ENMITY

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ALAN PHAIR
WEBSITE: www.myspace.com/enmity
COUNTRY: South Africa STYLE: Metal / Progressive / Hardcore

BIG NEWS FROM YOUR SIDE IS THAT YOUR FIRST FULL LENGTH ALBUM 'MURDERABILIA' IS COMING OUT END OF MAY 2009. AFTER POSTING A FEW DEMOS ONLINE AND PLAYING LIVE FOR SOME TIME WHAT WERE THE CONTRIBUTING FACTORS THAT CAUSED YOU GUYS TO TAKE SO LONG TO RELEASE A FULL LENGTH ALBUM?

Yeah, we know: we've been 'about to release' our début album for the last two years. We've been to three different studios since mid 2007 - each time with the fresh hope of starting to record our first full length album. We didn't finish or release anything because up until December last year we weren't happy with anything we'd laid down, and felt it didn't accurately represent us.

We went into studio this time with a different approach, having done no pre-production whatsoever. We now, after four months, stand with a pending release of our début album, Murderabilia – all material written in the studio (Jay's bedroom).

HOW DID 'MURDERABILIA' COME UP AS THE OFFICIAL ALBUM TITLE AND DO YOU SEE THE RELEASE OF THE ALBUM AS THE START OF A NEW “CHAPTER” FOR THE BAND?

Our concept album is based on the morbidly interesting lives of nine different serial killers. On researching this further we discovered the term Murderabilia, (which simply means 'Memorabilia relating to a murder or murderer').

We have no expectations whatsoever. It was an awesome experience recording this album. We spent a lot of time together in a confined space, and really got to know each other emotionally and physically.

YOU GUYS HAVE POSTED A FEW CLIPS ONLINE SHOWING DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE RECORDING PROCESS. WHERE HAS MOST OF THE RECORDING TAKEN PLACE AND WHO IS PRODUCING THE ALBUM?

We tracked the album at Jay's home studio, we're also producing it ourselves – however it's being mixed and mastered by Dean Bailey.

WHEN YOU WROTE THE SONGS FOR THE ALBUM WAS IT A BIT OF A PROCESS TO GET GOING OR DID THE SONGS JUST FALL INTO PLACE RIGHT FROM THE START?

We were a bit intimidated in the beginning, but once we got the first few songs down, the rest seemed to go pretty smoothly.

ANY IDEA YET WHEN YOU WILL BE LAUNCHING THE ALBUM AND IN WHAT PARTS OF THE COUNTRY YOU’LL BE PLAYING TO SUPPORT IT?

We have no dates confirmed yet, but we're planning a nationwide tour in July which will succeed our Cape Town launch.

BASED ON THE COMMENTS YOU’VE RECEIVED ABOUT YOUR LIVE SHOWS AND SONGS POSTED ONLINE WHAT ASPECTS OF YOUR MUSIC DO YOU THINK ATTRACTS THE MOST PEOPLE TO LISTEN YOUR SONGS?

We put 100% of our love and energy into our music. We don't know the exact reason or answer to this question but we hope it has something to do with that.

BIG SHOWS IN MAY FOR YOU GUYS OPENING FOR HASTE THE DAY ON THEIR SA TOUR. YOUR CONFIDENCE LEVELS MUST BE OF THE CHARTS AT THE MOMENT?

We feel really honoured to have been chosen to support Haste the Day on their SA tour. It will be the first time we playing a show since January and with our newest addition to the band, Graham. We're really amped to get back on stage with new material. It's going to be a nerve racking but an exciting one none the less.

DO YOU USE THE SAME INSTRUMENTS FOR LIVE PERFORMANCES AND RECORDING AND IF YOU WON THE LOTTO WHAT INSTRUMENT WOULD YOU BUY?

All the instruments we used on the album are the ones we use live except for a few acoustic guitar parts. We're all pretty happy with the instruments we have but if we had the cash we would all probably get:

Alain: A wireless mic, in-ear monitors and a vocal effects pedal.

Jay: The Ernie ball Music Man bass with a Laney Nexus amp.

Chloe: Juno Stage and a black grand piano.

Graham's just hoping for new socks this christmas.

Ross: A Peavey JSX amp.

ENMITY IS KNOWN LOCALLY FOR ITS LIVE SHOWS, WHAT MAKES FOR A GOOD LIVE SHOW IN YOUR OPINION AND WILL WE EVER SEE YOU GUYS ADDING A FLAMETHROWER OR TWO INTO A PERFORMANCE?

Taking it easy on the booze before a performance leaves us with a lot more energy to go a little crazy.

We're all in our own zone but always seem to meet up and share the vibe. We should really look at investing in a wireless system, that would solve our problems of falling over and unplugging each others instruments.

THINGS PROBABLY NEVER GO AS PLANNED DURING A PERFORMANCE, WHAT HAVE YOU GUYS LEARNED FROM SUCH EXPERIENCES?

If something can go wrong it will :P we've had a couple of shows where sound has cut out completely, power failures, Broken strings, stands and more. On one occasion Ross even threw his guitar into Chloe's face. No more guitar tosses for Ross! Its a battle field up there. But we all manage to survive.

DO YOU HAVE ANY PLANS FOR A MUSIC VIDEO NOW THAT YOU HAVE AN ALBUM ON THE WAY AND DO YOU THINK THAT MUSIC VIDEOS ARE STILL AS IMPORTANT AS THEY WERE BEFORE BANDS WERE ABLE TO PROMOTE THEMSELVES ONLINE?

We are currently gathering ideas and brainstorming concepts for our first video. We are excited to be working with Ryan Kruger who has directed some quality videos in the local rock scene. You can be expecting a video shortly after our album launch.

We feel music videos are still as important as they ever were. The internet allows for easier viewing globally.

HOW MUCH TIME DOES ENMITY TAKE UP OF YOUR LIVES AND IF YOU WERE NOT MAKING MUSIC WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK YOU WOULD BE DOING?

Enmity is a constant in our lives; we are all committed and passionate about our music and our band. That said, we are all still studying, but hope that someday we could make a career out of it.

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

We'd like to thank you (the reader) for taking the time to read this. http://www.projectrfsezine.blogspot.com for the awesome questions.

Any other questions anyone might have, don't be shy to ask us on our facebook fanpage:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/ENMITY/7474738141

XERATH

PHOTOGRAPHY BY MORGANA
WEBSITE: www.myspace.com/xerath
COUNTRY: United Kingdom STYLE: Metal / Progressive

I SEE THE TERM “CHUG-SCORE” BEING USED TO DESCRIBE YOUR MUSIC. WHO CAME UP WITH IT AND DO YOU PLAN TO PATENT THE TERM; YOU COULD MAKE SOME MONEY IN THE FUTURE, YOU NEVER KNOW?

Chug-score is ironically both a parody of constant new genre classifications and also the quickest way of describing our music! People will either laugh and understand or get angry because they think we are arrogant enough to insist on our own genre. Xerathcore!

Not sure whether to stick with it or not as the joke will eventually get old, we think Orchestral Groove Metal pretty much sums it up without sounding retarded!

XERATH COMBINES CRUSHING MESHUGGAH STYLE RIFFS WITH EPIC ORCHESTRAL COMPOSITION. HOW DO YOU GUYS USUALLY APPROACH THE SONG WRITING PROCESS FROM BEGINNING TO END?

We actually change our approach for every song as we go... Every member in the band writes drums / guitars / bass and orchestration, and the order in which we do this changes every time. For example we could lay down some guitars and experiment with ambient ideas over the top, or just write some orchestral ideas and write riffs underneath them.

It’s purely a case of experimentation!

WHAT I LIKE ABOUT XERATH IS THAT YOU ARE NOT AFRAID TO SAY WHAT BANDS HAVE HAD THE BIGGEST INFLUENCE ON YOUR MUSIC AND EVEN THOUGH ONE CAN CLEARLY HEAR THOSE INFLUENCES IN YOUR SONGS YOU HAVE CREATED ALMOST SOMETHING COMPLETELY “NEW”, WOULD YOU AGREE?

We would like to think we are touching on something that hasn’t really been explored properly, which is orchestral metal that doesn’t sound neoclassical or like a cheap keyboard. Whilst at the same time adding to the new wave of Meshuggah inspired bands out there who have been rhythmically inspired.

In the future we want to push this out much further, and delve into bigger and more complex film-score style orchestrations whilst keeping it heavy and massive sounding with the Meshuggah / SYL and Dimmu influences.

THE COUNTDOWN IS ON FOR THE RELEASE OF YOUR ALBUM “XERATH 1” AND FOR THOSE WHO CAN’T WAIT THE ENTIRE ALBUM CAN BE PREVIEWED USING THE XERATH E-CARD (www.xerath.net) HOW WOULD YOU SUM UP THE ENTIRE RECORDING PROCESS OF THE ALBUM?

The final version of the album was recorded by us, and re-mixed in France by a talented producer called Brett Caldas-Lima (towerstudio.net). However before we were signed, a full length album which was entirely self-produced was used as a demo, which was refined twice before we started the final version.

All in all the final version of ‘Xerath I’ is actually the 3rd and final remix, the process was quite long although the songs still retain their original essence and are in roughly the same order they were written. The first track on our album “Intrenity”, is the first Xerath song which was written as an experiment to combine a basic groove with orchestral score, before the band even had a finalised line-up.

WHAT SUBJECTS DO YOU COVER LYRICALLY ON THE ALBUM?

Our aim when we write music is to conjure up imagery, which we re-enforce with vocals without giving a literal subject away. Most of the time we use most abstract lyrics to give a strong sense of something and add to the overall “epic-ness” of the song... But we also cover a little war and religion, since we are still a metal band after all :)

I REALLY LIKE THE XERATH LOGO AND THE ALBUM COVER FOR THE NEW ALBUM. COULD YOU TELL US MORE ABOUT HOW THE IMAGERY YOU CHOSE FOR THE ALBUM COVER REFLECTS AND SERVES AS A “VISUAL INTRODUCTION” TO WHAT IS CONTAINED MUSICALLY ON THE ALBUM?

Again the imagery we chose was to create the image of something massive and epic without showing anything literal in context. The artwork opens up to reveal a panoramic scene of devastation, without giving any clues to what has happened or how.

Hiding subject matter is quite a powerful tool, as you leave the listener guessing and creating their own concepts and imagery based on the music, we imply devastation without showing it and it has made for some quite original artwork.

As for the logo, we wanted to keep the design very simple so it would be easily recognisable. We also had the extra “X” logo designed to symbolizes the number of the album, e.g. our first album has the X with a single stroke through it, and the next will have two etc. Which we thought was pretty rad.

THERE ARE MANY TECHNICAL BANDS OUT THERE THAT JUST AMAZE ME SOMETIMES TO WHAT IS POSSIBLE MUSICALLY BUT HOW DO YOU BALANCE MAKING YOUR SONGS TECHNICALLY GOOD BUT STILL LEAVE ENOUGH “ROOM” SO THAT A PERSON CAN KEEP IN TIME AND HEADBANG TO IT AND NOT GET LOST HALFWAY?

This is something we put a great deal of time into during the writing process, we have a sort of “quality control” with writing that always leaves us questioning everything before it is part of a song.

Our older influences date back to bands like Pantera who were a perfect balance of technicality and song writing, and this is something we will always be thinking about whilst we write. As we move into the future we want to strike the perfect balance between beautiful epic film-score and sheer headbangability.

