wonder if the members of Underoath could have ever guessed that they would be touring the world promoting their fourth full-length with their fifth in the works when they released The Changing Of Times in 2002? Or if they had any idea that their progressive metal would launch them into one of the biggest bands in this scene, creating a demand for them that would sell out the largest rock venues world-wide? Underoath is a band that most of us have had the privilege of growing up with in our ears, evolving with the times, keeping themselves not only relevant but continually pushing back the walls of the box staying steps ahead of the game turning them into influential giants in our scene. Talk to them though and they are convinced that they are just normal dudes, incredibly busy, but normal. We love them for their humility but if we each had ten minutes with them we could spit a list a block long of ways that their music has influenced, even changed, our lives. However, I had to tame myself during this interview with Tim McTague and Chris Dudley so that I could get some facts for you on their upcoming release, their views on music and what has been happening over the last two years since their last release.
You guys have really evolved to more of a progressive almost experimental metal sound over the course of the last two albums. Where do you see yourselves taking your sound with this new album?
Tim McTague: Right now we have like four rough ideas for new songs. Its really kind of different like not drastically different, I think we definitely sound like our niche but it’s a little more aggressive musically. Not just aggressive with like lots opens and feedbacks, its got
a lot more attention to detail with how the drums and bass kind of play off eachother. It just feels a lot more driving.
Chris Dudley: It’s kind of hard to tell where the record is going to go as a whole just because we still have another half of the record to write. I think it could go a lot of directions. Some of the stuff we have now is really, I don’t want to say jammy, but a lot of it is more instrumental and thought out than anything we’ve done. We’re making a conscious effort to do things that we haven’t done before. We know what we’re capable of and what we’ve done in the past so if we wanted to we could continue to do what we’ve done and not really change anything and obviously we’d sell records. We’re at a spot where we just want to push ourselves individually and as a group to do something that we’ve never done before. We have this one song that is 58 seconds long and its super fast, super heavy, really balls out, middle finger in the air type of song. Then we have other stuff that is five or 6 minutes and is really slow and jammy so its kind of weird at this point.
Is your sound something that you guys sit down and discuss the direction of or do you just start jamming and see where it flows?
TM: We kind of just start jamming. We discuss broad stroke ideas on where we want to go but nothing like “we want to write this kind of song or album” its more like “let’s just write” and the more songs start taking shape we say like “well this is happening more than not or we have a lot of slow songs so lets focus on having some more energetic songs” stuff like that. But as a whole the song kind of comes naturally and we use that as a starting point to kind of sculpt the record around.
Is there any idea for lyrical themes or album art yet, or is it still too early?
TM: There’s nothing, not any lyrics. We do lyrics last in the studio.
You guys recently got back from New Zealand and you are doing a European tour starting in March. What is the plan after that? Will we be seeing you on tour or will you be recording most of the summer?
TM: We go to Europe for three and half weeks in March and April. Then we pretty much spend the majority of our time after that finishing up writing and we go to the studio in June or July and have a new record out this fall. I think we are going to be doing a two and half week tour right in the middle of summer just to get out but the details of that are not yet clear.
You released the last album in late 2008, catch us up on the last year in the life of Underoath.
TM: Oh man. Well we did a full four months, five or six continent world tour for all of 2008. Last year we spent a lot of time doing a bunch of crap. We did some overseas stuff, we did Soundwave. We did Warped this year then our last headliner was with August Burns Red this last winter. Now we’re doing some Europe stuff again this Spring then going back into the studio then probably repeating that (laughs).
You guys are just kind of conquering the world right now.
TM: Trying to (laughs).
We did an interview with Living Sacrifice a few months back and we talked a lot about their influence on younger bands. Underoath’s name came up again and again. Talk to us about how Underoath’s influences have changed over the life of the band.
TM: We started out just young kids in church, in the underground church hardcore scene. There was a pretty good hardcore scene in Tampa and we just kind of branched out from there started touring with a lot more people and getting turned on to a lot more things but now our influences range from life to art to specific bands. All the way from Every Time I Die to Radiohead and Bjork to really weird folk stuff. I think our influences are very expansive and maybe not being able to be spoken about to a degree because I’ll feel like I’ll leave something out. I think you can definitely tell on our records when we began opening our minds to different stuff versus being down with the stuff we had.
Chris, what are some of your personal influences?
CD: I think for me what influences me in general is just hearing bands do something that excites me. As far as my individual instrument, hearing bands use electronics in a cool way I think is really inspiring to me. As far as purely electronic music, off the top of my head, there is maybe three groups that do it well. I think it’s really hard to make something purely electronic really good. I think Imogen Heap does that really well. Thom Yorke, the electronic stuff on there is really good. Bands that use electronics well, I think that’s really cool. Obviously that’s what I try to do is find a balance of just making it cool, because with electronics it’s easy to make it sounds cheesy and or forced into the song not just building the song around it, just having a bunch of synth parts you know, which I’m completely not into.
What does it mean to you all that Underoath is now the band influencing a multitude of new artists?
CD: I think that it’s weird more than anything. I remember when we were coming up and there were bands that we looked up to saying “Oh those guys are awesome! It’d be cool to be like that one day!” To think that we’re that band for someone is just kind of odd because we don’t really see ourselves as those types of dudes. We’re just six dudes who happen to play music together. We talk to people and they say “Your music influenced my band or me”, its really just flattering more than anything because if anyone ever looked at us the way we looked at other bands growing up, it’d be an honor.
