Earlier in May hurdcore.com introduced readers to Portland, Oregon hardcore/screamo band …And The Sirens Sang (ATSS Interview), as they prepare for their West Coast Get Downz Tour to kick off June 19th in Camas, Washington we wanted to to reset your appetite for local rock.

Is there a song that gives you the most trouble live?
Will Breitner (Guitar/Vocals) Definitely “Life Through The Eyes Of A Drowning Man” because it is the most technical.
Will Terada (Guitar/Vocals) I’m gonna have to go with Will B on this one. “Life Through The Eyes Of A Drowning Man” is by far our most technical song, but it’s also one of the most fun to play, for me personally.
Patrick Shannon (Vocals) “Au revoir, My Love” for me because, it has a large variety of vocal ranges, and is a pretty decent length song.
Brady Johns (Keys) All of them because I still don’t know all of the songs, Its all improv for the most part for me. I know chunks of songs but not all of it.

If I had an extra $1000, the first piece of equipment that I would purchase for the band is…?
WB Recording of a new demo with Neil Engle (we’re doing this in September) and then either more merch or the big light boxes we’re gonna make for the stage!
WT Well if he’s got the merch, I’d say a new P.A. system of our own.
PS Being a vocalist, I would say get everyone Shure Beta 58’s and pay the audio technician at Hawthorne to work magic on them for better sound.

Trend that you have noticed that you will never join?
WB Crunk-core. Nuff said.
WT Anything that sounds like 3OH!3, or Kesha…
PS Well the Wills pretty much stole the words from my mouth
BJ Emocore.

Currently reading ____, listening to ____ and/or watching ____?
WB Reading – The Lost Symbol (Dan Brown), Listening to – Dimmu Borgir’s “The Sacreligious Scorn”, Watching – Eastbound And Down.
WT Reading – Harry Potter (all of them, over and over again.); Listening to – As I Lay Dying’s new cd “The Powerless Rise”; Watching – The Office: Season 5.
PS Reading – World of Warcraft: Rise of the Lich King, Listening to – City and Colour’s “Sometimes”, Watching – The Office (ALL SEASONS.)

Best book you’ve ever read, why?
WT In my opinion, the Harry Potter series. It has an amazing story line that was able to be built upon for 7 books, it has amazing character development where you can actually watch them mature as you read through the series in everything they do, it has action, drama, suspense, comedy, love stories, etc. I think it’s just a very well rounded series in all aspects. And it’s good for people of all ages.
WB I think Will T said it perfectly. I’m either gonna go with the Harry Potter series or the Angels & Demons, The DaVinci Code and The Lost Symbol series by Dan Brown which is simply phenomenal.
PS I’m not a big reader. Two books i have greatly enjoyed are, The Outsiders By SE Hinton, and Marilyn Mansons autobiography, “The Long Hard Road out of Hell”
BJ The Bible because it’s all real.

Any crazy pre-performance rituals?
WB Changing my clothes ten times hahaha
WT Smoke lots of cigarettes. For some reason, I always get compliments that my voice sounds great after a set when I smoke about 3 cigs right before we go on. haha I don’t quite get it.
PS I jump around, try and exercise to relieve stress.

When you are a diva/rockstar the three things that you will demand be in your dressing room are?
WB Jagermeister & Guiness, steak & baked potatoes for after the show and a lady hahaha
WT A 16 oz, medium-rare steak for after we play, 2 six packs of Dead Guy Ale, and an xbox 360 set up with Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.
PS Vast amount of Laffy Taffy, Dead Guy Ale or Rockstar Energy Drink, and The Office on TV.
BJ A warm silk robe, dimmed lighting, and Usher blaring so loud that it vibrates the walls.

Band you have shared the stage with that blew you away?
WB For me I would have to say either Whitechapel, Through The Eyes Of The Dead or Rose Funeral.
WT I would have to say Abigail Williams. Being able to play with them was a huge honor as a fan, and it was awesome to play my set, and then get off stage and be blasted with such a sonic, American Black Metal assault as theirs. hah
PS So far, Keeping Secrets for sure. Love those guys!
BJ Jack Devore.

