Hi! Could you please each start by introducing yourselves to our readers?
My name is Brandon and I play the guitar and perform most of the lead vocals, but often share the mic with my brother, Ryan, who also sings lead on a few tunes as well as screamo vocals. Ryan also plays keyboards. Michael, our cousin, is our drummer, and Tim, our best friend from down the street, is the bass player. We all grew up in the same small town in Illinois called Saybrook. We started banging (not actually playing) on instruments in Michael’s bed room when we were in grade school. And now here we are!
Tell us about your debut album 'Lost'.
This album was truly an adventure for us. Not only did we write all of the songs, but we recorded and mixed the whole album ourselves. We had worked with other recording studios on prior demos, but nobody could capture the emotion that we wanted to convey through our songs, so we dropped a lot of cash on some very basic recording equipment and did it ourselves. We were all very pleased with the outcome, but getting there was an insane amount of learning and hard work. We knew nothing about recording at the beginning. So, from all angles, this album was a learning experience. Our song writing definitely grew and matured as the project went on. And that maturity has continued to develop and carry over to our new stuff. I think the next album promises to be even better than this one, but “Lost” will always have a special place in our hearts...it’s our beginning and it represents a period of growth for us, both spiritually and musically.
Which of your songs on the album is your favorite and why?
My personal favorite (and I think the other guys will agree) is “Break Out”. This is the last song we wrote for the album, and the culmination of all of our growth. I think it is by far the most emotional song on the record and it is a good example of the direction our music is now headed. Fans though have really embraced TODAY, DREAM and our title track, LOST. (This one in particular has hit home with a lot of young adults.)
Do you write your own songs? If so, what do you enjoy writing songs about the most?
Yes, we write all our own songs. There’s really not one specific theme that I enjoy writing about over others. We want to relate to people on an emotional and spiritual level, and there is so much to write about that affects the human emotions that the playing field is pretty much wide open. We write what we feel and what is relevant to us at the time.
You've released a concept video online for your song 'Lost'. Tell us about this video. Where did the idea come from? What message do you hope to convey through it?
This song is probably the one song that “speaks” to most of our listeners and fans of our music. Much of our audience is teenagers and young college students, and many of them are at a time in their lives where they are unsure and confused. They seem to identify with many of the lyrics in this song and the back beat just drives it for them. We wanted to put together something visually that could provide even more emotion to the listener. By putting imagery to the audio, I think we have deepened the emotional impact of the song, and made it even more relative to a lot more people. The photographs we found for this concept video are amazing. They truly help to convey the message of feeling lost, confused, and unsure where to turn…but finding hope in the midst of hopelessness. The response to the video has been more than we could ever have imagined. We’ve gotten emails from youth pastors, clinical therapists, and tons of organizations that focus their energies on helping kids who are struggling with addictions, loss, emptiness, etc. It’s really been amazing and we hope others will take the time to check it out.
What part of the creative process is your favorite? Writing songs, recording them or performing them live?
Performing live wins by a land slide! Writing and recording songs is like having all the teeth pulled out of your head for us. We tend to be overly critical when writing songs, and even more so when recording them. So we will flip a song over and over, rip it a part, put it back together, and beat it till its bloody before we get what we want. It’s a very stressful process! :-) But the rewarding part is when all that is done and we get to just go play it for people. That’s where the real magic happens.
You're currently independent. Are you looking for a record label or would you like to continue on the independent route?
That’s not something we really concern ourselves with. Our goal is simply to play music for a living, and inspire as many people as possible to live a life with God as the center. Whether that’s with a record label or not, we have to trust that God will lead us to the decision he wants for us. If a label deal comes along, we will certainly consider it. If not, we will continue on as we are. We’ve got a great team behind us, helping us make good sound decisions. What we don’t want to do is get caught trapped in anything that’s not helping us grow in our faith or stands in the way of our personal relationships with God.
Tell us about your faith.
Jesus Christ has been our rock! Our faith is what has gotten us through some really hard times; emotionally, mentally, and physically. Jesus is always there for you to turn too when you feel empty, disappointed, scared, confused and when you feel like everything is hopeless. He’s always a light in the darkness. It’s those life emotions that we want to share with our listeners. People have told us they can relate to us through our experiences, and hopefully, find hope for themselves through Jesus Christ.
What countries do you most hope your career will allow you to visit?
Everywhere and anywhere God leads us!!!! We love to travel and experience new cultures. We also know there’s always an opportunity out there for us to minister through our music. There is no specific place we’d like to go. We’ll go wherever He sends us.
What are some current musicians you admire?
Audio Adrenaline, Staple, Our Lady Peace, Foo Fighters, Cold Play…and personally, I’m into this latest progressive rock movement. (Coheed and Cambria, and The Mars Volta are my favorites.) We tend to listen to a lot of random things from all types of genres, from blue grass, to classical to metal. When you’re on the road like we are for long periods of time you have a lot of time to listen to music. It’s a great time to check out other independent artists too. We’re kind of a strange bunch of guys when it comes to music...well...we’re just kind of a strange bunch of guys… period. :-)
What one achievement is the most important to you in your future career?
We just want our music to be a positive influence on people. We want folks to give our music a try even if they are not typically into our style. We want non-believers to give it a shot and see what we have to say. We want to continue to grow and learn and have opportunities to perform LIVE. And we hope by doing all of this we will draw more attention to Jesus. So I guess that is really our most important goal.
I noticed you had a link to the Red Cross on your website; do you as a band have much involvement with charity organizations?
The amount of support and service the Red Cross provides really just blows us away. Whether it is a weather related emergency, a natural disaster, a global event or anything else these people always show up. No questions asked. That is amazing and we thought maybe by putting a link we’ll raise some awareness (and monies) for this organization. Although we don’t currently have any “official” charitable partnership, we are always ready and willing to support any organization that supports humanitarian efforts both in this country and in others. It’s a big ol beautiful world for us to love…we’ll go where He calls us to go.
What's next for you in the foreseeable future? Are you touring? Are you working on another album?
We are currently working on new material for a new album. The process is taking longer than we expected so what we are planning is the release of a 3-4 song EP this winter, with the full album to be completed by summer, 2006. And yes-yes-yes! We do expect to do a significant number of shows in 2006 as well. We’ve got some great new partnerships developing and hope to be playing at a variety of venues. One really cool thing we plan to do at our shows next year is offer a portable “art show” for up and coming young artists in each city we visit. We are big supporters of art and creative design and believe this talent is a gift from God that deserves recognition and display. Many young adults don’t have opportunities to display their works, so we are going to give them that opportunity. In addition, we’ve created a place on our website where artists can send us their drawings, photographs, designs and we will feature 25 different artists each quarter. It’s all very cool and exciting.
Thanks for your time. Is there anything you'd like to say to the people reading this?
Just that we really appreciate you taking the time to read and learn about us and that you give independent music a chance to be heard. We appreciate the support and encouragement from all of you, more than you can know. We hope to meet you out on the road!
For more info on REALIGN…visit any of the websites below…
www.realignband.com
www.myspace.com/realign
www.sonicbids.com/realign
To purchase a copy of LOST, visit…
www.cdbaby.com
www.indieheaven.com/artists/realign