YOU USE 7 STRING GUITARS IF I’M CORRECT. DID YOU START OUT WITH 6 STRINGS AND THEN MOVE ON TO 7 STINGS AND IS THERE JUST A CERTAIN LEVEL OF “HEAVINESS AND EXPERIMENTATION” THAT IS MORE ACHIEVABLE WITH A 7 STRING GUITAR THAN A 6 STRING?

Xerath was started with 7 strings in mind, we don’t believe that more strings is always better or allows for more heaviness however 7 strings was a fairly new thing to us at the time and so allowed for fresh ideas and helped with the inspiration of a lot of our riffs.

We plan to continue using 7 strings for at least another album and eventually maybe switch to 8, again not because it is lower but just because it is new and fresh, a good example is when a guitarist changes tuning he/she will always stumble on new things to try out.

IF I’M RIGHT YOU USE SAMPLES TO PLAY THE ORCHESTRAL PARTS OF YOUR SONGS LIVE. WITH SONGS THAT ARE ALREADY TECHNICAL ENOUGH HOW MUCH OF AN ATMOSPHERE DOES THE ORCHESTRAL PARTS ADD TO YOUR MUSIC IN A LIVE ENVIRONMENT?

This is something you would have to experience to form your own opinion. When you get used to seeing bands with a standard line-up of guitars / bass / drums etc... It does make a difference to suddenly have this huge backing of real orchestra as opposed to keyboard, we like to think it just adds to our sound and that more is better!

The fusion of low end groove with high end chord changes live is definitely something different from the majority of live metal bands; we haven’t had any complaints yet anyway!

DO YOU THINK THAT MORE DOORS WILL OPEN FOR YOU GUYS WHAT LIVE SHOWS ARE CONCERNED WITH THE RELEASE OF YOUR NEW ALBUM?

We certainly hope so; we started this as a project and then turned it into a band. The vast majority of our fans are spread out and therefore unsigned shows were generally good but with very limited turn-out. We are hoping to get noticed enough that we can secure support for more major bands and get this on the road to as many ears as possible.

YOU GUYS HAVE A REALLY GREAT FORUM AT: http://www.unionblack.co.uk/forum/index.php?board=34.0. HOW IMPORTANT IS IT FOR YOU TO STAY IN TOUCH WITH FANS OF YOUR MUSIC?

To us it is very important, we would like to remain accessible as a band in terms of people being able to ask us questions or share their feedback with us... We have always had respect for bands which post on their own forums or try to keep on the same level as the listeners.

HOW HARD IS IT TO BECOME LEADERS IN A CERTAIN GENRE AND NOT FOLLOWERS, AND DO YOU THINK THE RELEASE OF “XERATH 1” IS AN INDICATION OF THE TYPE OF DIRECTION GROOVE METAL DRIVEN MUSIC IS TAKING?

Tricky question :) We wouldn’t yet call ourselves a leader of any particular genre but hope to eventually earn that title, so we would say that yes it is very very difficult indeed.

Meshuggah are definitely a leader in their genre and have inspired a whole range of “groove metal” bands to split in different directions. We are hearing more bands cropping up who are taking this kind of rhythmically inspired metal and adding a general ambience to it or combining it with other genres.

We think our sound will go through a much heavier refinement and then it will grow to be more distinct as its own direction as each album comes out.

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

Advice to other bands would be to just experiment, and to be prepared to work hard and make sacrifice if they want to get signed and get their release out there.

We would like to thank Lee Barrett for signing us, our label Candlelight records, our producer Brett Caldas-Lima, and all the peeps at Union-Black for their great underground metal community and giving us a forum.

TYPECAST

PHOTOGRAPHY BY PAOLO SEEN!
WEBSITE: www.myspace.com/typecast
COUNTRY: Philippines STYLE: Indie / Punk / Rock / Post Hardcore

DOES THE BAND NAME “TYPECAST” REFER TO BEING CAST IN THE ROLE OF PLAYING IN A BAND THAT PLAYS THE TYPE OF MUSIC YOU’VE ALWAYS WANTED TO PLAY?

MELVIN: We didn’t mean it that way. The band name actually came from a Snapcase song – Typecast Modulator. We just slashed out the second word. Initially, we didn’t pay attention to what it really meant, it just so happens that Snapcase is one of our major influences back when we were still kids and starting out as a band.

So it doesn’t really refer to anything at all, although it might actually mean something else on the standard dictionary, but for us it’s just plainly taken from a Snapcase song.

YOU GUYS HAVE RELEASED AN EP TWO ALBUMS AND A FEW MUSIC VIDEOS SO FAR AND YOU ARE CURRENTLY WRITING SONGS FOR A NEW ALBUM. WHAT DRIVES AND INSPIRES YOU GUYS TO CONSTANTLY CREATE NEW THINGS MUSICALLY?

MELVIN: For us, having people appreciate our music is a great motivation. Meeting people in gigs who tell us how much we have inspired them to start a band of their own or write their own music or just simply helped them get through a heart break or a phase in their lives. These are the things that constantly inspire us to try out new things for our music.

IN WHAT WAYS HAS YOUR DIY ETHIC HELPED YOU TO REACH THE AMOUNT OF SUCCESS YOU HAVE WITH THE BAND, AND DO YOU THINK THAT IT IS BETTER TO CREATE YOUR OWN OPPORTUNITIES RATHER THAN WAITING FOR THEM TO COME AROUND?

MELVIN: Until now, we still have that ethic of doing everything ourselves. I think it’s the only way you can succeed with whatever dreams you might have. Doing everything on your own makes you in control of all aspects and I believe every musician wants that. You really need to find ways on your own and be proud of that.

For us, aggressive promotion is the best way to get the word out there and if you believe in your capabilities then do something instead of just sitting around and waiting for good things to happen.

ONE CAN HEAR MANY DIFFERENT INFLUENCES IN THE TYPECAST “SOUND”. DOES HAVING SO MANY INFLUENCES HELP TO KEEP YOUR OPTIONS OPEN FOR EXPERIMENTING WITH NEW STYLES?

MELVIN: We love trying different things and incorporating new ideas to our original sound. Having several influences makes us explore other subgenres have to offer and it also helps us improve our music in various ways but still keeping our integrity intact.

WHAT INFLUENCES HAVE BEEN SHOWING UP THE MOST DURING THE SONG WRITING PROCESS FOR THE NEW ALBUM SO FAR AND ANY INDICATION WHERE YOU ARE HEADING MUSICALLY?

MELVIN: We’ve been in to the ambient and post rock lately, like a lot of guitar melodies and the instrumental side of a song. We’re not yet half-way through this writing process so a lot of things is bound to happen that we still don’t know.

EVER CAME UP WITH A GREAT IDEA FOR A SONG AND THEN ACCIDENTALLY FORGOT IT AGAIN?

MELVIN: Always. We don’t really have enough equipment to support our rehearsals. We only have the regular amps, drum and guitars. We don’t have those recording gadgets at home to trace what we’ve recently done. We just have to rely on our memory for song ideas.

YOU GUYS HAVE ONE OF THE MOST PROFESSIONAL LOOKING MYSPACE PROFILES I’VE SEEN IN A WHILE, CAN A BAND’S IMAGE WIN IT JUST AS MANY FANS AS ITS MUSIC AND IN YOUR OPINION?

MELVIN: I always believe that visual presentation is the second most important thing a musician should have, next to talent. Naturally people you would attract a person’s attention by showing him/her something good to the eye.

As a professional web designer/graphic artist myself, I’ve put up a lot of work and effort in making our online presence as strong and informative as possible. Myspace and other online media are great ways to reach to thousands of people, to get them to notice you and eventually listen to you and hopefully become a fan.

YOU HAVE A PROFILE UP FOR THE BAND ON EVERY MAJOR SOCIAL NETWORKING SITE. WHERE DO YOU THINK BANDS WOULD BE IF THE INTERNET WAS NOT INVENTED YET FOR ANOTHER 20 YEARS?

MELVIN: I think internet is a huge promotional tool for bands, especially for indie bands like us. It has everything you need. Social networking sites (Myspace, Purevolume, Facebook) has been an essential for bands who work hard to spread the word out all over the globe.

If internet wasn’t invented, I don’t know... It’s gonna be tough to promote your music since contacts and ads will be limited to certain territories only. Or bands will need to print flyers and send them via snail mail, which we did a few years ago when we were still starting out. =D

TYPECAST REALLY SEEMS TO BLOSSOM IN THE LIVE “ARENA”. HOW LONG DID IT ORIGINALLY TAKE YOU TO BUILD UP A GOOD STAGE PRESENCE AND LIVE SHOW TO THE POINT WHERE YOU WERE REALLY HAPPY AND COMFORTABLE WITH IT?

MELVIN: It took the band a couple of years before we were able to play in big places like arenas and open ground concerts. We mainly started out in garages, small club and bars. Fortunately, after some time, we have emerged from where we first started.

It was an intense feeling when we first set foot on a huge stage in front of more than a thousand people. We got used to it somehow but the excitement and mixed feelings are still there until now. We just give out all the best in every performance.

WHAT ASPECT OF LIVE PERFORMANCES DO YOU ENJOY THE MOST, AND EVERY SHOW MUST BE UNIQUE IN ITS OWN WAY BUT WHICH ONES STAND OUT AS HIGHLIGHTS FOR YOU?

MELVIN: I think for us, it’s the Intro. Every show we just try to agree on what intro we should do. For us, it is the very crucial part because it sets the mood for us while we check if our instruments are well tuned or not. Most of the highlights will come at the latter parts of each song. We try to extend the instrumental parts when the crowd is very responsive to us or merely because we just want to rock it out a bit more.

There are no formal rehearsals for each set. We just go there and feel what other members are doing and we just kick it off from there. If in a bright mood, we do try experimenting different things, even on a live set.

WHICH OF YOUR SONGS ARE “CROWD FAVOURITES” AND HAVE YOU EVER GOTTEN TIRED OF PLAYING ONE OF YOUR OWN SONGS AT ONE POINT?

MELVIN: The crowd favourites are Last Time, Will You Ever Learn and The Boston Drama. There are some shows that make you feel really tired of doing the same shit every night. It’s really normal for a band to feel sick of the same songs, especially, if you are playing on a daily basis. Most of the time we just play what’s on our list or what we WANT to do and not give in to the crowd’s requests. On a good day, or on a more intimate set, we do play what we are told to do.

EXCEPT FOR THE RELEASE OF YOUR NEW ALBUM WHAT WILL TYPECAST BE DOING IN 2009?

MELVIN: This year, we plan on making some international tours. We might hit 3 cities in China this year. We’re still working it out though, hopefully everything will be smooth. There’s also this US tour coming, around which involves 10 or more cities approximately. I will post the dates on our Myspace once everything is settled.

We’re also working it out with some organizers in South East Asian countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia & Thailand. Nothing is confirmed yet but those are some of the plans we’ve had. Hopefully everything turns out fine before or after we release the new record. Also, we’re doing a lot of new design merchandise for T-shirts. It will be out before this year ends.

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

MELVIN: I just want to personally give my biggest thanks to everyone who sends us messages online; whether it’s on Myspace, Facebook, etc. We really appreciate your time and effort to send messages to us, giving your thoughts and comments about our music. We’re really thankful for that. We are always doing our best to respond to you guys. To everyone who comes to our shows and buys our merchandise. To everyone who’s been spreading the word out with their friends and relatives, you guys are awesome! Thank you so much for doing that and believing in us. It doesn’t end here. Please continue telling all your friends about us. We love you!