TM: I don’t know how much influence we’re really having. If we are influencing them I think that’s cool. We just play. We kind of take the responsibility and come to a very level headed common understanding that what we do influences people like that. It doesn’t feel really appropriate for what we do. If that’s happening we respect it and hope that it’s a positive influence. We’re not writing music to influence other musicians but I hope we do inspire some sort of boldness and abstract takes on things that are mundane for some people.
You guys are known for touring like crazy. What’s the your secret to constantly touring and maintaining healthy relationships within the band?
TM: A lot of work. We had a lot of lineup changes prior to 2003. At the end of this year it will be six years strong that we’ve had the same lineup. It also helps in a lot of ways that the record that Spencer first came on, They’re Only Chasing Safety, did a lot better than we thought and put us in a really cool position to be able to tour bigger places and tour in a bus and that really made comfort levels go up and stress levels go down. So overall it’s been a really cool experience and with that comes a lot more work and responsibility in different areas. But overall it’s been very positive and very do-able thing. Touring used to be super hard and it is taxing on our families. Emotionally it’s hard but physically its better, we’re able to sleep. It’s kind of a trade off. It’s definitely our thing just being honest with each other and knowing when to give people space and knowing when you need your own space before you blow up or say something stupid.
CD: I don’t think there’s really a secret to it. I think it’s just first of all you need to have a group of dudes that’s friends. You have to be friends first and a band second. You hear so many times of bands going on tour then getting on each other’s nerves or getting in fights. At the end of the day you need to be able to come to a person as a friend not just someone you play music with. I always look at being in a band and being on tour as being married. I see the dudes in the band more than I see my wife and daughter. Its like being married to five other super opinionated dudes living in a steel tube for eight months out of the year. Its not easy all the time. Its something you have to work at but I think that’s with anything that involves relationships. Being married is the most amazing thing in the world but you have to work at it. You got to enjoy what you’re doing and not being doing it expecting to get some sort of reward whether it be money or people coming to your shows or selling records. If we were going for that we would have been done a long time ago because that’s just what we’re going for.
Tim, is Underoath something you see yourself doing for as long as you can or do you sometimes feel like you are winding down?
TM: I always feel like its winding down but at the same time I’d do it for as long as I can. In that respect we will do it as long as we can but we’re definitely prepared for it to wind down. But as long as there are kids at the shows and we can keep writing records and have fun doing it, you know?
of it."
Chris, do you see yourself still doing Underoath five or even ten years down the road?
CD: I hope so! We’re going to keep doing this as long as the people who listen to our music continue to support us. I’d love to say that we’ll do it for the next fifty years but I don’t think that’ll really happen because there are very few bands that are able to stick around forever like that. I think that even when the point comes where we say “Alright, we’re not really able to do this anymore, we can’t afford to be away from home or no one is coming to our shows”, I think we’re still going to be playing music its just that we’re not going to be able to do it the way we are now. I’m definitely not looking forward to that day because doing this is all of our dreams and we love doing this more than anything in the world. I think when that day comes we’ll still play together and maybe put out music on line or whatever the case may be. I think this is an overused comment but the kids that come to shows and buy records really do allow us to do this. We talk about this all the time, we walk out on stage and there are kids cheering and we are on stage being the exact same thing saying “holy crap!” It really is a two way street and we do our best to let people know that. But it can be a cliché thing to say to a crowd to get cheers. We talk about that regularly, how blessed we are. We don’t really think that people that come to shows know what that means to us because it allows us to keep writing records and going on tour which is what we love. We want it to be like dudes talking to dudes and hanging out, whether it’s going to Dennys after a show or talking about movies. I think that when you put yourself up on a pedestal like that it takes away the opportunity to have a real conversation with someone and get something meaningful out of it. If you have someone telling you you’re great and wonderful then there’s nothing you can really get out of that.
If Underoath were to end tomorrow, what would you see yourself doing?
CD: I would probably call in some favors and figure out what sort of job I could get to support my family. That would be my first priority. I thought about trying to do something like a publicity group. I don’t have any sort of resume so any where I tried to get a job would laugh in my face (laughs). Right now I’m doing what I really feel God is calling me to do and I know this is where I’m supposed to be but in some ways I know I need to because this isn’t going to last forever. But for now I’m trying to make the most of opportunities that I have.
TM: Probably start another band.
Tim, what do you think that might sound like? Hypothetically.
TM: I do like what we do but if I think if I were to start a new band from scratch it wouldn’t necessarily be like that. It’d be a lot more like Blueprints for Friendships Personals (laughs).
What does music mean to you personally?
CD: From a super young age music was something that really spoke to me. Before I was able to play an instrument I was into music. I had a really wide range of music played at my house. My mom was super into Aretha Franklin and Fleetwood Mac and my dad was into Guns N’ Roses and Dire Straits. Then my brother was into gangster rap and Metallica at the same time so I grew up with an appreciation for all these types of music. I knew what it was like to have a record or a song have more of a feeling than “Oh that’s a cool part or lyric”. We’ve seen the power of music and what it can do in people’s lives like somebody putting in a record and when its done realizing that they need to rethink their life or God speaking to them through a song. I think that everyone to a certain extent realizes the power that music has whether they acknowledge it or not. That’s why we wake up every day and do this. If we can have that impact on someone even in a small way I think we can all sleep well at night.
