Check out this interview with the up and coming My Heart to Fear! Also, if you haven’t checked out their new album, “Algorithm”, pick it up in stores or online now.
Brody: What are the biggest challenges in being an up and coming band?
Trevor Pool: Honestly, the only problem with being an up and coming band for us is generally making enough money, other than that we are doing what we love and have no complaints. We just want to be able to live off of it full time!
What bands got you guys into heavy music? Do these bands influence you at all in your writing?
Trevor Pool: I first got into heavy music when I was 10, and the bands that really helped influence that were Linkin Park, Sum41, POD, Journey, and Blindside. None of these bands really influence me to write like them, but they are all fantastic nonetheless!
Explain the recording process for “Algorithm”. How was this different than the several other recordings you guys have put out?
Trevor Pool: Oh man, where do I even start? Carson and Grant at Atrium Audio did an incredible job with how smoothly everything ran. There were two studios, one upstairs and one downstairs. The downstairs studio was Carson working with the instrumental aspect of the music. Once they had drums and rhythm guitar tracked for a song, they would send it upstairs and grant and I would record and tweak the vocals; It was not only a smooth, but hilariously fun time for all of us, not to mention that they let us sleep there the entire month. The several other recordings we put out were fun to record, but we didn’t have a whole lot of time, which made it feel rushed. (despite the good experiences at those other studios)
How would you guys say you have grown and matured (both in writing and personal lives) since your past music was released?
Trevor Pool: In writing Algorithm, we ended up taking 9 months to come up with the finished songs, so I think the long time frame helped us refine the songs to be a lot more well thought out. As for personally, we all have been through quite a bit since the time we released our DIY full length (Into the Maelstrom) and the time we went to record “Algorithm”. The deaths of my best friend and my incredible grandfather (Rest in peace), losing jobs, break ups, losing 6 months worth of shows, almost being murdered on tour, taking a homeless guy on the road with us for 30 days, and more events like these are all things that really changed us as people, and taught us that it’s about so much more than just music.
How do you try to differentiate yourselves in such a crowded genre? With that being said, what makes “Algorithm” stand out?
Trevor Pool: It’s more of a hope than an effort when it comes to differentiating ourselves in this genre. Our goal is to not think metalcore, but to just write what compliments the music, hence why some of the songs take a completely different musical turn in the end (The Sneaking Chair, The Witching Hour pt. II, Bottomed Out) a general “rule”, if you will. We just put as much time, heart, and passion into every single note and word as we can, and if people think it’s original, AWESOME! All we want to do is write music that sounds exactly like what the song is about, so that the lyrics and music can play off of each other which is what I think makes “Algorithm” a roller coaster of completely different emotions and structure; every song has its own sound.
What were a few of the topics you chose to hit on lyrically with “Algorithm”?
Trevor Pool: On this album there were a very wide variety of topics, but what I really tried to convey was a clear message. I not only want people to be able to read the lyrics to our songs and know exactly what they are about, but I also want an articulate and detailed message; not vague, misplaced anger that anyone can apply to any part of life. There are songs that are about anything from demonic witchcraft to the song about the general pointlessness of everything created by humans. I am really excited to see what people take from the lyrics on this album.
If you were to show a newcomer of your band one song ,and one song only, to showcase you guys at your best, which track would it be and why?
Trevor Pool: Definitely 414 days because it has all the progressive elements that represent the sound change for this album, but still packs quite a punch compared to a lot of the other songs
How does a band of such young guys define “success”?
Trevor Pool: Honestly being able to be in a band is a success in and of itself, however we would love to be able to do this full time. We know that there is NO money in the music industry (especially metal) but we feel like we could put all of our effort and time into the band if we didn’t have to work our full time jobs on the side. Also we would love our music to touch as many people as possible. We see ourselves as regular people going through everyday problems like everyone else, and to be able to relate to people on a large scale and tell them what we’ve learned and experienced would be a dream come true.
What do you do to stay rooted in your faith while on the road?
Trevor Pool: Everyday on tour we all have a ‘band meeting’ in which we talk about what we’re going through or what God has laid on our hearts for that day, similar to a devotion but we usually try to help each other grow through scripture and real life experiences rather than a devotional booklet. (not that there is anything wrong with that at all) Also before every show we get together and pray as a unit, to make sure our hearts and attitudes are right before we get on stage.
What books / movies / TV shows have you guys been into lately?
