I’ve been sitting here for about 20 minutes attempting to write something witty and explain the high demand for rising band In This Moment. I realized that a band this awesome just can’t be explained in a short paragraph. After you experience them live and let their songs seep into the music folder in your head you might start to know what I’m talking about. It’s one of those things that you just can’t seem to live without after you try it once, like cookies. Who says “No, I don’t like them” to cookies?! If you’re still confused I guess you’ll just have to pick up their CD and get it stuck in your head to the point that you bust out singing it while you walk down the aisles at the grocery store. I’ve come to the conclusion that I am at a loss for words when trying to describe something of this magnitude. Luckily I got lead guitarist Chris Howorth to help me explain things a little better.

Shout!: Can you give a little background on the band?

Chris Howorth: The band started around August 2005 and started writing songs. We put the songs on MySpace and our MySpace did really good. There was a buzz and our MySpace kept getting bigger. We started touring, got a manager and a deal, went on tour again with support and then there was Ozzfest, Megadeath and here we are today!

S!: What do you feel are the pros and cons of having a woman vocalist?

Chris: I think the pros are there are not a lot of female vocalists and there really are no cons. People like to try and find controversy because there is a woman in the band but, they’re just a singer. There are guys and there are girls just like the rest of life. Just because there are not as many, people make a bigger deal about it than what it really is. We’re cool with it.

S!: You started just like any other band by putting music on the web. How do you think sites like MySpace and Purevolume affect the music industry today?

Chris: Obviously they have a pretty big effect on them right now. Both of those sites have where you can interact with fans directly and release information easily and quickly. To bands and anyone who wants to promote themselves, MySpace is a really great promotional tool. It has really helped our band a lot so how can you deny something like that? It’s pretty powerful.

S!: The web also opens up a diverse audience. Why do you feel your music captivates fans from My Chemical Romance to Bleeding Through?

Chris: We just have a lot of different aspects to our songs and our music. I don’t think it is just one thing. We have heavy stuff in there, screaming, singing, melodic guitar and everything. We have solos, mosh parts, double bass, you name it. Everyones’ influences are kind of combined to make it so it is really diverse. We could play with anyone and do pretty good I think.

S!: Why do you feel you have such a good working relationship with Century Media?

Chris: I think it is good because they signed us, we wanted to work with them, and they’ve really pushed our album. They’re happy, we’re happy. When both parties are happy then it is a good outcome all around.

S!: How do you feel they handled the release of your album, Beautiful Tragedy?

Chris: I thought they did a great job with it. It came out when we were touring but there has been a steady increase in sales the whole time. It is still doing well today after eight or nine months into the cycle. I think they did great!

S!: What are your thoughts on the final product?

Chris: I’m really happy with it. I could always look at stuff and wish I could change this or we could have done this or that. We all looked at it though and we’re all really happy with it.

S!: How did you get on the Ozzfest bill and what was your experience like on tour?

Chris: We had submitted ourselves for it and got it. Our managers supported us in that aspect but we just submitted to it. It was awesome. Ozzfest is the shit. It was packed, great crowds and everyone was there to have a great time. There was no bad scenarios at all for us so it was a great experience.

S!: How did that compare to the arenas you played with Rob Zombie and Ozzy after?

Chris: They are both really really cool. Ozzfest was more crazy and in your face metal kids wanting to mosh and get crazy. The arenas with Ozzy and Zombie were seated and were directed towards more concert-going folk. The tickets were priced a little higher. There were kids and stuff there too and metal kids spread throughout the arena but most people were just older concert-going folk. It was a challenge to get them up, out of their seats and rock out and get into it. It was great too but in a different way.

S!: You’re going to Asia at the end of February. What are you looking forward most to accomplishing overseas?

Chris: We’re just letting people see us live. Obviously we’re doing something right over there or else they wouldn’t ask us to come play! [Laughs] We’re not really up on what’s happening but tickets are selling well for the shows. We’re going to China and I don’t know what to expect. I don’t know what the people are like or how they’ll react but it will be interesting. We’re all looking forward to it a lot!

S!: After that, what can your fans expect?

Chris: We’re working on our next album right now as far as writing it but we’ll start recording it after that. We’re working with the guy that did Ozzy’s record. We’ll have a three month break to do that and we’ll be back on tour in July.

S!: Any last words you’d like to say to your fans?

Chris: We love you guys and we’re here because of you and you’re the best!

• Official Site: http://www.centurymedia.com/us/single_artist.php?ID=94
• MySpace URL: http://www.myspace.com/inthismoment