-Interview- Open The Skies 1/23/08

Open The Skies
(Rising Records)
Genre: Melodic hardcore mixed with emocore akin to old Poison The Well mixed with old Evergreen Terrace
Interviewed on: 1/23/08
From: Woking, UK
www.myspace.com/opentheskiesband

www.myspace.com/opentheskiesband

1. What are your names and roles in the band?

Band-
Josh McKeown - Vocals, Steve Lumley - Guitar/Backing Vocals, Kieran Brannigan - Guitar/Backing Vocals, Jamie Willis - Bass, Chris Velissarides - Drums/Backing Vocals.


2. How did the band form?

Band-
About 7 years ago Kieran, Jamie and I (Steve) got together at school and started playing. After a few changes we got Josh on vocals and then a couple of months later got Chris on drums.


3. Being from the UK, did you ever want to come over here in the states and play some shows?

Band-
It would be wicked to go over the pond to do some shows for you guys! It's so big and quite intimidating though! You see bands like Lostprophets who have number 1 albums over here then have to start over when they go over to the US! I think we're going to crack the UK first! One day though..!


4. What was the inspiration for the new song?

Band-
The new song 'He Spoke of Success' is about the tough times bands like us go through, but its worth it when your music gets heard.


5. What can we expect from the new album "Conspiracies?"

Band-
We like to think the albums fairly diverse, its got heavy moments, soft moments, we even put an acoustic song in there to shake things up a bit! There's somthing for everyone!


6. Any good show stories?

Band-
Any of the times Jamie has fallen over is about as good as its got at the moment! We played a show one night and he tripped up and fell into his amp, but tried to carry on playing. How we managed to carry on playing is beyond me, we were all in fits of laughter! He blamed it on his new shoes, but thats a load of bollocks!


7. What's your favorite song to play live and why?

Band-
A song called 'Change' because of its dynamics and its a lively song! The chorus is quite catchy as well!


8. How did you hook up with Rising Records?

Band-
Interesting story! We played a gig that we originally got chucked off, then got asked back at the last minute because a band pulled out. Kieran was mega ill too, so we almost didnt play the show! But we decided to do it, and thats where Rising saw us! So not that interesting really..


9. What are you currently listening to?

Band-
Parkway Drive - Horizons


10. What's next for Open The Skies?

Band-
We're doing a Europe tour at the beginning of February to promote the new album, then the albums out in March, and I guess we'll take it from there!


11. Any shoutouts?

Band-
Anyone who buys the album!


-Review- Myfashionlove- The Secret Plan of Self Destruction

Myfashionlove
www.myspace.com/myfashionlove
Label: Unsigned
From: Cesena, Italy
The Secret Plan Of Self Destruction
Release Date: 5/28/07

www.myspace.com/myfashionlove



Track Listing:

1. Intro
2. The Gentle Art Of Riding
3. Hope And Fire
4. Twenty: The Pledge
5. Twenty: The Turn
6. The Seventh Seal Daydream
7. Lies
8. A Butterfly With Broken Wings
9. Twenty: The Prestige

Bands from Italy that catch ears in the states are few and far between. Myfashionlove from Cesena, Italy is a band that given a chance here in the states, will make an impact.

Sounding like a mix of old Atreyu's screaming to the singing of the old Used, this album is extremely catchy. The opening song "Intro" is an Italian spoken word that I'm not quite sure where it's from or what it's saying.

From then on though is the song "The Gentle Art Of Riding" which showcases perfectly what the rest of the album is all about. The next song "Hope Or Fire" is a more chorus based song that will have you singing along in no time.

The rest of the album is extremely catchy and upbeat and is very consistent in terms of heaviness and melody. Nothing seems forced, eventing seems natural from this band and they are extremely talented and this is a CD that could be listened to on a weekly basis and never get tired of.

Verdict:
If you're into emocore or anything of the sort, check out this band. One day I hope they get a chance to shine here in the states, they deserve it.

