By Alison Richter
Following a year and a half of touring their sophomore album, Reckless & Relentless, Asking Alexandria are closing the remainder of 2012 with a headline slot on the fourth annual Monster Energy Outbreak Festival.
They’ll break for the holidays then begin a set of European dates in the new year. The band is also preparing for the release of their long-awaited and still untitled third album.
Asking Alexandra is Danny Worsnop (vocals), Ben Bruce (guitar/vocals), Cameron Liddell (guitar), Sam Bettley (bass) and James Cassells (drums). In this interview, Liddell discusses his musical partnership with lead guitarist Ben Bruce.
REVOLVER: Was your previous band two guitars?
Yeah, definitely. I honestly couldn’t imagine playing in a band with just me playing guitar. I’ve always liked bands that have two guitarists. I think it works so much better in a metal band. There’s so many layers you can add in the studio, which is fair enough, but live, it sounds thin. We’ve got harmony sections you wouldn’t be able to play with one guitarist, so I think it’s definitely beneficial.
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What made Ben the right guitarist for what you needed in a partner and lead player? How long did it take to adapt to each other’s playing styles and build the guitar team together?
It took a while, because the band I was in previously, the guitarist was one of my best friends — now to this day — so we’d jam out heavy, heavy stuff. When I joined Ben, he brought this lighter side, which we kind of helped each other out. I was never into that, the different chord progressions, light choruses, stuff like that.
I didn’t really know how to write. I found that really difficult. And vice versa, Ben didn’t know the heavy sections, so it took sitting down together and jamming out. That’s how we wrote “Stand Up and Scream.” We would just jam together and feed off each other. Months down the line, we got really comfortable with each other’s playing styles. We learned a lot from each other and gelled really well. It wasn’t that hard. We knew what we had to do.
How are your styles similar and different, and how do you make those elements work to your advantage in this band?
Ben is honestly the bigger writer in the band. He’ll come in with the basics of a song and a chorus section or a nice melody. From what I’ve learned from him about chord progressions, I’ll put something over it to solidify the section. Even a basic melody, I’ll put my style over it and make it a full section, and we’ll go back and forth on other sections. I’ll add a heavier riff or whatever comes to mind. If there’s a basic section there, my ideas will flow from that and add to it. Ben is more of a “Start from scratch, write the basics of it” writer.
Do you practice often?
We don’t get to practice near as much as we used to. We’re on the road all the time and there are days and days when the only time I pick up a guitar is onstage. Or toward the end of a tour, when I’m tired, I don’t practice as much. But my style has definitely adapted for this band for sure.
Read more of Cameron Liddell’s interview here. You also can read more of Ben Bruce’s interview here.
— Alison Richter
Alison Richter interviews artists, producers, engineers and other music industry professionals for print and online publications. Read more of her interviews right here.
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By Alison Richter
This month, Asking Alexandra began headlining the fourth annual Monster Energy Outbreak Festival.
The dates bring to a close the band’s 2012 tour, finalizing well over a year and a half on the road behind their most recent album and sophomore full-length disc, Reckless and Relentless.
Asking Alexandra is Danny Worsnop, vocals; Ben Bruce, guitar/vocals; Cameron Liddell, guitar; Sam Bettley, bass; and James Cassells, drums. Prior to a soundcheck from somewhere on the road, founding member Ben Bruce phoned in to talk about being half of the group’s guitar team.
REVOLVER: Have you always played in two-guitar bands and always as lead guitarist?
Yes, I have, actually. I was always lead and I used to play a lot more solos with my other bands. That’s not the sound that Asking Alexandria is known to produce, and I like what we’re playing now. When I made this band, we juggled the idea of having three guitarists. I picked Danny as a guitarist, not a singer, and then I met Cam and I liked him so much I just wanted him in the band, so fuck it, let’s have three guitarists, but then we ended up making Danny the singer.
What was it about Cameron that made you want to hire him?
Just the fact that we can harmonize licks and stuff. It broadens what you can do and what you can play. Not so much in the studio, because you can layer things, but live it adds a much fuller sound. A lot of bands have one guitar onstage and it sounds like there’s something missing and so much more could be added to the song. Especially playing metal, you need to harmonize your riffs. It’s just the way of the world.
