It’s nice to find some get-down hardcore so close to home. I was spoiled living in Southern California and even closer to Portland where metal abounds, but thankfully Of Saints and Shadows brings a special edge to the Albany/Corvallis area. SAS is a friendly and fun sort of brutal, a band that will send you home smiling as you nurse your bruises. To date they have produced the best Lady Gaga cover that I have been party to with their redux of “Poker Face” presented at the Oregon State University Battle of the Bands earlier this year (2009). If you hear of a SAS show, you will want to get yourself to it because they are being pretty selective about their pursuits and may only be a temporary fixture during these OSU years. Our thanks to Evan for taking the time to share with hurdcore via Myspace.

HC What inspired the name of your band? How did your band come together?
SAS The band came together back in the spring of 2007, towards the end of freshman year of college for most of us, as Ben was starting up a metal project at the time. He was gathering up friends who could play or would learn to play the instruments and we started jamming out some material. Our original name, Dark Angelic, was taken from one of our early song titles. About a year and a half later we decided to change to Of Saints And Shadows to go along with some lineup changes. We found the name after perusing a book store and seeing it on a random book about vampires or something. We all liked how it sound, so it stuck.

HC It would appear that you have gone through some significant line-up changes even in your name transitioning from Dark Angelic to Of Saints and Shadows. How much of Dark Angelic is still a part of Of Saints and Shadows?
SAS Haha, yeah, we have had several line-up changes, to the point where Ben and myself (Evan) have pretty much been the only constant members since the beginning. We have had one previous drummer, two previous guitarists, and one change-up on vocals. Right now Ben, Craig, Dylan, and I have all been around since the DA days, while Nate was added only a month before the Battle of the Bands. That was a fun little scramble to get him caught up in time, but he’s a savage so it wasn’t a problem.

HC How would you describe your musical style?
SAS We tend to take our favorite parts of melodic metal, hardcore, thrash, and some random chill music that we like and form songs that are heavy but diverse. Basically, something that we would want to listen to that incorporates all those elements. We even shook up some of our old songs with a little groove metal feel, that was fun.

HC What is unique about your band? What makes your band/sound different from other offerings?
SAS Well, along with being on the heavier side of the music scene here in Corvallis, we try to create songs that are heavy and catchy. We like to incorporate clean parts that catch the listener off guard before launching back into the heavy stuff. We’re also not afraid to have fun with a live performance and dress totally out of character, if the battle is any indicator. We never want to take things too seriously, and in doing that we can go out and have a good time giving the crowd a show that is not only a treat for the ears, if you catch my drift.

HC You are currently based out of Corvallis, OR, are you all natives? All students at OSU? What do you enjoy most about the local scene?
SAS We are all students at OSU, having come from different parts of the state and met through the school in one way or another. The local scene has been great over the last few years and we have made a lot of good friends in the other bands. Unfortunately the scene was a bit devoid of heavy music when we started, but that has given us a great goal and niche to fill.

HC I had the pleasure of seeing you live at the 2009 OSU: Battle of the Bands, congrats on 2nd place. How did you get involved with the OSU:BOB? What do you plan to do with the momentum from this event?
SAS Thanks, the battle was a blast. Everybody already knew about the BOTB when we started, as freshmen it was the coolest event we saw on campus all year. It was just a matter of getting solid enough as a band to where we felt we would have a chance at it. We actually tried out in 2008 and didn’t make the cut for several reasons, but that really showed us what we needed to do to make sure things were different in 2009. We were extremely happy just to make it in this year, and after a lot of practice we were really proud of our performance. We were as surprised as anybody when we took 2nd place, given our style and the crowd we were playing for. The funny thing is we didn’t really plan a lot past the battle, so doing as well as we did was an interesting twist. As soon as everyone is back in town I’m sure we will be back to the grind and getting some new material hammered out, not to mention picking back up on our long overdue recording.

HC Is there a driving force behind the composition of your band and your method to writing music? Would you describe yourselves as a political, religious or any other central cause/theme?
SAS Nothing we write is overtly political or religious, and we come from a variety of backgrounds, it just so happens we share an affinity for metal in one way or another. Craig usually writes lyrics based on poetry or some other form of media that has influenced him, he is an English major after all. Ben has always been the primary riff creator and self-proclaimed boss, but so far it has worked out pretty well.