TM: Everything really. Without sounding too kitchy, music can change people’s lives. Music has the power to inspire people to do great and horrible things all at the same time. I think its one of the most ancient forms of communicating ideals as well as direct vibes. I think its something that is very powerful and we don’t take lightly. We always try to make sure everything is something whether it is musically or lyrically.
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Close Your Eyes | A Message And A Revolution
f you are thirteen or new to the scene then I should tell you, Hardcore used to be about something, a message, a revolution, taking a stand for what you believe in. The “Pop Forty” scene has seemed to seep into our lives, our way of thinking, and in turn, our music, changing the way that we write and arrange. Close Your Eyes, however, have way too much conviction to waste their tracks, this platform, on songs about girls or partying. Bringing the fire and passion back to hardcore, these guys give us hope and give hope back to this scene. With their technical guitar work and catchy choruses, following anthem chants, Close Your Eyes know how to grab us. With a debut Mid-February release (We Will Overcome) on Victory records, these guys are fresh out of the gate and ready spread their message as far as willing ears reach. Get to know these guys, their name is about to get very familiar in your iTunes.
Tell us how Close Your Eyes got its start?
Brett Callaway: I just moved to Abilene from Houston. That was a little bit of culture shock to me moving to Abilene, it’s a small town so when I got there I was like “Oh man, I’m never going to find anyone who likes the same music as me”. Within about two weeks of when I moved there I saw Shane walking around school wearing an As I Lay Dying shirt and he said he was a vocalist. We kind of hit it off from there and we started looking for some other members for our band.
So you guys were attending college and playing music at the same time. Was that hard to juggle? Are you still doing the school thing or are you guys done with that for now?
BC: It wasn’t for me. I had no problem skipping class. Shane is the same way. We never had problems with our grades.
Are you guys done with college now?
BC: Yeah I graduated and Shane is graduated. Sonny didn’t go to college. David went to community college for a little bit and Andrew isn’t going to school right now but he’ll probably go back.
Right on. You guys have an incredibly catchy sound, it is also seems like your influences are pretty eclectic. What would you say are some of your main influences as a band?
BC: We listen to so much stuff. Andrew and I pretty much write all the music. I grew up listening to punk and hardcore stuff like MxPx and Stretch Armstrong. Andrew grew up listening to more metal stuff; he’s listened to Metallica since he was two I think. Most of us have had classical training so we listen to a lot of classical jazz stuff also and I think it translates in our music not that it sounds classical or jazzy but our chord structures are influenced by that.
I love your album art. How did you come up with the idea for robots? What does it say about your album?
BC: The robots actually were part of a different working title that we had for the album. Then our album art just took forever so we just kind of went with it anyway. There were robots there that were kind of lifeless. On the inside of the album there is a man who is walking by in a cloak who is lighting the inside of the robots. So it’s supposed to be that there needs to be more passion in our hearts, more fire.
That’s really cool. So tell us about some of the themes in your songs.
BC: There’s a huge theme of hope throughout the whole album. There are a lot of personal struggles and trials, things that people can identify with. As far as the things that I write there’s just this idea of hope and purpose. The bridge of “Songs for the Broken” says “This is my worship; this is my life, to bring hope into a broken world”. Its kind of just my calling on my life is what I’m doing, you know? This idea of hope and love goes through the album. If you look at the gospel there’s the idea that Jesus isn’t just coming to uphold these rules but to bring hope and love to the world. We try to be an embodiment of the gospel, we are never the people to push anything down anyone’s throats. We just try to live it with our lives and love on kids and give them hope.
I recently read that you’re from the same town as Dimebag Darrel and that it was tough coming up in that scene considering you don’t sound like Pantera. Tell us a bit about the scene where you’re from and how you are received there?
BC: I’m actually pretty good friends with his niece, she’s really cool. We were never really in that scene; we kind of had to start our own scene. The metal scene in Abilene is so entrenched in the bars. I say metal but it’s more like alt-rock metal. I consider Pantera metal but these bands are wannabe Pantera/I’m listening to way much alt-rock radio. It’s all about drinking and stuff like that, it’s not about the music. We had to create our thing, there was no place for us to play and we had to make places if that makes sense.
Wow, so have you seen more bands come up since that time?
BC: Yeah for sure, there have been a lot of them. There were bands there before us; I don’t want to make it sound like we started everything. There were metal core bands, metal core and the bar metal are way different. There was more of a metal scene before we started playing and now it’s more of a hardcore scene.
Would you contribute your success more to your local scene or being able to get out and tour?
BC: I think that touring is important for any band because you can be the king of your local scene but that’s not going to mean anything anywhere. You can be the hometown heroes or whatever but nobody really cares about that unless you’re pulling 3,000 people to your shows.
What can you tell us about your upcoming video shoot.
BC: It’s a full production video that Victory is doing for the single on the album. I honestly don’t know much about it, our director will be telling us today. Its in a big warehouse that used to be a grain processing factory and that’s about all I know.
I’m honestly surprised you guys haven’t gained more notice as of yet but I’m sure its coming. How did Victory discover you?
BC: They found us on a flier actually for a festival for we were playing for our clothing company, Self Destruct. We were playing the main stage at their festival right before MxPx. They saw it on the flier and said “Who the heck is this playing the main stage that’s not signed to a label and that’s how they got a hold of us.