And last but not the least, thank you so much to http://www.projectrfsezine.blogspot.com/ for this interview. You guys are doing an awesome job on spreading the word out for bands and musicians all over the globe. Please go on with this beautiful thing you’re doing and we are really honoured to do this with you.

VOIR DIRE

WEBSITE: www.myspace.com/voirdireband
COUNTRY: South Africa STYLE: Metal

IN ORIGIN VOIR DIRE REFERS TO AN OATH TO TELL THE TRUTH AND EVERYBODY HAS BEEN IN SITUATIONS WHERE THEY DID NOT KNOW IF THEY SHOULD TELL THE TRUTH OR LIE. SO WHAT DO YOU SAY TO SOMEONE IF THEY ASK YOU “DO I LOOK FAT IN THIS”?

Well, depends on whether the person looks fat…

YOU GUYS ARE ALMOST DONE WITH YOUR EP AND IN THE PROCESS OF HAVING IT MIXED AND MASTERED AND YOU ALSO SAY ON MYSPACE THAT YOU PLAN TO ADD TWO INSTRUMENTAL TRACKS TO THE EP. HOW MANY TRACKS WILL BE ON THE EP THEN WHEN IT’S DONE?

We will include 3 studio recording as well as 2 instrumental tracks. We are also looking to add 2 demo songs if we can clean them up nicely. The EP will also contain some enhanced content like our music video, wallpapers and some photos.

IN YOUR OPINION HOW HAVE YOU GUYS GROWN AS SONGWRITERS DURING THE RECORDING OF THE EP?

Some of the songs sound fine live or during practise, but when we hit the studio and put all of this together some bits then tend to clash a bit. This forces us to think on our feet and alter some of the parts in mid recording to get the desired sound and feel.

One of the songs that we recorded recently is very new and required us to get it tight in a very short time-span. But that’s how you keep growing as a band and as musicians.

DID YOU GO INTO THE STUDIO WITH “FULLY FINISHED” SONGS OR DID THE WRITING PROCESS CONTINUE WHILE RECORDING THE EP?

Although the songs were finished prior to the recording, we had to alter some minor things here and there like timing for the lyrics, etc. to make the songs flow a bit better.

WHAT ARE THE MAIN “DRIVING FORCES /FUEL” BEHIND YOUR LYRICS AND MUSIC?

To try and keep it short (which is difficult) – We have a deep routed passion to point people to Jesus Christ and to undo the distorted ideas people have regarding Him and the way of life He expects from us.

IS THE SONG “NOT AFRAID” BASICALLY AN EXAMPLE OF THE PRODUCTION STYLE USED FOR THE REST OF YOUR EP AND DO YOU SEE THE BAND’S MUSIC MOVING IN A MORE MELODIC OR HEAVIER DIRECTION IN THE FUTURE?

We recorded the 2 new songs at the same studio as “Not Afraid”, so the production should be pretty much the same. We experimented with some different guitar amps, so on that level you may notice a slight difference.

Regarding the direction of our music, it’s difficult to say which direction we’re heading since we start the writing process of each song without planning exactly what we want it to sound like; it just takes its own directions and at times ends up sounding heavier or more melodic…

We like to keep others and ourselves on our toes!

THE VIDEO FOR THE SONG “NOT AFRAID” DEBUTED ON MK ON THE 11TH OF MARCH. TELL US MORE ABOUT THE SONG AND THE CONCEPT FOR THE MUSIC VIDEO?

The foundation of the song is that as long as you have got Christ on your side, you can rest in knowing you don’t have to fear anything, not in this world, not in the next, since death is not the end. The concept of the video is Little Red Riding Hood (humans) being chased by wolves (fear). Charlene who symbolizes the Holy Spirit in the video guides Little Red Riding Hood to the lumberjack who symbolizes Christ, who then sorts them out.

HOW DID YOU GUYS GET THE DOUBLE BASE FOR THAT SONG TO SOUND SO DEEP AND THUNDEROUS?

That you will have to ask Dylan Ellis from Inner Flame Studios – he’s the master!

HOW MANY SONGS DO YOU CURRENTLY HAVE IN YOUR SET LIST AND DOES PLAYING LIVE ON A REGULAR BASIS HELP YOU TO DECIDE WHAT SONGS TO KEEP AND WHAT SONGS TO WORK ON FURTHER BASED ON A CROWD’S REACTION?

At the moment we have eight songs that we rotate depending on the venue and the set length. Different crowds have different reactions, so it's difficult to use that as a measure of which songs to alter, etc. Usually as we write new songs and keep developing our style we will make some changes to older songs so that they will fit better into the set.

WHAT ASPECT OF A LIVE PERFORMANCE DO YOU GUYS ENJOY THE MOST AND HOW MUCH REHEARSAL TIME DO YOU PUT IN BEFORE A SHOW?

Seeing people enjoy our music or even just intently listening to the lyrics is a huge enjoyment. We try to practice for at least 3-5 hours per week, depending on our schedules.

WHAT EXCITES YOU AND ALSO SCARES YOU THE MOST ABOUT THE LOCAL MUSIC SCENE AT THE MOMENT?

The fact that the local music scene, especially the heavy side of it, is growing, getting more professional and serious is very exciting. The scary thing is that the competition is getting very tight to get into bigger events and gigs, but I think that is good since bands are forced to become a lot better and professional than what they would be alternatively.

IF YOU WERE THE LAST FOUR PEOPLE LEFT ON THE ISLAND; WHO WOULD GET VOTED OF FIRST?

RIAAN: Pick me! Pick me! (Lol)

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

Thanks for the interview – also to the reader, thanks for taking some time out and reading all this.

If you are curious to see what’s going on in Voir Dire, be sure to check us out on http://www.myspace.com/voirdireband.

You can also find us on Facebook and get regular update on what’s happening in the band on there. Or just drop us an email at – voirdireband@gmail.com. Anyone is welcome to contact us.

DEAR MARTYR

PHOTOGRAPHY BY DARREN RICH
WEBSITE: www.myspace.com/dearmartyr1
COUNTRY: South Africa STYLE: Rock / Metal / Experimental

IN JANUARY YOU GUYS POSTED A PRE ALBUM SINGLE TITLED “SHE STAINED” ONLINE. TELL US MORE ABOUT THE SONG AND WOULD YOU SAY THAT IT IS A GOOD INDICATION OF WHAT DIRECTION YOU ARE TAKING MUSICALLY?

The song was recorded as a pre-album pre-production studio single which was intended to just give the listeners a taste of things to come. The album version is going to be slightly different since during the recording we were somewhat rushed and were unable to quite realise what we wanted the song to be. The song will be remastered, more vocals added and structured slightly differently to improve the overall flow.

We felt that the song itself should be more important than individual instruments, and as a result of this much of the material for the album was restructured and rethought out. Time is also not a major factor influencing production, which is amazing for us since its always been a huge problem with studio work

HOW WOULD YOU COMPARE THE MATERIAL OF THE “EARLIER DEAR MARTYR” TO THE MATERIAL YOU ARE WRITING NOW?

With the writing of our earlier material we were more concerned with gaining acceptance, especially with the risks of trying to bring electronics and punk into our music. As a result our early music was relatively safe from a metal perspective.

But we gradually saw that people were more open minded than we believed, and really supported the experiments we tried now and then, so our confidence has increased enough to actually try things out, such as using delay effects and fully electronic songs.

HOW FAR IS THE RECORDING PROCESS OF THE ALBUM?

We are currently about half way with the album and are really excited about releasing the final product. We have put about two years of song writing into one album.

YOU HAVE RELEASED A SEVEN TRACK DEMO THAT WAS RECORDED INDEPENDENTLY BY THE BAND OUTSIDE OF A STUDIO A WHILE BACK. ARE YOU GUYS GOING TO RE RECORD SOME OF THOSE SONGS FOR THE ALBUM?

Yes we will be re recording some of those songs. Some of the songs have been reworked and refined, we are confident people will enjoy what we have done with them. We have placed a lot of importance on making sure the right emotion and message is conveyed to the listeners.

YOU GUYS USED ALLOT OF SAMPLES IN THE SONG “SHE STAINED”. HOW DID THE BAND BECOME INTERESTED IN USING ELECTRONIC SAMPLES AND HOW DO YOU BALANCE THE ELECTRONIC PARTS WITH THE GUITAR PARTS IN YOUR SONGS?

Honestly, the idea came from AFI, it was part of the original concept for the band. It was from this starting point that we started learning about the various genres of electro, the technology associated with them and song writing techniques some of these guys use.

Once we understood these genres, which are so easily dismissed, we were better able to distinguish between what we liked and what we didn't, and what could work with our songs.

DO YOU MAKE USE OF PRE RECORDED SAMPLES OR DO YOU PLAY THEM WHILE PERFORMING LIVE AND DO YOU USE THE SAME GEAR FOR YOUR LIVE PERFORMANCES AND RECORDING?

Everything you hear on the album we do perform live. We make use of a spds sample pad with samples that have been created and programmed on a pc. It is a dream to one day be able to perform the electronics with actual synthesizers and real time effects, but financial constraints keep us sampling from our PCs..

IN THE BAND’S BIOGRAPHY YOU SAY: “THE FUTURE OF THE BAND AND ITS MEMBERS IS FIXED ON FURTHER EXPANSION AND MUSICAL DEVELOPMENT…” IN WHAT WAYS HAVE YOU “TAKEN THE BULL BY THE HORNS” AND DONE THAT?

Haha, perhaps we could be doing much more, but work and university are always killers. Some of our free time is spent working on the live show, some of it on internet marketing and the majority right now is on recording.

We feel that doing a full album with the best production we can get in PE, with a great producer, is the best possible thing we could do now to get our music out there. It’s taking a while, but we really want the opportunity to have a CD that sounds exactly how we want it to.

WHAT SUBJECT IS THE “MAIN DRIVE” BEHIND YOUR LYRICS AND ARE MOST OF YOUR SONGS BORN OUT OF MUSICAL OR LYRICAL IDEAS?

I would say the songs are born first out of a musical idea. Lots of our lyrical influence comes from life experiences and how we feel about the times we live in. We like adding a sense of urgency and hope to our songs. We touch on relationships, politics and the belief systems we have shaped over the years.

YOU GUYS HAVE PLAYED LIVE CONSISTENTLY FOR THE LAST FEW MONTHS. CAN A BAND PERFORM TOO MUCH OR IS IT A CASE OF THE MORE PEOPLE THAT SEE YOU THE BETTER?

A band can definitely perform too much in PE. The people at shows are extremely loyal, but we'd hate to try test that loyalty with playing the same venues week after week, offering nothing new. However, playing different towns and venues we feel is critical to success. Its all good having a song on radio or TV, but you need to know the people listening, and try to know who they are.

WHAT ARE THE STRONGEST ASPECTS OF YOUR LIVE SHOW IN YOUR OPINION?

I think the way the guys prepare and practice they're music, so that the only thing that could let us down is sound. It’s really a great thing, having confidence in your band members and knowing if a string or amp breaks, the show will go on.

ANY SHOWS THAT STAND OUT IN YOUR MEMORY FOR ANY PARTICULAR REASON?

Going to Cape Town last year was amazing, and basically any out of town show is always an experience for us. At home we have had some amazing shows, especially lately, and every time it’s thanks to the crowd.

