to you? Like most bands we had a lot of working titles for the record and 'Shadowed By Vultures' really stuck. What it means to me, is that with our band after 'Iron Lungs' we were on the verge of dying but we were determined to survive.
Can you tell us about the main themes and influences that run throughout 'Shadowed By Vultures'? There are many themes inside the songs on the record, the two that stand out to me are overcoming objections and determination to survive within the modern world we live in.
How did you end up working with Neil Kennedy & Oz Craggs and what were they like to work with? We chose Neil Kennedy and The Ranch because we as a band felt that he was the best guy for the job and could really bring the record to life. He is now a very good friend of the band and did more for the record than anyone expected, we are forever in his debt for this. Oz offered to master the record and well the results speak for themselves. We are extremely proud of what they both gave to the record.
How would you say this record compares to what you have done previously as Polar? 'Shadowed By Vultures' is us as band defining and mastering our sound. I'm very proud of our past recordings but with the new record we really thought outside the box to make an album which takes the listener on a journey which I felt we may have lacked on past recordings.
What was the hardest part behind putting together 'Shadowed By Vultures'? For me personally the hardest part was the melodies and the use of my voice. I worked extremely hard on my range and the hooks and choruses. This didn't come naturally, so I spent a lot of time researching and rehearsing as much as I possibly could and I feel this has made me a better musician and I have made a platform to work with in the future. How did the album artwork come together for 'Shadowed By Vultures'? The picture was taken in Scandinavia at a fresh water lake. We had agreed we wanted to use a picture for the artwork, so we sent our manager Matt into the lake and got him to rise out of the water. For us it symbolises the theme of determination and to live on.
Can you tell us about how the video for Mountain Throne came together? We came up with a concept of light and dark, to accompany the theme of the song which is the struggle between good and bad. Our friend Katie Gurr is seen in white and black to symbolise the good and bad theme. The song is really about how friends close to you can do things wrong in life and as a friend you do your best to keep friends on the right track.
How excited are you to be a part of Download Festival? Excited doesn't even come close, it's a dream come true. It's an honour to be part of such an incredible line up, as well as such a prestigious festival. Fans can expect a 110% performance, pulling out all the stops.
What else can we expect to see from Polar in 2014? We are planning to tour the record until we are dead on our feet. We are really excited that we will get the opportunity to take our band to the states for the first time. This is going to be our biggest year to date.
What made you want to release 'Non Typical' first, and how happy have you been with the response to this single so far? It was the furthest departure from my previous work and definitely surfaced in a way faster than others. I felt that would be the best starting point to let people in on the new material and what I put together with the gang of ladies and gentlemen that I had on board. I knew that it'd hit a lot of people sideways since it's a bit of a stretch from other material but it felt great to us and to me. If it feels right and genuine when I'm in a room playing it alone or with the guys then I'm headed in the right direction musically. It also stood out to us to be different within the group of songs as a whole on the record and that's always the goal with any session for me. I'd prefer to never write the same record twice and aim to always push myself and let the songs develop naturally rather than try to cut them up to fit in any mold. Obviously there's the standard paths and templates to please the ear that all of us as songwriters follow but in terms of letting the songs take their own shape, I'd rather it come organically than forced.
So how did you get to the album title 'Till Midnight' and what does it mean to you? It came rather simply. They usually do once you stop thinking about it! I had bounced around quite a few titles and after a while 'Till Midnight' came to be the most fitting. It started as a lyric in "Something May Catch Fire" in which it speaks in a way of a metaphor to take the world on to live and love to the fullest every single moment we're given. Later on as the session played out, we found that we were constantly putting in these long days and running till midnight or beyond and so that came to be part of the definition as well. More or less I see it as living the moments to the fullest through hard work, love and friendship.
Can you tell us about the main lyrical content that runs throughout 'Till Midnight'? The group of tunes on the record are predominately love songs. I write often and sometimes it's story based or historical material in which I either narrate or live in the song through an alternate perspective. A lot of my work though is very personal as it's been for years. Mostly attributed to me looking to songwriting and music as a form of therapy, relief and a way to overcome complications or find a more efficient or truer self so to speak in the process. So in a lot of ways I'm more or less looking for a light at the end of a tunnel and for me it always seems to come back to a simple love song.
How would you say 'Till Midnight' compares overall to 'Covering Ground'? There's most definitely a more positive or optimistic undertone to 'Till Midnight' than there was on 'Covering Ground.' I wrote, recorded, mixed and mastered the majority of 'Covering Ground' while on the road. On buses, in vans, backstage, hotels, alleys, coffee shops and gas stations. A lot of people may know but for those that don't, the road isn't always pleasant and if you're someone who tends to write in a way of wearing the heart on the sleeve it'll emerge from the songs here and there. Writing, working on and recording 'Till Midnight' ended up being a very relaxed and wonderful experience and was a collection of tunes that payed tribute to the positive light of the friends, loved ones and communities that I surround myself with. I feel extremely blessed to stand in these boots these days and be in love with a wonderful woman, have a couple of beautiful dogs, a modest but comfortable dry roof over my head and to have the opportunity to share my music with the world alongside of artists and players whom I respect deeply.
You have a really impressive backing band, so do they contribute to the writing process or do you tell them exactly how you want it to be? Thank you. They are incredible and I cherish every moment I have to play music with them. These songs were already written but I wanted their input and I also wanted them to simply do what they do and find their own rhythm within the body of songs. Todd Beene and Joe Ginsberg help a bit on a couple of the tunes to steer them in a different direction from their original state and every single player or singer on the record was given the freedom to shine however they saw fit. I or Christopher Thorn would always step up if we felt parts needed to go in one direction or the other and it was always respectful and more so spitballing ideas where we would decide on as a group whether or not it flowed. At the end of the day though, the guys did what they do best and we just captured the moments where we could. That's the beauty of working with professionals.
What was it like to work with Christopher Thorn and how does he push you as a musician? He's a blessing. After recording two records with him and working on other sessions, he's a true joy to be with in the studio. We've hit a stride where we connect easily and know where each other are going or where we need to go. We've found a language that works for us and I'll always look forward to working with him again. He's a producer that has come to know me and a lot of my thresholds, limits, peaks and valleys. When I get rolling and get into my song or far into my head or vocal or guitar parts, he's great at letting me loose and letting me be who I am. He's also not afraid to tell me I'm slacking, not pushing hard enough or if I'm working too hard and overdoing it and losing control. I respect him to the fullest and am always eager to hear his ideas and enjoy watching him at home in his element of the studio.
Can you tell us a bit about the instruments & style used on this record, for example, did you explore or use a certain instrument/style more on this record? What became apparently different to me on this record was Joe playing electric bass over his upright bass. He still used the upright on some of the tunes but he stuck to the electric throughout. Between him and David Hidalgo Jr. on drums creating a massive force of a rhythm section and Jon Gaunt stepping up to the plate and reinventing his violin sound and energy in his playing, Todd Beene bouncing between his warm and rich pedal steel tones as well as his ability on electric guitar, it made a massive difference. If you strip it all away, you'll find my guitar playing and vocals are extremely simple and traditional in their rhythms and movements. Bringing Christopher Thorn in as a multi instrumentalist who went to a dobro, mandolin, piano among other things and Rami Jaffe who was so kind to offer his signature organ sound as well as a glockenspiel and accordion, it made for a perfect storm of all the instruments that I love to hear and play with the most.
You collaborated with Ben Nichols, Jenny O., Dave Hause, Drag The River on this
record, so can you tell us how each collaboration came about, as well as what these musicians have been like to work with? Just as any recording that I do, guest appearances normally happen on a whim. Unplanned and usually unrehearsed. All of these wonderful people happened to be either in town or breezing through and stopped in to grace us with their presence. They're all great friends and it’s always a joy to see and sing with.
What was the most challenging part about putting together this record for you, and why? Determining which material to work on first. I normally like to have at least twice the number of songs that we'll put on a record when starting a session. Since I write often, finding material normally isn't the problem as much as determining which pieces to focus on and finish but that's part of the joy of it. I flew Thorn up to Northern California and we started digging through piles of material and carving out a few dozen potentials. From there I just kept carving until we had a strong batch of material to draw the line on.
You've toured the UK a lot as a solo musician now, so with this in mind, can you give us a couple of your personal highlights from doing this over the years? I must say that seeing the White Cliffs of Dover for the very first time 17 or so years ago was an epic experience in my life. To see something that we've always seen in books, movies or on postcards come to life in front of your eyes is an overwhelming experience. It's not that often that we have much time on the road to begin with but here and there we catch a glimpse of a locals life or the corners of the pubs or parks they frequent. The sights, sounds and trademarks that can make the UK glorious has always been awakening but in the course of it all, nothing compares to the friendships that I've been so lucky to find along the way in so many different communities over there. It's amazing to me how one instant you can meet someone by mere chance without knowing they'll become a life long friend.
Also, what do you think you have learnt the most as a solo musician since starting this career path? That could be a completely different interview in itself. When I put together my book 'The Road Most Traveled' that was the same question that it was based on. The truth is that I could answer that question today and then find a different answer to that question each and every day after. I noticed the same from all the songwriters and crew people in the book or folks who've lived the road to feel the same way. You learn a lot of yourself when faced with obstacles. You learn a lot of yourself through failure, mistakes and consequences. I feel that one of the most valuable things that I've learned is that in life we're given choices. If it doesn't feel right, it's wrong and beyond circumstance, nothing happens without our decision. There were years in my life where I felt stagnate and stuck and wishing that I were somewhere else or wishing that I had more or had less. In those moments at times I'd forget that I did have a choice to work at bettering my situation. Obviously we can't always snap our fingers and make our wishes and dreams come true in an instant but as far as taking a step back, evaluating our life and purpose and why we're uncomfortable as well as how or where to move on to accomplish our goal is entirely up to us. Nothing's easy and we all know that nothing's free. I've learned that if I'm willing to take a moment to slow down at times and re-evaluate myself and my path, I will see it all in a completely different light and perspective to find clarity or the will to carry on.
What else can we expect to see from you in 2014? I'll be supporting my new record 'Till Midnight' with the band we like to call The Camaraderie. I'm currently in the studio working and producing the record of a young group called The Fearless Kin. I aim to continue writing and possibly completing a couple other books that have been in the works. Writing songs and scoring of course and aiming to have some other releases throughout the year. We're currently working on Revival and where it will surface next while in the process of working with HWM to figure out how and where we'll be celebrating our 20 year Anniversary this year. I tend to get a lot of plates spinning so‌.we'll see what happens!
Interview with Dan
What was it like to be a part of Soundwave Festival in Australia, and how was this whole experience for you guys? The first few days were a little rough due to a bug going and jetlag, but after I got through that it was amazing. Every band was taken care of and everybody that we met (both bands and fans) were awesome. The shows were better than we expected them to be and we got to play some club shows as well in Brisbane and Sydney with Mayday Parade and The Story So Far. I can speak for all of us when I say it was a great experience.
How did you end up signing to Fearless Records, and what have they been like to work with so far? We wanted a record label that gave a shit about the music as much as we do. When we work with people, yes, it’s important that they have resources and the means to help grow the band, but we want people that genuinely care about this band. So far they’ve been a pleasure to work with and have been giving us complete control over who we record with, who will construct the album art, etc. They’re very respectful and are letting us continue to be us, and that’s all we can really ask for.
You guys have just finished writing your first full length record (set to be released in the summer?), so with this in mind then what can we expect from this record overall compared to your current releases? Everything was put together with a lot of care. We tried our best to pay attention to every little detail in the music. I think there’s a lot of progression, more intricacies in the guitar work and drumming than we are used to. We wanted to let more influences shine through on this one.
'Put Yourself Back Together' got such a great & huge response, so did you guys feel any pressure when putting together your first full length? There was a lot of pressure and a lot of anxiety, at least for me, when putting this together. There were a lot of sleepless nights spent replaying certain parts in my head over and over again. I had a panic attack in Kyle’s basement and had to go to the ER because I thought I was going to have a heart attack. But at the end of the day, as long as we are content with the record and gave it everything we had, it was all worth it.
What can you tell us about the recording process for your first full length? We recorded the album with our friend Seth Henderson at ABG Studios in Crown Point, IN, where we have recorded almost everything else we’ve put out. Instead of recording drums, then guitar, then bass, then vocals, everyone else came in and fully recorded about one or two songs instrumentally, and then I came in and did vocals. This way we were able to give each song enough attention and detail.
What would you say was the hardest part about putting together your first full length for you guys, and why? I would say it was just the amount of music we had to write and the timeframe we had to work with. We’re in a position where we can’t turn down certain tour opportunities that come our way, such as Soundwave, The Wonder Years tour in the spring, and Warped. So we get these tours and know that we have X amount of time to make an album and it can get a little stressful because we want to be able to take advantage of every amazing opportunity that comes our way. Sometimes if you really want something you just have to bust your ass to get it.
Looking back on the release of 'Put Yourself Back Together' then how happy are you with this record still, and what do you think it has done overall for 'Real Friends’? I’m still happy with Put Yourself Back Together. Sure, in retrospect there are things that we would have done differently here and there, but I think that goes for virtually any band that records anything. I think we were able to show a more raw side of the band and revert more to a style of pop punk that we listened to back in the "golden days” (early 2000’s).
How excited are you for upcoming UK tour (including Slam Dunk Festival), and what can attending fans expect? I am so stoked to be able to see Modern Baseball and You Blew It every night. They are both ridiculously great bands and I couldn’t think of anyone better for us to bring out. If anybody going to any of the dates hasn’t listened to these bands, they’re about to find a new obsession. As for Slam Dunk, I hear nothing but great things about the festival. AND Goldfinger is playing, so that will be sick.
Also, what can you remember from your last UK tour with The Wonder Years, and how as that experience for you guys overall? I was sick for that tour and the weather was horrendous, but the shows were awesome and everybody on the tour were amazing people. When we were in Glasgow I would have any Scottish girl I met say “winter’s coming, John Snow."
What else can we expect to see from Real Friends in 2014? Touring, an actual full length (yes, it’s happening), and more touring. I hope that people enjoy it as much as we do.
Interview with JT
So far, how happy are you with the release of Zero, and what do you think it has done for the status and representation of Hawthorne Heights? I love the way ZERO turned out. We approached the writing and recording of this album from a totally different view point, which was a fun exercise, especially after all these years. It was fun to craft stories into songs, and songs into stories.
Can you tell us a bit about the main themes and influences that run throughout this record? I would say the main theme is the death and dissolution of small town America. We see the way a giant corporation can ruin the lives of the people in a community, all under the guise of humanity. The characters must remember their past, and reach within themselves to carry the town back to where it used to be.
What made you want to do a ten year anniversary tour for 'The Silence in Black and White'? I think we are just really proud of the history we have created with Hawthorne Heights. Silence is the record that started it all, so it makes sense to re-address some of these songs and memories. We are excited to still be a band after all of these long and winding roads.
What do you remember about the writing and recording process for this record? I remember sleeping on the floor of a cold apartment in Chicago, and laughing ourselves to sleep as friends. I remember the initial tracking done at the the historic Smart Studios, in Madison Wisconsin. I remember thinking about how Billy Corgan and Kurt Cobain had used some of the same equipment we were using, and how it inspired me. We wrote a lot of that record in Micah's Mom's basement, and finished up some of the lyrics while recording. This was our first extended time away from home, and some of the lyrics reflected that. s our first extended time away from home, and some of the lyrics reflected that.
How would you say putting together a record now compares to what you may of done ten years ago? I think it's easier, because we understand our process as writers within our band. Our whole band is capable of bringing ideas to the table, so we try to let each other work out ideas. We never throw anything away, we just record it and save it for a different project. We have grown a lot as writers, and as friends. It's fun to still be able to work on and perform songs together.
