September 28th, 2015 | E-mail interview by NINa | Submit for an interview | professional review | Read other Fabryka interviews
NINa: Does having 2 full-length albums released so far (A Separation, 2011 & Give Up The Ghost, 2015) make you feel self-confident about your band and the reception these albums have enjoyed, or do you still feel that you need to 'prove' yourself musically and grab more attention of the music industry? What response to your songs do you desire the most?Michael: We are really proud of our two albums. I think there is a confidence that comes from all the hard work that goes into writing and recording the songs. There’s something cathartic about the whole process. Releasing those albums have probably taken away some of the pressure to prove ourselves to others, but we are perfectionists - so I think it’s more about proving to ourselves that have more to contribute that what we’ve already accomplished. Ultimately, I just want people to hear our music and feel a deeper connection to it.
Richard: There is always a desire to 'prove' ourselves. That pushes us to write the music that we write. I am confident in our songs and that makes me want to grab more attention. I want as many people as possible to hear our music.
Logan: I just want people to connect with it. To find something in the songs that they can relate to.
NINa: Your music carries a lot of emotions and it’s also performed very emotionally. Both Michael (vocals) and Rich (drums) have other artistic interests beside making music - sketching, painting, video & photography. Do you write songs for yourselves - as a form of therapy to let go of your own personal/creative tensions, or rather to let the listeners identify with messages embedded in the music, especially during live shows?
Michael: It’s a type of therapy. I’ve always believed that you must have an honest, emotional connection to the music in order for the listener to get that same emotional connection. But at the same time, I think it’s important to leave room for interpretation. We want listeners to be able to connect to our music in a way that makes sense to them, so we have to give them the space to do that.
Richard: I think it goes both ways. As artists, we first want to express our emotions through the music. I also hope that listeners can latch onto that emotional content and relate it to their own lives.
Logan: I just play and write to have a good time with my friends. I really enjoy that most listeners find their own meanings and connections with each song on their own without having to be prompted. It lets me know that the songs speak to them.
NINa: Your interpretation of "My Sharona" released on Give Up The Ghost sounds much heavier and slower than the original 70s rock'n'roll version. Why did you decide to cover this song specifically? Have you considered any others tracks? Perhaps something by Billy Idol, Talk Talk, Whitesnake or RATT?
Michael: It was appealing to me because here’s a song that nearly everyone is familiar with. I got the idea to completely change up the tempo and give the song a darker feel. There were already a lot of “My Sharona” covers out there but they all kept that same up-tempo, pop feel. Rich did an incredible job of bringing the concept to life. Doing a cover like that was something different for us, but we also wanted to make it our own.
Richard: "My Sharona" was a song that we didn't have a real connection to. We weren't afraid to radically change parts and write new parts. We've played other covers from bands like Nine Inch Nails and TOOL, but we played those more true to the original because we have emotional ties to them. With "Sharona", we thought it would be cool to take a well known radio hit and do it in a unique way. It was actually Michael's idea. He explained to me what he heard in his head and I demoed up a rough example that got us started. When everyone got involved, it blossomed into what we recorded.
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