Interview: Before You Fled
Sean recently asked up and coming Arizona Hardcore/Metal band, Before You Fled. The 5-piece talked about their formation, working with Dan Parker (A Change of Pace) on their last EP, the Arizona music scene and more.ATP: Who are you and what do you do in Before You Fled?
Juan: I’m the front man for BYF! Bringing you all the gnarly screams and growls on the mic!
Bear: I handle the rhythm guitar! Making everything sound all pretty….haha
Rafey: I’m the lead guitarist! Definitely staying brawny!
Erik: I play the good ol’ bass guitar, giving you those deep bass lines.
Kris: I’m rocking the drums and keeping it real hood day and night!
ATP: How did Before You Fled begin?
BYF: We came together back in January of 2008. 4 out of the 5 of us went to high school together so we have known each other for a while. We basically got together after not seeing each other for a while and just started jamming. The rest is history…thus Before You Fled was born.
ATP: How would you describe the sound of your band?
BYF: I guess to give a description of our music would be heavy, but melodic and fast paced. It sounds a lot like most “heavier” bands out there, but we feel that we do have a different sound that sets us apart. If we put our music into a genre, we definitely fall into the Hardcore/Metal/Metalcore genres.
ATP: What bands have influenced and inspired your sound?
BYF: Bands that have influenced us heavily would have to be Parkway Drive, Haste The Day, August Burns Red, I Killed the Prom Queen (RIP), The Ghost Inside…just to name a few. Individually, we all have different influences that give us a little more unique style.
ATP: Tell us a bit about your EP, 'Forever Ends Today'?
BYF: This was our debut EP that we released ourselves and recorded with Dan Parker of A Change of Pace. It has some of our first songs that we have written as a band—all of which we are very proud of. It gives you a taste of what BYF is all about and what to look forward to.
ATP: How was it working with Dan Parker of A Change of Pace?
BYF: Awesome! He is definitely a very talented musician. He is a great person to work with and a great friend to all of us as well! With Dan’s help, we have come a long way. He has very good advice and tips. We enjoy working with him and look forward to working with him in the future! Anyone looking for a great producer, hit him up!!
ATP: What is the music scene like in Arizona, especially the Hardcore/Metal scene?
BYF: It’s pretty good! We have received a lot of response from the kids here. This is also the scene that most of us grew up in, so it has always been welcoming. As with any scene, it has its ups and downs and can be hit or miss, but we are glad to call ourselves an Arizona Hardcore/Metal band. We definitely enjoy playing for everyone here in the heat!!
ATP: What are you on thoughts on the genre being labeled as 'stale'?
BYF: We can totally see why the genre has been kind of labeled in that way, because for periods of time it seems like every band sounds the same or there are only one or two really good bands for every ten decent bands. People who aren’t exactly familiar with the genre may look at it as stale because Hardcore/Metal is still a fairly underground genre and music scene, but it’s just more motivation for us to push our names out there and push for a different style in our genre to make it not seem so “stale”. We want to make not only ourselves known, but the genre as a whole.
ATP: What can people expect when they come to see you live?
BYF: Definitely a high energy show. We pride ourselves in our live performance because we know kids pay money for shows! We don’t want to be a band that just stands around on stage. We enjoy the music we wrote and we get into it. The crowd feeds off that and it seems to get more people interested. Most importantly, kids can expect to have a good time at a BYF show, ‘cause that’s what it’s all about.
ATP: What is in the pipeline for Before You Fled?
BYF: We are in the process of writing and recording our second EP. It is definitely going to be a step up from Forever Ends Today and we are excited about the progress that we’ve made! We can’t wait for you all to hear it. After that, we are looking to get signed, get out on the road to play for our fans out of state and hopefully gain new ones!!
ATP: Would you like to say anything else?
BYF: Be on the lookout for BYF for the rest of 2009 and going into 2010!! We are taking over!! Thank you so much to everyone who has been there from day one, we would be where we are at now without all of you! Thanks to Alter the Press for a rad interview!! Rage!
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