What's it been like for you guys to rehearse for this upcoming anniversary tour? For example maybe there have been some songs that you haven't played in a long time? Rehearsing for the Anniversary tour has been a great blast from the past. There are certain songs that we have never played live, and haven't really listened to in a long time…so it's been really cool to dig them up. Really, we just tell a lot of stories about what we were doing at that time period, and then try to play the song. We typically laugh, then have to play the song again. It's a fun time.
As a band, then what do you think you have learnt the most since the release of 'The Silence in Black and White'? I think we have learned to not let frustration get to you. You have to work and work through problems sometimes, and you will eventually break through to where you want to be. Don't let little things get you down.
So overall, what do you think 'The Silence in Black and White' has done for the 'status' and representation of Hawthorne Heights over the last decade? I think Silence has let us into a lot of people's lives, and for some reason we are still there. That album had a connection for a lot of people, and I am pretty proud to be a part of it. It's great to hear stories of how these songs have affected people, and how they still listen with fond memories.
How excited are you for upcoming UK tour, and what can attending fans expect? I am always excited to get to the UK. I'm totally ready for after show kebabs!!! Fans can expect us to give them everything we have got. We will be recreating the past, and hopefully they will jump in our time machine, and come along for the ride.
Also, how excited are you to be a part of Hit The Deck festival?! There are so many great bands playing HTD, that I am not sure I will have time to play haha. I want to watch so many. As for our set, we are looking forward to going crazy and just having fun.
As a band that have toured the UK a lot, then can you give us a couple of personal touring highlights from your time on the road here? I honestly always have a fun time in the UK. We have a tradition of always going to the kebab shops after the show, and stumbling into the Tesco before the show. For breakfast, you will always find me at Gregg's. The UK fans are always a little bit more rowdy than over here in the USA, so I really look forward to that. This time around, I am looking forward to getting some more Natural Source body wash haha. There are so many things I love about the UK...
Interview with Pat McManaman
How did you end up signing to Razor & Tie records? Well, we had fulfilled our previous contract and were talking to a few labels. Razor & Tie was the one that showed the most interest and who's vision was closest to ours. They’re great.
So for those that don't know, can you tell us how the original line-up came back to formation, as well as what this has been like to work with so far for you guys? It's been great working together again, in some ways, it's like it never ended!
Also, how did Thomas Erak end up in the band, and what has he added to the writing and recording process so far? Our old guitarist, Jason, decided after some of the reunion shows that he wanted to continue his education. The rest of us wanted to continue and we have known Thomas for a long time and he was interested in playing with us. So thankfully, it worked out!
So how did you get to the album title 'Devil' and what does it mean to you? The title Devil was Craig's idea and everyone just seemed to be drawn to it and liked it the very first time we heard it.
We've also read that vocally Craig has been trying a bunch of different styles, so can you tell us a bit about what to expect from him overall on this record? We have harder songs, softer songs, poppy songs, you can expect a wide array of tunes!
How did you end up working with David Bottrill and what was he like to work with? Razor & Tie gave us a list of producers they thought would be good for us and were available. We narrowed those suggestions down to ones we were interested in. Bottrill really helped us focus on making the songs complete.
Can you tell us how the artwork for this record came together, as well as what you want it to mean to your fans? We worked with an artist named Adam Fisher on the artwork for the record. We gave him some ideas and just let him do his thing.
What's it been like to perform some of your new material live, and how happy have you been with the response to it so far? It's been great. It's always nice to play newer songs, because they are still fresh. The response so far has been better than I ever expected.
Interview with Cory
Wrongdoers came out in August last year, how has the album done for the band? It’s been awesome, we worked really hard on it. It was a stressful time, I guess we kind of stressed ourselves out making that record so to see it out now and to be able to play it at shows and have people request songs, know the words and to let it actually do its job. We've had a lot of fun with it so we're really glad it’s out now.
The album featured three new members making their debut with Norma Jean, what did they bring to the process of making the album and what have they brought to the band in general? Jeff (Hickey) is just a really good guitarist! He's a bit of a shredder but really just a riff master, when it came down to writing, he had too much material. So we sifted through it and found stuff, that's what he's the best at. He's also a gear head like the rest of us so he brought a lot of ideas of things we could use, things that we'd never tried before so it was cool to get a new fresh approach like that. Goose (drums) and John (bass) were in a band together previously and I think that was kinda cool that the bass and drummer already had this great chemistry. I do think it’s important for a band to have a great rhythm section and the bass is part of that. I think there’s a lot of bands that treat the bass like a guitar, not us, we like to have rhythm section. We knew we wanted Goose to play drums and he introduced us to John and the fact that they had chemistry, I was sold. I thought it was such a good idea and you could definitely tell when they came in to the practice space how solid they were and we just clicked. It’s really hard to do that, I understand how hard it is to change members like that but we were able to pull it off I think, these guys worked really hard to solidify their place and I think 'Wrongdoers' shows that for sure.
With the amount of line-up changes the band has gone through does that have an effect on how Norma Jean approaches making an album? Yeah definitely. Everyone has their own little ideas of what they want to get out of a record, personally as musicians, we all want things so what I try and do is take all of those things and make them work. I think that one of the things that gives Norma Jean longevity is we kick the egos out and make sure we have fun playing but at the end of the day we still want to put out a really good record. Something that's quality and we spend time on our instruments, not only that but putting some passion into it so I think that all those things mixed together is a good thing to have and bringing new members in just refreshes everything. It was definitely good for us to have the line-up change.
You seem to have evolved the sound from album to album, is that a deliberate thing or is it an organic process? It is kind of on purpose, in a way I guess, we don't try to force ourselves against what we've done. I think, if anything, that before we've even tried to do something based on what we've done before it still came out differently so it’s a mix of both. Sometimes it’s organic and sometimes we just want to experiment and try new things and sometimes there's a challenge in that, that keeps us alive. It’s really easy to repeat something we've tried before but then again? I'm not against bands that do that and I don't want to sound like I'm some kind of music elitist but I love AC/DC, all their records sound the same and they never sold out or anything so it’s cool! It’s different for everyone in every band and the positions are a little different, so for us, we like to switch it up and try something different every time.
Where does the album stand for you in terms of what you have done with Norma Jean? I think this record takes a very positive approach to the meaning behind the songs where as with each record you could see the story change for Norma Jean and what we put into our songs so far as the meaning behind them. Usually personal experiences but this time we were able to find some positive things to sing about, the lyrics tell that so that was cool. Also with this record we ventured into spending a long time in the studio making sure we had the best sound, so as far as records go this is our best sounding record, if anything. You can put this into any stereo system and you are going to hear the best sounding Norma Jean record and we're really proud of that. It took a long time too, we spent two and a half months in the studio getting these drum and guitar sounds so a lot of work went into it!
What are the crowds like going to a place like Russia against the main US and European areas? I think there's something about going to places like that where not a lot of of bands go, especially where we're from, that makes it more exciting because when you go to a place like that they're very excited to have you. We've even been trying to do that in the States a little more, going to smaller towns that maybe we haven't been to ever or very often and we've found that shows will destroy the big cities an hour, hour and a half away. Just spreading ourselves out is always a good thing or else we'll just over saturate.
The band tend to do some pretty relentless touring, how do you balance that with having a family life and children at home? It's definitely not easy all the time but for my family, this is something I've done for 15 years so they're really pretty used to it. My kids specifically, they've grown up with me doing this, to them this is just what Dad does and I look at it in the way of I could have been a truck driver and been gone a long time or joined the Army or something. Really I get to pick when I'm gone, if I don't want to miss a birthday then I can choose not to so that kind of leniency is there too. My oldest has already moved out to college too so I think I did a pretty good job! She's at college, doing well so that's evidence that some kind of good came from it.
Going back in time for a moment, you did the Ozzfest tour in 2006, what did the experience of taking part in such a huge production do for you and indeed the whole band? That's a great question because that was the first tour that we did that just really blew our minds, we couldn't believe we were there! Growing up, loving music then being a teenager loving music and wanting to be in a band then the next thing you know? You're on Ozzfest, it was mind blowing. One of the best stories that I have from that, to this day is very influential on how I look at being in a band, what I do and just life in general is going on stage (in a great, non-rotating spot, the first non-rotating band so we were in a great spot and didn't have to pay to play) but some bands after us fought with each other and were complaining saying you know, “this isn't good enough for us” kind of thing and I just remember thinking, man I do not want to be like that. I've already achieved everything and more than I've ever wanted to do so from here on out, it’s all just icing on the cake that I'm already happy with. So I think being able to experience that and we all talked about it as 'lets stay positive, let’s not be like that because if we do....' Not to say we didn't have our ups and downs but that is always something we could look back to and remember.
You get done in Europe at the start of May, what is on the agenda for the rest of the year? Hopefully we'll be doing a US summer festival tour, that's not been announced yet but eventually we should be able to announce that. After that? I don't know, we'll see what happens. We may end up doing Canada, we want to go to Mexico, we really want to go to South America, South Africa and I think we'll be in Australia soon at some point this year so, a lot of touring!
It'll be your tenth anniversary in Norma Jean next year, how would you describe your time in the band? Its gone by really fast, for sure I know that. As soon as I joined Norma Jean everything sped up, my first tour doesn't seem like it was ten years ago but it was! That's just crazy to me and my first tour was a European tour, mostly UK, it was just kind of weird to think about. We've done, I think, 15 or so tours in that time. Its been a fun ride for sure, I'm hoping I get to skip mid-life crisis by looking back at what I've done with Norma Jean, when I get to mid-life crisis mode I can go 'I don't need to do that, I don't need to go and buy a small red car!'.
Interview with Kellen
You have recently released your new single, 'No Ordinary Love' taken from your new album, 'Unconditional', what has the response been like so far to the single? And What made you decide to release this as the first single? Well we haven't really ever done a song that's so aggressive musically and yet, it’s all singing so we had no idea what the reaction would be. But judging by the fans singing it out here on our current headlining tour, it seems to have been received super well.
You have stated that the album will have a more theatrical feel almost like a sound track to an action film, with this in mind, did you set out to do this or did it just happen? We don't usually ever set out to write an album one way or the other, contrary to what some folks may think. We just write the best songs that we can and what we enjoy playing. All we can do is hope that fans will love it as much as we do and get the message of the songs.
Also following on from that, if you had to choose any film to feature as the soundtrack for your album, what would it be and why? Any action or drama would be incredible! I'm just a huge movie fan in general so we'd be honored to be a part of any movie!
You worked with Cameron Mizell again to produce the album as with 'Challenger' and 'The Hollow', what is it like working with him and how did you decide to work with him again for the new album? He's an incredible vocal producer and really just seems to always know where the vocals should go when it comes to pairing them with the music.
How would you compare the new album to your previous releases? Every song has a unique vibe, and we have a few songs on the album that are unlike anything else we've ever done. We're pretty excited for fans to hear it to say the least!
Can you tell us a bit behind the title of the new album and any main lyrical themes throughout the album? Matty put it best when he said he set out to write one kind of record and ended up writing a different kind instead. He wanted to be as transparent as possible and really speak from his heart about how his faith enabled him to get through some of the toughest times in his recent life.
What else can you tell us about the writing and recording process for this record? Cory and I tracked all guitar and bass in Dallas at home so we could take our time and not be stressed in the studio. All the fx and production was already done at that point.
How excited are you for upcoming UK tour (which includes Hit The Deck Festival!), and what can attending fans expect? We love playing for fans over in the UK! It may sound weird but it always feels like a new experience when we head back overseas. Plus, we're huge doner kebab fans haha.
What else does 2014 hold in store for Memphis May Fire? Well, we will be releasing some music videos and be traveling the world before we hit the states again in the fall!
Interview with Andrew
The first song to emerge 'Should Know Better' was pretty hard hitting musically and lyrically, what was the inspiration for it? It’s just about those times that you look back and realize that what you had done in a certain situation was stupid. It’s about the tunnel vision that people get. It’s about being reckless and learning from the consequences.
Can you tell us about the main themes and influences that run throughout 'Die Knowing!'? "Die Knowing" is a reflection on the choices I have made in my life and the path that they have taken me on through failure, realizing new things. Drifting apart from certain people I was once aligned with. There isn't a set theme for the record, rather a collection of songs. "Unconditional" is about my mom who had a battle with cancer over a year ago, and how that affected her and the family. "Lower The Line" is about a friend of mine who had some serious trouble coming his way and how he was dealing with that, and how I wanted to support him through it. Really it varies.
You've stated that 'The goal with Die Knowing was to really capture the best parts of our live show and put those elements into the album' so how hard or easy was this for you to achieve? Writing a record is always hard. We put a lot of work into it, and time will tell if it actually does translate into a live setting.
What's the hardest part about self-producing your own material? Knowing how to get to where you want the album to go. Having an idea of how you want it to sound and feel, and actually getting to that place.
You've stated that this is your heaviest release yet, so how would you say you have progressed musically since the release of 'Symptoms + Cures'? Every recording is a learning experience. I’m always changing and music can be a reflection of that.
How did you end up collaborating with Poli Correia & Scott Wade for a couple of tracks on this record, and what were they like to work with? Actually I wouldn’t know. I sent them the songs online. Poli recorded his vocals in Portugal while I recorded that song in Winnipeg. Scott recorded his song in Toronto and I recorded my vocals to that song in Italy! Haha. Long distance recordings!
In previous cycles there has never been more than two years between albums but this time there has been four, why has there been such a gap this time? We have never been a band that releases albums very often and I think that is maybe one ingredient to our longevity as a band. We tour a lot and go to a lot of different countries and that sometimes becomes priority. Then we also have other projects, music and otherwise, and relationships, and you need a break sometimes. Also we all live in different cities so that helps with the whole taking a while thing.
The album will again be released by Victory Records making it your fifth release with them, so with some bands jumping between labels these days, then what is it you like so much about working with Victory? We have been with Victory for a long time and been under contract with them for quite a while. What I can say is the staff there are really hard working and genuinely interested and supportive of our band. They provide a lot of help and ideas in different areas and get our music out internationally so I like that.
With this being the seventh album you obviously have a wealth of material to choose from playing live, so how do you go about choosing the set? We choose the best 2-4 songs of every record and go from there.
The band have had their fair share of line up changes over the years, how does it change the dynamic and what does it bring? While it’s always hard, it sometimes keeps things fresh and adds a different dynamic to the group and live on stage. I don’t think it’s always such a bad thing. Though the members who have come and gone have been valuable and important members to play with. Everyone of them has brought something really cool to the table.
The UK has been fertile ground for the band for a long time, what differences are there in a UK crowd to a North American crowd? Every scene is different in every city. The countries with more tours coming through can get spoiled sometimes, and the roads less - travelled provides some real genuine fresh excitement that is rare to see elsewhere.
With the new album out, what can we expect from Comeback Kid in 2014 and indeed further down the line? We will do what we do best… play a LOT of shows.
Interview with Greg
How did your recent tour go with 'Off With Their Heads' and can you give us a couple of highlights from your time on the road? The tour was excellent despite hitting some intense weather in the Northwest. Couldn’t have asked for a better tour honestly. Half the shows sold out and all the others were packed with great people. OWTH have become good friends and I loved every minute of traveling with them. Probably the most ridiculous highlight of the tour was the almost laughable amount of free booze we were given in Normal, IL and Ryan Young guest bar tending after the show. We had to make sure our friend didn’t get kicked out after she stage dived off the bar and kicked everyones drinks everywhere. That night's a bit fuzzy.
