Up-and-comers What Say You were in the studio writing and recording away for their debut EP "Potentials". With that Josh (vocals), Dom (guitar), Paul (guitar), Chris (drums), and Sean (bass) took sometime to discuss this release and who exactly What Say You is from start to finish.
1. Please tell us about the history of your band and its members.
Josh: "We came together pretty organically actually. I met Dom, who told me he had met Paul out here (they're actually from the same hometown but didn't meet until they both moved to LA). I was like 'whaaa!?' cuz I used to go to Paul's shows (From A Second Story Window). Chris had jammed with Paul before and reconnected to join our band. Chris had also jammed with Sean in his previous band and recommended him (and his beard). Now here we are, 8 months later, about to take over the world."
2. How do you think being in LA changes your sound?
Paul: "LA doesn't necessarily change our sound, because we all come from different parts of the country, some of us from Ohio, Josh from Nor Cal, Chris from OC, etc. But the abundance of bands in this town is very motivational because you can always go see good music somewhere local. I'll always stick true to the sound I'm passionate about, no matter what my surroundings are."
3. How would you describe your style? Which bands influenced your music?
Dom: "I would describe us as a heavy pop punk band with hardcore and metal influences. Besides Sean, we all come from pretty metal backgrounds and listen to that music a lot, so its a big influence. Some bands we're influenced by are Four Year Strong, Every Time I Die, Rise Against, "
4. What are your songs about? (What specific themes do they cover?)
Josh: "My lyrics are somewhat varied, but a theme in my head is facing the uncertainty of life - but doing what we think and know is right. We think positively and no matter what, keep in mind that its gonna be a good outcome when people stick together and support each other. If you tell yourself that you can't do something then you'll never live up to what your potentials are."
5. Do you write your own songs? (Discuss the songwriting process in detail.)
Josh: "We write all our own songs as a team. Everybody pitches in on the songwriting process, no one person writes a whole song. We all think about guitars, we all pitch in on drum parts, its a collective.
6. So tell me about your debut EP "Potentials".
Chris: "This has been 8 months in the making and we're very proud of it. Its 5 tracks of heavy pop punk, introducing us to the world. Its got some radio-friendly material, and some heavier material, but the clean/melodic vocals are really catchy which is something we worked hard on. We want people to get into the music and sing along at shows, and this is the start of all that."
7. Where did the title "Potentials" come from and is it a concept release?
Josh: "This is not a concept release, "Potentials" is about when I first started to sing, and started a band with my friends...I just went through it. People kept telling me that 'this sounds great' and I didn't want to sound arrogant, so I just took it as 'hey there's great potential here' and moved forward."
8. How would you describe the overall sound of the new EP?
Sean: "This EP is aggressive pop punk hardcore that's still suitable for radio. These guys are all pretty metal, but overall its catchy and has great hooks."
9. Can you described the EP's cover artwork?
Paul: "We all had different ideas and could agree on concepts but not the images we were creating, so one day it was sunny out and I went outside and wrote the band name on my hand and took an iphone picture and it looked really cool and summery which people always relate to pop punk anyway so it was perfect and different at the same time."
10. Did the band have any definitive goals they were shooting for before the recording process began for this EP?
Dom: "We definitely had a goal of coming out strong. We wanted to be professional, so we spent the money, we tracked with Andy Marshall at his studio, then got it mixed by Kyle Black (Paramore, Shai Halud, Pierce the Veil) and finally mastered in New York by West West Side Music (Converge, Thrice, Every Time I Die). We wanted something that represented our heavy side, but something we could hand to KROQ and get some attention as well."
11. Are you using any new instrumentation you've never used in the recording process before?
Sean: "Nope, this is pretty straight forward rock n roll. Guitars, bass, vocals, drums. Boom."
12. Can you go into one or two tracks on the new EP? If so, can you give us the track title and brief description of how the track sounds and how it came about?
Josh: "Tides: is about the world in general around you being filled with negative people and negative things, and you realizing that and finding the people to help guide you through it, to help you along the way. My favorite lyric says "Hope is an anchor, left on the floor, in oceans explored, by men braver than me" Which talks about being scared to do something, but you're gonna take over your life and make sure you push through it and be ok, even in your last moment when your ship is going under, you still push and keep going, stay positive."
13. What are your expectations for the CD?
Chris: "We want to get this out to as many people as possible, so for now we're putting it out for free download. I really expect this to hit home with a lot of people who have always enjoyed pop punk but could use some edge as well. I expect this to end up on KROQ and to be a catalyst to getting us on Warped Tour."
14. What are your upcoming tour plans?
Dom: "I just want to be homeless and live on tour. We just want to play as many shows as possible, ideally earn a spot on Warped tour for 2014. Until then we'll do as many tours as possible starting local to LA and moving outward. But I'm from Ohio so I'd love to tour out there as well."
15. What plans do you have for the near future as a band?
Chris: "Our plan is to get this EP out to as many people as possible, then play as many shows as possible. Our goal is to sell out a club like The Roxy locally, and tour nationally."16. What do you hope for in 2013?
Josh: "I hope that everyone who hears this EP is entertained and gets something out of it. I hope that we can boost this music scene in our own way and ride along with our friends as it happens."
17. Anything else you want to say to your fans?
Josh: "We are gaining many fans, and turning them into friends, and we appreciate them. We're here to bring positivity to people's lives, to help people, to stand by people, to enjoy a fellowship and promote positivity, promote the scene, all the while having a great time."
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