Planting the Seed of Hope: An Interview with We Came as Romans
We Came as Romans released first full-length album in November and play San Diego show May 21st.
We Came as Romans are a six-piece hardcore band from Michigan, made up of Dave Stephens and Kyle Pavone on vocals, Joshua Moore and Lou Cotton on guitars, Andy Glass on bass and Eric Choi on drums. They recently released their first full-length album, To Plant a Seed, and are currently on The Emptiness Tour with Alesana, A Skylit Drive, The Word Alive and Of Mice and Men. I had the chance to talk to Moore in their tour van before the show about the tour, their album and the message that they hope to spread with their music.
The band first formed five years ago, when they were first named The Emergency, and began doing local shows. A year later they started going through some band member changes. They got a new drummer, Choi, and began to change their style of music. Four months after the initial change, Glass joined as the new bass player. Early the next year, one of their guitarists switched to vocals, and the final member change was when Pavone joined the band on vocals. Throughout these member changes the band underwent several style changes, and changed their name to separate themselves from the band that they used to be. After Pavone joined in 2007, We Came as Romans started working on their EP, Dreams, which they released in September 2008. The following March they signed to Equal Vision Records, under which they released To Plant a Seed this past November.
The message of To Plant a Seed is “a message of love for other people, a message of fellowship and brotherhood. We’re hoping to plant that seed in people’s minds,” Moore said.
Because of their positive message, a lot of people try to label them as a Christian band, but they claim that’s not the case. “Religion always has arguments, but nobody is going to argue with the concept of loving one another and building relationships,” Moore said. “That doesn’t have an argument. And you don’t need religious views to be a part of that. You don’t have to believe in the same thing on a religious level.”
Moore says the reason they are commonly mistaken to be a Christian band is that, “There aren’t really any secular bands promoting a positive message at all. Even religious ones that are, aren’t in a way that kids want to hear. We’re trying to influence in a way that is okay for everyone to hear… easier on the ears. Nobody wants to be told they’re screwing up, or ‘Oh it’s okay that you’re screwing up because life sucks anyways.’ Deep down we all want to hear that there’s a greater purpose and meaning to all our lives.”
Moore said that the response to the album has been “better than any of us could have ever hoped, not just in terms of sales and profit, but also in terms of crowd response and everybody knowing the words and singing along. For our first full-length to be received as well as it has been has just been a really big blessing.”
Opening on tour with Alesana and A Skylit Drive, Moore said that this tour has been the best full U.S. tour that they have ever done, with every show either sold out or completely packed. In terms of spreading their message, he said, “This tour has really been the exact concept of the CD and the band, planting the seed, where we’re going out and spreading the thought of life. We’re excited to see how many kids from this tour will be back for our music next time.”
After this tour, they will do a small headlining tour in Canada from April 6th to 16th. They will then begin a tour supporting Asking Alexandria from May 9th to June 9th, stopping back in San Diego on May 21st. They currently have no plans for Warped Tour, and don’t expect that to change, but Moore said that they would soon be announcing “a massive summer tour.”
The last thing I asked about was whether or not they have started writing again, and if there are plans for another album any time soon. Moore’s response was that, “We have been working, it’s a never-ending process. We view the band…as a career and longevity is always the biggest goal in mind. There’s actually a track on our new record, track nine [“Searching, Seeking, Reaching, Always”], that talks about that. Always have a goal you want to reach, and once you reach that goal make another one. Move forward.”
“To Plant a Seed”
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You can check out We Came as Romans on their MySpace, and don’t forget to pick up their first full-length album, To Plant a Seed, available now.
