Interviews

Check out this really cool interview I recently did with Shane Ochsner of Hands and Everything in Slow Motion. We cover everything from the Hands catalog to EISM, Music, and everything in between. Check out both Hands and EISM at Facedown Fest this May.

So yesterday I interviewed Tony Luktish of the death metal band As They Sleep. We talked about his injury, the new ATS album, some of the local acts of Detroit, and some old band’s of his. I hope you enjoy! How are ya man? I’m doing pretty good still recovering from my Heel injury. All in all pretty good considering. Yeah you mentioned that, what did you do there? I work for a transport company that moves Cars and Trucks for Ford Motor Co. around the Country.… Continued →

The music of Slow Bullet is vibrant yet vulnerable, revealing but masked, gently melodic and loud. Sam DeBurgh explains how his music can be totally contradictory and incredibly unique. Dave Hawkins: Thanks for coming for a talk Sam. Sam DeBurgh: Yeah. Thanks for having me. Dave: The name Slow Bullet is new label for you, since you used to go by Spider Mansion. It’s sort of like you moved from Halloween to The Matrix. Sam: Yes, indeed! You’re not wrong. Dave: Why the switch? Sam: I started Spider Mansion when I was 17 years old and now, putting out my first LP on a label, there was a need for a restart, a rebranding, if you want to call it that.… Continued →

This is Part 3 of the “Seth Hecox interviews Jason Wisdom” interview series. *Links to Parts 1 and Deux at the end of the interview.   Seth Jason, you’ve done a great job of telling us about your new project and album in the first 2 parts of our interview. Now we begin Part 3, for the wonderful online community at indievisionmusic and I’ve collected a few questions from members of that community and I’ll start off with one of their questions: Scott asks “I would like to know how he got into heavy Christian music.… Continued →

Read this interview with Joshua Ashworth of Society's Finest

Read this interview with Dave Blackmore of the Symphonic Death Metal band, Death Requisite

Chris Jackson is known for writing songs for Cheryl Cole, Tank, Toni Braxton, and B. Smyth. During our chat, Chris reveals his own recording talents on his just released album, No Chaser. Dave Hawkins: It’s great to have you here for a talk Chris. Chris Jackson: Great to be here man. Thank you for having me. Dave: When we were setting up this interview, you told that you were in Los Angeles and wanted to wait until you were back in New York City for our talk.… Continued →

Leanor Ortega Till (aka Jeff the Girl, mother of children, breaker of saxophones), joined Dave Hawkins and Indie Vision Music for a talk about how she joined forces with other  Five Iron Frenzy members to create the new synth pop band, The Fast Feeling. Dave Hawkins: It’s wonderful to have Leanor Ortega Till here with Indie Vision Music. Thanks for squeezing out some time for us Leanor. Leanor Ortega Till: Yeah, it’s great to meet with you. Dave: I’ve spoken with you a number a times about your role in Five Iron Frenzy.… Continued →

Matt Smith, front man of Theocracy, met with me recently for a talk about the band’s history, the acceptance of progressive power metal in North America, being a misfit, and about their outstanding new release, Ghost Ship. Dave: Indie Mission Music is joined by Theocracy frontman Matt Smith. Great to have you here, Matt. Matt: Thank you so much, Dave. It’s good to be here. Dave: Could you share about the roots of Theocracy? I’d like to hear about how you chose the band name.… Continued →

Joshua Powell, of Joshua Powell & The Great Train Robbery, was kind enough to talk with me over email about his music last year. Our discussion covers his take on the current state of the American folk scene, the difficulty navigating between the business and artistic aspects of being a professional musician, and his personal creative songwriting process on his third album Aylosha. IVM: Alyosha is your third album, following up 2013’s Man Is Born For Trouble, and I can hear the two-year gap.… Continued →

An interview with Canadian musician Lauren Mann about her new album Dearestly.

