UNTIL I WAKE Interview 18/02/20
MM - The highlight of 2019 for you as a Band, and what was the funniest?
Until I Wakes biggest highlight of 2019 would have to be filming our debut music video. We have put so much work into building this band behind the scenes and 2019 concluded in us filming our debut music video Sinking Under which has been a huge milestone for us since it’s release. Not only was it our debut but it blew expectations away.
2019 was full of ridiculous, laughable moments. The funniest moments as a band definitely occur at the studio in Michigan. While we’re not recording we film our adventures out there and luckily we’ve captured tons of funny highlights. If it’s not breaking into acapella singing Taste by Tyga it is probably when we were playing acoustic guitar and singing along with the security at a gentleman’s club in Detroit...
MM - Please introduce Until I Wake band members to us
Until I Wake is Cody Johnson (Vocals), August Geitner (Guitar), Ryan Ridley (Bassist), Alex Curtin (Drums).
MM - When was the band formed and how did you all discover each other's mutual taste in music?
The band was formed in the beginning of 2019. Each member had worked together at some point or another on particular projects but we’ve never been able to bring all four members together to join in on one project in specific. The band was built from some of the most talented, professional and motivated musicians from Buffalo who were motivated and ready to make big moves.
MM - How would you describe your music and what do you hope people will take away from your music and your performances?
Until I Wake has catchy relatable story telling lyrical content that is matched with instrumentals that can range from a slower catchy sound to an aggressive, fast paced, hard hitting sound.
We hope that the lyrical content will make an impact on others, whether it’s something that they can relate to or something that will help then through a struggle in life or just something that sounds cool to them. We also hope that our explosive live performance will be something everyone will remember.
MM - What bands did you grow up listening to and how did they help in creating the style of music you perform today?
Some bands that we grew up listening to are Linkin Park, Slipknot, Lamb Of God, Pierce The Veil, Bullet For My Valentine... to name a handful. These bands all have helped create the diversity in our music. We have a pretty decent range in sound where you can pick up bits of some of these bands.
MM -Name an album you've heard recently and liked.
Trauma by I Prevail has been a big one lately. The album has a pretty solid range in sound between the tracks and we feel like that is something bands don’t consider enough at all. A lot of artists will write a whole album with each song sounding very similar and we think it’s very important to experiment with influences outside of the norm for the band and give people a variety of sounds on the album from start to finish. It’s okay for some songs to still sound relatively the same so people can identify the bands sound, but you don’t want your fans to get tired of the same sound for the whole duration of the album.
MM - What one unique quality do your Band have to offer that no other band possess?
Every member of the band has a distinctive personality that shows through their performance, the way they carry themselves, the way they interact with friends, fans, the people we handle business with. The genuine personalities, naturally huge live performance, and Until I Wakes drive and motivation make it pretty unique and one of a kind band.
MM - Who writes the songs that you perform? Is it a solo or joint effort?
The band writes all of its music.
MM - Which Until I Wake song is your personal favourite and why? Which one sends the crowds wild at your gigs?
We have all played tons of live shows in past projects but we have yet to play our first show as Until I Wake. Our favorite song though, is one we have yet to release, but it was our most recent track written.
MM - How can people keep up to date with what the band are up to and do
Anyone can follow us across our social media platforms. We use Facebook most but have a Twitter and instagram as well.
https://www.facebook.com/UntiliWake
https://www.twitter.com/UntiliWake
https://www.instagram.com/UntiliWake
MM - If you had to choose only one of the following options, which one would you choose?
(a) a short lived career that will earn you fame and fortune
(b) the opportunity to make music for the next 50 years but without any real recognition.
(A) This isn’t just for fun. We wouldn’t be playing & performing music if we didn’t love & enjoy it. But we are planning to make a career out of this and the band wouldn’t be able to do that if we didn’t get any real recognition.
MM - Who do you think influenced the world of Metal / Rock more than any other person, for better or for worse?
I think that would have to be Chester Bennington from Linkin Park. The meanings behind his lyrics are huge and powerful and the path that they took with their music shows their progression and how well they brought about a new sound over time.
MM - How has the music media responded to the band so far and what's their biggest misconception about you?
The media has responded very well so far. We have a lot of great press, a lot of great feedback and have grown a pretty solid fan base very quickly. The biggest misconception of us so far is that we are going to be a “typical post hardcore band”.
MM - What's the most important thing to the band right now?
The most important thing to us is to lineup our tracks for the best possible marketing and release.
MM - How do you feel about the internet and the effect it is having on bands and independent music?
Bands and independent music would have a very much harder time achieving success without the ability to network and advertise so easily due to the internet and all of the platforms it offers.
MM - If one of your songs could appear on a soundtrack or any film or cult TV series, which one would you choose and why?
This track would probably be “Self Medicated” an unreleased track, but the next track to be released. This is because the track is about overcoming an obstacle in life and a lot of film & tv have pretty relatable concepts to this one.
Five Questions:
1.Festival or Small intimate gig
Festival
2.Vinyl or Digital
Vinyl
3.Drinking Beer or getting high by other means
Drinking Beer
4.Denim or Leather
Denim & Leather
5. Slipknot or Abba
Slipknot
MM - Lastly, is there anything you would like to say to all your fans
Our second music video to be released “Self Medicated” will be out in March!
