|| DEAD DEFINED ||
1) What made you want to become a musician?
Music has been a lifelong passion of mine. I got into music like mostly every other Rock’n Roll musician I know. I wanted to be the cool Rockstar everyone idolized haha. Once you grow up a bit after playing copious amounts of Live shows and going through financial struggles, reality sinks in and you realize it’s more about the passion for the actual music and hard work than just wanting to be the ‘Cool’ guy. That inflated ego dies off pretty quick once that sinks in and either you love to do it or you don’t. Thankfully it’s my passion.
2) How would you describe the music that you typically create?
I like to describe my musical style as Pop/Rock/Industrial. With this project I wanted to incorporate all of my favourite styles of music into it. The sound may vary from song to song but it’s based off of a 4 on the floor beat and guitar driven rock. The music is commercially written as I like that style of music. I’m not much into experimenting with different musical arrangements as I find the listeners tend to tune it out nowadays with mainstream music and Top 40 sticking with the commercial aspect of writing.
3) Did your style evolve since the beginning of your career? Or did you always follow that stream?
I’d say I’ve always had that hard rock type of background when writing music. I always pickup the guitar first to hash out ideas. Having this solo project is a great way to be able to experiment though. I’ve released a few songs that are a bit different in genre and style but still have that Dead Defined sound to it.
4) Do you create music for yourself or for fans’ taste? Nowadays it is always hard to satisfy listeners.
I think you have to be aware of both while writing. If you’re not creating the music that you like to listen to or sing, then what’s the point? When writing commercially for an audience you always have to keep this in mind.
5) Does your outfit have anything to do with the music you listen to or play?
My style is definitely part of my identity. I love hard rock fashion and continuously buy new clothing when I don’t need any new clothing, ha. I do modify and customize a lot of my own stage wear as well. I find it adds personality to the music and image I want to portray.
6) What is the biggest problem you have encountered in the journey of music?
Oversaturation. Let me explain. I think the idea of independent musicians being able to release their own music whenever they want is amazing, but there are no limits or standards in the industry anymore. Musicians used to have to go through a label to get their music to the masses and with that the quality of music and entire product had to be great. Now you have 1000’s of people recording demos in their basement and releasing it online amongst studio artists. It’s hard to get through the abundance of noise out there these days. I think being able to market yourself and writing good music is a 50-50% effort these days when wanting to be heard.
7) Who’s your ideal artist to collaborate with and why?
At the moment I’m currently hoping to collaborate with another Canadian Hard Rock/Metal band called The Veer Union. I’ve been a fan of their work for many years and would love to collaborate with another amazing Canadian Artist. They have a great following online and amazing radio exposure so it would be great to link up with them and learn a bit more about the industry and about the band overall. A lot of great artists these days are collaborating as to build each other’s fanbases.
8) If you were a CD/album, what would you be and why?
As for a band and their album story, Alterbridge – Blackbird. Lyrically the whole album is amazing and each song tells it’s own story. I think this was their strongest album to date. I’ve been a fan since day one and continue to listen and learn from their music. It continues to inspire.
9) What artist would you recommend to a person who is undecided about what listening to?
That’s a hard one to narrow down but I always suggest music that I’m a huge fan of and has influenced me in life and with my own music. My go-to’s for suggesting bands for people are always Alterbridge, Sevendust, Breaking Benjamin and Shinedown. These bands are still daily listeners for me and are still writing and performing.
Thanks so much for the chat and hope to catch up with you again in the near future, Much Love!
Official Website – https://www.deaddefined.com/
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9heJOPHswZyf5_fbKJYhSw
Personal Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/DeadDefined
Band Page Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/DeadDefinedOfficial
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/craig_ewan/
Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/artist/4JhsozqHaCW7SlKGKaysXF
Apple Music – https://music.apple.com/ca/artist/dead-defined/1356349643
TikTok – https://www.tiktok.com/@craig_ewan
|| DARK RAIN ||
1) What made you want to become a musician?
