Interview
with
Texas Is On Fire
Your first full length CD "Shine, Set, Repeat" is out now on Crash Music and
in my opinion is a nice change of pace from a lot of the current Metal-Core
bands. How has the reaction been and how is the state of the band following
what is turning out to be a promising start?
Overall we've gotten a pretty good reaction to the album. It hasn't been out
for very long, so it's nice to see the kids in other cities singing along with
some of the newer songs. As far as the band goes, we had a couple lineup
changes immediately following the recording of the album. We have a new
drummer, Jesse Sopa, and a new guitarist, Adam Little. Both of these guys have
definitely made us a stronger band.
What sets Texas Is On Fire apart from other bands is the guitar work between
you and Chriss Papp. The riffs and overall arrangement are inventive and never
grow boring. How long have you been working together?
Chris and I have actually been working together for the batter part of 5
years. We have been in various other bands together so we really have a feel
for what each other are doing. Chris actually left the band after the
recording of Shine. Set. Repeat. to continue on with his life outside of
music. Our new guitarist Adam and I have been friends for around 7 years so
there's still the same feeling of knowing what each other are doing.
To me you seem to have a distinct Cannibal Corpse feel in some of the music
you write based on the complex dual guitar. Who do you personally and as a
band count as influences in your music?
It's amazing that people compare us to bands like Cannibal Corpse because I
don't think ANY of us have ever even really listened to that band. For us it
was bands like Botch, Soilwork, and The Hope Conspiracy that really influenced
us.
What surprised me the most was how young everyone is. The overall chemistry
and tightness to the music screams of a band with years of recording and
gigging experience under their belts. You definitely don't show your age. How
long have the five of you been together and how long did it take for the band
to gel the way it has?
As a band Texas is on Fire has been around for only about 2 years, but most of
us have played in various other groups together over the years. Even
after all the various lineup changes we've gone through we've never had a
problem gelling the way that we do. Since we all grew up playing together it
just came naturally.
You've shared the stage recently with a number of impressive names within the
genre including but not limited to As I Lay Dying, The Agony Scene and God
Forbid. Is there a show that stands out from the others as a defining moment
in the live experience of Texas Is On Fire?
Even though we've shared the stage with such big name acts, I'd say that the
show that stands out from the others as the defining moment for us live would
have to be the homecoming show that we just played in Denver this month. We
hadn't been in Denver for awhile so we didn't know what to expect, but the
show was insane. It was our first time headlining Rock Island, which is the
big venue out here and we had the funnest time ever playing a show.
You were just recently on tour through parts of the west coast and southern
areas of the states. Who did you hit the road with and how did the tour go?
Any interesting stories to share?
We were actually on the road with our friends Heavy Heavy Low Low. I'm not
sure if you're familiar with those guys, but they are insane. Probably
the funnest group of people to be on the road with. I remember them waking me
up in the middle of the night claiming that they had gotten a stripper and
then their drummer, Chris, walking in completely naked with a wig on.
I just read on your website about some troubles on the road involving
cancelled shows due to some transportation troubles. How has it been
getting through these or other adverse conditions while on tour?
Here's what happens to us every tour...we do awesome the first half of the
tour money wise and then as were driving through the middle of nowhere, our
van breaks down and it costs us thousands to fix. We're not talking little
things going wrong, it's things like transmissions. Its been tough getting
through all the troubles but I don't think that there's anything left that
could go wrong.
What has changed, if anything, within the band since signing on with Crash
Music and has it been a positive experience so far?
Since we've signed with crash we've gone through a couple of lineup changes
which were all for the better of the band. Everything else has pretty much
stayed the same within the band. As far as our experience with crash goes it
hasn't been too bad, we're taking it as a good learning experience.
How long after your self-released EP "Take Your Sex Elsewhere Girl, I'm Trying
To Dance" was out did you start getting label interest?
We were actually really surprised with how fast we were approached by labels
after the release of our EP. The EP came out in February and we were signed to
Crash by April.
Back in '95 I played a metalfest down in Denver with a death metal band I was
in at the time and the scene seemed to have been thriving with bands like
Cephalic Carnage and the like. How is the scene today and is there a lot of
support and local airplay for metal bands?
The Denver scene is a lot different then it used to be. I think it is stronger
then it used to be, meaning that there are better bands coming
out and more people coming to local shows, but there is a definite split
between bands from different genres. There's a distinct "hardcore" scene and a
separate "metalcore" scene or whatever you want to call it. Basically,
if two different types of bands play together you get a bunch of people in
camo pants starting fights with kids in girl pants because they can't dance or
whatever. Its ridiculous.
Your bio states that you were one of the ten most downloaded bands on
www.purevolume.com
but what are your views on downloading and file sharing in general?
It seems to help bands like Texas Is On Fire but do you believe it's helping
or hurting the industry?
I think that the internet is an awesome tool for bands that are just starting
up. Its the easiest way to get noticed and have people hear your music.
It does take away from people buying your records, but for us at least, we
would rather have people listening to us than not.
What are your interests outside of the band?
When were not doing the band were all either hanging out with our amazing
girlfriends or working. The band is pretty much all we do.
What's the next step for Texas Is On Fire as far as aspirations or lofty goals
you'd like to achieve in the future?
We have actually been working on some new material which is turning out great.
As far as upcoming tours we are going to be heading out East Coast in late
March with our good friends Vena Amori from St. Louis.
Anything you'd like to add that people should know about the band or upcoming
events?
If you're in the Colorado area we have a couple big shows coming up in the
next few months. Come out and have a good time with us.
Thanks a lot for taking the time to do the interview. Good luck and I'm sure
we'll be hearing a lot from Texas Is On Fire in the future!
You can check out more Texas Is On Fire at their home
page
www.texasisonfire.com or their myspace page at
www.myspace.com/texasisonfire
Back to the Adrenalin
Homepage
copyright 2006
Adrenalin Fanzine