What made you want to release 'In Remission' first from your upcoming album 'Rented World', and how happy have you been with the response to this track so far? Just thought it would make for a cool single you know? It’s actually the first song we wrote for the record, and I think it does a good job bridging the gap between our albums. As far as the response goes, it's been pretty fucking insane. Everything I’ve read online has been super positive and that’s definitely a nice feeling. Glad people are liking it.
So how did you get to the album title 'Rented World' and what does it mean to you? The title ‘Rented World’ comes from the poem ‘Aubade' by the English poet Phillip Larkin. ‘Aubade’ is about the certainty and inevitability of death and the writers realization of this. While reading the poem for the first time the two words ‘Rented World’ hit me like a stack of bricks and I thought it perfectly summed up the album. A lot of these songs are about the realization that nothing is permanent, and the things you love and have come to rely on can be taken away from you at any second.
Can you tell us a bit more about the main themes and influences that run throughout 'Rented World’? The older I get, the harder it is to trust anyone or anything. The fact that millions of twenty somethings, including myself, leave college with crippling debt and no real grasp on a promising future infuriates me. The fact that such wonderfully strong people can die so young from terrible diseases boggles and angers me to no end. Recently I watched good people lose their careers over petty fucking office politics. It seems everywhere I look people are losing their fucking minds. Honestly, I’m just a bit fed up with everything. I really fucking mean it when I say “I wanna chew up my dinner and spit it in your face”.
It's fair to say that 'On the Impossible Past' got a huge response, on a global scale. So did you guys feel any pressure when following up this record? Initially there was some pressure but as the songs took shape that became less and less of an issue. We’re confident enough in ourselves and as songwriters that we don’t really sweat the small stuff. There's so much more in life to get stressed about.
Also, for you guys, looking back on 'On the Impossible Past' then how happy are you with this record still, and what do you think it has done for the 'status' and representation of The Menzingers? I wouldn’t change a thing about ‘On the Impossible Past’. I love the way that record came out and it means the world to me. That record definitely propelled our band to a new level. OTIP means so much to so many people and that's the ultimate goal as a songwriter.
How did you end up working with Jonathan Low, and what was he like to work with? We met Jon Low through our mutual friends in Restorations. They had just finished working with him on LP2 and we thought it came out fantastic. We quickly came to realize that Jon was the best person for the project and when we found out he was into working with us, it was just a no brainer. He’s one of those guys that seems to know everything about everything. It was cool to nerd out about everything from coffee to amps. Really happy to call him a friend. The added benefit of recording with Jon is that he and Miner Street Studios are located in our home of Philadelphia. Philly has the best music scene in the country and I’m so grateful and proud to be part of something this exciting.
How excited are you for your upcoming UK show, and what can attending fans expect? I can’t wait to play The Old Blue last. I heard the show sold out in less than 5 minutes which is pretty wild! Should be one for the books. What can fans expect? I don’t even know what to expect. Whatever happens will certainly be memorable.
Can you also give us a couple of personal highlights from touring the UK over the years? We’ve made some of our best friends from touring in the UK and that’s a personal highlight for sure. The first time we went over there was just one big ten day party. We toured with Leagues Apart and the goal was to finish all the alcohol in the backstage room before doors. Actually that wasn’t a goal or even something we even talked about, it just always happened. That’s still to this day one of my favorite tours we’ve ever done.
What else can we expect to see from The Menzingers in 2014? ‘Rented World’ comes out April 21st. We’ll be around.
Interview with Andy
Cope will be the bands fourth album, what does the experience of each previous album give you with subsequent albums? Well we've never had the same experience, ever, which has been helpful. We've never done an album the same, never written it the same and they've all been different. That helps a lot and I think you learn a little bit more every time, you get better at what you do every time. You do certain things this time that you didn't do the last time and the experience helps. This time the record is sort of based around what our live sound has turned into, so being in a room together and really fleshing out the songs was super important.
What is the song writing process before Manchester Orchestra enter the studio? That's also been different every time too, I'm a guy who writes a lot of songs because it’s just in my DNA to do so without any intention of them becoming anything. It didn’t feel appropriate the way we were doing this record to bring stuff in. We thought let’s see what we can really come up with driving this ship of full band writing. So, we'd go in around 9am and eat a big breakfast together, drink a bunch of coffee, come back here then I'll take 20-30 minutes to sit down at the laptop and try to write out some lyrics of some sort without any music in mind. We'd then come in and wherever my fingers landed on the guitar, I'd try to make something out of it then within 10-20 minutes we'd start jamming on something. Then, the way we did this record, 12 hours later we'd have a finished song. We were recording ourselves the entire time we were writing because we have our own studio so when we get a good take we'd go in the control room, listen to it and if it was good I put vocals on it and then we'd have a song. We did that about 30 times and eventually got the 11 we wanted.
So it’s been a very organic process? Definitely, its been wild. For a while we were on this kind of streak of these songs and we were looking at each other going “this shouldn't be this easy!”. We still had a lot of work to do but we had a sound that was legitimate and holds up.
The albums artwork is very simple but seems to be making a statement, what can you tell us about it? It’s sort of a reaction to the last record and an action towards the sound and the message of the album. With our last record, everything was sort of complicated. The front was simple but it had this geometrical shape on the inside with all these lines and this was let’s strip all of that away and let it be what people want it to be.
Jonathan Corley left the band last year, how well has Andy fitted in and what does he bring to the band? That's been a massive part of it too, I'd played music with Jonathan since we were 13, we met in the eighth grade so there was certainly a question of what are we going to do? We were writing a little bit with Robert (McDowell) playing bass and just me on guitar but several people had mentioned this guy Andy and we brought him in and the addition of Tim (Very) our drummer they just developed something insane together, I've never experienced anything like it in a band before. On the older Manchester records, the way Jeremiah and J played it was very rhythmic but raw and these guys can shred. So with J and Jeremiah we were all kinda pushing together but with these guys I'm like 'okay, let’s not go insane!”. Just because you can play that drum beat doesn't mean you have to! They were so solid and that made the record what it is, it would sound completely different if it didn't have those two guys. No disrespect to the other two guys and I think they would agree as well, they took the band up a notch and to the next level. All of a sudden I was in a band with a bunch of guys who weren't equals, I had a couple of guys who were better than me on their respective instrument.
Going back to the bands early days, I believe you all went to school together? Three of us were and Chris went to the same church that we went to when we were kids and that’s how we met each other. We all went to a private school and Chris had just awful grades so they wouldn't let him in and also I think because he's half black if I'm speaking honestly about it..
How has having such a long standing and personal relationship with each other helped push the band and helped the band understand each other? Oh incredibly, it’s like peeling away all these layers of friendship so you can be the most real and up front with each other and also loving and compassionate too with out anyones feelings getting hurt or feeling weird or if anyone does feel weird, you just tell them! If anyone has any problem it’s voiced immediately because we know how to do that. It’s like how I'm developing with my buddy Kevin Devine (Brooklyn Singer/Songwriter) with these experiences that we all go through, all of a sudden there's all these rules and regulations for relationships that go out the window so you can truly be a family.
The first album you recorded was never actually released, although some material did show up later, what was the difference between that and what came eventually as your debut? Control a little bit, it’s also one persons opinion but for me, that was a period of time when I started that record at around age 17/18 and my song writing was just going to a different level. I could just feel the songs were getting better and a bit deeper. Then when Jeremiah joined he just hit so hard, he's like a caveman, a total barbarian! Which is actually funny because our new drummer looks like a gorilla! Anyway I just remember this guy when we were playing this song 'Golden Ticket' when he was learning the songs and his cymbals were so high and he was just bouncing in his seat the whole time just murdering these cymbals, I remember thinking “aw this is perfect”. We all grew up on that pager of the lion thing you know, let the cymbals be the distortion but erm, I forgot what the question was now that I've just gone off on that....
Well essentially I suppose, why didn't you release that album? Oh yeah, well I think we had better stuff. It was a bit of a tighter, poppier record in sections and that had a lot to do with the guy that was producing it and was playing drums at the time was an older guy. I've since reconnected with him but at the time I was very much the little kid that was writing songs and it got to a point where I had to give way on a lot of stuff I didn't want to and I had no idea how to work in a studio or how to make it sound good. So it felt like that was another version of Manchester Orchestra and this is what it should be.
You return to the UK for a tour in April, what can you remember about the first time you played in the UK? Yes, of course. It was insane! March 2007 so this will be our 11th or 12th time over there. We came over with no label, our manager at the time put up 10 grand, we got one room at the Columbia Hotel for six people, drove ourselves. We thought it would be like American hotels where you have this big ass Queen size beds, quite a bitter surprise and I ended up calling home like three nights saying “please mom, can we have 400 bucks? We need another room!” Our first show was at the Barfly and was pretty bad, the amp were messing up and I don't think anyone really got it, then the next night was at the Water Rats. That was a great show, I just remember killing it and feeling awesome about it in front of about 40 people then was a show at the KoKo which had a lot of people yelling “go back home”. My guitar broke on the first song so I put the guitar down and I tried to walk around the stage and it ended up looking like a chubby bearded guy interpretive. The last one was at the Scala, it was four shows in a row and I've never been more depressed, it was awful!
Well most of the shows are sold out this time round so it’s gotten better? Oh yeah, we try to come a few times a year and it gets better every time. This time our agents said “let’s go for the smaller venues to see if people still give a shit” and most of them sold out in about a day. I had a look today and I think there is only one with tickets left!
Again going back, 10 years ago did you ever think you could go to the other side of the world and sell out tours? No, 10 years ago? Absolutely not. I remember my mission statement before 'Nobody Sings Any more' used to be that I would be content if I could just be an artist that could play to 100 people every night and I meant that with entire heart. Then, as the future goes on it starts to become normal but it's still a totally insane feeling. London sold out in under an hour and you just think “that's London!” that's awesome, I mean I'm in Atlanta!
When did you start getting the impression that things were growing the way they have? It's always been slow and steady but we played South by South West before we did 'I'm Like A Virgin' and we had 'Nobody Sings Any More' on a blank disc and it had my phone number on it. We played for a long time 2025 minute sets and blew the roof off the thing so that helped. It had a few people talking and a couple more little shows like BMR got in touch and they put us on something and then we played Florida Music Festival right before Third Eye Blind, after our first tune we played this crazy loud song, I think it was 'Slow to Learn' maybe but I just started screaming over the crowd, like 2000 people, “ARE WE SIGNED YET?” it was such a record label bullshit festival with all these people patting themselves on the back so I just screamed that and some people thought that was interesting and we got a spot on the BMR stage at Lollapalooza. Little victories like that!
The Manchester Orchestra story began 10 years ago, where do you see the band in another 10 years? Great question, we always talk about when is the half life? Have we? Will we know? I'm a big thinker about that kinda stuff, I always ponder about five years down the line. As long as I can continue to keep a right perspective about making records, caring about them, making really good records and challenging the ones before then I'd think we're between a third and halfway done so maybe another 15 years? We are all pretty young around 27, it’s crazy that it’s been ten years but there’s certainly another 10 of really good stuff to come.
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Interview with Jamal
So you released your sophomore album, 'Unimagine' in the summer of last year, so how happy have you been with the response and success from this? Happy would be an understatement. We're not an overnight success band – we've been slogging away at this band thing for a few years short of a decade, which just blew my mind as I wrote that. Unimagine has just given us such a steady uprising, every time we play a show we can visually see the growth in the crowd and the effect it is having. We may not have jaw dropping social media counts but having a conversation with some of the people who come out to our shows, and what they tell us about our music, to us, is the most important thing.
What were your main influences and inspirations behind the album, if any? We went into this album with a really different approach to the previous album. I can't really pick particular artists who have had a direct musical influence on the album, but as a whole, we approached each song as a whole rather than as 6 different people trying to write their parts.
Looking back on 2013, what do you think it has done for the band? Without a doubt, 2013 was our biggest year. We had recently wrapped up an eye opening tour with Pierce The Veil across the US at the end of 2012, that really solidified what we wanted to do for the future. We recorded Unimagine with a producer who we've respected for many years – and who helped us hone our song writing abilities – and then the big tick off the bucket list was doing the full Vans Warped Tour in the states. This is something every ex-fringe bearing and band t-shirt wearing kid dreams of. It was huge for us. It was unbelievably exhausting but ten times more rewarding. The thing that was really special to us was that due to it being a festival, no one was obliged to come watch us at our stage, but none the less we had awesome crowds for the vast majority of the tour! On top of that we had two UK tours, one with Pierce The Veil and another with Sleeping With Sirens. The UK personally is my favourite place to tour thus far.
You are heading to the UK to play Hit The Deck Festival on April 19-20th, how are you feeling about this and what can attending fans expect from your live shows? We were super stoked when we found out the headliner was Brand New! As per usual, we are always super excited to get over to the UK to tour. Fans can expect to hear lots of material off Unimagine, a few older tracks and a lot of energy and happy faces! We try to sell our own merch as much as we can so you will most likely always find one of us at our merch stand!
After Hit The Deck you are embarking on your headline UK tour with CROOKS, what are you most looking forward to about your own tour and what makes your shows stand out? Headlining shows is something that we haven't done a whole lot of until recently. We just finished up our first proper Australian headline tour and it was incredible. I always thought playing that many songs would be totally exhausting but it’s not at all. There is something really powerful about seeing people all there to support your music – and scream endlessly from the start to the finish of the set. We decided to do small venues to make sure the shows stay really intimate. On top of that, I'm a massive medieval history fan, so to be able to walk out of some of these venues and be surrounded by it is a dream come true.
Your London show is very close to selling out, along with some of the other dates, so as you guys live half the world away, then how rewarding has this been for your band? Our first venue we had booked for London sold out pretty quickly, which is completely insane. We played a show 4 years ago at the same venue with about 12 other bands, and not even that sold out, even though the band members probably could have completely filled the venue. We upgraded the venue and even that is on its way to selling out again. It's completely insane. That being said, I think no one is more proud of the achievements than our parents. I think my mum puts out more Hands Like Houses press releases than we do.
What are you favourite songs currently to play live from 'Unimagine' and why? It would probably have to be Introduced Species, lots of cool little fun parts to play and it’s just such a good crowd interact-er. Everyone gets super into it.
Can you tell us a bit about what you guys think of the 'rock scene' in Australia, as well as how it compares to say the USA or UK? The biggest difference is population and size. We're a mammoth country with a small population. Which means really long drives, and not a big population to support all different sorts of music scenes. Rock always has its place, though our harder style of rock does find it difficult to really settle in place somewhere – it’s a slow moving thing but our recent headliner of Australia was two shows off being completely sold out so I guess that definitely speaks for something! It's growing and good rock all-singing rock bands are popping up all over the place which is great to see.
What else can we expect to see from Hands Like Houses in 2014? A whole lot I hope! We've got a bunch of tours lined up for the first half of the year taking us all over the globe. On top of that we will be doing some recording that I can't release too much information on that at the moment but expect to hear something mid way through 2014!
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Interview with Chris
You recently completed a tour with Into It Over It & Hostage Calm, so how did this go for you guys, and can you give us a couple of personal highlights from the tour? The tour was a blast! It was nice to be the headliner after years of supporting gigs, so we made good use of our 90 minutes, cramming 30 songs into each set. It was also good fun having Into It. Over It. and Hostage Calm on the road, as camaraderie is a key component to having a rollicking good time on tour. The vibe was perfect, no rockstars, no jerks. Old school indie band meets new school punk rockers. Highly enjoyable. There was the burning of the incense backstage, and quite a bit of the stage-diving out front, so we had our bases covered.
For those that don't know can you explain how Dennis Wilson joined Saves The Day? Dennis is the best! We all get along great, which helps when you spend so much time together on the road. Dennis came into the group after Claudio, our previous drummer, joined Motion City Soundtrack. Folks don't always see eye to eye in a creative environment, so it feels good to be on the same wavelength with the rest of my guys, and for me, it's a gift to get to play with Arun, Rodrigo, and Dennis.