ARE YOU GUYS HAPPY WITH THE AMOUNT OF SUPPORT YOU AND OTHER BANDS ARE GETTING FROM PEOPLE IN THE PORT ELIZABETH AREA AND WHAT DO YOU THINK CAN BE DONE TO MAKE THE SCENE EVEN BIGGER?

Definitely, the scene here is growing, people are becoming more and more loyal, shows are more and more successful, and the bands just get better and better. I think only time will get it better, but everyone’s on the right track.

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

We would just like to thank anyone that’s taken the time to visit one of our sites and given the demo a listen. And special thanks to anyone that’s listened twice haha. But especially to everyone in PE that’s come out to a show, to Cassie and Brian, two guys that have really believed in us and who are in the process of helping us get as far as we can in the SA music industry.

A VACANT AFFAIR

PHOTOGRAPHY BY TIMOTHY STUART WEE
WEBSITE: www.myspace.com/avacantaffair
COUNTRY: Singapore STYLE: Post-Hardcore

Interview Answered by Matt.

YOU GUYS LOOK LIKE ANY NORMAL PERSON ON THE STREET WOULD LOOK BUT AS SOON AS YOU GUYS PLAY YOU JUST SEEM TO COME ALIVE ALL OF A SUDDEN. IS MUSIC THE ULTIMATE WAY TO EXPRESSES YOURSELVES?

Personally, I agree. I don’t speak up much about my problems and inner thoughts a lot and the only time I sorta ‘let go’, it is through our songs. Music has become such a big part of our lives right now, it doesn’t matter where you are, what religion you’re in and etc, music has that power to reach into you and make everything better.

LISTENING TO THE SONGS “WE ARE NOT THE SAME” AND “CRESTFALLEN” ONE CAN HEAR THAT YOU GUYS HAVE THE ABILITY TO MIX THE MELODIC PARTS AND THE HEAVY PARTS OF YOUR MUSIC TOGETHER REALLY WELL. IN WHAT DIRECTION DO YOU SEE THE BAND’S MUSIC MOVING TOWARDS IN THE FUTURE?

It is interesting that you brought this question up because me and some of the guys were just casually talking about this a few days ago! Well, currently we are just very glad that our debut album, Reasons to Leave, turned out how it turned out. The songs have been represented and recorded well and we are just very thankful for that. As for the direction in the future, nothing has been set in stone. We have yet to get around that, so it is still very open.

THE LYRICS OF YOUR SONGS DRIFT BETWEEN SCREAMING AND VERY CATCHY SINGING PARTS. WHAT TYPE OF THEMES DO YOUR LYRICS COVER MOSTLY, AND IS THERE A “MESSAGE” AND FEEL THAT YOU LIKE TO GIVE TO FANS THROUGH YOUR MUSIC?

I handle the lyrical aspect of our songs and I usually write about how I feel about the things around me, what has happened to me, what I fear and of course what I hope for. In regards to Reasons to Leave, since it is a very thematic album, every song has its unique meaning and purpose. Even the accordance of the track listing is deliberate. The concept of the album is best listened to and understood according to the original track listing.

I have always believed it having your own sense of mind. So individualism is pretty much what I believe in. Of course, I’m not saying that everyone should be selfish and all. But in a crazy world that we live in now, with everything being shoved into your face, you gotta make your own decisions and decide for yourself what is right or wrong. And if it’s the wrong choice, acknowledge it and learn from it.

A VACANT AFFAIR RELEASED THE ALBUM “REASONS TO LEAVE” LATE IN 2008. WHAT ASPECTS OF THE “REASONS TO LEAVE” SOUND WOULD YOU LIKE TO TAKE AND EXPLORE AND EXPERIMENT WITH MORE IN THE NEAR FUTURE?

Although nothing has been set in stone in regards to our future sound, I can see ourselves exploring and experimenting with more ambient stuff but still keeping the heavy tones of the band. It’s either that or we’ll put out a full on hardcore record. HAHA!

Well it all depends on how we are as people while writing the new songs. I believe the environmental aspect of where the band is in and in which point of time, plays a big part on how bands write their songs.

IT TOOK YOU GUYS ALMOST FIVE YEARS TO RELEASE YOUR DEBUT ALBUM. WAS IT JUST A CASE OF WAITING FOR THE RIGHT MOMENT?

It is more of having the material that we are all happy with before putting out a record. Life in Singapore is very demanding and fast-paced. These 5 years we have been juggling with studies, National Service and work. That is probably the main reason why we took 5 years to release our debut album. In addition, we are very meticulous as a band. We wanted to write the songs that we truly believe in and of course, this is not something that can be rushed.

HOW WOULD YOU SUM UP THE ENTIRE PROCESS OF WRITING AND RECORDING “REASONS TO LEAVE”, AND DID YOU ACHIEVE EVERYTHING YOU WANTED TO MUSICALLY WITH THE ALBUM?

Fruitful; that’s the word I would use to sum up the entire experience. We’ve learnt so much after recording our self-titled EP back in 2006 and with Reasons to Leave, we’ve learnt even more. Not only about ourselves in regards to being musicians, but also learning more about one another as people.

Musically, I think we’ve managed to accomplish most of the things that we’ve set out to do. We managed to experiment with different tones and styles of writing, using different equipment (e.g. AMPs) and even different methods of recording. I guess the songs speak for themselves. It is a very varied rock record. We have songs sounding so heavily influenced by Iron Maiden and Van Halen and the next thing you know, you’ll hear the ambient & power-pop influences in us as well.

IN SOUTH AFRICA MUSIC ON RADIO AND TV IS DOMINATED BY THE UK TOP 40 AND OTHER RADIO FRIENDLY GENRES. HOW MUCH SUPPORT DOES ROCK AND HEAVIER GENRES OF MUSIC GET FROM THE YOUR LOCAL MEDIA AND HOW POPULAR IS ROCK AND ITS SUB GENRES AMONG THE PEOPLE OF SINGAPORE?

It is the same case in Singapore. When you tune in to the stations, it is all foreign music. Mainly music from US and UK. There are only 1 or 2 stations that play music from Singapore and even then, the rotation is pretty pathetic.

As for AVA, we are considered pretty fortunate to be able to have 1 or 2 of our songs on radio. In fact, I believe we are the only hardcore band that’s playing on the radio airwaves. The rest of the local bands that are featured are mostly Brit-rock or indie-pop bands.

But there is support for heavier genres like us. And it is growing. There are a lot of underground and DIY shows. Also, bands are popping out from everywhere these days because the local music scene in general is growing. In reference to AVA, we have, despite being a hardcore band, managed to break into Singapore’s mainstream circuit, and having played several mainstream music festivals in Singapore, I dare say we have been able to pack the place with kids and these kids can really connect with us because I guess it’s so hard trying to break out in Singapore especially if you’re in a hardcore band. I guess in this aspect, they can connect with us to a certain level because we’ve sorta broke the stigma about hardcore bands being on mainstream shows.

The situation is improving though. We have just completed one season of a TV program, telecasted on our most popular English TV channel, showcasing nothing but local artists and bands. To me, this has been a long time coming and this is actually the first step of getting more Singaporeans to take notice bands from their own country.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE THE MOST ABOUT ROCK MUSIC AND HOW HAS THE MUSIC YOU LISTENED TO OVER THE YEARS INFLUENCED YOUR WRITING STYLE?

Music is one of the few constants I have in my life. And I believe there are a lot of people out there that feels the same way as I do about music. It has been there for so many dark times and without it, I don’t think I’ll still be here.

I look up to a lot of artists/singers but if I had to point out a few key ones that have influenced me so much over the years, they have to be Zack De La Rocha (Rage Against The Machine / One Day As A Lion) and Daryl Palumbo (Glassjaw / Head Automatica).

Zack is beyond words. His presence, writing style, melodies, honesty and his vision is just beyond anything. His work in RATM has brought so many people together. I may not be the smartest or the most up-to-date person in the world to talk about politics but knowing that his music has done so much for people, reinforces my belief in music that it can impact people in positive ways.

Daryl is my hero, period. I’ve been listening to many bands over the years but the only band that I have been listening to every single day without fail is Glassjaw. The main reason is Daryl. There are no words to fully describe how much his work in Glassjaw impacts me. To my mind, he is a sort of front man that everyone will try to replicate and copy but will fail because everyone will soon learn that there is only one guy that can pull off shit like that, and that is Daryl Palumbo.

IN WHAT WAYS WOULD YOU SAY THE MEMBERS OF THE BAND HAVE ALL BECOME BETTER MUSICIANS AS THE YEARS HAVE PASSED BY PLAYING IN A VACANT AFFAIR?

I would say we’ve learnt to be smarter and become more open musicians. But in music, it’s an ever learning journey. We still have a long way to go, so many aspects of being in a rock band that we have yet to accomplish.

YOU GUYS FEATURED ON THE SINGAPORE LEG OF THE TASTE OF CHAOS TOUR FEATURING AS I LAY DYING AND STORY OF THE YEAR IN 2008. IN WHAT WAYS DID THAT HELP TO BOOST THE BAND’S CONFIDENCE?

We’ve learnt a lot just by watching these bands. I mean, they are like tour veterans! Bands like As I Lay Dying and Story of the Year tour very extensively. And if anyone would want to compare us with these bands, I wouldn’t say it is exactly fair. Simply because, in Singapore, there is no such thing as touring. Shows and gigs here are quite difficult to come by and tours around the region seldom come by as well because of commitment to your day jobs, promoters’ lack of confidence and so much more.

So in regards to touring experience, confidence and stage presence, we are on the losing end. When you go on tour and at different countries, you learn a lot along way. This is something AVA hasn’t been able to achieve in the recent years.
However, I truly believe in regards to song writing, I believe that we have nothing inferior to these American bands at all. I believe that our album is definitely unique and it’s something I would shout about.

ALONG WITH PLAYING ON THE TASTE OF CHAOS TOUR WHAT HAS BEEN SOME OF THE BIGGEST HIGHLIGHTS FOR YOU ON AND OFF THE STAGE WITH A VACANT AFFAIR?

I would say just being able to release the album. We have set aside so much of our time, effort and money for it and just to be able to release it, it is a huge relief. It is something we’ve been hoping and planning to do for years.

And also to know that people are actually listening to and connecting with our songs, feels amazing. We write songs for ourselves, what we wanna hear and what we believe in. But to realize that these songs are actually being understood and acceptable by people, it’s really a blessing and an honor.

I SEE YOU GUYS DON’T HAVE ANY SHOWS LISTED ON ANY OF YOUR WEB PAGES. WHAT IS THE BAND CURRENTLY UP TO AND ARE YOU LOOKING TO RETURN TO THE STAGE SOON?

March and April have been very quiet for us. But as a whole there aren’t any major shows coming up in these 2 months. We’ve just listed 2 confirmed gigs coming up though, and there are a few pending offers as well.

One of our guitarists together with our bassist is away for studies at Perth and New York respectively. We’ve got a few close friends helping us out meanwhile. In fact, we just opened for The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus with our ‘new’ lineup sometime in February.

And yeah, we are still game for more gigs!

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

To anyone reading this interview, no matter where you are from, don’t be too quick to judge artists/bands from Asia. There are actually pretty bad ass and talented! Even if listening to AVA doesn’t prove that, some others will definitely do soon. Stay safe!