Cameron listened to much heavier music than I did, as did James, so I didn’t really know much about chugging rhythms or breakdowns or whatever you want to call them. It was a sound I was interested in when I started this band, but I honestly had no idea about them. I’d not been introduced to them before, and Cameron had a good knowledge of them. He’s good at rhythm guitar, he introduced that style to me and it worked with what I was writing.
What makes him a good rhythm guitarist?
The fact that he doesn’t care and doesn’t want to be lead guitarist. He has no desire to play lead. He concentrates on rhythm and he doesn’t have that egotistical manner of, “Why do you play lead? I want to play lead,” which leads a lot of guitarists to digress. He’s completely happy doing what he’s doing and I think that’s what makes him such an excellent rhythm guitarist. He enjoys it.
How are your styles similar and different and how do you make those elements work to your advantage in this band?
He introduced me to a whole new world of metal that I wasn’t accustomed to. I learned a lot from Cameron just by listening to bands that he listened to. I think he learned a lot from me as well. When we started the band we listened to completely different music and different sounds.
We exchanged CDs and views and thoughts and mashed the two together amongst other influences. That’s what makes us work so well together — the fact that we sat down, just the two of us, and showed each other our styles. That has made it really easy to work with each other now.
How do you continue challenging each other?
When I’m writing, I don’t normally write with the lads. I write on my own what comes into my head and then bring it to the guys. I always have the frame of mind that the last album was the best that we could have done at the time, and so the next one has to be way better because we must have gotten better as musicians. I know we’re way tighter as a group because we play together all the time. Technically, we don’t challenge each other in terms of how fast can you play or how many sweeps can you fit into a song. It’s more a case of we challenge each other in how to make our songs better and make the next album better than the last one.
Is guitar your only instrument?
Guitar is my main instrument. I used to play a lot more piano when I was younger, a little bit of drums, bass, I sing. I wanted to learn the saxophone, but my sister took that up. And I learned the recorder when I was in school — because you had to. I can still play “Three Blind Mice” and “Hot Cross Buns.” It’s the same three notes — it’s awesome. Piano was my first instrument. I took piano for about three years before I picked up guitar, or maybe longer than that, because my grandmother is a pianist, so I played around on it and then I started taking lessons in school. I started learning guitar when I was 13. I still play piano when I can.
Do you primarily play electric guitar?
I’m working on a solo album right now that has a lot of acoustic guitar on it. That’s honest, that’s true! We have one acoustic song that was written as a rock song, but as a band we do a lot of radio appearances and play acoustically, and I like playing that way. It’s refreshing. It’s a nice sound to hear after shit-tons of distortion on an electric guitar.
This album, I just started writing it and should be releasing it sometime next year. It’s more rock and laid back than Asking Alexandria, just open chords and vocals. It’s nice. I’m not expecting it to get huge and sell millions; I’m just doing it as a different outlet to express myself in a different way. If I don’t do it, I get worried that some of that might come out in an Asking Alexandria album and that wouldn’t be good! I’m just doing it for fun, really.
Read more of Ben Bruce’s interview here.
— Alison Richter
Alison Richter interviews artists, producers, engineers and other music industry professionals for print and online publications. Read more of her interviews right here.
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By Alison Richter
Within hours of releasing the self-titled debut album from his new project, Bloody Hammers, singer Anders Manga was offered a record deal. As a career independent artist, Manga was well established and successful on his own terms but decided to take the plunge with SoulSeller, determining that they were the right company at the right time.
Bloody Hammers is loud, heavy and musically reminiscent of classic 1970s rock. Lyrically and sonically, the album weaves in elements of psychedelia and hints at European metal as well. Manga recently discussed his new project, the decision to sign a label deal, and the resurgence of what he calls “good, classic, evil hard rock.”
REVOLVER: You have released a new project and already have a record deal with SoulSeller Records in the Netherlands. How did they find you and how did this come about?
They are a really proactive label. The day the master was finished I put it up on Bandcamp.com just to be something that rock fans could perhaps stumble across. The next morning I had an e-mail from SoulSeller Records wanting to do a deal. I was thinking, “Wow, if only the rest of my prior career was that easy!” Over the next two weeks, we worked out a deal and I’m happy to say they will be distributing the album worldwide.
Prior to that, was everything done independently?
Yes, I was never really aggressive at pursuing labels. Earlier in my career, I wanted to learn the business by doing it all myself. It was more fun for me to do it all, from writing to releasing to getting the word out. I’ve learned now that things are so much easier with good teamwork.