You released your self titled album in late 2013, so at this point how happy have you been with the response to this record? I love the new record, and I'm thrilled our fans dig it too. The new songs are so much fun to play live, the energy is right and the power of the words is personally inspirational. I'm proud of the record, and I'm excited to see it grow over the years.
This is your first album after your trilogy of records, so is this part of the reason as to why you wanted this to be a self-titled record? I liked the idea of putting out a self-titled album at this stage of our career as a statement of what I envision the band to be. This group of songs, and the spirit of the words, define the essence of Saves The Day. The lyrics are honest and introspective, and the songs are catchy and upbeat. To me, that is Saves The Day. This album, in my opinion, is where you should start if you haven't heard us before.
How would you say the material on this record compares to what you've done prior as Saves The Day? I felt very much in control of my powers while working on this record. To me, this album has a healthy dose of all the different styles of Saves. The songs are straightforward, the structures are sound, but the compositions are deceptively simple, and the chords are complex. For serious musicians, there is a lot to be discovered, and for average listeners, there are a bunch of fun songs.
What was it like to also work with Rory Records (created by Max Bemis) for putting out this record? I am so thankful to be working with Max at Rory & Equal Vision. I feel safe knowing how much he loves the music and cares about the band. As a musician, it can seem daunting to be in the middle of this massive machine of commerce, but Max helps us to forget the pressure and to focus on making the music that we love. He's also one of my best friends, so it's fun to do it together, like kids throwing paint.
What's it like to produce your own material, can this process ever create any problems? I have been making recordings on my own for 20 years, so it's quite a bit of fun, and it's something that I naturally enjoy. I prefer working with a producer if possible, in order to focus more on performance while in the studio, as opposed to all the various aspects of recording. Together as a group though, we all know how to get the job done and delegate when necessary.
What else can you tell us about the writing and recording process for this record? I started writing at the end of March 2012, eight hours a day in the studio, and by the end of June, I had 30 or 40 songs to sift through. After deciding which songs I liked the most, I organized them into a preliminary track listing, which helps to envision the project as a whole. Once the basic shape of the album was established, I started working on lyrics, and wrote them all in one week. Before the words came, all I knew was the spirit of the songs, and the spirit of the songs determined the direction of the words, or the basic concept. When I tapped into the heart of the album, the words came in a flood. The isolated creation phase, when I'm alone in my creative space, is my favorite part, but then we got into the incredible process of bringing the songs to life together as a band, and that's when the real fun started. Now you have the album, so that's pretty cool.
How excited are you for your upcoming UK tour with Brand New (which includes Hit The Deck Festival!), and what can attending fans expect? We are so excited to get to tour with Brand New. They are just such an incredible band to watch, and I look forward to being truly inspired each night. We plan on playing a wide variety of songs, from old to new, no fireworks, no stage show, just good fuckin rock.
Also, as a band that have toured the UK a lot over the years, then can you give us a couple of personal highlights from being on the road here? My favorite UK show so far in my career is the all-request full-band acoustic set we played at The Macbeth in London in December 2011 after playing a sold-out HMV Forum with Yellowcard. We hopped in a cab after finishing our set in support of Yellowcard, then flew across town, stumbled onto the stage, and played for another hour and a half in the packed pub. It was the most insane crowd-surfing-mosh-pit-pushing-jumps-offthe-bar-sing-a-long ever... Ever.
What else can we expect to see from Saves The Day in 2014? Touring the UK this spring, then more Europe, then summer in the States on Warped Tour, and a special tour this fall before starting work on the next album.
Interview with Vinnie
So for those that don't know can you explain why I Am The Avalanche parted ways with Mike and Kellen? As we got closer to recording WOLVERINES, Mike and Kellen both decided their time in the band was winding up. It was a long time coming but they had both remained in the band because they still loved it and it wasn't very demanding to be in it in the last year because we weren't touring heavily. But when we made plans to record our new album, they individually made the decision to move on. Mikey is an entrepreneur who has had to dedicate all of his time to a new business venture and Kellen is concentrating on his day job and life at home.
Also, what has it been like to put this record together without Mike Ireland (did Kellen play on the record?), and how would you say the writing & recording process has compared to what you've done prior to this as I Am The Avalanche? Mike's involvement was that he wrote some music for a few songs and sent them to us through email and I wrote lyrics/vocals for those songs. Kellan's involvement was that he played bass on the record and it was great for us that he was able to be a part of it. The writing process was a bit different. I basically sat alone in my bedroom and wrote the majority of the record. Ratt (our drummer and producer) would come over once a month and we would demo each batch of songs for the label. Aggro (Brandon, our guitarist) came through with some music for a killer song which actually closes the record.
How did you get to the album title 'Wolverines' and what does it mean to you? A Wolverine is an animal that will get caught in a bear trap and chew its own leg off to get out. It will be bleeding to death with three legs and attack the trapper. It's a metaphor for perseverance and heart.
Can you tell us a bit about the themes and influences that run throughout 'Wolverines'? I severely injured myself last year and wrote the record in some of the worst physical pain I could ever imagine. When I wasn't in agony I was drugged up to dull the pain. I was constantly trying to find a balance while being creative. That is an overtone throughout the record. Friends, family, love, hate, party vibes and positivity all find their way into the tunes on this record as well.
What was it like to work with your very own 'The Ratt' again on the recording process for this record? We are blessed to have such a talented and driven guy in our band. He's the glue that holds it together. He's my brother in arms. Tracking with him feels like home. I played a lot of guitar on this record, which I'm not used to doing. As far as vocal tracking, he knows what I'm trying to do, and gets the best takes out of me. My singing on this record is my favorite vocal performance to date.
How would you say the bands sound has progressed since you first started out as I Am the Avalanche? We started as a slightly grungy punk band. We didn't quite know who we were. As time has passed, the tempos have gone up and the American punk rock & roll vibe has seemed to grow.
Can you tell us about how the album artwork came together, as well as what it means to you? I envisioned another black and white layout as a continuation of the vibe from Avalanche United. I also wanted an iconic image to represent the title. We commissioned a very talented young artist from London named Tom Gilmour, who I also worked with for my solo album, City By The Sea.
Looking back on Avalanche United, how happy are you with this record still, and what do you think it has done for the representation of I Am The Avalanche? I think it put us back on the map after being away for so long. I'm very proud of the record. In hindsight, there are a few songs that don't do it for me anymore, but on the whole it's a great punk record.
How excited are you for your upcoming UK tour, and what can attending fans expect? I'm fully pumped to get back. My fans in the UK know exactly how much I love being there playing music. We've put together a great bill with Turnover, Major League and Moose Blood and people seem excited by the package. We'll have a nice mix of songs from our 3 records in our set for sure.
What else can we expect to see from I Am The Avalanche in 2014? We plan to tour North America, Japan, Australia, Europe and more and we have already begun filming videos for select songs off the record too, so expect to see those soon too.
Interview with Adam
What made you want to release 'Stay Happy There' as the first single of 'Rooms Of The House' and how happy have you been with the response to the track so far? Stay Happy There is a good bridge from people's comfortable perception of what our band is to some of the newer elements of the record. You listen to it and it isn't as much a departure from Wildlife as some of the other ROTH songs, but it’s still refreshing. There is also a good deal of lyrical content in that song that relates to content of other songs on ROTH, so it was kind of a cool tease for when people get to hear the whole thing and find these clues that were in front of them all along.
So how did you get to the album title 'Rooms Of The House'? Like all of our records, the title comes from the lyrics and greater themes of the album. ROTH does so in a very vague way, as the songs aren't literally about rooms of a house, but instead thinking of a home as curation of things, events, and memories.
Also, can you tell us about the main themes and influences that run throughout 'Rooms Of The House'? Loss and coping are ever present themes with our band, to varying degrees, that still pop up on this album. Nostalgia/reverence is a very important theme on the new record, as most of the songs are from a voice outside of a linear timeline triggered by memories, often associated with specific objects or events that come up multiple times and tie certain songs together. Now that I think about it, time in general is a big theme. Not just that looking back that I mentioned earlier, but the past's influence on the present and the uncertainty of future. Even the way the songs are arranged in the order on the record is heavily effected by this idea.
How did you end up working with Will Yip and what was he like to work with? Will has produced records for a lot of our close friends, and Brad and he worked together before, but more importantly, he was producing records that sounded like the respective band was supposed to and we knew he would be able to capture our band in the way we wanted. He's a dream, the whole process was very encouraging and positive. In addition to being a genius with tones, he also just added a lot to our/my general positivity and made the experience very enjoyable. As I'm thinking about him, my more vivid memories of recording took place at the thai restaurant across the street than in the studio itself, hah.
What else can you tell us about the writing and record process for this record? The writing process for this record has become pretty well documented, going into a remote Michigan cabin for the month of April 2013 and writing every single day. The cabin was nice but very removed from society, I missed a lot of home, but it led to us playing music all day every day and getting a lot accomplished. Every night we'd sit around this wood burning stove after dinner and just let our brains reset before the session the next morning. We walked out with around 12 songs, most of which made it to the record, though some of them were scrapped for parts, and others entirely sent back to the ether. Then six months later, we recorded the more refined versions of those cabin songs at Studio 4 with Will Yip in a similarly intensive daily experience where we'd play from 10 am-midnight. Our band is geographically spaced very far apart, so we take advantage of the rare time that we are together and try to get things done as efficiently as possible.
How would you say you have progressed overall as a band since the release of 'Wildlife'? The most obvious progress is that I'm three years older. A lot changed in my own life between 22 and 25, I'm in a far better place (mentally and geographically), and that led to being able to write songs with a bit more clarity. Writing Wildlife actually was a very painful process at times, a lot of the songs I wrote came from a place of true depression, and I wouldn't do anything to combat it because I thought it made the music more real. Our relationship as a group of individuals is much improved now as well, the writing process had far fewer arguments and was a generally more pleasant experience for the group. Also, in playing a ton of shows in that interim, we play much more tightly and together, which also smoothed out the writing and recording processes quite a bit.
Can you tell us about the creation of your own label 'Better Living', as well as what that's been like to run alongside the band so far? The decision to start the label came more from a place of opportunity than necessity. Obviously there are a million labels in the world, and we had exhausted our contract with No Sleep so we were free agents so to speak, but we saw this as a chance to have complete control over our own creativity and product. We've been lucky so far to have a very successful first release in ROTH, but it also has been a ton of work for those involved. I never expected to be co-running a label, and have had to learn a lot of things on the fly with this release, but (knock on wood) everything seems to be working out well, and it will make me better prepared for any future releases we choose to do, La Dispute or otherwise.
Can you tell us about how the artwork for 'Rooms Of The House' came together? The beginning rumblings of the artwork began over a year before release, as I do all the design for our band. When we start to entertain ideas, I tend to work elements of the new album into our merch as teasers leading up to release. As we wrote more songs and I had a more specific idea of what the art would look like, I decided I didn't want to do it alone. I was in contact with my friend and artist Amanda Adams about collaborating and I'd send her long emails in my off-time at the studio, we'd send little photoshopped mock-ups back and forth, and eventually came to a very cohesive body of work that included the album, all our websites, and Yesterday's Home (the book we did with the record). In a weird kind of serendipity, there are specific ideas in the album art that relate to songs that weren't yet written, and songs I hadn't heard yet influenced the visuals.
With each record sold you are giving a bit of the profits to charity, so how did this awesome idea come about, and can you tell us about some of the charities that you have decided to work with? We've been teaming up with charities on tour for a few years now, and this was the logical next step for us, especially with having not toured as much for the last year as we used to but still wanting to be involved. For Europe, the three charities we've teamed with are Teenage Cancer Trust, Stop the Traffik, and The Voice Project. We've worked with Teenage Cancer Trust on our last few European tours, we've got to see first hand the work they do with young people and it was an obvious choice for us to continue that relationship. Stop the Traffik does work to combat and prevent human trafficking, and human rights have always been a very important pillar for our band politically. The Voice Project is a group I've done work with before, collaborating with Anti-Flag, so I wanted to get our band involved as well. They use music as a political and social tool to illicit change and help young people; in a very meta way they do what bands aspire to, and it seemed like an ideal pairing for the label and the organization to work together.
Your UK tour is selling out & also upgrading in size in Manchester, so how excited are you for this tour, and what should attending fans expect? I'm definitely excited for this tour, we didn't play much in 2013 because of the record and that alone is making me look forward to playing again. I don't know what to tell fans to expect, because I don't know what to expect myself. It has been so long since I've been to Europe, and things have always been great when we go there, so I except to continue having a great time. We will play a lot of songs and hopefully everyone will enjoy one another's company, the same thing one would expect at any show I suppose.
What else can we expect to see from La Dispute in 2014? We are doing 4 consecutive months of shows in 14+ countries, which is looking very grueling on paper but will be great. We will take a bit of time to regroup and re-acclimate to our respective home lives after being absent from them for so long. Those of us working with the label will also be looking into some more releases for late 2014. Other than that, the future is unwritten.
Interview with Tom
2014 marks 10 years as a band for Architects, can you quite believe it's been that long, and do you have anything special planned to mark the occasion? It's crazy isn't it? I think its a fantastic achievement for us and we're really lucky to have been able to do what we love for so long. We don't really have anything in particular to celebrate it but we're all super excited for this year and the release of our new record.
What do you remember about those early days and what have the experiences meant to you as musicians and individuals? The early days were great! I look back on them as some of the most fun I've ever had. I love where we're at now, but back then there was no pressure, no nonsense. It was just a bunch of kids making music and pissing about. Everything was an adventure then and we had no aspirations to achieve anything, we just took it as it came. I think we've probably recaptured a bit of that attitude in the last 18 months. This could all be over in an instant so the most important thing is to enjoy it.
So how did you end up signing to Epitaph records, and what have they been like to work with so far? Once our deal was done with Century Media, we knew we wanted to sign with Epitaph. They've got such an amazing roster, full of bands we love. I guess they were keen on us as well so we got lucky and it worked out. So far I've got nothing but praise for the label. We've obviously been working together in the lead up to the release of the album and there hasn't been a single hiccup yet (famous last words!). Great label, run by great people!
How did you go about picking 'Naysayer' to release first from your upcoming new album 'Lost Forever//Lost Together', and how happy have you been with the response to this track so far? We wanted a track that was going to make people sit up and take notice. That song starts so aggressively that it stood out as a great track to open the campaign with. Plus Sam wrote an amazing chorus for it so it's got a hook in there too. It felt like a good all round song to give people a sense of where we've gone with the record.
With a bands sound evolving from album to album then how did you approach the recording of Lost Forever//Lost Together? With every album we learn something new. So we went into this one a little older and a little wiser than before. I think our previous experience was used a lot with Sam. It helped us decide when to apply flashes of melody, rather than trying to force it in all over the place. More than anything I think we just work harder with every record. We were recording for a month on this one, whereas we worked for 6 or 7 weeks on 'Daybreaker'. So during our time in the studio we had to work long gruelling hours. It was tough at times but I have no regrets because the outcome was exactly what we wanted.
Can you tell us about the main themes and influences that run throughout your new record ''Lost Forever, Lost Together'? Lyrically it's sort of all over the place! More than anything though it's about fear and anxiety. We spend most of our lives living in the future. Projecting into the unknown and placing that burden on ourselves. Everyday there is a new crisis, whether political, ecological or personal, and it's exhausting. It's hard to answer the question on the music front because Architects has almost become a self sufficient entity now. We don't look at the other bands in our genre and think 'let’s try and be like them'. We take the existing platform that we've created and try and nudge it in different directions. We set out to make our heaviest record, but we had to do it in a way that made sense for Architects. If we just did what everyone else did we'd be throwing away everything we've built over the last 10 years.