Top 5 songs in your personal ipod right now?
WB AFI- “Synesthesia”, The Black Dahlia Murder- “A Vulgar Picture”, Emarosa- “Head Or Tails, Real Or Not?”, Matt Kennon- “The Call” and Rose Funeral- “Left To Rot”.
WT The Black Dahlia Murder- “Climactic Degredation”, As I Lay Dying- “Parallels”, Travie McCoy- “Billionaire”, Veil Of Maya- “Unbreakable” and The Devil Wears Prada- “Louder Than Thunder”.
PS Our Last Night- “ELEPHANTS”, Alexisonfire- “To a Friend”, City and Colour- “Casey’s Song”, Dance Gavin Dance- “Open Your Eyes and Look North” and Whitechapel- “Possession”.
BJ Justin Bieber- “One Less Lonely Girl”, Usher- “Moving Mountains”, Matisyahu- “King Without a Crown”, A Tale Through Audio- “The Touch” and Job For A Cowboy- “Entombment of a Machine”.

Best and worst experience at a show?
WB My best experience was seeing AFI and being right in front of my idol, guitarist Jade Puget. It was the most amazing thing to see the band that made me want to play music live. I’m not really sure what my worst experience was at a show. Probably something to do with a dumb kid starting some bullshit over something dumb.
WT My best was defintitely being able to meet Trevor Strnad (vocalist) and Brian Eschbach (rhythm guitarist) of The Black Dahlia Murder before seeing them at the Hawthorne Theater, and then screaming every word along with Trevor, Brian, and Bart Williams (bassist). I was as giddy as a 12 year old girl when they told me after the show that they appreciated seeing me scream every word, and they loved hangin out with me after the show. As one of my absolute favorite bands, they’ve changed my life and my views on music. For the worst, I’d have to say it was in Redding, CA when I was on tour with my last band, Bedlam Massacre. It was the last show of tour with PDX Hardcore band “Proven,” and we just wanted to get home. The venue didn’t book a P.A. system and told us we had to get our own; the locals tried to make us, the touring bands, open the show; the locals decided to get a P.A. from their friends, who brought it an hour late (which turned into us being an hour late, somehow), and on top of all that, we’re all a bunch of very tired, worn out metalheads, who really didn’t want to deal with any more crap on the road aftet dealing with multiple breakdowns, and money issues. Long story short, what should’ve been a decent last show almost turned into a giant street fight. It was terrible.
PS Best for me was standing right in front of Dallas Green as he performed in Alexisonfire at the Roseland. He is one of my favorite musicians and a big insipiration, and seeing him live was very big for me. Worst expirience thus far is, playing a show at Pop Culture recently with a cold. My voice was pretty bad from the cold to start and the PA had so much running through i couldn’t be heard. I screamed my lungs out and messed up my throat for about three days.

Read the full Interview w/ …And The Sirens Sang from May 2010 HERE

…And The Sirens Sang > Hardcore/Screamo > Portland, Oregon > is Will Breitner (Guitar/Vocals); Will Terada (Guitar/Vocals); Patrick Shannon (Vocals); Brady Johns (Keyboards); Sam Okutsu (Bass) and Joey Luna (Drums). Keep an eye out for their Sirens EP and full length to be releasing SOON – catch them on the West Coast GET DOWNZ TOUR kicking off June 19, 2010 at The Revolution Room in Camas, Washington. Updates and info at ATSS Myspace.

For more information on local music, band interviews, concert updates and promotional content. Local bands, artists, concerts, venues, tours and events from rock, hip-hop, metal, pop, punk, hardcore, acoustic, indie, organic, progressive, funk, rap and more. Stay tuned to hurdcore.com, friend us on myspace and join us facebook Hurdcore is open to partnerships to promote local arts, music and entertainment as well as advertising opportunities – hurdcore@gmail.com – be specific in “subject” line.

Red and blue flashing lights often cause as stimulating an effect as the eardrum shattering screams that interrupt the regular murmur of everyday life. While the sensory alarm often drives us to quickly attempt to identify where the blitz is coming from as well as where it is going, the sight and sound of sirens clearly communicate that something is going on. Music can similarly serve as a beckoning to recognize and engage the opportunities within our lives. If we fail to participate music can become absorbed into the backdrop of life rather than ringing out as a soundtrack to accent our lives. Music is not life but it sure helps to make life more interesting and in special cases can even inspire. If you identify with pain and have a consuming drive for an expanding depth in sound then you may have no closer musical avatar than Portland, Oregon based melodic hardcore band …And The Sirens Sang. Combining screaming vocal harmonies, breakdowns from dueling guitars, layers of emotive keys and an ingenuity that filters through every aspect of their collective expression through music …And The Sirens Sang is hard at work in the studio and on a stage near you.