Was it all digital distribution?
I’ve always done CDs because people still want them, but digital has made things so much easier. People can get your music digitally all over the world without the artist having to worry about having a physical distributor and record deal in foreign territories. I think the most important thing for bands is to make your music as easy to access as possible.
In the past, you’ve mentioned the importance and positive aspects of being independent. Why sign with a label now?
I’ve made an exception this time because I’ve learned that with help, I can move much faster, and SoulSeller, although a small label, is very aggressive. On top of that, they are very available. I can send mail to them and get a reply in seconds. There is no waiting two or three days for my question to be answered. That is important to me because I like to know what’s happening and how I can help.
You’re doing a vinyl release with Bloody Hammers. How large a pressing, and was this by personal choice, label decision or requests from the fan base?
Hard rock and metal fans love vinyl and I’m the same way. I don’t feel like I truly own an album unless I have the vinyl. I typically buy digital online, but if I like the album, I will get the vinyl as well. I still go to record shows and feel like a little kid when I find some cool LP that I’ve been looking for. I know I could likely go to eBay and find anything, but it’s just not as fun as going and digging through all the stacks at record shows.
Some of your music is also being rediscovered — “Glamour,” from Left of an All-Time Low, was selected for a new episode of The Vampire Diaries on the CW Network. How did this come about? Were you surprised that a television network was familiar with your work?
Yes, the music director said he was a big fan for some time, so that was nice. I was in Prague with no Internet at the time when they were looking for me to clear the track. I saw all the mail coming from multiple people when I got to Berlin and replied “yes” quickly. They were in a big rush to get the scene finished. The first recording of that song was done in 1995, but it was more of a rock song. I re-recorded it in 2006 with all synthesizers for the Left of an All-Time Low album, which is the version they used. I knew the show was big but had no idea how big. Their fans are amazing.
When and how did so-called “occult” rock begin finding its way back into the mainstream, for lack of a better word? Why the resurgence? Any theories?
I just think many people missed the simplicity of good, classic, evil, hard rock. There is so much studio trickery going on these days in mainstream hard rock and heavy metal, and I think some of the fans like the “get back to basics” approach many bands are taking now. It can almost be compared to what Nirvana did in the ’90s when they came out with this raw sound that wasn’t over-produced. Aside from that, I think that melody is a big factor as well. There is nothing wrong with a good guttural growl, but I think some of us prefer to hear a good vocal melody by a good singer, and this new wave of bands are really delivering the goods on that. People like Alia O’Brien from Blood Ceremony, Joakim Nilsson from Graveyard or Rosalie Cunningham from Purson … wow, there are so many that have the pipes and all the melodic sensibility that the legendary rock singers from the ’70s had. There are excellent bands right now making timeless music. It’s a great time for rock music fans.
The following is hardcore and seems to be mostly based in Europe. Why? Is that changing?
America is catching on for sure. For example, the band Graveyard sold out nearly all their dates on their last headlining tour in the States. Another band, Witchcraft, will start their tour soon here and are expecting good crowds. Lots of underground buzz is happening and it’s certainly gaining ground here.
How has the genre changed?
I’m not sure that it’s officially a genre, but I think many of the bands that fall into this “occult” buzzword are largely traditional musically. It’s continuing the tradition built by the legends who came before, like Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Roky Erickson, Pentagram and others. I can’t speak for all the bands, but for me, I’m not necessarily trying reinvent the wheel with Bloody Hammers. My goal is to just write good, simple songs that I like, and with a little luck, others will as well.
Initially, this project was just you. However, there is a band. Did you track everything yourself or did you track with the other musicians? Who produced? Where did you record?
I played everything and produced it at home in my small studio. It was intended to only be something I would quietly release on Bandcamp or someplace like that, but since signing with SoulSeller I’ve decided to get more serious with it. I have a full band now and we’re preparing to play some shows. It’s exciting!
How challenging is it to find musicians who understand your musical and artistic visions?
It was much harder when I was doing the darkwave stuff. That style of music is way underground. Bloody Hammers is just traditional kick-ass, doom-laden, heavy, melodic, hard rock. There are more people into that, so it was easier to find people.
In addition, you just launched a magazine, Occult Rock. What made this seem like the right time, how often do you publish, and if I read correctly on the website, you’re doing digital and print. Why invest in print in this day and age?
