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Interview: Chris James of Threatpoint

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Threatpoint are a metal band from Scranton, Pennsylvania. Focusing on hooks and a fluid sound to draw listeners in, the band are one of the fastest growing heavy acts in the scene, and Legendary Kids Press was recently able to chat with vocalist Chris James about their music, touring plans and much more. 

Describe your music for those who have never listened to Threatpoint before.

Threatpoint has a unique blend of many styles of rock and metal: thrash, a splash of death metal, old-school power metal and just plain old grinding hard rock. Bottom line is we always focus on a groove for the listener, something that is catchy and head bang-worthy. If you don’t know a band and you hear them for the first time, it’s important to grab the listener with hooks and something quickly memorable.

How did the band come together?

We are basically the result of the demise of three older bands. We all knew each other from playing around the area. We started back in 2012 and are really just getting rolling.

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Interview: Corey Lewin

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Corey Lewin is an acoustic rock artist from New York City. With the release of his debut EP, Simple Love, earlier this month, Lewin is hoping his music will reach a wider audience, and he recently spoke with Legendary Kids Press about his aspirations, his decision to pursue music for a living and his summer touring plans.

How would you describe your music to those who have never listened to you before?

I describe it as acoustic rock or pop-rock that incorporates elements of a wider array of music genres. Some of my songs are softer, more classic singer-songwriter type tunes, while others are a lot more upbeat [and] rock-driven.

That being said, I prefer having people listen to my music and hearing how they describe it. It’s really interesting to get your fans’ perspective on your sound. I think it really helps me know myself better as an artist.

Who were your musical influences growing up, and how do you think they’ve influenced the music you’re making now?

I listened to all kinds of music growing up - classic rock, Top 40, rap and so on - and elements from those different styles work their way into my music. The band that really influenced me to start playing guitar was Switchfoot. When I was 14, I heard the riff in their song “Meant to Live” and thought, “Man, I need to learn how to do that.”

Throughout high school, I was playing in bands and was heavily influenced by heavier, progressive rock. Coheed and Cambria were and always will be my favorite band. I was hooked on their intricate guitar riffs and loved how rhythmic and inventive their their songs were. Those are both things that definitely influenced me a lot and still work their way into my music. For example, my song “Passenger’s Side” is very riff-driven and rock-based. Even though it’s an acoustic rock song and you wouldn’t classify it as prog. rock, it definitely draws on that style.

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Interview: Henry Dowling of Harbour

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Harbour are a pop-punk band originating from Toronto, Ontario. They released their sophomore EP, Grade School Summer, this past November and since then, I’ve been able to speak with guitarist Henry Dowling about the band’s goals for the future and the EP itself.

How did the band come together?

Basically, we’ve all been playing together in different bands for years. We came together to form Harbour in early 2012, after Jamie [Mittendorf, vocals/bass] left his old pop-rock band, Victory Sweet Victory. Mike [Bielawski, guitar] is the band’s most recent addition, but we’ve all been friends for years. 

What bands/artists inspire your music?

A lot of old-school pop-punk, as you can probably guess by our sound. Some bands we listen to religiously are The Starting Line, MxPx, Rufio and New Found Glory. But we like lots of new music too: bands like Teenage Bottlerocket, Hit The Lights and so many more!

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Interview: Milestones

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Milestones are a pop-punk band from Manchester, United Kingdom. On the eve of the release of their new EP, Equal Measures, the band are gearing up for a pretty jam-packed year, and I was recently able to speak with them about the release, their summer plans and what they hope to accomplish through their music.

How would you describe Milestones to those who have never listened to the band before?

Milestones isn’t like many pop-punk bands out there today. People compare our sound to very different bands from different genres and movements, and each song reflects the diversity we’re trying to push. There are elements of a maturing Hold Me Down You Me At Six, whilst there are characteristics of Young Guns and more rock [type] bands. There seems to be a song everyone likes, so you really won’t hear the same song twice. But still, it will sound like the same band as opposed to a compilation of different genre’d artists.

You guys came together fairly recently. What made you want to pursue music for a living?

I think for myself, it was the idea of sitting at a desk for the rest of my life and thinking, “What if?”. I’ve always wanted to go out and do this kind of thing, [to] travel and work with like-minded people and give back what music did for me to kids as they grow up and find themselves. The whole concept of Milestones is to achieve greater things and to set your sights higher and higher each step (or stone, haha) of the way. So the motivation to do those things and be on stage, like we have watched our heroes do since [we were] young, played a massive factor in me wanting to do this seriously.

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INTERVIEW: Bob Calwell of King Pin

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King Pin are a melodic post-hardcore band from London, Ontario. With a sound and drive that’s unrivalled, the band are hoping to make 2015 a year to remember, and I was recently able to discuss their plans, as well as their upcoming tour, with vocalist Bob Calwell.

How would you describe King Pin to those who have never listened to the band before?

Basically, a person trying to vent out all of his problems and frustrations in the nicest way possible, but getting carried away and trashing your furniture as a result.

What makes the band stand out from all the other post-hardcore bands currently in the scene?