You mention in your bio, “We’ve gone through some member changes, genre changes, and we’ve gone through more hardships than any band should and more than most bands have.” Would you care to elaborate on what you’ve gone through as a band and where you are at now?
Will Breitner (Guitar/Vocals) Well, we’ve gone through a total of about 15 members to finally find the right lineup which we currently have. A lot of bands have the luxury of only having to change 1 or 2 members, but we have had two different full lineups so it is very difficult in that sense. Also, we went down to California to play a single show last December because we were told that a Record Label A&R was going to be there to check out our music and hopefully work with us. Unfortunately, this was a lie and he really just wanted to steal all of our equipment, clothes, laptops, etc. after our van exploded and left us stranded in Southern Oregon with no money or transportation. After that happened, we had to buy all new equipment, a new van, and a new trailer so that set us back incredibly far.

What is the significance behind the name …And The Sirens Sang?
WB I came up with the name to tie into the first full length album where a girl dies. The name refers to ambulance sirens on this first full length. Possibly after our second full length (which will be a continuation and conclusion of the concept on the first full length), we are thinking about having it refer to the ancient sirens that lure sailors with their beautiful voices and features. That way, our name will have more than just one meaning.

Is there something other than the common drive to create music that musically and lyrically wrestles beneath the surface of And The Sirens Sang?
WB Our music deals deeply with heartbreak, both lyrically and musically. Our music is very melodic and we have a lot of really big parts that are meant to be very heart-felt. We write about sorrow and the music is very emotionally driven.

We’ve seen, or more aptly, heard the use and misuse of keys within the hardcore genre where there are bands who accent their sound with synth, And The Sirens Sang has really brought out and made keys a consistent layer within your sound. Did you purposely set out to push the limits of key-core or how did your sound in that sense evolve?
WB Well when I started the project, I wanted to make it very big and dense sounding and I wanted it to be as melodic as homanly possible. I love it when bands have parts with strings and piano under the other parts in the song, those are always my favorite parts! That said, I wanted to be in a band that had that kind of sound the whole way through the album. Our keyboardist Brady is a phenominal pianist and has a great mind for writing keyboard parts into metal music, and because of that, we definitely do try to make the keys a main focus in the music.
Patrick Shannon (Vocals) I actually remember Will saying how he at one point wanted an orchestra in the band. Kind like an Apocalyptica sound.
Brady Johns (Keys) I would love to have at least a string quartet involved in our music along with my piano parts. It would be epic!

With as much work as you all do within And The Sirens Sang and your projects outside of the band (IE Siren Studios and King Arthur Booking), what seems to be the key to getting local fans engaged in the music?
WB Constant promotion and playing shows as much as humanly possible! We’re really working hard on building up a local fanbase, but honestly it’s difficult to get kids around here interested in anything that isn’t deathcore or hardcore. Kids around here just don’t show up and represent for melodic music with heart in it like they used to, so it’s really difficult right now.
Will Terada (Guitar/Vocals) Also, being in multiple bands/projects is a great way to get your other musical ventures heard. So if people go to the ATSS myspace, they will see our other projects on our top friends, and hopefully want to check those out as well.

Do you ever take it personally when a crowd is slow to interact?
WB Not at all. Like I said above, I don’t see a huge appreciation anymore around here for melodic music so when kids aren’t throwing down to us I’m not really worried about it. We just try to mix it up and throw breakdowns and two steps in here and there to get the kids pumped up.
WT I sometimes get a little bummed, but I realize that not everyone is going to like our music. We have a lot of pretty parts in our music, and not all the people in the crowd are going to want to hear it. However, I think we do have a well rounded set since we do have the pretty, melodic parts but we also incorporate breakdowns, some metalcore riffage, and even a few slight elements of thrash.
PS Not at all. As the vocalist, I try and be as active as possible to bring energy to the crowd, as does the rest of the band. I’ll tell people to move around and actually have some fun! When we do have kids moving it definitely gets us all pumped!
BJ I could really care less how the crowd reacts. I personally prefer it more if the audiance just watches, but if they throw down thats cool too.

