SEEDS OF CAIN

PHOTOGRAPHY BY CAYLEIGH BARTON
WEBSITE: www.myspace.com/seedsofcain
COUNTRY: South Africa STYLE: Alternative Metal

HOW DID YOU GUYS GET YOUR BAND NAME AND IN WHAT WAYS DOES IT RELATE TO YOUR MUSIC?

Tim and Ashley came up with the name when they were laying down tracks as a side project last year. After the rest of us joined in we all decided that it was a cool name to go with. The name comes from the story of Cain and Abel, with Cain being the first man to commit murder. A very intricate concept, but not sure of the relevance of our music. It’s Metal though.

HAVE YOU GUYS PLAYED IN OTHER BANDS BEFORE PERFORMING IN SEEDS OF CAIN AND HOW DID YOU GUYS FIRST GET INVOLVED WITH MAKING MUSIC?

Scott and Tiaan started out playing in a band called Hollow Point when they were about 15. The band was pretty shitty but it helped create the creative chemistry the two of them have today. Ashley and Tim around the same time played in the more successful "Synthetic". Both bands played a similar alternative rock/metal, nowhere near the stuff we play now. Davy and Luke started off fresh last year with S.O.C and have developed and fitted in perfectly. Tim was tragically killed in a car accident after our first gig which was quite a big blow but we pushed on and Russel joined us at the beginning of this year and we getting right back on track.

I SEE THERE ARE FOUR SONGS ON YOUR FACEBOOK PROFILE. ARE THERE ANY CHANCES OF AN EP OR ALBUM COMING OUT SOON OR ARE YOU GUYS FOCUSING ON YOUR LIVE PERFORMANCES FIRST?

We are currently rerecording our tracks, as well as some new ones, in better quality with the goal being to produce our own album. We are also working very hard at getting as tight as possible to make sure our live performances are AAA Grade.

SEEDS OF CAIN IS BASED IN PE. WHAT IS THE MUSIC SCENE LIKE IN PE AT THE MOMENT, ESPECIALLY FOR METAL?

Well its definatly not nearly as big as Cape Town and Joburg etc. but the bands here always seem to have a shitload of passion for their Metal and that always comes through in a performance as the band knows they have to be that much better than Bands in other parts of the country.

DO YOU HAVE ANY PLANS TO PLAY IN OTHER PARTS OF SOUTH AFRICA?

We would definitely consider that once we have played a few more gigs.

WHO ARE THE BIGGEST SONGWRITERS IN THE BAND, AND WHO OR WHAT ARE YOUR BIGGEST INFLUENCES?

We all put in our own ideas and crits when writing songs, if everyone can put in their best ideas, it keeps things fresh and the end result is always something that everyone is happy with.

I SEE THAT THE BAND HAS TWO VOCALISTS. WHY DID YOU GUYS DECIDE TO GO THAT ROUTE AND DOES IT HAVE THE DESIRED EFFECT IN A LIVE ENVIRONMENT?

The dual vocal was something we decided on to give the music a more dynamic sound whether on stage or in recording. Many bands record two vocal tracks with one vocalist but struggle to pull it off live using a guitarist or bassist. By having another vocalist the intensity is maxed and anything is possible.

WHAT EQUIPMENT AND GUITAR TUNINGS IS THE BAND USING AND ARE YOU HAPPY WITH THE OVERALL SOUND THAT THE BAND HAS AT THE MOMENT?

We play in Drop B as it’s defiantly the best for giving you a deeper impacting sound which is exactly what we are going for. The bands equipment is as follows: Scott (Line 6 Spider 3 amp, Boss ME 50 pedal , Schecter C-1 Elite Guitar) Tiaan (Peavy Bandit Amp, Boss ME 50 pedal , Dean Dimebag Signature Guitar) Davy (Ibanez Bass Guitar, Crate amp) Russel (Mapex Drums, Pearl Double Bass Pedal, Istanbul, Zildjian and Wuhan Cymbles) Luke and Ashley (Seneisser Mics)

IF YOU HAD THE MONEY WOULD YOU GUYS SMASH ALL YOUR EQUIPMENT AT THE END OF A SHOW LIKE BANDS DID IN THE OLD DAYS, AND IF YOU EVER GOT THE CHANCE WOULD YOU EVER (ACCIDENTALLY) STAB SOMEONE IN THE NECK WITH A MICROPHONE STAND?

Haha would definitely love to do that as long as we get new gear after. I’m pretty sure the stabbing thing is a possibility as well; anything is possible at a metal gig.

WHICH ONE DO YOU GUYS PREFER THE MOST WHEN IT COMES TO PROMOTING THE BAND, MYSPACE OR FACEBOOK… AND IN WHAT OTHER WAYS IS SEEDS OF CAIN REACHING OUT TO PEOPLE TO GET THEM INTERESTED IN YOUR MUSIC?

Facebook. Every goddam person is on facebook, even mothers and grannies and it has such a user friendly, spam free interface. Other wise sending demo tracks around is also a good thing.

IF THERE WAS A METAL VERSION OF IDOLS WOULD YOU GUYS ENTER… AND ON A MORE SERIOUS NOTE. WHAT DO YOU THINK THE LOCAL MEDIA COULD DO MORE OF TO PROMOTE LOCAL MUSIC?

That would be so sick, would defiantly enter for the exposure and shot at making it big. Firstly we need more venues and some metal radio stations. DSTV needs to get MTV2!!!!

DO YOU THINK THAT 2009 WILL BE A GOOD YEAR FOR THE BAND AND WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FROM YOU GUYS IN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS?

Yea we going to be working full time this year so you can expect a sick comeback gig and an album launch later on. Exciting stuff.

ANY LAST COMMENTS/ADVISE OR PEOPLE YOU WOULD LIKE TO THANK?

Da Wei Han for his photography and management.