In a world of many blasé female-fronted bands, Hour 24 rises above the ranks and shows that they're not just another pretty face. With fast guitar solos and heavy music, "the band ventures into territory most of the major label girl-led bands haven’t dared to touch" (ToledoMusicScene.com) says. Since their formation in 2011, Hour 24 has established themselves as a solid act in northeastern U.S. having opened for national acts in the ranks of Falling in Reverse, Chiodos, The Misfits, and My Darkest Days. Now that they have released a 8 song EP called "One Step At A Time" there is no stopping them with this debut release and surly more to come in the future. Guitarist Cody Sizemore discusses the EP and current plans the band have up their sleeves.
1. What type of band are you?
Cody: We like to call ourselves High-Energy Rock. It's kinda a mix of Alternative Rock/Post Hardcore just with guitar solos without screaming for the most part.
2. Tell us the brief history of your band and how did you get the name Hour 24?
Cody: Before the band Dan and myself were in a classic rock cover band when we were wee youngsters. That's how we became friends and started playing music together. A few years down the road we decided we wanted to make a band that played modern music. The band's initial name was actually taken by many other bands at the time and we didn't realize this until we already had made social networking pages. We decided that we needed to get a new name and fast and someone said that we needed to do it within the next 24 hours, and so we decided to call ourselves Hour 24.
3. What are your songs about? (What specific themes do they cover?)
Cody: Our songs cover all human emotions and personal experiences. We don't really have a central theme, it's more about what is going on with us in our lives at the time as well as wanting to connect with our fans more. They range from anxiety, questioning government, love, vendettas, etc.
4. Do you write your own songs? (Discuss the songwriting process in detail.)
Cody: All of our songs are completely original! Generally I would lay down the map of the song and then the other guitarist Dan would add his flavor to the song. We then bring it to the rest of the band and have Rachel write lyrics as well as helping Robert (drummer) and Max (bassist) develop their parts.
5. Who are your musical influences?
Cody: We all have LOADS of different influences among us! All ranging from some older bands and doods such as Slash, Dream Theater, etc. to bands that sound like us such as Sleeping With Sirens, Anberlin, Pierce The Veil, Avenged Sevenfold, Hands Like Houses, and more. Dan and myself have guitar influences from Slash, John Petrucci, Synyster Gates, Gus G, and Mark Tremonti.
6. What can you tell me about "One Step At A Time".
Cody: One Step At A Time is our first CD that we put out actually, the response from it has been fantastic as well! Some of the songs that are on it are a little outdated, but we still like the EP as a whole. The name actually has a story in itself. I was recording an idea I had which turned into the song "The Truth" on my computer. At the same time, my father who was in the room talking on the phone to one of my relatives who just found out she had cancer. When I stopped playing guitar he said "Take it one step at a time." to my relative and the recording picked up his voice. The original recording of his voice is actually featured in the intro to the song on the EP called "Solstice".
7. What would you say is your favorite track off it?
Cody: The overall sound of the EP is pretty driving with a few speed bumps. We are a little faster paced than most bands out there today, and we love that! It's really got that pushing feel that makes you wanna sit on the edge of your seat. We do slow it down bit with the songs "Lovesick" and "Solstice".
8. Did the band have any definitive goals they were shooting for before the recording process began for this EP?
Cody: Our main goal was to just get our music out there for our fans! We do this because we love it, and because we love our fans, without their unconditional support, we would be nothing. Now that the EP is out, it has given us many more opportunities and we are moving forward now writing our first full-length which we will not release but instead give to labels and hope to get signed. We will have the album released after that we hope!
9. Are you using any new instrumentation you've never used in the recording process before?
Cody: We are actually recording an acoustic cover of the new All Time Low song featuring Vic Fuentes, "A Love Like War". We are gonna use some tambourine on that shit yo! haha But in our upcoming full length we are planning on using orchestral instruments like we did in the past EP but take it one more step and use some horns such as Tuba, Trombone, Baritones, Timpani, etc. We have one song that we have written for the full-length that has kind of a Tim Burton feel to it, so we tend to make that obvious!
10. 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?
Cody: The song Awakening is my personal favorite on the EP. This song is heavier in the majority of the song and then has a clean bridge with a full orchestral arrangement in the background and then burst into an explosion of epic-ness to travel through the remainder of the song. We open up with this song in our set and it is the most fun to play live for me as well.
11. What are your expectations for it and you have any new music in terms of a follow-up?
Cody: The new music is being written as we speak! We are planning the full-length to be 10-12 songs and we have 5 written so far, so we have a little bit longer to go but for the sings we are writing now, it seems like every one is better than the one before it. So I'm pretty stoked for the future of this band! One song that is going to be on the album is called "Take Me Away" we are in the studio recording that now to use as a single, which we will be releasing sometime late October/early November hopefully! The song is one of the most emotional songs we have written and we will have some guest vocals on it that will surprise many of our current fans.
12. Where can we listen to your band and where can we buy your stuff?
Cody: Our Facebook page and websites are pretty reliable places to find anything and everything you need to know or want from us. You can find us at www.facebook.com/hour24band and www.hour24band.com.
13. What plans do you have for the near future as a band?
Cody: Our near future plans is just to continue writing this next record, tour, and submit to labels. All of which we are going to be doing within the next year, so we are stoked to see what 2014 has in store for us!
14. Anything else you'd like to add?
Cody: We'd like anyone and everyone who has ever came to a show, listened to our music, and supported us thus far along our journey! We would also like to thank Natalie Perez for setting up this awesome interview. Until next time!
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