TMR: Explain how your band started. What motivated you guys?
Tom and I are in two other bands together. Those bands had a
monthly rehearsal room for a short time in 2014. I don’t remember how it
exactly happened, but I think we were fucking around with our pedals
one night after practice and just playing some clean, trippy shit, and
it sounded cool. We put together some blueprints for songs and then
quickly went into the studio to record them.
TMR: I understand you guys play in other bands. Explain the sound and history of them.
Grey Skies Fallen has been around since 1997. We
started out a year previously, under the name Eve of Mourning and
released a demo tape under that name. Once we heard there was another
Eve of Mourning, we quickly changed the name to Grey Skies Fallen. Over
the years, we’ve released a lot of albums and EP’s, and recently
completed recording the new album, “Cold Dead Lands,” which will be out
later this year. This will be the first time we have worked with Dan
Swano, who will be mixing and mastering the new album.
In 2012 I joined Buckshot Facelift. Sal, who plays drums in GSF
had been in Buckshot since they started in 2005. Tom plays bass in
Buckshot, and my tryout was the first time we met. Right before I joined
the band, they were releasing their third full length album “Elder’s
Rasp.” We played a bunch of shows in support of that album, and quickly
put together “Living Ghosts of the North Shore,” which was the 2014 EP,
and the first with myself and Terrell Grannum on guitar. Terrell is also
in Thaetas, who are awesome. In 2016 we released the “Ulcer Island”
full length. This was a 40+ minute slab of grindy death metal which we
are very proud of.
In early-2013, Tom joined Grey Skies on bass and we released
“The Many Sides of Truth” in 2014, followed by the “Earthwalker” 7″ inch
in 2015.
TMR: What made you guys want to start this type of atmospheric and melodic band?
I think it was purely accidental. We were just screwing around with
some effects pedals one night and it evolved from there. We got some
weird sounds going and it sounded cool enough to pursue. With the first
album, we jammed maybe once with a few ideas we had already in mind, and
then we went right into the studio to record.
TMR: Who are your biggest artistic influences now and who influenced you starting out as an artist?
Well, according to Spotify, my top 5
most-listened-to bands last year were Iron Maiden, Camel, Nightingale,
Desultory, and Death. If you look at the new GSF album which we just
finished recording, it’s a good mix of all those influences, I think.
Growing up back in the 80’s and getting into guitar in 1989, it was
Metallica, Maiden, Helloween, Megadeth, Overkill, Zeppelin, Sabbath,
etc.
TMR: Explain your choice to go instrumental. Do you
think your music is best portrayed instrumentally? Would it not achieve
the same effect if there was a vocalist?
This band wouldn’t be the same with vocals. Once or twice, one
of us mentioned “do you think maybe there can be a vocal here…?” but it
always gets immediately shot down. This project is all about an escape
from reality, and putting the listener at ease and in another place for a
half hour or 40 minutes at a time. I think vocals would screw that up
in this particular instance.
TMR: Explain the album theme, artwork and title.
We try to tell a story without words. We want the
songs to flow together seamlessly to paint a picture in the listeners
mind. It’s up to you to conjure up the emotions that go along with the
music. It’s a custom experience. Travis Smith handled the artwork for
this, as he did the first album. The work he does for this project is
among my favorite stuff he’s done, and I’m a huge fan! The cover depicts
a previously-abandoned cabin the the middle of the woods. It is now
occupied by someone who wants to be left alone with his thoughts.
TMR: How did you guys come up with the name Brave the Waters?
I just blurted it out when we were brainstorming for a band name. Always found it to be an interesting phrase.
TMR: Is it just album based or do you guys want to get a band out to play shows?
Right now we are just recording records. We’d like
to get started on the next one very soon. However, if something really
interesting came along, I’d be down to trying this in a live setting,
for sure. It would have to be an ideal situation, I think.
THANKS TO OUR FRIENDS
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