March 13th, 2009 at 6:33am by Stephanie Stevens
Melodic rock glistens off harder edge attitude with the Chicago, IL band INN CINEMA. For years I have been awed at how many bands captured my ears that came out of the Chicago area. These guys bring a simpler soundscape to my current listening roster but there is something about the intriguing mesmerizing vocals especially in the song WAKE UP on their Myspace page that made me want to know more about the guys that have formed and brought to life a searing and penetrating mixture of melody, mysterious and madness. Get hooked to INN CINEMA before any of your friends. I had the chance to drop the guys some questions and they reported back with amazing full answers about the Chicago scene, what they think of image vs. music and the plans on getting new music out and touring.
CHICAGO, IL HAS GIVEN US SOME GREAT BANDS IN THE PAST AND AS OF LATE A LOT OF GREAT MUSIC SEEMS TO BE COMING UP IN THESE PARTS AGAIN. HOW IS THE CONNECTION BETWEEN BANDS IN THE SCENE AND DO YOU FEEL IT’S ALWAYS BEEN THIS WAY?
Dave : For a long time there, I think that it seemed like almost everyone was in competition for some reason, but lately (and very thankfully) it looks like there is a lot more love and overall respect in between all the other bands in Chicago that are actually out there working hard and putting on good shows. Personally, it’s the friendship and respect (and obviously, the fact that we ENJOY LISTENING to the music that our peers create) that really makes the scene so cool now, good bands are pairing up with other good bands and putting on GREAT shows together as a team, as opposed to one good band blowing 3 or 4 other less-experienced bands off the stage and using that as ammunition to bolster their egos. There are so many bands to mention but I’ve personally been blown away with our friends in “Lights Out Vegas”, “Janus”, and “Underfed”. I watch these guys play shows and scratch my head wondering why so many ‘big’ bands are even ‘big’ to begin with after seeing bands like the ones I just mentioned on such a small scale. And the great thing is that they’re UNIQUE bands, they aren’t just copying things around them. We get told that we’re “doing something different” quite frequently too, and it’s been very encouraging to hear.
TONY: There is and has always been a great live band to see in Chicago almost every day of the week, sometimes it just takes a little searching past what you already know exists.
ADAM: Yeah, it seems that as long as I’ve been in the scene, lately the connection between bands has been getting stronger. Bands are more frequently supporting other bands in the crowd at shows now, whether or not they are playing at that particular show, and that’s always encouraging. It’s all about the music now!
Rasheed: Yes there is a lot of good music coming out of the scene right now, and I think with the Chicago scene it goes in waves. Around 2002 to 2005 I was in a band that did really well in the scene here and there were a lot of people looking at Chicago because of the bands that were getting signed, the music was great back then and then the scene went down for a while. Now there are people from the bands back from those times starting new bands and interchanging members from the bands they played in previously, and with that they’re creating new bands with new sounds… there are some new bands out here that are really awesome.
THE BAND NAME INN CINEMA IS A UNIQUE NAME FOR A BAND WHAT DOES THE NAME MEAN TO YOU AND HOW DOES THAT NAME ENCAPTURE THE MUSIC YOU MAKE?
Dave: To me, I like the name because it just sounds unlike any other band name I’ve ever heard. I had nothing to do with the name however, being the ‘new guy’ in the band. But, as far as I understand, the old guitar player Jay was driving through Arizona a while back and spotted a small motel called the “Cinema Inn”. A little word-rotation, and there you have it. The nice thing about it is that, it’s a name that you don’t really easily forget because it’s kind of an awkward pairing of words.
TONY: The band name to me is a constant reminder that music can take people to places other than where they actually are, like Doc Browns time machine. ?
ADAM: Hell, I don’t know! Haha, the band name came about because our old guitar player saw a weird motel out of state! I’m not sure that the name really ‘captures’ the music we make but we’re working on a way to incorporate a “movie” theme, possibly…
Rasheed: It is a unique name and to me it makes me think of how there are different flavors and types of movies out there and if you listen to our music none of the songs sound the same, at least I don’t think so. To me they kind of remind me of different movies. Our old guitar player came up with it and once he threw it out I was like “yes!”
IT’S BEEN A WHILE SINCE DAVE REPLACED JAY IN THE BAND BUT HOW HAS THINGS CHANGED MUSICALLY FOR THE BAND SINCE HIS ARRIVAL?
