“Heavy eyes and hopeful hearts.” Yeah, that about sums it up! Exhausted late-night commutes home probably makes the cut, too… See, for the last year or so we have been shutting ourselves inside our windowless, brick-walled rehearsal studio, with nightmarish temperature control, for hundreds of, if not literal,thousands of hours. Well, the end is nigh good friends, and with it approaches our first full length studio album, “The House We Grew Up In.” Creation of this record began immediately following the completion of the “Awake” split EP we released over a year ago with our friends, Blank Page Empire. Actually, I think we started writing before that was even finished, but that’s beside the point. As is our mantra, we took a very different approach during the writing process. After a few directional conversations, and B-squad attempts, the creative consensus eventually found its focus on organic and tangible themes, human-level and purposefully relatable lyrics. Less screaming. More “yelling notes.” Melody over thrash. Heavy on the heart, and less on the gain… not to say we don’t still love slamming shit real hard.
Several months ago, amidst our writing frenzy, our good friend Dennis Mikula (I, Apparatus/Ghost Bath) told us about “Random Awesome’s 2014 Talent Search.” Basically, Josh Schroeder, the dude responsible for The Color Morale, King 810, A Plea for Purging, Battlecross, and Legend, wanted to record something outside the realm of his usual clientele for a week, for free. We sent him some of our older songs, and rough demos. He got back to us pretty quickly just to say he was into our stuff, and we kept in contact over the span of a couple months. Something like 6 weeks ago, we heard back that he had chosen us as the winners. Dope, right?! Yes. Super dope.
Well, we just got back from Bay City, Michigan after recording 4 songs at Random Awesome, and we’re fucking thrilled with the yield. It’s raw. It’s huge. The quiet parts grab you like Vader grabs that nostril-flaring dickhead in episode IV, and when it hits, its like the goddamn Death Star destroying Alderaan. Immediately upon arrival at the studio, the vibe was ripe for creation. The band all had this unspoken understanding that we would not knit-pick, and the imperfections would give it the depth and life that we strive to achieve. Plus, Josh (our Josh) and Tim beat Portal 2, Bay City has a delicious smoothie cafe, and we got to stay at the famed, “Bauer Hotel.” Which is actually the home of Josh’s in-laws, Don and Irene Bauer. Incredible people, filled to the brim with hospitality, and beaming with support for the musician’s they host.
Our current plan is to shoot and release a fucking weird music video as swiftly as we can justify doing so, tie up all the loose ends, and head back to Michigan to finish up the record with Random Awesome. Once we have it in our hands we’re hoping to find a good network of people to work with for the release of it, and hopefully it will be blaring in the whole worlds’ earholes very soon! Fuck yeah! I’ve been running on fumes. Ah hah! That’s more like it!
-Jesse Lynch/Alistair Hennessey/Vocals
If you’re a Progressive Post Hard-Core fan and have never experienced Awake by Alistair Hennessey & Blank Page Empire, you can thank me later. This thing is a magical and complex elixir. You’re gonna want to drink it down but take the time to sip it, slowly. It’ll quench your thirst but spawn a hunger for what’s next. You shouldn’t have to wait long…”The end is nigh, good friends” The end is nigh.
Another perspective on Awake “That was a really awesome video. I actually watched the entire thing. They really know how to build moments.” –Mike Abiuso of The Venetia Fair, SwitchBitch Studios/Records, SwitchBitch Noise Online Magazine.
The Facts
Genre: Progressive Post Hard-Core
HomeTown: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Birth: 2010
Band Name: After a character in The Life Aquatic
Description: “Thousands of miles, dollars, and hours of work later, still reaching for more.”
Influences: “Traveling, existentialism, harsh realities, self actualization, adventure.”
Members:
Jesse Lynch – Vocals
Jake Spolarich – Vocals
Tim Church – Guitar
John Oliver – Guitar
Josh Jaye – Bass
Bradford Schulz – Drums
Recent Incidents: August 18th, 2014 “Tonight we were playing frisbee in a school parking lot next to the Bauer Hotel (the amazing home we’re staying at during our recording process) and a SUV slowed down, and some dude that sounded like Macho Man Randy Savage yelled with sincere conviction “GET A LIFE YOU SACKLESS NERDS!“
Dues Paid: Lots of blood. Real and metaphorical. Sweat? Yeah, sure, that too. You can bet a band known for their love of touring has filled some collective buckets from countless hours of 150% “slamming shit hard” performances. Tears? I don’t know about tears but you can’t make music over any period of time without sacrifice so there have probably been a few of those too. Balancing touring, studio time and personal lives has never been easy. Alistair Hennessey has paid some dues, reaped some rewards in the form of recognition by industry and fans, and loved every minute of it. It’s what they love, who they are. Guess you could say music is in their blood and their blood is in their music. They’ve got a lot more to give so keep their tab open, but it’s cool if you feel compelled to buy these dudes a beer next time you see them play.
Links:
www.facebook.com/IamAlistairHennessey
www.alistairhennessey.bandcamp.com
Article Credit: Mary Meadows Rhoden
