Every time a band comes into their own, they all say the same thing: It’s not about the money or fame. It’s not about being on the radio or in movies. It’s about the music. Sadly not all these bands live up to their word. Since becoming somewhat a part of this industry, I’ve come across many types of bands and what they have to say sometimes gets lost amongst all the cliches. Not Dez.

For as long as I can remember, Dez Fafara, even back in the Coal Chamber days, has been nothing but true to his word. When I finally got the chance to interview him, his words stuck out and have made an impact. Dez has even said that he laughs at himself and doesn’t take anything too seriously. He’s also been known to follow the “Question Everything” belief, which I think you’ll understand a bit more if you continue to read on and see for yourself just what Dez has to say about his questioning, how the band affects him personally, and their crossover…

S!: DevilDriver has been together since 2003. What do you feel is the most defining moment in the bands career?

Dez Fafara: I think the growth from the first record to the third one. A lot of bands think that their first album is the best and everything after doesn’t live up to it. Devildriver is one of the bands that is growing and changing all the time. We had enough time to really find ourselves and put out something that reflected on us.

S!: Why do you think you have such a good working relationship with RoadRunner Records?

Dez: Gee, I’ve been there so long. It’s coming up on 11 or 12 years now. [Laughs] They know me and I know them …  Continued »

You probably noticed the August Burns Red in the Shout! Galleries before. Their live performance in nothing but power-packed pandemonium. I was so psyched to see them live again recently and have wanted to try and interview them since they formed in 2003. Shout! makes dreams come true…well, kind of. I was finally given the opportunity to live MY dream when they were selected to play on the Take Action 2008 tour.

If you’ve followed the band as I have since their formation, you’d want to ask them a bazillion questions too. Luckily, I got mine answered for all of us! Read on to find out more about the Take Action Tour, their cause, and much, much more from guitarist JB!

Shout!: Wikipedia defines your music as “Christian Metalcore”. Do you feel this term applies to August Burns Red? If not, what would you define your music as?

JB Brubaker: Christian is a religion and not a style of music, however, we are all Christians so I guess some people decide to tie that into our musical style. If I were to describe our genre I’d just say “metal.” I’m not big into describing our music. I’d rather just let the music speak for itself I guess.

S!: How do you feel as a band that Christian music has been overflowing into other genres of of the music industry?

JB: I feel great about that! I’ve always been a big believer of good music being good music regardless of what religion or views are tied to it. I think that people are realizing that and that is why there are more and more christian bands having success in the secular market.

S!: What happened with CI Records and why do you feel that signing to Solid State was the better choice?

JB: CI Records is …  Continued »

You’ve heard the name bop around from time to time since 1995. Then you started to hear the name more and more, and found yourself singing along to the songs while shopping. You switched the radio to your favorite station, and there they are again! Chevelle. It was only a matter of time when three brothers started a band before they aimed to take over the world. Chevelle has soldiered on over Christian controversy, the last four albums, and the departure of brother/bassist Joe. Read on as drummer Sam Loeffler tells us more…

Shout!: Everyone describes your music differently. If you had to describe your music in one word, what would it be?

Sam Loeffler: Umm. Hmmm. I guess Rock. I mean, I don’t know what else would really describe it. [Laughs]

S!: What are your thoughts on people continuing to describe you as Christian Rock?

Sam: There are worse things to be called. I don’t really care either way. That is really other peoples’ conception of us and doesn’t have anything to do with me personally. It is just another descriptive word I guess. That’s all I can really say about it.

S!: After being together for over a decade, what do you feel is the most defining moment in your career as a band?

Sam: I don’t think there is just one moment but just being musicians is defining. I don’t think you can pick just one moment because there are so many like when you’re in the studio or a great show. There are moments everyday where you just sit back and kind of take everything in. There are a lot of those for sure.

S!: What are your thoughts on your latest album, Vena Sera?

Sam: We had a lot of ideas for this album. We thought we wanted to go back to some more …  Continued »

Black Tide is living the dream. Which dream you may ask? Theirs. The dream to rock out and play in front of hundreds to thousands of screaming fans across the globe. Getting signed to a major label, putting out thier first CD, and opening for acts like Ozzfest and Avenged Sevenfold. That, my friends, is a pretty sweet dream, especially since all the members are just old enough to buy cigarettes! 

If you’re one of those kids that always thought “why can’t I start a band?” then this is the band to look up to. Playing since middle school, Black Tide has been rising through the industry and the name has spread through the internet like wildfire. Before they got any bigger, I caught guitarist Alex Nunez to talk about the journey the band is on. Read on about the ins and outs of the industry, life on the road, and what really happened at Ozzfests’ Jagermeister Stage…

Shout!: I can’t get over how young you all are! What have you sacrificed to achieve what you have with this band?

