1. Introduce yourself and tell me the role you have in Courage My Love?
Phoenix: Phoenix, I play drums. Sup?
2. Where is the band based out of and what is your music scene like there? Are there any local bands you could recommend?
Phoenix: We're all from a town called Kitchener, Ontario Canada. It's kind of a small town so the scene's pretty small. When we were teenagers it was pretty much all hardcore bands, we were like the only female fronted band there haha!
3. Please tell us about the history of your band and its members.
Phoenix: It started with Cedes and I together. We'd been playing in bands together since we were 14, but unfortunately our experiences in those bands were kind of controlling. We really wanted to be free to play what we wanted, so we started writing together just the two of us. For a while we had our friend David playing bass for us, but when he left we found Brandon. We knew him from other bands that played around Kitchener and Cedes and him had been talking about starting something together for a while.
4. You guys got your name from the Sci-fi movie "Things To Come" why did you think that the meaning behind the band of compassion, love, and personal growth and courage would be the representation and the symbolization for the band?
Phoenix: Honestly there were a lot of reasons, but basically Cedes and I have always just tried to be positive people, so we really wanted a positive name. We just thought the message behind the name embodied the kind of music we wanted to make. It's a message we both really believe in, and it's something we felt we could always stand behind no matter what we did with the band. Why put out negativity when you can spread positivity?
5. How would you describe your style? Which bands influenced your music?
Phoenix: For real we're influenced by everything. I've got Ellie Goulding right before Every Time I Die in my iTunes. I feel like a lot of people these days are more eclectic than people in our industry give them credit for. Right now we could be classified as Alternative or Pop Rock, but I'd like to think it's a pretty flexible label. We don't want to play the same thing over and over again, that's exactly why we started this band. We want to be able to play what we want. So if we talk again next year I might give you a completely different answer.
6. What lyrical theme do you guys use in your music? What message do you want to send?
Phoenix: Usually we just write about things we're dealing with or things our friends are going through. We've always thought lyrics should be real, like why write about something that isn't real to you? Whether it's something you've experienced or something you want to experience. I've said this before in other interviews, but a lot of our lyrics are kind of therapeutic. We write them to get them out and it helps us deal with whatever's going on in our heads. And hopefully it helps other people too if they can relate.
7. How does it feel to have finally written and recorded for a debut full-length album?
Phoenix: It's for real so weird because it doesn't even feel like a full length to me! We literally wrote 50 songs for Becoming and we ended up narrowing it down to 8 songs and made an EP. The additional tracks on the deluxe edition are some of our favorite B-Sides and a new song we wrote this year. So to me it still kind of feels like a big Frankenstein monster, but I'm really happy we can finally release a full collection of tracks just so people can kind of get a taste of where we were coming from creatively when we were writing. It definitely feels more finished, even if it's a little mixed and matched still in my mind.
8. What can be expected from "Becoming" and what is the message behind it, if there is one to tell?
Phoenix: When we wrote Becoming we were going through a lot of changes as a band. Our original bassist had left the band, and he was pretty much our best friend at that time, so it was kind of a hard thing to deal with. We'd also just finished our first ever tour and were under a lot of pressure to put out something new right away. Cedes and I pretty much stayed inside for a month and wrote nonstop. Stylistically and lyrically it's definitely a different vibe than For Now (our first EP). The theme of the album is growing into who or what you're supposed to be. There are a lot of personal changes that we tried to describe in the lyrics. It wasn't the most fun time for us but we definitely learned a lot about ourselves as people and musicians, and in the end it was one of the most positive and confidence boosting experiences I think we've ever had.
Phoenix: To me Becoming really means a lot. It signifies a time when we could have folded but we didn't, and I'll always be proud of that. I think we needed to prove to ourselves that we could still be a band despite losing a member, which is kind of a big deal for a three piece, especially when you're 17. I'm so glad we didn't just give up, because that would've been easy initially, but if we would've done that we wouldn't be where we are now, and where we are now is awesome! We're still at the beginning of our career, and we proved that we can roll with a few punches.
10. Who was the one to come up with the idea for "The (Un)Real Lives of Courage My Love"? Will you be doing a sequel or a continuation to this series?
Phoenix: Our label told us to film some behind the scenes footage while we were in the studio. We thought it would be more fun for us to film a stupid fake reality show instead of the studio vlogs bands usually post, so we just made up stuff on the spot everytime we had to film. I don't know if they're funny to anyone else but they were to us when we were filming haha! I don't know if we'll make more or not, it's definitely a possibility.
11. Why were you guys getting the Backstreet Boys comparison?
Phoenix: We were? I for real have no idea haha!
12. What have you done to prepare yourselves for this tour?
Phoenix: We've never done a stripped down tour before, so it was pretty fun to get ready for. We basically just re-imagined our whole set. We sound like a completely different band, and it's awesome!
13. How will this tour be different from the rest of the shows and touring treks you have done?
Phoenix: Well like I said, this is the first stripped down tour we've done. I'm not even behind a drum kit for this one. It's a lot more atmospheric and ambient. We're stepping out of our comfort zone and trying new things. We've never shared this side of ourselves musically before, and I'm so excited to finally play it live.
14. What else can we see from you guys for the rest of this year?
Phoenix: After this tour we go into the studio to record a new full length. We also have some new music videos and other content coming soon. Apart from that, more touring, hopefully in some places we've never been before.
15. How easy is it to keep the motivation going on a daily basis for Courage My Love?
Phoenix: I mean, it's super easy to doubt yourself from time to time and wonder if you're doing what you're meant to be doing, but we all really love the music and to be honest it's a huge part of our identities. We're committed to this and we're committed to the fans we have.
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