As many shows as I’ve been to, not often am I on the stage taking pictures of the crowd. While trying my best to stay out of Steve Righ?’s way as he rocked out on guitar next to me at a recent Mindless Self Indulgence show, I was suddenly grabbed by Jimmy Urine and pulled from the relative safety of the photographer’s pit to center stage. I’ll never forget how the fans cheered and posed for the massive crowd picture. It was all gone in a flash of my camera when Jimmy pushed me back from whence I came, but that short moment sharing the spotlight with such an energetic band gave me fuel for my interview. Read on about more of their antics on stage, their lastest album, IF, and poptarts…

Shout!: Before we begin, I just wanted to thank Jimmy for pulling me on stage the other night to get an awesome crowd shot!

Jimmy Urine: That’s what you get for being in my way! [Laughs]

S!: Your MySpace has had 27,063,900+ plays since you joined in June 2004. Do you feel that sites like MySpace and Purevolume are hurting or helping the music industry as a whole?

Jimmy: Man, if you even have to ask that question you must live in 1999. You’re going to be extinct soon like every other dinosaur!

S!: Your fifth installment, IF, has topped charts globally. MSI also has sat in the top 10 spot on charts consecutively since MySpace Music has appeared. Being the only band to do so, what do you feel sets you apart from other bands to be able to accomplish that?

Jimmy: Well the fact that we don’t just have a unique sound and live show but we have a unique approach to business and marketing. Shit, we were using the internet to our advantage way before …  Continued »

Very few bands had the impact on my life that Taking Back Sunday did. I blame Tell All Your Friends for saving me from the terrible radio rock I was listening to at the time I picked up that album, and for helping to create the pretentious music know-it-all I am today.

I remember racing to buy Where You Want to Be the day it came out. It was at the time, probably my most anticipated album ever. I also remember being very scared about what the record would sound like. After the messy breakup with John Nolan and Shawn Cooper, and the addition of Fred Mascherino, I wasn’t sure if I would like it.

I however was not disappointed. I loved Fred’s vocals, and his guitar work was fantastic. Both albums featuring Fred, Where You Want to Be and Louder Now, where successful and contained singles that hit big on rock radio.

Now here we are four years after Fred joined Taking Back Sunday, and he has left the band to focus on his solo project, The Color Fred. He released the album Bend to Break last fall on Equal Vision Records. It is a must have record for anyone who is a fan of Taking Back Sunday. I recently had the amazing opportunity to interview Fred. He is a fantastic guy. Be sure to pick this album up. Seriously.

Shout: In case someone is not familiar with the history of The Color Fred, would you give a brief history of the project?

Fred M: The Color Fred started as a solo project back when I was playing in my band, Breaking Pangaea. It completely got put on the back burner once I got busy playing guitar and singing in Taking Back Sunday. Four years later I finally …  Continued »

If you wonder whether there’s any magic left in the world, or if fate really does exist, all you need to do is take a look at Forever The Sickest Kids, and you’ll be a believer.

Friendships led to bands forming, bands breaking up, and then the seemingly disasterous mistake of spending $350 on a featured PureVolume spot when they hadn’t even officially formed, much less written or recorded a song to put in it. Enter the magic.

The song “Hey Brittany” was written and recorded within days, and the boys soon had labels scrambling to sign them. We were lucky enough to have a chance to talk to this in demand band recently…

S!: From reading the band’s short history on the web, one would think that things just kind of happen for you guys! Was it like falling in love when you all got together? Did you just kind of know that you were onto something immediately?

Caleb: You know the weird thing is, I don’t think anyone expected it to happen the way it did. Of course it felt right…

Mark: I remember the first day we started, we went to the college a lot of the guys went to, and we all sat down and we had a meeting, and we were like “let’s really do this.  Let’s learn from our past mistakes in our other bands.” We were kind of convincing everyone to get in the band, and start everything, like “we’re gonna do this right, we’re gonna put everything we have into it.” I think that was kind of like our attitude from day one.

Kent: From the first moment we all started playing together I had a feeling that this was a great project, this was more exciting than any project I’d been involved in in the past, …  Continued »

It was just shy of a year ago that our very own staff writer, Vanessa, got to do the first of many interviews with the as she said “soon-to-be-huge” band, Alesana. I must say that it’s always fun to do multiple interviews with a band from when they first start out. It’s like watching them grow right before your very eyes, and you always have so much to talk about as time passes.