Alex Nunez: We started out when we were young and we just played constantly. We didn’t even really consider ourselves as a band. Eventually we got our first show at a real venue and everyone made a big deal about it. Some bands were hating on us and others were cool because we were so young. They were all super heavy and we weren’t at the time so it made it difficult. It wasn’t really a sacrifice because it is what we love to do.

S!: Do you feel your age in the music industry affects how labels and fans perceive your talent?

Alex: Oh definitely. [Laughs] The label isn’t a huge thing anymore because they’re more worried about being professional …  Continued »

I had a long day ahead of me when I arrived to the venue to see the tour busses paraded across the parking lot. The line for the show was already winding around towards the alley with fans sitting anxiously and waiting intensely for doors to open. I heard the security in the background asking for ID’s while I made the call to drummer Ben Murray of Light This City. He apologized profusely about being up the street at the grocery store at the time of our sit down. Reassuring him that there was no harm done, we settled on vocalist Laura Nichol to chat with us instead. Squeezing into their van, we assumed comfortable positions and began our adventure. I say “adventure” because when Light This City is in the mix, that’s what you get!

Shout!: Like tour-mates Black Tide, your roster is quite young. Do you feel this affects the music industry’s perception of your talent?

Laura Nichol: I’m not sure. I know it makes for a bit more attention. I think once people hear our music they decide for themselves if they like us or not and they can see we’re just as serious as any older band. We have a lot of touring experience now too.

S!: You’ve toured with All That Remains before. What were you excited most about touring again with them in this new year?

Laura: They’re great friends of ours and the thing I like about them is they are a huge band but they are all very much down to Earth and fun to hang out with. They’re all really nice and respectful. Phil actually asked me to do guest vocals on their set and when he asked me, I was just like “Oh wow, that’d be a dream! That would be …  Continued »

Ever heard of The Rainbow Butt Monkeys? You may have and then wondered what ever happened to them. Ever heard of Finger Eleven? Ah ha! Case closed. Yes my friends, the band is one and the same. A name change, big record deal and a couple million albums later, Finger Eleven is back in the spotlight. You may have pegged them as a “One Hit Wonder” with their 2003, One Thing. Wow, were you wrong. Topping the charts of both 2007 and 2008 with their latest single, “Paralyzer”, Finger Eleven refuses to go anywhere. Canadian crossovers have spent the last decade experimenting with music and changing with the times. To better explain what I mean, drummer Rich Beddoe sheds insight on their music, pop culture, and where the music industry is headed…

Shout!: Being from Canada, do you feel as a band it was hard to cross over to the US?

Rich Beddoe: You know, it’s funny. A lot of Canadian bands over the years have done really well in the US. I’d have to say over the past thirty or forty years that all styles of bands that have come from Canada have done well. Bands are always getting some kind of response no matter where they are from. I think we’re following that same path just as Sum 41, Nickelback, and so many rock bands are coming through right now. I don’t think it is hard but more along the lines of getting a label and being signed while you’re there. As soon as you put something out and it is good quality, people will get past where you’re from. It’s all about getting your foot in the door no matter where it is. Especially when it comes to Canada and America, you can’t really tell the …  Continued »

All That Remains is a band name that you’ve heard throughout the last ten years. The name has been associated with acts such as Shadows Fall, Killswitch Engage, Ozzfest and Wacken Open Air. Over the course of these years, vocalist Phillip Labonte has taken his baby and watched it evolve into the show you see today. After three albums (fourth one coming soon!), numerous tours and independent struggles, All That Remains has broken through the underground scene to top Billboard Charts, have music featured in big screen movies and creep all the way through your body to your fingers while you push Play on your CD player. Speaking of achievements, a very modest vocalist/founder sat down with me to talk more about the style everyone knows, critics, and what’s next for the band!

Shout!: Wikipedia describes you as a “melodic metalcore” band. How do you personally define your music and do you think that term applies to All That Remains?

Phillip Labonte: Uh no, and “metal.” [Laughs] We do a lot of different stuff and we cover a lot of grounds when it comes to influences. We listen to everything from pop music to death metal or what have you. Throughout the band, if you name it, someone likes it. We are not afraid to let other influences filter in either. We won’t have a song that sounds like 50 Cent or anything because we’ll always be metal because we’re just a metal band. That image of itself makes it really had to classify us into a sub-genre. We’re not death metal, thrash metal, nu metal,  or even metalcore, we are just metal. We’re not someone you can categorize into anything else.

S!: Your vocals fluctuate between screaming and a clean melody. Why do you choose to do both instead …  Continued »

When two jam bands combined forces, no one knew what would be in store for them. Lucky for loyal fans, the band came to be Killswitch Engage. Flooding the airwaves, KsE has become popular through pop culture. Being featured in video games, headlining Warped Tour, and selling albums left and right have put this band into the spotlight. Taking off since day one, KsE has been truckin’ nonstop!