Awhile back, I was able to interview, via Instagram private messaging, with Alan Sears of the deathcore band, Mortal Treason. We talk about the Mortal Treason Hiatus, Issues with the band’s former label, and ZAO References. Those first two specifically. I saved this interview specifically for the IVM Rebirth! Check it out!!! Who am I speaking to? Alan Sears: What’s up guys, This is Alan Sears. I played bass on the first album and played guitar during the reunion. What is your discography? You were only on A Call to the Martyrs correct?… Continued →

Recently, I got the chance to chat via email with Stephen Cobucci of the stand-out metalcore act, Wolves at the Gate. We got to talk songwriting, faith, and Thrice – 3 of my favorite topics. Check out the conversation below and don’t forget to pick up WatG’s newest album, “Reprise” wherever digital music is sold. What’s the typical writing process for Wolves at the Gate? Was it the same for “Reprise” as for a full fledged album? Stephen Cobucci: Typically our songs begin when I present a song idea to the band and then it goes through a sort of filtration process by each member in their own way.… Continued →

Chances are you might not have heard of Come and Rest. The metalcore group out of Atlanta, GA, recently released a new EP called Blacklist. This stuff is hard-hitting with dark melodies and a tone to match. Frontman Noel Alejandro was kind enough to chat with me over the phone to discuss the thought process behind their second independent release. Discover more about Come and Rest by checking out their Youtube page and enjoy the interview below. IVM: This is Vince and I’m so glad to be joined today by Come & Rest.… Continued →

I recently got the chance to interview Stephen Keech of the legendary metalcore act, Haste the Day.

Bill Mallonee was gracious enough to spend a little time with us recently and talk about his new record, 'Lands and Peoples.'

New email interview with Eric Gregson of xDeathstarx. We talk about the breakup, the new single, Facedown Fest, & the future!

Check out a conversation with Daniel McCartney (Gideon) about his booking company The Action Agency!

IVM catches up with Chris "Manafest" Greenwood about his new album, battle rapping against Michael Jackson, how "Diamonds" was influenced by Brian "Head" Welch, working with Invisible Creature, and much more.

Here is an e-mail interview between Dawn Michele, vocalist of Grammy-nominated rock band Fireflight, and Ian Zandi. However, most of these questions are actually adapted from our very own Brandon Jones. Be sure to check out their new independent album INNOVA when it drops on 5/5/15. The current single "Resuscitate" is Fireflight's eighth #1 hit.

Hello my friends, it’s been a while, but I’ve got another sweet interview for you to enjoy. Recently I attended the City Rock Fest Tour, featuring Disciple, Decyfer Down, Nine Lashes, and Seventh Day Slumber, when it made a stop in Minot, North Dakota. I didn’t have a chance to plan an interview in advance, but I figured I’d bring my iPod and mini microphone and see if any of the groups would be willing to chat for a few minutes. Disciple was glad to oblige (the other groups were too, it just never materialized), and amongst the talk of the tour and their album Attack, they informed me of an upcoming release fans will be happy to hear about.… Continued →

An interview with The Hawk In Paris' Dan Haseltine and Ian Zandi. Topics include their new single "Frozen Heart", finding inspiration, and why the band won't tour.

The 2nd part of an interview between Tim Skipper, Stephanie Skipper, and Ian Zandi. This segment focuses on the House of Heroes project.

Here is the first part of an interview done between Ian Zandi and Copperlily. The 2nd part will include House of Heroes.

An IVM exclusive interview with post-hardcore band Naturalist. Conversation topics include their intriguing cover art, the new album direction, and staring at people just to creep them out.

This is a transcript of a phone interview I had over digital coffee today with CCM singer-songwriter Ellie Holcomb. The 30 minute conversation includes topics such as her album As Sure as the Sun, her involvement with Drew Holcomb & the Neighbors, potential collaboration with Jon Foreman, touring plans, a relatively-unknown side project, and her thoughts on streaming services.

A phone interview of Aaron Gillespie conducted by Ian Zandi for IVM on 1.27.15. Topics include his new worship album, touring plans, his time with Paramore, Breaking Bad, streaming music, and vinyl purchases.

Check out IVM's interview with Dave and Licia Radford of The Gray Havens

Sonshine Festival was a huge success, as far as getting to see some amazing groups perform and being able to interview a few bands. Honestly, the crowd was down from a year ago. One of the groups kind enough to chat with me was Those Who Fear, a hardcore outfit on Facedown Records. They were a long way from their hometown of Pittsburgh, PA, and it showed a little bit in our short interview. I think they must have been driving all night, because they seemed a little tired.… Continued →

I was lucky enough to talk with Bill Mallonee about his upcoming album Winnowing and the intersection between faith and art; much of it was off the record, but here are a few of his words to shed light on the album and his approach to songwriting.