Are you going to have a chance to get out with some larger acts anytime soon?
BC: We’re leaving in a few days for a two week tour. At the end of March we’re going out for a month and half with The Overseer. Then we’re doing almost two months this summer with It Prevails.
Your album, We Will Overcome, came out on the 16th of February, where can we pick it up if we haven’t gotten it already?
BC: As far as I know pretty much everywhere. It’s going through Sony distribution which is what Victory uses for all its releases. Hot Topic will be carrying it as well as Hastings and stuff like that.
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little over a year ago, I attended the first night of the Veil Arms Wake Tour in Dallas, Texas. So many great bands mingled backstage: Flee the Seen, Sleeping Giant, The Glorious Unseen and more. Those of us in attendance that night expected nothing less than an inspiring evening filled with the hardest breakdowns and heart consuming worship. Among the seemingly dozens of bands playing early on in the evening were two young sisters from Albuquerque, New Mexico. Elle and Shealeen Puckett, who have already been playing piano and guitar for a decade, anxiously awaited their time to take the stage amongst the vastly different genre that had been occupying the crowd’s ears for the majority of the evening. This was one of Poema’s first shows and definitely their largest crowd. They may have been nervous but as I speak with them today, the girls are all smiles and confidence.
“We like to write happy, inspiring music,” tells younger sibling Elle. “We usually call it acoustic pop. We basically try to write exactly what we want to hear. Simplicity is best.”
Poema’s music is simple, yes, but that is not always a bad thing. The girls aim to inspire and paint portraits in the listeners’ minds of what they call “ideal situations”. That is to say that not every Poema song is about a specific boy or time in their lives. The Puckett sisters realize that their youth may play into some people’s opinions of their music but they do their best to stay honest.
“I think that in this industry, it’s not a bad thing to be young,” says Elle. “The younger you are, the more impressed people are when you can play (laughs), but hopefully our song writing outshines our age!”
Their youth is something that the girls embrace rather than shine away from. They speak humbly and recognize that this could seep into the way people view them and their songs.
“If we only wrote about the things we actually experienced,” Elle jests. “I don’t know if we would have as many songs!”
Elle Puckett has been playing guitar for just about eleven years, which is quite a feat considering she is only seventeen years old. The girls even had a band prior to Poema called “Underlined”. With their brother backing them up on the drums, the sisters did some recording around the Albuquerque area and soon, older sister Shealeen, knew they had something special. However, the scene in New Mexico is largely made up of heavier acts. It may have felt like there was no room for Poema but the sisters have let the music speak for itself. The girls admit that although their fan base (according to MySpace) is mostly made up of 13-24 year olds, when one attends a Poema show you will be guaranteed to see a menagerie of different types of folks.
“We’ve definitely had all kinds come out to shows, families with little kids, older folks and metal band dudes. It’s really awesome to see such diverse crowds.”
Fast forward a few months after The Wake. The Puckett sisters, based on a three track demo given to the label at The Wake, auditioned for the label and now have a deal inked with Tooth & Nail Records and are set to release their debut album in which they worked with famed producer Aaron Sprinkle.
“He’s someone who totally puts you at ease because he doesn’t act like he’s a big deal!” Elder sister Shealeen confesses. “So I wasn’t really intimidated per se, but it was definitely humbling to see someone we respect so much work really hard on making our songs sound amazing.”
As documented on their MySpace, Poema enjoyed every second of working with Sprinkle, who cited the girls as one of his most anticipated projects as of late. The label was even generous enough to bring in Copeland drummer Jon Bucklew to record percussion. Needless to say, having these two guys helping you with your first record might be a bit nerve racking but the sisters took it in stride.
Explains Elle,
“I was definitely nervous at first to work with him but it ended up being the perfect mix. I felt like he respected our opinions and he definitely made the record sound the best it possibly could. It was a great experience!”
Inspiration is something that girls take very seriously and have been aspiring to their whole lives.
“I have always wanted to inspire people. I was inspired by so many great musicians growing up and if I could be that person for someone, it would be the greatest thing ever. That’s part of the reason I wanted to become a musician.”
Older sister Shealeen takes a similar approach, “It’s a big deal. (Laughs) It’s crazy to think of people looking up to us, but it’s such an honor, and I don’t take it lightly.”
Along with all these new experiences also came the opportunity to work with Copeland drummer Jon Bucklew on their debut album, another indicator that their label has their back 110%.
“We were worried about having a lot of drums on the album,” admits Shealeen. “We didn’t want something too overpowering that would make us sound like we’re a rock band. But Jon is such a great drummer, he added a lot of texture and he gave the songs a nice chill vibe.”
So just let me recap really quickly: A debut album on Tooth & Nail, produced by Aaron Sprinkle and a drummer from one of the biggest bands in this scene today? Yes, these girls are poised on the edge of something big. At this point it seems like nothing will stop the two young songwriters who began this journey just for fun. When told that there is a lot of buzz around their first release, Elle retorts “Buzz you say? (Laughs!) That’s awesome. We definitely take things one step at a time.”
Poema released the first song entitled “2 AM” on their MySpace in mid February to very positive acclaim. If this is just a snippet of what the Albuquerque duo has in store for us, then you best start listening now before you see them everywhere and if music industry chatter is any indication, this statement is about to be truer than ever.