Trevor Pool: Lately I have really been into a book called “Letters To A Skeptic” by Dr. Gregory Boyd. The whole book is comprised of letters that the author sent his father, debating back and forth on some of the most thought provoking topics concerning Theology. The other book I am really delving into right now is called “Kingdom of the Cults” (Updated edition) by Dr. Walter Martin. This book is just a study on world religion and it’s roots. The band is pretty easy to please with movies of any genre (Although you just can’t beat “Tommy Boy”) and when we do watch TV it comes down to Workaholics, King of Queens, South Park, Super jail, and Everybody Loves Raymond.
What bands inspire (This can be sound wise / message / passion) you guys the most?
Trevor Pool: When it comes to inspiration for me, my absolute favorite artists are Brand New, Eric Clapton, Eminem, The Acacia Strain, Dale is really in to hair metal, classic rock and country, Luke is into pretty much anything
IVM user Skreemz86 was wondering if Trevor would possibly share his testimony, particularly how he was saved from witchcraft.
Trevor Pool: I just got tired of everyone using the typical “just look around you to see God” “The flowers the trees, the clouds etc”. I wanted solid tangible proof of God, so I set out to prove his existence. (if demons exist, God does too) I never messed with the real “meat and potatoes” of witchcraft, i.e. I never used a Ouija board, or performed spells etc. But I called out the demons by name, stopped praying in my house, and talked out loud to them. We got hours of audio and video of the demonic activity, and after seeing and hearing that, I stopped “entertaining” them. I don’t encourage it at all. It’s not a game or something to be taken lightly, and it was something that I shouldn’t have done. I was raised in a Christian home, questioned it a lot in high school, then studied theology and apologetics in and after a year of college.
If you could give 3 invaluable pieces of information you guys have learned from being a band and fighting your way to the top, what would they be?
Trevor Pool: Never quit. We used to be the most horrible band you could ever imagine watching, but we knew this is what we were meant to do so even though everyone was telling us we should quit we never did, and we never will. Practice relentlessly. It is imperative to master your craft if it is indeed your ‘calling.’ It’s taken us 8 long years to get where we are and we still have a long way to go, but during those 8 years the one thing that kept our morale up was seeing the progress being made through devoted practicing. Humility. No one is a rockstar. If anyone thinks we are rockstars I encourage them to see the basement I live in! One of the best ways to touch someones life through being in a band is to show them that you don’t think you’re better than them, but rather that you have a message to send and that you honestly care about them, no gimmicks or sales pitches just love.
If you had to come up with a sort of Catch Phrase for the band, what would it be?
Trevor Pool: Family, Faith, Pride, Brotherhood.
What plans do you guys have to finish off the year in terms of videos, tours, etc…?
Trevor Pool: We’re very excited to tour in August with Phinehas, a personal favorite band of mine! After August we plan on touring all of September taking October off to save up more money and then hitting the road again in November & December, those tours are still in progress. As far as videos and other media we will put out as much as possible on the budget that we have. We would love to do at least one more music video if not two before the end of the year.
How do you guys deal with criticism? Do you ignore it or consciously try to make changes? For instance, user MrM would like to know in particular, how you deal with something such as vocals being criticized. This is obviously more difficult to change than something like guitar tone.
Trevor Pool: Music is completely subjective, and art is a reflection of a person’s self, so when dealing with criticism we try to remember that of course not everyone is going to like it. When we write we write what we want our music to sound like and nothing else matters to us, however constructive criticism is always welcomed!
Jordan would like to know what went into deciding upon the synth sound on “Algorithm”. He noticed that a lot of the samples were very staccato sounding and was interested if 8-bit video game music had anything to do with the sound.
Trevor Pool: Actually the program we use for writing (tabit) is 8-bit! When it comes to synths we usually make the final decision of what it should sound like in the studio, however we try to have an idea of what kind of sound we’re looking for in general as we write the music.
Any last words for your followers at IVM?
Trevor Pool: We just posted our new video online “The Witching Hour Pt II, please stop by and check it out. If you haven’t bought a copy of Algorithm yet, it would mean the world to us if you would buy a copy somewhere! Also, if you haven’t liked us yet on facebook please come say hi there. We talk to as many people as we can, we wish we could more, but it becomes difficult with our schedules. Lastly, we just launched a fund raiser to try to make some cash for touring, it’s our own line of coffee. You can see them and buy them on our web page which is www.myhearttofearband.com We love you guys. Without the support of our followers (friends) we wouldn’t be where we are today, and we won’t accomplish what we intend to accomplish in the future without your help either! Thank you all so much for all of your support.