HC Where can those interested best connect with you to find out about news, releases and tours?
SAS I would say our myspace is the best way to get a hold of us as a group, but then again we might not even be checking that much right now. You could always try finding us on Facebook too, as individuals, but no promises.

HC Where are you at currently in terms of releasing anything and/or gearing up for a tour?
SAS We were on the recording path this time last year but for several reasons we sort of fell out of that after only one and a half songs were complete. We hope to resume where we left off and get some more songs recorded sooner than later. As far as touring, that is a little more of a stretch, as we are all typical starving college students. We’ll see what the coming months hold.

HC Where are you currently grabbing inspiration and/or frustration from and how has this been affecting your music?
SAS Most of the time we will start writing a song if some other song, artist, or anything really touches a nerve and inspiration strikes. I wouldn’t say we ever really write out of frustration for life, we’re not quite that pessimistic.

HC What have been some of the most important lessons for you as aspiring-artists?
SAS At first we were amazed at scoring gigs outside of Corvallis, until we realized that would mean a lot of travel on our own time and gas money to play small venues for even smaller crowds. The reality struck that this was really a tough pursuit if one wants to make it big, so we definitely killed our delusions of grandeur early on. We like to keep it something that is fun and an experience, instead of where we staked all our hopes and dreams.

HC Are there any favorite/funny/scary memories from recent tours or shows that you’d like to share? Have you done much touring?
SAS We have played shows pretty much all throughout Oregon, from Portland down to Roseburg, but never in one solid tour. After one show in Portland we split up so that Dylan, Ben, and our old guitarist Zach could drive home while I stayed in Portland to visit a friend. Come to find out, Dylan’s van ran out of gas on the highway in the middle of the night in just about the darkest, creepiest spot by the Enchanted Forest. My friend and I had to jet out of Portland and find somewhere to buy a gas can and gas while they waited over an hour in the dark for us to come rescue them. That was pretty amusing. That and the time we played a show in Roseburg, it was only our third show ever or something, all the other bands were really heavy grindcore types, and I was borrowing an amp from another band’s bassist. Needless to say, we got a terrible reception, and Craig was going so crazy he threw water all around the electronic equipment and on my loaner amp. We had to have a talk with him about that one.

A friend of mine used to work with a rapper on the rise, Treu aka Tha Hustla, who was having his CD release party at Bogey’s Bar and Grill (Albany, Oregon – Wednesday, July 15, 2009). I’d passed by Bogey’s hundreds of times going through downtown Albany and had heard rumors that they hosted regular local rap shows but never ventured down there. Bogey’s doesn’t just host rap, they dedicate every Wednesday night for hip-hop where local talent is on display weekly. I would not have thought there was a thriving hip-hop community in Albany, but nothing could be further from the truth.

Bogey’s is a bar, so the show was 21 and over. Due to technical difficulties things were slow to get rolling, but once everything was worked out Poverty’s Posterboy and Bilyeu aka Mr. 541 got things started. I’d heard their “Albany Song” from Myspace [link] which utilizes of the story telling power of hip-hop, literally rapping you through some of the history of Albany, Oregon. Poverty had one of the best line’s of the night, when he got choked out from the smog machine stating that, “I feel like a care bear up in here.” Poverty and Bilyeu combine a mature rap sound with well sung choruses, putting on an inspired set and closing with their local anthem, “They want to know where were from. We’re from the 5-4-1.”

It is inspiring to discover that ordinary people from around town are chasing their dreams and finding encouragement from others who are doing the same as well as support from local establishments like Bogey’s. A young man who stands out in my mind as perhaps as fine a waiter that I have ever had the pleasure of being served by (I do mean that with all sincerity) turns out to be an exceptional rapper as well, which in retrospect makes sense as his charisma fuels both ventures. What stuck out to me from Markus aka Tha Great White was his ability to write hooks that the crowd was ready to respond to, from the three songs that he performed, he was able to incite a robust response from a mixed crowd. Markus delivered what I felt was the song of the night, uniting a stimulating hook with his smooth delivery and a relevant message that is still repeating in my head, “Can we please bring real hip-hop back.”

Markus shared the stage with Yung Royal, who was brilliantly diverse in his mastery of several elements of rap. Yung has the ability to compliment a set, add another layer or take the helm at center stage himself and was able to range from rapping with speed to being very smooth. Suganuts took the stage with the swagger of a veteran and closed his set with a song that he mentioned had come against some opposition from others because it was too slow but for me was a standout performance as it was one of the few songs of the night that actually told a story.

