University of San Diego Radio

Senses Fail

I recently caught up with one of my personal heroes, Buddy from Senses Fail while the band was in town for their Out With The In Crowd Tour. Buddy has always been known for his blatant honesty, so I got to enjoy that while we discussed their new album, the tour, and why the Saints and Sinner’s tour sucked.

How has the tour been so far?

It’s been great, really awesome. Going very well.

Did you pick the openers (Balance and Composure, The Title Fight)?

Yeah, we picked them, us and Bayside.

How did you come across those particular bands?

They were just bands that we had been listening to, liked them. Decided hey let’s put them on tour with us.

How has this tour been in comparison to (last year’s) Saints and Sinners tour?

Oh way better, that tour sucked. I love this tour.

What was the source of the conflict with Brokencyde on that tour?

Oh I just hate that band. They’re just a terrible band. Absolutely one of the worst things I’ve ever heard in my life. It’s just unlistenable.

How did you guys end up doing that tour?

I didn’t know any of the other bands that would be on it. It just kind of got pitched to us, Saints and Sinners, just a package tour. We signed up for it, and all these other bands just show up on it. We thought it would be more of a hard, heavy, metal kind of thing and it ended up being like, a hodgepodge of everything.

It definitely did seem like a really weird line up.

It was, it was a terrible line up. Hollywood Undead drew all of the fans, I don’t think any of our fans even came out to those shows. Hollywood Undead had just blown up at that point.

When you were onstage you seemed really irritated.

Yeah, because I was on tour with a bunch of bands that sucked.

Did you at least enjoy Hollywood Undead?

Yeah, they were actually a bunch of really good guys. They were fun guys. It wasn’t a great tour, but they were cool.

As far as conflict with other bands goes, I head there was something with Mayday Parade now?

I don’t know man, every band that plays music without any substance is mad at me, because I say what I think, but apparently I’m not allowed to have an opinion. All the boys, the little boys in those bands stick up for each other… I mean, I dunno, it’s whatever. I don’t care.

Moving on to the new record, The Fire, I’ve noticed that you have this theme of fire throughout your records.

Yeah it’s always been a common thing, I guess I use it more as like, a mythological reference, the idea of fire and how it plays a role in things. I like that it has that common thread, and the imagery used in the lyrics, because it makes it kind of a cohesive thing. If you listen to all of it together, it feels like it’s all one stream of consciousness.

With former guitarist Heath no longer with the band, how did that impact the sound?

We just kind of stripped it back down to the straightforward stuff, and it got a little heavier, honestly with less solos.

Does having a new record out affect your song line up at all?

Not really, we just play a couple new songs. We aren’t gonna play a ton of new songs, because people don’t know them yet, so we just try to play a couple songs off of every record.

On the DVD that comes with the new CD, you mention that if fans don’t like a song when you play it, you don’t like it anymore and it gets tossed.

Yeah, pretty much.

Has it ever happened where you were really excited about a song, really proud of it, and that fan’s didn’t like it live?

Not really, usually it’s just like, if I’m [not excited about] a song, the fans feel the same way.

Are there any songs from past records that you aren’t as proud of?

Nah, I just think there are certain songs that don’t go over live well. The fans just don’t want to hear them live, they don’t sound good live, or are maybe just better album tracks that just don’t work as well live.

On past albums you’ve kind of hinted at certain problems in your life, but on this album it seems like you got a little more specific, and really just raged.

Haha yeah, I think that’s a good way to put it.

Was there anything specific that sparked that?

Not really, it was just, going through two lawsuits, dealing with everyday strife, I just feel that fire and have to let it out.

In another interview you mentioned one main album that influenced you lyrically…

Yeah, Jets to Brazil. Orange Rhyming Dictionary.

Where do you think you would be now without that album?

Oh I have no idea, I probably wouldn’t have gone down that path I guess. That album really set the tone for how I wanted to write lyrics. He is much, much smarter than I am, and his lyrics are really good.

Was there any specific moment when you knew you wanted to do music?

No, not really, it was just something I always wanted to do, it’s just one of those things you know.

What do you think you would be doing if you weren’t a musician?

I have no idea, I think that I would have ended up in the music industry either way, if not in music then around music.

Back to the record, are there any songs that you are really proud of, or are really important to you?