Kelleigh: well…ive been singing forever and love attention (hardcore leo) so i figured the stage was a great spot for me..
Chip: Ac/Dc-dirty deeds.
Dudley: I wanted to feel the energy of playing the music I loved.
Brian: Having grown up around music, after getting an acoustic guitar from my uncle and learning how to play it, I just didn’t see a future where I wasn’t involved in creating and playing music.
Bill: Grew up around music at home and school.
2) How would you describe the music that you typically create?
Kelleigh: its based mostly off life events.
Chip: Heavy and driving.
Dudley: Guitar driven, melodic Rock and metal.
Brian: Melodic rock, lots of fun to play with.
Bill: For the most part it’s rock, with some blues and pop. Just a blast to play with my band.
3) Did your style evolved since the beginning of your carrer? Or did you always followed that stream?
Kelleigh: noticed that alot of our songs were sad or based off the “rough spot” our lives were in… So we came up with “hypnotic” a bit more of a peppy song.
Chip: Style is always evolving.
Dudley: Yes its evoled from what I used to call basic rock to a much more complex sound while still replying and building around the riff.
Brian: Style is always evolving but the basis has always remained constant.
Bill: I just get better and better just being around my bandmates.
4) Do you create music for yourself or for fans’ taste? Nowadays it is always hard to satisfy listeners.
Kelleigh: we create off what we love or what weve been through…. So if you can relate… You’ll like us… I sing for me… I sing what i love and hope they like it too…
Chip: Mostly for myself but its cool if people enjoy it.
Dudley: I always write for myself many times as a sort of therapy for the things that happen in my life.
Brian: We listen to what our fans say but we also stay true to ourselves. If we don’t like it or are happy with it then our fans are probably not going to be happy with it either.
Bill: Both. Most of the fans like it.
5) Does your outfit have anything to do with the music you listen to or play?
Kelleigh: its just a lot of black… And jeans for the guys…. I try to step it up a bit…leather…lace… Sparkles..heels (which by the way come off by song 3 so i sing in socks).
Chip: Not really in the past but i think more about it now.
Dudley: only in the respect that Ill sport a band tee of a band I like sometimes.
Brian: Not directly but does fit with what I try to portray when I am on stage.
Bill: Not in any way.
6) What is the biggest problem you have encontoured in the journey of music?
Kelleigh: getting paying gigs…. Nowadays its a guy with a computer with a set list and they get paid a good deal of money… But they wanna book a full band who has to bring the entire sound system..set it up….play…pack up… For less than the dj…its really a sad thing..
Chip: Inflation is kickin my ass.
Dudley: Getting people to carry on with the same amount of drive they would have had in their 20s.
Brian: Not directly but does fit with what I try to portray when I am on stage.
Bill: The ever constant shrinking of the amount of venues to play.
7) Who’s your ideal artist to collaborate with and why?
Kelleigh: i have so many minds i wanna pick at… The answer is neverending.
Chip: Steve Vai he kicks ass.
Dudley: Izzy Stradlin, wrote many great tunes, or Ozzy because well Hes Ozzy
Brian: James Hetfield of Metallica. He has been a big influence for me, a large part of my style of playing has been influenced by him.
Bill: Cliff Burton of Metallica. He has been a big influence for me, wish I had his style and talent. Lol.
8) If you were a CD/album, what would you be and why?
Kelleigh: probably self titled..
“kelleigh..uncensored” a true authentic album.
Chip: “Alone in the wilderness” audio book.
Dudley: Rocky Balboa as a musician, takes the hits and keeps on moving forward.
Brian: From out of the Shadows. It would be a compilation album showcasing my progression through the years.
Bill: Not sure how the answer that. Lol.
9) What artist would you recommend to a person who is undecided about what listening to?
