1. Can you shed some light on the band's history and briefly summarize the saga of War Tapes for those who are not yet familiar with the band?
We formed when Neil and I moved out from Boston to LA. Neil was playing music back in Boston and not too long after arriving in LA Neil booked a show at a local LA club. He realized that he needed a band to play with and he called me to help him out. With William playing drums we played our first show a couple of weeks later. Our best friend Matt started playing guitar with us not too long after and War Tapes was officially born. Since then we have had the honor to open and tour with many incredible bands including Smashing Pumpkins, Tiger Army, Shiny Toy Guns, Moving Units, Longwave, VNV Nation, and The Unseen. We signed to Seattle Indie Label Sarathan Records almost a year ago and released our self-titled EP this past September. Right now we are just finishing our full length which we will be releasing in April!
2. You have a brand-new record, War Tapes, out in the open, what can you tell me about its creation - writing,recording, and how you managed to capture that classic style you're known to carry out when expressing yourselves musically.
Our EP came out in September and was our first official release. The writing and recording process is something we all love. We do most of our writing when we are together in our rehearsal space in Downtown LA. We usually have a very clear idea of what we're looking for by the time we get to the studio. we rehearse a lot.
3. What kind of expectations did you have for the album when you first started writing the new material? How do you feel about the record now, that it's done, pressed, and soon to be unleashed upon the masses?
We feel incredibly proud of the record we just finished. As far as expectations go, we don't put that kind of pressure on ourselves. The only thing that really matters to us is creating great art. We are so excited to release the record. We are working on finishing the artwork now and can't wait till it is pressed and packaged.
4. Traveling across the world to share your music, where have you guys been? What are the plans on the road? Any particular destination spots you have in mind?
We have toured most of the US with Tiger Army and The Unseen and also went to the UK and played Manchester, Glasgow, and London. We would love to get back to Europe and tour all over this time, and also hope to play Japan!
5. Has your band had the Warped Tour experience? Is that something you guys would are interested in?
We have not played the Warped Tour before but it is something we would love to be a part of.
6. Is the tour you're on now in support of a new album you're working on?
Right now we have been playing a lot of shows around the Southern CA area and will continue to play West Coast dates and Las Vegas, NV these next couple of months, and then we hope to do another US tour.
7. What shaped together War Tapes and how has your sound progressed?
War Tapes has been shaped together through our mutual love of music. We have an amazing time playing together and creating music. Our sound has progressed as we have grown as musicians together over time and has become a sound that we feel represents exactly what we feel.
8. Aside from expecting an awesome record, what else can we expect to see from you guys?
We hope to continue releasing music on a frequent and consistent basis and to tour a lot more. We are also working on some different video ideas that will hopefully be realized within the next couple of months.
9. How do you feel it fits in with the rest of your releases?
We feel that the full length is a continuation of where the EP left off. We will have a few of the same songs on our full length that appeared on our EP, but they have been remixed and re-mastered. The new songs on the record are ones that we are most excited about releasing.
10. How did you guys get into the metal scene in the first place? What drew you towards it, and why do you still devour every minute of it?
I would say we are not in any one scene although we welcome being included in the metal scene. we are definitely huge fans of the genre. But I think our sound spans many different musical labels.
11. What's kept you guys together for such a long time, having gone through line-up changes, solo/side projects, and all that jazz. What makes you guys stick it out until the very end of your days?
We stay together we because we love our band and couldn't imagine not having it on our lives, and we are family.
12. What is the writing and recording process like for War Tapes?
The writing and recording process for us is something very sacred. we write constantly and love getting into our rehearsal room and working out all the songs and ideas. We have many different ways in which our songs are written, some come out of improvised jams, other's come from ideas we bring into rehearsal from rough demos. We love writing and recording!
13. What inspires you to create this music?
Everything from where we live, to what we listen to, to what we read, watch, and experience. Our music for us encapsulates our lives. It is who we are.
14. Where do you see yourself and War Tapes in twenty years?
We see War Tapes growing and evolving into something we can do for the rest of our lives together.
15. Do you have any parting words or messages?
Thank you so much for the interview and look for our record sometime in April.
http://www.myspace.com/wartapes
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