I really like “New Years Eve,” that’s one I’m really proud of, I really like “Lifeboats,” I really like “Headed West,” those are kind of my top few. I also really like “Coward.” I really overall am proud of the entire record. There’s not a single song I don’t like, versus other records where there are a couple songs  that are like, I don’t really like that song, it just doesn’t do it for me. But on this record, I’m just really really proud of the whole thing.

Speaking of “Coward,” when I first heard that song, it threw me off. I think it’s the first time you really, blatantly called someone out like that. What are some of the issues behind that song?

That’s one that I think is pretty self-explanatory, but letting the stuff out in that song was really cool, I really like it.

Can you go into the meanings of some of the other songs on the record?

I actually like to leave the songs pretty vague for people. I don’t like explaining too much about it, because I might ruin it for someone. Someone might find a meaning that is different from what it means to me personally.

Even with a new record out, are you constantly thinking and writing new material?

Nah, I can’t write all the time, I would freak out.

On the new record it seems, with the anthemic choruses, that your voice goes higher than previous records.

Actually on the new record my voice is lower than the other ones. I think that just the way this record is written, it’s written for my voice and the way I sing, so it ended up sounding higher, but it’s not… I think that before with Heath in the band a lot of stuff got written that wasn’t in my range, and that’s not necessarily the way that I like to sing, and it wasn’t natural to me. This record is, and so it sounds a lot better.

Are you personally involved with the band’s Facebook page and those areas?

Yeah, I actually write all that myself. Except for the ad stuff for the label, like when the new record is $3.99 and stuff like that.

Do you take the time and read all the responses and opinions?

Nah, because most of it is just bull, people that don’t know what they’re talking about trying to talk [crap].

Was there ever a point where you did care what people were saying?

Not really, like the other day I responded to a comment about the new album and just ended up taking the whole thing down because I didn’t want to end up sitting in interviews, talking about what some kid that doesn’t know what they’re talking about said. I just don’t want to deal with it, because apparently I can’t have an opinion.

It seems like people join these fan pages just to hate.

Oh of course, it’s the internet, that’s what it’s all about. It’s weird how all these kid’s are growing up this way with the internet… the future, where the internet’s going, it’s gonna be strange. The internet is taking over, that kind of social interaction…

You’re obviously not in music for the fame or the money, what would you define as success for you personally?

I just want my music to be good, to play great, have people be like that was a great show. That’s for me is why I’m here, that hour of rocking and being outside of my own head, just being in that moment… Playing is what I live for, and being creative.

Are there any bands you haven’t been on tour with that you would like to do some shows with?

I really want to go on tour with Thursday. I think us and Thursday would be a really good tour. I would really love that.

Are there any new bands you have been listening to that you really like?

Oh yeah, absolutely. Man Overboard, Hostage Calm. It’s hard to find completely new music, I sometimesnget to it a little late, but those are a couple bands up and coming that are really good.

If somebody has never listened to Senses Fail, what songs would you recommend they listen to?

“Can’t be Saved,” “Wolves At The Door,” “You’re Cute When You Screm,” those are a couple that people seem to like, and “Rum Is For Drinking, Not For Burning.”

Check out Senses Fail at www.myspace.com/sensesfail, and their new album The Fire is in stores now!

My review for The Fire can also be found in the Reviews section of the site.

Story of the Year

When Story of the Year stopped by on their tour with Flyleaf, I had the opportunity to conduct this very insightful interview with guitarist Ryan Phillips:

How has it been touring with Flyleaf?

It’s amazing. It’s kind of weird like, I wouldn’t say we have a whole lot in common, musically, so I kind of had no idea what to expect. But it took like, one day… these guys are super sweet, their crew is super sweet, it’s pretty much the easiest, smoothest tour we have ever done. Good vibes, everyone is just amazing. They’re a super talented band, and just good people.

Have you been able to reach out to a new audience?

Yeah, I really think so. I wouldn’t say we have a huge crossover fan base, so we’re playing to a lot of new people every night. Progressively through the set, as more songs go by I can see more and more people getting into it, and by the end of it I feel like we really won over a whole lot of new people that maybe have never even heard of us.

When you’re on tour and not headlining, does it influence your set list?

