Even If It Kills Me Interview
Post hardcore trio Even If It Kills Me released their debut album Hope On The Horizon at the start of 2015 and are gearing up to make this their biggest year yet. Hailing from Los Angeles, California the band blends both melodic and harsh vocals on top of a thick musical backbone. After growing up with the music of punk icons Even If It Kills Me brings new life to a somewhat stagnant genre. By the Barricade asked them some questions about their progression as a band, the music industry, and The Vans Warped Tour. You can find the full transcripts below.
Josh Vogel: Vocals
Addison Van Buer: Vocals/Bass
Scott Holmes: Guitar
By the Barricade: Can you describe Even If It Kills Me in five words or less?
Even If It Kills Me: Heavy and melodic post hardcore.
By the Barricade: Addison, you met Josh on Craigslist. Do you think that is the best way for band members to get connected, or is there a better way?
Addison Van Buer: I think Craigslist is a decent way for musicians to connect, but it’s kind of like searching for a needle in a haystack. I had to sort through a lot of the bad to find the good. I feel lucky to have found Josh and Scott.
By the Barricade: Even If It Kills Me released Hope On The Horizon in the beginning of 2015. How has life changed for the band since then?
Even If It Kills Me: Since releasing the album we’ve switched gears from everything that goes into writing and recording an album to promoting and selling it. The next step for us is a music video, and after that we look forward to playing many shows this year.
By the Barricade: “Still Alive” is my favorite track off Hope On The Horizon. Can you tell me a little more about that track and the bands writing process?
Even If It Kills Me: It’s actually an interesting story. “Still Alive” was the only track we were NOT looking forward to recording because it wasn’t completely finished going into the studio. What you hear on the song was written the day it was recorded. We’re really happy with how it came out.
By the Barricade: What’s on the horizon for Even If It Kills Me other than your upcoming music video now that your album is released?
Even If It Kills Me: After we release our music video we will be playing lots and lots of shows. We are looking to play the music that we love and put on shows that will be remembered.
By the Barricade: It’s nice to see that Hope On The Horizon is already available for streaming on Spotify and YouTube. Do you think streaming has changed the music industry and the significance of creating physical CDs?
Even If It Kills Me: Streaming music has changed the music industry, however, it has allowed us to reach more fans that maybe wouldn’t have heard our music before.
By the Barricade: Scott mentioned in a recent Q&A that you all were in bands previously. Have you used anything you learned in your previous projects to progress the band’s sound?
Even If It Kills Me: We’ve taken everything that we’ve learned from our past bands and applied it to our sound now. We work hard on writing and we’re always try to improve as a band and as individuals. We strive to pull the best out of ourselves.
By the Barricade: I’ve heard Blink-182 inspired Josh and Scott to play music, but their style is very different from Even If It Kills Me. Do you keep their goofy attitude nowadays?
Even If It Kills Me: We take our music seriously, but what we’ve learned from Blink is that you can still goof around and work hard.
By the Barricade: Scott, how does performing with Even If It Kills Me compare to your punk roots?
Scott Holmes: It’s a different atmosphere and crowd, but when it comes to performing live it’s all the same. A lot of the bands we listen to have the same roots as we do. I’m always going to be punk rock because it’s who I am.
By the Barricade: I first met Addison in line for Warped Tour 2014. Do you guys have any crazy warped tour stories?
Even If It Kills Me: Last year at Warped we decided to make the sacrifice to promote our band rather than watch the show. It wasn’t easy to be stuck in a hot parking lot while we heard some of our favorite bands playing just inside the gates. But at the end of a long day talking with kids in line and passing out fliers, we managed to find a way into the venue and we got to see the sets of a few of our favorite bands. It was a win-win.
By the Barricade: Some of the bands influences were on Warped Tour in past years. Do you like the way the tour has been progressing, or would you change it in some way?
Even If It Kills Me: [Warped Tour Founder] Kevin Lyman has never let us down. As long as he is behind the tour it will always be a great show.
By the Barricade: Is there anything else you would like to say to the readers of By the Barricade?
Even If It Kills Me: Make sure to pick up our debut album Hope On The Horizon! It’s available on iTunes, Google Play or any online distributor where music is sold.
Keep it on Bythebarricade.com for more rock and punk and metal interviews, reviews, articles, and photos! Also, “Like” By the Barricade on Facebook to never miss a post. If you liked this article check out:
Is Warped Tour the Best Tour on Earth?
The Bunny The Bear Food Chain Review