Sounds like:
Melodic emocore with a dash of punk. Old Atreyu screaming with old The Used singing.

Standout Tracks-
"Gentle Art Of Riding"
"Twenty: The Turn"
"A Butterfly With Broken Wings"


-Interview- Behind Crimson Eyes 1/15/08

Behind Crimson Eyes
(Roadrunner Records)
Genre: Alternative Rock/Metal akin to Smugface or Bleed The Dream
Interviewed on: 1/15/08
From: Melbourne, Australia
www.myspace.com/behindcrimsoneyes

www.myspace.com/behindcrimsoneyes

1. What are your names and roles in the band?

Band-
Josh - Vocals
Aaron - Guitar / Backing Vocals
Kev - Guitar / Backing Vocals
Garth - Bass
Cam - Drums


2. How did the band form?

Band-
Pretty much how every band starts I think, hehe. It was the demise of some smaller bands that we were in at the time, and the love for heavy, energetic music, that brought us all together about 4 years ago. There's been a few lineup changes, but I think we're pretty solid with what we've got right now.


3. You guys are on Roadrunner, how did that come about and hows it been being on such a known label?

Band-
Roadrunner are amazing. Predominantly a metal label, yet their biggest artist on their roster currently is Nickelback, hehe. They're almost like a major label with independent cred.. basically. Our manager, who also owns our previous label, Boomtown Records, thought that it was time for us to move on to a bigger label in order for us to reach a bigger and broader audience. We met up with Roadrunner and pretty much knew straight away it was the perfect home for us. We've still got 100% creative control, and they've been nothing but amazing and helpful to us. It's an honour to be on a label that has so many other killer bands... Killswitch Engage, Slipnot, Shadows Fall to name a few.


4. You're playing the Big Day Out with Iron Maiden coming up, you guys hyped about that? How did that come about?

Band-
Big Day Out is gonna be pretty crazy for us. It's ridiculously hard to get on that tour, so to finally be apart of it feels like we've accomplished another goal. There's some mad bands playing too so it should be a fun week or so!

Maiden will be something else, haha. It's strange because we never applied or asked to be on that tour.. it was just offered to us. Naturally we were a little apprehensive as we're nowhere near metal enough to be supporting them.. realistically. But it's Iron Maiden.. how many times in a lifetime will an opportunity like this come along? Nobody in their right mind would pass this up, so we're stoked to be a part of it! Massive shows so no doubt we'll all be shitting ourselves!!


5. What was the inspiration for the "You've Had Your Chance" video? How did it go?

Band-
We pretty much just wanted a bit of a poker/gambling/mafia type feel to the video.. with a few hotties thrown in for good measure! It didn't quite have the effect we were after, and we weren't all that happy with the end result.. yet it's been our most successful video, strangely enough, haha!


6. Any good show stories?

Band-
You know the rules.. what happens on the road, stays on the road. :P


7. Any plans on coming to the states?

Band-
Definitely!! Can't wait infact. Once the new album comes out, and we tour it over here, then fingers crossed we'll get over there to do some shows!


8. What's your take on music downloading/file sharing?

Band-
Well personally.. I do it all the time. I don't really see a problem with it. You can find our album on any bittorrent site. If I really dig an album, then chances are I'll go out and buy it anyway. There's nothing quite like the real thing, with a cd case, artwork etc. A majority of the stuff I download I wouldn't go out and buy anyway, so nobody's really losing out. If your music's easily available, then more people are gonna hear it, come to shows, and hopefully buy a t-shirt or something. Merch is where the money's at, haha!


9. What are you currently listening to?

Band-
Currently listening to the latest album from Winger, entitled IV. For the record, I DID go out and buy it. Didn't even attempt to download that one. :) I've been very inspired lately by Guitar Hero Rocks The 80's, so I've gone back through my collection and pulled out the classics from Ratt, Winger, Maiden, Scorpions, Extreme etc. That shit will live forever.


