 How did Miles and the Chain Gang come to be?
I'm Miles. I've been writing songs for years. I was married and we had two kids and I was focusing on being a Dad, other kinds of writing (novels, poetry) and I running an Arts Festival, which I did for 8 years. The marriage ended and I did a lot of thinking about what I wanted to do, and one of the big answers was music. I went out and played open mic nights around York, playing songs I'd written years ago. I met Billy Hickling (drums), Tim Bruce (bass) and Alan Dawson (guitar) and we played our first gig in February 2019. Do you have any releases coming up or planned? We just released our first single 'When It Comes To You' in February this year. There's a video online people can have a look at. We're hoping to record really soon and get more material online, with videos so people can see what we're about, hopefully build an audience. What is something you want listeners to take away from your music? Gig wise, great fun, emotive music, have a bit of laugh and enjoy the night. Otherwise, just good songs. It's not complicated. I'm learning not to overthink it! With everything that is going on in our world what is one cause or organization that you are passionate about? For me, Climate Change beats everything else, because of the long term impact it will have on the planet. It's a strange time. A time of crisis. But we have been here before. There's always something kicking off somewhere. I asked a poet once if we were at the end of the world and he said 'I think we always have been'. We're all mortal. We're all going to die. The crucial thing is to live well, I think. Be kind. Don't be a twat. Be honest. Be generous. Be authentic. Those things are important. How we treat others matters. What is Miles and the Chain Gang's writing process like? It's still early days, but I write the songs and take them to Billy and Tim and they put in a lot of power to the rhythm and feel of the song. Sometimes it makes it more upbeat, which is no bad thing. They tend to push things along. 'When It Comes To You' has a slightly new wave feel to it, which is an era that me and Billy love. When we rehearse we tend to do things more organically, with everybody contributing ideas, but we need more time to do that in the future. On the recording we brought in some friends - Holly Taymar sang backing vocal, Simon Waggott played keyboards and Alan Dawson did some great lead guitar. To follow up with the last question, what inspires your sound? For me it's about good songs and a kick-ass band. Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band are a good example. Thin Lizzy. ACDC. I'm a huge Del Amitri fan - they married brilliant songs with a superb band sound. Any tours coming up soon? I wish. I was hoping we would do a mini tour this autumn, but I can't see it happening now for a long time. Hopefully it will happen in the future. I would really love to tour. Tim and Billy have done a lot of international performing but I've never done it, so it is an ambition of mine. But the virus thing has killed touring - for now, at least. Maybe in a year or two. Miles and the Chain Gang's latest single 'When It Comes To You' is available on Spotify, GooglePlay, Apple Music and Amazon MP3. www.youtube.com/watch?v=V43RLsMBdWc www.facebook.com/Miles-and-The-Chain-Gang Anything you would like to tell our readers? Pet a cat in the street. Laugh often. Look up. The sky is unfolding. The moon glows. It's amazing to be here. Be kind. It's better to be kind than right.
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 How did the band come to be?