Yeah, it’s weird, ‘cause like, there’s the fan favorites, you know, like the songs that might have done well with video or radio, or might have a lot of Youtube buzz, so there’s always just a handful of songs you have to have. And from there, it’s just about what songs allow us to put on the kind of show we want, what songs are going to let us do our thing, and we just kind of try to find a sort of delicate balance.

With the new record out, how do you fit that into your set?

While we are promoting our new record, at the same time we do have four albums. So, you know, four albums in forty-five minutes? It’s no secret our first album was our most successful album, so we just have this legion of people that want to hear mostly that album. So at this point, it’s kind of like you’ve gotta give your hardcore fans a good so, you want to please them. You don’t want to alienate anybody. But we are trying to promote a new album, so we just try to find a good balance between all of those records.

Although your first record was your most successful, you guys have said you are closer now than ever to your true sound. Is it frustrating that as you find that sound, your sales are dropping off and you might not be reaching as many people?

Yeah, it can be frustrating, but when you really step back and look at the big picture, it’s like, who’s record sales aren’t down? But yeah, I think everybody that has a debut like we did, it seems like we just came out of nowhere. They don’t know the backstory, like the ten years we played just to get to that first album. So it seems like to most people, this band just came out of nowhere and we had a really successful debut album. Most bands try to spend the rest of their years trying to get back to that. It starts off with everybody buying your [music], and in the back of your mind you’re trying to live up to that. After our second record we just realized that we can’t just keep making the same album, because it would be stale and boring. We want to do things our way, and I think that’s what we’re going towards, that’s what we do best. We do things our way, regardless of what scene is going on, and what trends… Story of the Year is gonna sound like Story of the Year no matter what. So going back to your question, yeah it can get a little frustrating, with what you said about us going back and finding our sound. The Constant is definitely the closest to our first album than anything we’ve done since then, and it’s weird, it was the most natural record we’ve ever done. It just kind of came out, it was the easiest time we’ve had, and it wasn’t intentional, we didn’t go in saying we’re gonna make an album that sounds just like our first album, it just happened, and it worked.

What’s your process when you go into the studio? Do you start out experimenting with different sounds you’ve wanted to try?

Well, this one was weird, because it was so streamlined. It was done in four weeks, the quickest we’ve ever done an album. So no, we didn’t really, the sound was just dictated by the songs, I can’t explain it any other way than it just kind of happened. It was just natural, if you listen to that album all the way through, it just sounds cohesive and natural. I think it’s our most cohesive record we’ve ever made.

Were there any albums that were just the complete opposite, not so easy?

Yeah… at this point I’ll just be candid with you. The Black Swan was kind of a rough one. We took like a year and a half off, dealt with some internal stuff, and that was a rough period with that record… There was a lot of stressing and agonizing over [every detail], like taking three months because I was determined to make a riff fit into a song. It was a really draining process, and now I’m just like, I’m not going to agonize so much over one little riff, you just have to let the songs flow, and be what they’re supposed to be and not try to force anything.

The title of the new record, The Constant… What is the constant for you as a band?

I can’t answer that, that’s something we want the fans to figure out for themselves, and really listen to the record to find out.

Fair enough.

Good sport, haha.

On your album In The Wake of Determination, you have a very personal song, “Is This My Fate, He Asked Them,” about homosexuality, which is very relevant to us right now with gay marriage and the gay teen suicides. How do those issues make you guys feel as a band that has confronted the issue in your music?

There’s a member or two in our band that has had some personal experience with some gnarly, Bible-belt bigotry, and I think… I haven’t participated in the lyric-writing process, so I can’t speak to the exact meaning, but I think the overall vibe… like when the lyrics get kind of political, or the message that’s being conveyed is more researched, I want to bring this topic up just to bring awareness to you, so you can think about it and make your own opinion. It’s more than just like, here’s what I think, believe what I believe. Just open your mind, this is serious, think about it. But yeah, especially in the mid-west, there’s a lot of that out there, and it’s just kind of disgusting. When you look throughout history, any time you try to suppress someone’s civil rights, it never works. There will be a time when we look back at this, all this horrible bigotry that’s going on that the homosexual community has to endure, we’ll look at this the same way we look at slavery now… If two guys want to get married, how does that affect me, ya know? It’s not a choice any more than it’s my choice to be white.

On the topic of songs, what are some of the songs that are closest to you, personally?