In assessing the scene, do you think that hardcore has become too cool for its own good?
WT Yes and no. Because on one hand it is music. And while I believe that all music should be respected whether I personally like it or not, it can get overplayed to the point of it losing it’s flavor. I am a fan of the hardcore scene. I wouldn’t consider myself to be one of the “Hardcore Kids,” but I do like the music. I just think that it’s at the point where it’s cool to be in a hardcore band, and most just do the same thing over and over again.
PS Yes I believe so. The only thing that grinds my gears about this, is at Will T said, ‘It’s at the point where it’s cool to be in a hardcore band…’ therefore there are too many bands out there with the same sound! No originality or talent.

As fans of music, as people and performers, how do you combat the pressure to be a certain something for the purpose of attaining success as opposed to doing what comes naturally or creating what you truly want to express?
WT Well as fans of music, we listen to what has already been done to attain success and feed off of it, instead of just copying every other band out there. For example, some of our main influences are As I lay Dying (AILD HC:Interview), The Devil Wears Prada, and Emarosa. We try to take influence from all those bands and throw it in a blender to create our own style and sound. That way it truly does come out as how we want to express it lyrically and instrumentally.

You’ve recorded an EP and are currently working on a full length album. How soon do you expect to have this work released upon the nation?
WB Well we are working as hard as possible to get it released extremely soon! It all boils down to money really. We’re poor and we’re doing our best to get our EP printed, but I don’t think it’s going to happen until July or so. As for the full length, as soon as we get the EP in print we will be saving up to record our full length at Interlace Audio (Emarosa, Dance Gavin Dance) in Portland, OR with engineer Neil Engle. It is going to cost us over $4,000 to record the album, so realistically we are aiming to do it around February of 2011. We will be setting up benefit shows after we get home from our summer tours to save up for the recording of the album and we would really appreciate it if everyone would come out and show us some support so we can get this thing out as soon as possible! We also have shirts and demos in stock at all times, so PLEASE pick one up so we can order our EPs, new merch and begin saving!

You’ve mentioned that this album is almost a split of reworking several previous songs as well as adding new ones, what are the sound dynamics and lyrical themes of this album?
WB Well it is basically the first EP and 6 new songs. We are re-working all of the songs on the EP to make them more mature sounding and the full band will be working on re-writing bass and piano parts as well as some of the lead guitar parts and vocals so it will be much more full sounding. There will also be a TON of vocal harmonies on it, which I am very excited about. As far as the new stuff goes, it is faster, more technical and the breakdowns are a lot heavier. Lyrically, it is a continuation of the “Sirens” EP and it completes the first half of the concept that we have written out. I don’t want to give away the concept, but we will be posting a full story that spans this part of the concept when the album is released!

With so many members and musical influences, what does the typical writing process for And The Sirens Sang look like?
WB Well for the whole first EP, I wrote and recorded everything (minus screams) so it was just me sitting down and writing music. It has since changed since it has turned from a solo project to a full band. Now, I will sit down and write basically a skeleton for a song and then our other guitarist Will Terada will come in and change guitar parts here and there where he has a better idea. After the guitar parts are re-worked and we are both satisfied enough to show the songs to the band, we will sit down and learn the songs with our bassist Sam Okutsu so we can all start jamming it out at practice and our drummer Joey Luna can get a feel for it. Then, me and our keyboardist Brady Johns will sit down and jam on the stuff just the two of us so he can write out keyboard parts to the songs and not have a million things going on while he’s trying different parts. That’s basically how our music is written now.
WT And while all of that is going on, our vocalist Patrick Shannon listens and gets ideas down for all of his vocal patterns and lyrics.
PS Haha yeah, I pretty much just spit out nonsense in different vocal patterns until I build a good sounding structure.

How do you work the play between the guitars and divide the vocal responsibilities?
WB Well me and Will T switch off on the leads in certain parts so that there is a pretty equal balance. I play a little bit more of the lead parts, but we like it to be balanced so at live shows it’s not just one dude in the spotlight. As far as vocals go, I do the lead singing for the most part but Will T and Sam sing backup harmonies and in certain spots the leads also.
WT It’s really easy for Will B and myself to switch off on leads and rhythms because there are parts where I want to play the leads and parts where I want to play the rhythms and it’s the same for Will B. I can remember numerous times where we’ve fought over who gets to play the rhythm parts instead of the leads. haha

You are preparing to do some touring this summer, is this your first tour of this magnitude?
WB Yeah, and we couldn’t be more excited! Well.. Unless it was longer :] haha
WT Not for me. I toured once before this last summer with my old death/thrash/black metal band Bedlam Massacre. We went out for the same period of time, and the route this time is gonna be exactly the same actually, except in reverse order.

