Meet lead vocalist, Ryan Hayes of Righteous Vendetta.
How long have you guys been playing together and how did you meet?
Righteous Vendetta met and started in November of 2008 at Northwest College in Powell, Wyoming. Zach, Ryan, Alex and Justin all had an interest in music and teamed with their piano professor Tim Schoessler to start the original line-up of RV. Since the band has undergone four members changes and played over 130 shows.
What are some bands that have influenced your sound?
Killswitch Engage, August Burns Red, Circle of Contempt, Sky Eats Airplane, As I Lay Dying, Unearth.
How big is the Wyoming scene?
HAHAHA, The Wyoming scene… You are funny… Where we live in Cody, WY there is NO SUCH THING as a scene. We have loads of kids come to shows but they are not “scene;” rather, just kids that are bored and have nothing to do. As you get more south the scene gets better but still nothing compared to other states! That is the hardest part about where we are located, we have to travel a long way to get to places that have scenes or places to start tours.
What kind of feedback are you getting from The Dawning?
The feedback from The Dawning is awesome! We have not heard one negative or bad thing yet! People have been really supportive in buying it and letting us know how much they enjoy the record!
What kind of touring plans do you guys have to promote The Dawning?
I am literally typing the answers to this question while on the road for our first Dawning support tour. We are doing eleven days right now and are planning on heading out with Strike First Records Hope for the Dying October 20th for twenty days! We have also talked with BTA about heading out in March with them.
Who have you guys shared the stage with and whom would you like to tour with?
We have shared the stage with A LOT of bands, but some of the more known acts are: Parkway Drive, War of Ages, Converge, Becoming the Archetype, we also played The Deep End Stage @ Ichthus Festival and had the opportunity to play the same stage as For Today, A Plea for Purging, The Showdown, The Devil Wears Prada, and more. We were also fortunate to be out on a two week tour with our good friends Spoken!
What do you guys do outside when you aren’t playing?
It is different for all of us. Personally I am always booking while holding a part time job at a movie theatre, luckily I have the best boss ever who lets me take months off at a time and come back and go to work. The other guys hold part time jobs and work to make some cash for the upcoming tours. Lots of practicing and lots of writing.
If there is one thing you guys would like your fans to know, what would it be?
WE WOULD BE NOTHING WITHOUT YOU!!! We love all you guys, we are just people and love talking to all of you so message us, comment, whatever, we ALWAYS respond!