Interview with Thomas from The Tidal Sleep

The Tidal Sleep is by far one of the best bands that I’ve discovered over the course of the past couple years. They have a powerful, driving sound that combines the heaviness of hardcore with the intricate melodies of post-rock and screamo. Probably the easiest and most immediate references to their sound would be Pianos Become the Teeth or Touché Amore, but there’s also other things buried in the mix that aren’t quite as obvious (Listen to the 1:23 mark on “Serpent Hug” and tell me you’re not hearing Taken. Wait you don’t know who Taken is…..stop fucking up your life!). At any rate, I’ve always felt like their sound hits harder and plucks the heart strings more effectively than either PBTT or Touché.

So after a seven song self-titled release and a four song e.p., the band has just released their debut LP “Vorstellungskraft” which will hopefully turn a lot of heads, both in Europe and everywhere else.

I recently checked in with their bass player Thomas for a little history on himself and the band, as well as everything they’ve accomplished so far.

I always like to hear about people's back-story a little bit, so give me a little insight into your family and childhood. Do you come from a particularly musical/artistic family, or was that a path you had to find on your own?

I grew up in a small town in the Southwest of Germany. I have one younger brother and one younger sister. My mom's a teacher at the local school where she leads the choir, that's actually the first musical endeavor I ever had, singing in that choir. Before that I remember jamming along to cassettes with my “guitar” I build with cardboard, wool strings and loads of glue, haha. It was Germany in the 80s; no MTV, and no record stores where I grew up.

How did you fall into punk and hardcore specifically, what were some of the first bands/shows that sort of hooked you into the community? At what point did you pick up your instrument and decide to start playing music in a band?

I had to go by train the “the city” to get CD’s. There were some dudes at the local swimming pool who were your typical teen metal heads who listened to cool stuff but I was always too shy to hang out with the cool dudes, so my cousin got me a few tapes from them.

When I was around 9 or so I listened to Helloween, Iron Maiden and Scorpions (of course). From that point on, I was pretty sure I needed a real guitar. I started playing acoustic guitar at age 10, and electric guitar at age 13 I think. Luckily my parents paid for lessons.

I was a metal kid in my early teens, but I really sucked at playing metal songs on guitar; scales and all that crap, I always hated it. Punk made more sense, just strumming and playing fast. That, or grunge (which not even rural Germany in the early 90s missed), just all these slow, down-tuned jams.

My first band was with some high school friends, we played tons of cover songs. We all kinda infected each other with new bands. At that time, we all were hooked on more mainstream-ish punk bands; Bad Religion and NOFX, but also bands like Rage Against the Machine or Type O Negative.

So when you started getting into metal and punk did your mom encourage it or did she wish the music you liked was more "proper", more traditional?

My mom never understood (still doesn't) the appeal of listening to “noise” and screaming, but she also gets how much it all means to me.  I've never been interested in lots of stuff, but I've been obsessive with music pretty much all my life.

How did you transition from the somewhat mainstream bands you talked about to more d.i.y. oriented artists?

The transition was step by step, but constant and still going on. Back in the late 90s, one of my then band-mates (the band broke up soon later) moved to Karlsruhe, and then I moved to Mannheim.  Both cities had and have a vivid underground music scene. For us townies that was the place to be, and it meant going to shows all the time; we saw everything. I was a bit too late in the scene, otherwise I'd have seen Botch or Buried Alive play Mannheim, but I'm not complaining. Also the internet made it so easy to get information on all my favorite bands and labels.

From Epitaph I moved to Burning Heart, and from there to Revelation, and from there deeper and deeper. Also having a cool record store in Mannheim made it easy for me to get all the releases I wanted.

Oh man, I got to see Buried Alive several times, never caught Botch though, one of my all-time faves. So talk a little bit about the formation of The Tidal Sleep. How long had you guys all known one another when you formed, and what was the initial inspiration or vision to start the band?

I played with Armin (drums) before in a new school hardcore band, and I know Nicolas (vocals) from an emo band we had. Oliver who played guitar in the beginning, was a friend of friends. He had played in a German band we all knew and liked. We started jamming in summer of 2011. The main inspiration is that I was unhappy with my old band, haha. Also, I lived together with Nic back then, so we decided we should have a band again.

“Untitled” from the debut was written in the first rehearsal, from then we rehearsed two times a week for half a year, and recorded the first album in the Fall of 2011. We had only two things “set in stone” for the band in the beginning….1) We need guitars with lots of delay and reverb; Oliver was the one that brought all those kinda post-rock guitar vibes. 2) Once we were a proper band we wanted to play as much as possible.