If you marked Vanessa’s words, you see now that she was right. Alesana is going back this year on Warped Tour as veterans and dates are being sold out by the minute. They’ve already accomplished their headlining tour where I got a chance to meet bus-side with guitarist Shawn Milke right before he went to get a new tattoo! 

S!: I promise not to take up too much of your time, seeing as you all are quite busy!

Shawn Milke: Oh, it’s not a problem. I’m just going to get another tattoo here on my arm when we’re done here.

S!: Awesome! So, Wikipedia dubs the band as “post-hardcore” What does that term mean to you and do you think it applies to your music?

Shawn: I think that “post-hardcore” is an earlier in the decade term. I don’t think they really even exist anymore. It’s been innovated into a more melodic state. I’m not a really big fan of genre terms anyways and we call ourselves “sweet-core” just because we think it is funny. [Laughs] I don’t get it when kids call us screamo, or emo or anything else. It’s just to pigeonhole bands and we don’t like it when they do it to us.

S!: It’s always interesting to see how bands feel about it. Wikipedia has been claiming every other band as “post-hardcore” and half of …  Continued »

You always get the best parking spots when you arrive early to a concert. It’s a great feeling to not have to search for your car later, but not the real reason you get there early. You go to support your favorite band and wait in line for hours doing so. That, my friends, is dedication. Luckily in my line of work I get to push that dedication up one step further. Arriving early means a super rad interview for you to read! That’s what happened when I got the chance to chat with guitarist Rainbow of The Birthday Massacre. Hailing from Canada, this band has made quite a name for themselves. Besides, if tourmates Mindless Self Indulgence likes them then they’re OK in my book! The Birthday Massacre has been flooding the music scene for almost a decade. It’s about time I got to pick their minds about their music, dreams, and what it was like trashing a school. Please, do read on to find more…

S!: If you had to explain your music to a new fan, how would you describe it?

Rainbow: I guess it’s a mix of metal, electro and pop. It is really visual and a lot of it is the imagery and live performance that comes with it as well.

S!: What would be the one song you would recommend to hook a new fan and why?

Rainbow: I think that different songs have different moods to them so it just depends. I’m not really a “favorite song” kind of person, I’m a different songs for different moods kind of a guy. [Laughs] I don’t think I can answer that for ya.

S!: Do you feel there are any advantages to having a woman in the music industry these days?

Rainbow: I’m not sure. I mean, the way things …  Continued »

In recent years, the image that most people conjure up when they think of Louisiana hasn’t been a pretty one.  Hurricane Katrina put a damper on the party culture that the state is known for, but music cures all, right? Enter Another Big Machine. Fairly new on the industry’s radar, ABM’s mix of “a little bit of rock, a dash of pop, with a lot of soul” is bringing them out of the background. 

Starting out as a fresh out of high school cover band, predecessor Addavoy broke into the “Redneck Riviera” scene with a mix of covers by bands like Tonic and Better Than Ezra and their own original stuff. Within a year, they had a self-released album and a name along the entire Gulf Coast area. After the storm, so to speak, a few changes were made and ABM was born in Addavoy’s place.  Drummer Angel Hernandez answers our questions this month… 

S!: What are the key differences between the former incarnation of the band, Addavoy, and what is now Another Big Machine?

Angel: The first would be the style of the music. Addavoy was bit heavier than ABM. The music in ABM is more radio friendly and targets a wider audience. The direction of the band has changed also. We tend to direct our music towards the listener more so than we did in Addavoy.

S!: As Louisiana natives and Katrina survivors, how did that tragedy affect you as a band (musically, stylistically, career-wise, etc.)?

Angel: The band was at an all time low after Katrina. The band had run out of fuel that kept the fire burning.  A few members left the band and we decided to take a different approach this time around. The direction and focus of the band changed and the music changed direction …  Continued »

It was just over two years ago when I first saw Bullet For My Valentine play. Unfortunately at the time, I had not really heard too much from them. I drove 3 hours to their concert with my three friends, one of which was completely obsessed with them. The whole drive there he gushed over how awesome they were and told me everything there was to know about them.

I kept an open mind. While the opening bands played, the mosh pits grew and fans impatiently demanded that B4MV take the stage. I remember vividly that the lights began to dim and the crowd fell silent as the Wales rockers made their way out. As soon as the first chord was plucked, the crowd turned into a rabid fury of insane ADHD monkeys! The crowd swayed, suddenly someone’s feet were by my head, and my little obsessed friend was already at the front of the stage getting crushed. By the end of the eventful night, all I can say is that he was right. I limped out of the pit, smiling, and left the venue a new fan.