How did you end up working with Fredrik NordstrĂśm and Henrik Udd and what were they like to work with? Also, what was it like to record in the in the outskirts of Gothenburg, Sweden? We wanted to work with those guys simply because they make massive sounding metal records. We also had a few friends that had recorded with them and they really sung their praises. They were both brilliant to work with. Henrik's work ethic was unbelievable! He'd still be working when we went to sleep and up before us in the morning. I really felt like Henrik fully understood what we wanted and what our band needed. All I'll say about recording in the outskirts of gothenburg is that it was a good place to lose your mind!
You've stated that this was the 'hardest we've ever worked on a record' so with this in mind, how did putting together this record compare with what you've done prior as Architects? Every single experience is different, especially when you change studio. The running theme of every session is that I experience so much pressure that I feel like my head might explode. It's a labour of love but it isn't easy. We were more prepared for this record than any other we've ever done. We'd demoed everything, including most of Sam's vocal arrangements, which we'd never done before, but we'll do it every time from now on. It felt good to go in with only a few loose ends to tie up, but we still put a lot of pressure on ourselves to make the best record we can. We're six albums deep now, so it feels like there's no excuses for 'failure'. Hopefully hard work pays off.
Can you tell us about the influences behind the instrumental track 'Red Hypergiant' as well as what it was like to work on? It was a song I'd worked on on my laptop whilst in the van, touring america. It was originally a whole song but we didn't think a slower track was going to work on the record. We didn't want to lose the main 'chorus' though because it sounded so massive, so we figured we’d use it as an instrumental. I personally love it, and it was great to have something to break up the record and give it some respite. We're a metal band but with every record we'll throw out a wildcard, just to keep pushing ourselves. It was easy to work on to be honest, it was the rest of the record that was tough!
You have been developing a growing reputation over in the States, how difficult is it to strike a chord with audiences over there, and what's this experience been like for you guys so far? It's really difficult, not just because it's so big, but because there are a million bands there. You really feel like a drop in the ocean sometimes, how can you even scratch the surface of such a gigantic place? We've had our ups and downs touring there but fortunately recently it's mostly been ups. We did Warped Tour there last year and had an absolute blast! We've started to see some growth there, I think some people are starting to 'get it' now. We'll keep going till they do!
The band are known to be vegans but weren’t always, can you tell us about how you became vegans and what it means to you? We were recording 'Daybreaker' and all staying in a rented house together. We finished working at six every evening, so we'd spend the evenings hanging out and talking. We'd all watched and enjoyed the 'Zeitgeist' films, so we went looking for more documentaries. I suppose we wanted to challenge our existing beliefs, seeing as the Zeitgeist films had shattered so many of them! We ended up watching 'Food Inc' and 'Forks over Knives'. Maybe there were others too, but those ones stuck with me. After that some of us went vegan and some went vegetarian. Within a couple of months we'd all made the switch to veganism. For me, and I think the rest of the guys too, once we were exposed to the reality of how animals are treated as well as the negative health aspects of eating animal products, the choice was out of our hands. We had to make the switch. It seemed a little daunting at first, I felt a bit like 'Really? Never again?'. I liked meat and cheese and all that, but I couldn't ignore what I'd seen. It's easy now, I don't even think about it. I'm proud that as a band we're all united on that issue.
What are the bands plans for the rest of 2014? Tour everywhere. I mean everywhere. I can't wait.
Architects are ten years old, have six albums and toured around the world, can you tell us one memory that jumps out above the countless ones you must have achieved? There's been many, but you asked about the early years at the beginning of the interview so I'll pull one from there. I'll go for when we headlined Islington Academy in London back in 2009? Maybe 2008? Anyway, I remember walking out the front of the venue as the doors were opening and seeing the 'Sold out' sign and being blown away. It was the first time we'd sold a show out anywhere in the world. A great feeling!
Interview with Jeff
You've stated that your new album 'Imaginary Enemy' is a bit about 'de-humanisation in general' so with this in mind can you elaborate on the themes and influences that run throughout the record? Corporations should not be treated like individuals or run countries.
What made you want to release 'Cry' first from this record, and how happy have you been with the response to the track so far? We believe that "cry" is a very good introduction into the themes and messages contained within "Imaginary Enemy" and also to me "cry" ties in with the the EP "Oceans of the Sky" and holds the door open for the rest of the record.
This will be your sixth album, so when you plan a new record then how do you go about making sure it's something different to the previous? We don't plan things out very much, we let the natural nature of music flow. When we write and record it has always been a different situation, each members musical influence can increase from record to record, nputting more energy and time than maybe the record before but not as much as the next. What I mean by that is that we are constantly evolving and changing as musicians and songwriters.
The artwork to the album definitely catches the eye and it certainly has a political approach, so how did you come up with it, and what does it mean to you? It was Bert's idea. I love it, It's like a "where's Waldo" filled with imaginary enemies. How the few control the many? How can you keep the population in fear? Why is there fluoride in the water system in America? Why are pharmaceuticals legal but natural cures like weed not? If vaccines are good for you what is Sv40 and where did it come from? Why won't America label or ban GMO foods? So many questions and so many false answers.
The title Imaginary Enemy is an intriguing one, can you tell us how this title came about, as well as what it means to you? It's time for people to start thinking on their own and not just going along with everyone else.
It will be another new release on your own label Anger Music Group, so what advantages does using your own label bring, and what's this been like to run alongside your band so far? It's been nothing but incredible, everyone we have working for us has treated us so well and been so great to work with.
What's it been like to work with John Feldmann again, and what's he been like to work with over the years? It always has ups and downs. He works extremely well with Bert and Quinn. This record with all its ups and downs turned out amazing and the sound is the best of our recordings so far!
Looking back on the release of 'Vulnerable' how happy are you with this release, and what do you think it has done for the representation of The Used? It was a great record. We still love it, I feel like this record was meant for the more die hard used fans. It did really well with fans of our first record and I can see why. I think Imaginary will do well with the fans of the first two records, it has a charm to it that reminds me of some of our older songs but at the same time there is something that is extremely new and fresh.
The Used first formed in 2001, so what can you remember about those early days, and how do you think the 'rock scene' has changed or progressed since then? I don't remember much. Of anything actually. Rock is in a weird stale state right now, hopefully it will see the light soon.
Can you tell us what songs you are most looking forward to playing live from the new album? I'm actually very happy to play most of the songs on this album. I spent a lot of soul searching yoga trips every day during the recording of the bass and it helped me immensely.
Interview with Adam
So far you have been playing a handful of songs live from the latest album so what's this been like for you guys, and how happy have you been with the response to the new material so far? Playing new songs for folks is always the most fun. There's a nervous air about it, you don't know how folks are going to react. The response has been great, which is a good sign.
How did you get to the album title 'Happiness Is' and what does it mean to you? It came to me in a dream. A re-occurring dream I've been having for a few years now where I'm a soldier and no matter how hard I try I can't climb from the trenches, it's not until I let go that I float above the chaos.
Can you tell us about the main themes & influences that run throughout 'Happiness Is'? Love, loss, growth, imagination, and being afraid of those things. The list goes on.
How did you end up working with Marc Jacob Hudson and Mike Sapone, and how did they push you as musicians? We've known both of them for a long time. As we were demoing songs we did one round with Hudson and one with Sapone. When it came time to record the record we figured it best to stick to where the songs were born. It was a great experience because they both have a different approach to recording and producing, it kept is on our toes.
You've stated that this record was recorded in a lot of different locations, so with this in mind, then what else can you tell us about the recording & writing process for this release? It was a long one with a lot of tender loving care. I feel it's the perfect representation of what happens when the five of us put our heads together.
What was the hardest part behind creating 'Happiness Is' for you guys, and why? No song is ever finished!
Can you tell us a bit about how the artwork came together for this record, as well as what it means to you guys? We wanted something both eye catching and classic. It was influenced by a lot of our favorite older records.
Can you tell us about how the video idea for Flicker Fade came together, as well as a bit more about the narrative behind the track? We wanted to create a space that you could live inside. So while you're watching you're a part of the song itself instead of having a narrative that could distract from that feeling. I love that feeling.
How would you say you have progressed musically since the release of your self-titled record? We know and are comfortable with each other’s strengths and weaknesses now, so it makes for better songs with us when you know and feel comfortable leaning on or being leaned on.
Also, looking back on your self-titled record, then how happy are you with this release, and what do you think it has done for the representation of Taking Back Sunday? I am very proud of that record. Call me in the morning, the last song is one of our best I think.
You guys have been a huge part of the alternative rock scene for over a decade now, so how do you think this scene has changed or progressed since you first started out?! The internet has changed everything in both positive and negative ways. I don't subscribe much to a scene. I just hope to play music for people and try and give back some of what my favorite bands gave to me.
What do you think of people taking live photos/videos at your shows? It’s a bummer people have trouble detaching themselves from their phones. What a strange thing. When I go to shows I want to soak up the experience and that's not something you can do on a handheld.
As a band that have toured the UK a lot over the years, then you can you give us a couple of personal highlights from your time on the road here? There's too many to mention. We love the UK. The Green Day shows at Milton Keynes stand out the most!
What else can we expect to see from Taking Back Sunday in 2014? The future.
facebook.com/AgeOfGrace
Interview with Matt
Can you tell us about the formation of Hard Times Clothing? Well it all happened long ago in a galaxy far far away...wait no that's Star Wars. Well...I can't beat that so I'll make it short, Hard Times Clothing was established in 2011 during my last year at College. I first made the company strictly for my FMP (final major project) but after realising how fun and excited it made me, I made it my full time job straight after. Huge risk, but paid of massively.
How did you get to the name Hard Times Clothing, and what does it mean to you guys? Can't say times are not hard right now. With most countries now in debt and the media only pushing bad news. Hard Times is the light in the darkest of times. Uniting those around us and living life to the fullest.
When did you first realize that you could potentially do this for a living, and what was that whole experience like for you guys? It's been a roller-coaster really, starting any company is. I suppose I realized I can make a living from it early last year. Not that money has anything to do with doing what you love.
What does a typical day have in store for you as a part of Hard Times Clothing? Packing orders, answering emails and thinking of new ways to welcome people to our family.
Can you tell us about some of the designs you have coming out this year, as well as a bit about what they might mean to you? All the designs in the next season have a wide range of meanings. As for telling you about them you're going to have to wait, but some you may say are...god like. All out 25th April!
You also recently did an artist competition, so how did the idea for that come about, and what was this experience like for you? The artist competition was great, took me right back to my roots. I started the company doing all the designs myself and getting exposure back then was incredible. So to be able to give new young inspiring artists a shot really made me happy. There was not one bad design out of the lot and it was very hard to pick a winner.
Also, do you guys create the designs, or do you work with an artist by showing your idea to them? We do both, these days I don't have much time to sit down and design something that my customers will love. Due to this I hire artists from all over the world and design a detailed brief for them to draw up. I'm really picky with my designers and designs. Sometimes that's great, sometimes that's horrible.
What's the most rewarding part about working at Hard Times Clothing? Easy, seeing people wear the clothing from all areas of the world. Go back two years and tell me it will get this far and I would of laughed at you.
As a successful clothing company, then what do you think has set you apart from the competition over the years? There's a lot of great companys out there. We get on with a lot of them and each are individual in their own way. I suppose what sets us apart however is our connection with the music industry and designs. I've made it my goal to set each Hard Times product as a statement that sets it apart from other companys. So no matter if the name is on there or anything, you KNOW it's a Hard Times garment.
For anyone looking to start their own clothing company, then what advice would you give to them? All worthy follow a set of 5: Dedication | Risks | Love | Promote | Originality
What else can we expect to see from Hard Times Clothing in 2014? We have a brand new range coming out 25th April and this is going to be a massive leap forward for us. We're opening up a new sector along with the most incredible range we've ever made. God Like is the best way to describe it...you'll see what I mean!
Interview with Greg
Can you tell us about the formation of We Are Triumphant? Around the time when I was 18 I was managing a few bands who I felt were incredibly talented. After months of working with them and reaching out to established labels I got sick of waiting around for something to happen. So I made the choice to create a platform where we could put these artists out there.
How did you get to the name We Are Triumphant, and what does it mean to you guys? When I was 15 years old I started a label as a hobby. At the time I was a little punk kid who didn't really grasp branding at the time. I had a label called Catastrophe Records. A few years later when I wanted to give it another shot I wanted something that made you think of achieving success and unity. Triumphant got into my head but I didn't want something that fit into the normalcy by calling it Triumphant Records. Putting the we are before hand was a way for us to stand out and exemplify that unity.
What was the first major release for We Are Triumphant, and what was that whole experience like for you guys? All of our releases are major to us. They all play a gigantic part in people learning about our label and the variety we have here. We have certainly had some stand out releases in our catalog but all are equally important to what we are trying to do.
What do you find the hardest about running a record label? Being the new kid on the block isn't always a good thing. There's a lot of resentment coming from the industry when they see someone else is taking a few swings in their ballpark. It's like that for everyone though, respect is not given only earned and we're going to continue doing our thing and growing a great catalog here. Alternatively what's the most rewarding part about running a record label? Being able to make a living off of your passion that resides in music is absolutely the best part.
Also can you describe a normal days work as a part of We Are Triumphant? Most of it is keeping all of our social media content fresh and up to date, as well as preparing releases for press, living in my e-mail, and scouting bands.
What's it like to work with bands in the UK? The time difference certainly comes in to play. It may be a little more difficult but when we have time constraints based on location we figure out the best means to make it work.
What do you normally look for in a band when you are looking for an act to work with? Music that makes me feel something beyond just being able to hear it. I look for music that has an effect on me. I also look at how long the band has been together, what they have accomplished so far, their image, things of that nature.
For those looking to start their own label, then what advice would you give to them? Buckle down, prepare to spend the next few years establishing yourself day in and day out.
So can you tell us about some of the main releases that you have coming out in 2014? We just recently put out or are putting out Traitors, Give & Take, Dreamer/Deceiver, Extortionist, Sending Lights, Gutter Life. We will also be having a few follow ups from releases from 2013 later in the year.
What else can we expect to see from We Are Triumphant in 2014? Constant new music and artists for you to wrap your ears around!
So how did you first get into producing? When I was a teenager I was lucky enough to have a local youth club that had a recording studio. The place was (and is) called Heatham House in Twickenham. We used to put on monthly band nights there and record stuff all the time. It was a really simple studio, just 2 rooms, a 1/4 inch 8 track tape machine, a Soundcraft desk and a box of mics, but it was enough to record a band. My first released production job came out of that place. It was a punk band called Walking Abortions and a 3 track EP I recorded for them was released on 7" by Damaged Goods records. I think I was 15 and my fee was a bag of crisps and pack of cigarettes. It blew our minds when we saw the vinyl for the first time! When Hundred Reasons signed to Columbia records in 2001 we were lucky enough to go to New York to record with Dave Sardy at the Magic Shop in SoHo. Dave really taught me to produce properly. It's here I first learnt how to structure sessions and began to get an insight into the different roles in a professional studio (and how important it is to maintain and respect those roles). I also started to realise what the role of a producer should be and how different it is from being an engineer or a musician. I was a total nerd on those sessions, annoying Dave and his engineers Greg Fidelman and Greg Gordon by sitting on their shoulders the whole time studying everything they were doing. It's amazing what you can learn by doing that. I remember when I got home the band bought a Pro Tools rig (this was before being able to run that stuff on a laptop) and I was able to use it straight off that bat, just from watching the guys in New York do it over and over again. By this point I was really hooked on making records. It was always my favourite part about being in a band.