The man of the hour, Treu, took the stage with Young Ducky to perform one of his most popular tracks, “Ay Yay,” which definitely lends itself to crowd participation. This was just to be a taste of Treu though as he left the stage as a mixed posse of diverse rappers (sorry, I didn’t catch names) performed a song to be follwed by Bent, who launched his lyrical assault upon the crowd. Bent was remarkable because he always kept a smile on and had perhaps some of the most humorous rhymes throughout his slot. When Bent finished, Treu returned to rap through his CD release for Bacc 2 Tha West Coast. Treu exudes a laid back confidence that is simultaneously very charismatic, his complex sound should resonate with genuine rap enthusiasts.

While I wish that I could remember every performers name, but I can’t say that I even heard all of them declare. I also had to work early the next morning so left right after Treu’s performance. Shout out to Bogey’s for hosting, Turning Leaf Entertainment for producing the show and DJ Unofficial who kept a seamless flow through the night. Of considerable note this night at Bogey’s was the diversity amongst this close knit gathering, whereas in many smaller communities the tendency can be to all sound the same, as well as the camaraderie amongst all the rappers, each rooting for the other and being sure the mention the efforts of all. The hip-hop community in Albany is laying a great foundation for launching local talent, if you have any affection for rap you will want to visit this scene.

UPCOMING HIP-HOP SHOWS IN ALBANY:
> Pause for the Cause presented by Markus Tha Great White and Yung Royal (w/ several guests) on July 24th, 2009 – 6PM (ALL AGES) @ The Fairmount Grange, 845 N Albany Rd, Albany, OR
> Bogey’s will be hosting the CD Release party for Suganuts on August 5th, 2009 (deep line-up of rappers also playing) – 9PM (21 +) @ 129 1st Ave, Albany, OR

What happens when a bunch of engineering students from Oregon State University assemble to construct a musical ensemble? While it may not produce this same result everytime, on this occasion the byproduct has been the tremors of skindustrial (ha ha – refer to 2nd question) revolution which have launched the re-birth of ska in the hollowed halls of Corvallis. Target for Tomorrow and the Horns of Destruction have certainly made me a believer in the possibility of the resurgence of ska. TFT is far from a typcial ska band though, as you will note from the unique gathering of their members to the diversity in their collaboration. Enjoy the results of this Myspace interview, our thanks to the band for taking the time to connect with fans in this way.

HC What inspired the name of your band? How did your band come together?
TFT Well, we were originally called Pilot Light, and then it had been brought up that there were probably 10 other bands called “Pilot Light”, some of which had already released albums, and there was even one in Portland. We came together through the Oregon State Musicians Guild more or less. Michael and Aaron had a previous ska band, and then they formed Pilot Light after a few auditions for some extra instrument parts, which picked up Jason and Brian. Then Charley and Orin joined the band replacing their respective instruments a few months later from the original members. After all this, we decided to change our name once we began recording for our first EP because we’d need something unique if we were going to take the band seriously.

HC How would you describe your musical style? How receptive have crowds been to your sound?
TFT Our musical style could be said to have been directly influenced by the RX Bandits, but we pull influences from all over, funk, rock, industrial, and what have you. There was a show that somehow was advertising our sound as Ska/Industrial, so we just say we’re a skindustrial band now. The crowds have been amazing, they love to dance and experience something different. People have loved our sound because it’s so diverse, ranging from pure anger all the way to slow jams you just want to hold your lady tight to.

HC You are currently based out of Corvallis, Oregon are you all natives? Are you all students at Oregon State University? What do you enjoy most about the local scene?
TFT We’re actually from all over, majority is from Portland/Beaverton, but our bassist is from Medford, trombone player is from St. Helens. We are all students at OSU, Orin is the only Music major though, all the rest of us are engineering students. The thing we enjoy most about the local scene is that it’s such a friendly bunch. Through the Oregon State Musicians Guild we’ve met many of the other bands around town, and we all help each other out. The local venues are wonderful too, especially Bombs Away Cafe. The owner has been extremely nice to us and genuinely seems to enjoy having us play at his place.