On The Constant, the first track, “I’m Alive,” I’m super proud of that song. I think the lyrics are outstanding, I like that it’s more serious, and it’s more metaphorical and less in your face. The message I get from the lyrics are kind of like, it’s like an internal struggle. Things can get kind of tough in this business, especially right now, and with the main chorus, “I’m alive but barely breathing,” it’s like, we’re still fighting the good fight. We’re still going at it, going at it, but sometimes it’s just really tough. That’s kind of the metaphor I get from that song, and it hits pretty hard sometimes. That’s a song I’m proud of, musically.

I know the album is still fresh, but do you have any plans right now, any new material you’re working on?

This is actually the first time ever, really, where I’m like… Usually when SOTY finishes an album, before we’re even out of the studio I’m working on the next one.  I write non-stop because it’s like, if I write twenty songs, maybe one is good for SOTY. The other stuff might be soft, and super wimpy, other stuff might be super metal… I can’t control it, I can’t ever sit down and just be like, I need to write a SOTY song.

Have you ever considered doing a side project?

Yeah, the other guitar player and I. He’s just such a talented guitar player, and we actually started another band last year, called Greek Fire, and we’re gonna pursue that full-time, and it’s so artistically satisfying. I write all the time, and this is maybe some of the stuff that might not work for story of the year.

Would you still keep the balance between both bands?

Yeah, absolutely.

Do you still try to check out the local music scene?

Yeah, but at the risk of sounding like a total [jerk], music these days, like rock, all this stuff going on these days is just really… And I don’t want to come off as a conceited person, but I’m just not very motivated by what’s going on in music, in the “scene” these days. It’s just gotten so boring to me. Like any song on the radio these days, the rock music, it all sounds so safe. It’s all safe, predictable, soul-less.  I just feel like in the new scene, nobody’s doing anything creative… I just always wind up going back to the same music I grew up with.

What is some of that music you grew up with?

When I first started playing guitar, some of the first stuff I started playing was old Sabbath stuff, like old seventies metal stuff. Then when I first really fell in love with music was with all the nineties grunge stuff, Smashing Pumpkins, Rage Against the Machine, Nirvana, all that stuff. Smashing Pumpkins is my favorite band.

Favorite album from them?

Siamese Dream. That’s one of my desert island discs, one of my favorite albums of all time. I’ll listen to Pumpkins, The Who, Zeppelin, all that stuff that I think is just honest, pure music. Nowadays I just feel like all that is missing. That’s the reason for Greek Fire, I got to the point where I had to do that band, or I was gonna lose my mind. I really just needed another outlet.

The Constant is available now on iTunes, and you can check out the band at www.myspace.com/storyoftheyear. You can also check out Ryan’s side project Greek Fire at www.myspace.com/greekfiremusic.

The Fire is Senses Fail's most intense and introspective album to date

“Is it just me or do you wonder if we were put here just to see / how much heartache we can take without hanging from the tallest tree?” Buddy Nielsen poses this question in the album’s first single, “Saint Anthony,” and will spend the rest of the album making a strong argument for this point, as he screams and sings his way through this intense and personal therapy session titled  The Fire. Buddy has always written songs that are close to him personally, and in the past his honesty has turned into some very good songs. On The Fire, the fourth full album from Senses Fail, he continues to stick to personal songs, but has now gone even further, not just venting his emotions, but beginning a new process in which he explores the reasons why he has those feelings. This self-reflective therapy, in which he is working through his issues, has created a new batch of songs that are not only good, but some of the best songs of his career.

A strong focus of the album seems to be the absence of his father in his life, and you can feel his struggle as he tries to sort out the bitter feelings that have grown within him over the years. The album shows a back and forth battle in which he yearns for a father that has failed him, but at the same time is a father that he wants nothing to do with (“New Year’s Eve,” “Coward,” “Hold On”). Although this may seem like dark subject matter, which could in some cases create a downer of an album, Buddy balances his torment and rage beautifully, screaming verses of anger and then plunging into anthemic choruses with his heart on full display.

Other stops on this journey include Buddy taking a close look at himself, pondering the reasons that he still feels let down by this life, and can find no comfort in love (“The Fire,” “Saint Anthony,” “Lifeboats”). These songs can be more relatable on a basic level, for anybody that has ever felt lonely or let down. The best part of Senses Fail’s music has always been that it provides a certain type of comfort, because the listener knows that there is someone out there that knows exactly how they feel, and that they are not alone in their pain.

