Up and coming heavy metal rockers KILLIN' CANDACE are ready to get their message across while making their mark upon this scene of the metal and rock community. Thus, as of currently the band is hard at work upon their next release, expected in 2020 with touring to follow. Frontman vocalist/guitarist Aaron Lee talks of the band's new music coming together and plans ahead.
1. First off, what's it like having a slight similarity in name's to another band called "Kissing Candice”?
So when I named my band back in 2014 I wasn't even aware of this bands existence or their sound. It wasn’t until about 2016 that someone mentioned them, and by then I’d already committed to the Killin’ Candace name, which has relevance (don’t worry, nobody got killed! lol), it ties into the songs, sound, and I didn’t feel a need to change or adjust it because I never selected this band name with the intention of almost copying someone else, or plagiarizing their name. Yes I appreciate that it’s close, but its still different, plus we are two separate bands and that’s where the story ends.
2. Taking it from there the band would self-release their debut EP "Tales of Heartbreak and Homicide", with it coming a single and video for the track "Miss Deception", tell me about these releases and if any of the tracks will be seen on the upcoming follow-up?
I was excited and relieved to finally get in the studio and get this EP recorded, because the songs sat around for a long time and it became difficult to make progress with the project. I was in this crazy phase in my life where things in my personal life had spiraled way out of control, I had completely ran myself into the ground and dug my own grave. Thankfully I woke up at the right time and decided to get on a better path and that’s the only reason why I’m still alive and the music got released. Also, I’m totally guilty of being that guy that was happy to play and get that stage time, but ended up getting so carried away helping out everyone else’s band progress that I lost sight of my own priorities. I eventually got to the point where I wasn’t fulfilled, so I quit everything I had going on and started to put 100% commitment and enthusiasm into Killin’ Candace and building this machine.
I feel like the songs on the debut EP are definitely strong enough to make it onto the record, and very commercially viable. "Tales of Heartbreak & Homicide" for me was more me making my mark back on the music scene and getting a starting point, and just kinda letting people know that yeah it might have looked like I was down and out for a while, but you’ll never kill my passion for music and songwriting - so get a load of this.
3. Speaking of the follow-up different sources say it is a debut album and some of your social media posts claim it as a debut EP, as far as the "Straight from the Underground" release goes, which is it?
The truth to that is I’m currently torn whether to do another EP, or if it's time to just smash a full length record together, and because I’m in a whole different phase now to what I was writing back in my darker days I would prefer an album to feel more fluent and have relevance rather than seeming a little bi-polar with some darker, harder-edged songs and then some more upbeat vibrant ones. So I'm still negotiating with myself to work out the best way to present the upcoming “Straight from the Underground” release. Maybe we’ll do a split EP featuring everything old and new?! To be continued...
4. Whilst you are hard at work, currently in the studio working on said release, whereabouts are you in that process?
We’ve just completed production on the title track and I can 100% say as a songwriter and a player I’ve matured these past few years. The sound is evolving too, even in a short space of time - it has a much more energetic feel while still keeping that aggressive vibe to it. So you could say we’re at a half way point for having an album’s worth of material together. I'm not in a big rush to knock it out as I'd rather the songs come together naturally and organically, and they be the best they can be, rather than rushing a product just to get it done. I feel that your first album should always be the most impactful, as it’s the one that’s gonna put you on the map, and either make you or break you.
5. Do you know how many songs will be on it, picked out how the album artwork will look like and when it will come forth to the public?
This is all in the works currently, but there will be 9 songs on the record for sure. I have been thinking of the video concept/theme more than anything right now - the first single and music video will be for the song “Straight from the Underground”. Without giving too much away or ruining the game plan....we’re gonna drop the single, accompanied with a promo music video for it, and then come in hard with the record. You could call it the KILLIN’ CANDACE 2020 campaign! Haha!
6. Aside from that, you have also signed on with Music Gallery International, being friends with founder Shawn Barusch. Why go ahead with getting signed with them and what will they bring to the table?
I met Shawn back in 2016 and was aware that MGI had gotten a few bands some great exposure and fantastic opportunities presented to them (as far as touring goes). So when Shawn gave me a call randomly and his proposal was to sign us to MGI with the intention of helping us achieve a record deal, along with touring I really didn’t have to think twice about partnering up. I feel that Shawn’s genuine passion for Rock and Metal alone will allow us to make massive strides quickly - as a team - we are very aligned in that sense. I’m very grateful for the approach, obviously I believe in my project, I feel we have strong songs and a great new sound to offer.
But at the same time KC is very much an "up and coming" band, still grinding away, trying to get our name out there...so we didn’t have any offers on the table as far as management goes, nor were we aware anyone was keeping tabs on us. I was always prepared to try and take this project as far as I could independently, but when you are approached by someone in the business that has a great network, along with solid publicists and a sure game plan you can’t turn that down those opportunities. The timing of all of this seemed perfect and I believe in MGI’s game plan to help put Killin’ Candace on the map as one of the newer, breakout bands of 2020.
7. Upon listening to your works in the single/video for "Miss Deception", it brought to mind likeness to that of Bullet for my Valentine, being a native from the U.K. would you say that's the style you were aiming for or a whole another style choice altogether?
It’s funny because BFMV are a band I admire and I wouldn’t necessarily regard myself as a hardcore fan, but I always loved the songwriting and compositions. The way in which Matt Tuck executes his vocals with such intent - it creates realism and honesty within the songs - so this is something I always thought was great. Maybe to some degree you could say I adopted that style from such frontmen as Matt Tuck, Davey Havok, Edsel Dope, to name a few.
I was never aiming for a particular style and never had a game plan with the sound - I literally just let my wounds bleed and this is what we got. I knew my influences would play a part and I’d started writing in drop C#, which is naturally a heavier feel than what I’d written previously (which was more hard rock, punk influenced stuff). The sound from the first EP is definitely quite driven and upbeat, but the songwriting and lyrical content is in a darker vein because I was writing as a means of therapy, for things that were going on within me and around me.
I always try to be as unique as I can (even in a world where everything feels so generic, and so many genres or products have already been achieved)...so this is why I label Killin’ Candace as our very own genre of “Love Hate Rock ’N’ Roll”.
8. What else can be expected from you guys for the rest of this year that we can keep an eye out for and why?
I really do hope that we are advertised as an up and coming band to watch out for because I feel the music speaks for itself. Especially in an era where everybody has become so self-obsessed through social media etc, and we really are living in the age of vanity…I want people to know that we’re not just another generic Rock band, and we’re not here to get our ego’s fed. We write real songs, for real people and tell our story exactly how it is. So on that note you’ll have a brand new album’s worth of songs ready to go for 2020 with plans to tour to support the album release. We're ready to get one hell of a message across while stamping our mark on the rock and metal scene. ;)
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