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Your Friend, Peter Giles | Humility And Passion
had a chance to sit down with Trevor Powers, the man behind Your Friend, Peter Giles, to talk about his new solo project after being a member in My Paper Camera, a powerpop band from Boise, Idaho. Anyone who meets Trevor will automatically recognize his humility, not to mention his passion for music that challenges you. I caught up with him to talk about the new EP, touring, and storytelling.
After being a member in groups ranging in different genres, what inspired you to become a solo act and fall under the persona Your Friend, Peter Giles?
Trevor Powers: Honestly, I think what really inspired me to pursue this project was how much I fell in love with playing by myself in my bedroom. I played in a powerpop band called My Paper Camera for about four years and had the time of my life. We were touring pretty hard just this past year, and that was always such a huge part of my life. But slowly, I felt my heart change. I started playing piano and guitar alone in my bedroom with only my desk light on. I would close my eyes and just imagine these stories, some of which were spurred by things that happened to me that day and some were purely from my mind wandering. And I would just play for hours on end. It was definitely a scary thing to take my feet out of the boat I was in and put them in a different one, but I felt like I couldn’t deny it. I was in love with it.
As far as the persona Your Friend, Peter Giles… I definitely get asked this a lot. Well, when I was a senior in high school, my English class read a book called Utopia by Sir Thomas More. I don’t remember much of the content (I don’t even think I finished the book…), but there was a character in the book named Peter Giles who was described as being the perfect friend. For YFPG, I wanted to create a different Peter Giles who would be ironic when compared to Thomas More’s. One who, instead of being the perfect friend, would be someone who is completely human; someone who loves to see the world, and is still figuring things out.
From “Window Seat”, a song taking you on a vivid journey, to the titled track’s emotional ending both lyrically and musically, The Traveler EP covers a great deal in three songs. As I listen and become infectiously hooked, I notice several themes that are apparent throughout the EP. What is the main message, or messages, you want your listeners to leave with after listening?
TP: The main theme I want the listener to experience in The Traveler EP is really just an escape. I want it to be the sort of thing where someone listens to it, and they feel like they are right there in that airplane, looking out the window at the scenery below. Or sitting in the car driving down the highway. Everything I do is definitely an extension of myself. I take feelings that I have or had, put them to a story and then make music out of it. And in that, I hope that people can relate to it.
Who, or whom, has influenced you the most when it comes to songwriting? Performing?
TP: Such a tough question! Well, I would have to say one of the first people that actually made me want to start writing songs is Jonathan Jones. I remember listening to his old band Waking Ashland when I was just a young kid and wishing I could do that. Which is funny cause we are friends now. But there are so many artists that are inspiring. As far as my piano playing, Chris Garneau and Regina Spektor, both from New York, have been big influences on me. And my lyric-storytelling aspect has definitely been influenced by Andy Hull, from both Manchester Orchestra and Right Away, Great Captain.
Do you plan on having a full band for your upcoming shows? (If this is confidential information, we have no choice but to wait to be surprised...although it will be tough!)
TP: I’ve actually been working a lot with a friend, Danika McClure, who is going to play cello with me for some Boise shows. She’s definitely super talented, and I’m so excited. But as far as tours, right now it’s going to be just me. I hope that sometime in the near future, I can hire string and percussion players for tours, but until then, it’s working out just fine.
What kind of equipment do you use?
TP: The equipment that I use right now live is a Yamaha P-70 keyboard and a Micron Alesis Synthesizer. I use my Alesis a lot for low-end stuff like pads and bass boosts.
What are your main goals for this year?
TP: My main goal for this year is to be on the road as much as possible. In June, I plan on hitting the West hard for a month, and in the middle of July, working my way down to Texas, as well as being on the road in the fall. Another goal I have is to grab some attention from labels and such that could get behind my music. It always helps to have that financial support when it comes to thinking about future releases. I really just want to be able to do music full-time. That has always been my dream. In the meantime, I am going to just keep writing. I already have some of my next record written, and I can’t wait to record again so everyone can hear what I’ve been working on!
How is the music scene in Boise, Idaho? Where do you imagine it will be in the next two years?
TP: One thing I can say about Boise’s scene is there is some serious talent. There are a couple bands that I can think of off-hand, such as Apple Horse and We Won the Science Fair, that are going to blow up... it’s just a matter of when. There’s also definitely a big mix of hardcore, powerpop, and indie here. Fans are always really supportive, coming out to shows all the time, and always buying merch. And I think it will only get better from here. Seattle had it’s time. Then it was Portland. And next, I have no doubt in my mind that it will be Boise.
What are you currently jamming on your iPod? Give us some good recommendations!
TP: A band that I have been stoked out of my mind on is Freelance Whales! I just can’t get enough of them. If people were to check out one new band, it should be them. I’ve also been listening to a ton of Passion Pit, my man Chris Garneau, and just recently started getting into Local Natives. There’s way too much good music out there.
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Before There Was Rosalyn | Simply Epic
osalyn, in Romeo and Juliet, was the girl that Romeo was hung up on at the beginning of the story before meeting his perfect Juliet. Rosalyn was an afterthought in the greatest love story of all time. The band, which bares the forgotten girl’s name, will hardly be lingering in the back of anyone’s mind after a listen through their debut album The Fuhrer: An Allegory of a History of Deception. Even the title calls for a description of “epic”. Exploding onto the scene with above mentioned album and a label that seems to be pulling out all the stops, Before There was Rosalyn is ready to be heard, and I guarantee you’ll like what they have to say.