FACING THE GALLOWS

PHOTOGRAPHY BY MIKE BELL PHOTOGRAPHY
WEBSITE: www.myspace.com/facingthegallows
COUNTRY: South Africa STYLE: Metal / Hardcore / Thrash

Interview Answered by Rick Cadillac

FACING THE GALLOWS HAS A FEW SONGS ONLINE. THE BIG QUESTION I GUESS IS WHEN ARE YOU PLANNING TO RELEASE AN EP OR ALBUM?

Hhmmm, well, at the moment we're tracking some new and old material to release soon, and we most likely will release those with our video in a few weeks time. We're still trying to think of a clever type of release if that makes sense at all. Sort of something "better than an album" that band’s haven't done yet... So far, it's going slow. Otherwise we'll stick to the album idea.

HAVING MADE A NAME FOR YOURSELVES AS A LIVE BAND DO YOU THINK THAT YOU HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN GATHERING A CORE FAN BASE?

Yeah I'd think so. We've built a solid fan base in Joburg, people here are awesome, without them we'd die. As for the rest of the country, Durban has been great to us, we've made awesome friends down there, as well as Cape Town. We also have some rad friends down in PE. This year we're concentrating on the rest of the country, we have some rad tours planned. We're super grateful for everyone who comes to our shows!

FACING THE GALLOWS PLAYED RAMFEST IN CAPE TOWN A WHILE BACK. WHAT WAS IT LIKE TO PLAY OUTSIDE OF JOHANNESBURG AGAIN AND DID THE CROWDS HERE IN CAPE TOWN REACT A BIT DIFFERENTLY TO YOUR MUSIC THAN THE CROWDS IN JOBURG?

Ah Ramfest was INSANE! By far the best festival I have ever been to! The crowds down there are fun, we had a pigs head thrown on stage during our set, I guess that's second best to biting a bats head off on stage! I suppose people react differently everywhere. If you play in places that are far away, people tend to party more while we play cos they don't see us as often as Joburg and Pretoria peeps do. We love playing outside Joburg, it's alway a huge party!

DOES HAVING A VOCALIST THAT WEARS BLUE RUNNING SHORT’S HELP WHEN IT COMES TO EXITING THE WOMEN IN THE CROWD?

Well... I've heard mixed emotions about Bryan's shorts. Some girls think it's "cute" and others get freaked out. One girl once told me; "It was so gross, you could see his balls!" But I suppose you can only see them if you look at them, right?

THE BEST AND WORST LIVE SHOW / EXPERIENCE FOR THE BAND SO FAR?

Wow, that's always a tough one. I think one of our best shows was at Seasons Wither 2, wow that was insane! Also Thornfest, that was super wild, we had a slipped disc in the crowd as a result of a stage dive! I can't wait for the 3rd! Black Dahlia is always fun for us as well.

As for the worst show... I'd say a show we DIDN'T play at Boogaloos in Monte Casino, where security shut down the show as we were about to go on, after we had been there all day and night supporting other bands. But the organisers took care of us! Thanks Kyle :)

WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK ABOUT THE WAY SHOWS ARE ORGANIZED AND RUN THESE DAYS AND WHAT CAN BE DONE TO GET MORE PEOPLE TO SHOWS IN YOUR OPINION?

Generally shows are run well, and bands are treated well too, so I can't really complain. The only thing(s) I can think of are, lower cover charge... Joburg has the most expensive shows ever. I constantly hear about people not being able to come to shows because they're too expensive, and huge shows with a million bands on a million stages, no one ever has time to watch a full set because they have to run off to watch the next band...

EVERYBODY KNOWS THAT THE INTERNET HAS MADE THE WORLD ALLOT “SMALLER”. HAS YOUR MUSIC GAINED POPULARITY OUTSIDE OF SOUTH AFRICA WITH THE HELP OF MYSPACE, FACEBOOK AND ANY OTHER SOCIAL NETWORKING PLATFORM?

Yeah, definitely! We have quite a large fan base in Australia, they're awesome, and like keeping in contact with us which I think is great. We also have a lot of fans in the States and all over Europe too. It blows my mind when I see add from places like Finland and Mexico and all sorts of fascinating countries!

LOOKING AT YOUR MYSPACE AND FACEBOOK YOU GUYS SEEM TO HAVE ALLOT OF FUN WITH THIS BAND BUT IN WHAT WAYS DO YOU TAKE YOUR MUSIC AND SONG WRITING SERIOUSLY?

We love our band, and the stupid things we do. When it comes to writing songs, we have pretty strong opinions; because we obviously want to write good songs, so if someone doesn't like something, they'll let the rest of the band know. Then once we find something awesome, we all freak out like kids, then go swim or something. So band practice is fun, but serious when we need to be. If we weren't serious at times, we would be nowhere.

A PERSON CAN CLEARLY HEAR YOUR “INFLUENCES” IN YOUR SONGS. DO YOU FIND IT HARD SOMETIMES TO GET NEW PEOPLE INTERESTED IN YOUR MUSIC WHEN IT IS AUTOMATICALLY LABELLED UNDER A GENRE AS METALCORE?

Obviously not everyone is going to like your music. Everyone has their opinion, and no matter what genre, there's either good music or bad music... So if people like us, we get amped about it, and love them for it. We would never force someone to like us, that's impossible. Some of my closest friends aren't too fond of our music, but appreciate what goes into it, that's cool! If someone says "Your music sucks, because, I don't know, it just sucks!" Then they can fuck off. If you hate my music, give me a reason and I'll gladly accept it and still love you for it!

MANY BANDS CHANGE THEIR SOUND HALF WAY THROUGH THEIR CAREERS, DO YOU SEE FACING THE GALLOWS DOING THE SAME AT SOME STAGE, BECAUSE YOU CAN’T PLAY THE SAME TYPE OF STUFF FOREVER, CAN YOU?

That's true. I suppose bands get bored with playing the same style for years. But if you can find ways to keep the genre fresh then it's different. I think experimentation is a better word than change. We've started experimenting with singing for instance, but our music hasn't really changed much.

We are working on some more rock n roll/ southern vibes, but we'll incorporate that into our already existing style, so nothing will change, you'll just hear different elements of the genre's we experiment with. So in a sense you can play the same thing for ever, you just have to learn to play it differently... If that makes sense.

2008 WAS A GOOD YEAR FOR YOU, HOW ARE YOU PLANNING TO MAINTAIN THE “HYPE” AROUND YOU GUYS AND TAKE THE BAND TO GREATER HEIGHTS IN 2009?

Yeah it was an awesome year for us! We had some sick shows, amazing tours, made new friends all over tha place and just had a party all year! This year we have a few things in the pipeline. We just shot a music video. Hopefully that will help us more; we had some pretty important people in the film industry that helped us with that, so there will no doubt be an awesome end result once they've finished editing!

We're also trying to concentrate on outside of Joburg, and get more of a name outside of town, spread the love and make some new friends and party with complete strangers, as well as the people we've come to know since we've started.

WHICH ONE OF YOU GUYS IS THE BIGGEST CONTROL FREAK WHEN IT COMES TO ORGANIZING AND HAVING THE BAND RUN SMOOTHLY?

Anyone who knows us will know that I am a complete control freak. I freak out when the guys are late for shows, I freak out if they're late for practice, I pretty much freak out for most things. I do all the management stuff myself so I like to keep things going smoothly, and like to make sure I know of everything that goes on.

I do owe you an apology for the late reply on the interview. I'll buy you a beer sometime :) But yeah, without a control freak there would be no control, and I'm proud of where my control freakness and the freaks I work with has got us.

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

Obviously my band, Ray, Chase, Nem and Bryan. I love you guys! Music Connection has helped us more than anyone so far. Deon (Oom Dad), Bryan's dad, who has only missed something like 7 shows out of over a hundred since we've started. He has all the faith in the world in us, and is one of the reasons we love doing this so much, just to see how amped he gets! Party Pete, for 20 years! And just partying, because that’s what he does, and no one does it better! The boys from The Dead Will Tell, team dangerous for life! Yeah, they help us with all our recordings, Mike and Staab are little studio genius'!

Advice, practice makes perfect, and don't take people's crap, someone will always like your music, so if someone gives you shit, stick a good ol' thumbs up in their face, a good solid nod and keep on rocking and doing what you love! Also thank YOU Neil and projectrfsezine for the interview!

CITY OF GATES

PHOTOGRAPHY BY STEPHEN FRANK
WEBSITE: www.myspace.com/cityofgates
COUNTRY: South Africa STYLE: Hardcore / Metal

YOU GUYS HAVE RECENTLY BEEN INVOLVED IN THE GIVE LIFE TOUR WHICH IS ALL ABOUT SPREADING A POSITIVE MESSAGE TO AUDIENCES. WHY DO YOU THINK IT IS SO IMPORTANT TO SPREAD A MESSAGE THAT IS POSITIVE IN THIS DAY AND AGE?

Well, there are so many awesome things happening in the world every day, all around us, and not much of that is being celebrated through music in the genre that we find ourselves in. So many bands or artists in the heavier music scene focus on all the bad things in life and sing about things they hate, and have such a negative outlook on the world.

We find it way better to focus on and write music about things we love, the uplifting and positive aspects of life. As far as we are concerned, there is far more passion and raw heartfelt power in music made for a love of something, rather than for a hate of something.

WHERE DOES YOUR SHARED PASSION FOR MUSIC COME FROM AND HOW DOES IT REFLECT IN THE MUSIC THAT YOU WRITE AND PERFORM?

Our passion for music comes from the love of self expression and the feeling of stoke that it gives! It can’t get felt any other way. Nothing gets us more amped than a circle pit or a sweet breakdown.

Our music is also a reflection of our shared faith, and lyrically it is evident that we draw a lot of who we are from our faith. Without our shared faith the music would not be as sincere or honest.

I SEE YOU GUYS ARE PLAYING WITH HASTE THE DAY ON THE DURBAN LEG OF THEIR SA TOUR. YOU MUST BE EXITED TO SAY THE LEAST?

To say the least indeed! We are over the freaking moon! Haste the Day are definitely one of our biggest influences and to share the stage with them is literally a dream come true. We’ve been listening to them since we were groms and to finally see them live, let alone play with them, is going to be mind blowing!

NOW THAT INTERNATIONAL BANDS ARE SLOWLY BUT SURELY COMING TO TOUR IN SOUTH AFRICA DO YOU THINK IT WILL IMPACT POSITIVELY ON THE STANDARDS OF BANDS AND VENUES ALIKE?

Without a doubt. You can see all over how venues are getting better, especially in terms of sound and organisation, and how the bands are getting more professional.The music local bands are producing now and the standards they set themselves far supersede those from back in the day.

Also the equipment the bands are using is proving to be a huge step in the calibre of music being produced. So the more international bands that pull in will get the local scene on track, it inspires the local bands to aspire to new heights, and shows them what they are capable of achieving.

TALKING ABOUT STANDARDS. HOW HIGH ARE THE STANDARDS YOU HAVE SET FOR THIS BAND AND HAVE YOU REACHED SOME OF THE GOALS YOU HAVE SET FOR YOURSELVES?

Our standards are pretty high I’d say. We try to be as professional as we can, without turning it into a business. In the end the music we make is for us, and as long as we’re happy with it, then we consider it to be good enough. We have definitely reached some goals we have set, although we aren’t a consciously goal driven band. Obviously there are certain things we would like to achieve, but it’s not like “Ok guys, we have to tour three cities in the next month or else we’re going to look like a joke”.