I am doing that quarterly and the response has been amazing. I just wanted to do something to help the bands and the scene. If we keep growing, we may be able to get the cost down and make it more widely available. Right now it is a print-on-demand magazine, meaning that when folks buy the print version, Amazon or Magcloud print it, bind it and ship it to them. It’s more expensive this way, but like I said, it looks like we may grow enough to print it traditionally and get the cost way down.
Are there plans to take the Bloody Hammers project from recording to touring?
I guess it all depends on how the album is received by the public, which so far has been positive. I checked this morning and it looks like we’re already very close to selling out of the first pressing of the album on vinyl, so that is encouraging. I would love nothing more than to go out and play and hope it all works out!
— Alison Richter
Alison Richter interviews artists, producers, engineers and other music industry professionals for print and online publications. Read more of her interviews right here.
By Alison Richter
As the newest member of rock band Tight, singer/songwriter Kelley Jean also faces the greatest challenge: replacing the group’s original lead vocalist, Monica Mayhem.
Tight is a four-piece managed by Bree Olson and consisting of guitarist Layla Labelle, bassist Tuesday Cross, drummer Alicia Andrews and, initially, Monica Mayhem as frontwoman. The women also have backgrounds in adult entertainment, adding yet another twist — and challenge — to launching a band.
Earlier this year, an engaging and entertaining “documentary” titled Tight was released, which followed the group as they set out on the road, trying to break into the music industry through a series of poorly booked, under-funded gigs.
Shoddy venues, cheap hotels, bad food, personality clashes — that’s rock and roll. The movie was recently screened at the Vegas Cine Fest, where the group also debuted their new lead singer.
Shortly before her trip to Las Vegas, we caught up with Kelley Jean to discuss her involvement with Tight.
REVOLVER: You grew up in Michigan and are still based there. When did you become interested in music?
I was always interested in music. From the time I was born, my dad played in rock bands around Mt. Clemens, which is a suburb outside of Detroit, and he still does. So I was around it my entire life. I’d spend the weekends at my dad’s and there would be band practices. I was always a ham, I was a huge showoff, and when I was 5, my aunt bought me the Annie soundtrack album. I heard Andrea McCardle, and I was a 5-year-old who had found my calling! All I wanted growing up was to be a singer. I wanted to be Annie. I did theater my entire life.
How did you get your music career off the ground?
It’s starting to really move forward with Tight. When I did the dance music projects, I seemed to have more fans in Europe than in the U.S. Detroit is a great place for music, but I found I didn’t have the same fans here. I performed a lot of shows and I have a fan base, but the majority of people who like my music are in Sweden and Germany. I hope that with Tight, more people will dig what we’re doing.
You’re mostly connected to the dance and electronica genres, whereas Tight is a rock band. Was this a new avenue for you or have you also worked in that genre?
Because I grew up listening to rock music, I always thought that if I was going to be in a band, it would be a rock band. I didn’t pursue it, because when you start with a bar band, you work really hard to get gigs, and when you get them, you only work on the weekends and you’re making squat. It’s hard to make a living playing in a bar band. You push hard to become popular. I own two companies [futureusgalleryGood Life Limo and Motor City Dolls], so my weekends were filled and I couldn’t do the bar band thing. I hope that Tight will perform live and do a tour, and that people will be receptive to it and enjoy it.
You’ve also done television work.
I do an online television show called DetroitDungeon.com. We go to events and cover as much as we can. I do interviews for them. I also just did a show called The Skinny. The majority of television things I have done have been online; that’s the new avenue for programming. The guy that I do Detroit Dungeon with doesn’t even own a television — he has a computer and that’s all he watches.
How did you find out about the gig with Tight?
I was interested in joining an existing band that needed a singer. Out of the blue, I Googled “female rock bands” and Tight came up. I started reading about them and thought it would have been the perfect project for me, and the coolest thing to be involved with. It’s hard for someone who has worked in adult, and who has the bleached blonde hair, the huge boobs and the tattoos, to be taken seriously. Everybody laughs about it. I saw this band that are porn stars trying to become serious musicians.
I wrote to Jason, the producer, and told him that if they ever needed a singer, I would be perfect. He responded that the documentary had been picked up, it was going to be distributed, and the lead singer, Monica Mayhem, was now in Australia and wanted nothing to do with the project. They sent me a CD of the background tracks. I went into the studio, recorded the vocals and put my own twist on them, including changing some of the lyrics. Those tracks are on my YouTube page. There’s a playlist called Tight where you can hear the clips.
