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Thursday, December 27, 2012

Major League - Interviewed pre-show (December 8, 2012)

Major League, as you will find out in my next album review post, is one of my favorite bands. Despite that they are not a band I've listened to for years and years, they are still one I hold dear to me. I emailed them just days before the show (which I only found out about less than a week beforehand) and asked if they would do an interview with me. Nick emailed me back the same day and was incredibly gracious and agreed. We set up a time and a place and bam! Just like that, it was on.

The only thing I didn't predict was first losing my camera charge cord and then having a tape recorder break. Yeah, it felt a little like the world was out to make sure I didn't get a good recording of my interview. But that's okay, because what did we do before we had technology like video and audio recording? We used pen and paper. So that's what I did.* I've never been nervous during an interview before, but the combined lack of preparation that happened at the last minute and being in the presence of one of my favorite bands (not in a fan-girl way, just in an appreciative way) made me a little flustered. Enjoy learning a little more about Major League!

(If you've never heard of Major League or don't know them well, please visit the links below to view their different social pages and check out their music.)

                                ***
Photo by Shot by Nesha
How did you first get started and what made you choose the direction for your sound that you did?

We just started jamming and writing songs; threw it together. The pop punk thing just happened. We all came from hardcore or metalcore backgrounds; that's what we had played in different bands before we came together. It just worked and we're able to play what we want.

Do you feel like starting in New Jersey made things harder for you to break into the music scene?

Yes. In our area there wasn't a pop punk scene. It was a "harder" scene and then when it came to pop punk, bands like Man Overboard were becoming popular and being noticed so it was hard to break into that.

Do you feel like you've grown as a band and your sound has changed accordingly?

Yes. [Unanimous. Perhaps next time I'll add more depth to this question!]

Do you think your fans perceptions of you may have changed over the past few years?

People take us more seriously now. It's a good and bad thing. [Good because] Our parents perceptions have definitely changed and they take us a lot more seriously. They're proud. My dad thought we'd come crawling back but now he sees that we've made it out of the garage band thing. [Brian]

How do you feel about being named a pop-punk band? Is that a self-proclaimed genre or something fans have decided for you?

Photo by Shot by Nesha
Definitely fans. Really, it's all rock. We're playing rock and the titles are just sub-genres of rock. Everything is pop punk now. Title Fight is pop punk. Things on Tumblr are pop punk.  [Matt]  I hate genres. [Brian] Promoters and kids take it so seriously - everything gets based on genre. It used to be so much like one big thing - the music scene. Now kids come out to your shows and they judge you off your merch and it's not about having fun anymore. They stop looking at musicians now and it's about being prejudice against certain genres and only coming out to shows if the show is a genre they like.

Who writes most of the lyrics and the music and if it's not a total collaboration, how do you come to agreements?

Brian writes the lyrics and Matt does too sometimes. The lyric process is just what I feel and what's going on, life experiences. The rest is a group feeling. Everyone in the band has lost someone or been able to relate to something that a song is about. Nick will sometimes take lyrics and make a chorus from something I couldn't, trying to figure it out and arrange it.  Everyone writes their own music except with the last record where everyone had more input on it.

Please explain your writing process and how it has changed between albums, if it has.

Hard Feelings was totally different. Luke lives in Pittsburg so when we did The Split [with Giants at Large] and Hard Feelings recordings, we would use our phones to record and we would be emailing songs and it got to a point where Luke would hear the different parts of what we were doing and say "You'll hear the drums when I'm done."

Photo by Shot by Nesha
Do you feel like it's ever difficult to continue making a name for yourself as a band, while others seem to meld together under the pressure of the industry to make "popular" music?

You pay your dues. You make the music you want to make. People see you work hard and it all comes back to you. It's about respect especially in underground music. [Nick]

What, if anything, have you run into as a band that was difficult to overcome?

An accident where a truck ran into us.
But honestly nothing really - we keep going - every band goes through things. [Nick] We've been asked this before and it seems like everything comes out good or better in the end. [Matt] For every 3 things, 1 good thing happens. So after 2 things we're just waiting for the third bad thing to come and know that a good thing will be coming next. Always 3 and then 1 in that order.

Have you experienced any fallbacks or problems while recording?

With the new record. It was the most stressful, crazy thing with limited time. Only 4 weeks in the studio which was different and we hadn't heard everything together. Once we did, we didn't want to go that way and we literally spent the whole first week in the studio rewriting all the songs completely. For Nick, that meant spending 4 days on vocals with no time to relax or take a little break away from music and not think about it. It was just straight recording.

Do you feel like those things brought you closer and made the band even stronger?