Well you definitely seem to be playing out quite a bit, having done a lot of the festivals, touring with bigger hardcore bands like Defeater and Code Orange Kids, and even huge bands like Silverstein and Funeral for a Friend. I know you guys leave soon for a run with Akela which I'd assume will be smaller and more intimate. How would you say all these types of shows compare, and while there are no doubt pros and cons to any show/tour, where would you say you guys feel most comfortable?

This may come as no surprise, but we love small intimate shows; like rehearsal rooms, or small basements. When we started we agreed to try out lots of stuff, including not limiting us to a certain crowd or scene. We still have kinda the same approach, but we've become way more picky, haha. Also we wanna play more shows with good friends, like Akela in August or Throwers in October.

This Charming Man Records has now handled all three of your vinyl releases. Talk a little bit about the growth of that relationship. I know you mentioned you had some bands previous to The Tidal Sleep....had you worked with them on releases for those bands, or did they just fall in love with TTS?

TCM is a one man operation and Chris who runs it has been enthusiastic about our band from the beginning. He heard rough demos, and said “let's do this”.  We like that his label is so diverse, and on a personal level he's become a really good friend. We had different offers for the new album, but after a night of drinking and talking at Chris’s home we all realized that we didn't need any other label.

On the label front, a while ago you guys were slated to work with my good friend Melanie to re-release your stuff here in the U.S. What happened with that, and are you guys looking to get the new LP released in the U.S., have you sent it out to any U.S. label folks?

Mel was a big fan of our first two releases, but unfortunately she had monetary problems during the time our release was planned, so it was postponed, and later cancelled. There are no hard feelings though. Financially it's a disaster to sign a European band that cannot tour the States for 4 months a year, like all up and coming U.S. bands do. Seth from Topshelf/B9 is a fan of The Tidal Sleep. They also considered releasing the album, but since we're not that full-time touring band and TCM is doing the current release they were not able to do it. Maybe we’ll work with them on the next release (-:

So do you think you guys will wind up making it across the pond to support the new LP, or perhaps later if you do make that leap to a U.S. label?

We all definitely wanna tour the U.S. (Marc, our new guitar player, did it already with his bands Trainwreck and Glasses), but we have no actual plans currently. We're doing another European tour in October, which means all of our days off at work are spent. But 2015 will be a good year for touring (-:

I feel like going from the first record to the second one there is a slight shift into more atmospheric, post-rock territory; not that the heavy stuff is totally dialed back but it's a slight shift. On the LP it seems like you guys have the space to bring back some of the heavier stuff while still exploring the prettier, atmospheric side of the band. I know there have been some member changes, but how would you say you've grown and shifted as songwriters over the course of the last few years?

Like I wrote before, our old guitar player was really into these layered post rock sounds, but he left in 2012. With two new guys in the band, and being spread all over Germany our writing sessions have been much more focused. Armin and I wrote basic song structures, and recorded them on an I Phone. The other guys sorta did homework with these tracks, and when we rehearsed we arranged and re-arranged these structures. We had this approach to not over think the songs; they just happened the way they did, sometimes heavier, sometimes real poppy. And we thought we'd rather have a good flow to the song instead of 200 riffs per minute.

So I looked up "Vorstellungskraft" in Google translator and it says it means "imagination" or "the power of imagination". Talk about why you guys chose this as the title, why does it fit the new record?

The title of the album was initially a working title for one of the songs, but after a while we thought that it was a great leitmotif for the whole album. Everyone involved in songwriting, production and artwork needed a lot of “Vorstellungskraft” to create the album. We honestly did not rehearse all that much for this time around, a lot of the guitar work and vocals happened for the first time in the studio. So we needed a lot of imagination as to how everything could or should turn out.

I always look at the last line of a record as sort of a band's final will and testament, like "if we break up, here's what we wanna leave you with". You guys end "Vorstellungskraft" with what I thought was a pretty powerful line which says "Life is a breaking wave, a restless sea, a ruthless force". I'm curious if there are any particular experiences this line refers to, or just a general reflection on where you guys were coming from with that thought.

Actually, that's not the last line on the album. The ending is what's printed large in the artwork, Nicolas just decided to stop singing at that point, but the poem continues. The album deals with a lot of different situations pretty much anyone has to deal with; depression, alienation, the daily grind, love, the fading of love....for me this means, life will never stand still, and that's a good thing. I constantly evolve, and there's nothing to do about it but live.

Last question, what's been the most important thing you've gained from the last few years playing in TTS, and what do you hope people take away from the band who may see you live or listen to one of the records?

We started the band with no expectations, and we are overwhelmed on a daily basis by how people react to our music. We are really lucky to be good friends, play exactly the kind of music we want to play, and as a bonus that people seem to be into our little band. I know I have bands that have helped me along the way; either through cathartic experiences or lyrics that have stuck with me, and it's amazing to play in a band that is received the way I receive bands. We are happy with everything.