Are there any plans for a CD?
They’re releasing a CD with Monica’s vocals, called Tight: The Music From The Movie. They’re also releasing a CD with the tracks I recorded, which will be called Life Of The Party. I recorded the music from the soundtrack. I know they’re going to sound completely different because Monica and I have different vocal styles, and I changed some words and put my own spin on it. You can hear her singing live in the documentary, but our styles are very different. I’m really curious to see what happens with this. I hope the response will be good and that the band will be able to tour.
— Alison Richter
Alison Richter interviews artists, producers, engineers and other music industry professionals for print and online publications. Read more of her interviews right here.
Photo: Courtesy of Kelley Jean
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By Alison Richter
When he’s not touring or recording with Sevendust — who are in the studio working on the follow-up to 2010’s Cold Day Memory — guitarist Clint Lowery stays busy with several other projects, including Call Me No One, HDMS and, earlier this year, the long-awaited reunion of Dark New Day.
DND, which also includes drummer Will Hunt and guitarist Troy McLawhorn from Evanescence, vocalist/guitarist Brett Hestla from Virgos Merlot and bassist Corey Lowery from Stereomud and Eye Empire, released their second album, New Tradition, in February — six years after their debut, Twelve Year Silence.
In 2006, the band released an EP, The Black Porch Acoustic Sessions, and began working on their second album, then titled Hail Mary. Dark New Day were released from their Warner Brothers contract, and the album was put on hold until the band members reunited last year to revisit the tracks and write new songs.
In this interview, Clint Lowery discusses DND’s reunion, their loyal fan base and his goals as a guitar player.
REVOLVER: The industry has certainly changed since the first go-round. How did that affect things, if at all, in terms of release and promotion?
I’ve got to say that with this, it’s been a pleasure. Goomba Music is a very hands-on, small, indie record label and Warner Brothers was a bigger machine. There was a lot more money put into the band, a lot more, so it was a bigger campaign, but they’re both different and unique. And I’m in a completely different headspace now. Back then we were so excited about it, it was our primary band and we were putting every bit of our energy in it.
This is more like, we have these songs, they’re going to be released on this label, we’re going to do stuff to promote it, and it’s been real loose and a lot less stressful. I think I’ve enjoyed this a little more. The other album was fun in a completely different way, a different vibe.
It’s amazing how loyal the fans have been. Any theories?
I’m amazed by it too. I’m surprised there’s anyone out there who was still trying to find these songs. I think it’s the mystery of why we went away so fast. We kind of achieved this little cult following because, I think, people are usually force-fed. Bands put out as much as they can until people aren’t buying it, and then they go away. With us, we had a really good run on that first record, the momentum was really good and then the band was gone. I think that left people wanting more, instead of us putting out records and burning out.
We would probably be four records deep right now if we had continued. It was one of those things where it was good music, we were very lucky to have put out a good album, and a group of people wanted a follow-up to it. At the end of the day, a good song wins regardless and stands the test of time, and with these guys in this particular band, I think we did some good work. I can say that it’s good work and still be modest because I was a fifth of how it went down. I did my part and I was really amazed to play with those guys. They’re really good players. I’ve been lucky to always have a good level of musicianship around me for sure.
How has that taken you to the next level?
When you surround yourself with people who are ambitious in their trade, whatever it is, you naturally excel and learn and you take little bits and shortcuts of what people do. I’m a sponge; I like to absorb what’s around me. I’ve never been in a place where I’m the player that I want to be.
I’m always trying to improve on this or that and it goes in waves. I’ve been doing this since I was 18 and I’m 40 years old now as far as touring, and I’ve been playing since I was 11, so it’s been a lifelong passion of mine and I’m still into it today. Along the way I’ve worked with a lot of really good players who have taught me a lot. It’s been a wonderful experience.
Where do you see the changes and development, and what are the ongoing goals?
Ultimately, at the end of the day, I would love to be recognized as a guitar player that has his own style. I put a lot of time into it. I’ve kind of deluded the fact that I can rip a solo with the best of them. I have a lot of speed to my playing and I have a lot of elements that I don’t really show within the Sevendust songs as much as I could have. I’ve held that back a little bit.
