Interviews

This is the first post by our new contributor Tasha! She’s joined us from Vancouver, Canada. Give it up!

Metal outfit The Fallacy are currently recording some new music for their sophomore full-length release. Tasha had a chance to catch up with the Calgary group to discuss the band and their music.

Who are You?

Todd Fraser

What’s Your Band’s Name?

The Fallacy

What Made you come up with that name?

We thought it had a good ring to it. I also personally am really interested in the idea behind a Fallacy wich is essentially something that isn’t true that is accepted as truth. Fallacys are one of the biggest inhibitors to human progress.

Who Else is in the band? Has it always been just you guys?

Tony Chan- Guitar, Tommy Chan- Drums, Dale Wells- Bass, Tyler Hammade- Guitar. It has always been me, Tony, Tommy and Dale but Tyler has recently joined the band as our second guitar player. Shayne Baker is also currently helping us out big time as our fill in drummer while Tommy attends Recording school in Vancouver.

How do you go about making music?

Usually starts with Tony and Tyler jamming on riffs together. Once they have some good riffs we will work out song structure with me finally putting lyrics and vocals on in the end. Our new music has strong structure and a focus to write really well put together songs as opposed to our old music that mostly consisted of jamming riffs together. I also feel like our new songs work really well together but each have strong identity as seperate songs as opposed to our old music where you could interchange riffs.

What do you think is your most played song?

Pick Up After Your Dogma (hopefully this will change when we release our new album)

What are some of your musical idols?

I tend to really admire muscians who constantly create new things, make music for the sake of making art not financial gain, and who are inovators and doing something original. My personal musical heros are Thursday, Converge, Thrice, Minus The Bear and Botch.

What is the Toughest thing to deal with on Tour?

For me it is keeping my voice in good shape. It is a constant battle not to loose it with the lack of sleep and general health on tour. Money is the other big issue, we never expect to make any money on tour but even keeping our van on the road can be a challenge.

If You could sign to any Record Label Who would you sign to?
Any label that would put the Bands musical interests first. A label that is willing to take chances and lets us put the music first before anything else.

If you had to compare your band to a food what would it be?
Tacos. Tacos are awesome.

North Carolina-based The Future Is Me‘s pop punk madness is here to make an impact. The four-piece consists of Paul Kelley (vocals), Mike O’Donnell (guitar), John Tomasevich (guitar and vocals), Matt Szalecki (drums), and they have an EP out now. Drummer Matt took the time to answer a few questions I had about their music and their futures.

Who are you and what do you do?

My name is Matt and I am the drummer. I also do some screaming so we can preserve Paul’s (lead singer) voice.

So, tell me about The Future Is Me.

Deal.

Who are you guys?

We are a group of guys who have come from very different musical backgrounds….hardcore, classical, acoustic rock, powerpop, and punk, to name a few…..to fuse our styles together into an energetic, riff-infused, vocal-heavy sound we like to call our own.

What’s the story behind the name?

The cool thing is that it means a little something different to each of us. That said, it was easy for us to choose the name once we thought of it. At first glance, one may say that it sounds like a cocky name. To me, it evokes imagery of the past. You must think that sounds contradictory. However, one day everything will return to the way it was before we (humans, not The Future Is Me) showed up here. That was also the tie between our name and our EP “Return to Earth Again.” So, when I hear the name, I tend to think of past fallen empires who, at the time, claimed their empires could never fall. Now any remains are 50 feet below the ground without a trace.

One thing we all agreed on here…..we do NOT want the word “future” to make our listeners think of outer space and flying robot computers and cheesy science fiction films.

What are your your overall goals as a band?

Our first goal is to put out music that we love and are proud to distribute. Then our goal is to hopefully find lots of other people who enjoy what we’ve created. We want to hit the road and take our show to the whole country and have a fantastic time doing it.

Being a modern-day pop-punk band, what do you guys do to set yourselves apart from every other band?

Good question. The dawn of very affordable and very high-quality recordings becoming very accessible has saturated the market heavily, especially in the pop-punk genre. We’d like to think we’re more so modern rock or experimental rock, but it’s all in the perspective of each listener.