Kelleigh: there are so many good artists out there… I fall in love with new songs everyday.. If i really really like a song ill share it via social media or its downloaded on to my phone and ill play it at work.. Someone will comment cuz im usually singing behind the counter…
Chip: Always recommend Frank Zappa.
Dudley: Fleetwood Mac, Eagles, Def Leppard for their vocal melodies, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, for their ambiance, and for some more modern stuff, Muse, Volbeat, Halestorm, Plush Mammoth WVH to show rock is still Alive.
Brian: Leaving Eden is a great band out of the Boston area. They put on an amazing show and are a really talented group of musicians.
Bill: I’m always gonna recommend my own band to everyone.
|| BLACK IT OUT ||
1) What made you want to become a musician?
Honestly, I (Shaun) don’t know why I wanted to be a musician. It’s something I just did. I’ve always been drawn to music, specifically Punk/Rock/Alternative music. I’ve been into it since I was a kid. My mom and dad were musicians. My mom, dad, and grandpa had a band, where my dad played guitar and sang, my mom played bass, and my grandpa played drums. I learned to read music at school, and I went to college for music. Music has been all around me, so I fell into it. It’s something I’ve always loved.
Bryan’s dad played guitar and drums, so he’s always been around music too, so I think he has a similar story. He was into Metallica at a young age, and they influenced him early on.
2) How would you describe the music that you typically create?
You could describe most of our music as Pop-Punk and Easycore. We also have Post-Hardcore and Emo songs and influences too. Check out our latest song, “Live, Laugh, Love,” featuring Anndy Negative. It sums up our song perfectly. “Reflections” featuring Promise Game sums up our Post-Hardcore sound.
3) Did your style evolve since the beginning of your career? Or did you always follow that stream?
Our sound has evolved a lot since we started. We were called Scarlet’s Sonata, and we were a Hardcore band when we began. We even put some of our heavier tracks on our comeback album, Resurgence, but after that, we focused more on Pop-Punk, Easycore, Post-Hardcore, and Emo since then.
4) Do you create music for yourself or your fans’ taste? Nowadays, it is always hard to satisfy listeners.
It is hard to satisfy all listeners, but the Pop-Punk community is open to most songs in that style. When we changed to Pop-Punk, we were surprised at how accepting the community was. We write comedic songs, so that’s what we’re becoming known for. “Live, Laugh, Love,” featuring Anndy Negative, is one of our funny songs, and “Reflections,” featuring Promise Game, is one of our serious songs. People have been accepting of both. Lately, we have been conscious of what our listeners tend to enjoy. So, we’ve been writing for both us and our fans recently. Generally, there is a lot of overlap because the Pop-Punk community is fantastic.
5) Does your outfit have anything to do with the music you listen to or play?
Yeah, I enjoy Pop-Punk, Easycore, Post-Hardcore, and Emo. We play that music, and both Bryan and I listen to music like that. We also enjoy things that aren’t those genres. I like bands like Motionless In White, and Bryan enjoys Metallica. So, our band does influence what we listen to, but we also enjoy stuff outside of our genres. Black It Out has made friends with many bands during our journey. I listen to my friend’s music on our Spotify playlist called The Pop-Punk Revolution.
6) What is the biggest problem you have encountered in the journey of music?
We’ve encountered many problems. Our main issue was finding members who were dedicated as we were. We’ve also had issues with members who did drugs, lied, went to jail before shows, quit before a show, and didn’t show up to practice. We were thinking of adding another member, but he showed us some red flags, so we didn’t even tell him we were interested in him. We also had people we tried out call us in the middle of the night and tell us how depressed they were. We met the guy once. We’ve met many bizarre people who wanted the lifestyle but didn’t want to put in the work.