If you’re a fan (or want to be) read on while Jason talks with us about the new album, BulletTV, and their experience on Taste of Chaos!

S!: Your diary on your official site hasn’t been updated since Spring 2007, but your MySpace page has since then. Do you feel that MySpace has a bigger impact on reaching fans than an official site these days?

Jason James: Yeah, MySpace is huge, you know?  It’s like we’ve got thousands and thousands and thousands of people on our MySpace , so yeah, I think that’s an amazing way of reaching out to fans! We try and get on there [official site] as much …  Continued »

If there was ever a band that embodies the DIY spirit of today’s music industry, it’s this one. The boys of Mayday Parade have earned a moment of your time, having sold thousands of their own CDs as Warped Tour vagabonds before catching the attention of Fearless Records…and after a dirty, sweaty summer of van living, the guys were definitely deserving of (not to mention ready for) a little professional recognition.

Guitarist Alex Garcia had a pre-nap sit down with Shout! On the last day of the Emery headlining tour to talk about writing, fate, and air instruments…

S!: By your own admission, the main theme behind A Lesson In Romantics is rough times in your relationships.  Do you find it hard to write about more upbeat subjects?

A: Yeah, I guess it’s kinda easy to write about the way that you’re feeling.  I mean, if you’re particularly happy about something, you can write about that, but normally when you’re happy, you’re not too concerned about your feelings. So usually, for us, being creative is kind of sparked by being upset about something.

S!: If you had to choose one song from the album to hook a new fan, which would it be?

A: Normally we’d probably pick “When I Get Home You’re So Dead,” but one of my favorite songs is “Jamie All Over,” so I think that’s a good song to hook someone.

S!: Everyone who’s reading this interview probably already knows the whole story behind you guys following Warped Tour before you were signed, but tell us…was it worth it? 

A: Oh yeah! Yeah, it was terrible, but it was definitely worth it! It definitely helped us gain fans and get our music out there, and also I think it got us ready, got us in the mentality of …  Continued »

I wouldn’t assume when you hear the name 36 Crazyfists, you think of a 1977 Chinese Kung-Fu kick ass movie…unless you’re just really into that culture and musically retarded. Maybe, on the other hand, you would recall an Alaskan metal band and their journey throughout the past decade on the music scene.

The arts from martial to musical usually have no correlation unless you count fingers of fury on the guitar, or the crouching tiger behind the drum kit. This band has it’s own way of impacting an audience without doing some crazy upside-down leg wrap. The lyrics, guitar riffs, and involvement with the crowd has its own appeal. Singer Brock Lindow took a moment from “training” to talk about his journey in the last decade, his competitors, and his musical achievements.

S!: Forming in 1994, how does it feel to have been apart of something for well over a decade?

Brock Lindow: It’s pretty surprising. [Laughs] Sometimes I’m not sure exactly how we got this far. It’s cool you know though, to be apart of something for fourteen years or so now. It’s pretty awesome.

S!: It took 6 years to finally sign with RoadRunner Records in 2000. What were some prerequisites you had before signing with them?

Brock: We didn’t even know about labels or anything. We moved out of Anchorage to Seattle and I wasn’t even 21 yet. We just moved so we could start playing shows and touring. You can’t really tour from Alaska when it takes five days just to get to Seattle. We didn’t have any real lofty goals or anything when we started out. We just wanted to play more shows to more people and tour. We really just partied in Portland and we weren’t even really productive. [Laughs] We met a guy …  Continued »

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 »

I’ll admit it. When I was sent a digital copy of upbeat pop-rock band Every Avenue’s EP Ah! by their rep last year, I fell in love and burned multiples to pimp them out to friends.  I’ve been blasting it in the car, singing at the top of my lungs since I received it. I don’t care if I’m old…I wanna be “home for the weekend” too.

As fun as they are on stage, the guys are even more so packed into a van talking about how big they are. Oh get your mind out of the gutter! I’m talking about the crazy whirlwind of an interview we got from them recently! Read on, you perv.

S!: A positive outlook on the music industry is rare nowadays, but your bio on Fearless’ site claims that you have just that.  What, in your opinion, is there to be positive about?

