Ours to Alibi

Len IVM:
What is the meaning of the name “Ours to Alibi”?

Ryan Ours to Alibi:
This is a question we get a lot. It has a very personal meaning to us and is something that we don’t talk about that much. If we’re ever in California we’ll have coffee and let you know.

Justin Ours to Alibi:
We just tried to think about cool stuff like blood, skulls, chicks and the color black. Actually, I just lied.

Len IVM:
Any special story associated with the naming?

Ryan & Justin:
Nope

Len IVM:
Give me a brief history of Ours to Alibi.

Ryan:
Corban and I started the band 2 or so years ago on two acoustics and then wrote and recorded 3 songs by ourselves, and that was the start. A year and a half later after going through 13 drummers we found our drummer Matt and then the band slowly started forming after many trials with different members. There were probably 20 different consecutive past members of the band. It’s ridiculous, we know.

Justin:
I don’t even want to speak of it, but no seriously. I love these guys and I’ve only been in the band for 3 months now, but they are my family and closest of friends. I mean, we all live together in a 3 bedroom apartment, if that tells you anything.

Len IVM:
Which state would you love to play in that you haven’t had the chance to?

Ryan:
Washington

Justin:
Probably California or New York, just as long as it’s a small club, we like playing in really small places packed full of sweaty kids. I’m pretty sure Matt and Corban would agree with me on Cali.

Len IVM:
Your fans came out in force and helped for you guys to win the IVM Contest 2006. How do you feel about winning this and having awesome loyal fans?

Ryan:
RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHTEOUS!!!

Justin:
We love our fans, and really appreciate it and everything else they do for us.

Len IVM:
What inspires you guys stylistically?

Ryan:
Everything and anything that involves our lives or happens to us everyday.

Justin:
I think we all just drive each other to get better with our song writing and we definitely feed off each other A LOT. Its so awesome how we can just sit down and start writing a song from out of no where, but overall I think just music in general is what inspires us. Music is our passion not a hobby.

Len IVM:
How is it living together in the same apartment like you said earlier?

Ryan:
Well, it’s a little frustrating at times seeing as how we never get a break from each other but it’s been cool sharing a room with Corban sleeping on the floor.

Justin:
I love it and hate it all at the same time, and it’s actually not all of us. Matt live’s with his parents, but Ryan, Corban, a friend of ours and my wife and I all live together. I love being around all the guys but yet again I have more of an escape since I work 40+ hours a week. So overall. I like it.

Len IVM:
What are your influences as far as bands go?

Ryan:
I don’t think any of the bands I listen to influence me to write the music we write. I think all the bands I listen to just make me want to write music period. I listen to way to many genres’ of music to really have specific influence from just one.

Justin:
I’m with Ryan for the most part. I listen to a lot of stuff, hip hop, metal, pop. If it’s on a cd, ill listen to it, for the most part. I don’t like demos.

Len IVM:
Any that are similar across the board for the whole band?

Ryan & Justin:
Explosions, God Speed, Appleseed cast, Minus the Bear, Pedro the Lion, American Football, Mono, Pelican, Red Sparrowes. There are honestly way too many to list. We listen to a lot of the same music, but also listen to totally different music than each other.

Len IVM:
Where is your faith placed?

Ryan:
We aren’t a Christian band but we want to reach the unreachable.

Justin:
We just like to have a positive image and hope to effect people and make them want to pursue something. Ryan’s dad call’s us missionaries, but he doesn’t mean it in a religious view. He thinks we minister to people and give them hope. We just write music not only for ourselves but to inspire others, like we have been inspired by all the bands we listen to.

Len IVM:
Does this have any effect on the outcome of the bands’ lyrical basis?

Ryan:
We aren’t really a Christian band but we are all Christians. We would hope that what’s in our hearts would come out in all our music regardless if we sing or not. We just want to give kids hope and something to enjoy.

Justin:
Well for the most part Ryan hit it on the dot but most of our new material is instrumental. We have a few songs that have singing but it’s very minimal. I don’t even know what are lyrics are. I don’t ever pay attention to those things. I probably should, but that’s Corban and Ryan’s thing. I just play the music.

Len IVM:
What may be a big reason why you guys may not want to be labeled a “Christian band”? Or do you plead the fifth?

Ryan:
We’ve seen so many Christian bands give that title a bad rep and probably even driven people away from the belief. We would rather like to get to know people on a more personal level, whether it’s a bar or a church.

Justin:
I feel the same way as Ryan does but I also don’t feel like I’m meant to play music to minister to people. That’s just a personal thing though.

Len IVM:
Any Crazy Touring Stories (clean of course)?

Ryan:
I’ll let Justin answer this one seeing as how everything crazy happens to him.

Justin:
Well we are in Savannah recording some stuff with a friend of ours at Hamilton Hall at SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design). Way too many things happened in the course of 3 days. I was offered to have my trailer unloaded for $5, offered a couple different illegal substances, watched some guy drain his bodily fluids on the side of a gas station at 3am, hung out with a homeless dude that gave me a little to much information about his life and ate way to many french fries. Corban also drove the van till it ran out of gas. We do that A LOT. We’ve broke down at least 4 or 5 times in the past few months, cause we forget to watch the gas meter. It’s funny. There are a lot more stories, but that whole weekend was just crazy.

Len IVM:
Do you pay any attention to politics or do you guys tend to stay away from them?

Ryan:
Bush all the way!

Justin:
I voted for Bush. Politics aren’t worth talking about, because it just starts conflict that goes no where. No one will ever win that kind of battle.

Len IVM:
Were any of the guys ever in any pop punk bands? Was this their first band?

Ryan:
Yes! Matt was in an alternative band called “Section 8”, and Corban and I were in a pop punk band called “The Fridays”, and they were our first bands. Good times.

Justin:
I met Ryan because he was in “The Fridays”. All of us have been playing music since we were in middle school. I saw Ryan play a show at youth group camping trip outside in the woods. My first band was called “Big Guns” and it was pop punk. I played drums, and it was awful but a good memory.

Len IVM:
Thank you guys!