Who was the first major band you got to work with, and what was that whole experience like for you at the time? The first proper paid production job I got was a band called My Awesome Compilation for Hassle records. I produced their debut album 'Actions' at a studio called Kore in London. I remember just saying 'yeah I can do that!' even though I never had before really. Earn as you learn, it's the best way!! If I'm not slightly out of my depth then I get bored. I think that's a good trait for doing this. After that I did an album with Capdown and the 3rd and 4th Hundred Reasons albums. I think the HR records were the hardest and in hindsight I did way too much work on them. It's very stressful producing your own band and I was even engineering most of it myself. Looking back on it I must have been fucking crazy to do that.
Making the MAC album was a great experience. It's a cool record and I still listen to it every now and then. Really good memories from making it. I was still working way too hard back then, putting in crazy hours for no reason and just massively over-compensating for lack of experience. With experience and confidence comes the ability to not work yourself into the floor.
How did you end up working with Marmozets, and what were they like to work with on their debut album? I became aware of Marmozets a couple of years ago through their manager Mark Nicholson. He'd just picked them up and was raving about them. I went to see them play at the Borderline in London. They were supporting and played a slightly shambolic set to a handful of people, but I thought they were awesome almost immediately. I hadn't been that excited about seeing a band for a long time in fact. After this I got them to open for Hundred Reasons at a warm up show we did at the beginning of 2012 in Kingston. By this point I really wanted to work with them and probably tried to talk them into it that night! A little while after that they came down to London to record the song Born Young and Free in my studio in Brixton. As soon as I heard the demo it was obvious that their songwriting had taken a massive leap forward from the EPs they'd released previously. It was in the middle of all that crazy snow we had at the beginning of 2012 and they got caught up in traffic chaos so they didn't get to me until about 10pm. It turned into an all night recording session. I think I got 2 hours sleep on the sofa between 7 and 9am. It was kind of insane, but in a really good way. We hit it off immediately. They liked the ideas I had for the song and we all worked together very well. They got really excited about the sounds I was getting for them and it was just generally a good vibe in the studio. We got a really good result as well. They came back to do the next single Move Shake Hide in 2013. By this point they were nearly signed to Roadrunner and in fact MSH became the first RR release. I honestly thought at this point that as they were signing in America (to a label that had no clue who I was) it was unlikely that they were going to hire me for the album as they could basically pick any producer in the world. As it transpires they could have picked anyone, but they came back to me because of the relationship we forged over those two sessions. We really understood each other. Let it be said of that band that they know what they want and they're not afraid to demand it, not many bands have got that kind of backbone especially at their age. They're an impressive bunch.
You also worked on the track 'Derail' with Dinosaur Pile-Up so how did this collaboration happen, and what was it like to work with them? Matt and I have been writing songs together for a couple of years. We get together fairly regularly to write, often for no particular reason. One of the songs we wrote is Derail and that went on the record, something I'm very proud of. Matt's a cool guy and he's fun to work with. He's got so many good songs in him! I'm sure more will come from that collaboration in the future.
What other producing projects have you been working on recently then? I've been doing mainly co-writing sessions for the last couple of years, trying to build that up. I don't produce all the time. In the year or so before Marmozets I produced records for Hill Valley HIgh, Scholars and The JB Conspiracy and mixed an album for Max Raptor. Songwriting wise I worked with Dinosaur, Katie Sutherland and some new bands called Cortes, Fears and Nothing But Thieves plus a bunch of other more pop stuff. I like getting creatively involved and that means getting involved early. I'm not really interested in just recording bands unless I have some involvement creatively and I don't want to work with the same kinds of bands over and over again. Writing sessions are great for that and if I can carry them through to productions then that's even better.
When producing for a band, can you tell us how the process normally works, or does it vary with each act? In contrast to a lot of my life, I adhere to a fairly strict process when I'm working on an album. I also have engineers that follow a strict process. This for me is the only way it can work. The music and the musicians are often chaotic enough without the session falling to pieces as well. Also I like to very clearly separate songwriting from the recording process. I think it's bad to write songs in the studio as it dilutes your focus on making the record sound great. I like to go heavy on the pre-production/demo process and make as many creative decisions as possible during that process. To use a slightly tired metaphor, I see the album recording process as the picture you take of yourselves when you've reached the top of the mountain. It's not the climb. The climb is your entire life leading up to the point where you shut the studio door and hit record. I actually do not vary my process much from album to album. Obviously the personalities change and the creative decisions differ with the music, but the process is sacred and I am loathe to deviate from it. The thing that does change is the people and figuring out how to inspire musicians/artists and get the very best out of them. This is essential to the job. Get that wrong and you're screwed. In general. I record things how I want them to sound at the end and I like to always have the tracks laid out on an analogue board if I can. This helps me have an overview of what's been recorded, keeps a tab on track count and stops me from mixing as I go. I like to group things on the way in to keep track counts down. So a guitar will take up 1 channel in Pro Tools even if the sound involved 3 amps and 7 mics. This is important. Success is a rock song on 24 channels. 100+ tracks to me indicates poor workflow and a lack of direction and the ability to do this is the single worst thing about recording on a computer. I wish Pro Tools only allowed 48 tracks as it would improve a lot of modern records (and for me it wouldn't be restrictive at all).
What's the hardest part about being a producer? Not turning into a fat bastard. But seriously... I think that knowing when to hang up the ego and listen to other people is hard. It's often useful when producing to be the loudest idiot in a room and knowing when that isn't helpful is difficult. I'm still learning. Also the creative aspect of the job is hard at times. Having the confidence of your convictions to make big calls on the direction of songs/arrangements etc. This is a talent you can nurture, but cannot learn, it's either in you or it isn't. Apart from that, the hours can be very long and the work can be extremely mentally fatiguing, although nowadays I force myself to stop at 12 hours a day and try my best to take weekends off. Days off can be just as important and there's no point being a hero about it. Tired ears make shitty decisions and create even more hours of work!
Alternatively, what's the most rewarding part about this job role? The end result. Always. When you hear a record as it should be the hours of work just vanish from your memory. It's amazing actually. I know of nothing else that is as satisfying to me than completing a project well. I find listening to complete vocals particularly rewarding. Recording vocals is hard, it's the hardest part of recording as so much rides on it, it's intensely personal and always emotionally charged. When you hear the awesome vocals at the end though it's always such a buzz. Becca's vocals are like that on the Marmozets album, we worked very hard on them and she seriously pushed herself beyond the limits and at times it really wasn't easy, but you hear the finished product and the vocals are just stunning. She'll now listen to that for the rest of her life and swell with pride every time and so will I. You should always make it as good as it can be as the extra hours and work and pain will never be as bad as the regret of listening to yourself not fulfilling your potential over and over again. No serious artist could live with that.
Can you tell us a bit about some of the main equipment you use, and also, how long does it take you to find equipment that is really essential for what you do? I've been collecting equipment for over a decade now. It's an ongoing process that will carry on until the day I die. My equipment is largely guitar based as you might imagine. I have amps mainly from the 60's, 70's and 80's before the quality went down the pan. Marshall made their best amp in 1979. Fender made their best guitar in 1952. Deal with it. I like stuff that's hand wired and has as few controls as possible, that way you can focus on the important stuff. If I plug in an amp and don't like the sound almost immediately I'll turn it off and never use it again. Give me a Tele and a 50 watt late 70's Marshall and I'm a happy boy. Ditto with drums, I really like old, small Ludwig Downbeat kits and I wouldn't make an album without a Black Beauty or a 400 series snare. New drums have too much attack for me. I like drums to have notes. K Zildjians I love as well. It's important to me creatively to have lots of musical toys lying around that people feel free to mess with. Also I like those toys to be simple and as non-digital as possible. Knobs, keys and levers are way more creative than computers, buttons and touch screens. Studio wise I'm really into API pres and really really into the Chandler TG2 pre. I'm really into the digital converters being as good as possible. We recorded Marmozets through Prism converters at 96khz. It's like the computer never happened. Clocking is important as well. You can get 192's to sound pretty good if you use a decent master clock, otherwise I'd try not to use them. Mic wise I don't like 57's and I generally don't like ribbon mics. I'm pretty much open to anything else though. I love recording vocals on an SM7. Especially for heavy stuff. I very rarely use a condenser for vocals, if only because the whole pop shield/don't touch the stand! Thing is kind of annoying to me, singers should be able to grab it and do a handstand if they want to!!
How would you say the alternative rock scene has changed or progressed since you first started performing/working with bands? I think we've been though a fairly dull period recently of rock bands playing it really safe and wanting to be commercially successful and 'pop' above all else. Especially in alternative rock and emo. It's been like 80's hair metal all over again. Over polished, substance-free bullshit. Heavy-handed Pro Tools geeks recording overstyled poodles. Maybe we need another Nirvana to fuck that all to one side for a while? Don't get me wrong, there's been a lot of great music out there, it's just that for me a lot of the danger and experimentation has been in pop, electronic music and indie. Alt-rock's just been a bit tame, generally speaking. I do think that rock is getting messy and energetic again though and I hope that Marmozets are going to be one of the bands leading that charge. That's when it's at it's best if you ask me! Rock music should groove, I think that's been missing a bit as well. Out-of-time can be cool where as quantised rock drums and over tuned vocals are NEVER cool in my opinion. Rock should be dangerous. There are a lot of really good, individual and interesting British bands about to break through over the next year or two. Royal Blood, Baby Godzilla, Lonely The Brave, Arcane Roots etc.. Exciting times.
What else can we expect to see from you in 2014? I have a few production jobs in the pipeline, but I'm mainly focused on the songwriting right now. I'm going to be locked away in my studio writing and writing and writing. You'll more likely be hearing things from me without knowing they're from me and not seeing me at all. And to be honest that's kind of how I like it!
By James Candler After a night of punk rock, alcohol and failed stage dives at A Wilhelm Scream's show at The Joiners the previous night I rocked up at University Of Southampton a little worse for wear but keen to keep the rock and roll... well rolling. The Catharisis (****) were the first band I checked out, modern UK hardcore for fans of Polar but these boys are well ahead of the curve. Last time I saw this band it was in a basement somewhere in Surrey playing their set as fast as they could to avoid getting arrested for noise pollution, they rocked the shit out of that tiny room and they absolutely dominated the Uprawr stage getting kids to crowdkill at lunch time, now that is an achievement! I caught the end of Verses' (***) set over on the main stage filling with power chords, delay ridden guitars and emo-pop melody, it won't be long filling the boots that Deaf Havana have left discarded by the front door ever since they decided they wanted to be a Gaslight Anthem covers band. Fans of live drum and bass/dubstep act Subsource should not feel so glum, they have simply been reincarnated as Black Futures (***), slightly more rock leaning than under their previous moniker but still a great party band and the use of a sample from Slipknot's Duality was a stroke of genius. They did suffer from some sound issues, I imagine this kind of band was a bit curveball for the sound enginners considering two hardcore bands had played before them on that stage.
Feed The Rhino (***) what to say about them... big hairy, sweaty, tattooed men playing heavy as fuck hardcore and to the most busy room of the whole day, rowdy. Now for a change of pace with Blitz Kids (**) anyone who was a fan of their early work will not recognise this band, gone are the angluar riffs juxtaposed with quality pop melodies, what this band are now is hard pressed to be even referred to as rock music anymore which is not helped by about 50% of their sound being prerecorded. Apart from the great chorus in 'Perfect' there isn't a single moment of their set th at I remember, don't get me wrong they nail what they do but what they do now happens to be completely uninteresting. Canterbury (****) take the stage and this is what Blitz Kids should have sounded like if they wanted to take a more pop route. The choruses are big, the harmonies are bold and spot on. The singer also tells the rain outside to 'fuck off' which is fun. Jamie Lenman (*****) may well be the man everyone is here to see. He plays a mixture of songs from the Muscle side of his newest album and a couple of old Reuben fan favourites. Jamie still has the unique wit and awkward charm that he's been known for years for having. 'Does anyone like technical metal?' he asks before descending head first into staccato discord. Hearing 'Nobody Wins The War' live was an absolute treat. Not long ago Kids In Glass Houses (***) announced that they will be calling it a day after one last tour this summer and judging by their set being made up of almost entirely songs from 'Smart Casual' and 'Dirt' it can be assumed that part of this is because of worse than expected reception to their third and fourth albums. KIGH have always been a good live band but this was a rusty performance and only a couple of the guys looked like they even wanted to be there, I hope they care more on their final tour! Aled as always was on point with his vocals even if he did spend an uncomfortable amount of time giving one girl who kept giving him the finger abuse over the mic. The 15 year old emo kid in me is loving what is about to happen, Funeral for a Friend (***) are about to headline the festival. A strong mixture of tunes from 'Casually Dressed...', 'Hours', 'Welcome Home Armergeddon' and 'Conduit' skipping over the two forgettable middle albums. Matt's voice is sounded weak, perhaps he was ill or just a symptom of years of abuse. Although his vocals were not on point the performance was energetic and sincere.