Josh: For us, we’re really happy with the team that we have around us.  We’ve seen a lot of bands get screwed over by record labels and stuff, but we’re really happy with our label (Fearless).  I don’t know, it seems like a lot of people get kind of jaded by the whole music industry thing, and we kinda want to be the exception to a lot of the rules, I think. We’re hopeful!  We love what we do, we love our fans, and we have fun with it, so there’s nothing really to be sad about…I’m in North Carolina playing guitar with my best friends!  Nothing really to be negative about right now [laughs].

S!: I’ve also read that you’re suddenly being recognized more and more in public.  How strange is that?!

Josh: Yeah, it’s kinda cool…it’s kinda weird though, sometimes!  My parents have had people come up to them that …  Continued »

Cobra Starship…you might be thinking “aren’t they that one band who did that one song for that one movie with Samuel L. Jackson?” You might even be thinking “I didn’t know they were actually a band…I thought it was just that guy from that one band, that other guy from that other band, and that chick from that Swedish band getting together for a one off.” Well, my friend, you’d be wrong; very, very wrong.

Just read their Fueled By Ramen band bio, and you’ll soon see that not only are Cobra Starship real, but they are here on a mission: to take over the world. Guitarist Alex Suarez talked a bit to Shout! recently about the new album, hardcore bands, and family secrets…

S!: You guys have done loads of festival tours. What’s been your favorite band to share the bill with?

Alex: Well, over the summer, we did a world tour, and we did a tour with The Academy Is…, and we ended up doing a bunch of festivals with them all over, like Germany, the UK, Belgium…it was awesome!  We had a great time!  It was awesome that we got to do the same tent as those guys, but we got to do some really sweet festivals like Reading and Leeds, and one in Germany, and we got to see The Arcade Fire, and Smashing Pumpkins played, it was awesome!  It was truly an incredible thing to see and watch and be a part of. It was just really cool because every night it would be somebody different…like a whole mix of scenes, depending on the festival.  I got to see Mellencollin play!  I had never seen them, but I really liked their record when I was in like, middle school, so I was like …  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 »

I’ll be completely honest with you, I didn’t know much about Danger Radio when I was offered the opportunity to do this interview. All I really knew is that they at the time were on tour with the Secret Handshake. I was more than happy however to interview a young, up and coming band and to learn a little more about them.

Danger Radio play an exciting blend of happy pop. Be sure to check them out if you are a fan of fun pop music or if you are looking for a new band to dance to while you get your groove on. Andrew was kind enough to take time out of his busy touring schedule to answer a few questions for us.

S!: Can you give everyone a brief history of the band?

A: We started the band our 8th grade year, and we started playing talent shows, battle of the bands, etc. We invited some of our friends to play along with us. This lineup has been together for about 3 years now. We pretty much started out like any other band. We played a lot of shows back home and then went out on the road. Other than that we were just friends who started a band.

Shout!: Awesome so how old are you guys?

Andrew: I’m the oldest, I’m 22. Everyone else is like 20-21.

S!: How would you describe your sound?

A: I would say we are pop rock.

S!: How did you get your name?

A: This is a terrible story. We pretty much had a terrible name in high school, and I made a list of possible names, and that was the one deemed the best. I feel like I should make up a story about it.

S!: How was Bamboozle Left?

A: It was awesome honestly. …  Continued »

His name is Louis Posen, and along with his self-proclaimed talent for breathing, he runs a little indie label you may have heard of: Hopeless Records.  Far from being as apathetic as the label name suggests, Hopeless has not only given us such favorites as Amber Pacific, Melee, Avenged Sevenfold, and Thrice, but has also made a move to use it’s power for good and not evil…thus SubCity, Hopeless’ own charitable imprint label, was born.

The annual Take Action Tour, organized by SubCity and now in it’s 7th year, has hastened fame for many an outspoken band (Anti-Flag, Jimmy Eat World, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, and Hawthorne Heights, just to name a few) while at the same time raising millions for a laundry list of worthwhile charities.  I got a chance to sit down and chat with the Hopeless/SubCity founder and visionary recently to find out more about the label, the tour, and the cause…

S!: You originally started your career directing music videos.  How did finding out about your retinal issue affect your career plans?

LP: It’s very difficult to pinpoint which things have affected my life, and probably for anyone to determine which things in their life caused them to go down certain paths, but clearly, my diagnosis at 19 while I was in film school and the progression of Pigmentitis Retinosa played a part in my career path, but also touched my life in lots of different ways that are hard to put my finger on.  But in the most tangible sense, I was directing music videos and at the same time doing the label as a hobby, and the deterioration of my eyesight played a role in moving from film to music. It was an industry that played more to my strengths, if you …  Continued »