Statistics show that there are five new KsE fans every hour. Okay, that was complete bullshit, but could true if I didn’t tell you otherwise. If you haven’t been to a show yet, you are a very deprived person. You only live once before the killswitch is turned on. Bassist/ founder Mike D’Antonio explains what KsE is all about, his graphics projects on DarkicoN Designs, and gives us a teaser of what their fans can expect next!…

Shout!: Can you give insight on how you created the band’s name?

Mike D’Antonio: When I was a kid I wrote a lot of lyrics. I kept a notebook next to the TV and when I watched it, I would jot down cool words I liked. I was watching an X-Files episode and the word “Killswitch” came up. I thought it would be a cool song title or something at the time. Later on I came up with “Engage” and everyone hated it saying it sounded like a Star Trek logo. Then I kind of put them together and after I showed them the whole logo, they warmed up to the idea of it. [Laughs]

S!: You imagined Killswitch as nothing more than a side project. How does it feel to have come so much further?

Mike D: It feels like we’ve won the lottery to tell the truth. We didn’t have much of a vision …  Continued »

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 …  Continued »

If you join a band, sign a record deal, dish out an album, and tour with Hinder and Buckcherry within two years, you have to be doing something right. That’s what lead singer, Jeff Shields decided to do after turning down major record deals to be with the ever-growing band, Stereoside. Their debut album So Long portrays the heart and soul of what this band is all about. Dirty southern rock that just makes you feel downright good.

Going back to their roots of hearty rock with a twang makes you want to sit back, relax and have a beer. Good thing these guys are just like you and will hang out…if you’re lucky, they’ll even buy you a drink! Being personable comes across not only off stage, but on as well. I got the same feel when I chatted on the phone with Jeff and made him laugh so much he lost his train of thought!

Shout!: How did the rest of the band approach you to join Stereoside?

Jeff Shields: I was living in Nashville at the time they were on the road with Drowning Pool. I’m from Tallahassee originally and one of the guys out on the road with them, Shaggy Daniels, I grew up with. They got off tour with Drowning Pool and needed a new lead singer. Shaggy said that he knew me and that I sung rock and roll. They gave me a call and I moved down to Florida and we hit it off immediately.

S!: Was it hard to reject major record deals in order to pursue a career with Stereoside?

Jeff: You know, it was funny at first because I did have some label offers. When you get a record deal, you want to sign it but I was real weary …  Continued »

A band with a concrete message these days is refreshing. Three-piece Smile Empty Soul from LA is one of the few bands not corrupted by where the music industry is going these days. Honest lyrics with powerful views paint the portrait of this particular band.

It’s not often that so many different views on life can be expressed so openly but it seems to come naturally for singer Sean Danielsen. Backed by loyal fans, Smile Empty Soul creates a strong voice. Not only are the views solid, but the show they put on is up to par as well. If you’re in it for the music then this is the band to watch out for! I got a chance to speak with the guys backstage after the show about their music, politics, and the music industry…

Shout!: If you had to describe your music in one word, what would it be?

Sean Danielsen: Um. Wow. Dude, that is so not cool. [Laughs]

Ryan Martin: Jeez. Just one?

Jake Kilmer: Holy crap. [Long pause]

Sean: Um…Boring? [Laughs]

Jake: For fun?

Ryan: Dude! That’s two words! [Laughs]

Sean: This is hard. Can we skip this one?

Ryan: Yea. My answer is “I don’t know.”

S!: Hmm, I stumped you all on the first question. This is going to be interesting! You’re quite passionate about your views in life. What message are you wanting to spread with this band?

[All pause to think]

Ryan: [Laughs] These are hard! I don’t know!

Sean: Just overall being a little more consciously aware of your surroundings.  To not buy into bullshit that is fed to you by the government or other authorities. Don’t vote Republican unless you vote for Ron Paul.

Jake: …and to read more books!

S!: I wasn’t going to ask but because you brought the Election up, who do you want to win and …  Continued »

Even if you don’t happen to like or approve of the legendary GWAR, you know the name. They’ve crept through the music industry for the past 25 years so it is quite hard not to remember hearing them from somewhere. They’ve not only swept the music side of things, but television, movies and games throughout the years can not get enough GWAR!

One could compare this band to a bad car accident in the sense that you don’t know what you’re looking at but you just can’t seem to pull your eyes away. Admit it, they’re attention grabbers and it is what they do best. With in-your-face lyrics and theatrics on stage, there is only one band that can do what they do. Their twisted sense of humor makes for a great show from the costumes and props, to the lyrics and “metallic madness” as described by Oderus’ better half, Dave Brockie.

