Atticus Young and Restless Tour – Interviews / Streams

A check in with the bands of the Atticus The Young and the Restless Tour

ATILLA – Photo by Erik Kirk

ATTILA

Interview with Vocalist Fronz

By Brittney Dillon

Congratulations on the release of Rage and for your upcoming album! In the process of touring and recording where do you find lyrical inspiration?

Since ATTILA started six years ago, all of my lyrics have been inspired from personal experience, as well as experiences my friends have had. I find that it makes writing way more fun. Plus it’s genuine! I could write about blood and demons or positive uplifting stuff, but that’s just not me; I’m keeping it real. For our new album, I’m not going to abandon the fact that we’re a party-band, but expand on it, making things more poetic and sticking to a general theme that we have for this CD. We’re doing big things in 2011, and I am confident that our fans and new listeners will love our new album!

Back in September of 2010 during the Pyknic pArtery Tour, the amount of energy that was brought to the stage in Los Angeles really made people move.  Specifically for this upcoming tour, how does ATTILA make an impact on their fans?

We’ve always put everything we’ve got into our live show, and we’re really good at portraying the energy in our songs live. Sober or not, the party starts when we hit the stage and anyone who has seen us knows this. For the Atticus Tour, we will be playing a longer, more jam-packed set with extra music off Rage as well as some brand new material that we’ve never played before! There’s not a single dull moment in our set, and we’ve got lots of new surprises in our set that we haven’t played before. The Atticus Tour will definitely be a good chance to see ATTILA!

How is touring with new and upcoming bands influencing your perception of having an impact in the hardcore and metal scene?

Touring with new and upcoming bands is something we’ve gotten used to in the past year. It’s interesting to see what new bands people really catch on to, and how cliché a lot of them are. It doesn’t really affect my perception of how we are affecting the scene though, honestly. We’ve already made an impact in the metal/hardcore scene for having our own unique sound, and no one can change that. Our fans are badass and we will continue making an impact as a heavy/thrashy party band!

What makes ATTILA tick? How has being a part of large tour, full of newly recognized musicians, enabled you to have a voice for the people who are avid listeners in this genre, or is it geared more for self-reflection?

ATTILA is fueled by a strong bond/love between us and our fans. It’s almost like Juggalo’s and ICP, just a LOT less gay. We couldn’t do what we do if it wasn’t for all the continued support from our fans and friends. It’s like an ATTILA army. Give us good fans, good weed, and ample amounts of booze and we’re a completely happy, functional band. We’re really fortunate that we can play music that reflects who we are, but also appeals to listeners without having to sacrifice our dignity or do things we really don’t want to. I don’t have a problem with new bands at all, but sometimes it just makes you wonder- Do they really dig the shit they’re playing right now?!?

Across The Sun – Photo by Adam Elmakias

ACROSS THE SUN

Interview with Brandon Davis

By Brittney Dillon

The much anticipated release of Before the Night Takes Us, which will be released March 15th of this year, will carry you guys through this upcoming tour. Was there any relationship between how you guys approached the album and how that may play a conceptual role with the tour that is promoting upcoming bands?

Wow, getting deep right off the bat! Although it wasn’t on purpose, I would say there is definitely a correlation to be found between the theme or concept of the album and the upcoming tour. Lyrically, this album is all about coming to terms with one’s own demons and personal issues, confronting and overcoming them, and looking toward a brighter future. Being in an “up and coming” band, we face hardships and struggle every day on tour, trying to make ends meet, and working toward a bigger, positive goal. This tour is perfect for us in that, and so many other ways, and will allow us to live the theme of the new album even more than expected.

The titles of your EPs: This War, Storms Weathered, and Pestilence and Rapture, have a lot of rich context and speak to heavy issues. What has been a driving force in speaking to these topics? Or is it personal issues and experiences that can be related to other topics?

Most of the lyrics I write are directly inspired by my life: past, present, and future, both positive and negative. I’ve had to face a lot of struggles and negativity, and writing for ACROSS THE SUN is my way of reflecting on past/present events, and sometimes speculating on things that have yet to be. There are some things that I can only bring myself to express through song, so most of the subjects I write about tend to be heavy issues. I think because I write from a positive perspective, or at least from an emotionally stronger standpoint, I avoid sounding like I feel sorry for myself or come off as whiny. I feel like because of that, people can more easily relate to my lyrics, and the theme of the album in general.

Being included on this Spring tour, how does it affect the way you see the growing audience for this genre of music and how do you make an impact on it? How has this been challenging?

This tends to be a bit of a touchy subject. Honestly, we’re not worried so much about genres or categorizing bands and the people that listen to them. In a perfect world, we are all doing this for the same reason: the love of music and playing it live for anyone who will listen. We write and play our music with only that in mind, and do both equally as passionate, regardless of what tour we are on or who we play for or with. With that being said, we hope that our music and live show impacts people in only a positive way, regardless of what genre people think we are. In my opinion, the challenge lies within just that. We could follow trends, evolve with the “scene”, dress and act according to today’s popular music status quo, and countless other things to rise to the top quicker and easier. That is not what ACROSS THE SUN is about, we have gotten where we are with good old-fashioned hard work, heart, passion, and unrelenting DIY business sense and professionalism.