The rest of the band balances music with these dark lyrics masterfully, complementing Buddy’s voice with ease. Thrashing guitars over a relentless drumbeat help to give force to Buddy’s righteous anger as he screams, while in the choruses the band lets back just enough so as not to be overbearing, but rather supplement the vocals, giving power to the emotions felt by its singer. All in all, it is Senses Fail’s most well put together album yet, and it seems that the band has finally found it’s perfect sound, a combination of the best elements of its previous three albums. One can only hope that if Buddy ever does start to climb that tallest tree, he will put out a few more albums like this one first.

Go Radio played a fan-making show at Soma.

Waiting for Go Radio to begin to play, my anxiety for the band began to increase. Fans of hardcore music tend to be extremely judgmental of bands, especially in San Diego. It’s difficult being an opening band, let alone an opening band outside of the majority genre of the other acts set to play.

When Go Radio took the stage, I took a look around and saw my fears confirmed in the skepticism on the faces of various crowd members. There were, of course, the fans of the band up close to the stage, but further back it was all crossed arms and low expectations. Then Go Radio began to play. My fears at once were silenced as soon as I saw the passion and energy with which they jumped, or rather dove, into their first song, “When Dreaming Gets Drastic.” Not only were my fears forgotten, but one by one the arms became uncrossed as the heads of the crowd began to realize that this band actually deserved to be on that stage.

Upon finishing their first song and introducing themselves to the crowd, they were instantly welcomed with earnest applause, myself included. Their passion did not let up, but rather increased, feeding on the energy of the crowd as their 5-song set continued with “You Hold Your Breath, I’ll Hold My Liquor,” “Thanks For Nothing” and “Letters and Love Notes.” By the end of “Letters,” a much larger crowd had formed as people moved up from the back of the room, not only giving the band a chance but also getting lost in the music. I myself was completely enthralled by this group, feeling their love for the music and the emotion in the songs with every guitar chord and drumbeat as they carried on into their final song of the set, “In Our Final Hour.”

After their set was finished, they were praised with sincere applause and many enthusiastic nods of approval. Despite the fact that they may have been at a disadvantage performing with bands outside of their genre, they managed to not only please their core fans, but convert a good amount of new fans, among which I count myself. They proved to me that they not only deserved their spot on that stage, but also that they have most definitely earned their success in getting signed with Fearless Records, and I cannot wait to see what they will do next. I made sure to pick up their EP at the merch stand afterwards, and strongly encourage all of you to check them out on their MySpace, where all of their songs are available to listen to. You can also purchase the album, titled “Do Overs And Second Chances,” via iTunes.

Members of local band A Shattered Hope were cool enough to swing by my radio show at USD and talk about their music and upcoming shows. A Shattered Hope are a hardcore/screamo band, drawing inspiration from bands like Every Time I Die, Alexisonfire and As I Lay Dying. Members are Tyler Ferguson on vocals, Scott Szikla on guitar, Nic Walker on bass and Nate Hess on drums with backing vocals. A Shattered Hope got together in 2003 while attending Poway High together and became really good friends. After spending only a half hour with them, I could see how much they really enjoy playing music and being together as a band, and I really began to hope that they break out and make it big, and it seems as though they are well on their way to doing exactly that.

A Shattered Hope played their CD release show with Scary Kids Scaring Kids when SKSK’s farewell tour came to San Diego. Their self-titled full-length CD has so far been selling pretty well on iTunes, receiving nothing but positive responses, and the guys believe “we’re starting to win over San Diego even more now.” This statement is backed up by the fact that they were recently featured as “Hometown Heroes” in Alternative Press magazine. This means that a bunch of people wrote in to Alternative Press to have A Shattered Hope featured in their magazine as one of that month’s best local bands, showing that they are beginning to make their mark on the local music scene. Because of this featured spot in the magazine, more people have already been contacting them to book them for shows, and it feels to me like it is only a matter of time before they get themselves signed.
According to Szikla, if there is an overall message to their music, “it’s to do your own thing, and try not to go with what everyone says to go with. We write songs about whatever is going on in our life.”
As far as the actual writing process goes, the band says that they will often write their lyrics separately, then bring what they have together. When their lyrics are brought together they usually end up connecting really well, which just goes to show how well these guys fit as a group.
As far as upcoming shows go, A Shattered Hope will be playing The Epicentre in Mira Mesa with Of Mice and Men and Adestria, as well as other guests, on May 6. Two months after that they will be going on the Tupac ShaTOUR with Monsters Scare You as well as various other bands for three weeks starting July 9 from Northern California to Seattle, then working their way across to Texas. You can vote for them to play Warped Tour 2010 at the Warped Tour Battle of the Bands website, and their CD is available for download on iTunes and Amazon.com. I really hope that you will at least check them out on MySpace, because they are a really talented group of guys, and if you want you can also add them on Facebook.