Search Lights - Origins Usually when you see the hardcore tag you know what to expect, with Search Light however, it isn't quite what you'd expect. While the opening feedback and pounding drums are perhaps what you would expect, the melodies being offered have a more light hearted feel than the usual brain mashing conjured up by most hardcore bands. The vocals are hard hitting, very much in the hardcore style and a total about face to the music. That is not to say the music is soft, the breakdown in opener, 'Clockwork' sound huge and the interchanges between guitar and drums are expertly fitted together off beat. With some cleanly sung vocals, 'Empty Pages' would certainly be ballad territory and for this aggressive style its about as close as you'll get to it. The melodies are crisp and tender in comparison to the crunching back ground riffs and slamming drums which really add an extra few decibels to Search Light's sound. The drums do a great job of making the songs sound faster than they are creating a nice dynamic, 'Home Again' is a melodic piece that makes you stop and take notice while closer has that distinct Foo Fighters vibe in how the melody is as important as the words being sung. Production wise, it sounds raw but in a age where songs are in danger of sounding too perfect, too often, it is something I love to hear. AN
Straight Lines – Reflect There is something familiar, yet wholly unfamiliar about this long awaited release from Pontypridd four piece, Straight Lines. The opening title track has a feel of what would happen if you put Sabbath and Zeppelin in a blender before the sound switches to a more hard hitting groove. The riffs hit hard and provide a fine foil to the slightly out of place at first listen vocals of Tom Jenkins, his vocal isn't out of place by the way. On further listen it is the perfect fit, adding a big theatrical element to the songs and showcasing the fine range that he has. He doesn't have to shout, he has the ability to let his voice carry, with 'No Words of Wisdom' they show that they can crush as hard as anyone else with some crushing riffs flying portraying at times a real hardcore edge and something that makes me want to see how big they sound live. The differing styles in each song are clear, 'Swim Up River' drips with classic blues riffs and an awesome chorus that screams audience participation. While there are some stunning melodies during the stand out 'Hole in the Sky', they cut in and out of NWOBHM style gallops. This adds a unique yet somehow familiar sound, a modern yet timeless vibe that sets Straight Lines above anything I've heard of late. AN
Reign Over Me - Visions The monstrous riff that opens 'Sir Alligator' makes it impossible not to take notice straight away, from there it bellows with blues infused energy that is infectiously catchy. They smash and grab their way through the opener like a truck breaking through a wall and there is no time to breath as they charge in to 'EVOL'. A more hardcore affair and less riff heavy than the previous song, instead letting some out and out brutality take the lead as the hook. Elements of thrash's cut throat riff shredding are laced with the melodic elements of hardcore with 'The Body' as Reign Over Me really start to tear it up with Andrea Alfieri's vocal screaming like a man possessed that continues in to 'B29'. This EP has been divided in to two distinct sounding sections, the previous three songs firmly fall in to the hardcore camp while the opener and this closing track take it in a far more thrash, riff orientated direction. 'Wall Streep' is as catchy and groovy as the opener that at times will make you think of a Suicidal Tendencies/Anthrax hybrid. It also showcases the ability of Alfieri to jump between vocal styles giving the band the depth to mix the styles with crushing metal riffs and melodic hardcore breakdowns in what is a fine effort from the Treviso crushers. AN
Vales - Wilt & Rise There are some moments where you can take a breath on this much anticipated new album from Cornwall natives, Vales. They are though, few and far between and most of the time they just to build further levels of chaos and ear smashing devastation. The fist clenching 'Dead Wood' is full of breakdowns that simply reinforce the devastating howls that leap from this record amongst the melodic guitars and stunning off beat drums that drive each song. There are songs such as 'Scripted' and 'Survival' which rely more on bringing out the melody that almost give it a laid back feel but they never lose the aggressive and crushing edge that can be found on the likes of 'Respite' and 'Wild Horse'. The latter in moments gives a sense of the early black metal atmosphere. That is probably not the intention however, more likely just what I heard from it but with far worse production values than Vales have, it could fit right in to that. In amongst the carnage being wrought there is a moment of respite in the form of the haunting 'Katrina', two minutes (nearly) of atmospheric guitar work that seems to bring the grey gloom around it and is a stunning piece of music that leads perfectly in to 'Branches'. The huge drums signal the entry of this stand out moment, it continues the gloomy atmosphere that was so serenely spun in 'Katrina'. It slows the pace considerably and scales new heights on a record that shows exactly why it has been so anticipated. The album closes out with a bang, 'Waterfalls' produces everything that has been so stand out about Wilt and Rise, throws them together and lets them explode without mercy. Wilt and Rise has aggression, anger, mighty riffs and tender moments, it also has the ability to make you feel you've just been one on one with a bulldozer. AN
Chuck Ragan - TIll Midnight Chuck Ragan, along with the likes of Shane MacGowan, Tom Waits and in more recent times, Frank Turner and Brian Fallon, falls into a category I like to think of as story telling music. There is a tale to tell each time and no words are wasted. His fourth solo effort is no different, incorporating a healthy blend of folk, country and acoustic rock n roll. Opening with the grizzly, country steeped 'Something May Catch Fire', it sets the pace and keeps that grass roots vibe that he has made his own in recent years. The words are tender but delivered with ferocity, pouring out emotion, leaving it impossible not to feel the hairs on the back of your neck stand up when he roars “I need you like I need all the blood in my veins” on 'Non Typical'. To be fair it is not the first time that will happen and it happens frequently on this record. 'Revved' (also featuring Revival veteran Dave Hause) adds an eastern, almost oriental flavour in parts criss crossing along side the old west fiddle solos that are, what you may call, shredding in their distinctive, memorable moments. The album closes with the haunting and utterly stunning 'For All We Care'. Combining the melody of finger picked guitar, strings and huge atmosphere, it hits a crescendo with some massive drums kicking with some gospel sounding backing vocals that weaves its way through your entire body. I also defy the toughest of you out there not to find a lump building in the back of your throat by the end. With this album, Chuck Ragan once again shows why the Revival Tour is such a sought after spot for any artist, the opportunity to perform alongside this man can do nothing but good for an upcoming or established musician. He also makes the next time the Revival Tour as unmissable as ever when it next rolls in to British venues again with an album as good as any you will hear in 2014. AN
The Menzingers - Rented World This fourth album from The Mezingers is a crucial one, not only do the Philadelphia based quartet have to follow up their finest album to date, they must in their own words “seek a greater wisdom in life”. This band have hit their mid 20's and have found their world outlook, that was the focal point of previous compositions, “may not be the right one after all”. A title such as 'I Don't Wannabe An Asshole Any more' is fairly self explanatory, as far as openers go, this is as roaringly awesome as you can get. Growing though melody, it becomes a that would on the face seem a great pop punk anthem but it flashes aggression that pushes it away from that and simply slams its way through three frantic minutes. These are songs that will beg an audience to scream the words right back, some of these chorus's are as effective a hook as any riff at times, songs like 'Rodent' and 'My Friend Kyle' just have that big venue vibe to them, the jump between clean and aggressive in the vocals lead them superbly. The dynamic shifts to something far moodier and atmospheric, 'Transient Love' sounds like what U2 may have sounded like had they been from Seattle. They do well shifting to this grimmer tone, despite the aggression of the some of the vocal lines the melodies have lifted it. The placement of this song is in the vein of a ballads place on an album, the darkest moment on this album though, is anything but a ballad. Growth is the over riding theme on this album, 'Hearts Unknown' and 'In Remission' each have a different sound but both have catchy and engaging riffs, grooves and the lyrics are among their finest to date taking in the thoughtful and thought provoking to the hard hitting and fiery. If growth and greater wisdom is the aim on 'Rented World', then they have certainly achieved that. Does it surpass 'On The Impossible Past'? Only time will tell but if The Menzingers haven't, then it isn't by much. It is at least its equal, of that there is no doubt. AN
Fireworks - Oh, Common Life Following the brief hiatus that followed last album, Gospels, Fireworks return with a third album that tears the band open and lays them bare for all to see. It starts it with the crunching 'Glowing Crosses', full of busy, unrelenting riffs along side words that are at times bleak, at times aggressive, always thought provoking. The mood changes immediately with the staccato grooves and background melodies of 'Bed Sores', it is far more upbeat while keeping some bleak moments to show that this album will be full of differing shades. The lyrical content is must listen, 'The Back Window's Down' brings something out from with in vocalist David Mackinder that makes you take notice and hang on his words as he 'finds his way back to you'. Who the “you� is open to interpretation given the bands hiatus to deal with the pressures of relationships at home but it makes for some good listening. There are some great melodies on the album in the form of not just the guitars but also the simple and soulful keyboards that ring out in the back ground. It creates an extra something that doesn't leap out but will catch the ear at times to remind you of its presence, 'One More Creature Dizzy With Love' is a stand out of this. Death is a subject that adorns many of the songs and the death of Mackinder's father in 2011 is felt throughout, perhaps no more so than 'The Only Thing That Haunts This House Is Me'. Again the words are poignant, bringing up the use of metaphors instead of actually communicating, the bane of many a person through the years. Oh, Common Life feels like an album that had to be made, dealing with everything that has gone on in their personal lives by therapy through music. Fireworks have poured everything in to this record and will be their finest hour to date. AN
Polar - Shadowed By Vultures The Surrey hardcore quintet return with their sophomore album... Opening 'First Breath' eases us in, but not for long!..like a long calming deep breath you take then only to be plunged into chaos by what follows next in the form of 'Blood Lines' as the band give it there all at full throttle in this track which is highly melodic whilst brutal! First Single, 'Glass Cutter' has brilliant catchy riffs which keep you guessing and strong varied vocals, including powerful gang chants as well as a chorus that packs a punch - all in all this track has the qualities of a top metal anthem without losing its fierce edge, making it a must hear! 'Black Days' keeps up the the momentum of previous tracks but has a more stripped back softer tone but still maintains a backbone! This change actually is used effectively and makes this a stand out moment which is memorable! 'Before The Storm' is like the calm before the 'storm' which features guest female vocals from Ellie Price which at first may surprise you, but it gives you a bit of a time out with its slower pace. Her vocals are striking and beautiful complimenting the ambient instruments before finally soaring to a close! New single, 'Mountain Throne' is a mighty catchy tune with its melodic riffs and striking driven vocals! A great representation of what this album offers! Title track, 'Shadowed By Vultures' dives right in and displays just how much energy they have - layered with melodic guitar licks and as we have seen throughout showcases their skill and song writing abilities once again! This album is full of energy, enthusiasm and brutalness, all combined to produce beastly anthems, largely boasting their heavier hardcore side but also while displaying their lighter nature and tones. They seem to have found the exact balance to pull this off! There is no 'shadow' of a doubt that these songs will stick with you! CL
More Than Life - What's Left Of Me Melodic hardcore quartet More Than Life are back after nearly four years with their highly anticipated second album; What's Left Of Me, which is set for an April 14 release. Opener, 'Asleep' is an atmospheric instrumental piece which sets the scene for the rest of the album.. 'Weight Of The World' has strong ambient sonic instruments coupled with flawless vocals from James Matthews that are full of emotion and varied for effectiveness. All packed nicely in a very well structured offering boasting one catchy chorus and driven guitar riffs! Title track, 'What's Left Of Me' is strong from the off with powerful vocals, melodic riffs and fitting instrumentation that compliments the vocals perfectly, again demonstrating great placement of clean varied vocals and unpredictable changes - this song embraces all that the band can do! 'You're Not Alone' is fast paced with a sense of urgency, again as seen previously featuring memorable stand out riffs, this is short but has high impact with its hard hitting elements! 'Threshold' changes the tone with its slower paced tempo displaying an air of melancholy more so, which is shown through the soft emotive clean vocals which may be the best seen yet and backed by appropriate downbeat instruments. This is well structured and produced and although sounds bit sorrowful has a rather mainstream feel also. This is a stand out track and shows a different side to them which is nice to see. 'Seasons Change' picks up the pace again and is also a longer offering which again has a sombre tone but with lots passion and emotion driving the song, as well as great rhythms and beats which are powerful. Single 'Do You Remember' is a stand out track which has a higher emphasis on the vocals at the start and uses dual contrasting vocals to create more impact in this heartfelt plea, which has the desired effect all the while layered with the brilliant arrangement of instruments and backing vocals adding more depth and ambience. This is a must hear if you haven't already!
Closing song, 'Love Is Not Enough' largely remains fast paced but takes a new direction half way through with an acoustic section to close the album which is beautiful and full of woe whilst having a touch of hope in the mix and sees the use of new instruments and sounds, which makes an unsuspecting but brilliant ending! This album shows great structure and musical arrangement all of which flows coherently and consistently! It is a brilliant second release which should appeal to many rock fans as it has the qualities that you would look for in a band or album, that being emotive, anthemic, honest/raw, dynamic, energetic and passionate music. Whether this was the the intention from the band, it was a wise move, and I think as a result we will be hearing more of the underrated More Than Life who have plenty of musical creativity 'left' in them to share with us in the future! CL
Comeback Kid - Die Knowing Canadian hardcore punk band are back with their first album in almost four years with their fifth album! As a band that have been going for 14 years and have seen many member changes they have tried to create an album to embody all that they are and more this time round with their third vocalist, Andrew Neufeld never ceasing to back down despite their tribulations!... Opening and title track, 'Die Knowing' starts off dramatic with a dark and tense build up, then piercing fierce vocals emerge with the help of powerful gang vocals giving it extra oomph! This is one striking track straight off the bat! 'Lower The Line' follows nicely and coherently and plunges into chaotic crazy instruments and picks up the pace - this is a cracking heavy metal inspired offering! 'Wasted Arrows' again like the first track this one builds up brilliantly all leading up to a highly energetic hardcore anthem with punk vibes especially with the repetitive lyrics which only add to the heavy intensity of the song! 'Should Know Better' brings the tempo down a notch although it might not seem it at times and still fits in nicely in tone with the rest of the album! 'I Depend, I Control' throws us back into the pit of relentlessness and keeps us on our toes! But then again 'Beyond' may raise the bar in its hard hitting urgency and catchy melodic chants! 'Full Swing' sees the return of ex-vocalist, Scott Wade which is a nice addition and should please the fans! This guest appearance is solid and shows just how powerful both vocalists are! Closing and longest song, 'Sink In' is a defiant driven song with super catchy hooks and contains one of the most memorable choruses of the whole album, definitely making this a nice choice to end on! This will undoubtedly get stuck in your head! The band after all this time and all their changes which can destroy some bands, show no signs of running out of steam with this album packing some of their heaviest, tightest work yet, especially with the sense of urgency and build ups some of the songs possess! Although all songs are short they certainly leave a sting and hit hard with their short but don't mess about attitude! CL
Architects - Lost Forever/Lost Together British metalcore act hailing from Brighton return with their sixth studio album. Opening track, 'Gravedigger' contains great brutal screams which are understandable and never become inaudible which is quite a feat, which they are known for and makes them stand out! Lyrically and melodically this is fantastic, all combined elements makes this an opener and a half!.. Powerful first single, 'Naysayer' certainly packs a punch through its brilliant high toned screams and powerful and brilliant effective craftsmanship! 'Broken Cross' is intense with strong lyrics which along with the video are thought provoking and open to interpretation. Although they could be conceived as being slightly controversial lyrics, you have to admire their strong opinions and honesty. It just helps demonstrate how different and refreshing their approach is and nods at their song writing abilities. 'The Devil Is Near' is fast, furious and relentless, making this a great live crowd pleaser! It has strong melodic riffage and heavy solid drumming, all the while boasting meaningful and emotive lyrics, which are inspired by Sea Sheperd, (an American non-profit marine conservation organization that the Architects actively support) which help explain why the lads are driven by so much passion (something they have tonnes off!) 'Dead Man Talking' is another striking song, again with brilliant deep honest lyrics and great rhythms! 'Red Hypergiant' is a short but beautiful piece of musicianship. This instrumental contains great guitar tones and ambience which also interestingly features a sample from a Carl Sagan film and may explain its dream like and surrounding vibes. The memorable 'C.A.N.C.E.R' is a huge song and may well be one of the best, with its great atmosphere and ambience again creating a massive powerful sound. 'Colony Collaspe' has superb and varied vocals in this highly melancholic and emotive song.. 'Castles In The Air' has great riffage with a sense of urgency and purpose, with well placed clean vocals towards the end which are used well and help break things up and makes it stand out more so, all leading up to a powerful ending! 'Youth Is Wasted On The Young' has a great break down and is highly atmospheric as well as featuring Murray Macleod of The Xcerts, who provides some nice guest vocals. Closing song, 'The Distant Blue' opens with striking vocals straight off, as it seems Sam Carter saved some of his best vocal abilities to last! Another great display of talent and melodic perfection. The decide to end on a more soft note, but ever powerful! This album will hit you real hard - not just musically but emotionally - the band have put everything in to this record and it shows, making for what could not only be some of their best material but one of the best releases of 2014 so far! They have used elements of their previous sounds but here truly perfected it with deep meaningful and big themed songs which give you something to think about all backed by skill, precision, passion and most importantly great musicianship! CL