We started back in late 2011 - Thomas Trold on guitar and vocals, Kent KillerHertz on drums and two former members Tais Pedersen on lead guitar and Stefan Staff on bass. Some of us had sold all our equipment, so we started rehearsing once a week on borrowed instruments ha-ha. We were childhood friends who have had a break from the music scene due to family and kids…we came from different bands, such as Saturnus, Pitch Black and Morbid Vision, meaning we mostly played trash and death metal. But after a few years break we were eager to start a band together - and in the rock genre instead. Tais and Thomas had already some ideas, which quickly turned into a few songs, and in 2014 our first album came out called “Killer Anthem”. The second album came in 2017 called “Mirrors Portrait”. Along the way we have had some changes in our line-up. The two new spots are now filled in with Jonas Roxx on lead guitar and Jakob Nielsen on bass. Do you have any releases coming up in the new year? We just had an EP-album release the 29th of May - The title is Innocent Sinners - it contains three original songs and a cover version by an old Danish band called Danseorkestret. Compared to our two earlier album releases, we wanted a different approach in releasing new material, with fewer numbers and more focus on music video releases, which will hopefully give us a more viral promotion to the process. So, we are very excited about this release. What is something you want listeners to take away from your music? All songs have a mix of expression, so if you feel joyfulness, perhaps a bit of sadness, or the urge to just rock n roll - that’s why listeners needs to check out our music videos for this album: Ill addictive romance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsBQ-cIMqYY Innocent Sinners: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbJQHK4pcSg With everything that is going on in our world what is one cause or organization that you are passionate about? With all what’s going on in the world we need to take more care of our planet - so we support environmental organizations and animal welfare organizations with monthly donations. What is your writing process like? All song writing is done by Thomas Trold - the whole process is mostly done by Thomas Trold has an idea and we´ll then start adding some drums to it and see how that works. Afterwards would be adding all other instruments and giving everybody their opinion to the process. Sometimes the flow comes naturally, other times it needs a bit more work to the process. To follow up with the last question, what inspires your sound? Our inspirations and influence thrives mostly through classic bands and artists from the 70´s, 80´s and 90´s, such as Megadeth, Metallica, Iron Maiden, Kiss, Motley, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Merciful Fate etc. - the era of that time has had a significant influence on all of us, some of the best albums are made in that period! And inspiration from everyday life in all its meaning, that’s what most of the lyrics are about - like love, expectations, breaking up, people in general, who we are and so on…Death, life and love are mainly the subjects through our songs, which most people can relate to. We´re a mix of new and old. Any tours coming up soon? Due to the situation worldwide, the concert schedule is still in the making - but hopefully this year with a couple of concerts in Copenhagen and then we´ll see. The big goal is to play some bigger venues, like festivals and to play abroad - Perhaps a small tour. Anything you would like to tell our readers? Innocent Sinners is now on digital downloads, and we have music videos, with four releases within a month and a half of each other. So go follow us on our Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thekillerhertzband/  Questions answered by Bassist/Vocalist Max
How did the band come to be? Prior to the band we have only known each other only by sight. One day I asked Dominik (Drums), if he wanted to play the drums in a punk band I was trying to set up! For a long time, after he joined the band, we played with different guitarists. Alex (Guitar) one day asked me about our band and I arranged a meeting with him. The next day we rehearsed together, and this was the moment he joined as a real band member! Do you have any releases coming up in the new year? Yes! Our first EP `Safe Zone´ is going to be released on the 12th of June, 2020 via our label SBÄM Records and on all streaming platforms! You can pre-order it on SHOP.SBAM.ROCKS or pre-save it on our instagram (@mudfightband) to win brand new merch! Thank you for checking it out! What is something you want listeners to take away from your music? I think we always try to give the listener a good time, especially on the upcoming EP! The themes of our songs range from love to self-doubt, but we want to put these darker themes in happy songs, so people can work through their problems with our songs! With everything that is going on in our world what is one cause or organization that you are passionate about? With all the sh*t that is going on, we can't choose one “most“ important organization! Be it anti-racism, anti-sexism, healthcare or environmental organizations! Of course we think that everything is necessary! Help where you can help and make the world a better place! What is your writing process like? Most songs are written by me and our guitarist Alex! We come together with our ideas, and everyone incorporates his ideas, be it a catchy bass line, a drum fill or a fancy lead guitar! To follow up with the last question, what inspires your sound? Our favorite bands, new live-show experiences and breathtaking concerts! We try to create our own style and are not afraid of trying something new! Our music is often described as a mix of Green Day, AC/DC, Nirvana, The Ramones and Blink-182! Any tours coming up soon? Due to the current pandemic we sadly have nothing planned. For tour updates follow us on our social media! Anything you would like to tell our readers? Thank you for reading this interview and if you are curious about our upcoming music, check us out on spotify and instagram! These are hard times for all of us, so stay healthy and fight for your rights!  How did the band come to be?