AVP's newest release, "Favorite Fix," can be found on iTunes.

I recently sat down with the guys from Artist Vs. Poet (or AVP) before their show at Soma for the ‘Bout Damn Time tour with This Providence, The Audition, Anarbor and The Bigger Lights.

AVP are a five-member pop-punk band from Denton, Texas, comprised of Tarcy Thomason on vocals, Joe Westbrook on drums, Jason Dean on bass and Craig Calloway and Joe Kirkland (aka “Kirky”) on guitars. Hanging out with AVP, you would think that these guys are longtime friends based on their comfort with each other and easy interaction. However, the guys in the band have really only known each other for a few years after finding each other via MySpace and YouTube, which is a real testament to the “MySpace Age” of music. According to Thomason, he “just posted a bulletin and said, ‘Hey I wanna get together and start something new.’ It was just gonna start out acoustic but then Craig responded to it and we wrote a few songs and got in the studio and soon enough it became a full band.” The band was completed upon finding “Kirky” in a video on YouTube.

During their first tour as a band, AVP got a lucky break. “Bob Becker came out to a show and randomly saw us and he wasn’t even there for our set,” Thomason said. That’s where it all started. Shortly thereafter, AVP were picked up by Fearless Records only a year after becoming a fully formed band. Their popularity rapidly increased, with attention from Alternative Press as well as having their music featured on MTV shows “The Real World” and “Parental Control.” When asked what it feels like to be recognized so early on in their career as a band, Thomason simply says, “It’s been amazing. The whole story of the band is really just surreal. It’s great.”

Since joining Fearless Records, AVP have released two EPs to much success, and on March 2nd of this year released their first full-length album, Favorite Fix. The album includes the title track from their Damn Rough Night EP, as well as 11 other extremely catchy songs that not only stick in your head, but also reveal experiences and emotions that the audience can instantly relate to. The album contains songs about “whatever we’re going through at the time,” Dean said, “whether it be good or bad. We like to take things that we find in our lives that the kids can relate to.” Thomason says the title song is “about addiction, whatever it may be. It doesn’t have to be a drug addiction or anything like that…and it’s about trying to overcome that addiction.” In regards to the response to the album, Dean said, “People like it. It’s a little bit different from the stuff we’ve done in the past, but nobody seems to mind.”

“We’re all stoked on it. We’re very proud of it,” added Thomason.

Later on, AVP took the stage with the biggest (and arguably the catchiest) hit off their album so far, “Car Crash.” They are bursting with energy and instantly captivating the crowd of screaming girls, and even the boyfriends that came with them. Not only are they energetic, making full use of the stage, but their passion for their music is also clearly visible, most notably in Thomason as he pours everything into singing the songs. Finishing the set with “Damn Rough Night,” it’s clear to me that as long as their energy and passion remain, they will soon be the “Favorite Fix” of millions.

Be sure to catch Artist Vs. Poet when they return to San Diego for the Vans Warped Tour on August 10th, and check out Favorite Fix, available now on iTunes.

“Car Crash”

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Over the past couple weeks I have been corresponding via e-mail and MySpace with Ivan Jacquez of local band Add the Color. Jacquez was kind enough to answer all my questions with plenty of detail, so rather than turning everything into my own words, I decided to leave the interview in question and answer format so you can hear everything straight from him.

MS: How long has the band been together and how was it formed?

IJ: We have fully been a band since August 2009. The way we came together is I had a bunch of songs written and roughly recorded that I had done by myself, so I thought I’d give it a shot and start a full band and play those songs live and see how it would go. Omar started playing drums almost at the same time that I started so he would catch on right away, and seeing that his family and mine are very close, it was only right to have him in the band. BJ was the last addition to the band. At first I was going to play bass and sing, then I would just find a guitar player. Then I figured it would be a lot easier to teach someone the bass parts, then a buddy told me to get a hold of this kid BJ, and so far he’s been great, I’m stoked on him.

