FATA Return! – interview ©

This was one of my earliest interviews, a small 5 minuter with the guitarist of the band, its not amazing but Im kinda proud what I got out of him considering hes quite shy!

Up until last year, US rock band From Autumn to Ashes had been very quiet.

This may have been because of the departure of their vocalist, Benjamin Perri. However luck was on the band’s side as drummer Jeff Gretz stepped up to front the group shortly after 2007’s album Holding a Wolf by the Ears was released.

Since, the band has been growing from strength to strength, touring the world. Bandidge speaks to FATA’s Brian Deneeve (guitar and vocals) on gigging and …erm… tampons.
                       
How’s the tour going so far?
    “Yeah it’s been great. We’ve another four days in the UK then (pauses) there’s like eight German dates, Czech Republic – all kinds of places. It’s going to be great.”

What’s your best gig over the years been?
    “Actually just this past summer. There’s this festival in Germany, Highfield festival; it was the most ridiculous show ever! It was awesome. There was like a riot when we were playing, it was pretty cool. I’d say in recent memory that’s it.”

And worst?
    “Oh, there’s been a lot! A lot of ‘worst’. Well, (pauses) I can’t really think of a worst…”

No one ever thrown something at you?
    “Oh someone threw a tampon at me.”

What?!
    “Well I don’t know if it was directed at me but it just ended up on the stage and I just remember no-one wanted to touch it. So it just kinda stayed up there the whole set, as a reminder. I don’t know what was going on, but it was disgusting, absolutely atrocious.”

What about weird fan requests?
    “I’ve had people ask for my socks and, you know, things that I’m not gunna get into. Yes, fan requests can be weird!”

There’s a slight change of sound with the new album. Has that attracted new fans?
    “I think maybe some older people. Not older older people, but older than we’re used to. I hate to say it’s a more mature record because that’s what everyone says but I think it’s maybe just a little more to the point and kinda more what we always wanted to do.
    “I guess I dunno if it’s new older kids but maybe kids that were young when the first record came out and I feel some of them [the older fans] might have come back. The thing is that a lot of kids that are 16 or so now that are coming to see us were literally 9 years old when the first came out, so maybe it was their older brothers or sisters that were into it. Maybe those kids have come back too, which is cool.”

Last year your drummer became the vocalist. How did that have an impact on the band and your fans?
    “I don’t think it’s changed as much as you’d think. Jeff (vocals) did a lot of singing and whatnot on the previous record anyway so I don’t really think that it was too drastic of a change to be honest. Especially because when people found out that he was going to be singing before they heard the record. I think maybe people thought that the songs weren’t going to be as heavy, and I think that most of the songs off the new record are heavier than prior ones, so to me I don’t really think it was that big a shock.”

So it was easy for the new drummer to fit in with the rest of the band?
    “Yeah, it wasn’t that weird at all really.”

What’s next for From Autumn to Ashes?
    “After we’ve finished touring here we’re going to Australia to do a festival tour with Incubus and a bunch of really big bands, and then we got to Brazil for the first time. I really don’t know what to expect! Between Australia and Brazil we have about 3 weeks off; we’ve started writing for the new record, so we’re gunna use that time writing. Hopefully we’ll try record that record by June or so. Then hopefully tour over the summer.

Any names for your album yet?
    “No. We have two songs that are half done so we’re nowhere near that end of it! Hopefully we can – without rushing it but pushing ourselves – to get it out by the end of summer or September.”

Holding a Wolf by the Ears is available now.

this interview is my property, and is copyrighted ©