How did you get hooked up with the bands on this tour?
WB We are really good friends with Upon Departure (UD HC:Interview) and we all love the dudes in that band so it was an obvious choice to take them out with us. Brady knew We Move Mountains (WMM HC:Interview) and we all listened to them and really dug their music so we decided to ask them to tag along too! They are both really professional bands and just fun dudes to
hang out with and we wanted to get the best lineup possible but also have a ton of fun on the road so it worked out perfectly!

Who else are you looking forward to playing with in 2010?
WB Well we just played a show with We Came As Romans, From First To Last and Asking Alexandria and I think I speak for everyone in saying that these are bands that we look up to and in the case of FFTL, have grown up with musically. It’s a great honor personally to have shared the stage with FFTL, because I remember being 16 and seeing them live and dreaming about playing on the same stage as them so I’m incredibly stoked that I was actually able to do that! I also love playing with the dudes in Upon Departure, Aleen, We Move Mountains, Mourning For Memories and other great bands from around here.

Who have been some of the biggest assistants to your development as musicians and as a band?
WB Definitely my mom. Me and Will T live with her full time and then the rest of the band ends up staying over and practicing around 5 nights per week. She lets us practice whenever we want to and she also lets me run a studio out of her house so that we can make some money to help fund the band. We definitely wouldn’t be a band without her :] Other than that, Dylan Ireland who runs our lights & merch, Greg Northcutt who comes to a bunch of shows and helps with merch and tech work, and Brittini Christian who helps with merch are all HUGE parts of the band. Kendall Johns has helped us on numerous occasions with lights and getting us on sweet shows. The guys at The Standing Ovation in Longview are AMAZING- without them we definitely wouldn’t be where we are at because they are such awesome people to work with and the Standing Ovation shows are the best!!! And just anyone who listens to our music. We love the people who come out to our shows seriously more than anything and we don’t have a huge fanbase or anything, but we are more appreciative than we can ever begin to tell you for the people who listen to our music and come to our shows.
WT Yeah, definitely Mama Breitner for constantly putting up with at least 7 guys in her house at all times, my girlfriend Brittini Christian for always being willing to take pictures, sell merch, and promote us at her school, Dylan Ireland for being a great friend and lights/merch guy, and Greg Northcutt who always is out in the crowd getting them stoked on us. And everyone at The Standing Ovation for putting us on great shows and just being great people for the scene in general.
PS: Will’s mom is one of the greatest supporters I have ever seen. She acts like a mom to everyone in the band and trys to help us as much as possible seeing that this is our job, and passion and we all really appreciate that.

…And The Sirens Sang > Hardcore/Screamo > Portland, Oregon > is Will Breitner (Guitar/Vocals); Will Terada (Guitar/Vocals); Patrick Shannon (Vocals); Brady Johns (Keyboards); Sam Okutsu (Bass) and Joey Luna (Drums). Keep an eye out for their Sirens EP and full length to be releasing SOON – catch them on the West Coast GET DOWNZ TOUR summer 2010. Updates and info at ATSS Myspace.

For more information on local music, band interviews, concert updates and promotional content. Local bands, artists, concerts, venues, tours and events from rock, hip-hop, metal, pop, punk, hardcore, acoustic, indie, organic, progressive, funk, rap and more. Stay tuned to hurdcore.com, friend us on myspace and join us facebook Hurdcore is open to partnerships to promote local arts, music and entertainment as well as advertising opportunities – hurdcore@gmail.com – be specific in “subject” line.

Mixtapes in Moline, Illinois is making music happen for the Quad Cities. When not hosting bands from Illinois and beyond, Mixtapes boasts a variety of music and arts related business outlets such as an in-house tattoo parlor (Meno’s) and record store. As the bands and fans were waiting for the show to start an unpaid artist consultant (sarcasm) decided to stop by the small crowd in front of Mixtapes to share a few volumes from his wealth of entertainment knowledge. You can see some of the video of that encounter, now infamously dubbed “the drunk guy video”, on our hurdcore.com Midwest youtube page.