I would like to have the opportunity to really shred it up a little bit on the next Sevendust record, make a really honest metal record and pay homage to the influences I grew up with as far as the Steve Vai’s and the Iron Maidens, all the guitar players Dio had, Randy Rhoads, Eddie Van Halen — I want to pay respect to that because that’s where I came from. That’s what I do.
A lot of people are adventurous with their solos now. Dimebag Darrell was probably the biggest influence to me, as he was to a lot of people, so I would love to have the opportunity to at least try to be one of the people that are fulfilling that appetite for the really good metal and rock guitar solo.
What does your practice consist of?
I don’t practice as much as I did in my earlier days. On the road I do quite a bit; I practice for about an hour and a half before we play. I go over scales and keep my right hand active and my left hand mobile. Every now and then I’ll have a phase where I pick up the guitar, and every time I hold it I’m still excited about playing. Some days I feel like I could play anything, and other days I feel like I’m a beginner again.
That’s the beauty of this whole thing — you always want … insecure players sometimes make for better players because you’re always striving to figure stuff out. I’m a big YouTube junkie; I watch people play on there and get depressed and try to emulate what they do. There are some amazing guys out there. You can sit in your basement and play guitar 24 hours a day and play everything fast as lightning with all this accuracy, but there’s a feel that some people have that just can’t be practiced or rehearsed. Some people just have it.
Is there a guitar album in your future?
I would love to do that. I think it would be very self-indulgent, but it would be fun to do. It would force me to really concentrate on my playing and focus on woodshedding for a few months before so I’d have something to offer, but that’s a good idea. I never thought about it.
Read more of Clint Lowery’s interview here.
— Alison Richter
Alison Richter interviews artists, producers, engineers and other music industry professionals for print and online publications. Read more of her interviews right here.
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Prior to joining Counterparts — vocalist Brendan Murphy, guitarist Jesse Doreen, bassist Eric Bazinet, drummer Ryan Juntilla — guitarist Alex Re gigged on the local circuit in Ontario, Canada, but felt musically unfulfilled.
“I wanted something I could do more than every weekend,” he says. “I got the opportunity to join these guys around the same time that they were ready to make the next step as well.”
Re was playing in a hardcore band when he became familiar with his future bandmates. At that time, he says, Counterparts was a different musical entity and very much a metal band.
“Once we met up, we all had the same idea of how we wanted it to sound and how we wanted people to interpret our music,” he says. “We were very likeminded. I saw it as a sign of what I needed to do and that I should be with these guys right now.”
On the road touring The Current Will Carry Us, Alex Re called to talk about Counterparts then and now.
REVOLVER: The band got together in 2007. Can you trace those steps and how you became involved?
They played shows around Hamilton and the southern Ontario area for a year and a half or two years, and I joined in February or March of 2009. They were looking to get a little more serious, trying to record and make a profession out of what we’re doing, and they were looking for a new guitar player who was as committed as they were. Luckily, I was available. In the summer of 2009 we recorded our first full-length record, Prophets.
That process led to people hearing us and getting onboard with us. Paul Koehler, the drummer for Silverstein, started managing us, and their vocalist, Shane Told, put out our album on Verona Records. We toured that record for a year or so and recorded our split EP around October 2010. We put that out with a band from Ontario called Exalt. We had a few songs written at the time and we weren’t looking to make another full-length. We decided to record and release those songs, and Exalt were down to do it, so we decided to release it together and put it on the Internet as just a digital release. We’re trying to work something out where we put physical copies together, but who knows.
When did you begin playing guitar?
I got an acoustic guitar for Christmas around fifth grade. I wanted to be a rock star, but once I started learning tabs and playing songs, I got into the aspects of playing guitar, like chords, hammer-ons and pull-offs. It was really interesting to me, learning all this stuff. I gave up a couple of times, but I kept going. You grow up and look for that one thing you’re good at, and that was guitar for me. I would practice in my basement, trying to shred as hard as I possibly could. But being a good guitar player doesn’t entail shredding for ten hours a day.
If you can play technically, to me, you’re a great guitar player. Matt Fox from Shai Hulud — his technique is out there. I’ve never seen anyone play guitar like him. His writing ability is out of this world, he creates brutal, beautiful music that I can’t comprehend half the time, he’s like an ideal guitar player in terms of what I think is impressive. There are plenty of bands that impress me. I listen to Veil of Maya and think that guy can shred, that’s insane. There’s also more straightforward music that I think is cool.
