Monday, February 7, 2011

INTERVIEW: Hero



Genre: Alternative / Progressive
Location: WESTMINSTER, United States
Record Label: Thickest Blood Records
Type of Label: Indie

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(Interview questions answered by Bob Godden)

 How did you guys get started?
Me (Bob - guitar), Mike (drummer), and Greg (other guitar) have been playing hockey for the majority of our lives, and one day we decided while playing a game that we should jam. Sure enough, we wrote 4 songs at a local music store that let us practice there and ever since it's been great.

Can you describe HERO's sound?
I can't. And that's why I and a lot of people love us. We're genre bending, something that only a few bands who are real popular are capable of. I can label us as a post-screamo/alt-rock/progressive hardcore band but that's still way too defining for what we actually put out. Every song has something in it for everyone.

 Are their any bands/musicians that have inspired your music?
Going back to sounding so different, it's because everyone has such different tastes in music. I draw a lot from Finch, Number 12, Fall of Troy, and go heavier with For the Fallen Dreams and Ion Dissonance. Greg LOVES Incubus. That's definitely his main influence. Mikey is definitely a Metallica dude. You can definitely tell in his style of drumming. Andrew (our singer) is a HUGE Protest the Hero and Every Time I Die fan. You can tell (especially in our newer stuff) that he's really a combination of Keith Buckley and Rody Walker.

 Do you have a favorite song to play at shows?
Everyone has their own favorites really.. For me, it comes down to who we're playing with. If it's a metal/hardcore show, "Lessons on Filter Feeding" or "Classic Me" are awesome songs to get the kids into it. And should we play a more "rock-y" show, definitely "Version 2.0" would be my favorite. It's laid back, yet has attitude to it.


What has been your favorite band to share the stage with so far?
DEFINITELY our buddies Stillglow. They're located out of Frederick, MD and are on tour right now! Though, Kills and Thrills was super fun too.

 If you could go on tour with any band, who would it be, and why?
I'm sure everyone would have a VERY different answer to this haha. For me, Finch, Fall of Troy, and Number 12 would all have to get back together and that would be my dream tour.
But for the band, I think we'd be great touring with the Deftones.
They're one of those "genre-bending" bands who are just incredible.

 Do any band members have random pet-peeves?
I know Mike and Greg would definitely say my writing style haha. Coming from such 4/4 backgrounds, it's sometimes hard for them to grasp what my brain puts out. Honestly, I don't even know what I'm doing half the time haha. My pet peeve is definitely scene kids. Wear your hat on your whole head. Wear your pants on your waist line. Maybe a slightly less deep-V would be ok. And act like a real person haha. For whatever reason, dressing that way seems to include a sense of DOUCHE. That's why we don't necessarily fit in with the "scene". We're all normal dudes, and I love it.

 What is the craziest thing that has happened at one of your shows?
We played a show in a garage at night once, and halfway through the set the lights turned off. Pitch Black. The only thing instrumentally that turned off though was Andrew's mic. So he dropped the mic and just started screaming at the top of his lungs. Meanwhile everyone there started taking out their cell phones to light up the stage. Definitely awesome.

What has been your favorite venue so far?
We've played almost all the major venues in the DC/Baltimore area and I gotta say, the local music store in Eldersburg, MD called "Jam's Music" is by far the BEST place to play. Great sound, Arby's 10 feet away, and great fans =)

If you could give a message to all your fans, what would it be?
If you even SLIGHTLY like us, you have no idea how much it's appreciated. We play this music cause it makes us feel good, and seeing others feel good because of it is the best feeling in the world. We don't play to be cool, we don't play to get girls, we don't play because everyone else is doing it. We do it for all the real people out there.

 And lastly, if you guys could thank anybody 
for your success who would it be, and why?
I don't know if he'll read this, but Neely Johns. He's the coolest dude, and he's like a second father to me. And definitely anyone who has watched us, listened to us, talked to us, hung out with us, etc. We couldn't do it without you


HERO is:
Bob - Guitar
Andrew - Vocals
Al - Bass
Mike - Drums
Greg - Guitar




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