We try to put a lot of thought into everything we do. We hang out at our shows with the fans that came to see us. We spend a lot of time writing our songs and put a lot of effort into what we put out. We try to do some musically interesting things that hopefully the listener hasn’t heard before. We sit around for hours debating eye-catching photo settings so we don’t have to stand in front of a brick wall or a field.

To someone who’s never heard of you ever, how would you describe The Future Is Me to them?

Coheed & Cambria, Thrice, As I Lay Dying, and The Receiving End of Sirens had an orgy-induced lovechild, who subsequently became an orphan who would go on to graduate college with degrees in pyrotechnics and philosophy.

So you guys are all busy making music; but what is YOUR favourite music and musical influences?

I like anything with some attitude. Some things can be very simple and still get you so pumped up and I try to remember that when I start getting frustrated trying to come up with the perfect guitar riff or drumbeat. I take a lot of my songwriting structures from classical styles and my drumming styles from hardcore and experimental groups like RX Bandits or The Mars Volta.

What’s the craziest thing that’s happened to you guys as a band?

Getting tarred and feathered at a photo shoot was pretty fun. We did it outside with 2 gallons of black paint and a Down blanket. Two problems to note here: 1. it was about 20 degrees outside and windy, and 2. it was old paint that would no longer loosen up in water. We were picking black paint and feathers off our bodies for the better part of a week…..but we do like how the pictures turned out!

Aside from being a band, what other hobbies do you have?

I play guitar also and play music more often than is productive. If it’s not music, it’s football. I play in a football league and also obsess over fantasy football and anything that has to do with the Baltimore Ravens.

What are your guys’ plans for the foreseeable future?

Oh, if only I could foresee the future. (is me). We have a tour booked along the East Coast in October and plan to do a few more tours like it in the near future. We’re trying to get our music out there any way we can in the meantime…..and aside from that, there is no bigger plan.

As a whole, what is something you think people should know about you that they probably don’t? Do you have any side-projects, hidden causes, beliefs, or anything else?

I don’t think that we do. I guess if I wanted someone to know something real about us it’s that we do it for us. And no, that’s not selfish. Too many musicians are trying to write songs to get a big payday and we don’t believe in that. We’re not thinking about how many people would buy our song off iTunes if it sounded this way or that way….we’re thinking about writing the best song we’re capable of.

What’s the most ridiculously stupid question you’ve ever been asked?

One time a homeless guy asked me if I would give him money for weed.

Lastly, I want you to describe The Future Is Me in 3 words or less.

Rifftastic philosophical energyrock.

About to jump in to the Congregation Of The Damned tour with Atreyu this September, Chiodos has proven to keep going strong after multiple member changes and a lot of controversy. I recently had the chance to talk with Bradley Bell, keyboardist of the group. We got to talking about their new album, Illuminaudio, featuring new vocalist Brandon Bolmer, and the band’s musical direction.

So, who are you?
My name is Bradley Bell. I make love to the keyboard .

Getting right in to your new album, Illuminaudio, tell me a bit about it; where did the title come from and was there any real meaning or concept behind the album or any of the tracks?
There is no concept to the album but there are themes that seem reoccurring. A lot of the content has to do with stepping outside of your comforts and adapting to change, avoiding manipulation, and coming out of dark situations with a positive outlook. Illuminuadio is a play on words that, to me, means to shine or enlighten through music. We came up with it one night and it stuck with us.

What about the writing and recording process? Did you write collaboratively or on your own?
We try to come up with parts on our own and then bring them to the group so that all individuals can share their opinions or add their own flavor. There really is no set formula; each song comes to us in different ways. Some songs come together in a day, some take months. The writing process for Illuminaudio was stretched over fifteen months, and even in the studio a lot of the songs went through changes with our producer that totally transformed them into what they are now.