GOOD NEWS IS THAT YOU GUYS HAVE FINISHED RECORDING AN EP. CAN YOU REVEAL YET WHEN IT WILL BE COMING OUT?

We’ve just released it, on the Cape Town leg of the Give Life Tour.We were just waiting for the best time to release it, and we felt the Cape Town leg was perfect as it would be the best place to spread our music to a place where we hadn’t played or been heard before. The EP will be available at all our shows from now on.

WHAT WERE SOME OF THE BIGGEST HIGHS AND LOWS THAT YOU EXPERIENCED DURING THE RECORDING PROCESS MUSICALLY?

The highs were definitely getting into studio and experimenting with the songs, and just getting tighter as a band. Also to get the music to places where we can’t play live is awesome. Touring is also too much fun. The friends you make and the good times you share with your band mates are remembered forever! The lows would just be the cost of getting a good recording, haha! And to realize that you need a HUGE budget to be able to get yourself sounding like your favourite bands.

WHAT ARE YOU GUYS PACKING IN THE EQUIPMENT DEPARTMENT AND WHAT TYPE OF GUITAR TUNINGS DO YOU USE TO CREATE YOUR “SOUND”?

Keagan plays a five string Ibanez through an Ashdown Mag 300 (soon to be the matching 4 X 10 Cab) and a in a bit of a weird tuning. It’s tuned to C-E-A-D-G.

Nick plays an LTD EC-1000 in Drop C through an Ibanez 100W Toneblaster stack.

Alan uses an Epiphone SG Standard in Drop C with a Hiwatt Maxwatt G100

Andy uses Zildjian A Custom crashes, Paiste hi-hats, Zildjian ZXT 10 inch splash, Zildjian ZXT 16 inch china, Zildjian K custom mini 14 inch china, Tama Powerglide double bass pedal and a Tama Swingstar steel shell 14x5 inch snare.

WITH SO MANY BANDS PLAYING SO MANY DIFFERENT VARIATIONS OF HARDCORE THESE DAYS, IN WHAT WAY SHOULD SOMEONE BE ABLE TO DISTINGUISH A TRUE HARDCORE BAND FROM ONE WHICH I GUESS ISN’T REALLY HARDCORE ( I HOPE MY QUESTION MAKES SENSE)?

Haha, I hope the answer makes sense then too! Well as we said before, hardcore is about passion and being true to yourself, and having a genuine love for the music you make. Instead of being in a hardcore band to be seen on stage, and be “cool”. H2O say it best “What happened to the passion? (passion!)What happened to the reason for screaming?What happened to the music and the message that I love?”

I SEE YOU GUYS HAVE REALLY TAKEN THE INITIATIVE ON THE MERCH SIDE OF THINGS. DO YOU THINK A BIT OF “BUSINESS SENSE” GOES A LONG WAY IN HELPING ANY INDEPENDENT BAND?

Undoubtedly! To cover costs and not have the band cost you loads of money, some business sense goes a long, long way. For us, to have the band cover all its expenses is ideal, and to make a bit of a profit is pretty cool too. Merch is a really good way to make a little extra cash, and it will help the band to do stuff that they’d like to do, whether it be recording time or a tour, a little extra cash makes it all possible.

I SEE ON YOUR MYSPACE PAGE THAT THERE ARE FIVE BAND MEMBERS LISTED ON THE LEFT BUT ON ALL THE OTHER BAND PHOTOS THERE ARE ONLY FOUR BAND MEMBERS. DID I MISS SOMETHING?

Haha, no you didn’t. That was a good observation, haha. Alan, our second guitarist is taking a little break from the band to focus on his studies at the moment, but he is still a huge part of the band and he’ll be back gigging with us again soon.

WHEN I READ THIS QUOTE IN YOUR BAND BIO I FOUND IT TO BE VERY TRUE: “ENTER THROUGH THE NARROW GATE. FOR WIDE IS THE GATE AND BROAD IS THE ROAD THAT LEADS TO DESTRUCTION, AND MANY ENTER THROUGH IT. BUT SMALL IS THE GATE AND NARROW THE ROAD THAT LEADS TO LIFE, AND ONLY A FEW FIND IT." - MATTHEW 7:13-14 –“HOW BIG OF A ROLE DOES YOUR FAITH PLAY IN GUIDING WHAT YOU DO AS A BAND?

Like we said earlier, our faith is the foundation of this band. The music we make is all about our faith, and it shapes us not only as a band, but as individuals too. It is the absolute root of the passion of City of Gates!

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

We’d just like to thank all the guys who go to shows with genuine appreciation for the music, and not just to hang out. Thanks to Ash from Truth and its Burden and Bryan from Ghosthunter Bookings for organizing the Give Life Tour ’09 and for inviting us, they’re both huge legends. Also some of the bands in Durban that make things happen, Facefirst, Crossingpoint and a couple others. Thanks too to our sponsors, K-Swiss and Eastpak. Love

TRUTH AND ITS BURDEN

PHOTOGRAPHY BY KENNETH ELLIS
WEBSITE: www.myspace.com/truthanditsburden
COUNTRY: South Africa STYLE: Hardcore / Progressive / Metal

BEING AN INDEPENDENT BAND WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES OF GOING OUT THERE AND CREATING YOUR OWN OPPORTUNITIES AND NOT SITTING AROUND AND WAITING FOR PEOPLE TO GIVE YOU A CHANCE?

ASHLEY: Well ultimately, it’s a simple idea really; the early bird catches the worm type thing. If you put your heart into something, rewards should follow. I can’t understand how a band can claim to be passionate about music and just stand one side waiting for hand outs; it makes absolutely no sense at all. We make our own opportunities by being very DIY based, I book the shows for us and manage the band related concerns, and that way we have control.

I read a thing a long time ago I think on Truskill Records’ demo submission section on their website. Read something like this “if we don’t know your band, you’re not working hard enough; we’ve never signed a band from a demo submission”. In essence that statement stands true and carried a lot of weight for me. I’m proud that we do things in the manner that we do, we’ve toured SA a few times, I have done so with a couple bands I have played in and it’s all self booked, self financed tours. There’s a lot that can be said for that, just from a self/band achievement point of view.

CALVIN: I think there is a time and place for everything, and if you’re a hard working band that puts a lot of heart and effort in what you do, there will be people out there that enjoy it and want to support your efforts. Of course your success will feel a lot greater because as a band you won’t just be sitting around waiting for things to happen, and like everything, what you achieve depends on how much work you put into something.

DID YOU GUYS JUST “CLICK” AT THE BEGINNING OR DID IT TAKE TIME FOR YOU TO DEVELOP YOUR SOUND TO THE POINT WHERE YOU ARE NOW?

ASHLEY: We really just clicked from day one, that’s the gospel truth. I actually helped the band out in a Battle for the bands contest; they were then called “The Halo Effect”. I free-styled the set after one practice and it really worked out well. I really enjoyed the easy going attitude that existed with the members and the style was something I wanted to be a part of. We work well as a band of friends too, which is really great, it’s really important to be friends.

WOULD YOU SAY THAT THERE IS A CERTAIN THEME RUNNING THROUGH ALL OF YOUR SONGS LINKING THEM ALL TOGETHER IN SOME WAY?

ASHLEY: A lot of our songs sometimes brush past negative aspects of the world or life in general. We address these negative aspects and try to find a positive outcome through either changing our own outlook on life or changing our lifestyle. Some topics would talk about the degradation of the world as a whole, where others would talk about more personal issues, taking the listener to a place of self realization where they can find their own solutions to issues. Our soon to be released debut album “Sending the hope home” encompasses these songs pretty well with a general theme of Hope as the key idea behind solutions to our problems. Without hope, it seems pointless to try and search for answers.

CALVIN: From my part my writing all depends on mood and events that have happened in my life lately, and I’m sure you can hear it in a lot of the songs if you knew what I was going through when writing a particular track. Although there is always a lot of influence from bands that we are currently listening to and what Ashley brings to the table before we start writing, we always try base a song around a lyrical point of view because 90% of the time it is what the rest of us are feeling anyway.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR SOUND TO PEOPLE AND WHAT WOULD YOU SAY ATTRACTED YOU THE MOST TO MAKING THIS TYPE OF MUSIC?

ASHLEY: Our sound is very aggressive on the whole; we do have a lot of off timed technical rhythms and beats. Its epic at times with melodic singing parts to help that along, but heavier at the right times. The songs flow very well with the lyrics. We mould a lot of our songs to the lyrics, that way songs pick up pace and drop to melody at the right times in the songs. We have a very story type writing style where songs don’t really have repeating parts or choruses. It makes writing a lot harder because your parts need to be well considered while at the same time they need to still feel one with the rest of the song.

The main attraction to this writing style comes from a feeling of just pushing your own personal boundaries as a song writer and musician, it’s good to beat your last best song with the writing of a new one, it’s always a challenge and the rewards are in the end product.

YOU GUYS ARE RELEASING AN ALBUM IN THE SECOND PART OF THE YEAR. CAN YOU TELL US ANYTHING ABOUT IT YET LIKE WHERE YOU ARE PLANNING TO RECORD AND WHO IS PRODUCING?

ASHLEY: We’ve recorded our album at Anti Motion Studios in Sandringham with Jacques Du Plessis as the Producer (Tonight We Die, Rife) and Assistant Engineer David Grevler who is also the owner of the studio. We’re currently in the mixing process of the recording, then it’s got to be mastered, we hope to have it out by mid year, but it could potentially take a little bit longer.

IN WHAT WAYS ARE YOU PLANNING TO TAKE THE BAND TO NEW HIGHS WITH THE RELEASE OF THE ALBUM?

ASHLEY: We are also planning to shoot a music video for a song called “Obstacle” which we hope will be aired on MK. We are booking a launch tour, and of course the album will be released through my record label Hope Haven Records. I will be doing my best from that side to ensure the release has got distribution in South Africa, and have already worked out distro through Blood & Ink Records in the US for the release.

We also do plan to get our release across to Australia and possibly Europe. Being a debut release for both TAIB & Hope Haven, it’s important to be real about things and to try and use the release as a paving brick rather than a ground breaking release that will get us signed to a major label overseas. We will try and use it to secure an overseas tour early next year though, and hopefully we can pull that off.

YOUR BAND ONLY HAS ONE GUITARIST WHICH IS A BIT RARE FOR A METALCORE BAND, HOW DO YOU BALANCE WHAT YOU RECORD WITH WHAT IS CAPABLE IN A LIVE ENVIRONMENT?

CALVIN: Well being the only guitarist I try to make our recordings as live as possible, playing only what I play live and adding a little bit more here and there to fill up the space. But at the end of the day we are a band with only one guitarist and I think every band should be well represented on what they record. I think our live sound has become much tighter and clearer, and all the kids that come out to shows understand where our music is coming from a lot more being a four peace band.

SO FAR YOU HAVE MADE A NAME FOR YOURSELVES MOSTLY AS A LIVE ACT. YOU ARE ON THE LINE UP OF THE GIVE LIFE TOUR THAT HAS COVERED MOST OF THE COUNTRY SO FAR. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS THAT COME TO MIND?