Listen: http://thetidalsleep.tumblr.com/

Homebase: http://thetidalsleep.org/

Tumble: http://thetidalsleep.tumblr.com/

Interview with Brendan from Incendiary

Incendiary first caught my attention a couple years ago when I saw they had a split with my friend Justin’s band Unrestrained (who you need to check out if you are unfamiliar, they have a new record dropping soon!). Among the recent crop of bands playing “90’s style” hardcore, Incendiary certainly sits at the top. Their new LP “Cost of Living” which was released a few months ago is an absolute rager and has received more play for me so far this year than any other new release. I recently had the opportunity to talk to their vocalist Brendan; check it out!

Talk a little bit about your introduction to punk and hardcore, how you discovered this community, and some of your earliest experiences going to shows.

I started playing the drums from a pretty early age and I was always drawn to really fast punk drumming. I started getting into bands like Pennywise, and that led me to start going to some local punk shows where I saw my first (and one of my favorite) hardcore bands called Subterfuge, a local Long Island band. I got pretty into going to local shows and then once I discovered Strife I was hooked.

How did Incendiary come together? How long had you guys known each other and what was on your list of influences when you started the band?

Incendiary came together in the summer of 2007. I was just looking to sing for a heavy, late 90s style hardcore band and play some local shows. We went through some lineup changes early on but it's been the 4 of us for a few years now, plus a few bass players. We were mainly influenced by bands like Snapcase, Indecision, Strife, Buried Alive, 108, etc.

I've always seen the Long Island scene as a place that produces an amazing crop of diverse bands; everyone from V.O.D., Skycamefalling, On the Might of Princes, Capital, and Cipher just to name a few. How would you say being a band from Long Island has influenced you guys both sonically and in terms of how you run the band, and how are things going on Long Island at the moment?

Everyone in this band takes a lot of pride in being from Long Island and being considered a LIHC band. We all grew up going to local shows there and the scene had a big impact on us. Obviously, there is a tremendous legacy here with a lot of the bands you mentioned. Sound wise, VOD is probably our biggest influence as far as LI bands but we all are pretty knowledgeable about some of the more obscure LI bands that we love. I'm sure those bands, whether purposely or not, have influenced our sound in some way.

Long Island, like every scene, has had its ups and downs, but I think the past few years it has been stronger than ever. We've had solid show promoters and a ton of kids starting new bands, which is one of the keys to a strong scene. Backtrack has put Long Island on the map while they conquer the world, and now we have King Nine, No One Rules, Provider, Bottom Out, High Card, Jukai and a ton of other younger bands carrying the torch. 

As an outsider, it really seems like Incendiary is blowing up a good bit. You've been playing really big shows for quite a while now; just this week I saw you announced that you will be playing the Suicide File/Panic reunion show, doing a small run of dates with The Acacia Strain, as well as heading over to the UK in the fall. Within the band is there is a sense that things are starting to take off? What would it look like for you guys to take it to the "next level" and is that even something you're interested in or that's feasible given that it seems like you all have a lot going on outside the band?

The past 2 years or so have been really exciting for us, especially after Cost of Living came out this March. We've been a band since 2007 so it feels great to see more people interested in our band. We're going back to the UK for a second time in September and it's one of my favorite places to play so I'm particularly excited for that. Incendiary has never been a full time band and that isn't going to change, but we have never let that stop us from doing as much as possible. I don't subscribe to that weird local band mindset where everyone’s complaining about their jobs and how they have no time. Most of us work 50+ hours a week and have a lot of responsibilities outside of the band, but we are all on the same page as far as making the band a priority in our lives. We've turned down some unbelievably cool opportunities that we probably would have taken if we were all 20, 21, etc. but I'm so grateful for the opportunities we HAVE been able to do.

Yeah you guys have definitely kept busy; 2 LP's, 3 splits and a 7" is a ton for a band that considers themselves part time. Given the number of releases you have done, I'd imagine at this point you have a pretty well-defined process for writing new material. What did the writing sessions look like for "Cost of Living" and was there anything different you tried to do this time around, either musically or lyrically?

We started the writing process for Cost of Living pretty early on. Even though we have a decent amount of material, it generally takes us a long time to write. Either Audley or Bobcat would come in with at least a riff, sometimes almost all of a song and we'd go from there. There were definitely a lot of late nights in the practice space after long days of work but I think by and large everyone is happy and proud of the outcome. I don't think we were trying to change up our sound too much but there was a sense of trying to write more focused, structured songs. A lot of the songs have a distinct verse/chorus pattern that we didn't really care about having in the past. Like the music, the lyrics also usually take me a while to write. I generally get a rough recording and base my lyrics around the music itself. Very rarely do I write a song without any music first. As with the music itself, lyrically I wanted to try to create more of a sense of structure.

