Straight Up Random

Interview: His Name Was Iron

INTERVIEW:

How did you guys start the band? Who gave you the most support? Can you tell us why you started the band and how you all met?

Well, we started the band because we wanted to do something fun. We’d all been in other various projects before, some really poppy, others really metal and heavy. We’ve known each other for years, some of us went to high school together and Sean and I decided to get together and write some songs that would be fun to play and perform and that had a heavy aspect to it but at the same time people could dance/party too. We’re really all about having a good time and having fun and it’s worked out pretty well for us so far.

How did you come up with your name?

Iron was Sean’s(singer)grandfathers name. It was a fitting name because he died partying a little too hard. It kinda serves as a reminder not to push it too far..

So you guys signed to Takeover Digital back in March. What impact did that have on the band?

Takeover has been really good to us, they’ve helped out alot with promothion and getting us out there.

What are some bands you would compare your sound to?

Thats kind of a touchy subject. We sound a whole lot like Every Time I Die, we don’t blatantly or deliberately bite their style but we are aware of it and we are always trying to get away from that and still sound like us. Some other huge influences on the band are Pantera, Norma Jean (old and new) and The Bled.

How do you deal with the vocal strains of your music?

Our singer had alien vocal chords transplanted into him at birth so it’s never really an issue. Sean: Its never been a problem really ive always felt it easier to “scream” than to actually sing.

What are your favorite parts about being in a band? Least favorite?

We love playing live, we love recording and practicing we all write well together but it’s the constant issue of communication and just staying on top of everything business wise that brings a damper on things at times. But other then that we all love playing music together and being in this band, three of us live together and we have our own private rehearsal space at the house that we can practice in till all hours of the night so thats also pretty sweet.

So you have a self-titled EP. Is this your debut EP? Tell us more about it.

It is our debut E.P. and we haven’t come up with a fitting title quite yet so it is tentatively self titled. We recorded at two great studios in Jacksonville, we got to work with Steve Miller at Turnaround Entertainment and Sam Rivers (Limp Bizkit) and Chris Flowers at Born Recording studios. We are currently having the record mixed at Audio Hammer studios in Orlando who has handled some really big records in the past. It was our first recording experience as a band and we had a blast doing it and we are all looking forward to how it will come out.

What made you want to play this style of music?

Miller High Life, among other things. It just fit it was something that we thought was the easiest to write and the most fun to play. It just sorta came out that way.

Are you guys writing any new material?

Yes. We are always coming up with new ideas, new songs. We have two new ones that we are going to be demoing out here very soon.

When it comes to writing, is it a collaborative effort, or is it just one individual who writes and then everybody pitches in their ideas?

Ryan and I (Evan) come up with riffs and song structure ideas and present that to the rest of the band and then we usually go from there.

What’s your approach on gaining new fans?

Anything and everything…were out everytime theres a big show in town flyering and just getting the word out, Myspace of course helps alot.

Can you give us one straight up random fact about each band member?

1.Sean saw Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome and Return of the Jedi when it came to theaters, in the 80’s.

2.Shaun has an outrageously outrageous “neck beard”.

3. Ryan is actually a hobbit and can scream like a banchee making love to satan.

4. James has tattooed Sean, Ryan and Evan. But Evan tattooed Shauns balls.

5. During practice one night Evan split his eye open with his own guitar while practicing his moves.

Where can our readers buy your music?

At this time the music is exclusively through Takeover Digital but we’ll soon be getting out there on itunes and other markets.

Any last words for the readers of Straight Up Random?

Yea, hook up your friends with a taste of of our music! Spread the word! Rock!