7) Who’s your ideal artist to collaborate with, and why? Our ideal collaborative artist would be someone easy to work with and chill about things. Artists understanding how things need to be cut sometimes and that deadlines need to be met. Sometimes, deadlines get pushed back too. We enjoy working with talented people who bring their style to the track but keep it in the song’s genre. We’ve featured several bands in our music. We’ve featured Anndy Negative in “Live, Laugh, Love” and Promise Game in “Reflections.” We’ve also worked with All Systems Go on a song we’re re-recording from our Resurgence album. We’re looking for more features, so hopefully, we will find more chill people! We’d also like to work with our friends Rad Stacey!
We’d also love to collaborate with Buddy from Senses Fail, Spencer from Ice Nine Kills, and Chris from Motionless In White. That’d be cool. It would be fun to work with Beau Burchell too.
8) If you were a CD/album, what would you be and why?
I don’t know, man; I don’t want to be a CD, an album, or anything like that. Not a CD since those are mostly obsolete. I don’t know what album I would be, because my favorites change all the time. However, every year, I go back to AFI’s Sing the Sorrow. I love that album, so I think that’ll be my answer because it’s a groundbreaking record in the Punk/Alternative music scene. It was AFI’s first major record label release, and all the tracks are excellent. The tracks on Sing the Sorrow are so creative and blend Punk, Goth, and Metal aesthetics perfectly.
9) What artist would you recommend to a person who is undecided about what to listen to?
I would recommend listening to this fantastic band called Black It Out. LOL. In all seriousness, we know so many amazing bands. I will list several underground artists. Check out Anndy Negative, Promise Game, All Systems Go, Rad Stacey, Coe Hill, Crisis Culture, Protect Your Heart, Hey Slugger, BryGuy, Sugar Shaun, and Darro. They are all fantastic artists.
|| PICNIC LIGHTNING ||
1) What made you want to become a musician?
Thomas and Cole met back when Thomas’ father started preaching at Cole’s church. They became fast friends, bonding over superheroes, sci-fi, music, and Cole’s bleached hair. Cole even gave Thomas his first guitar. John taught himself bass in middle school in order to play Green Day songs, debuting at the local talent show. Cameron started playing percussion in middle school band because there was no art class. All of us are creatives with other outlets, but there’s something about the collaboration involved in music that makes is like nothing else. Tl;dr: it’s fun!
2) How would you describe the music that you typically create?
Raw and brooding desert punk, the sound of summer heat and dimly lit clubs. Dark, post-everything wall of sound howls like a dust storm, delivering a spiritual stomp that dwells in the shadowland of trenchant questions and orphic revelations. Our songs deftly
touch the inexhaustible complexities of life and do so with sonics as singular as the individual human experience. They croon and holler, stomp and skip, wax thoughtful where vengeance belongs; and vice-versa. It’s the fuel that sets your car aflame or gets you home; the drug that puts you down or brings out the beast. The band’s mantra from day one has been: let no one suffer. A blog once called us “southern gothic psych” so that works too if you’re looking for something shorter.
3) Did your style evolved since the beginning of your carrer? Or did you always followed that stream?
It has definitely evolved. Starting anything as kids/teenagers, we’d be a little concerned if it hadn’t, you know? We’ve lost some of our initial punk energy, but that may be more related to our ageing bodies than our desire. Overall, we’ve become better at writing together and we are more patient with ideas that we were in the beginning. We’re still proud of that first EP – it sounded exactly like we wanted it to.
4) Do you create music for yourself or for fans’ taste? Nowadays it is always hard to satisfy listeners.
One of our biggest pieces of advice for others is to make sounds only you can make. Fans know when you’re pandering to them. It’s easy to get swept up in the numbers and streams in our viral age but listener’s attention span is only short because of the sheer avalanche of quality content out there. It’s our job to create something meaningful and interesting that sparks a connection with the listener and we can only do that if we’re being honest in our songwriting.
5) Does your outfit have anything to do with the music you listen to or play?
We used to keep it casual, but we’ve leaned more toward embracing that southern gothicpsych moniker that an outlet gifted us. We try to keep it simple, dark and have the focus on the music and our instruments. We each have some beautiful, interesting instruments and there’s no need for us to get in the way.