HC I really enjoyed your performance at the Oregon State University Battle of the Bands (congrats on 3rd place), I left the show thinking, “Ska is still alive!” I was impressed with how unique your brand of ska was as several elements jumped out to me in that there were times when you expressed anger (not normally a “ska” thing), there were songs where the guitars were chunky/heavy, surf and even spiraling solos. How did you come to settle as a ska band?
TFT The band Michael and Aaron had been in in high school had started off as a ska band from the beginning, so they were already set on starting specifically that kind of band when they came to OSU. All of the variety we’ve created within the genre has come from everyone’s collective input, as oftentimes we’ll start a song off as traditional ska-sounding, then once everyone’s pitched their two cents most of the time things end up sounding pretty different. Everyone in the band has a pretty strong personality, so nobody’s afraid to contribute their musical ideas. With everyone’s different musical backgrounds, and given that we are all pretty open to stray from a core genre, it’s pretty easy to end up with something that sounds completely different as a finished product than what it started as.

HC It is clear that the horns were not an afterthought as they compliment every element and even are given segments within songs to carve an impression in the listener. While your band is a compilation of several elements, each flows well to create a sound that entertains and challenges, what wizardry have you been using to craft such a blend?
TFT In Michael and Aaron’s old band, both of them actually played saxophone, and that band had a hornline of 5, so all the music they wrote was designed to feature the horns. When they came to this band and Aaron moved to guitar and vocals, they wanted to make a point of keeping the same style of writing, and to never leave the horns forgotten. With that in mind, when they formed the band at OSU, they had the trombone and tenor saxophone positions filled, but advertised they were looking for a trumpet player nonetheless to fill the high voice. Transforming our sound into one where the rhythm section was more than just background music meant working in some ways to transition between featuring either. It’s something we’ve been working on for over a year now, and that we’ve been more and more satisfied with lately.

HC Have you discussed or thought of what your plans for TFT would be post-college?
TFT If we keep the band together, chances are we’ll kick it up in Portland, since most of us will probably be living up there anyway once we’re out of college. As long as we keep writing and recording, and people are still up for playing, we’d all be down.

HC Where can those interested best connect with you to find out about news, releases and tours? Where are you at in terms of preparing for a formal release and/or tour?
TFT All our business is done through our gmail account, at targetfortomorrow@gmail.com. Any public information can be found on our myspace at www.myspace.com/target4tomorrow, which would include all the info anyone could desire about gigs
and the like. As for releases, we actually just got our first 4-track EP released, available at any of our gigs or through any of our band members. The show we played after battle this year was actually our CD release show. Our music will also be showing up on iTunes hopefully some time in the next couple of months. We’d all love to do a tour as soon as we can get one organized. Oregon, Washington, California, whatever.

HC Where are you currently grabbing inspiration and/or frustration from and how has this been affecting your music?
TFT A lot of our musical inspiration comes from the music we all listen to. As far as anger goes, it’s anyone’s guess, a lot of the angry noises even come from outside musical influences. At the very least, we’re not afraid to sound angry when we feel like it.

HC What have been some of the most important lessons for you as aspiring-artists?
TFT To not take anything with the band too seriously, ‘cause as far as we’re concerned, all a band should be anyway is a bunch of friends having fun. That’s probably the best overall lesson so far.

HC Are there any favorite/funny/scary memories from recent tours/shows
TFT It wasn’t from a show, but one of our best ones so far was the all-night experience that led to us getting our tracks mastered for the EP in Portland. Our singer was wrapping up his vocal and guitar tracks all day Sunday the day before, then started getting final mixes together for the masters late into the night. Over at our drummer’s, he was working all night on the album art, getting everything put in its place while mixing in studying he had for a test that morning. So all through the night up until we left for Portland, nobody but our trumpet player (who had to drive us the next day) was sleeping, instead going back and forth between Charley’s and Aaron’s while they were wrapping up everything we needed for the CD to be submitted. Just when we were about to leave for Portland in the morning, we still had a track that needed more mixing, so we loaded Aaron’s gear into the car and spent the car ride up getting the last mix put together. We were mixing all the way up until we were parking in our space in front of SuperDigital. When we sat in our mastering session, after none of us had slept all night, everyone was groggy, Jason was even falling asleep on their couch. It was a crazy ride up, following about 20 hours of work beforehand, so when the appointment was over and we’d submitted everything for our CD to be duplicated we were relieved to go chill out and eat Japanese food.