Opening a show can require heavy lifting at times, thankfully the lead singer for Nevada based Legions brought his muscles, rocking a pre-governator Arnie pose and setting Mixtapes on fire with their brand of metalcore. Iowa’s Kidnap The Sun introduced the crowd to the wall of death, as their synth pop-core brought dancers and ladies to the center of the room. The members of When Bears Attack knelt together near the drums as the voice of God rang out quoting those ex nihlo words of creation recorded in Genesis chapter 1, “Let there be light!” Aside from their creative blend of synth and hardcore, aptly classed as keycore, these young men accented their non-stop energy with a double strobe lighted gang plank that provided a platform to place them closer to and over the crowd.

On this fine Friday night in East Moline, Mixtapes boasted a remarkable blend of alternative -cores spawned from the hardcore family tree, with Eagle Scout taking indie to the max and inciting a stream of sing-a-longs. Perhaps a new vogue in stage theatrics is in the making as the drummer from Renae took to spitting on the bass player. Upon inquiry this was a recent ploy from the band that is taken in stride between the two who have no animosity towards each other, yet at one point the expectorate was so loaded that the bass player was encumbered by a loogie dangling from his playing hand. “This is our time. This is the end,” came the synth infused screamo/thrash opening incantation from locals Sleeper Awake Society. “Montana is basically Canada,” came the words of wisdom from bassist for Midnight Drive who started his night with a tattoo showcasing his home state across his upper chest.

Mixtapes has a good thing going with their ties in the Moline community and their several tiered approach to crafting a viable concert destination with record sales, music merch, live music venue and Meno’s Ink. The venue provides a close knit music experience and a regular diet of the Midwest’s finest local artists. Get your tats while you get personal with the bands, just be sure to arrive early because you never know who you may meet while you wait!

Mixtape’s Concert Venue and Record Store
including Meno’s Ink and Tattoo Parlor:
832 15th Avenue, East Moline, Illinois.

For more information on local music, band interviews, concert updates and promotional content. Local bands, artists, concerts, venues, tours and events from rock, hip-hop, metal, pop, punk, hardcore, acoustic, indie, organic, progressive, funk, rap and more. Stay tuned to hurdcore.com, friend us on myspace and join us facebook Hurdcore is open to partnerships to promote local arts, music and entertainment as well as advertising opportunities – hurdcore@gmail.com – be specific in “subject” line.

With their song “If I Had Eyes, Manhattan Could Fly“, When Bears Attack! lures you into to thinking you should hug your neighbor and get out your lighter just before they begin to peel your face off. Opening with a somber yet elegant melody the vocals shift from harmonious to screaming without a glitch and lead you through a dynamic mix of breakdowns and just the right seasoning of synth to make everything taste right. I am encouraged by the transitions in sound and mixture of elements where nuance and subtlety become as much a part of the package as blistering guitars and hair raising screams. When Bears Attacks displays a creative ability to utilize and master the play between components so that their music isn’t just a mash of noises but a symphony of brutality. If this song is any indication of what When Bears Attack! has in the works then the children of Illinois and far beyond will need to get educated on the danger of bears quickly.

For more information, interviews and updates for live local music. Local bands, artists, concerts, venues and events from rock, hip-hop, metal, pop, punk, hardcore, alternative, indie, organic, progressive, rap and more. Stay tuned to hurdcore.com, friend us on myspace and join us facebook

Don’t call it a comeback…Abandon The Shore went cold but has returned stronger than ever with a renewed commitment to each other as friends and a drive to progress as a band. This relaunch of Abandon The Shore draws its members from Springfield to Coos Bay, combining creative powers to craft a unique brand of Oregon screamo. Whether you caught the first wave or are hearing of ATS for the first time, now is you chance to track them down live and local.

