“Killing Us Slowly” Official Video:
“Killing Us Slowly” Audio Stream or Download:
Official Site: http://againstthegrave.
Facebook: http://facebook.com/
Instagram: http://instagram.
What is the name of your band? And how did you come up with it?
What is the name of your band? And how did you come up with it?
Against the Grave
It’s
sounds cool, it’s sounds tough when you say it & gosh darn it,
we just like it!! How did we come up with it? Who knows!! We’re a
rock band, we like to party, stay up late & have conversations
together that we can’t even describe. I’m surprised we actually
remembered this one after waking up the next day, but we did. To my
best recollection, I was on an all nighter with my good bud Gilly
(bass/vocals) from the San Diego band, BOSSFIGHT. We were drinking,
listening to some of our demo tracks, talking about only God knows
what & out of nowhere he saw a shooting stat with a chem trail
behind it that spelled out AGAINST THE GRAVE in sloppy, sky writer
cursive. We knew it was a sign from the metal gods & had to run
with it.........now here we are answering this silly question! At the
end of the day, no one cares what your band name is. The fans love
your music or they don’t. If bands with some of the goofball,
asinine names out there have made it, so can we!!!
-Jay Dot CA, Bass
-Jay Dot CA, Bass
2.Tell
us where you are based and describe the scene. How do you think where
you are located influences your sound.
Against the Grave is a Los Angeles based band. I actually moved here 8 years ago from Italy. In all these years I noticed that the scene is growing a lot...lots of great bands so you need to step your game to be a good one!
Against the Grave is a Los Angeles based band. I actually moved here 8 years ago from Italy. In all these years I noticed that the scene is growing a lot...lots of great bands so you need to step your game to be a good one!
I
don’t know if my actual location influenced my sound, but
definitely it helped me to get better on the songwriting while I had
the opportunity to work with some of the big people of the
industry.
-Andy Martis, Guitar
-Andy Martis, Guitar
3. Who influences you that would surprise people
My
playing/sound is influenced definitely by "the old bands",
I can't quite get influenced by any of those new bands...one of my
main influences is Andreas Kisser of Sepultura for the guitar
playing/riffs style and Kiss for the songwriting while their songs
are simple but direct to the point and they are hits!
-Andy Martis, Guitar
-Andy Martis, Guitar
I
pull drumming influence from non musical sources like speeches and
sound effects I here around me.
-Ethan Harb, Drums
-Ethan Harb, Drums
4. Are you endorsed by anyone? If not who would you like to be endorsed by?
Yes,
for been 8 years more or less I'm endorsed by some of the
greatest companies that I could desire. SCHECTER GUITARS for
guitars of course but I'm actually the owner as well of one of their
guitar amps as well that I use as my main rig, unfortunately they
stopped making it.
DR
STRINGS and then EMG Pickups as well. I'm working on a few more
companies to add to my gear.
Definitely
I wouldn't mind to work with Mesa Boogie, Peavey, EVH.
-Andy Martis, Guitar
-Andy Martis, Guitar
5.When
you started what was your ultimate goal? And how close to the goal
are you now?When
I started (many moons ago) my ultimate goal was to play on stage with
all my heroes and I wasnt thinking at all about making it as a
business. Right now I can tell that I definitely reached some of my
dreams playing alongside with some of my heroes and I'm on the way to
make this my business, so I think I'm on the right path but
with still a lot of work to do. Important thing is to never give
up.
-Andy Martis, Guitar
-Andy Martis, Guitar
6.In today's digital environment it takes creative strategy to keep things moving. What creative ideas do you have to keep your band relevant over time?
Very true! The current digital technology affords is so many opportunities to be on the forefront of this industry at the same time, so much more to learn & keep up with. That being said, any previous “formula” that worked 6-12 months ago is no longer relevant. All the basics are still in place but it’s always a new way of thinking to how to approach them. It’s constantly evolving, so keeping your “product” top shelf & staying on top of the market is a challenging task for all of us , whether you’re an established powerhouse or an up & coming band. As far as how we approach it, we’re not about to give up any secrets!! Haha! Truth be told, we have no idea!!
-Jay Dot CA, Bass
7.We've all seen a terrible live band that is awesome on CD. Is that cool with you or do you lose respect for bands that cannot pull it off live?
It depends
on the band, but yea a lot of times it can ruin the magic.
-Ethan Harb, Drums
-Ethan Harb, Drums
•Nope,
not cool at all! The industry today is all about your live show, or
performance. Your recorded music has to be nothing short of
phenomenal, including production, mix & mastering. All the tools
& resources are available at our finger tips & if you can’t
produce there, start over or choose a different career path. Once the
music & recordings are there, your live show has to smoke your
recordings!! Nobody is coming to shows that are trash & even if
they equal your recordings, why would anyone spend the time or money
to see a show they could listen to at home? Sure it’s louder, but
when I go to a live show, I need to see & hear something far
beyond any recording this group has to offer. I have many good &
bad examples but ain’t nobody got time for that!
-Jay Dot CA, Bass
-Jay Dot CA, Bass
8.Tell
us your “core” are you Metal , Rock , Punk , Pop etc because
people just have to categorize these days you know?I
hate pigeonholing this thing but you asked so here goes. I’m a
hardcore/metal/rock dude. Yes, 3 genres, that the minimum you’re
gonna get because any true musician or music lover appreciates so
many different types & aspects of music. We all have our
favorites, but scroll through my iPod & you’ll see everything
from metal to pop to gangster rap to swing to.............you get the
idea. I hate labels on anything. It’s part of what keeps people
divided & that’s just not right.
