Ciridian is a 5-piece metalcore band based out of Clewiston, FL. They make their mark by addressing topics such as the loss of family and friends, bullying, and dreaming big. While drawing stories from distressing events in their lives, they maintain an optimistic outlook in their words. Ciridian hopes to help others realize that they’re not alone when things get tough, and life will always get better. The guys took the time to discuss with me their latest EP release and the plans for it and this year!
1. Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in Ciridian, and how long the band has been together.
My name is Quinn and I do main vocals. My name is Jacob and I play bass and do all of the clean vocals for the band. My name is JP and I play guitar and I'm the main song writer. My name is Chandler and I play guitar. My name is Zach and I play drums. We've been Ciridian for about 6 months now and have been playing with this roster for about a little over a year.
2. Where is the band based out of and what is your music scene like there? Are there any local bands you could recommend?
We are based out of Clewiston, although collectively we live in three different towns. The music scene here is Rap/Hip Hop based, so we always have to travel at least an hour for shows. From the surrounding areas, we recommend listening to Alaska Young, Dealey Plaza, As the Sky Awaits, and The Light Within.
3. You guys went from being formerly known as We Are The Messengers to Ciridian how come? Why makes this new name stand out and so much better?
Our previous name was decided without much discussion, held no meaning, and was unoriginal. The new name naturally stands out because of it being one word, unique, and having meaning to us; albeit it being a geeky one. Everyone had input into it. It's a combination of Cerulean Town and Viridian Town from Pokemon.
4. What are your songs about? (What specific themes do they cover?)
The main goal that we have in mind is to make something from the heart that the listener can relate to. The songs are generally about personal experiences. They have themes such as bullying, pursuing dreams, problems in being a band, loss of loved ones, and general anger at people. When a listener hears our songs, we want our lyrics to be medication; a reminder that they’re not alone and we've been through similar experiences, too.
5. Do you write your own songs? (Discuss the songwriting process in detail.)
Yes. We complete instrumentals first and then our vocalists will incorporate lyrics that have been lying around and apply the theme to the song. They then further that theme into specifics, and try to use compelling lyrics.
6. Who are your musical influences?
Quinn: I love the styles of Attila, Maximum the Hormone, Adestria, and Erra. Beginning influences were always Slipknot, SOAD, Korn, Disturbed, etc. The rest of us: August Burns Red, The Word Alive, The Color Morale, Protest The Hero, Attila, The Devil Wears Prada.
7. Is there any story or concept behind the No More Heroes title?
It was originally the title of “The Second 21st”, but the new title is a dedication to two friends that we've lost. We decided to keep the name as the EP title because of it's concept. It’s a bit morbid sounding, but it’s basically the feeling of despair due to the loss of a loved one.8. Select two songs from No More Heroes and what inspired the lyrics.
Quinn: Praying Mantia- This song revolves around the topic of getting bullied, the pain that comes with it, and how it WILL get better. As every kid, I was miserable in middle school. Every day was hell. Of course I had music as an outlet, but I never really came across songs that illustrated the feelings of being bullied. At least, not it getting better. Just hatred which fueled my hatred. I hated people and that wasn't good. One of the lyrics I have is “Rage-You Shouldn't feed it”, which I believe in greatly. Praying Mantia is a modification of Praying Mantis, and the reason I named it that is because a praying mantis is a metaphor for a bully. It preys on insects smaller than it, and stalks them to see if they're worth attacking like a bully tosses out insults to see who is easily offended. The mantis will then grip its prey and eat it alive. Superstition also insinuates that a praying mantis can cause blindness in others. With no one to help you from your bully, a bullied kid may feel trapped, and slowly tortured everyday.
My Last Story- “It started with a nameless, forging this fable”. During the time of choosing a new name for our band, I don’t think I’ve ever been so pissed at some of my fellow bandmates. In a sporadic rage, I began to write the main lyrics of this song. It discusses all the little faults of being in a band such as arguing, losing interest, talking behind each other’s backs, and not keeping private band discussions to ourselves. Originally, it was going to be more harsh in terms of lyrics, attacking us as a band, but I stopped writing when I was angry, and then decided to change that into hope for a better future. “Turn to a brand new page”. I wanted our new name to be a new beginning and I titled the song My Last Story because I never again wanted to write about band problems again.
9. Who produced No More Heroes and what was it like working with them?
Jesse Kirkbride of Kirkbride Recordings produced the EP. We definitely learned a lot with recording this and Jesse is a cool dude and fun to work with. The actual process was tedious due to prolonged time in the studio, which made everyone irritable, but we're happy with how it turned out.
10. Who did the cover art for No More Heroes and how much input did you have on it?
Quinn is an art student and does all of our art work. Quinn: I was originally playing around with a story Jacob told me about a family, their daughter, and a tree, and it evolved into something that all of us enjoyed aesthetically.
11. What image do you think your music conveys?
Reliability. Each song portrays a certain theme, and we like to think that people can associate themselves with the lyrics as well as the music. We convey hope and empowerment in the sense of believing in yourself.
12. What are your expectations for the release?
Setting a plateau of how we've matured as band, and to establish a sound.
13. Where are you in the process of the new full-length album?
We have quite a few songs written and we will continue to write. When the time comes, we will all get together and make our picks on the songs that we feel best represent Ciridian. We're always looking to challenge ourselves and that will be evident in our next release.
14. When did you start writing for this album? How was the songwriting process different/similar to previous Ciridian releases?
This is a tough question to answer. A couple of the songs have existed for quite some time, but went through a lot of changes in the last year. We initially planned to start recording in early 2012, but delayed it until 2013 so we could take the time to develop our own unique sound and style. It wasn't enough for us to push out songs as fast as possible. We wanted to make sure that we would release the best music that we're currently capable of producing.
15. When can we expect the new album to be released?
We expect to have our full-length completed around summer 2014.
16. Can we be expecting to see a music video for any of the songs off either of these releases anytime soon?
We've been talking about it and we are getting something in the works. The hard part is deciding which song off of the EP we'd like to use. As of now, Praying Mantia or My Last Story seem most likely.
17. How do you describe your music to people?As a genre, we describe it as metalcore. Otherwise, we describe it as our passion.
18. What are your upcoming plans for this year?
We're branching out to play shows farther away from our hometown and we hope to play Warped Tour in West Palm Beach, FL on the Ernie Ball Battle of the Bands stage. Also, we're constantly working on writing new material and improving what we already have. Also, We'll have a cover song coming out soon.
19. Anything else you'd like say or add?
Thank you for giving us the opportunity to be heard and featured on your website. Big things are in store for us. For everyone reading this, remember that any dream (big or small) is worth fighting for. Also, make sure to support your local music!
20. Is that your final answer?
NOTHING IS FINAL.
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