10. What's next for Behind Crimson Eyes?

Band-

After the BDO and Maiden shows, we'll finish up writing the record then head in to record it. Fingers crossed it'll be out sometime mid year. That's all we're focusing on at the moment.


11. Any shoutouts?

Band-
A big shoutout to all our American fans! We get alot of love from them via Myspace, so we'll do our very best to get over there asap to do some shows for you guys!! :)


-Interview- Myfashionlove 1/6/08

Myfashionlove
(Unsigned)
Genre: Hardcore/Screamo akin to Secret Lives Of The Freemasons or "They're Only Chasing Safety" era Underoath
Interviewed on: 1/6/08
From: Cesena, Italy
www.myspace.com/myfashionlove

www.myspace.com/myfashionlove

1. What are your names and roles in the band?

Band-
Daniele Zignani – bass, Simone Bottacini – guitar & clean vocals, Giampaolo Ghirotti – drums, Alessandro Lucchi – synths & keyboards, Michele Bandini – scream vocals


2. How did the band form?

Band-
The band is born three years ago. Simone and Giampaolo started writing down some material and looking for the right guys to complete the line-up. They found out Daniele, who works in the same italian rock club where Simone works. Later .. a long research for the right voice, Michele joined the band and finally Alessandro was hired to complete the sound of the band with his fundamental contribution.
We’ve been playing around with our former hardcore bands for several years before Myfashionlove, so the birth of the band has been quite a natural process.


3. Being from Italy, how is the scene over there? Is there any plan to come stateside?

Band-
If you are looking for really good italian bands check out our brothers ShowStripSilence and Awaken Demons. In Italy there are a lot of great bands for every genre but what is still missing is a real scene, where bands can join their efforts to help one another come out from the underground. Everyone is doing his own business, there’s a lack of cooperation and this situation has become the perfect habitat for the backstabbers and their bullshits. We think that “less talk, more rock” could fit the italian scene.
Any plan to come to the States is simply an utopic dream, there are so many good bands in the USA that we think no one will be so crazy to set up a tour for us!


4. How did the name "Myfashionlove" come about?

Band-
The name came out when we realized that what we’ve been listening for a decade became all of a sudden “trendy” and “fashionable”.
The word “hardcore” started to be abused by people who doesn’t even know what is it about. We still have the same attitude as we started and some of us are still believing in a personal choice of veganism and/or straightedge ethic.
The name of the band is a taunt, it’s really sad verifying that nowadays kids approach hardcore music more for fancy hairstyles or trendy clothes rather than for passion and aptitude.


5. When can we expect the new album? Is it titled yet?

Band-
Simply expect the unexpecting. We’re still working very hard on the new songs and everyday someone comes out with a good idea. We’re very proud of what it’s turning out to be.
We’ve pushed our efforts to a more personal and mature level and the electronic parts play now a fundamental role in the song structure.
The title will be decided when all the songs will be completed, we’re nuts about films, maybe a good inspiration will come from them, who knows...


6. Any good show stories?

Band-
Certainly it has someting to do with fog, cows, an angry farmer and running out of fuel right in the middle of nowhere at 5am. But it’s still our best kept secret...


7. What's your favorite song to play live and why?

Band-
Everyone in the band has is own personal choice, so there isn’t one song in particular.
Playing the new songs it’s for sure what makes us very satisfied, because they fit perfectly to what the band wants to express.


8. What's your take on music downloading/file sharing?

Band-
It’s mainly a matter of purpose. It could be a great advice for the bands to make’em more visible, to make new fans all over the world and to promote their music. But it still holds a very dangerous potential, undermining the little profits of the groundbreaking bands and their chances to succeed.
The power to decide if this will be an advice or an obstacle for the bands belongs to everyone who downloads or shares music. So we think that a sensible use of this power will be the right key to really help the bands.