If you are not a fan of hardcore because “it all sounds the same”, then you are primed for indefensible captivation at the hands of Portland based Roseway. Roseway is definitively heavy but the descriptor basically ends there as they skillfully blend screaming with singing, riffs with breakdowns, and beauty with brutality. Be prepared as you may not know whether to karate chop your mosh pit friend or just give him a hug – and why should you have to decide between the two? Roseway is working hard to produce a quality sound that by nature is undefined but will serve to gather all to their feet, I am enjoying their efforts and look forward to seeing them live soon. Our thanks to Nick of Roseway for taking the time to conduct a Myspace interview.

See Roseway @ Treehouse (Eugene, OR) on July 18th before they set out in late July and into August on the Don’t Stop Until You Get Enough Tour – launching in Vancouver on July 30th venturing South into California and back up through Vegas, Utah, Idaho and back into Oregon. See them also with Hurdcore favorites 66 Love Letters on July 22nd @ Satyricon (Portland, OR) and September 4th @ Life Church (Aloha, OR).

HC What inspired the name of your band? How did your band come together?
RW The name is inspired by where we live, Portland. Our current lineup has only been together a few months, but the band originally started on New Year’s Day of 2008, with Eric (vocals) and Andrew (guitar) as the remaining members from the original lineup. Nick (bass) and Jared (drums) joined the band in September/October 2008, and Johnie (guitar) shortly thereafter in March 2009.

HC How would you describe your musical style?
RW Since we started, Roseway’s style has always been about tastefully and effectively combining contrasting musical styles. We all come from various musical backgrounds, and we have all contributed to making our sound as versatile as it is. Our sound can be loosely described as a mix of catchy hooks/choruses, heavy breakdowns, atmospheric effects, and intense, inspiring vocals.

HC What is unique about your band? What makes your band/sound different from other offerings?
RW We have always taken a sense of esteem in our sound/style combining hard and soft guitars, slow and fast beats, singing, screaming, chanting and yelling vocals, and the hooks that are our flagship sounds. We feel that, with our versatility and unique ability to combine sounds, we can effectively bring together the hardcore kids, the indie kids, the metal kids, the straight-up rockers, and everyone in between.

HC You are currently based out of Portland, Oregon, are you all natives? What do you enjoy most about the local scene?
RW We are all natives of Portland, OR…except for Johnie — he’s originally from Monmouth (Salem area). The Portland scene is ripe with musicians striving to make the next step in bringing music to bigger markets and showing that Portland still has some hardcore in them! Also, the Portland area teems with kids thirsty for more music filled with God’s Word.

HC Being a Christian hardcore band, have you found local churches to be supportive of your efforts? Do you view yourselves as missionaries? What has been the overall response to the relationship between your talents and the sharing of your message?
RW Surprisingly, there are more and more churches who are supporting the small-time Christian bands who have a heavier sound. Since our end of the musical spectrum used to be contained in the underground, yet has been emerging to the surface and the mainstream over the past several years, we have found that the support from churches and Christian organizations has been very much on the rise.

HC Where can those interested best connect with you to find out about news, releases and tours?
RW Myspace, of course!!! myspace.com/rosewaymusic

HC Where are you currently grabbing inspiration and/or frustration from and how has this been affecting your music?
RW Struggles come and go, as with everyone, and we draw our inspiration from many different sources. Often times, the hardships we experience in our personal lives greatly affect the writing process. Everything from relationships gone sour to friendships ending in betrayal to the hope and joy God’s mercy and grace gives us after going through those things — are what makes our lyrics so inspiring and heartfelt.

HC What have been some of the most important lessons for you as aspiring-artists?
RW There have definitely been some ups and downs for us as an aspiring band moving forward in the music industry — and one of the biggest ups is how greatly the power of prayer and faithfulness in our daily lives can affect how God blesses us as a band.

HC Are there any favorite/funny/scary memories from recent tours that you’d like to share?
RW During our short tour through northern Washington in between Christmas ‘08 and New Year’s Day ‘09, we stopped in Bremerton, WA for a show on the day after Christmas. It was a half-bar, half-all-ages venue, and someone had pulled a prank on one of the members in one of the other bands we played with that night — Eric went into the bathroom after we played our set, just to stumble into a big, sticky pool of fake blood. He freaked out, ran out of the bathroom, and was like “oh my gosh, there’s a huge pool of blood in the men’s room!” He was so flustered, he nearly locked the keys to our van inside the van…but luckily, we found them in Nick’s pocket!

HC Any words of encouragement for aspiring bands?
RW If you make God the center of everything you do and say as a band, He will continue to bless you and look after you!