In the span of those 6 releases, you’ve worked with 4 different labels, with Closed Casket Activities handling the last two. How did you guys hook up with Closed Casket? Do you see them as the long-term "home" for Incendiary or is it likely that there may be some more label-hopping in the future?

We had known about Closed Casket for kind of a while, I was always really impressed with the quality of the vinyl releases, particularly the artwork. We had chatted with Justin a little bit in the past so we kind of had our eye on being on the label. When he approached us about working together we were super psyched. It's basically a perfect fit for us. I think we fit the type of band Justin is interested in working with and we also happen to love the other bands he puts out. He is super hands on which is probably my favorite characteristic of him/the label and we are constantly bouncing ideas off of each other. We've had some interest from other labels but right now we're very happy where we are.

Most of the bands you mentioned as influences (108, Indecision, Snapcase) were pretty issue oriented, and while I hate to be that guy who gripes about the current scene and says "back in the day" was better, one frustration I often feel towards hardcore at present is that there's not as much emphasis on social and political issues. It seems like most kids just want to mosh and don't care about what's going on lyrically. I feel like you guys are somewhat unique in that while none of your songs are necessarily overtly political, there is definitely an underlying sociopolitical/cultural critique going on. As you guys have played and toured a ton over the last several years, I'm curious if you share that feeling and I'm also wondering if you could talk about how you approach balancing personal and more socially-conscious lyrics.

Without a doubt, yea. I think there has been somewhat of a de-emphasis on lyrical content the last however many years. I think it's pretty tough to put a finger on exactly why that is but perhaps internet culture has shortened attention spans so much that we just want to "get to the point" so to speak. I'm not sure if those shortened attention spans lead to interest in more thoughtful, perhaps complex, lyrical content. From my perspective, addressing issues from the perspective you mentioned just felt very natural to me. I approached Crusade in an almost concept record sort of way, where I had an idea in mind exactly what I wanted to say. However, songs like "The Streets Only Bring Blank Stares" strayed from that and focused inwards. I originally wasn't going to write in that way but I wanted to just stick to a natural process of writing down what was coming out. A lot of songs from our splits are more personal and then I shifted gears somewhat back to a more social commentary perspective for Cost of Living. None of that was premeditated though, I tried to just approach writing in the most honest way I could.

On a related note, you guys just finished a weekend of shows with The Acacia Strain, a band who in my opinion has some lyrics that are goofy as hell to put it lightly. First of all, how did you guys get hooked up with them and how were the shows? Secondly, when you do a run like that, obviously you will probably turn a lot of new kids onto the band; is part of your hope that you can also introduce them to social and/or political topics they may not have otherwise been exposed to?

Yeah we just did finish those Acacia Strain shows, they were awesome. Vincent, the singer, is a hardcore kid and was the one who pushed for us to do it. I could care less about Acacia Strains lyrical content. They've been a band for 12 years and do what they do, killing it all over the world. This was a great opportunity for us to play to some new people. The great thing about their fans and "metalcore" fans in general is they are, by and large, incredibly open minded. They just want to hear heavy music, period. They don't care about the specific genres. It reminds me of when I was younger. The hardcore scene can be very finicky because you have some of the older guys not giving younger bands the time of day and then you have some of the younger kids being so wrapped up in what is new and cool at the moment. Hopefully we got some people at least a little more interested in hardcore and who knows, they might go and check out other bands.

What's up next for Incendiary? I know you guys seem to be a fan of splits....after your last LP "Crusade" you did a couple; anything coming up that you might be able to clue us in on, "dream" bands that you'd love to share vinyl with?

Up next we have This is Hardcore in Philly which we're all extremely excited to play. Modern Life is War is playing our day and they are one of my favorite hardcore bands ever, should be great. After that we are heading back to the UK to do a short run of shows. The UK is one of my favorite places in the world and the shows were amazing the last time we were there, so I can't wait for that. As far as splits, unless Hatebreed comes knocking, I never want to do another split again. Three is plenty haha.

Lastly, and this is the most important question of the interview, who should we all be thanking for coming up with the idea of inserting that huge "RUUUUUUFF" before the massive mosh that comes towards the end of "Force of Neglect"? (-:

The "RUFFFF" in Force of Neglect was all Karebear. He did it on a random take and we just looked at each other and were like "we're keeping that" haha. Thanks a lot for the interview, Michigan is at the top of our list (seriously) for places to play. Our schedules are as tight as ever but we'll be out there as soon as we can. Thanks so much for the interview!