9. What are you currently listening to?

Band-
We’re listening to a lot of different stuff. At The Drive In and Refused are still the main source of inspiration for all of us.
In the last months we’ve been listening to bands like Joy Division/New Order, The Smiths, Radiohead, Depeche Mode, Beastie Boys and some more actual bands like Emarosa, Before Their Eyes and A Day To Remember.
By the way, we’re still impressed by Every Time I Die, Underoath and Alexisonfire such as the first time we listened to their music.


10. What's next for Myfashionlove?

Band-
We’re working very hard to complete all the songs for the new album. We’re going to record them in early 2008 and we are very excited about how will they come out.
Our future plans consist in finding a new label for the new record, and supporting the release of the album with an European tour.


11. Any shoutouts?

Band-
A great thank you to all the kids that support us through the web and at our live shows, to all the amazing bands we’ve played with and to all the guys who fed us and gave us a place to sleep.
You give a sense to all our efforts. Never give up!


-Interview- Nevea Tears 1/4/08

Nevea Tears
(Eulogy Records)
Genre: Electronic Screamo/Harcore akin to old Scary Kids Scaring Kids or old Underoath.
Interviewed on: 1/4/08
From: Los Angeles, CA
www.myspace.com/neveatears

www.myspace.com/neveatears

1. What are your names and roles in the band?

Band-
Rattlesnake Joe- tuba, Big River Johnny- banjo, Whistling Pete- picolo, Iron Gut Johnson- XXX Jug, Jimmy Two Teeth- Flute, Sammy Sawdust- Standup Bass, and of course DJ CA$HMoney on the turntables...haha heres the real one Greg- guitarist and vocals, Alex- vocals, aaron- bass, jeff- guitar, keys, and programming, Matt- Drums


2. How did the band form?

Band-
We were all CEO's of major corporations and were sick of it...so we quit and decided to live out the American dream of joining a mediocre gothic trance band but ended up as screamo somehow...na we were all friends that just decided to start a hardcore band when it seemed like a good idea in back in 2002...The lineup has change a lot as greg and jeff are the only original members.


3. You released your album "Run With The Hunted" a little while ago, how has the reaction been to the record compared to the last record?

Band-
Well since we sold out, we lost some lame fans and gained some true ones. But they probably won't stick around since there are many more changes ahead. We are planning to change are style to more along the lines of Rob Zombie and meat loaf meets the spin doctors. HAha, well it hasn't had as much exposure as the old one but most really like it and agree we have matured.


4. You've been on Eulogy for quite awhile now, hows that been going?

Band-
It's ironic their name is Eulogy as we should have written our eulogy as soon as we signed with them...yeah, you think I'm kidding but seriously they suck. jk, but seriously...


5. What's your take on music downloading/file sharing? From a band standpoint, do you think it helps you guys or more so hurts?

Band-
As long as nobody steals OUR songs it doesn't matter to us........go ahead and steal everyone elses........
Well there isnt much we can do about it is there?


6. Any good show stories?

Band-
Well there was the "alleged" dead hooker that was found wrapped in saran wrap that was found buried in the Virginia hills that was linked to us for some reason...but i can't really discuss that since the case has not been closed yet...Actually there is occasional blood loss on stage. We've had too many great show stories to single out one.


7. What's your favorite song to play live and why?

Band-
We actually play a cover of "I'm your Lady" by Celine Dion...ahh such a classic...haha everyone STILL loves "Helium Queen" so we play it but its kinda bitter sweet because we are very sick of that damn song! Run with the Hunted is probably our fave now.


8. You excited about a possible Glassjaw CD this year?

Band-
Question for you, Why did you work this question into an interview?


9. What are you currently listening to?

Band-
My Grandpa in the bathroom next door breathing heavily and grunting probably trying to take a shit...woops...i mean Elton John.


