March 17th, 2009 at 6:32am by Stephanie Stevens
IN THIS MOMENT is a ball of fire and as of late has been making waves in the music scene. Maria Brink is the top “cover girl” on all the rock magazines and the band are getting the most amazing tours and doesn’t look like they will be off the road anytime soon! The bands latest opus, THE DREAM is a combination of love, tragedy and simple beauty. On a musical note they are combining aggressive backdrops with emotionally driving vocals and deep and powerful lyrics.
When the band rolled into town I was able to catch up with Chris (guitars) and Jeff (drums). Was bummed that Maria couldn’t join but like I said the girl is wanted and in demand!!! But I was excited to actually get a band member that isn’t usually a part of an interview with Jeff. So I let him have free reign and got a little background on him and the start of IN THIS MOMENT along with new music coming out and the bands summer warp tour plans.
SO TELL ME A BIT ABOUT YOURSELF AND HOW YOU BECAME A PART OF IN THIS MOMENT?
Jeff: Originally grew up in Long Island, NY little town called Mattatuck way out on the fork of where its one way us and the other way the Hamptons. I DID NOT GROW UP IN THE HAMPTONS!! I grew up on the north fork, where its suburbia. So I was in a few hardcore bands. I started playing drums when I was 11 years old and there wasn’t much of a scene, it SUCKED actually. So with no place to play, when I was 19 I visited my sister in LA. she had been living there for four years and I loved it so I moved there. I picked up the music connection which everyone can relate to that ever moved to Los Angeles and to be in a band. It’s like a classified for musicians and just started playing with all these different people, played gigs, worked shitty jobs, it all went hand and hand. Then finally through bands I met him (pointing to Chris) and we were not in a band yet I just played with friends of his but I was a huge fan of his band. So Chris and I became friends his drummer left at one period of time and I started playing with his band.
WHO WAS THAT?
Jeff: a band called deadest it was just metal we played some gigs but meanwhile while I was in that band with him I met Maria through him, we all just knew each other through the scene. He had sort of started IN THIS MOMENT with her and he asked me do you want to play drums on this with me so I was like sure. We went in and did a rough 3 song EP. I am totally generalizing this whole story. I don’t want to go on and on about it; so we did the 3 song IN THIS MOMENT EP and that was it; History. And actually the bass player on those songs is Matt Snell of Five Finger Death Punch and we were in a band together also which was Deadset. So it’s a small world. It was cool to because we just did a tour with those guys so it was so cool to be back together hi fiving each other. Sorry if that went on forever. (Laughing) Hold on I jumped over something. There was a band called Dying Star that I was a part of for a short time with Chris and Maria. That was during Deadset and in the beginning of IN THIS MOMENT
DID CENTURY MEDIA GET THE 3 SONGS AND THEN WANT TO SIGN YOU?
Jeff: No what happen was we put that on Myspace and just started promoting it.
Chris: Yea we put those three songs on Myspace and then we went in and recorded another three songs but that whole site is what got us discovered.
SINCE MARIA HAS BEEN IN THE SPOTLIGHT A LOT LATELY HOW DO YOU GUYS FEEL ABOUT IT DO YOU FEEL SHADOWED AT ALL?
Jeff: I am and we are totally and completely ok with that. I’ve known Maria for a long time and she deserves attention, she is a pretty girl and a pretty girl that can sing like that and a front person of a band, of course she is going to get attention! Plus singers get the most attention anyway no matter if you are a girl or guy. So as far as I’m concerned any attention she gets, IN THIS MOMENT gets and we all win in the end. I am completely stoked for her, every time she is in a magazine and it’s just her, I see us there too.
I JUST ALWAYS WANTED TO ASKED CAUSE I ALWAYS WONDERED HOW YOU FELT.
Jeff: No it’s a great question. (As he looks at Chris) People would rather see a pretty girl then us ugly asses (laughing)
SO MARIA AND CHRIS HAVE WORKED TOGETHER FOR A LONG TIME AND HAVE BUTT HEADS HERE N THERE. IS THERE A DESIGNATED SPOT WHERE SOMEONE IN THE BAND HAS MORE CREATIVE CONTROL OVER SOMETHING THEN SOMEONE ELSE? LIKE THE LAST SAY IS THEIRS?
Chris: Usually it’s like this. Everyone has a say, everyone has their ideas and every idea is considered. Maria has a real strong personality and we all want everything to do smoothly..so we pick and choose our battles and so does she. If there is something she is not so passionate about she will just let it go and same thing with us we are respectful to everyone in this band. There is no supreme person but I guess if there was a supreme chancellor it would be Maria. We are like Darth Vader but in a band (laughing)
Jeff: basically we all put our 2 cents in sometimes we might bump heads here n there but it all works out in the end
IS THERE TALK ABOUT A RE-ISSUE OF THE DREAM?