First off, how did you come up with your band name? The first thought I had was of Romeo’s first love interest, Rosalyn.
Carlos Salazar: You actually hit the mark. Romeo was indeed fascinated with Rosalyn before he laid eyes on Juliet, and we took the name for ourselves as an ode to romance and love, but more importantly, to symbolize the importance of every choice and decision made in a particular journey.
For us, it’s about not forgetting where this band came from and the long road that lies behind us. The story of Juliet and her Romeo would have been a drastically different one if Rosalyn had not been so easily discarded, and who knows how it would have turned out?
The name is intended to speak about the kind of destiny that lies within every decision we make.
You released an album in November called The Fuhrer that is based on Hitlers reign in Germany correct? Can you expound on this concept? How has it been received so far?
“The Fuhrer” is about the human spirit at its furthest point from God, and that dark hollow shell of a being we become when we are devoid of His grace."
CS: The album itself is not so much based on Hitler’s Germany, as it is a mirror to it. The Fuhrer is collection of songs centered around the idea that absolute power corrupts absolutely, and while this is real and tangible in the cores of society, history, and even current affairs across the whole of the earth, it is also very real in the spiritual sense. We set out to write something honest and real with this record, and we built the emotion and the tone of the album around that 20th century pillar of despair and chaos that was WWII Nazi Germany because we felt the atrocities of that great war embodied in every sense of the word the message we wanted to get across. “The Fuhrer” is about the human spirit at its furthest point from God, and that dark hollow shell of a being we become when we are devoid of His grace. It’s about that ancient enemy that whispers in the dark feeding our hunger and lust for greed, power, and all the things that can consume a man. The record is about that spiritual journey we all undertake in our struggle to find purpose, grace and ultimately faith. We’ve had a very positive reaction from anyone that’s reached out and wanted to talk about the depth of the record and the ideas behind it, which
is a really exciting thing to have happen for us.
A lot of the lyrics on The Fuhrer are pretty dark. How does this affect live shows? Does this create a different vibe in the room?
CS: I think certain songs carry with them an entire different feel to them because of the darker lyrics, but even centered at the core of these songs, there’s that cry for help and rescue. Songs like “The Deceiver” which center around the lyrics “I know I’ve been misled” and “Loneliness whispers: embrace me” are about the feeling of loss and hopelessness overtaking the soul, but the record itself is a journey that ends with “The Deliverer” and so playing the songs individually live gives way to really honing in on the emotion of each song and helps, I think, to maintain that honest energy in the room that we always hope to get across. We sing about loss and about dark times, but also about hope and grace, all of which are things we have experienced, and the end of the set, we hope that who is ever is watching can walk away knowing that we played with our hearts on our sleeves.
How is it playing these songs that carry such strong conviction every night?
CS: I think when you write anything that you truly mean, you can’t help but be convicted about the things you say, whatever your platform may be, or the message that you carry. There’s definitely a lot of prayer involved as well though, and we are always asking God to be present in the things that we are doing so they do not lose meaning, and we do not lose heart.
Seemingly you guys have been picking up a lot of momentum in this past year. Tell us a bit about what the past few years have looked like for Before There Was Rosalyn?
CS: Well we have been touring since the summer of 2006, and we have dedicated ourselves to staying on the road as long as possible since the beginning. We have been blessed with some amazing opportunities to share the stage with some of our favorite bands and some amazing people. In 2008, shortly before signing with indie label Holdfast out of Nashville TN, we began to really take to the road like never before, being out for a total of half the months of the year and continuing to build friendships outside of our home state. Cornerstone festival has definitely been an amazing and wonderful experience both years we have attended, and the reaction from kids has been so surreal at times to us, and we are very thankful for that.
Victory Records has been signing a lot of great harder acts lately. Talk to us about how you decided to go with them?
CS: We showcased for the label shortly before last year’s Cornerstone, and owner Tony Brummel expressed his interest in signing the band immediately after. We were most excited from the beginning about the possibility of becoming a part of a family that housed such an amazing group of bands, and over the next 2 weeks, we deliberated and truly prayed about everything. In the end, we felt the label presented an amazing opportunity for our band, not only musically, but also as a vast ministry platform, and we signed on July 15th, which happens to be our guitar player Trent’s birthday (laughs).
You guys state on your page that you are first a ministry then a band. Can you talk a bit about this statement?
CS: It means that more importantly than even the music we are playing, we have a desire to be something positive in the lives of those we meet, and that we would love to meet your needs if possible, whether emotional or spiritual. We want to share ourselves with everyone that we meet in the hopes that they will do the same. We have built many long lasting friendships by reaching out to strangers in new cities and the Lord has blessed us with some amazing people coming into our lives at just the right time, and while we definitely want to share our message of faith, hope and the rejuvenating mercies of our Lord Jesus Christ, being a ministry to us is also about taking the time to listen to someone who wants to be listened to, and attempting to make a real connection with a new friend that goes beyond the 30 to 45 minutes that makes up our set.