Well we met sometime around 2012 and we started making some music together in 2014, but we weren’t really a band until we rebranded in 2016 to what we now know as Sentinel Complex. We started out doing music and sfx for random indie game and film projects and slowly got a grip for things, and then eventually just said “we could do this for a band you know” to each other and now we are here! Do you have any releases coming up in the new year? For a start we are currently working on our newest project which we are really proud of, and we are going to be dropping singles on a regular basis this year and have a full EP planned too so keep your eyes out for that! There will also be a few collaborative songs coming out too later down the line and maybe even a few remixes! We like to switch up our release methods every now and again to keep people on their toes, so expect to see more of us later this year once we have these tracks nice and polished. What is something you want listeners to take away from your music? As a new listener, we would love for people to see the striking imagery, hear the sounds we have created and hopefully have it stick with them. Sometimes it can be hard for people to really get into what we do and we appreciate that, especially if they are into only one of the genre types we like to write rather than multiple. But we’d love for people to at least think it's good music, regardless of the genre! With everything that is going on in our world what is one cause or organization that you are passionate about? At the moment the fact that there are a bunch of artists and musical organizations that are doing charity livestreams of shows and events is really awesome. We watched one recently which was the Global Dance Festival that was killer, and all the proceeds were going towards Covid-19 research and prevention! What is your writing process like? Jamie: When it comes to the process, we both do all of the writing and it usually goes the way one of us will have an idea which will then be brought to the other, and then we’ll both sit down and see where we want the idea to go. At some point I’ll usually sit down with the end result and take it as far as I can go with it. Eventually we’ll end up with the final which we are both happy with, and we won’t release anything until we are both completely satisfied with it! To follow up with the last question, what inspires your sound? We both listen to two main genres primarily which are metal and the dirty industrial side of electronic music so we thought we would try and combine the two. Sprinkle on our two main interests outside of music which are cyberpunk and horror media and you have Sentinel Complex! We like to switch things up though for different songs, and you’ll find some are more horror inspired, some may be more metal etc but it's always a good mix! Any tours coming up soon? Unfortunately shows aren’t a thing we are doing at the moment, but it is something we want to do once we have enough material we deem worthy and once we get the rigs together! We would love to be able to pull off some crazy theatrics and have some audio-visual things going on in the background to really have the shows be as immersive as possible! Anything you would like to tell our readers? Stay safe and thanks for reading! We hope you like what we do and stick around, we love interacting with people so get in touch if you like!  How did the band come to be?
Hi, Well, it all started as a single project of mine, I just stopped playing with my previous band (metal band), I had my first kid at that time also. So I was kind of band less and I started work on some softer material, rock music for fun. And very quickly I got some serious good songs and I missed being on stage so much, so I decided to make a new band. At first it was called Super heroes chronicles, and I changed during 2 years about 30 times of other musicians (very hard to find good bros..) and the name changed to H.E.R.O. Basically all the lyrics were about super heroes fighting super villains ah ah… and somehow, someday I found Raphael a very talented guitar player and he brought in his brother Alx behind the drum, Meumeu at the bass was already in the band HERO, and we renamed the band Cloudfalls. Then we started work on the first album Start over, made some videos, some gigs in France. Then the new album Ravens don’t fall came 2018. Do you have any releases coming up in the new year? We are currently working on 2 new albums, a first one with new material and a second one as an orchestral version of some of our old songs (+ some new ones as a bonus). What is something you want listeners to take away from your music? I wish they can remember a good melody that will turn in their mind for a while. I also wish they can feel the passion and fun we have to do our music and share it with them. With everything that is going on in our world what is one cause or organization that you are passionate about? Right now the big problem is that the “artistic” industry almost completely stopped in France and in most of the countries, we are not considered as “essential” to life. I wish we are considered more and we can get more help from the government. In France, a few years ago they made the room requirement so hard that most small venues have closed because they couldn’t pay for the upgrade. What is your writing process like? I 100% write at home on my home studio, my memory suck like hell ! I can’t rely on it, so I used to record everything I play. So when i write, I start my computer, open up cubase, Add a drum track very basic, I choose the tempo depending on what kind of track I want to compose. Then I record everything I play. I play some rhythm for hours and keep what is nice, then I try some melodies, and I build a song step by step. It’s very random and completely by luck :) It’s very rare when I already know exactly how the melody will be. To follow up with the last question, what inspires your sound? Pretty much anything, I’m really inspired by the moment. Suddenly, I know I must take my guitar and play. Something will come out. My state of mind at this moment is a big influence. I also think about people when I compose, good memories, bad memories, they are triggering my inspiration. Any tours coming up soon? Well because of the virus :( Unfortunately we have more cancelling than new dates. So far 2 dates cancelled. We have plans for September in France. Anything you would like to tell our readers? Thanks for reading this interview, and we hope it can make you curious about our rock music. You can enjoy it in almost any current media, feel free to give it a try and comment!  How did the band come to be?