How was working with Machine in New Jersey? Was he the kind of person to critique everything you did, or did he just let you do your own thing? Did he bring anything new to the table?
We had never really worked with a hands-on producer like Machine before so it was definitely new to us. He is full of great ideas, but when he works with a band it seems his level of input might vary with the artist. We’re six strong, opinionated people, so to add a seventh head takes compromise and I feel he fit in with us perfectly. He wouldn’t ever try to push the band in a direction that we were uncomfortable with, but rather try to help us bring out the characteristics that make us Chiodos to a listener. He believed in us as musicians, that’s why he took on the task and pressure of this record. He wanted, more than anything, for us to prove to listeners that we are the musicians who made up this band and that Brandon is a perfect fit vocally.

Would you say that you’ve kept consistent with the previous sounds of Chiodos, or are you trying anything new with your sound this time around?
It’s obviously changed quite a bit. I feel like musically we still have the same elements as we have with the past, but even as musicians we have grown a lot. The new members bring a lot to the table that has helped us progress as a band. I think that any previous fan of the band should be able to enjoy this record and be able to accept the change that we’ve chosen to go forward with.

Despite any controversy, how has the band been since the departure of Craig, and the lineup change? How did the recording process differ with him not around?
Our chemistry now is great. Everybody gets along. It was funny in the studio when people on multiple occasions would come visit and say, “This is the first time I have seen the whole band in one room together hanging out.” No bad feelings toward him, but it would have been a task to finish this record, and that’s the main reason why we did what we did. Regardless, the writing and recording is an extremely stressful time when pressure definitely sets in, so it’s hard for anyone to remain pleasant all the time.

Aside from music, what have you guys been up to lately? Have you had any free time to have fun?
We got off tour with Bullet For My Valentine at the end of May. Since then, personally, I moved to St. Louis for a change of scenery. I’ve just been sitting around practicing a lot and making new friends here. We are itching pretty badly to get out on the road again that is for sure. It’s a “hurry up and wait” situation, kind of annoying.

What are your plans for the foreseeable future?
We hit the road in October with Atreyu. After that, I’d love to stay on the road as much as possible, and even do more overseas touring that we haven’t been able to do in the past. I’m just excited to play again and to keep writing.

I managed to catch up with Tides Of Man‘s Tilian Pearson as they were setting up for a show on their tour Karnivool, and we talked about the new album, the band, and their musical styles. You can get the new album, “Dreamhouse“, in stores September 14th from Rise Records.

Who are you and what do you do?

I’m Tilian and I sing for Tides Of Man.

Let’s talk about your new album, “Dreamhouse”, what’s the story behind the title?

It’s just the title track, I guess, it’s Dreamhouse, and the lyrical content of that song as well. No reason why we chose that song, it just had kind of a cool title, and we wanted the album to called that too.

Did you have any meaning or concept behind the album or any of its tracks?

Not on this one, no. Well, obviously there’s meaning and concept behind each song, but this album, compared to the last one, isn’t necessarily a concept album. Dreamhouse, lyrically, represents a relationship, when you’re building up something between two people. I guess it’s realizing it’s the potential of a relationship, or idea, or dream. That’s kind of what Dreamhouse is about.

When writing, do you write collaboratively, or on your own?

It’s both. It kind of depends on which song. Some of the songs on this album were kind of jammed out, and we got structure that way. After jamming for a while we just put parts together, then the lyrics and vocals came last. And then some of the songs were just me sitting in a room with a guitar, kind of showing everybody the parts, and of course they add their own input and creativity on each part. I guess we do both ways, and a mix of both ways.

Would you say that you’ve stayed consistent with your previous sound on this album, or are you trying out anything new?

A lot of the writing on this album was done by more me and Spencer, and on the last one it was a lot of Adam doing it so I guess, just because of that it’s different. It’s faster-paced and more precise. I guess the last one was really ambient and spacey sounding, and this album won’t have that as much.

Going in to the band, what happened to Adam?

It was a mutual thing. He has a kid and a wife, and we’re really not making enough money to support that. He was just kind of distracted by that, and it was kind of a thing that we were trying out for a while. At the end we both decided, him and us, that it would be better if he went somewhere else and went with someone else.

How has the search been going – have you found another guitarist?