Dave: Well, for the most part I’ve spent my time just learning to fill Jay’s shoes. It’s been tough, to a degree, because that dude had some huge feet. The idea is that I think I can try to ‘tie the laces differently’ and help create the same kind of “wow” that he created, but with my own personal flavor instead. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me to play with a band like this, I literally went to almost every single show they played after I saw them for the first time. Of all the bands I’d ever seen, Inn Cinema was the first one (big-name or local) that actually made me want to go home and write more music. They LITERALLY became my favorite band… I mean, who gets asked to play for their favorite band? That kind of thing doesn’t even happen in crappy movies! I always used to watch Jay (J-Dogg) play back when I was a fan of this band and I could always leave the shows with something new to think about.. He was a very ‘natural’ guitar player and didn’t really stick to any particular feel. It’s been very hard to try and apply that to my own playing but it’s been very beneficial… and the new music we’re writing is certainly proving to be a result of that.
TONY: Dave is an insane-o guitar player but I think he is more riff oriented than Jay was, so in comparison I think the newer songs are going to keep sounding more driven and familiar even at the first listen.
ADAM: It’s been interesting! Dave has a more aggressive, metal-influenced guitar style in comparison to Jay’s more natural, bluesy-style. But, now we have an opportunity to build off of Jay’s influences AND Dave’s at the same time and create more overall diversity between that and our personal mad flavor.
Rasheed: Jay’s style of guitar playing was very down south and bluesy. Dave’s playing is more heavy and chunky so there was definitely some adjustment, but Dave is solid and also he had been writing his own songs since before he was with us, so he can write a song, and the way his style mixes with our style has worked out great thus far.
HOW DOES INN CINEMA DEBATE THE WHOLE IMAGE VS. MUSIC STANDPOINT WHEN IT COMES TO FORMING A BAND AND HOW BOTH AFFECT THE OUTCOME OF HOW FAR YOU CAN GET IN THE INDUSTRY?
Dave: I think that, although I PERSONALLY wouldn’t call myself an image freak, it does have a big impact on stage show and overall feel of professionalism. We don’t go up in matching uniforms and dance in sync (although we’re becoming pretty notoriously known for making the most of the available stage space, haha.) but there’s definitely something to be said for bands that can pull an ‘image’ off. Friends of ours in a great band called “Janus” have a VERY successful and interesting ‘look’ that flows seamlessly from their album cover, to their website, to their stage show, and it really is something to be envious of. A LOT of bands out here probably wish that they had something as well thought out as that.
TONY: We don’t debate it – cake tastes good right?? ..And icing taste good too?? But too much of one and not enough of the other can leave a bad taste in your mouth. We’re like the “time to make the doughnuts” guy trying to change up & improve every bite before each live performance.
ADAM: Rasheed always tells me to wear tight clothes!! Haha, seriously though, we understand that the concept of having an image with a band has an affect on the marketability of a band. But, above all, we feel that you need GOOD songs to back it all up. Otherwise it’s like an action movie with no sound effects..
Rasheed: Your image does matter when trying to climb the music industry ladder, and we do our best with what we’ve got, but we could still do better I think.
I LIKE THE QUOTE ON YOUR MYSPACE “FOUR MUSICAL MINDS THAT WORK HARD AT HEARING EACH OTHERS IDEAS!” WHEN CREATING THE SONGS FOR THE BAND I WOULD SAY IT’S A UNITY IN WRITING. WHAT IS A BASIC PROCESS OF WRITING FOR YOU GUYS?
Dave: Really, it just depends on the situation. In some instances, I (or anyone else) will record a series of ideas for an entire song and present it to the rest of the guys, and of everyone decides that we can work with it, and then it goes from there. I go as far to write multiple guitar, bass, and drum tracks and have a whole song recorded just for us to pick apart and make better. In other cases, there may just be a cool riff or drum pattern that someone came up with and we’ll collectively create a song off of a small 10 second idea. It helps that each one of us can play each others instruments too, at least proficiently enough to get our creative points across. It’s interesting work, a few of us are pretty heavily “rooted” in some VERY heavy metal, but the end result of the collective effort is hard to designate as “metal” at all.
TONY: Normally one person brings an idea (a riff, or in some cases a complete structure to the table) then.. We all collaborate on it till is sounds like a song we want to play.
Each of us all have our own “style” of playing and writing, which can allow for a lot of dynamics, and a real NEED to listen to each others ideas. Basically, it generally tends to start with one or two riffs and we all throw in our own ideas. From there we try to determine what works, and what doesn’t.
ADAM: Each of us all have our own “style” of playing and writing, which can allow for a lot of dynamics, and a real NEED to listen to each others ideas. Basically, it generally tends to start with one or two riffs and we all throw in our own ideas. From there we try to determine what works, and what doesn’t.