How has the progression of song writing changed within the time frame of being a band?

We have been through line-up changes, played hundreds of shows, and been on several national tours in our six years as a band. From day one to right now, those experiences, progressing and maturing as a band, and finally having a solid line-up, have allowed a steady evolution in our writing process. Seeing what it takes to really make it as a band, playing with more and more bands that have already paid their dues, and maturing more as people have definitely played an essential role in how we write as a band. Our sound and writing style on each album is exponentially better, more mature, more full and big sounding. As far as we are concerned, that is a trend we aim to stick with.

What is your view point of the sense of community that comes with music?

I’ve experienced many sides of the community that playing music on tour creates. Mostly positive experiences! As I said, in a perfect world we are all out there for the same reason. We all know what it takes, the struggle, sacrifice, and inconveniences touring in a van for months on end create. My experience is mostly of support, camaraderie, and positivity amongst touring bands. It’s a great feeling knowing that you’re not alone in all this, even when you’re thousands of miles away from home and haven’t seen your loved ones in months. ACROSS THE SUN is no stranger to the wear and tear of living our dream on the road, and with that in mind we always strive to be a positive, supportive group of guys to our brother bands!

Any last words?

I speak for the whole band when I say thank you, from the core of our hearts, to every single human being that has supported us in any way during our time as a band. Despite everything we have done to get where we are, we would be simply nothing without all of you. We think this year will be a big one for ACROSS THE SUN, and our fans, friends, and family will undoubtedly play an essential role in that becoming a reality! I wanna give a shout out to Mark Bubb with Atticus Clothing and all the Metal Blade crew for this amazing opportunity, and to our brothers in the bands NO BRAGGING RIGHTS, AFFIANCE, and WITHIN THE RUINS (who all have new albums you should check out) for being the best tour mates on earth. We miss you guys! Everyone go out and grab the new album, Before the Night Takes Us, on March 15th, and come see us on tour this spring. We look forward to going out with so many amazing bands, seeing our fans, and making new ones, cheers!

Vanna – Photo by Marianne Harris

VANNA

Interview with Davey (vocals)

By Brenden Mc Brayer

VANNA! Dudes, so your first release on Artery Recordings (The Honest Hearts EP) has come and gone and we are entering the next album cycle for your upcoming full length And They Came Baring Bones. Is operating under the Artery umbrella any different from being on the Epitaph roster? Is the school of thought the same with different classes, or is pretty much the same grind you have been walking against for the last seven years?

When parting ways with Epitaph and trying to seek out a home for our EP and the future of VANNA, we wanted to tread very carefully and wait until we found a place that we were completely comfortable and free to be who we are. Artery Recordings along with their parent label Razor and Tie Records was that place, they are that home to us. Never in our career have we felt more at ease and excited to work with such great companies. They are approaching our band in such a different way than was done in the past. They see our vision and share our views on music and, most importantly, the future of this band. We wouldn’t say Epitaph didn’t know what do to with our band, we just feel like together, we didn’t share the same opinions of what we were and are trying to be. Music is passionate and personal and though it is business, labels should be passionate about the music they put out and be personal with their artists, Artery/Razor and Tie have that locked up. We just feel at home.

The “Trashmouth” music video was undoubtedly one of the strongest music videos to hit the scene in the last couple of years, but how do you keep videos alive in this day and age of dwindling album sales, more to the point what is your collective opinion on the state of the scene right now? This is one of those heated debates that really only should be weighed in on by bands that have been through the movements of the last decade that you guys have. What’s it like being in a band now as opposed to 2004?

Well, thank you for saying that about “Trashmouth”! That video was our chance to show fans and music lovers that it’s okay to have fun and be wild, after all that’s why we all picked up instruments in the first place. Furthermore, we feel like the more kids see, the more they feel a part of it which is the whole point, to share this with as many people as possible. The state of things is what you make of it. We realize MTV isn’t what it once was, but the YouTube and other internet portals are turning out to be very effective ways of getting many people to see your “vision” turned into a music video. We are ALL responsible for this “scene”, and over the last few years as record sales have dropped, it seems like the level of passion and actual musicianship has dwindled away as well. Sadly there’s no one to blame but ourselves. However, now is the time, now more than ever there needs to be a revolution in heavy music as well as all music, and it’s happening. There are bands out there that have been around scraping by and touring their asses off that get overshadowed by these fly by night, cookie cutter crowd pleasers that care more about their paychecks than their integrity. But, among the wolves there are so many GREAT bands taking back control of the scene again, and it feels great. We are proud to be part of the revolution. That’s the whole subject matter of our new full length. Fans should be questioning the records that are put in front of them and be pushing bands to make honest music. They are as much part of this as we all are.

It always blows kids’ minds to find out what their favorite bands are listening to, I once spent 30 minutes in Santa Cruz, California talking to members of THE BLED about MINUS THE BEAR. Are there any mind-altering revelations about the discs you guys spin in the van on those long Texas drives? What are some bands/albums that each member of VANNA absolutely cannot tour without?