Right now we have a fill-in guitarist for the tour we’re on with Karnivool. I think he’s going to finish up the tour, and then we’re still going to be looking for a permanent member. But is definitely doing a really good job.

When making music, where would you say your musical style comes from?

We get influenced by what we listen to; I think every band does, to a degree. Or at least what we’ve listened to in the past. As far the sound goes, it’s probably just a sum of things that we love, and we’re trying to create the things that we’ve listened to that we’ve had some strong emotional impact from. I think, naturally, someone will try to re-create that in other people.

Why do you play?

We always try to, in the lyrics, kind of spread the message of love – it’s not religious in any way. I guess it kind of goes back to the answer of the last question. When you’re listening to something and you have some sort of decision that you’re faced with, and you have a time in your life when you might need some sort of guidance, if the music communicated enough to make you more sane, make you do what you think is right, then that would be the best. I don’t know if we’re achieving that on a large-scale, or any kind of scale, but I do believe that would be the best. To have this affect individuals, not necessarily governments or groups like that, but help individuals make their own lives happier and better. I mean that’s why I listen to music for the enjoyment, but also for those time where you kind of need it, even if you didn’t know that you needed it. If we can enrich people’s lives, then that would be the best thing.

Aside from music, what do you like to do on the side. Any hobbies?

I have my pilot’s license. I can fly planes. It’s something I’ve done since I was around 15. And I think everyone has their own hobbies and things that they do. We all have girlfriends now, so that definitely take up a good amount of our time – and energy.

After wrapping up with 2 months of fronting the main stage of this years Vans Warped Tour, Pennywise is headed off next week to set out on a Canadian/US tour, and I had the chance to talk to the new frontman Zoli Téglás. Zoli took over Pennywise as the new lead singer when Jim Lindberg had to leave the band. We talk about his efforts in Europe, touring, and where he stands with Jim nowadays.

State who you are and what you do:

My name is Zoli and I sing for Pennywise

So you guys are fresh off playing the main stage at this years Warped Tour – stoked or bummed?

I’m stoked! It was fun!

Happy to get home, or are you a little bit bummed to be leaving finished?

I don’t mind being home. I feel like my job is on stage, so when I come home, it’s nice to have a few days off, but at the same time I feel most useful when I’m on stage. I like touring all the time. 20 times a day if I have to.

Do you think think there were any moments this year that you’ll never forget?

Well, yeah, there was a show in Edmonton, that was amazing. They sung Bro Hymn so loud, we finished the song, and they just kept singing it, like it was deafeningly loud. And then in Colorado the same kind of thing. There was two or three guys on Warped I’ll never forget, that just helped stoke the crowd.

What do you like to do in your off time?

I rescue pelicans. I have a rehab center for them. I work for a rescue team, and have my own non-profit organization. And since I live on the coast I rescue pelicans and other sea birds. Actually I was just in Europe trying to stop this travelling Albanian circus that was travelling through eastern Europe, and they had these really old, badly beaten elephants. I helped start a bear sanctuary for circus bears, and I’m going to try to get these elephants to this sanctuary. I do a lot of animal stuff on my time off.

How do you feel about having to fill the boots of Jim Lindberg, after the last two decades?

Well, I mean, it’s an honor to be able to get on stage and sing those hits and be put in the situation where I’m able to go in front these amazing Pennywise fans; because Pennywise fans are some of the most die-hard, most loyal fans I’ve ever seen. So it’s an honor and it’s a lot of work for me to make sure that whoever comes to see our show, that I do a good job., and I leave them stoked that I’m the new singer. It’s a lot of work ahead of me, but the shows have been going really well. Thank god. I’m just really lucky to be here. The first or three songs the fans are like, ‘Oh man, it’s my favourite band of all time, and there a new singer.’ You can see in their faces, they’re a bit worried, and by our fourth song, usually people are just stoked because they like the sound, I think the majority of people really like my job on stage. I put everything I can in to the stage show, and by the fourth song, most people are pretty stoked about that Pennywise isn’t going to fall apart, and the new singer is doing a good job, and stuff like that. It’s a win-win situation for me, really. I’m really thankful, adn I’m really honored to do it.