Yes. Getting through certain things like the van being totaled and bouncing back the next day. As a band we can get through anything but it's good and bad. We can get cocky and think we're immortal.

Photo taken Dec 8 @ Baldwin Park show
When touring and playing live shows, do you feel lie it's hard to please all your fans? E.g. playing the songs they want to hear, meeting their expectations or meeting everyone who wants to say hi?

No, we ask if they want to hear certain songs and we try to make people happy. It's about the fans more than us. It's up to them what they want to hear.

What can fans expect from you in 2013? 

More of the new record. We want to play more of the new stuff. Last night [12/7] in Vegas, the kids rushed  to the front of the stage to hear Homewrecker right away and to sing along. It's a great feeling that kids want to hear our new stuff that much.

I'm curious as to how you guys personally feel about the way music sales have hanged, including illegal downloading, iTunes, Amazon, and other online music retailers. Does this totally ruin music or do you think this improves how easily and rapidly music reaches your fans ears?

Both. I hate that there is hardly any music stores anymore. It used to be a huge thing staying up and standing in line (like they do now for movie premieres at midnight) for a new record to drop. Kids miss out now, because it's not like that anymore. It's changed a lot. It helps bands in a way because when we're MIA kids can still download the stuff (illegally or not) and come out to our shows once they've heard it.

Do you think that online sales will eventually completely replace CD and vinyl sales?

Yes. It already has. I remember when Blink-182 self titled CD came out and I was a freshman I was there in line waiting for it and the next day you couldn't find it anywhere. That's how it was when albums dropped. But now when their last album came out, you saw it everywhere. Nobody was buying physical albums. It seems it's only at shows that people buy the actual albums. It's a big bummer.

*I tried to get things as perfectly as possible, so please excuse any paraphrasing or abruptness!

***

Find Major League on Facebook, Twitter, and their website.

All photos noted with source by Shot by Nesha. Check her there on her website or on Facebook!

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Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Rival Tides (Previously Known as Harris Grade) Interviewed At Last!

I've been a friend and fan of local band Rival Tides (formally known as Harris Grade) for several years now and at last I got to interview them! I thought it was a perfect time since they just changed their name and just had a show last night - the first under their official new name! 

If you're unfamiliar with Rival Tides, it's time to get familiar. Please check out their Facebook page and music; all links included after the interview. Their humor is hilarious, if you've ever met them or seen videos, and I think it really carries through in some of their answers here. I know they had me laughing and I'm the one doing the interview!
(Alex Solca)

Me: How did you first get started as a band? Since then, how have any band member changes and personal ups and downs affected your sound? 

Rival Tides: We first got together in a previous project. As time progressed, the group experienced member changes and new experiences (both in life and musically) that really put us down a more focused path. Instead of continuing on with any old history, we decided to start over.

Me: Do you feel like your new songs are different from your older ones because you as people have grown? Or is this finally the "real you" coming out?

RT: Both, really. We’ve grown together as a group in a way that’s helped us get to the point of our true potential. It’s not that we’ve peaked or anything, but our new music is certainly the music we’ve always wanted to make together.

Me: Do you have one specific member who concentrates on writing a majority of lyrics and/or music or do you feel that it's an equal collaboration?

RT: Our vocalist, Robyn, writes all the lyrics, unless we just have minor suggestions to contribute. We all join forces to write the music. The success or failure of each individual song is the responsibility of everyone in the group.
  
Me: Tell me about your lyric writing process and how you're able to come up with such unique and moving songs? Has your process changed between albums?

RT: Robyn‘s lyrics are becoming a lot more personal, while being more relatable to those who listen. He starts with how a new song’s melody makes him feel and then writes what he feels is appropriate to that mood.

Me: Do you feel like it's hard to continue making a name for yourself as a band, while others seem to meld together under the pressure of the industry to make "popular" music?
RT: Just wait until you hear our next album… jk. 

Either way, it’s a competitive market out there. Our goal is to make music that appeals to a wide variety of people, while keeping true to our own values.
  
Me: Have you experienced any problems or fallbacks while recording?
RT: Somewhat. As younger musicians we ran into problems clashing with producers’ visions for our style and direction. In recent times though, by the time we hit the studio, we’re confident and ready to record without any issues.
Me: I know you guys posted a statement about your name-change, but I think it's safe to say that everyone (including me as a friend and fan) who listens to your music would love to know what went into the thought process to changing your name, especially since you're already a fairly well-known band. 
RT: Our main reasoning was a fresh start. With the three songs we most recently released, (Mission:Control, How to Catch a Bullet, Oceans) we really felt that we discovered our true style. Instead of having a scattered history, we wanted all of our efforts from here on out to be as focused as possible. Rival Tides is all about having a good time while taking care of business at the same time. Kind of like a mullet: business up front, party in the back.

