All Else Fails Interview

1. Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band these days?


We are gearing up for the release of our new album "The Oracle", and the tour to support this release starts on the 19th of this month, otherwise its just playing shows and writing music!


2. How would you describe your musical sound?


At the core, we are a metal band, though we certainly mix in other elements from classical, to industrial, to punk. I think with us there aren't really a lot of bands I could compare us to that would really give a good idea of our sound.


3. What are some of the lyrical subjects and topics the new release explores?


This one is a little less political than our last, but honestly, I don't really like explaining my lyrics, I like the idea of people listening to them and experiencing their meaning on their own. Music is a personal experience and I like to keep it that way with our fans. Let them draw their own conclusions.


4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the bands name?


That's a bigger question than you know. Lets just say it involves a can of olives, a 24 case of cheap beer, a walmart greeter and a sex act gone wrong, and leave it at that.


5. What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and how would you describe your stage performance?


Well no matter the size of the show we always give our full performance, we have never been a band to dial it down because the crowd is a little sparse or whatever, but there have been some really great shows lately. The festivals are always the ones that stick out though, we just played Boonstock which was amazing! During our set Ivan from Five Finger Death Punch came out and brought us beer onstage, and hung out after, which was pretty awesome. It's those sort of random things that make events like that memorable, and also show that we are really doing something right.


6. Do you have any touring plans for the new release?


Absolutely, a month or so in western Canada this summer, then the plan is to do asia in the winter, the states in the spring, and Europe in the fall. Big things ahead!


7. Currently you are singed to Suicidal Bride Records, how did you get in contact with this label and how would you describe the support the label has given you so far?


Well I actually own and run the label, so in that regard they give us everything we need all the time! haha. It's mostly just an avenue to release our albums, though there is some talk of expanding the label and doing developmental deals with some new bands.


8. Are there any other projects besides this band or is this a full time line-up?


Nothing major, we all have our side projects, but they are just hobbies. The amount of time that we all put into All Else Fails leaves little time to really work on anything else.


9.Om a worldwide level how has your music been recieved by extreme music fans?


Better than I honestly would have expected. Fans of any extreme genre tend to get very elitist with the music they like, but we have certainly played shows like that and won over the crowd. I think in the end we are really just doing our own thing, and that comes across. We hear, "you guys aren't really my thing, but it was pretty awesome anyway" a lot.


10. What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?


No idea. We have always stuck very strongly by the idea that we will write and play whatever we feel like as long as we love what we are doing. That means that we aren't ever bound by genre or structure, so every album so far has had a very different feel, and I can see that being the only pattern we follow; every album different from the one before it.


11. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?


We all have very different tastes and background in music, from Jazz to industrial to death metal, but I have been on a real skate punk kick the last little while, tons of old Pennywise, Strung Out, Bad Religion, that sort of thing. In fact we have already started tracking our next album which is going to be a punk cover disc, so we're playing lots of the old songs we grew up on, and playing in a style of music that we don't really get to mess around with.


12. Outside of music, what are some of your interests?


I'm and entertainment junkie, so it's all video games, comics, movies and books, but I have started doing some recording on the side as well, and I think thats going to start eating up a lot of free time.


13. Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?


Yes, thank you for helping to support indie music / bands, And to the readers and fans, make sure to take the time to go out to the local shows and show your support. Every big bands starts small, and with the music industry being in the shambles that it is, it's more important than ever to help the bands you love just by standing in front of the stage and enjoying their music.

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