Chris: yes there is. There is talk but I can’t release anything. Might be new songs and stuff all a possibility.
HAVE YOU TALKED ABOUT WORKING ON NEW STUFF YET?
Jeff: Always talking about it. There is no songs planned yet
Chris: we want to keep things flying so maybe somewhere next year
DO YOU WRITE ON THE ROAD?
Jeff: Yes, we just jam out stuff when we have ideas. We just get out the acoustics and play the ideas stripped down. Then the creative juices start flowing
IS THERE A VISION FOR THE NEXT RECORD?
Jeff: probably death metal….pause…then laughter.
Chris: No, basically what we did with the last record was we just got together and did what we wanted to do and it all came from the heart and that is how we will go into the next record. There are things on the new record, I’m like, I wish we could of done this or that and so going forward we will address those things. So wherever we are at, at the time is where we will get the ideas and start hashing them out.
Jeff: That is the only way to really be genuine and keep it fresh. Everybody thinks we have this big elaborate plan for this record and we tried to be different on THE DREAM but it wasn’t the case at all. We just wrote what we wrote and it came out like that. We never said we are going to be less heavy or going to be more heavy it wasn’t like that it’s just what came out of us at that time.
MARIA HAD VOICED THAT SHE WANTED TO CHALLENGE HERSELF MORE AND THAT IS WHY MORE SINGING ON THE RECORD?
Jeff: Yea and the band wanted her to sing more too cause she has a great voice. She can scream like crazy but she can REALLY sing so we were all pushing for her to sing more
SO ONCE THIS WAS ON THE COUNTER WAS THERE A DIFFERENT ELEMENT MUSICALLY BECAUSE THERE WOULD BE MORE SINGING?
Jeff: She sings on the first album not as much as this one but when we write songs we always think what would be best for the songs. Whatever will make a good song something catchy and memorable. So when writing we left plenty of room for her vocals
GUEST APPEARANCES IN THE FUTURE ON ALBUMS?
Chris: It’s been talked about, we would love to get Chino on. I would love to have everyone on it (laughing)
Jeff: The list could be endless maybe Sting, Michael Jackson, Elvis
WARPED TOUR FOR YOU GUYS THIS YEAR. DIFFERENT FOR YOU GUYS!
Jeff: This will be the first Warped tour I ever went to.
HAVE YOU TALKED ABOUT HOW YOU ARE GOING TO ADAPT TO SUCH A TOUR?
Jeff: just going to do our thing
Chris: We are excited to see what that crowd thinks of us but we are going to go up there and do what we do.
Jeff: Yea we are not going to play different or be different.
YOU SEEM ADAPTABLE ANYWAY
Jeff: Yea I mean I am not really and in no way am I trying to sound cocky but I’m really not that worried at all. Sure there are people who like us and don’t but it will all even out. Hopefully everyone will like us
DO YOU GUYS LISTEN TO BANDS THAT ARE ON WARPED TOUR?
Jeff: Yea totally. This band has a wide range of music they listen to. We have so many different influences. I love Underoath and I know Maria loves them also. So there is going to be a lot of bands I want to check out and catch
ANY OTHER PLANS OF TOURING BEFORE WARPED?
Jeff: We are going to Europe, we are doing some festivals in the UK and then we are doing some shows with Papa Roach and Filter in Europe. Then we are coming back to the states then going to Japan then warped tour.
HAVE YOU BEEN TO AUSTRALIA?
Jeff: No not yet, but we are excited to go there.
I KNOW THE BAND AND THE NEW ALBUM IS ABOUT LIVING YOUR DREAM AND GOING AFTER IT. IN THE LAST YEAR WHAT DO YOU FEEL HAS BEEN THE BIGGEST CHARACTER BUILDER FOR YOURSELVES ON A PERSONAL LEVEL?
Jeff: Well for me it’s just seeing our progress. Especially when we do a headliner and see more kids out at those shows
DID YOU PLAY LAST NIGHT IN BOSTON?
Jeff: Yea that show was on even though it snowed like a son of a bitch but the crowd, there wasn’t as many people there that were suppose to be there but it was still good; The die hard IN THIS MOMENT fans. It was cool. But anyway for me all this from the shows to the fans it just shows that we are doing something that is working
ANY THOUGHTS OF A NEW SINGLE?
Chris: Still in debate on the new single but it might surprise everyone and it could possibly be a brand new song that no one has heard yet, we just don’t know yet but it will be soon
ANY NEW STUFF ON THIS SET LIST FOR THIS TOUR?
Chris: Nope just what you hear on THE DREAM and BEAUTIFUL TRADEGY but you may hear some new stuff on warped tour
IS IT B SIDES THAT DIDN’T MAKE THE DREAM OR JUST NEW STUFF?
Chris: Its actually new stuff
ANY LAST COMMENTS?
Jeff: Go out and pick up THE DREAM and let us know what you think of it.
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