How did you meet?
-Sam, Keith and Andrew met through mutual friends about 2 years ago and became really good friends. We met Nick in August of 2009, when he arrived at a party at Sam's house. We met Tom this past October through Nick's ex girlfriend, as well as a previous guitarist. Jake joined in November when Keith met him at another band's practice.
When did you form your band?
-Sam and Keith officially started the band in April of '09. It was really just a fun little hobby however, until the rest of the members were added. Now it's business.
How long have you all known each other?
-Sam Keith and Andrew have known each other for roughly two years. The rest joined within the last six months.
How long have each of you been playing your instrument?
Sam- 4 years
Andrew- 5 years
Keith- 2 years
Tom- 11 years
Jake- 4 years
How did you come up with your name?
-Two of our old friends were looking through lyrics of bands we had been listening too, and they came upon Death Cab for Cutie's "Photobooth". The lyric goes "the cold air will rush your Hard Heart Away". It basically means what it is. No hard hearts please.
What genre(s) of music do you consider your work to be?
-Electronica/ Hardcore for the most part. We throw in a little pop though.
Which bands do you cite as your major influences?
-Taking Back Sunday, Underoath, and I See Stars are the main influences but our other members are into heavier music such as Whitechapel, Between the Buried and me, ect. We're all big fans of Chiodos as well.
What inspired you to make music together?
- We're all best friends so we decided since we all played a different instrument we might as well make music. Plus, we were tired of all the bands in Toledo sounding the same.
Who is the primary song writer of the group?
-Sam and Keith write most of the music. Sam and Nick co-write the lyrics as well. Jake has recently become a part of writing guitar.
What are the main themes or topics for most of your songs? What inspires you to write these topics?
-Different experiences in each of our lives, such as relationships, friends, weekends, parties, and growing up. Overall, holding onto youth is probably the main theme. The newest song on our myspace page is actually about Kanye West, and how he dissed Taylor Swift last year. Heh.
What has been your biggest challenge as a band?
-Money is the main challenge, as well as being a Hardcore/ Electronica band in a local scene that favors metal and such.
What is your most memorable show you’ve played?
-Honestly our first show. Everyone was there for us and everything went perfect. And free drinks.
So far what is your favorite song to play live?
-Firestarter My Hero is probably our favorite. We've only played it twice live, but it will be on the myspace very soon.
Where do you see the band in 5 years?
-Hopefully on a major label making a career out of doing what we love and ideally living somewhere out west. We don't hope to be famous, just to make a career out of music.
What sets you apart from all of the other bands on the local scene? Why should we pay attention to YOU?
-Well first of all nearly every band in Toledo is playing some sort of metal music. Changing it up with catchy poppy chorus' and epic synth breakdowns sets us apart. We have a wide variety of musical background in our members, so we implement a lot of sounds. Guitar sweeps, techno dance breaks, clash chords, breakdowns, roaring screams and catchy singing are all rolled together. No song sounds like anything except us.
What is your next plan for the band?
-We plan on having a seven song E.P. recorded and produced by the end of March. ( we do all the recording, producing and mastering ourselves). Mid May we have a little mini tour going from Ohio to New York. Can't wait!
Who would you like to share the stage with and why?
-Definitley Asking Alexandria, they are epic. But really any band that can just jam and have a good time. Maybe challenge us to some beer pong?
Some bands have special "rituals" they do for good luck before the show. Do you have anything you do before a show to ensure it goes well?
-Ever seen the Wendys commerical, "$2.99"? Yeah we recite that. We also have a few secret handshakes, but that's classified information.
Do you have any advice for aspiring musicians on the local scene?
-Write what you love, not what people want you too. You will constantly hear people telling you what is wrong with your music. As long as you're making music YOU enjoy. And lastly, it's not that hard, if you want it bad enough you can do it.
Is there anyone that thought you wouldn’t make it or thought the band was a joke?
-Of course, like every other band we have our critics. Ex-girlfriends, metalheads, and guys with pre-frayed brim hats. To quote MTV's Jersey Shore, "If you're a hater, I probably got a full time job for ya".
What do you have to say to them now?
-Eat my shorts. No just kidding. We'll let our music do the talking.
What’s more important, the music or lyrics?
-Well either or is really nothing without the other. You can only get the crowd moving with powerful riffs, but you can really only "move" them with powerful lyrics. It's like spaghetti. With just noodles or just sauce, it's nothing. But with both, it's magic.
Will there be an EP in the near future?
-Look for it at the end of March! It will probably be self-titled, but that's up for discussion.
Will you guys ever do a remake of any Lady GaGa song? We’ve read that your synth player is quite the fan.
-We are actually in the process of making a cover of "Tik Tok" by Ke$ha. How did you know he was a fan?
And what about "Pants on the Ground", would you remake that one?
Never heard it hold on, let us listen to it really quick...................eh, probably not haha. We'll stick with Ke$ha for now. Sorryyyy.
Is there any particular tour you would like to be a part of someday (Warped Tour, Bamboozle, etc)?
We'd love to be a part of both Bamboozle and Warped. We're actually playing Cleveland Warped this summer!
What’s the most embarrassing song you dudes have on your iPods (Spice Girls, Britney spears, etc)?
Tom actually has Ryan Cabrera. Nick has some Miley Cyrus. Don't ask.
If you weren’t doing music, what would you be doing instead?
No idea. Thats why we're playing music. Shucks.
What celebrity or band do you hate the most and why?
If Nickelback and Limp Bizkit had a baby, we would hate that band more than anything. Obviously, we're not fans of Kanye either, as illustrated in "Milk is not a Good Chaser", which you can listen to on our Myspace
This one’s for the girls- who is the biggest ladies man?
Andrew thinks he is, but it's a tight race between Sam and Keith. Nick and Tom have girlfriends, so their game is limited. And Jake... he is just a labrynth of confusion. Not confused as in, you know, swinging both ways, just... confused. Heh.
If you haven’t checked them out yet, you’re definitely missing out. Fans of trancecore bands like Enter Shikari will definitely dig the electro/hardcore sound combo they have going. And as soon as we get our hands on a copy of the EP you can expect a review. Remember to see them in Cleveland Warped this summer!
Hope you enjoyed this latest installment of MnM. Toodles boys and girls!
~Juno
No comments:
Post a Comment