Rasheed: It can happen in many ways – we could just be jamming and we’ll come up with a song, or I’ll write something at home and create basic drums and bass and play my guitar riffs and record it and show it to the guys and we’ll go from there… it was pretty funny when Dave got in the band, he did a lot of those things with older bands so he does the same thing also. Sometimes it even starts from a bass line or drum beat, so basically a song can come about in many ways in this band.
WHAT IS THE CURRENT IDEAS ABOUT RELEASING NEW MATERIAL (AS IN A CD ETC) AND HOW CAN PEOPLE GET YOUR CURRENT STUFF?
Dave : Currently, we’re limited to handing out the 3 songs on our Myspace page [www. myspace. com/inncinema], on CD’s for free at our shows. We are working on an official “dot-com” website and have plans to record a number of new songs here shortly. Hopefully by the end of the year we’ll have an actual, tangible product that looks, sounds, and feels like something you would expect to buy at a big-name retailer. Myspace currently isn’t allowing MP3 downloads but if anyone from out of our area wants copies of our music just get a hold of us through our page and we’ll make sure to e-mail them copies of our songs in high-quality format.
TONY: Come to see us live, we give out free CD’s at pretty much every show!
ADAM: We’re planning on recording 3 more songs soon and combining all 6 songs that we’ll have recorded on to an actual nice, packaged EP. Ideally, we’ll have this done before too long. As for now, you can hear our music on our Myspace page, or we can e-mail you the MP3′s if you like. The best option is to come see us at a show though, where you’ll get to hear MANY more of our songs and we’ll give you a free CD with our music there!
Rasheed: Right now, everything we’ve recorded is up on Myspace and on purevolume. com for free download. We will be recording again soon and will be releasing an EP hopefully by the summer.
LET’S TAKE THE THREE SONGS UP ON MYSPACE. COULD YOU DESCRIBE THE INFLUENCE BEHIND THE STORYLINES OF ALL THREE?
Dave: In all honesty, I really wouldn’t even know how to think about starting to answer this question. Our singer Rasheed can probably give you a truckload of insight on that, as for me, I’ll just bounce around and play my guitar, haha.
ADAM: Rasheed is really the one that wrote all the lyrics, he’d be the big guy to ask about this one!
Rasheed: O.k, well.. ‘Save Me’ is basically a song for the working man or woman that had plans to do things with their life, and daily work gets or has gotten in the way and clouded their path and slowed them down and has stopped them from achieving their goals. ‘Wake Up’ is about politicians and people with power not caring about the little man, and the music came about from me listening to Nine Inch Nails. ‘Master Of Time’ is about wanting to go back in time and change things, to ‘un-meet’ people, and basically making different choices.
MEMORABLE MOMENTS OF EITHER WRITING OR RECORDING THE NEW SONGS?
Dave: Not for myself, personally, as I’m a pretty recent addition to the band. I’d be more than happy to tell you that I’ve become pretty consistent at nearly falling over while playing “Save Me” on stage due to tripping over the death-noose cluster of guitar cables on the ground at any given moment. So far I’ve never actually taken a spill though, hopefully it stays that way.
TONY: One of the first times I ever met Dave, he told me if he could go back in time and stop any event he would ‘stop Pearl Jam from existing’, and while I know he has way more depth than to classify him with that quote, I just think it was a fucking rad thing to say when you first meet someone.
ADAM: These 3 songs were some of the first songs ever written in this band, and all I remember about writing these songs and watching them develop was how excited I was about actually seeing the project come together.
Rasheed: Nothing in particular that I can remember.
GIVE US A CLOSER LOOK INTO THE MUSICIANS THAT MAKE UP INN CINEMA. WHAT MAKES THEM STAND OUT ON THEIR INSTRUMENTS AND WHICH BAND OR ARTISTS ARE THEY MOST INFLUENCED BY AND WHY?
Dave: Well, at first glance, the most eye-catching thing about the band is the fact that we have a black dude with superhero-hair playing a violent-looking guitar in a pretty aggressive band, and on top of that, he sings REALLY well and moves around with enough energy and vigor to make Jackie Chan look like a sedated turtle. It really raises a few eyebrows because he’s not what people would usually expect to be fronting a band like ours. But really, we’re fortunate to have some exceptional musicians in our band, our bass player usually gets hammered with compliments at the end of the night by all the other bassists in the audience and our drummer also gets a good amount of mouth-hanging-open compliments after the sets are over too. It’s really encouraging to know that you’re a part of something so capable because it makes me personally want to keep improving and not ‘lag behind’ the other band mates in any way at all.
TONY: I’m a nerd who had nothing better to do with my time but get good at beating on pots and pans. Personally, I try to be influenced by everything I hear and everyone I meet.