Face facts, you just can’t get enough GWAR! Anyone who tells you differently is lying.

Fake Voice: This is Mr. Brockies’ secretary, would you like to talk to him or Oderus?

Shout!: I have a few questions for both but if I could speak to Mr. Brockie, that would be excellent.

Voice: Hold please. [Random Noises]

Dave Brockie: This is Dave, what’s up!?

S!: Hello Mr. Brockie, how are you today?

Dave: Damnit, please don’t call me that. My secretary is always calling me that, trying to make me sound professional because I’m so old. I’m 84 today though. Who would have thought that this firm, round, fine ass that I have is 84!

S!: It looks damn good too. So, you’ve been in the band since 1985. What is it like to be apart of something for over 20 years?

Dave: Wow. Surprised. I mean, it’s truly become a way of life for …  Continued »

With all the “alternative metal” bands flooding out from the Los Angeles area, you’re bound to find a diamond in the rough. That is what happened with  HURT. After a quick lineup change and rocking out on their first showcase, HURT was signed within days. Moving on to headlining tours, music tracked on EA Sports video games, and supporting acts like Alice In Chains and Seether, this band is on the move! Don’t worry though…all the down-to-Earth members are super thankful for their fans and their achievements.

I was anxious to chat with humble singer J. Loren in the back of their bus on the beach. He told me of his vision with the band, discussed accomplishments, and some personal background about himself. Read on to find out much more about the band and the music that actually makes you feel…

Shout!: Can you give a brief description on how HURT formed?

J. Loren Wince: Hurt had been around for a while and I went to record some demos and got a session drummer, Evan Johns. He did obviously an immaculate job and I had been on the rocks with my current drummer and I told him I would get back to him because he seemed really interested in what I was doing. So it ended up all working out and Evan was our guy! After that though, our bass player left and it was just a really tough time with the recording process. We didn’t have any money, no food so he couldn’t take it anymore and he had to leave. Josh Ansley had stepped in at that time. Josh knew Paul and brought him in and HURT was a three-piece for a long time but we actually played our first showcase show that got us signed …  Continued »

Mankind Is Obsolete. Now that is a name that catches your attention. They have been doing so since early 2003 when founding members Natasha Cox and Jon Siren met at school and started making music. The type of music is hard to explain…just ask them! The amazing vocals and complicated guitar riffs are so versatile that labeling their sound is near impossible. It doesn’t really matter what kind of music you like though, because they have a little something for everyone. However their CD’s just don’t seem to capture what the band is really about unless you’ve binged in the MKIO live experience. From cornfields to arenas, MKIO gives every set their all. Their high-energy stage performances capture the audience and leave them wanting more. Speaking of giving more, drummer Jon Siren reveals his thoughts on the newest album, Trapped Inside, life on the road, and his near-death experience…

Shout!: Can you give some background on the band?

Jon Siren: Natasha and I started the band a few years ago when we were going to music school together.  We met at school because we were both wearing the same Sisters Of Mercy shirt.  It was pretty cool to run across someone that had similar tastes in music at a school where progressive rock and fusion reigned supreme.  We started writing and recording our first demo Metamorph in 2003 and then we gathered a band.  We’ve gone through a few line-up changes since the beginning, mostly because we’re a band that likes to tour and it can be difficult finding members that can hang for long periods of time and live out of a van eating peanut butter sandwiches and Ramen noodles on a daily basis. 

S!: What are your thoughts on MKIO being so versatile that no one …  Continued »

If you met the 12-year old version of yourself today, would you be proud of what you’ve become? Would you think that you’ve accomplished your wildest imaginings and let your dreams come true? Or would you call you a n00b? Luckily, I think if the members of Silverchair ran into their 12-year old counterparts, they’d be pretty impressed.

It tends to be the dream of a lot of young teens to grow up to be musicians and tour the world. Sometimes dreams fall apart or take another turn and end up in blogs online or stashed away in a childlike imagination. However with easily distracted young minds to mold, Silverchair grew up into that life-like dream. Playing since their teenage years, decades have passed with an abundance of passionate music. Flooding airwaves across the globe, Silverchair has had ups, downs, and back-agains. I got a chance to sit with drummer Ben Gillies to talk more in depth about the early days, the hiatus, the future, and… sushi?…

Shout!: Can you give a brief description on how you three got together back in the day?

Ben Gillies: That was a pretty long time ago that we really got together. Daniel and I kind of met in Year 3 when we were about 8 years old. We started writing these rap songs and did performances in school. We were really good friends and we were both in little bands in primary school. I had just started to play drums then and even the trumpet. Chris played trumpet too, actually. Daniel started playing guitar when we were 10 and we started jamming and mucking around when we were about 12. We figured that we actually wanted to start a band and give it a name and everything by that time. We got Chris to …  Continued »