Nai Harvest - Hold Open My Head Sheffield-based duo Nai Harvest have burst onto the British rock music scene with their new EP, Hold Open Your Head. Despite vocalist-guitarist Ben Thompson denying that this EP is a grunge record, it certainly has grunge-like tones which are clear from the off with their first track, Rush. This doesn't really change at all during the remainder of the record, with the exception of some pleasant harmonies. Hold Open My Head resembles the 90's rock scene, and almost sounds like Ash in their earlier days. The tempo picks up in the last track and we get to see the true promise of this young band. Thompson insists that the band are not musicians, they are poets. It doesn't really matter, what ever they are, we can't wait to hear more from them! AG
Seahaven - Reverie Lagoon: Music For Escapism Only When you are able to make the hardcore crowds of Touche Amore show stop what they are doing and hang on your every note and word, there must be something to your music that reaches across the genres. The title talks of escapism and that is exactly what Seahaven have made this album, it isn't an album you can listen to casually. It needs to be allowed to take you over as it wraps its echoed atmosphere constantly clears and before thickening like a cloud. From the start there is a vibe surrounding it, 'Fifty Four' has me checking I hadn't knock Def Leppard on with a very Hysteria sounding opening before the picture becomes distinctly bleak and dark although the plucked guitar that cuts in adds a break of light through the moody vocal. It is only two minutes but it is gripping and certainly raises eyebrows. The addition of a string section gives an eerie feel to 'Silhouette (Latin Skin)', it is gripping and impossible to tear away from. There is a refreshing simplicity to Seahaven's new sound, the likes of 'On The Floor' and 'Highway Blues' are stripped back and raw giving them an organic feel that absorbs emotion and lets the music do the work. One thing that has to be mentioned is the drumming, it is so laid back most of the time it is almost not there, it is light and casual but every now and again you remember it is always there. It adds so much in the subtlest of ways and when it really kicks in the dynamic created is massive, 'Love to Burn' is perhaps the best example of this. As the album begins to wind down with 'Karma Consequential' it is impressive to note how an album can have so many songs that sound alike but manage to sound so individually unique at the same time. 'Four Eleven' brings the curtain in a similar atmosphere to the opener, taking all the elements that have made this album such an experience. Melancholy and dark emotion is the story of this album yet, it is a soothing, uplifting journey to lose yourself in. AN
Bottler - Smithereens Bottler and Disconnect, Disconnect records are about to release the awaited Smithereens. A new EP set for release in March. There's been a lot of bustle and hype around this London poppunk band after being only recently signed. The EP channels a bit of the classic Sex Pistols, no cares vibe, but toned down with some tips and tricks from American pop-punk bands such as perhaps We the Kings or All Time Low. Still, the five track EP is really quite promising. Although the sound quality could be a little better, and the instrumentals could be a bit tighter, you can see why there's been so much talk. The title track itself is full of electric and eclectic guitar, bass and drums. It's got fast beats and vocals that will have you sitting on the edge of your seat, itching to move around, or at least it will in spirit. The track features some harmonies on the vocals this time, something that successfully adds a bit of depth and I find myself really quite liking it, even though I stick to the idea that next time, the band needs to focus more on their recording style and sound quality. EG
Swim Good - Self Titled EP After a bumpy year it looked like this EP was never going to see the light of day but I'm sure glad it did. Swim Good take math rock riffs and throws them in a blender with the theatrics and melody of Panic At The Disco and self awareness of Say Anything. Faultless musicianship and production lead this EP to being a very pleasurable listen. I can't quite decide if these guys are a math rock band or a pop rock band, either way the hooks are big and the riffs are aplenty. Ryan has a huge vocal range and is not affraid to use it, from baritone lows to belted highs he has got it down. If twiddly guitars, pin point rhythmic stabs and big choruses are your thing Swim Good may be the band you've been waiting for. JC
Atrevido - Death is a Navigator EP Five-piece band Atrevido from Gloucestershire has newly released their second EP, consisting of four tracks, and titled a rather delightfully poetic Death is a Navigator. 'Terrasoliloquy' is the first track - its heavy, metallic, hard hitting, slow beat but lots of energy, a good start to the new EP, it's definitely caught your attention. 'No liberty' then starts playing, it slower, more balladic, the minor key creates aura of suspense and tension all throughout song, Vocals feel way too strong, makes them seem a bit too out of place with the song, there should be more emphasis on the instrumentals, especially for an alt-rock/metal band. This however seems to change in the last minute or so of the song, with 'AY, NO LIBERTY' being chanted/screamed and some sort of vocal back up, complete with a bit more feeling, a bit better, though personally I prefer the more musical tracks on the EP. My personal favourite track is number three, titled 'Drums and Guns', or (No Liberty part two.) The music is built up for the first part of the EP, the song boasts some interesting distorted guitar riffs and some brilliant drums as well. The vocals also seem much stronger, well planned and well recorded in this track, part two definitely makes up for what was lost in part one. Although it seems to need a bit of work, this is only the bands second EP, and with some cracking riffs and musical talent it's definitely got some potential. With Death as your navigator, I'd keep one eye on the horizon for these guys. EG
La Dispute - Rooms of the House There is history in the rooms of the house. This is one of the opening lyrics to the new album of nearly the same name, from punky/ rocky/ grungy/ hardcore/ experimental and generally quite-hard-to-categorise band, La Dispute, it seems to set up perfectly the bands third studio album. The opening song is titled 'HUDSONVILLE MI 1954' and sets the scene for the rest of the album. Showcasing the album title lyric, and other such hard-hitting story-telling poetry, it's definitely classic La dispute style, but the third album has seen La Dispute play with a tighter edge. Everything is completely up to scratch, which is exactly what you'd now expect from such a band. After two quite classic hardcore/rock tracks, the third tune 'Woman (in mirror)' takes a more relaxed tone. With emphasis on the guitar and of course, vocals, the song brags a sort of chilled out, bluesy vibe, it's something different and it actually seems to work very well. The percussion in the background also seems to add to this effect, it's something you wouldn't find that out of place in an Alt-J album but instead we're enjoying it on an album some would classify as the complete other side of town. The songs counter-part; 'Woman (reading)' gives the album added substance and lets the poetic story-like nature of the album flow even more freely. The album overall brags some incredibly well thought out stories, boasts some incredible rhythmic talent and showcases some indie jazz vibes. It's something that plays in such a cinematic way, you can't help but listen all the way through. Maybe that's what puts La Dispute in such a league of their own. EG
The Used - Imaginary Enemy The Used return with their sixth studio album set for release on the 1st April (no this is not a joke!) which sees the return of producer, John Feldmann who is known for working with the band on previous albums, so what can fans expect this time round?..To open with with have 'Revolution' which has great lyrics delivered by harsh superb vocals and screams from Bert, making this a powerful start and opens with a bang; especially through its anthemic feel - you simply won't forget this song and you will immediately be singing and moving to the rhythms! Latest single 'Cry' contains great groovy rhythms and beats and is very catchy with hints of pop inspired elements and electronic music, making it quite radio friendly, but for the most part displaying some true rock qualities which certainly don't go a miss - a interesting dynamic single, although odd it works perfectly! 'El-Oh-Vee-Ee' (which simply is the sounds from the word 'Love') again keeps up the mainstream feel with a strong emphasis on chants, which will make for good live arrangements! It is more stripped back with the instruments not being so prominent which show some nice vocals from Bert. This is a big song despite its softer sounds, but that being said the fierce sounds kick in with a turn in vocals and fast instruments which give it extra clout in its pop undertones! "A Song to Stifle Imperial Progression (A Work In Progress)" has a strange intro which dives into chaotic crazy instruments and strong rebellious vocals which have a strong message behind them. Again another one that the crowds will love to sing out with its seriously catchy and highly melodic rhythms. This is a major highlight! "Generation Throwaway" has an ambient sound with interesting production which creates quite a cool effect, in what could be the softest offering yet. This is not the strongest in my opinion but it works and they do it well and keeps things different and positive.. The nostalgic "Make Believe" has an upbeat optimistic sound which is fuelled with emotion. Again the theme comes through strongly of standing up for yourself and changing things and it is delivered flawlessly. "Evolution" has brilliantly well written lyrics as we expect and particularly highlights their capable song writing abilities, being a very strong song - the lyrics also come across very meaningful and sincere while the instruments have some nice transitions and build up and flow effortlessly! The ending has a great snippet of anger and craziness seeping in! Title track "Imaginary Enemy" starts on a upbeat opening and goes on to have a massive striking chorus however again instrumentally its not really on the heavy side largely but nonetheless this is one hell of a song! Another one that will be embedded into your mind with its catchy hooks! "Kenna Song" is an enlightening and inspiring song which is also thought provoking, through its beautiful bare bones and strong impact beats and chants - this is the one where you get your lighter out, especially with the strong feeling of unity and hope! A great crowd togetherness moment! "Force Without Violence" Bert's vocals will drawn you in instantly and have you listening intently, as again excellent strong lyrics. The song has great sounds and effects all ending on an unexpected twist of a rap style poem filled with cursing to keep us guessing! Final song, "Overdose" (which also contains hidden track "Secret Song") is beautiful - I think many will be overdosing on this song with endless listening! It will get you swaying with its huge sound and melodic layers! A calm but effective one to end on..which brings us to the........secret song... which starts at 7 minutes and 48 seconds in - well there are sounds present not sure this constitutes a song at this point though but about 11 minutes in strange fast computerised sounding talking appears which is very bizarre and then accompanied by jazzy type instruments - ends in utter crazy fashion as you may have expected more! This new offering has a strong emphasis on lyrics and themes, which is very evident throughout and makes it what it is, along with the method of recording - as the vocals were recorded before the instruments which I think has a huge impact on the overall sound of the album..in a good way it all flows effortlessly and coherently with the odd edgy crazy moment thrown in there which you love and expect from them! The big surprise may be the lack of heavier material, but who cares it is written and structured wonderfully that it doesn't matter! As they have produced massive anthemic and inspired songs, expanding on their fan base with their more so radio friendly sound but always sticking to their deep roots and all the while progressing musically and creatively after all this time! CL
Gnarwolves- The Chronicles of Gnarnia It seems like only yesterday that this Cornish bunch released their Funemployed E.P., but we aren't complaining as they come straight back at us with their brand new album, The Chronicles of Gnarnia. Clever, eh? The title of the album isn't where the fun ends, the record highlights the highs and lows of teenage life, all of which we are familiar with. Of course it's something we have come to expect from your typical punk rock album. However, this isn't your typical mainstream punk rock album. Every word screamed in this record is from each band members heart and demonstrates the care-free lives which we tend to live in our teenage years. When you look back at the things you used to fret over they now appear completely ridiculous. The sound of this album is as raw as it gets, replicating how these guys sound live and it has to be said, they have absolutely nailed it here. The songs average at a length of around two minutes which could be seen as a little disappointing by some but this is true, gritty punk rock, with no time for showing off. Tongue Surfer is probably the strongest song on the album, with the brilliant lyric "I'm not the person you kissed, I'm a miserable shit" AG If you're yet to do so yet, go and see these chaps live. It's none of that serious nonsense at their shows, they are there purely to have fun, which is what it's all about.
Modern Baseball- You're Gonna Miss It All You're Gonna Miss It All is Modern Baseball's second full-length record and it primarily demonstrates the life of your typical student. Sitting around, procrastinating, and drinking obscene amounts of alcohol. Oh, and studying! Vocalist Brendan Lukens takes a rather comedic approach to this record which could be compared to the earlier works of Blink 182. Each track has been carefully constructed so that we can all find some relevance to our own lives. Whether that's following a person you have a crush on, or sitting at home in your lounge watching terrible day time television. This record also reminds us of those romantic slip ups which we can now laugh about. Charlie Black is the stand-out track from this album, a real sing-a-long vibe which is built for a live environment. Your Graduation is another number which will be sure to get their fans screaming along.
Lukens' vocals are not spectacular, but his witty lyrics make up for that minor point. Modern Baseball do show similarities to Weezer and based on their latest record, they look set to be just as huge. Lukens and Co are playing at Slam Dunk this year, so make sure you go and check them out and show them some love! AG
Rust Belt Lights - Religion & My Ex
So this is our first of hopefully many vinyl reviews! Why are we doing this? Didn't vinyl die out a long time ago? No, it didn't because the experience of listening to a vinyl record is like no other format, the sound is much more in depth, and at the end of the day it just looks much cooler on your shelf... It's a format that in our eyes, will always be more than relevant. So on to the review, Rust Belt Lights are a punk band from Buffalo and 'Religion & My Ex' is their sophomore album. This 12" record is visually awesome to look at with the vinyl being in a striking red color, and inside you are provided with a massive lyric sheet so you can basically just chill out and read through the lyrics whilst the record is spinning! Straight from the first track 'Wasting Wishing' we are hooked, the band sort of reminded us of The Gaslight Anthem with the vocals sounding ever so slightly like Chris DeMakes from Less Than Jake, which is of course awesome. ‘Old Ghosts’ is certainly a standout track to us, as its huge chorus will have you singing the song days later! The album then leads into 'Dead Letters' which is 100% a track that has a good old circle pit vibe to it combined with a great breakdown to give the tune a nice balance!
As we turn the vinyl over to side B we get to witness 'If Nothing Ever Changes' which is another highlight to us as its punchy chords, and captivating lyrics do nothing but indent themselves into your memory. 'Haunted Streets' takes a chilled out approach to start with, but then builds into an epic instrumental with an awesome guitar solo on top, and it’s a track that again shows us how varied & unique this band can be. Overall this record shows us that Rust Belt Lights are a band to watch out for. Their songs are extremely well formed, and we have no doubt that they will keep on putting out releases just as fantastic as this one, and we can't wait to hear them. AD
Taking Back Sunday - Happiness Is This sixth album and second release from the newly reunited 5 piece consisting of vocalist Adam Lazzara, guitarist/vocalist John Nolan, guitarist Eddie Reyes, bassist Shaun Cooper and drummer Mark O’Connell also marks their freedom from a major label as they joined Hopeless Records giving them more independence.. First track appropriately titled, 'Preface' is unexpected and doesn't sound like the band at all, featuring string instruments which are interesting but it all feels a bit random, the transition into first proper song is strongly welcomed and first single, 'Flicker, Fade' luckily doesn't disappoint! This is a big song and it will only get better the more you listen to it and also displays their unique alt rock sound down to a tee in this dynamic and diverse song! Latest single 'Stood A Chance' has a very fun upbeat sound and is super catchy giving it an anthemic feel which will be sure to get the crowds moving! The end of the song boasts a brilliant and well executed breakdown also. The atmospheric 'All The Way' is a great ambient track which shows the bands progression and creativity and how they have evolved. 'Beat Up Car' is one of the aggressive songs featured with strong rhythms and melodies and keeps things energetic and dynamic! 'It Takes More' begins to see the more serious side of the band than ever, in this rather melancholic song which is pulled off wonderfully. 'They Don't Have Any Friends' picks up the pace with strong riffs and melodies and hits harder than other songs making this a stand out one especially with its changeable transitions which are well placed. The emotionally charged 'Better Homes And Gardens' again displays the more mature and realistic side of things and features one of the strongest choruses and some of the best vocal offerings. Final song 'Nothing At All' is a striking and memorable pessimistic ballad which is stripped back with high emphasis on vocals accompanied by acoustic guitar and as nears the end its resonant sound plays out for the last time and the band sound on true form and like they are sure of themselves, making for a strong effective ending. They are certainly sporting a more mature sound with less emphasis on their punk roots but like many bands they are evolving and exploring different sounds and this new groove they have found perhaps due to the reunion is definitely working for them! While it might not be their best material to date, it is different and well delivered and opens up the musical possibilities for the future and what's to come for the band and their more refined well structured sound, showing that their recent changes have paid off. CL
I Am the Avalanche - Wolverines I Am the Avalanche suffered a pretty tempestuous time recording 2011's 'Avalanche United'; plagued by label issues over the six years between the release of their sophomore effort and their 2005 self-titled debut. There's no sign of such turbulence on 'Wolverines', though; opening straight into the AC/DC infused 'Two Runaways' like a spikier, gruffer New Found Glory and storming on through to '177' without a respite. The first break lasts all of a few seconds at the subdued start of third track 'The Shape I'm In' before going full-pelt pop-punk once again. This approach pretty much sums up 'Wolverines'; it's an empassioned, angry record taking its cues from princes of pop-punk past and hardcore influences while taking full advantage of 21st Century production values to come up with a pretty solid indicator of where pop-punk is at in 2014. Where I Am The Avalanche really excel, though, is on the anecdote to Hurricane Sandy's devastating effect in the winter before last; building up to an emotional refrain castigating US officials for their lack of help in the disaster. There are times, though, when everything feels a little repetitive; lead singer Vinnie Caruana's gravel-laden voice grates in places and might benefit from being using a little more liberally, and unfortunately there are no iconic, stick-in-your-head guitar or bass riffs to keep you coming back. Overall, 'Wolverines' is a solid effort from the four-piece, and one that is - for the most part - perfectly listenable. LR
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