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Wrench In The Works | Take A Deep Breath
istening to Wrench In The Works is like throwing metal chairs at plaster walls at a hardcore show in a basement where there’s a circle pit going and a kid gets hit in the eye with one of the legs and keeps running with a chair sticking out of his face because there’s just too much adrenaline to lay down or go blind or pass out or die. And this band will not die. Through broken vans and member changes and a drummer who was told he might be going blind, it’s been a rocky road – a Godzilla-is-destroying-people-in-the-middle-of-the-highway-kind-of-road – but Wrench-In-The-Freakin’-Works has endured. They’ve patiently outlasted their desert season, they’re still running, and they’re still fighting the good fight to win it. The ferocious energy that they’ve packed into their sophomore release is just ridiculous. I can’t wait for you to hear it.
You guys have been laying kind of low for a while now, writing and recording this new album… what’s been going on with Wrench In The Works? You also have some member “Changes In The Works”… how has that transition been, and how is it writing and meshing and molding with new members? What have you been stoked on that the new dudes have been able to bring to the table?
Andy Nelson: Yeah we have been laying low for a few months now spending our time in the lab working on this new Wrench jam. Unfortunately, after our last tour we came to a mutual agreement with our original guitar player, Mehl, that it would be best to part ways. He had a lot going on in his personal life that he had to attend to and musically we were not on the same page. But things are still cool with him and the band and in no way did we leave on bad terms, things just needed to change. Around the same time we were having problems with Mehl, Jason from Facedown showed interest in releasing our next record and we contacted our friend Greg Thomas (The Risk Taken, Shai Hulud, With Honor, Silver Bullet Studios) to record the new CD. He recorded “Lost Art of Heaping Coal” and we loved what he did with that record so naturally we wanted to record the next CD with him. Well when he found out what was going on with the band he offered to come join the band and write a new record with us. The record is called Decrease/Increase and will be released through Facedown on March 16th! The transition has been very smooth, although I must admit we have had our fair share of trials but that is to be expected. Obviously it is hard to loose an original member of the band especially when we build our own expectations of how we want things to go but what we want might not always be what the Lord’s will is with our band. Greg, being an outsider to the band, was able to hone in on the strengths and weed out a lot of the weaker aspects of the band. Plus putting his own emotion into the band helped him push our technical and musical abilities to another level because of the expectations he had set for himself. This record is the most aggressive, heavy, fast and furious record the Wrench has ever done and it will make you reevaluate any pre-conceived notion you have of the band.
What is the main focus around Decrease/ Increase? Is there a specific theme or concept that you guys were going for, lyrically? How about musically? Is contempo-noise still the appropriate description for your genre? Word on the tweets is that this is gonna be the heaviest record ever.
AN: The title Decrease/Increase is a concept we got from when John the Baptist said his ministry must decrease so Christ could increase. Anyone following Jesus knows in their heart that they need more of Christ in their life and only Jesus can fill the void they feel. No quick fix of anything can quench the thirst your soul longs for like Jesus can. Being born into this world flawed and sinful, we as a band know that we screw up a lot and that God’s plan is best for us. I personally have continually chosen my own way not seeking God’s will and after tons of mistakes I know I need Christ to increase in my life because I just can’t do it with out Him... So lyrically we touch upon a lot of that basic concept. We have a song about John the Baptist, a song about Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane and how even Jesus himself had to follow and trust in God’s will – even to the point of death. (A song called “Deathslayer” which is about Jesus defeating death and sin.) So there is a general concept and flow of the record, lyrically. I’d say musically we still have elements of the contempo-noise genre but the record has a lot more to offer than that. We experimented a lot more with beat cuts and poly rhythmic ideas. We used fast beats or the infamous “D beat” which is found more with crust-punk bands, so the record is a lot faster, more metal and hardcore – but with the same craziness of the sound Wrench had on the last record. We definitely outdid ourselves technically and musically and we tuned down a lot lower from “Lost Art....”. I will say it again: it’s going to be one of the heaviest, most aggressive records of 2010.
I’ve heard a lot about a ministry called Project AK-47 from you guys. Can you tell us a little bit about it, and why it’s so important to ya’ll?
AN: This past Cornerstone we learned about the ministry Project AK-47 and what they are all about. It really just hit close to home for us as a band and we felt a Godly calling to support them and bring awareness to people. Even to the point of us writing a song called “Project AK-47” on our new record which is inspired about the ministry. Basically, the calling they have is to save child soldiers in southeast Asia (over 300,000 kids) who have been kidnapped, orphaned or deceitfully recruited to serve as soldiers in government armies or drug cartels, and for $7 you can save a child through them. I mean just think about what you were doing at age 7 or your little brother or sister or nephew or niece and then think about yourself or them training with a machine gun. It makes my stomach turn to think about what these kids go through in the fear they must face everyday.
I respect Jason Dunn above and beyond many a person in the music industry because of what I see as his focus on passionate, Christ-like, love-driven individuals that make up a band, rather than marketable money-making bands that make up a label. Now, please do not take that to mean that I think you’re un-marketable. You already know that if I had my way, everyone in the world would listen to your music. But I feel like your band still focuses it’s identity on Christ, and Darrell seems to back that notion, both lyrically, and every time I see you play live. As you progress, and as ideas and inspirations and all the things that inevitably change in this life, change, where do you see your band’s motives headed, directionally – and, specifically, spiritually?