6) What is the biggest problem you have encontoured in the journey of music?
Patience is underrated as a musician. Patience with an idea, with each other, and with the business. It can be discouraging to constantly wonder if this venture is making any impact, but looking back on the arc (so far) of this band, it’s easy to see where we’ve been and where we’re going. Also, one time John fainted due to the Texas heat and it was tricky to play the rest of the set without a bassist.
7) Who’s your ideal artist to collaborate with and why?
Anyone who wants us. There’s artists that fit well with our style – Radiohead, Arcade Fire, Queens of the Stone Age – but we’re all fans of many genres and those types of unlikely crossovers are intriguing. Someone like Phoebe Bridgers or the Lucius team.
8) If you were a CD/album, what would you be and why?
Is it uncouth to vote for ourselves? We do have a new single out – Over My Head – streaming everywhere, and it’s pretty us. Ok, we’ll answer the question.
9) What artist would you recommend to a person who is undecided about what listening to?
We know that Spotify is not the most musician-friendly business but damn some of their exploration tools are pretty neat. Those Daily Mixes have introduced us to some cool stuff and their mood playlists can really get it right. Also, get involved in your local scene. There’s plenty of good stuff being made all around that will never make it to the Billboard Hot 100, but seeing people in your community create sounds can be really exciting. Or you could just listen to our next single – Over My Head – out everywhere.
We’ve even got a few more coming out this summer and you can find them all on our website and
socials:
Instagram.com/picniclghtnng
Facebook.com/picniclghtnng
Twitter.com/picniclghtnng
Website – http://www.picniclghtnng.com
picniclghtnng.bandcamp.com
|| PRESSURE ||
1) What made you want to become a musician?
I started to play when I was very young. I was around 6 years old when I first picked the guitar up. I did play a lot of different instruments growing up but the guitar never left my side. I guess my guitar grew up with me so the correct answer would be that the relationship with my guitar made me want to become a musician!
2) How would you describe the music that you typically create?
I write and perform mostly Story metal music. Story metal is a sub genre of heavy metal that are very diverse. When you write a story metal song you always start with the lyrics and then you choose the style/genre of music that best tells the story of the song. Therefore a story metal album can contain many different influences and does not have to have a unified sound. Each song tells its own story. The story metal band I currently play with tries to make use raw energy from hard rock and metal genres and combine it with classic story telling skills to create the best experience for our fans.
3) Did your style evolved since the beginning of your carrer? Or did you always followed that stream?
As story metal has so many different inputs its easy to say that my style changes from each song I write. And I think all musicians have made a musical journey sometime or somewhere in their life. I have played a lot of different kind of music during the years. I have played covers/pop/classical/jazz/blues etc. But hard rock/heavy metal is always very close to me so my current style fits me very well and let me develop and experiment with different approaches as I grow as a musician!
4) Do you create music for yourself or for fans’ taste? Nowadays it is always hard to satisfy listeners.
I create music that tell true stories. I do not think of myself or the fans taste I create the best possible story with the tools I have at hand. I know that there is hard to satisfy everyone out there so I choose to do the thing I do and write the way I want to do. The craft and the storytelling is the most important and people who likes this style will hopefully find it and like it.
5) Does your outfit have anything to do with the music you listen to or play?
Of course I wear the style of my music. My outfit is very hard rock inspired and I wear it everywhere and anytime. I live and breathe my music and I am never ashamed or worried about showing who I really am. Outfits are not just for representing the style of music. Its also connects fellow metalheads/rockers and we all are a big family!
6) What is the biggest problem you have encontoured in the journey of music?
I think that the worst thing about being a modern musician is the business part of it all. You have to devote so much time to finding good partners, to network and to do social media that a significant time of what could have been used to create new music is wasted. I would love to be able to focus more on the music.
7) Who’s your ideal artist to collaborate with and why?