ASHLEY: We have a really strong presence on stage as a band, I guess its important for bands to have a sincere live show, which is something I believe we do have, its not us trying to be entertainers by throwing ourselves around a small stage and swinging guitars in every which way. For us it’s a very real experience, a total release. I guess for us, it’s a little hard to pick out a lot of highlights because essentially most of our shows involve us only where the audience does not know what to do with themselves, but a real big high point for us was playing Harvest Church in Durban last year on the 387 Revival tour.

We played to a packed house, all ages show and the kids were really into it, they carried us around in the crowd, tackled me, sang along and really enjoyed the show. I think when you have that at a show, you really feel at home, warm and fuzzy. I think Durban also has a really vibrant and positive scene, which works well with our message and what we’re trying to achieve as a band.

CALVIN: My highlights like most tours I’m sure, is that we all just get to meet new people and chill with each other, we are like a family after all. Whether the shows are good or bad I feel we are always growing as a band and always put in as much effort as we can. We’ve had some really good shows and some really bad ones but, that’s life.

THE POSTER FOR THE GIVE LIVE TOUR READS: “PUTTING OUR MESSAGE FORWARD. GIVING BACK THE HOPE THEY HAD. POSITIVITY IS OUR ONLY RELEASE”. IN WHAT WAYS DO YOU THINK HEAVY MUSIC CAN HELP TO SPREAD THE MESSAGE OF POSITIVITY TO PEOPLE?

ASHLEY: Really good question, it’s strange because we booked the tour and a lot of people tend to think that positive message has no place in heavy music…Go back a couple years to Sepultura, one of the worlds strongest bands, singing about your roots and being real about who you are, about standing up against beings that wish to oppress people. Those same people that talk about heavy music only being negative have never read a lyric sheet of any metal band, because even though Obituary sang about world demise etc, they sang about it with an intention to encourage change, that’s positive, just with a negative approach.

Today bands like Shai Hulud sing about the same stuff with a bitter taste and it encourages you to think about your actions, it encourages change.We’ve had a lot of positive and negative response from doing this Give Life Tour. Music is the most commonly done thing in the world, people listen to music everyday without even thinking about it, so having a positive message can definitely change perception, it did for me, and has done so for so many others before my time. You just need to look at what Straight Edge has done for millions of mis-directed youth to understand the positive reaction has had on a generation.

GOING THROUGH YOUR BAND PHOTOS ON FACEBOOK YOU SEE EVERYTHING FROM MOSH PITS TO WHAT LOOKS LIKE A BUNCH OF FANS MAKING A HUMAN PYRAMID. IN ALL OF THE PLACES THAT YOU HAVE PERFORMED, WHAT TOWN OR CITY SEEMS TO HAVE THE WILDEST FANS IN YOUR OPINION?

ASHLEY: Durban, without a doubt. The kids have heart and they have a real interest and understanding for what we are about as band. We’ve had good responses in Johannesburg as well, but really nothing that comes close to Durban for us.

CALVIN: Durban

SOME PEOPLE ARE STILL COMPLAINING ABOUT THE STATE OF LIVE VENUES. WHAT DO YOU THINK OWNERS AND PROMOTERS CAN DO MORE OF TO IMPROVE THE SCENE AND THE QUALITY OF SHOWS?

ASHLEY: Promoters need to be transparent with bands on how the deal works; they need to be up front with bands. Too many promoters are hiding behind closed doors giving bands small fees and taking the high cuts for very little work. I book our shows and ran an events company years back called “Gorrilla Productions”. It was a transparent business; we took money at the door, counted cash in front of bands, and paid out fair amounts. When shows were bad, the bands understood and we all lost as one. We had a huge sense of trust invested in the whole thing back then and it’s really missing now days.

Out of any venue out there, I would say that Black Dahlia, if you book a direct show with them, run things as transparent as I’ve mentioned, they count cash with you and help punt the shows, they print nice monthly posters, and send out news blasts. They are really working hard to be the best live venue and to be fair. They will be really hugely successful because they as band members themselves understand key factors that are of high importance to bands. Good in house sound, with a competent engineer, paying what you agreed to pay, helping advertise and punt, being approachable good dudes, having drink specials etc. It all contributes to success for everyone. We have had many good shows at that venue.

WITH SO MANY BANDS TRYING TO MAKE IT IN THE MUSIC BUSINESS DO YOU THINK THAT THEY SHOULD STRIVE TO BE LIKE THEIR MUSICAL HEROES OR STRIVE MORE TO BE THEMSELVES?

ASHLEY: Be yourself, try and find what works for you very early on. We’ve all been hugely influenced by bands and it will come out in the music, no band can say their sound is completely utterly unique, Shai Hulud outright admit their main influence as Strong Arm and if you’ve heard both bands you can see how true that is, yet Shai Hulud have been lucky enough to build on a good sound and find their very own writing style and sound, now they’re genre defining, so it does work that way, but as said earlier, try hard to find your sound early on.

CALVIN: From my part I would always strive to be yourself and write music that best represents yourself. We all have our favorite bands and I think it is really good to be influenced by them. But I think it takes time for musicians to develop their own unique style because in the beginning everyone wants to sound like their favorite band, but from my part I realized later that writing music that represents me is a much better feeling.

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

ASHLEY: I would like to thank the people that come to our shows, who reach out and speak to us after shows. The people that share experiences with us. The people that give us nice compliments and encourage us as a band, the bands and promoters that are real about things, thank you all!

CALVIN: I would like to thank everyone that we have met so far and shared experiences with, anyone that has faith in the band and has made a effort to come out and support us and support other bands in the scene, And all the venues that make shows possible. Advise that I could give to any band is that, if you work hard and are passionate about your music, it will pay off in some way or another.

LIFEBLUD

WEBSITE: www.myspace.com/lifeblud
COUNTRY: South Africa STYLE: Metal / Gothic / Other

WHAT WAS THE ONE THING THAT TOTALLY CONVINCED YOU TO GET INTO MUSIC?

KASSANDRA: I needed no convincing. For as long as I can remember... music has always featured in my life. I made a conscious decision to make it a lifelong journey, at the age of nine, I woke up from a dream with the complete conviction that singing and music was my 'lifeblud' (much to the despair of most of my family).

/AV/: Birth. As a child I drove my parent’s nuts on road trips, making up crazy songs.

HOW DID THIS PROJECT COME TOGETHER AND IN WHAT ASPECTS DO YOU THINK YOU CAN EXPRESS YOURSELF BETTER IN THIS BAND THAN YOU WOULD BE ABLE TO IN A FULL FIVE PIECE BAND?

KASSANDRA: I was singing in 'Abstract Evil Barbee', when by chance I heard that AV (at the time the guitarist of the 'Awakening') was looking for a collaborator on 'a project'. We met through a friend.

Till recently we had not met other musicians that share a common vision with us (I am bound to offend with that comment).

/AV/: I saw Kassandra in the 'Top40' magazine in 97, she was in 'Abstract Evil Barbee' and thought it would be damned great if she would be interested in working with me. I had met about 50 vocalists up till then.

A mutual friend introduced us; we played our first gig about 6 months later. Initially we could not find a drummer, then the bassist quit, then the cat got run over. Our first few gigs were as a 2 piece, and subsequently a horde of people have come and gone. Being a duo has been more of a survival tactic.

LIFEBLUD CONSISTS OUT OF TWO MEMBERS. THERE ARE MANY BANDS OUT THERE THAT CONSIST OUT OF ONE AND TWO MEMBERS THESE DAYS. DO YOU JUST FIND IT EASIER TO WRITE MUSIC AND SHARE IDEAS WITH ONE PERSON WITHOUT HAVING TO WORRY ABOUT COMPROMISING ANY OF YOUR IDEAS WITH THREE TO FOUR OTHER PEOPLE?

KASSANDRA: This is just the way it has worked out for us thus far.

/AV/: We smack it with a really big hammer until it fits.

LIFEBLUD HAS RELEASED AN EP TITLED “OPEN” IN 2005 SINCE THEN YOU POSTED A NEW SONG ON MYSPACE IN NOVEMBER LAST YEAR. DO YOU PLAN TO RELEASE ANOTHER EP OR ALBUM ANY TIME SOON?

KASSANDRA: We have a lot of new material, recorded, and plans are in place for various releases. I don't favour mediocrity or bashing out songs... I am working at mastering my art.

/AV/: Not soon enough!!

YOUR MUSIC IS A MIX OF (AND I HOPE I AM EXPLAINING THIS OK) AMBIENT SOUNDING KEYBOARDS AND BLACK METAL / GOTHIC STYLE DRUMMING. IS YOUR MUSIC ALL YOUR FAVOURITE INFLUENCES FUSED INTO ONE SOUND?

KASSANDRA: There is no conscious decision to fuse our 'influences', music happens chaotically for me and what evolves out of that ...well is what it is... continually changing and becoming. Nothing is forced or intentional. I have a love for many styles of music. I particularly have an interest in vocal styles and techniques of other cultures.

/AV/: Absolute self indulgence.

ARE MOST LIFEBLUD SONGS BORN OUT OF A PARTICULAR VOCAL YOU HAVE IN MIND OR DO YOU USUALLY WRITE AND RECORD THE MUSIC FIRST?

KASSANDRA: There is no particular method we use, it can be either.

/AV/: Our writing process involves severe sleep deprivation and caffeine abuse.

KASSANDRA YOU HAVE A VERY UNIQUE VOCAL STYLE ON THE SONG “LET THERE BE LIGHT”. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN SINGING AND HOW HAS YOUR VOCAL STYLE DEVELOPED OVER THE YEARS TILL NOW?

I have been singing since I was a toddler, it is just natural for me to do so. Singing is an intense vehicle of expression for me, something stirs in me and I need to vocalize it. It is a primitive need in me. The human voice is incredible, it can convey so many subtle meanings, something I love.

I've not had any formal training. I like to push my boundaries vocally, so it can be said that my style has evolved? My voice represents where I am at this point in time...

THE PRODUCTION OF THE SONG “LET THERE BE LIGHT” IS VERY GOOD, WHERE DO YOU RECORD MOST OF YOUR MATERIAL AND HOW DO YOU USUALLY APPROACH THE SONG WRITING PROCESS BECAUSE ONE CAN HEAR ALLOT OF DIFFERENT LAYERS OF SOUNDS IN THAT ONE SONG ALONE?

KASSANDRA: I record us, (in our studio). Each song evolves in its own time (sometimes years) and as it does we 'hear' another 'layer' ... I often return to a song after being 'haunted' by it, hearing something new or removing a layer, adding lyrics written years ago or I might be inspired by a piece of music to write new lyrics. AV brings his songs, lyrics and ideas to me and I might add a part, add vocals.... and vice versa.

/AV/: We record at the ‘Bludbank’; it’s a small studio around the corner from were I live. They are pretty great; free range of the studio at an incredible rate, and all the Arabica coffee beans you can eat.

ONE CAN HEAR THAT YOU GUYS LIKE TO EXPERIMENT WITH DIFFERENT SOUNDS IN YOUR MUSIC. WHAT TYPE OF INSTRUMENTS DO YOU USE THE MOST TO GET THE RESULTS YOU WANT MUSICALLY?

KASSANDRA: My voice... I have a set of quartz crystal 'singing' bowls that create the most beautiful sine waves when recorded, I then manipulate those tones. I have a love for world and classical instruments, otherwise the usual guitars, synths, virtual instruments.

/AV/: Whatever is in front of us, but for me its mostly guitar.