Many bands make it with a cliche or publicity stunts etc. Would you accept fame even if it was just because of being the “ in” thing or is it actually important to you that you gain favor with talent?
Wow!
That’s a question with multi layered answers!! Are we talented or
just popular? NEITHER! Claiming to be talented is pretentious &
that we are not. Popular? Nope, we’re a new band, so that’s not
even a part of this equation. In short, your music is great or it
isn’t. No two ways about it. No band ever “makes it” on cliche
or stunts alone. They may get their 15 minutes of fame that way, or
be a one hit wonder, but never last, just a flash in the pan, so to
speak. Quality of your music & ability to perform it at top
levels is the only way any group ever “makes it”. The stunts can
give you a boost initially, but that’s all, especially if your
priority is the fame. If your music can’t back it up, you got
nothin’. Bands like Motley Crue or anyone you want to name in
history with crazy lifestyles or antics that have lasted the test of
time always had a quality product to back it up fight me!! To answer
the last part of this question, NO, absolutely not!! We would never
accept or be okay with fame based on some nonsense. We do this
because it’s our passion, our love of music itself. Fame based
solely on a gimmick is not why we do this.
-Jay Dot CA, Bass
10.Tell us what to expect from you live. Nothing is more boring than watching bands stare at the floor and bob their heads to music nobody but the band knows. What can your band offer in a live setting that people will remember?
-Jay Dot CA, Bass
10.Tell us what to expect from you live. Nothing is more boring than watching bands stare at the floor and bob their heads to music nobody but the band knows. What can your band offer in a live setting that people will remember?
Live
is where the music becomes this bigger thing, it becomes an
experience, for all involved. Nothing quite matches that feel. How
we bring Against the Grave live is still something we are working on
but knowing what we know from our history of touring in our previous
bands you can expect a high caliber show when it does happen.
-Jordan Gaw, Vocals
-Jordan Gaw, Vocals
11.
What releases have you put out , When will we see something new?Our
first official single “Killing Us Slowly” debuts on June 14th
along with the music video.
-Jordan Gaw, Vocals
-Jordan Gaw, Vocals
12.
If you have videos where can we see them?Yes,
on our YouTube Channel, here’s the
link:
http://bit.ly/AgainstTheGrave-YouTube-Playlist
http://bit.ly/AgainstTheGrave-YouTube-Playlist
-Jordan
Gaw, Vocals
13.Everybody
has Bandcamp , ReverbNation , Soundcloud , etc
Why
do you think this is so important? Doesn't it seem like everyone is
giving everything out for free?
Well first off, there’s 2 questions here. The first related to where a bands music lives.
To answer that simply, be everywhere, meet your fans, listeners or potentials where they are. Where they already listen.
If you’re not everywhere, you’ll miss that whole scene. Be everywhere.
Until you have the power to be somewhere exclusive.
Well first off, there’s 2 questions here. The first related to where a bands music lives.
To answer that simply, be everywhere, meet your fans, listeners or potentials where they are. Where they already listen.
If you’re not everywhere, you’ll miss that whole scene. Be everywhere.
Until you have the power to be somewhere exclusive.
The
second question is about Free.
Music as a digital commodity I have zero issue with it being “Free” or “Given away for Free” or Streamed for “Free”.
Music as a digital commodity I have zero issue with it being “Free” or “Given away for Free” or Streamed for “Free”.
Usually
that “giving away for free” is actually gaining assets in other
ways.
For example, providing your email for a digital download.
If a band is working and buiding a healthy email list, this has huge power for them and the fans as the band moves on to more releases, merch, shows or otherwise.
Streaming on the other hand actually pays, real money. Anyone bitching about how much they are or are not paid, esspecially at our level, is either A) doing it wrong B) just uneducated when it comes to streaming and how it’s paid.
Streaming is the future, why bother with the whole download thing when you can just hit play. Nothing is for free in this world, even if it appears to be.
-Jordan Gaw, Vocals
For example, providing your email for a digital download.
If a band is working and buiding a healthy email list, this has huge power for them and the fans as the band moves on to more releases, merch, shows or otherwise.
Streaming on the other hand actually pays, real money. Anyone bitching about how much they are or are not paid, esspecially at our level, is either A) doing it wrong B) just uneducated when it comes to streaming and how it’s paid.
Streaming is the future, why bother with the whole download thing when you can just hit play. Nothing is for free in this world, even if it appears to be.
-Jordan Gaw, Vocals
Because
that is the new age of music distribution. The internet allowed
everyone to have a voice in music, and because of that you have to
learn to navigate the traffic to promote yourself. I don’t
necessarily see it as giving it away for free if you’re an engaged
listener/supporter of the artist, but to someone new, yea it might
seem like a free giveaway.
-Ethan Harb, Drums
-Ethan Harb, Drums
14.Best
moment of your career so far?Melkweg,
Amsterdam - inspired a kid to pick up the guitar.
- Denis Sheriff, Lead Guitar
- Denis Sheriff, Lead Guitar
15.Your
message to the fans?Always
be humble and kind.
- Denis Sheriff, Lead Guitar
- Denis Sheriff, Lead Guitar
Bonus
Question who do you bring back?
Dime
, Cliff , Dio , Lemmy , Randy
None.
None.
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