My name is Katya Richardson, and I’m a composer and producer based in Los Angeles. I first got into music via piano lessons, and have been writing my own music since before high school. I studied composition and film-scoring at the University of Southern California, and now work as a freelance film composer and multi-disciplinary artist. Do you have any releases coming up in the new year? Yes! I released my debut electro jazz EP, Left From Write, in April. It’s a sonic reinterpretation of dyslexia and features electronic grooves, jazzy saxophone, and looping vocal textures. It was originally written as part of a collaboration with a choreographer, lighting designer, and animator and dancers from the Norwegian National Ballet. What is something you want listeners to take away from your music? Music transports and connects us in unspoken ways, and I think the most timeless art is the kind that is reactive and questioning. My music is very cinematic, and as a storyteller, my most important goal is to channel that innate part of humanity, which is communication. I want to move and inspire people in a genuine way. With everything that is going on in our world what is one cause or organization that you are passionate about? I am particularly passionate about equality within the music industry, specifically educating and encouraging young women to pursue careers as composers and musicians. What is your writing process like? I am very tactile when writing, so I usually start by improvising at a piano or playing with different sounds and instruments in my studio. I generally approach each project - whether it be a film score or a song - as its own entity, so the process is a little different each time. I would say that most of my music is naturally cinematic and emotive, and I like focusing on certain elements for each piece. I’m super into minimalist textures and vocal loops, and sometimes a whole piece is about exploring that. Other times, my jazz piano background kicks in and I find myself prioritizing melody and harmony. To follow up with the last question, what inspires your sound? Classically, I’m influenced by minimalist composers like John Adams and Phillip Glass, and the electronic aspects of my music are largely inspired by the jazz fusion of Flying Lotus and dance composer, Son Lux. In terms of current muses, I really look up to the work of Isobel Waller-Bridge; there aren’t many female film composers out there, and I love how her recent score to Vita and Virginia (2018) showcases grungy electronics and traditional strings to both romanticize and modernize the 1920s. I think it’s super cool when genres collide and something traditional, like a film score, can still be innovative and genuine. Any tours coming up soon? None planned yet! Most of the music I write is recorded and produced beforehand, but I would like to put together a live synth and vocal set soon. Anything you would like to tell our readers? You can check out my newest EP on Spotify! https://open.spotify.com/album/0KNJa0wQm7ezIkgPmASCHY And if you’d like to stay up to date with my latest projects & see footage from the EP release, give me a follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katya.richardson/?hl=en Thanks for having me!  How did the band come to be?