I DON’T SEE ANY GIGS LISTED ON ANY OF YOUR WEB PAGES. DO YOU PERFORM LIVE ON A REGULAR BASIS OR ARE YOU MORE A RECORDING BAND THAN A LIVE BAND?

KASSANDRA: We have performed live quite extensively over the years, especially during 2005 and 2006 with the release of our EP. As most of our fan base is in Europe, USA and South America thus far, our focus since then has been on the music and connecting with these fans.

We are now working with brilliant musicians and are planning toward a couple of live performances later in the year. I am looking forward to it.

/AV/: As I said earlier, survival necessitated the nucleus, until now. Currently we have a band together that can pull it off effortlessly, and we hope to let things develop from there. For me, performing live is the big pay off in a way, and an essential part of the process.

HOW MANY MEMBERS USUALLY FEATURE IN THE LIVE VERSION OF LIFEBLUD AND HOW DO YOU TAKE THE SONGS YOU RECORDED AND ORGANISE EVERYTHING SO THAT IT CAN BE PERFORMED BY MORE THAN TWO PEOPLE?

KASSANDRA: Well, it mostly depends on what we require at the time, there are obvious parts to a song, we provide score or tab for the other musicians working with us. Live we will use backing tracks for some parts (especially for the atmospherics and additional choral vocals).

/AV/: When we played last, it was keys, drums, guitar, bass, axe, vox, before that it was bass, keys, axe, vox, and at one point it was vox, sequencer, axe, but the current line up will hopefully be vocals, 2 guitar, bass, drums. Ideally I'd like a full orchestra, with extra percussion, so we can do away with these devilish synthesizers. Never think about organising songs much, it just happens.

YOU LIST YOUR INFLUENCES AS DREAMS, VISIONS, LIFE AND DEATH. WOULD YOU SAY THEN THAT YOUR MUSIC IS MOSTLY INFLUENCED BY YOUR INTERPRETATION OF LIFE?

KASSANDRA: My interpretation of life? Naturally ...mmm … a deep love of nature. It is the creative expression of my will.

/AV/: Somatic death occurred about 5 years ago.

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

KASSANDRA: Live your Art without compromise.

/AV/: I'd like to thank Kassandra, who unlike everyone else, put up with my crap for the past decade.

A B TURBO

PHOTOGRAPHY BY IAN ENGELBRECHT
WEBSITE: www.myspace.com/abturbo
COUNTRY: South Africa STYLE: Progressive / Punk / Melodramatic Popular Song

B = Brett Allen-White, M = Matthew James

I DON’T ASK BANDS ABOUT THEIR NAMES REALLY THAT MUCH ANYMORE, BUT I AM REALLY CURIOUS TO KNOW HOW YOU GUYS CAME UP WITH AB TURBO?

M: Press ‘A’, ‘B’, and “Turbo” while you’re playing Contra, and see what happens.

B: If you think about it, we're the Nintendo generation, born in the early and mid eighties... we're the first group of people to have grown up with cellular phones, high speed internet, amazing graphics cards... it's just interesting to be part of the "Communications Age".

M: We came up with the name at the Riverclub in Obs, and had been juggling between ideas for ages. The ‘A’ an the ‘B’ actually stand for Absolutely Brilliant. Or was it Antelope Brain...? I forget.

I CAN DEFINITELY HEAR WHERE THE “TURBO” PART COMES INTO YOUR MUSIC. DO YOU PLAY ANYTHING THAT HAS LESS THAN 160 BEATS PER MINUTE?

M: Well, Green and Gold is pretty slow and driving, but what we try to do is create a sense of texture and variety in the tempo of our songs. I think a live set or an album should be written and structured like a storyline, with peaks and dips in the right places to keep you interested.

THE LOCAL SCENE IS DOMINATED BY METAL / HARDCORE AND RADIO FRIENDLY ROCK THESE DAYS. WHAT CONVINCED YOU TO “SWIM UPSTREAM” AND GO IN THE PUNK ROCK / POST HARDCORE ROUTE RATHER THAN PLAYING A HEAVIER GENRE OF MUSIC?

M: We’d been doing the metal/hardcore thing for a while, and for me personally, the screaming and singing 50-50 combo was not so rad. It was getting predictable. But now I’m not sure where to classify us.

B: We listen to everything. Each member of the band has their own distinct musical taste. I love Southern hardcore, bands like Every Time I Die and He is Legend, and other bands like Converge (too heavy) or SigurRos (too Icelandic) that I'm not allowed to play in the car when we all go out, but then I'm also fine with a little Taking Back Sunday or Paramore.

M: True. And I’m sure the punk rock fans will say we’re not punk rock enough, and the tattooed post hardcore kids will say the we’re not post hardcore enough either. I’m not sure which genre will claim us.

B: I'd actually consider us a rock band, with influences that come from punk rock, hardcore, heavy metal, classic rock, pop... yeah, we're just a product of what we love.

YOU GUYS HAVE AN ENTIRE EP’S WORTH OF SONGS AVAILABLE FOR FREE DOWNLOAD AT: WWW.LOADTHESHOW.COM/SHOW/ABTURBO, I GUESS YOU’VE GOT TO GIVE A LITTLE TO GET SOMETHING BACK?

M: We want our music to be heard, and it’s pretty clear that these days it’s much easier to get your music out there over the internet. And it’s free as well.

B: I didn't know about that. See you in court.

ACCORDING TO YOUR MYSPACE BIO THE BAND IS WRITING NEW MATERIAL AND RECORDING AT ITS HOME STUDIO. HOW HAS THE PROCESS BEEN GOING SO FAR AND IS THIS SHAPING UP TO BE AN EP OR AN ALBUM AT THIS STAGE?

B: Ah, we're writing new songs and recording demos of them all the time, we sort of e-mail them to each other and give opinions, it's great. Devon and Pete are writing the sort of songs that I'd listen to even if I wasn't in the band. I think it's important, you know, to really enjoy what you're making.

M: At this stage, there is definitely an album in the works. Our studio is currently getting re-vamped, and in the meantime, we’re writing and tweaking our new tracks, getting design work together for merch, and basically getting everything ready. The release date for the album will hopefully be known soon, but if you guys don’t know it, then we probably don’t either.

ON MANY OF THE SONGS THAT YOU HAVE POSTED ONLINE YOU GUYS MAKE USE OF VARIOUS PRODUCTION TECHNIQUES, ACOUSTIC GUITARS AND EFFECTS. EVEN THOUGH YOU HAVE A “SOUND” IS IT FUN TO EXPERIMENT WITH IT AND TO SEE “HOW DEEP THE RABBIT HOLE GOES”?

M: Of course! It’s always great to experiment during post-production. Sometimes it will just be clear to us that a certain guitar part will sound perfect on a steel string acoustic, and we’ll change it, or maybe put piano behind another part of a song, even though we don’t haul a grand piano to our shows.

B: I joined the band after the songs we have online were written and recorded, so I'm looking forward to recording our new ones, and being part of the production process.

I’VE TALKED TO A FEW PEOPLE WHO SAY THAT EVERY GOOD RIFF IN ROCK MUSIC HAS ALREADY BEEN WRITTEN AND THAT BANDS TODAY ARE JUST REWORKING WHAT HAS ALREADY BEEN CREATED, DO YOU THINK THAT IS TRUE IN SOME ASPECTS WHEN YOU SEE HOW MANY BANDS ARE PERFORMING COVERS THESE DAYS?

B: That's like saying every good story has already been told. I disagree. Of course there are a lot of unoriginal bands out there, but we're not interested in them.

WHAT HAS BEEN THE WEIRDEST THING YOU HAVE EVER SEEN OR DONE THAT INSPIRED YOU TO WRITE A SONG AT A LATER STAGE?

B: As far as I know, one of our new songs is inspired by our guitarists drunken argument with the sun at Ramfest this year, but I wasn't around for the infamous "What if your head was the theme song from 'Murder She Wrote’, and your neck was a leather bound book, and... oh... where's my beer?" conversation. I was swimming in the Breede with Donovan from Valkyrie Fighter. In the nude. For this, we will not apologise.

M: I believe it was the theme song from Cheers. Devon and Sean also saw some old drunk man at Peddlars in Constantia, on a very regular basis, in the same chair, with what always looked like the same drink. So Devon wrote a song about him. I think that guys still there. Waiting for what, we do not know.

MAY IS GOING TO BE A BIG MONTH FOR YOU GUYS WHEN YOU OPEN FOR HASTE THE DAY AT THE KLEIN LIBERTAS THEATRE. DO YOU THINK THAT OPENING SHOWS FOR INTERNATIONAL ACTS LIKE HASTE THE DAY WILL OPEN MORE DOORS FOR YOU IN THE FUTURE?

B: We certainly hope so. It's a huge blessing. I still have knots in my stomach when I think about it.

M: Definitely! Although I dont get knots until about a day before. I think it’s about time we got the recognition we deserve, and it’s a great feeling. I feel like getting chances like these is alot like trying to pick up wet soap. It’s possible, but it’ll take a while before it happens. And some of them slip right through your fingers. I could do soap analogies for hours. Regardless, we’re ecstatic.

DO YOU GUYS SPEND MUCH TIME GOING OUT TO WATCH OTHER BANDS, AND HAVE YOU EVER BEEN INFLUENCED IN A POSITIVE WAY TO BE A BETTER MUSICIAN, BY WATCHING ANOTHER BAND PERFORM?

B: I attend as many gigs as possible, at least one a week, two if they're on at different times or evenings. It's important to support other bands and show pride in our scene. Last week Matthew, our guitarist Devon and I drove out to Stellenbosch to watch Fokofpolisiekar and the Slashdogs at Klein Libertas, and on Thurs I went to watch C.D.C and Yes Sir! Mister Machine at ROAR.

M: I enjoy watching other bands, and I often find myself watching the performances to see where we can improve as a band, and as a vocalist. I often find myself getting new inspiration and getting amped to perform after I’ve watched a live set. The last time that happened, I think I went to go see Ashtray Electric.

B: I'm a huge Tonight We Die fan, and Wilbert, their original bassist, inspired me to focus more on my instrument and to push the bass lines further. Watching Blindside live here was also amazing and got me excited about making music again.

IF YOU HAD TO CHOOSE ONE GIG AS YOUR BEST ONE SO FAR WHICH ONE WOULD IT BE AND WHAT CAN PEOPLE WHO HAVE NEVER SEEN YOU LIVE EXPECT TO SEE AT AN AB TURBO SHOW?

B: My favourite was our first gig at Mercury Lounge. It just felt like a good, fun rock and roll show, in comparison to some huge budget theatre production where the beer is too expensive.

M: I’d love to say the Pro-X Extreme Games, but it was actually just way to hot for everyone. And it was the biggest stage I’d ever set foot on, so it was a little intimidating. I guess my best show so far was at the New Altum Music Video Launch. That was awesome.

EVER HAD ANYTHING WEIRD THROWN AT YOU WHILE PERFORMING ON STAGE?

B: I've been fed a cheese and Marmite sandwich during a gig.

M: I got bought a brandy and coke once, but fortunately it wasn’t thrown. He did throw a piercing glance my way when it got knocked over.

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

B: I'd like to thank Yes Sir! Mister Machine, Verona Walls, Valkyrie Fighter and New Altum, good friends and good bands we've had the privledge of gigging with so far, and the members of the Cape Town scene who have stuck around since the Purple Turtle days and put up with all our nonsense. Our nonsense. Uh... Southern Suburbs, Rock, City!