Me: Do you guys have any plans for a tour in the near future, whether local or US? 

RT: We’ve got some stuff in the pipeline being worked out, but until dates are confirmed and ready to be announced we’ll keep quiet about it.

Me: I'm curious as to how you guys personally feel about the way music sales have changed, including illegal downloading, iTunes, Amazon, and other online music retailers. Does this totally ruin music or do you think this improves how easily and rapidly music reaches your fan's ears? 

(Alex Solca)
RT: Each side of the debate has its pros and cons. Digital downloads provide easy access to new music discovery, but it also creates a much more saturated market. It does shut down a lot of those bands who just want to be instant rockstars though; the money just isn’t around for that anymore. The changed industry forces bands like us to think on our toes and look to the future at all times. Even if we’re not necessarily making visible moves or announcements every week, we’re still planning out the best courses of action at all times.

Me: Do you think that online sales will eventually completely replace CD and vinyl sales?

RT: I can see CDs disappearing. Sure, it could take a while since they’re still easily available, but most content can now be streamed online in cloud storage, or is just digital through mp3s. I think vinyl will stick around though. It makes music more of a collector item. With bigger artwork, better sound and limited quantities, it has staying power. Plus, something that I personally love about it is the fact that it’s really the only true way to “own” music. CDs are just data discs. Downloads are the same. A record is a physical item of music. If you put a needle to it, even without speakers, you can hear music from it. I don’t know about you, but I think that’s pretty awesome.

***
Check Rival Tides out on Facebook, Twitter, and on their website

(Photos by the magnificent Alex Solca)

Friday, December 7, 2012

Taking Back Sunday, Bayside, and Man Overboard (#TAYF10 Tour) at Club Nokia October 25, 2012)

The scene was a beautiful one: a crazy long line of people all lined up for the Taking Back Sunday #TAYF10 tour! A lot of these people were wearing merch and some of them even had TBS shirts from "back in the day," showing that they had likely been around from when the album was first released. Many Bayside fans also showed up, some excited to see the bands for the first time, while some had been to many shows and had more of a relaxed vibe as they waited in line. I didn't see any Man Overboard shirts, but I know there were many loyal fans out there in the crowd once the band went on later.

Personally, I've seen Taking Back Sunday twice: The Next Big Thing 6 (Tampa Bay 2006) and Warped Tour 2012 (My first Warped Tour this year in Pomona) and Bayside once at the same Warped Tour this past summer. I was beyond excited to get to see them, even though I felt a little nervous about the venue size, crowd, and the VERY small pit that they had given "limited" access to. (Which really meant as many people as they could fit in there without killing someone.)

After waiting in line and getting our pit access, my friend and I squeezed as close to the front as possible and waited for the show to start. There were so many people who were excited for Man Overboard to open. Although I hadn't been as long-term of a fan of them as others in the crowd, it was great to see how much excitement there was for them. Many people knew the lyrics to their music as they started playing, but the crowd didn't go nearly as crazy as I would soon witness. Now, I've been to a LOT of shows. I've been to shows in all sorts of venues with all kinds of music and different crowds and I've been hit in places I had to think about later (how?! why?!) but never have I seen a crowd like the one that night.

Bayside played a solid set to a sea of singing fans who knew the lyrics very well and it almost sounded like a live recording of their album. I was very pleased and glad to be part of a crowd who knew and apparently loved Bayside as much as I do! (A few people, not surprisingly, screamed out their love for, and desire to have the babies of Anthony.) They put on an even better set than the smaller one at Warped Tour, which I had thought was amazing, so that's saying something.

The crowd started pushing some towards the end of Bayside's set and a couple people attempted to crowd surf, which is apparently their way of showing appreciation for the music. Nobody seemed amused. When Taking Back Sunday took the stage, the change was enormous. Not only did everyone start shoving and "moshing" (I put it in quotations because these individuals have clearly never been to a hardcore show and were trying to mosh/circle pit but don't know what they are doing.) but the voices got louder and the excitement was even more clear.

On the upside, a great show was had and they played a great set, comparable with the one I saw at Warped Tour (with a much smaller crowd at Club Nokia) but the downsides were the tight space and people kicking and throwing elbows everywhere (even in the parts of the crowd you usually would be safe in) and one guy who tried to crowd surf to the stage 12 or 13 times in a row and didn't get kicked out. I would put the downsides mostly on the venue/security, because that's not really on the band. But I did get punched in the face so hard I thought my nose was broken, and my glasses were ripped off my face a few times. (Not the first time it's happened... La Dispute...)

All in all, great show.

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