There is so many great musicians and artists out there! One thing I would love to have is some of the great actors reading the story tracks for our albums. The late Sean Connery would have been perfect. His voice was amazing.
8) If you were a CD/album, what would you be and why?
Haha, great question! If I were an album I would like to be the unknown, unpublished master of a hidden Queen album, never released! That would make everyone want me! Haha!
9) What artist would you recommend to a person who is undecided about what listening to?
I say listen to a lot. Music should be experienced wide and there is too much music there to stick to just one artist. Go to local shows. Support local band because you will find some real treasure out there!
Thank you for having us!
If you want to listen to our music and follow us here are some links:
https://www.instagram.com/pressuresweden
https://www.facebook.com/pressuresweden
https://www.pressure.band
https://www.youtube.com/c/Pressuresweden
https://open.spotify.com/artist/7a9rKp03MYJv4leDN7Mm8k
https://shop.spreadshirt.se/pressure
https://www.twitter.com/pressuresweden
https://pressuresweden.bandcamp.com
|| BLEEDING RAVEN||
1) What made you want to become a musician?
Dean Mason of BLEEDING RAVEN: First of all I don’t call myself a musician. I’m an arranger of noises. hahahaha No but, all jokes aside, I grew up with music as a very important part of life. My father was a musician in a band and he also taught music from home. Eventually I discovered KISS and then later, Gary Numan. Numan changed it for me. He gave me the fever so to speak. He did music that was sort of dark and very different. I recorded a single when I was still in diapers
https://youtu.be/p05YqqTOS_M (Dark Hallway) but I never continued with music until 2012. Then an artist called Global Citizen, inspired me to get into some recording and the rest is pisstory… hahahaha
2) How would you describe the music that you typically create?
My music or «noise » is quite dark and almost disturbing. Well…I am disturbed after all. hahahaha Some of it is Industrial and some of it is Dark Wave and Aggrotech or Dark-tech. It’s vampire music I guess. hahahaha I guess my stuff is an acquired tasteless. hahahaha
3) Did your style evolved since the beginning of your carrer? Or did you always followed that stream?
It did evolve—absolutely. I started recording music back in 2012 as « The Lonely Ghost Project » and then eventually chose the project name « Gnostic Gorilla » and that was mostly Gothic and Dark Wave and Industrial. But then I began recording more aggrotech type music and thus was born « Bleeding Raven ». I have three releases with Cleopatra Records for both acts but also I have releases with several other small labels, including GEISHAB0Y RECORDS.
4) Do you create music for yourself or for fans’ taste? Nowadays it is always hard to satisfy listeners.
Definitely not for the so called fans. By that I mean, I don’t record music thinking « ok, this will get me somewhere fast…and on the charts ». Not even a minute’s consideration in that way. None. I follow my guts and my interest and let music express at times the darker and less pleasant realities of life. I don’t write « quickies in the sack » type music. I’ll let Justin Bieber and BTS take care of that part of the menu. I write for the just dark desserts part of the menu…I’m the Black Forest cake or dark chocolate mousse.
5) What is the biggest problem you have encountered in the journey of music?
I find the industry, and I hate calling it that, is super fickle. Seriously. It should be about art and artists have a responsibility in a sense to wrestle with the questions and even present a challenge to the status quo but instead, the music industry is about star gazing and idol worship. Total horse shit. Ok, I understand there is a certain market which points to a certain need I suppose …Art should disturb and challenge and sadly, what passes as art is simply heavy sonic petting.
6) Who’s your ideal artist to collaborate with and why?
Gary Numan. He’s a genius. He still is not getting the credit he deserves. Plus he is also a vampire like me.
7) If you were a CD/album, what would you be and why?
The album DANCE by Gary Numan. Pure genius that album.
8) What artist would you recommend to a person who is undecided about what listening to?
I’ll give you three: Type O Negative, The Doors and Gary Numan.
[In collaboration with ROGUE PR]
ROKKERSPRESS 