How did you and Jesse create the Counterparts guitar team?
I had written for my other band, but it was nothing as serious or complex as a Counterparts song. The process when I joined the band was Jesse wrote a song, everyone learned it and Brendan wrote lyrics on top of it. I didn’t want to fuck with that because Jesse is an amazing songwriter. Eventually, I missed that creative output of being in a band. Part of the reason I wanted to be in a band was to creatively mesh with other musicians, and Jesse is my favorite person to do that with because we bounce ideas off of each other.
I feel that the nucleus of this band is us meshing together. The first record was all Jesse, with scattered ideas from me, but with the split EP I had a bunch of riffs, and with the new record I came up with ideas and there’s a couple of my babies on there too. A lot of what you’ll hear on the next records will be me jamming with Jesse and Ryan. It took a while to get comfortable with each other, but now we know each other so well that we know what we’re capable of. I feel that we keep topping ourselves, and that’s the kind of band I want to be in.
Are you thinking about the next album?
It’s constant. We were finishing up this record and Jesse was already writing a new track, a new idea that he had. We have a handful of songs ready. When you put a timeline on writing, the integrity is definitely compromised. If you put boundaries on musical creativity, that’s when you start lacking. Once we have more than a handful of songs, we’ll start thinking about what’s next, but it’s all about quality over quantity. We’re trying to make sure that this next record is well thought out and organized, so we’re going to take our time and make the best record we possibly can.
Where do you see growth and changes from one recording to the next?
With each release, Brendan has gotten more and more amazing and pissed off and awesome as the frontman of this band. I remember him tracking the first record and it was awesome, and now, by comparison, he’s just unbelievable. My favorite part about recording, once all the instruments are done, is just listening to Brendan record vocals and hearing the songs with vocals for the first time. He’s the man. Ryan has always been a huge part of this band because his writing abilities and his output are always a different way to approach things. One little detail can make a song better, and every member of this band has a say in what happens when a song is created. Every member of this band plays a huge part in the output of Counterparts and we’re at our strongest right now.
What do the guitar parts and solos need to do within this band?
What I like to hear most out of a band in our style is something that puzzles me, whereupon first listen you’re like, “What just happened?” That strikes a chord in me. Technicality is a big part of this band, but we also have more straightforward stuff. It’s about balancing the heavy and the melodic and everything that makes Counterparts what it is. There have to be elements of each of those in each song, meshing all the genres and styles that we listen to. Counterparts is a collective of every single piece of music that reaches our ears. It’s thrown into a big pot and stirred around a little bit. The Current Will Carry Us is way different from our first record. It’s more of our collective influences rather than being metalcore.
For the first album, it was about making the perfect-sounding record, but as we started listening to other stuff we realized that it doesn’t necessarily constitute making a great record. So with this one we tried to make it as human as possible and make it so that people hear the new record, come see us live and get the same feeling. The first record was super-polished and perfect note for note. The new one is “what you hear is what you get.” We didn’t double things up or add background effects that we can’t pull off live. We want people to be impressed with us live, and in order to do that you have to give them something they can believe. It’s so easy in the studio to use all kinds of pedals and effects, so this record is all about being believable.
What is your definition of tone and does that definition change?
It’s hard to say, because I’m not a technical guy. When people ask me, I say, “Man, you’ve got to slow down and give it to me in dummy terms!” I hear something, and if I like it, I like it. I’ll tweak a couple of knobs, and if it sounds good to my ears, that’s how you’re going to hear it. I’m not a technical person, but once I hear it and like it, I stick with it.
Alex Re Gear Rundown:
Guitars:
Ibanez RG – stock
Schecter Tempest with Seymour Duncan pickups
Amps and Cabs:
Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier into an Orange 4×12. “To me, nothing sounds better than an Orange cab. I’m the most satisfied with them and I stick with those at all times. I love the way they sound and I will never, ever get another cab in my life.”
Strings:
GHS Boomers 10-52
Picks:
Dunlop – “Anything above a .80mm, the thicker the better, because you’ve got to be able to hit every single note, and with a thicker pick I find that you can achieve that easier.”
Pedalboard:
Boss TU tuner
Boss noise suppressor
Maxon OD808
Boss RC-30
— Alison Richter
Alison Richter interviews artists, producers, engineers and other music industry professionals for print and online publications. Read more of her interviews right here.
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