Sound and Shape's Ryan isn't a Bad Actor But a Good Musician?

Rock n' rollers Sound and Shape are upon their fourth album to date "Bad Actors" with three previous releases under their belts, eight years to their name, thousands of miles with thousands of shows, there is no stopping these guys. Frontman vocalist and guitarist Ryan Caudle discusses their fourth effort, musical talent, and much more.


1. Please tell us about the history of your band and its members.

Ryan: We've gone through several member changes through the years, but this lineup feels like it's going to be around for awhile. Everyone is willing to take things as far as we can. Members-wise it's me, Ryan, and I play guitar and sing, Gaines Cooper plays bass and sings and Grant Bramlett plays drums.

2. Why did you pick the name that you did for your band?

Ryan: It was the least objectionable name we came up with amongst many terrible ones haha.

3. Where is the band based out of and what is your music scene like there? Are there any local bands you could recommend?

Ryan: We're from Nashville, TN. There's a healthy scene there, but it's very insular and cliquish. We've never really fit into what is happening there, but we're proud of where we're from. There's a lot of talent in that town.

4. How would you describe your style? Which bands influenced your music?

Ryan: We just say Rock and Roll, but people seem to want to classify us as all kids of different things. We all have different influences. We have the shared love of the greats like The Beatles,Pink Floyd, Zeppelin, Rush, Yes etc. I'm hugely influenced as a songwriter by Billy Corgan and Noel Gallagher, but also guys like Elvis Costello and Bruce Springsteen.

5. What lyrical theme do you guys use in your music? What message do you want to send?

Ryan: I don't think there are any core themes or messages per say. Each song says something different about whatever it happens to be about. The message is whatever the listener takes away from it.

6. What's your take on “Bad Actors” as a whole?

Ryan: It's our most mature album for sure. We went into it with the mindset of making an album as a whole instead of just a collection of songs, and I think that had a lot to do with how it turned out.

7. Do you play live as well? What do you have planned in terms of shows and touring, if any?

Ryan: We've played close to 1000 shows in our band's lifetime. For now we're doing regional dates to support the album, with a short northeast tour in October. We'll probably start touring more heavily just after the new year.


8. What should labels/zines/promoters know about your band? Why should they be interested in it?

Ryan: Most bands nowadays seem to be concerned mostly with adhering to set parameters, where we seek to not only expand those parameters but break through them as well.

9. What plans do you have for the near future as a band?

Ryan: Right now we're just looking forward to getting the video out, and then the record, and playing as many shows as we can. We spent last year working on the arranging and then recording of the album, so now it's time to concentrate on playing live and bringing a killer rock and roll show to as many folks as we can.

10. Where can we listen to your band and where can we buy your stuff?

Ryan: All of our stuff is on iTunes and our Bandcamp (www.soundandshape.bandcamp.com) and of course all the info for everything is at www.facebook.com/soundandshape.

11. What is it you’d like a listener to remember the most when hearing your music for the first time?

Ryan: I don't know that I'd like to think about what a listener is going to feel the first time they hear us. Being excited or impacted by new music the first time you hear it is such an intimate and personal thing I would hate to ruin it by pinning my feelings onto it.