Visions [Interview]
Tech-metal fans have nine tracks of auditory win to look forward to come the end of this May, in the form of Visions’ sophomore effort, Shake The Earth. With that ear-watering fact in mind, I got talking to Visions bass-wrangler Dave Evans about all things Shake The Earth-related – and why not giving a fuck is the best policy…
Your new album Shake The Earth is coming out on May 30. What thoughts and feelings are going through your mind right now?
Excitement! It’s been so long since we’ve had new music out.
Our first album came out in 2011, but some of those songs were written way back in 2006, so this feels similar in the sense that we’ve been sitting on some of this material for so long without people hearing it.
But this release is different in the sense of how different it is compared to our previous releases, and I’m really looking forward to seeing how people receive it. So far, it’s been great.
What’s your earliest music-related memory?
I think the first CD I ever listened to by myself was some shitty NOW THAT’S WHAT I CALL MUSIC compilation with the Fugees and Puff Daddy on it when I was around 7 or 8.
I think I got into mainly rock/metal when I was around 10 or 11, mainly because of wrestling, embarrassingly.
How did Visions come to be? What’s your origin story?
Our old guitarist and drummer, Dan and Joe, were in another band back when they were teenagers, and ended up forming what became Visions in 2006-ish.
They’re from the same town as Jake, and got him on guitar, and I ended up messaging them on Myspace back in 2008 because they were looking for a bass player, and that’s when we formed properly.
Just writing this makes me feel old!
What was your creative process while writing and recording Shake The Earth?
From the outset, we wanted to write something different from our previous material, whilst still having elements of our original sound. We all have so many different influences, we didn’t want to just keep releasing similar sort of stuff.
I know every band says this, but I don’t think many actually do it – especially in metal. Thrice were probably our biggest collective influence for this album, especially in regards to how well they re-invent themselves.
We also really wanted to play on our early influences from when we first started getting into music and learning our instruments. There’re a lot of early 2000s rock/metal motifs in there.
Recording-wise, we wanted to do it the traditional way of going to a studio for two weeks and bashing everything out.
I completely get why a lot of small bands like us can’t do this and end up programming drums, re-amping, etc. We did it for our first album, but nothing beats going to a studio and just getting to solely focus on the music and your performance.
How did you evolve, as musicians and as people, over the course of creating Shake The Earth?
I think maturity, in regards to writing and playing, comes to mind.
Our old material was written without playing it live in mind; a lot of it was impractical and not particularly tasteful, especially on my behalf!
Obviously we all still love technical music when it’s done well, but the actual song has to come before that, and that’s something we really tried to focus on.
What keeps you motivated?
Personally, just writing music I’m proud of. I like playing live, but recording and being part of the creative process is my favourite part of being in a band.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received about pursuing a career in music?
Focus on what makes you happy, and fuck everyone else, that’s really the most important thing.
Too many people focus on what other people will think and are just trying to please others before themselves, and I honestly don’t think that’s a good thing for anyone in the long run.
Play what you enjoy and want to hear, and other like-minded people will hear it.
Beyond May 30, what do you have planned for the rest of 2016?
We’ve got a few things up our sleeve, and in the planning stages, but nothing we can announce yet, unfortunately. Stay tuned!
If you enjoyed this interview, then read more about Shake The Earth via my review here; visit Visions on Facebook and Twitter; and follow TMMP via Twitter and my brand new Facebook page for more from the world of world-class music.
If you’re a regular reader, thanks for the support! Don’t stop, and keep going!