Blessing A Curse came together in 2013, after this they went ahead to write and record for their debut EP "Somewhere in Between It All", quickly gaining recognition by all. Now that some time has gone by, the band has been hard at work, writing and recording for what will be their debut full-length album "Satisfaction for the Vengeful". Frontman vocalist Joshy gives the rundown on this release, and some insight into the band's past, present, and future.
1.What role do you play in the band?
Joshy: I sing and scream and write lyrics, our bass player Ronnie also does a lot of the low screams on this record.
2. Blessing a Curse is your namesake, but why is that? Does the name represent a meaning or is it just a name?
Joshy: The name, to me at least, represents the idea that sometimes the worst events bring out the best in us. Sometimes you have to go through hell to make your dreams come alive.
3. What has influenced your sound and style?
Joshy: We all grew up listening to different bands and genres. I like Lady Gaga, MJ and RuPaul, Jorge likes The Beatles and lately has been really into Cane Hill, Brandon likes a lot of classic rock like Guns 'N Roses and Van Halen, Ronnie's into The Used and a lot of rap music, and Matty likes stuff like progressive stuff like Strapping Young Lad and Dream Theater. We are five very diverse weirdos!
4.What are your songs about? (What specific themes do they cover?)
Joshy: I know probably everyone and their mother says this but most of our songs are inspired by real life stuff. Love, death, hemorrhoids (kidding, only kidding). I tend to write most of the lyrics, and I've had a pretty weird life so I never run out of stuff to write about. For instance, my parents split up and then my dad passed away shortly after that almost two years ago now, so a couple of our songs deal with that. Caving In is about when my dad was diagnosed with cancer, and it was really hard for me to come to terms with that because he and I never got along growing up but he was still my dad and one of my biggest supporters, you know? Music was the one thing he always understood and appreciated about me.
5. Do you write your own songs? (Discuss the songwriting process in detail.)
Joshy: Absolutely! With this album we had the pleasure of working with the Big Boss himself, Andrew Wade. It was amazing getting to work with him, he's produced so many amazing records by bands we've looked up to for years so to be in his studio and have him treat us with respect and as equal musicians was such a fun and incredible experience. When we write a song, it usually starts with either Brandon or Jorge coming up with a riff or chorus idea, then whoever wrote it will record it on their laptops and send it over to the rest of us so we can all kind of mull it over in our heads until the next rehearsal. Then we'll play it live and Brandon will usually add his lead parts over it, and then Matty has this knack for playing the drums exactly the way all of us want it to sound. He'll maybe need to run it like three maybe four times before he can play it in his sleep. I usually try to take my time with the lyrics and write my parts last. As lame as it may sound, I like to hear what the song has to say first before I put vocals on it. It's almost like each song is its own wild beast and you've gotta learn how to tame it, each one is different.
6. How do you describe your music to people?
Joshy: I usually say "We're a rock band! ...with some screaming" and then depending on whether the person I'm talking about my band to cringes when I say screaming, I'll usually go into more detail from there. If I can find one great heavy band someone likes, whether it be Asking Alexandria, Sleeping With Sirens or A Day To Remember, then I know that person will at least give our music a chance. And that's all we ask for!
7. What image do you think your music conveys?
Joshy: Dark, theatrical, evil fantasy world type stuff. We just wanna make emo great again.
Joshy: Satisfaction for the Vengeful is about overcoming your own inner saboteur. Almost all of these songs are about real life experiences we've been through either together as a band or individually, and learning that half the battle takes place from within. Since the release of our debut EP 'Somewhere in Between it All' almost three years ago, we've all grown so much as people, friends and musicians. Some of us are getting married now, some of us have lost loved ones, and above all we worked out asses off to create this record; you can really feel that in these songs. We hope everyone who hears this record will be able to derive a sense of closure about the things in their life that cause them to feel pain and anger. This record has a cynical surface with the heart of a kid who would give anything to relive its childhood for one more day.
9. What is the concept behind the album and how did the idea come about?
Joshy: The album derives its title from a lyric in our second track called Devil Eyes, "satisfaction for the vengeful, maybe pleasure's sometimes better." The song is sort of a twisted love song about falling in love with a poltergeist, who then possesses you and convinces you to kill everyone who hurt you. In that same sense, we hope that everyone who hears our music feels inspired to not take anyone's bullshit and to stand up for themselves. Brandon actually wrote some of the lyrics for this song, including the line we got the title from.
10. What is your favorite track on the record and why?
Joshy: My personal favorite track on the record is Cocoon, it's the most personal song on the album for because it addresses how I felt when my parents were splitting up. My dad got sick shortly after my parents told me they were splitting up, and my dad didn't tell my mom. He made me promise not to tell her because he didn't want her to feel obligated to stay with him because of his condition. He passed away one day while I was working at a Chipotle at the time, and I still remember getting the text from one of his friends who was also a doctor: "He's gone, Josh. He's not in pain anymore." So it felt really therapeutic to be able to fit all the stress and anxiety and guilt I felt from not telling my mom about his passing until after he was already gone into one song. It's something I regret to this day.
11. What can fans expect from this debut album?
Joshy: An honest, pissed off record made by five dudes who have never really felt like we fit in anywhere. This album is a giant "fuck you" to everyone who deserted us or gave up on us, and we hope everyone who has ever been abandoned by someone they loved or trusted will find something they can relate to in this album.
12. What was the writing and recording process like for the album?
Joshy: We all just stayed at Brandon's house, got up at 10am everyday, arrived at The Wade Studio by around 11, and recorded til 8 or 9pm every night for about a month. It was a long process, but it was the most fun we've ever had in a studio.
13. Why do you think people should check out your new album once released?
Joshy: Because this album is for the kid in all of us who grew up with nothing, had the odds stacked against them from day one and had to work ten times harder than the next guy, just to have what the next guy got handed to him. The kid who's had everyone in life tell them they didn't stand a chance but still chased their ridiculous pie-in-the-sky dreams and made something of themselves. The kid who thought he was gonna take his own life before he was 23 but found the strength to keep living from within himself and also fell in love along the way. And I think these songs are pretty catchy too.
14. How would you say you differ from other bands and artists on the scene?
Joshy: I feel like that's not really my place to say honestly, all we can do is make the best music we can and be ourselves and hopefully others will feel the authenticity and emotion in what we do and perceive that as different enough.
15. What do you want to achieve as a band?
Joshy: We would like to be the next biggest band in the world. We want to make the whole world understand that it's okay to scream and yell in music and express those ugly emotions that humanity expects you to keep bottled up inside 24/7. We want everyone to know who we are. If your dreams don't scare the shit out of you, they're not really big enough right? Haha!16. What does next year hold for Blessing a Curse?
Joshy: Hopefully a metric-fuck-ton of touring!
17. Describe Blessing a Curse in three words.
Joshy: Dark Pop Metal.
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