HC Is there any significance or story behind your name?
ATS There is! It’s symbolic of an individual standing on the shore looking out to the sea and wondering what else is out there. However this individual will never find out what else is out there until they “Abandon the Shore.” This can be directly related to our music; we want to see what were capable of but we’re never going to see what we can accomplish until we take that step into the water and explore. And we really needed to get away from Florence haha

HC So, the last I heard from ATS was that the band was breaking up and what was left was moving to LA?  Was this the “irreconcilable differences” or can you fill in some of the blanks for us?
ATS Well, long story short, things were moving along pretty quick and I think that we weren’t ready for a lot of what hit us. Things just kind of blew up on itself and we just kinda became enemies. It turns out there was far more boiling under the surface than I think any of us believed there was.

HC What even started the conversation to bring you all back together?  Did everyone from the original lineup return?
ATS To be honest, we just missed the hell out of it, and I think that time a part was really what we all needed. We were pushing ourselves pretty hard and forgot that we should be friends before being bandmates. So we all talked and decided that we want to give it another go and to just have fun with it. It’s really refreshing to have all of us back together.

HC You are back together, hitting the road (locally), what is different about this ATS?  Will our hearts be broken again?
ATS Musically, we’ve written songs that I believe are a natural progression for us. It’s more mature than our previous release. Socially, we’re just here to have fun and make the most out of what we got. That’s all you can really do in the end. If you’re not enjoying it, then you’re better off not being involved you know?

HC For those who are unfamiliar with your set, how would you describe yourself?  What can we expect from a ATS show?
ATS Shoot I’m not sure if anyone could really describe us haha. We do whatever it takes to keep the party goin’! It’s a constant frenzy of flailing limbs, seizure inducing lights, and straight forward intensity. We set the bar pretty high for our live performance.

HC ATS is currently based on the Oregon Coast, correct?  Are you all Oregon Coast natives?
ATS Well actually, Colt is from Springfield. So we’re based out of three different locations now. Brandon and Tyler and from Florence, I, (Craig,) reside in Coos Bay, and Colt lives, like I said, in Springfield.

HC What are some of your early influences that got you into screamo/hardcore?
ATS Underoath and Every Time I Die were huge influences for us. They’re Only Chasing Safety is what got me into screamo/hardcore/whatever you want to call it, without that record I wouldn’t be doing what I love doing. And Gutter Phenomenon was just a great record through and through. It was just so fluent and clever, it was always on repeat!

HC Where are you currently grabbing inspiration and/or frustration from and how has this been affecting your music?
ATS This has possibly been the worst year of my life. So a lot of those experiences are going to end up coming through in the lyrics for the new music. The theme behind it is basically moving on from your past. Let the chips fall where they may, and if you don’t like where they land, well hey it’s time to move on and give it another go. Dwelling on the past doesn’t do us any good. If you spend all your time worrying about the past you’re going to forget about the present and the future will just pass you by. Learn from it, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.

HC Where can those interested best connect with you to find out about news, releases and tours?
ATS Our myspace page is your best bet. We’ve got a new layout and promo’s on their way.

HC ATS just signed with 1987 Records and you are working on an EP?  How did you get signed to 1887 and how has that relationship improved ATS?
ATS I met the owner through a band we played with a year and a half ago called My Life in Red. He’s seen us grow from pretty much the beginning. He seemed pretty adamant about us signing with them and he’s been working pretty hard at promoting our re-release of Always Alive, Always Breathing.

HC What are the weapons (insturments) of choice ATS?
ATS Well as far as weapons go, I keep it simple: Shotgun, a shovel, and Lime haha. No but seriously, Brandon plays guitar, Colt rolls the bass, Tyler pounds the drums, and I handle vocals.

HC (Current Event) Team Kate? – or – Team Jon? Or way over it?
ATS Really didn’t care to begin with. They should just have their kids become the next Slipknot. I mean, they’re one child shy of it.

HC Big Mac or Whopper?  Favorite place to eat on the Oregon Coast?
ATS I worked at McDonalds for two years. So sick of Big Mac’s haha.  I’m real big on mexican food. I’d recommend La Herrudura in Coos Bay or Los Compadre’s in Florence. So good! I’d also recommend Jung’s Mongolian Grill in Eugene and the Pita Pit in downtown Eugene. Amazing.

HC What have been some of the most important lessons for you as an aspiring artist? Any words of wisdom for those wanting to pursue their dreams of glamor?
ATS The most important thing is this: Be friends before you’re bandmates. If you can’t function as friends you’ll never work as a band. And in the Words of the late great Charles Bukowski [German-American author/poet, 1920-1994],