ADAM: Rasheed is really the rhythm and melody-master, and has pretty much been influenced by every type of music known to mankind. Tony is a VERY skilled punk-rocker at heart who can quite simply make his 4-piece kit sound *ginormous*. Dave’s the heavy-metal shredder of the bunch; apparently he first cut his guitar-teeth on a lot of old-school thrashy stuff from Anthrax, old Metallica & Pantera. And personally I draw a lot of influences & foundations as a bass player from John Paul Jones and Led Zepplin.
Rasheed: Well I can tell you about myself – I’m influenced by a lot of soul, hip hop, jazz, rock and Metal, and when I was a kid my parents listened to a lot of Jazz and reggae and Prince. I used to watch Purple Rain and I loved how he moved on stage and I apply that to how I move on stage.. I can’t really explain it, you really just have to see it for your self!
SEEMS YOU GUYS PLAY OUT A LOT WHICH IS GOOD. FROM ALL THE EXPERIENCES PLAYING OUT HOW WOULD YOU SAY THIS PART OF YOUR CAREER STRENGTHENS YOU AS A MUSICIAN AND ONE DOWNSIDE ABOUT LIVE SHOWS?
Dave: I honestly believe that a single live show is 10 times more effective as a ‘learning experience’ than your standard practice is. You really apply all of your efforts as a group in a totally different environment and it really tightens you up as a whole. The thing to remember is that it doesn’t matter if there are 10 people in front of you or 10,000 people, there’s no reason to half-ass a show. We play music to have fun; if you can’t have fun in front of a small crowd then it’s probably time to start reviewing your priorities. The fact that we can have large crowds ‘get into’ the music is just that much more rewarding, but it’s certainly not an excuse to complain if you don’t have a packed house by any means. Some of the best shows are the ones that don’t look great ‘on paper’. The only downside to shows, from the standpoint of musicians on our level, is that it’s time consuming and everyone has to get up for work the next day, pretty frequently. It isn’t exactly great for your sleep schedule, haha.
TONY: There is no downside to playing out live if i could have things my way we would jam everyday, live shows are just a way to do that with other people involved, you get to meet new friends and hopefully new fans.
ADAM: The more we play live; it seems that the more comfortable we are with being able to play “tight” even while not really being able to hear everything clearly on stage. On top of that, we bring a lot of energy to our live show (try to keep it entertaining). The downsides can be when there’s a small crowd and you don’t have many people to play in front of… But we still have fun and put on the same show we would have even if the place were packed. They came to see us play, so dammit we’ll put on a show!!
Rasheed: The more we play the more we get tighter on stage and on our instruments, so I say let play all the time! As for a downside of live shows, is that we have to go from our day jobs tired and play shows when all we want to do is play all the time – If there were no day jobs the live
shows would probably be even better!
WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS ON GETTING IN A VAN AND DOING A TOUR OF SOME SORT BEFORE 2009 ENDS?
Dave: If the opportunity presents itself, we’d absolutely love to do that kind of thing. We truly feel that our music would strike a nerve with a really large audience and we are confident that we can deliver an entertaining performance too, while staying tight and making it so people can actually enjoy the songs live – even without having ever heard the songs before. Every single show we play we have new people hunting us down and asking us for more music, we’d like to think that we’ll have the chance to do that successfully over a larger area.
TONY: I would love to, LETS LEAVE RIGHT NOW!
ADAM: Where are we going to get a van?! Haha, but seriously, if we get the chance, we’d definitely jump at the opportunity… it’s certainly a dream for all of us.
Rasheed: Not sure, we don’t have a van yet so we got to work on that also, but it
would be nice!!!
ANYTHING YOU WOULD LIKE TO SUM UP ABOUT YOUR BAND BEFORE WE END THIS?
Dave: Personally, I just feel proud to be a part of a band like this. In today’s day an age it’s hard to find so many people that you can see eye-to-eye with (personally and professionally) and to have a chance to be so creative and active with this band has been amazing. We’re all very excited to record more music together and hopefully someday be the kind of band that many fans look up to for inspiration, as I did with Inn Cinema when I was just another guy in the crowd. Please feel free to tell anyone you know about us, we really do appreciate all the support we’ve had!
TONY: We want to meet anyone who is reading this, please come to a show and say hi! Via Myspace or in person!
ADAM: As a band, we’re better than we’ve ever been and we keep progressing forward, writing new music and hopefully soon we’ll have some merchandise to share with everyone. It’s not just the 4 of us in the band, it’s about everyone who enjoys our music with us! Stick with us, it’s going to be great!!
Rasheed: We’re coming and we’re coming strong so y’all better watch out!
It’s a foresome of musical explosion when you see Inn Cinema live