10. What's next for Nevea Tears?

Band-
Well, we plan on driving across country in a van trying to solve mysteries about ghouls, goblins, and the occasional vampire, but that's about it...haha well you will see, but we are mos def sticking around. Check out www.myspace.com/neveatears for our latest news and tour dates.


11. Any shoutouts?

Band-
Jay Z and Trent Reznor.


-Interview- Lost And No One Knows 1/2/08

Lost And No One Knows
(Unsigned)
Genre: Metal/Hardcore akin to Endwell or A Jealousy Issue
Interviewed on: 1/2/08
From: Queens, NY
www.myspace.com/lostandnooneknows

www.myspace.com/lostandnooneknows

1. What are your names and roles in the band?

Band-
Originally it was me, Alex, and Jon. We started as a simple side project when we were all in St Francis Prep high school. We were all in other bands at the time so we never really thought we would go anywhere. All we wanted to do is play music that we had never played before in any of our other projects... heavy, brutal, hardcore, metal ass music, haha. We eventually started playing some local shows just for fun and I guess we just caught on! When we all realized we could actually make something out of the band, we quit all of our other projects and dedicated ourselves to LANOK. That was about three years ago and so far its paying off!


2. How did the band form?

Band-
Originally it was me, Alex, and Jon. We started as a simple side project when we were all in St Francis Prep high school. We were all in other bands at the time so we never really thought we would go anywhere. All we wanted to do is play music that we had never played before in any of our other projects... heavy, brutal, hardcore, metal ass music, haha. We eventually started playing some local shows just for fun and I guess we just caught on! When we all realized we could actually make something out of the band, we quit all of our other projects and dedicated ourselves to LANOK. That was about three years ago and so far its paying off!


3. You filmed a video for "Cellphone Romance" awhile back, how did that go?

Band-
Besides being up for almost 20 hours straight and working/driving for about 18 of them, it was a lot of fun. The parts of the video where you see the band playing live were shot about two hours away from us in Danbury, CT at a Railroad Museum. The owner was nice enough to let us in at 7AM to start filming in exchange for a small donation to the museum. The parts of the video where the female vocalist was on the train were filmed there as well. They actually let us have an entire train car to ourselves to film those beginning scenes, and had one of their engineers drive it around the yard for us. The rest of the scenes were filmed around Brooklyn and Queens, NY. Over all it was a whole lot of fun doing that video. Suzie Zeldin, the female vocalist in the video and on the recording, was awesome enough to wake up at 5AM to go shoot this with us! Knaight, the director, is one of the coolest guys we have ever worked with. I have to plug him... his myspace is myspace.com/knaight. Any bands that want a video done should most defiantly check him out!


4. "Cellphone Romance" also features female vocals, how did that come about to have a guest singer on the track and who is she?

Band-
There’s actually a great story behind this. The beginning part of Cellphone Romance was written for a while after we had already worked out the vocals for the main part of the song. But we could never quite figure out what we wanted to do for that part vocally. I tried so many different vocal patterns for that part and nothing ever seemed to work. We brought it to our producer Bryan Russell, and he said without hesitation that "This needs some female vocals." We immediately knew he was on to something. Locally, his girlfriend Suzie Zeldin, was (and still is) an incredibly talented female signer/song writer. The very next day we had her in the studio with us to start brainstorming. We played her the track and told her the motivation behind the lyrics. Within seconds she started to come up with a melody and the beginnings of some lyrics. The very next day she put down her parts perfectly. We got the chills when she was done, it was just meant to be. What a lot of people don't know is that those beginning lyrics were written by Suzie as a response to Joe's lyrics, who was our vocalist at the time.