Fox Violet like most things in my life came to me in some kind of dream. I was inspired to make music that felt like you were stuck inside a dream, one that felt extremely real but one which you still knew you were dreaming. I don't really have any ambition to get there but I want to go on that transcendental journey when I make music. Do you have any releases coming up in the new year? I just released, “I’ll take your pain,” which is really a commentary on not only the state of the world right now, but the dissolution of relationships. I wrote this song before the pandemic hit. I have always had a morose perception of world events, and I wanted to create a song that moved through the sensory experience of loss and a nostalgic reflection of times past. That is a current theme in my work. When the pandemic hit I had to reflect on that song, but I hope that it is cathartic to some. What is something you want listeners to take away from your music? I don’t want to prescribe any emotional experience to my songs, but I do hope with each new song they gain a sense of no holds barred real commentary, one that does not shy away from dark emotions, but instead lets them out to breathe. With everything that is going on in our world what is one cause or organization that you are passionate about? Thank you *so* much for asking this question. I am passionate about @nokidhungry they are working tirelessly to provide food to children all over the world. This is not just countries in the developing world, but right in the USA too. When schools closed, children who came to rely upon those hot meals of the day suddenly had nowhere to turn. That’s completely unacceptable to me. I would like to fund raise for this organization if possible. I am also very passionate about trying to fund raise for international aid. I am very saddened by the looming potential extra disaster that could occur in the developing worlds as a result of crucial aid services being ground to a halt as a result of the pandemic. There are so many organizations we can and should support if we can. My heart goes out to the front line health care workers tirelessly keeping our world together right now too. What is your writing process like? It’s very personal. I need to be alone, and to be really in a state of deep reflection. I usually have an idea for a song that then comes into life when I hear a few notes, and then it takes it’s own journey visually. It might take me one night or a few months to write something. To follow up with the last question, what inspires your sound? So many things inspire me. Sadness inspires me, melancholia. I have always been motivated by an exploration of that. I know it’s dark but I just believe that sadness is this participant of our human existence and we shouldn’t shy away from it. I’ve tried to form this into a more nostalgic experience so that we really feel like we are walking through our sad experiences together, in one collective dream. I never want to write something so personal that people can’t relate. I am more interested in collective emotions. Any tours coming up soon? I’ve postponed all tours right now and I am just focused on writing, recording and trying to keep my loved ones well. Anything you would like to tell our readers? I hope that anyone reading this is well and is keeping safe. Thanks for listening. Links: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4GkvtpqQgkSPCt7aXEes9r www.instagram.com/fox_violets  How did the band come to be?
JC used to play keys for an artist called Ella Eyre, and wrote a bunch of songs while on the road touring with her. After she heard the tracks for the first time she asked if he’d want to be the support act on her next tour, which meant that he had to form a band! JC knew Huss (drums) from growing up in Huddersfield, and I shared a mutual friend who recommended me for the project. It was a bit of a whirlwind start, and we’re all super grateful to Ella for the opportunity she gave us as such a young band. Any advice on new skills to learn during for people with free time on their hands just now? We’re so lucky to have resources like YouTube, it’s basically a free university! There are so many good tutorials for anything from playing an instrument to cooking. We’ve all been developing our music production skills during this period, and I’d say patience and discipline are both really key when learning something new. Favorite video games to play / or favorite book to read right now? We played way too much Mario kart on our last tour.. that game never gets old! I’m currently reading a book called ‘Shoe Dog’ which is all about the story behind Nike. It’s an interesting read and shows that hard work and dedication can pay off! Do you have any releases coming up in the new year? We’re actually about to release a bunch of acoustic versions of songs from ‘Highlights’. Anything you would like to tell our readers? Head over to our social media pages to find out how we’re spending our time at the moment and for announcements about new releases and gigs! @flawes http://www.flawes.com/  How did the band come to be?