MS: What are some of your musical influences?

IJ: We all listen to a lot of different stuff. I listen to a lot of Indie stuff like The Cure, Jason Mraz and The Temper Trap, but where my heart is at is pop punk like Blink-182, New Found Glory and Greenday. I think most people would probably say we sound like Blink…even though its really cliche to say that being from  San Diego haha, but hey, we’re not gonna fight it!

MS: What do you find yourself writing about most in your songs?

IJ: Girls haha! But we have songs about dancing and just having a good time.

MS: What can you tell us about your upcoming EP?

IJ: Our EP is almost done, we just need to redo some stuff here and there, but it’s coming and sounding really good. We’re doing it all at my house, so that gives us time to add more to it and make it a masterpiece!

MS: Do you write the songs yourself, or is it a more collaborative process?

IJ: There’s about five songs that I completely wrote by myself that I wrote before forming the band that we still play, but now we all add to the songs. I’ll write the structure and a melody, BJ will write harmonies and other melodies that I would have never even thought of and Omar will have a beat in mind that works. So the writing process is really exciting.

MS: Is there any kind of message you try to convey through your music or as a band?

IJ:  If there’s a message in our band it is to just play what you think sounds good, and that every song can be different.

MS: Do you have any upcoming shows in San Diego or elsewhere?

IJ: As of right now we don’t have any coming up. We just played at SOMA with Get Back Loretta , which, by the way, they rule.

MS: Are there any tour plans once your EP has been released?

IJ: Actually we have never talked about touring or anything like that. Would we want to? Hell yes! Haha. But maybe once we’re more known, maybe next year?

MS: What other bands would you recommend for fans of your music?

IJ: For fans of our music you should definitely check out our boys in Plane Without A Pilot and our girlfriends in Hide The Details!

“Right Here Right Now”

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Make sure to check out Add the Color at myspace.com/addthecolor.

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.

This week I had the opportunity to catch up with Leon Chayet, lead singer of the local pop-punk group Love Beats War. LBW (as they are commonly referred to) are often compared to the great Blink-182 in terms of musical style. At times, you could easily mistake the voice of Chayet with that of Tom Delonge. While vocally the band can be compared to Blink, hints of New Found Glory can be found in their catchy guitar riffs, and they often take on the rebellious attitude reminiscent of Sum 41 circa All Killer No Filler. Although all of these influences can be heard in their music, they have also put their own twist on pop-punk, making the genre their own, rather than simply conforming to it.

Love Beats War formed a year and a half ago and have been playing local shows at Soma and Epicentre, slowly building buzz about their band, as well as creating a very devoted fan base. Chayet says that along with Blink and New Found Glory, their influences include Dashboard Confessional, The Starting Line and even Third Eye Blind.

In October of 2009, LBW released their debut, 7-song EP titled Too Cool For School, which included five songs previously found on their MySpace as well as two additional new tracks. In this album, Chayet sings about things such as life experience, addiction, social pressures, family, girls and friends. While the songs have a fun sound to them, they often contain deeper messages about spiritual experiences and finding your own way. While listening to these songs it is easy to connect to them on a much deeper level than you might expect.

This Friday, March 5th, LBW will be playing the Skinnie Mag Top 100 show, headlined by Rufio and Unwritten Law at the Queen Mary in Long Beach. This show will provide them with the chance to attract the attention of record labels and sponsors, as well as a possible spot on the Skinnie Mag Top 100 bands list.  Tickets for the show can be found here.

They will also be playing the House of Blues for a show sponsored by Mothers Against Drunk Driving with One Hot Minute on March 14th.

Be sure to check out LBW on their MySpace and buy their EP, Too Cool For School, available on iTunes.

On-air interview and full radio show:

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Hey Everybody,

although USD Student Radio is technically still on break, I decided to come in and throw some songs together for your enjoyment. So if you’re looking for some music to listen to while you browse the web, dreading the start of the next semester and the homework to come, head on over to my page and give it a listen. I also uploaded the songs from my live December 10th broadcast, which was the last one before winter break. Hope the new year has treated you well so far!

My Page: www.usdradio.org/shows/the-sasser-shuffle