AN: The more we live out our faith in our every day lives the more it effects the band. So as we grow in our spirituality the band grows as well. We love to play and write music but at the end of the day, the blessing to do that is a gift from God and we wanna honor that blessing and dedicate our work and passion to his glory. So YES our motives are spiritual and this band is a ministry. If kids don’t get our music then, well, they don’t get it. I am not doing a band to be cool or look cool, that’s fleeting and an illusion. I just wanna be known as a band that played what they wanted to and screamed about what they wanted to scream about and that happens to be Jesus. We love meeting kids and encouraging them in their faith or just everyday lives. When I was 16, I know how much it meant to talk to someone from a band and have them give me the time of day to sit down with me and ask about myself. It made my month when I felt like I had nothing. So we wanna do that for kids now, it’s way more rewarding than having the sickest pit or having our “numbers” look good on paper.
I hear that your vocalist is a black man. Is this true? (Laughs.) If you could rate the killing-power of one of Darrel’s dreads on a scale from one to ten, one being: “Darrel’s Dreads Couldn’t Hurt A Fly” and ten being: “Darrel’s Dreads Cut Dinosaurs In Half Before He Even Moves His Head” – what number would you give them, and what would that number be defined as?
AN: Darrell is half black for the record – (laughs!) And lets face it he might look scary when he screams but that dude is just a big teddy bear, don’t believe the hype – he is not scary. So I am gonna say about a 4: “worse case scenario he hits you with them and they tickle your face.”
Jamie King seems to be a favorite of multiple Facedown bands. Did you go through him for this record, as well? If so, why? If not, who did you go through, and what did/do you look for in a producer?
AN: To be honest, I am not a huge fan of Jaime King, I think the Between the Buried and Me records sound cool but nothing else has really caught my ear. We went through Greg Thomas of Silver Bullet Studios (Shai Hulud, Ambitions) he recorded “Lost Art...” and did an amazing job plus he joined the band so it was just natural to record with him. His work ethic and ear for heavy music is outstanding and I couldn’t be happier with the work he does. Facedown bands should start going to him more often.
What do you want people to know about WITW – whether in reference to this record, to you as a band, to life in general. If your musical career were to end tomorrow, what would you guys move on to, and would you be happy with where you left off? What do you want the WITW legacy to be when you’re old and gray and sitting in a rocking chair and able to rest a Miller High Life on your beer belly while you guard the porch with a sawed off shotgun?
AN: I really just want people to know that we love Jesus and we do what we dig, we’re on our own vibe, get into it or not that’s up to you but were doing our thing regardless. I want to be known as a band who had integrity and passion for what they did, there are enough bands out there playing the game, trying to fit some mold and being mediocre and we like to throw a wrench in the works into the hardcore scene and give some new flavor. We’re kind of like the Moxie of Christian hardcore bands – you either hate it or love it and at first, you’re definitely apprehensive to try it out.
Tell me anything else you’d like to tell me about.
AN: Please go check out our new record Decrease/Increase through facedown records out March 16th. Check out the myspace for new mp3s www.myspace.com/wrenchintheworks
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Greeley Estates | Track By Track
his last year was the roughest year of my life so my lyrics on this album definitely reflect it. No Rain, No Rainbow is along the lines of the “no pain no gain” saying, which works for us right now. Some of the songs on this record were personal and opportunities for me to vent. Others were similar to our last record and were just stories I made up almost like I’m in a creative writing class or something. I definitely didn’t take myself too seriously on this record. I just wrote what I felt with each song.
“Seven Hours”,” Loyal.com” and “Friends are Friends For Never”
All 3 of these songs I used as opportunities to vent towards some individuals that betrayed us over the last year. I don’t want to get into any of the specifics but it was one of the situations where you think you know someone and... Either way I had my chance to be bitter and vent and there you have it (laughs).
“I Shot the Maid”
This was just a random story I thought up while listening to the music. I just thought of the whole idea of accidentally killing someone and what would be running through your mind at that time. Like I said I was in a dark place this last year.
“The Offer”
This song is about infidelity. I’ve watched some people that I’ve known make huge mistakes over the last few years. This is a reminder to me and hopefully others to run from temptation
“Jealousy Breeds Killing Sprees”
This is another random story about a guy who loses his mind when his girl leaves him. He shows up at her work with a gun threatening her. We had Craig Mabbit from Escape the Fate do a bunch of vocals too. I wanted two voices almost like he is insane and has multiple personalities
“Swim For Your Lives”
This song is kind of related to the church and so called Christians. Once again I’m calling myself out reminding myself that I need to live out my faith. It talks about how sometimes we do more damage than good. “Can you see the lighthouse, as we push you under? Can you see the light as we push you further from shore” “Can we hear their cries over the storm, will we reach out to help? I’m thinking NO” “I’m convinced that their drowning out there, I’m still convinced that this isn’t the way it’s supposed to be”.
“They Won’t Stay Dead”
This song is based off the original Night of the Living Dead (1968). I just wrote a song along the story line of the movie using characters and what not from the film. The end of the song is actually music from the movie
“Lying Through Your Teeth Doesn’t Count as Flossing”
Another song about living out what you say you believe.
“Wolves Make Great Actors”
This song is me venting at people in power who take advantage of others, financially, sexually, etc.
“You’ll Never Leave Vegas Alive”
This is another story almost like a mobster setting. This is a story about someone being warned to stay away from the city and, ultimately, their demise.