Band has been around since 2014. It began as a muck about with mates just wanting to enjoy playing music. Badly. Very, very badly. We became serious with it in 2018. So the band has been about for 6 or 7 years. The current line up is Finlay Cardno, James Riddoch, Corey Finnie and Myself has been since late 2018. It was Finlay and I who began the band in 2014 with our mates. Do you have any releases coming up in the new year? Our main goal for this year is to release as many demo’s as we can and hopefully have an EP to share with everyone by the end of the year. What is something you want listeners to take away from your music? One of the biggest goals as a band musically is if someone has a deep connection with our songs after listening to us. That would be one of the greatest feelings. With everything that is going on in our world what is one cause or organization that you are passionate about? When the world has been turned upside down there is always one organization that does all it can to stand tall and pull us through a time of crisis. Our NHS is one of the greatest organisations. They get dismantled and sold for scraps and they still do all they can to save lives. What is your writing process like? The majority of our songs have been written by our lead singer Eddie Flinn. He normally brings some songs to us at band practice and if we like them we start practicing and tweaking them. As a band we do have some songs in the pipeline that we came up with together. To follow up with the last question, what inspires your sound? Because most of our songs are written by Eddie. We have a very east bay punk sound; quite similar to Green Day back in the 90s. They were one of his biggest influences Any tours coming up soon? Not as yet has anything been confirmed but we do have many projects lined up with other bands so hopefully in the faint future we will have some exciting news. Anything you would like to tell our readers? Please love us and follow us. It would mean the world; without you guys we could not do anything so lots of love is appreciated. As well as you sharing us with your friends. Love you all.  How did the band come to be?
Believe it or not, the host of the Rock N Worship Festival in Dalton, MA, walked up to me (Meredith… the gal with green hair!). For some unknown reason he was like “hey! I want you to come sing!”. I was playing electric guitar for my church’s youth band (needless to say, it was a less-than-stellar performance). So, I went. I had just turned 14. There were all ages and genres at the Rock N Worship Fest; from metal to reggae to gospel. Something clicked. These people were like me! I asked my younger brother (a rockin’ drummer) on the 4-hour ride home to start a band, and he said yes! We met bassist Ian through mutual friends. (Truthfully, he literally fell -he says he jumped- out of a tree. But I guess there’s worse ways to meet people!) We played under the banner ‘Undefeated’ for the first time August 5th, 2017 on the lawn of a bookstore. Do you have any releases coming up in the new year? We’ve just put out the music video for our second single, Where Are You (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrXWbsn9Ey3ft62D4zVSStA). We have 3 more songs to follow this year to complete our first EP! We had to postpone studio time for a new song that we are really excited about. It melds punk and metal into our current sound. We feel very locked into this direction! What is something you want listeners to take away from your music? You know the movie where the guy finally finds his courage, grabs his sword, and steps toward the enemy? We want you to feel like that. With everything that is going on in our world what is one cause or organization that you are passionate about? Clean water and food. Our family has sponsored through Food for the Hungry, and Water for Life with James Robison. What is your writing process like? I (Meredith… the girl with the green hair!) write the initial lyrics/melodies, and we all collab on the instrumentation. I have a notebook titled “Ridiculously Good Ideas”, so obviously ridiculously good ideas happen there. It’s filled with all sorts of poems and lyric ideas and songs. It’s a 5-subject notebook lol…and I’m on my fourth one. To follow up with the last question, what inspires your sound? Let me tell ya how we come together. Our drummer (Christian) is a die-hard djent/metal/screamo fan. Ian’s (bassist) heart was born and raised in classic rock. You know, The Beatles, Zeppelin, the whole thing. Then there’s me. I LOVE to sing. You can’t take a singer and stick her in one genre. The trick is melding these three sounds without losing what God gave each one. The whole is greater than the piece. Personally, I’ve also really been loving all of Lacey Sturm’s stuff! Killer lyrics, music, the whole thing. Any tours coming up soon? There’s a lot going on in the world with the COVID-19 virus. It has reached every corner. Due to this, all of our shows March through May are on hold. We were booked in New Jersey, Maine, and locally. So, looking forward to rescheduling those! We can’t wait to tour. Christian (drummer) has two years of high school left. But, we’re ready to try our hand at short tours (3 weeks to 3 months!)! Anything you would like to tell our readers? If you have a passion for music and the mainstream isn’t filling it; don’t just listen, share and promote! Connect with us on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/undefeatedofficialmusic/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/undefeated_official/?hl=en Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrXWbsn9Ey3ft62D4zVSStA Come say hi! |