Where do you and Jim stand right now?

We’re friends. I asked for his permission. When he quit the band I called him up, because they called me, and said ‘Hey Jim, would it be alright if I tried out?’ and he said that I was his number one choice to take his place. There was a couple times where he couldn’t make a couple tours and he called me to take his spot. We’ve toured together. We’re friends, and I’m happy for him, and I’m happy his musical career is going good. He’s a super cool guy.

So there isn’t any tension?

No way. I don’t have 20 years of being around him. Him and I being singer of different bands, I’ve opened for Pennywise a couple times, and we’ve always gotten along. And I wanted to make sure that I had his blessing before I jumped in. The last thing I want I wasnt to do is bring some negative tension to Pennywise, so it’s really really cool. Him and I, we’ve been friends for a long time and I want to stay that way with him.

I read that one of your top priorities right now is working on a good live show. Do you have any tricks up your sleeve to make it good?

I think, when you get out with the crowd, doing a stage dive, it’s real important. In a punk rock world it kind of solidifies the show. We try to play the songs that people want to hear, and to get a lot of crowd reaction. A lot of sing along stuff, like we try to do Bro Hymn. We’ll be doing a Canadian tour, and I’ll go out to the crowd and give the mic out so they can sing. I think crowd reactions are important, you can make them feel like they’re a part of the evening, that every single person is a part of the evening, it’s really important.

August 24th marked the kick off of Victoria’s 2010 Fringe Fest, presented by Intrepid Theater, and to celebrate, they had a block party in Victoria’s Centennial park with 3 acts from Victoria’s JP Maurice and Acres Of Lions, and Kelowna’s We Are The City. I had the opportunity to talk to Dan Ball, bassist, and Lewis Carter, drummer, of Acres Of Lions. We got to talking about the band in the Peak Performance Project, what’s in store for their next album, and what’s in the future.

Who are you and what do you do?

Lewis: I’m Lewis and this is Dan from Acres of lions, we play in a pop rock band.

What’s have you been up to lately?

Lewis: Right now we’re focusing mainly on the Peak Performance project. The Peak radio station puts it on and it’s about training and showcasing the 20 top bands. Next week we’re going to a boot camp in Princeton, where we just hangout with a bunch of friends and play music.

Boot camp?

Lewis: Boot camp. Yeah, it’s like training, for bands.
Dan: Yeah, it’s pretty much like third year business school, and they’re going to teach us everything from licensing your own music over seas, to how you should present yourself on stage, to merchandising, to getting on the radio here and there, to talking to producers, and just getting real-time advice. They want to help to help us, and we’re just as pleased as punch.

So, you’re in the midst of writing a new album?

Dan: Yeah, we’re in the process of writing a new album, right now, and we’ve gor about 11, 12, 13 tracks done up, so it’s sounding good and everybody’s liking it so far. We’re going to be heading in to the studio in the next few months to lay down some tracks.

When’s it coming out?

Dan: Early next year, but we’re not going to rush it or anything like that either.

Is there any underlying theme or concept to this new album?

Dan: Well our first album is called ‘Working’, and it’s about how we love to work; we get up and we’re driven, and that’s the process. And I think Jeremy (lead vocals) would have to talk about this, but this new album is more about travelling and being on the road, and, doing it, because that’s what we’re doing right now.

Do you write together, or on your own?

Lewis: Well, we all have our own pieces, but Jeff, our lead singer, kind of brings the structure to the table and we kind of all get our own little pieces of it in there, and usually something cool comes out of it.

Would you say that you’re staying along the same track as your old music, or are you trying anything new with your sound this time?

Dan: We can only sound like us. It might be better, it might be worse, but it can only sound like us at the very end of it. We’re not gonna bring in any crazy saxophone players or anything like that.

On your MySpace you mention that you’ve got a new jam space?

Dan: Yup, we just got a brand new rehearsal space. It’s cool; it’s nice and big and we get to leave our gear set up, which is the most important thing to us. We can go away, come back, and all o our stuff is just set up and ready to go. A little bit more like home – we’ve got a beer fridge and a couch, and it’s just like our hangout.

