Published: September 16, 2009 10:47 PM EST
By: Isaac Davis Jr., MBA (Juniorscave.com)
New Music Spotlight September 2009 Edition
We Are They
We Are They
Hot Damn! Rock music has a new sound with the young group known as We Are They. Full of catchy hooks, melodic tunes, strong vocals, electrifying guitar, extreme bass, and maniacal drums this band has all the right stuff to take them to the top of the music industry. A group fun of energy, passion, and endless youth We Are They are going to entertain and excite new music fans with their amazing dynamic hardcore Rock sound. Check out this super cool spotlight our Webzine recently completed with the young band members about their music. Here is what formulated!
Isaac: What's the name of your band? What's the origin of that name? Have you changed the band's name before?
We Are They: Our band is named We Are They. We've had that name since the dawn of time! It really has no meaning. It just sounds cool and now when we hear people say things like "Who are they?" we can pitch our band and it sounds like we've got some cool meaning. It also gives us cool things to say on stage.
Isaac: What genre of music do you consider your work to be? Who are your major influences?
We Are They: Well, we call ourselves modern eclectic rock. As of now, we are definitely a rock band at core, and we will probably remain that way essentially. However, our music is not about genre. We like all kinds of music and we write whatever we feel like writing at that time. Whether it be rock, or rock with another genre, or another genre completely. We write whatever we have fun playing and that's what we are about. Thus, the word eclectic. As for influence, I think it's safe to say that we're all just influenced by music.
Isaac: How long have you all known each other? How did you meet?
We Are They: Well, on average we've all known each other about 5 years. Andrew (bass) and myself (Ryan: guitar) have been best friends for about 8 years, although he joined the band about 3 years ago. Tyler and JG and I met junior year of high school, and were the founding members of the band 5 years ago. Markandeya was a friend of an old girlfriend of mine and I've known him for about 3 years. He joined the band a little over a year ago.
Isaac: When did you form your band? What inspired you to make music together?
We Are They: Well, JG, Tyler and I had a math teacher in 11th grade. He was starting a rock band as a school project. We tried out and made the cut along with around 300 other people. After we graduated, almost everyone was canned and we hired Andrew. He and I had written many songs together and had been in another band together. Markandeya loved our band and tried out to be our missing guitarist for over a year! Nowadays, we're inspired to make music together because it's what we have fun doing. We love making good music and the particular music that we make, would not be possible if it weren't us specifically.
Isaac: Do you have a record label? Are you a member of any music organizations?
We Are They: We're not under a label yet, although the help would be nice.
Isaac: What can you tell me about your instruments? (i.e., Are you subject to brand loyalty or will you play with whatever's available? What made you choose the instruments you have now? Was it cost or was it a style/model/brand/color preference?
We Are They: Hmmm.. A little of both. We all have brands that we prefer, but we'll go with whatever sounds good. We're looking to upgrade our guitar amps and keys soon. The one's we have now we have strictly because of cost. Other than keys though, I'm pretty sure we all have our desired instruments, chosen for sound and color and all that cool stuff.
Isaac: Where have you performed? What are your favorite and least favorite venues? Do you have any upcoming shows?
We Are They: We've played in a bunch of places locally, and we've toured a bit all the way to the east coast. I think one of our favorite places is the Martini Ranch in Scottsdale. The sound there is flippin fantastic and the people are awesome. We have a show there this month and we're in the process of setting up a tour pretty soon.
Isaac: Which songs do you perform most frequently? Do you ever play any covers? Do you have a set play list?
We Are They: There are a few songs we like to stick in our sets as often as possible. The Swashbuckling Rum Run of Tom Lefting, for instance, is a must have. We have a cover of the Tetris theme, and we've been contemplating doing other covers. We always adjust our play list to the amount of time allotted us and who we're playing in front of. There are a few things we factor in before making our set list.
Isaac: Who writes your songs? What are the main themes or topics for most of your songs? Do you think these topics will change over time?
We Are They: We all kind of write them together. Maybe Ryan (guitar) will come up with a sweet riff and show it to the rest of us and we'll make something of it, or Tyler (keys) will start playing something snazzy in the middle of practice. It's a give and take process. We're all stubborn and opinionated, but I think it's a good thing. You know, we tend to shy away from overly used or cheesy themes. We
write whatever comes to us. Sometimes it's genius, sometimes it's just plain terrible.
Isaac: Could you briefly describe the music-making process?
We Are They: Oops. Well it's pretty much explained in the paragraph above. So just read that one more time.
Isaac: What are your rehearsals generally like? Do you have a set time each week in which you practice or are rehearsals more spontaneous?
We Are They: We try to set up practices whenever we can but it's been a bit hectic lately with everyone getting jobs. Ideally we like to play a couple times a week, mostly spending the time writing new material.
Isaac: How has your music evolved since you first began playing music together?
We Are They: It's progressed quite a bit. We've gone through some band members and with that some influences and styles. Plus, I'd like to think our skill has improved at least a little bit.
Isaac: What has been your biggest challenge as a band? Have you been able to overcome that challenge? If so, how?
We Are They: We've had some hard times. It's been an emotional, personal, financial, metamorphosal rollercoaster. I guess our determination to see this through and succeed has kept us together through the rough parts.
Isaac: What's your ultimate direction for your band? Are you seeking fame and fortune?
We Are They: Well, some of us are just shallow and greedy little fame gluttons, but for the most part we just want to share our music with the population.
Isaac: What advice do you have for people who want to form their own bands?
We Are They: Stick with it. Go for it and just stick with it. Don't play for anyone but yourselves. And always ask for a clean bill of health.
Isaac: How can fans-to-be gain access to your music? Do you have a website with sample songs or a demo CD?
We Are They: We have a good old fashioned MySpace for your viewing pleasure which has several songs for your hearing pleasure. At the moment, we're working on a full album, which has been delayed several times but will hopefully be done this year. Check up on our aforementioned website
for updates.
Isaac: Is there anyone you'd like to acknowledge for offering financial or emotional support?
We Are They: Dr. Phil. Wednesdays and Sundays at 7/8 pacific time.