I’d like to think there are not a lot of bands, at least in London’s scene, taking the genre and doing what we do with it. We all have very different influences, ranging from smooth jazz to 90s pop-punk, so when we bring all of these weird ideas to the table, it usually creates something pretty different from what you might normally hear.

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INTERVIEW: Josh Gyssels of Sound System

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Sound System are a ska band from Chatham, Ontario. The three-piece, who are currently promoting their latest single, “Cabeza Da La Seta”, are steadily making a name for themselves within the local scene, and I recently able to speak with drummer Josh Gyssels about the band’s upcoming album, their musical influences and their plans for the rest of 2015.

Howwould you describe Sound System’s music to those who have never listened to theband before?

I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to say 100%, but I guess I’d want to say fun, happy and, of course, a little badass. Why? The Johnstones. For [myself they] were a huge influence on me when we were writing and forming this band. The songs we’ve recorded and produced albums with always make me feel happy, go-lucky and a little badass. Just like The Johnstones. 

However, it’s funny… You asked me to describe this to people who “don’t know the band”. The only reason I say this is funny and a little difficult to answer is because my description of this band and these tune isn’t based off my opinion. It’s based off how I have seen the music affect my friends and people I’ll never probably meet again, so you can imagine my answer is always changing. 

How did the band come together?

Well, at the time of the band forming, we called ourselves “SNAFU” and had a jam space with my old roommate, Nick Grande. We later changed [our] name to “Soul Of The Soundsystem” and the band ever since then has consisted of the three members we currently have: John O’Rourke, Colin Sinclair and myself.

We’ve also shortened the name one last time to just “Sound System”, as people would continually mistake it for something really strange. No, really, some really weird names have been stated… For example, “Sounds Of The Solar System” happened at a show in a boutique shop. 

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INTERVIEW: Aaron Barry of Gracie Mae

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Gracie Mae are an ambient rock band from London, Ontario. The three-piece, who are currently looking to release their third EP later this year, have experienced a pretty steady rise since their formation last year and are looking to further that growth in 2015. Recently, I was able to speak with frontman Aaron Barry about the band’s music, his hopes for the new year and where he sees the band going down the road.

How would you describe Gracie Mae’s sound to those who have never listened to the band before?

This is always such a tough question to answer. What I perceive the band to sound like is obviously totally different than the next person would describe it. The best way I could describe it is just by what people have told me: old Alexisonfire, Coheed and Cambria or Circa Survive-esque. I would just say indie rock with post-hardcore roots.

The band formed in 2014 and has had a pretty quick rise. What do you attribute to this?

I don’t know if I’d say [we’ve] “risen” yet, but I can say we’ve just worked hard. I came out of a band before Gracie Mae that worked hard. We played 50+ shows a year and worked really hard. It was kind of a different era, where shows happened more, but that’s where I learned to work hard. 

Social media has been a really great tool in spreading our band. We’ve been pretty selective about playing shows, so we aren’t on everyone’s radar as far as being able to see us, so we use social media to extend or reach past Southern Ontario. Applications like Instagram, Tumblr and Facebook are a modern band’s best friend. 

I would attest the gains we’ve made to working hard and understanding how important it is to be active in the online world.

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INTERVIEW: Shon Tetlow of Histories

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Histories are a pop-punk four-piece from Springfield, Missouri. With the release of two EPs under their belts and a full-length slated for later this year, the band are hoping to make 2015 one to remember, and I was recently able to discuss their plans with bassist Shon Tetlow.

How would you describe Histories to those who havenever listened to the band before?

Collectively, I think we’d go alongside the line of a “progressive pop-punk” or [an] “emo punk” kind of stereotype. Though our friends often tell us we’re a “depressing party” band, whatever that means.

What made you want to pursue music for a living?

Since all of us were younger, long before we met each other, we found some sense of solidarity in ourselves through music. For us now, it’s far from making music for a living - because of us, music is living.

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INTERVIEW: Jaret Reddick of Bowling For Soup

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Bowling For Soup, the Texan pop-punk group, are a staple of music from the early 2000s. Recently having released their firstgreatest hits compilation, Songs People Actually Liked, the band are bringing their career to a close on a celebratory note. Vocalist and guitarist Jaret Reddick answered some of my questions regarding the album and pop-punk in general, and also recommended a variety of bands for fans to check out.

How were the songs for the album chosen? Was it done according to sales or was it a handpicked selection of your personal favorites?

It was a combination of the two… That and fan favorites!

Why was the release of Songs People Actually Liked so important to both you and the fans?

I just love hearing the older songs come to life and sound as good as they can. It is an amazing walk down memory lane for me!

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INTERVIEW: Nick Greeson of Exit Life

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Exit Life are a hardcore band from London, Ontario. Melding heavy breakdowns with earth-shattering screams, the band are steadily making a name for themselves in their provincial scene, and I was recently able to speak with guitarist Nick Greeson the band’s debut release and their plans for 2015.

How would you describe Exit Life to those who have never listened to the band before?
Fast, heavy and aggressive.

Who were your musical influences growing up?
Madball, Slayer, Maiden, Hatebreed, Brand New, rock ‘n’ roll, punk, etc.

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