5. What can we expect from the new album, name of the band and possible upcoming tour?

Band-
Oh man... all I can tell you is to expect a lot more than we have ever given before. This new album is a huge accomplishment for all of us. It is a huge step up from anything we have ever done in the past. A lot of people have been worried that we are going soft for this new EP... but that couldn't be farther from the case. We still have our 2-steps, we still have our breakdowns, and we still have sing-alongs. The only difference is we brought all of it to a whole new level. We have influences ranging from bands like Panerta, to Every Time I Die, to The Bled, to Meshugga, and a whole lot more. We just can't wait to release it.
As for the new name of the band, we can't quite tell you that yet. We are keeping it a "secret" until sometime before the EP comes out. A lot of people don't like the idea of this name change, but we really feel that it is a necessary step we have to take. We have changed a lot since we adopted the name Lost And No One Knows, and it really doesn’t fit us as a band anymore. There's more regarding our reasoning on the name change that you can read about in our blog on MySpace.
And finally, our upcoming tours. Right now we are totally focused on making this CD the best we can possibly make it, so shows and touring took a back seat to that. All we are playing currently are local shows and short weekend tours. But this summer we will be back on the road again... with WHO is the surprise! News on that should be released around March.


6. Any good show stories?

Band-
There are way to many show stories to write down here, haha, but I can defiantly tell you our very first good show story. It was about two years ago and we were on our very first tour. It was the last day of the tour and we were playing in Sayre, PA. We have never even heard of this place before and didn't really expect it to be much of anything. The rest of the tour was pretty decent and we were just out to have some fun. When we got there, we were the first band to arrive. At 5PM when the doors were supposed to open, there were about three people there. It was a bummer, but shit like that happens all the time to every band out there. By the time it was our turn to hit the stage, there were about 20 kids in the room. We set up, tune up, and ring out. As we were setting up, we didn't even notice the 200 kids that wandered in. When we started playing the place absolutely exploded. It was the first "big show" experience we have ever had out of NY city, and it was the most amazing feeling ever. After the set we were signing autographs left and right like we were Fall Out Boy or something, it was just an amazing experience. That show really gave us the courage to keep touring and getting our name out there, because if a town we had never heard of before made for such an awesome show... imagine what the rest of the country can do for us.


7. What's your favorite song to play live and why?

Band-
Personally, my favorite song to play live is Stay Sexy. I'm not necessarily saying its our best song, but its defiantly a lot of fun to play live. The entire song is nothing but 2-step and breakdown, and it’s relatively easy to play which makes getting into the song a lot easier and a lot more fun. And people usually go the craziest to that song (aside from Cellphone) so its really fun to watch the audience.


8. Being from Queens, there's a lot of hardcore history that comes from NY, who are your influences?

Band-
Well we grew up with the guys in Endwell and Without Reason and Emmure and Stifling Neglect, so they really gave us our first taste of hardcore when we were young. Of course Hatebreed were really the first ones to blow up out of our area so they were defiantly a reason to play what we play. But these days, our influences are all over the place. Jon is more into the classic metal era (Metalica, Pantera, ect.), Alex is more into the death metal scene (As Blood Runs Black, Black Dalia), Eric is way off the charts with a lot of the prog-rock he listens to but he still keeps his routes with hardcore, Pell likes pretty much anything that’s brutal, and I am more into the post hardcore and southern hardcore scene (Every Time I Die, The Bled, The Gorgeous, The Acacia Strain).


9. What are you currently listening to?

Band-
Currently we are all addicted to The Big Dirty by ETID, the new Black Dahlia album, and the new Bled Album... but we always try not to be on one thing for too long, haha.


10. What's next for Lost And No One Knows?

Band-
Nothing but bigger and better things for us! New tour, new EP, new merch, our new line up... new and better everything. We really keep good updates on our myspace (myspace.com/lostandnooneknows) so most of the news for all our upcoming stuff will be posted there.


11. Any shoutouts?

Band-
To anyone who has read this interview up to this point. Thank you for caring about a little unsigned band from Queens just trying to get people to hear our music :)
And if anyone thinks they should have been individually noted here... they should shup up because they know we love them. And thank you Mike, for doing this interview with us!


Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)