We get asked this all the time, and sometimes our responses surprise people. You have to understand we are just fans of music and we aren’t limited to heavy music alone. Sure we do love heavy music, this past year or so has seen some great releases: NORMA JEAN’s Meridional and CONVERGE’s Axe to Fall have been van favorites, as well as DEFTONES’ Diamond Eyes, the new GLASSJAW EP Our Color Green, UNDEROATH’s Disambiguation and THE CHARIOT’s latest (and we feel greatest) record Long Live. We are all a bunch of softies too, rocking bands like OWEN, ARMOR FOR SLEEP, THRICE, BAND OF HORSES, EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY, BAYSIDE, ANBERLIN, DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE, and BOYS NIGHT OUT. We are all huge hardcore/punk fans, bands like AMERICAN NIGHTMARE, GIVE UP THE GHOST, ADVENT REFUSED, THE HOPE CONSPIRACY, THE BANNER, POLAR BEAR CLUB, REIGN SUPREME, TRAP THEM, and THIS IS HELL. More often than not we will jam our friends’ bands or bands we’ve fallen in love with musically on tour, such as: ARMOR FOR THE BROKEN, A LOSS FOR WORDS, DEAD AND DIVINE, POISON THE WELL, TRANSIT, OCEANA, TIDES OF MAN, OUR LAST NIGHT, and THE GHOST INSIDE. Listening to a collection of music also helps a band find their own sound, or at least for us it does.

Most of the time being on the road can be an absolute blast, but sometimes you run into a shitty promoter or a venue security team that are looking to get their knuckles bloody one way or another. What has been the absolute worst show VANNA has succumbed to? If you don’t want to use names then make them up, but war stories are great and kids love the scars and the glory that come along with the territory.

As a touring band, every day is a tossup. We run the gambit from well-organized, nicely-booked shows, to train wrecks where not even the door guy is getting paid. We’ve had promoters “run to the ATM” and never look back, we’ve had rain-ruined merch, van and trailer break-ins, no food, no money, no kids! The absolute worst, the rotten cherry on the cake was Memphis, Tennessee, at the Memphis Brew. After a FULL U.S. tour we had four days till a Canadian tour, so we routed days through the states to the great white north. The van pulls up to the address we were given. Keep in mind, the “promoter” said it was a 1,000 person capacity room. We’re getting our guarantee and a hot meal, so needless to say we were excited! This “venue,” the Memphis Brew was a coffee shop-looking place on the outside, set in the middle of a road and field with heavy farming equipment, so NOWHERE. Hopes were still high, maybe this could be cool, that is until we entered, seeing that it was in fact a coffee shop no bigger than your local Starbucks, fully equipped with a poetry stage and P.A. with ONE microphone. An extreme act of nature couldn’t even make a show happen in this place. After HOURS of losing our minds playing on shut-off farming equipment and breaking every bottle we could find, the promoter we will call “Trav” showed up. APPARENTLY, (after our TM Ethan grilled him) we found out he lied about the show, never got a venue, and just disappeared in hopes he would never have to face us, oh yeah, the kid was like 17. Now, we had pulled into Memphis on gas fumes and really couldn’t go anywhere. After driving around for hours trying to see if this kid could produce any friends to borrow money from because he had a contract with us, he finally called his dad. Now Mr. Trav’s Dad shows up hellfire and brimstones ready to attack us, until we calmly explained everything to him, and his tone quickly changed. He looks at his son and says, and I’m not lying, “For 44 years I’ve built up the (family’s last name)…for 44 YEARS! And in one afternoon you go and tarnish it?! I will NOT let my name be worth nothing.” Our jaws were on the floor. Needless to say, after a very long day into the night, we worked out a deal and were on our way. It’s just funny that we trust our livelihood to complete strangers sometimes.

You’ve got a new album in the works, then a European tour, then a full states tour. Needless to say that your TIVO will be full by the time you make it back to your beds, but what are you guys looking forward to in 2011? What are your goals and fears for the next calendar year?

VANNA’s 2011 calendars are marked with X’s for a real long time, let me tell you, we couldn’t be happier. This record has consumed our lives completely thus far in the new year. As the months go on, look out for little reveals and surprises leading up to the pre-summer/summer release. After wrapping up this full length, we head out to Europe and the UK in March/April with EYES SET TO KILL and STRAY FROM THE PATH. We are so excited to get back across the pond to hang out and jam with friends and fans we met on our first tour over there last May/June. Then upon arriving back at the airport in Boston, we head out to the ATTICUS Young and Restless Tour to Co-headline the second half of the tour with our friends OUR LAST NIGHT, along with some amazing support bands including A BULLET FOR PRETTY BOY, ARMOR FOR THE BROKEN, and ACROSS THE SUN, hitting the New England Metal/Hardcore Festival and most of the east coast. Days after the ATTICUS tour ends we drive up to Bamboozle Fest 2011 to play on Saturday the 30th alongside some of the most amazing bands in the world. And that’s just half of our year. So needless to say we will miss our families, girlfriends, friends, and beds for a very, very long time but we wouldn’t have it any other way.

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