Aside from music, have you got any hobbies?

Lewis: Well, I work. I’m a carpenter apprentice, going to school for that, when I’m working with the band and stuff.
Dan: I’m a beard enthusiast. I love beards. I don’t really do much outside of the band; I work, I come home, and I do the band. I like watching LOST a lot, and Teen Mom. But we don’t have a lot of free time, every single moment is going in to the band. Very focused. It’s more than dedication. It’s what we need to do. It’s why we get up an breathe, man.

From your very first jams, very first rehearsals, very first music – how has your sound evolved in to what it is now?

Dan: I don’t think it really has changed that much. We’ve gotten to be better musicians naturally, but we’re still just four guys hanging out. We used to jam in Lewis’s basement, but we’re still the same guys.
Lewis: Still the same people. Our songs have changed a little bit; we’ve grown technically in our songs, I’d say, but the main idea behind the music is still the same. We’ve matured a little bit in song writing.
Dan: It’s always been about having fun. Fun is number one. We do this because we want to do it; not because we want to make a lot of money, not because we want a thousand fans, we just want to jam.

Aside from ‘Bandcamp’, what’s in store for you guys in the next while?

Dan: Hopefully a couple thousand kilometers under the van wheels, getting to play new shows and meet some new people. That’s out favourite thing. To meet new people on the road.

Back during Warped Tour I got to hang out with Sean from Tomorrows Bad Seeds and learn a little about them. I hadn’t heard of them prior to the interview, but if you are a Sublime fan I suggest checking them out, you won’t regret it!

August 5th was the Edmonton, Alberta stop on the annual Vans Warped Tour, and Double Dance was there to take photos, and conduct interviews, including this very special chat with Vic, Tony, and Jaime of Pierce The Veil.

August 5th was the Edmonton, Alberta stop on the annual Vans Warped Tour, and Double Dance was there to take photos, and conduct interviews, including this very special chat with Chris and Matt from UK Pop Punk band YOU ME AT SIX!

Double Dance had the exclusive chance to talk with Craig Miller of Danger Is My Middle Name. We got the low-down on what the music behind the groups latest EP, Giant Killer, is about.

So, tell me what Giant Killer is about.

Actually, I had a dream with that title in it, and so we went with that title, just to see what happened. Yeah, it was all just based on a dream – the title – and we stuck with it.

1. Armed and Dangerous

It’s pretty much about being in a band, and we have the ability to use our words as our weapons. So if anyone talks crap about us, we can talk crap about them in a song; and our songs usually stick around a lot longer than their words.

2. Here We Go

Here we go is a song about an ex-girlfriend I had, and I had started talking to her again. If you listen to the song, everything is pretty much word for word of what I thought of her, at the time I started talking to her. It’s like a psycho ex-girlfriend – everyone can relate to that.

3. Nightmare

We wrote that as a band, and it’s really about the music scene we’re in. It’s kind of like a nightmare; it’s full of crap. Just listen to the words. A lot of the people we’ve played shows with move on to become more succesful in a phony way, we saw it. They’re trying to rip of other bands, just to do it. They jump on the bandwagon of what’s ‘hot’ or whatever, and that’s basically what that song’s about. It’s like, we’ll just keep doing what we’ve been doing. We’re kind of just kind of calling out people, not by name, but it’s just our way of venting frustration towards the scene that we’re in, in Chicago.

4. Seeing Stars

I wrote that about the using of people when you’re in a band, and also if you’re a fan. There’s different verses. There’s one scenario where you’re the band guy, and you can obviously use a lot girls because they’re more… available. But at the same time, as a band guy, there’s also groupies that don’t give a crap about you. It was kind of written on that level where you can use someone and you can also be used.

5 and 6. The Remixes: Here We Go and Revenge On The Radio (acoustic)
Here We Go is just.. whatever. You know. The Revenge On The Radio remix is actually about the same girl in Here We Go. That song is off our first EP that we put out, and we just thought it’d be fun to put an acoustic version of it on this EP. I just thought it was kind of cool and people should here it.