Bleeding Through
Would you like some metal with your hardcore?by Thrash-head
Every now and then, something just gets handed to you. You really wouldlike it, but when you get it you are so unprepared it’s ridiculous.There I was at Forest hills Lodge in Machesney Park, IL waiting forBleeding Through to take the stage. I had bought their album, “This isLove, This is Murderous” on the day it came out and very quickly itbecame my favorite CD of 2003. To see them in my own hometown is just asurreal experience, and so I was totally unprepared for what my editorhad for me.
“Hey, I’ve been talking to the singer for about 5 minutes, and I toldhim you want to interview him.”
“You told him wha?” came my dumbfounded reply.
Next thing I know, I’m watching them kick serious ass on stageperforming tunes spanning all 3 of their releases, and then I’m sittingin the back of the bus talking to Brandon Schieppati, the band’s leadvocalist, getting some really intelligent (how often can you say thatabout a guy who thrives on a steady diet of 140 decibels) answers to myinterview question... in between trying to get my tape recorder withever-dying batteries to actually get what it is he’s saying.
Ain’t life grand? (Especially when ye olde editor hands you a primeassignment on a plate... Ye olde Mality)
WC: First off, you guys have been working seriously hard and are finally starting to get some seriously good press and get the good tours. Do you feel that things are finally starting to come around for you?
BS: I definitely think things are starting to come around. Even thoughwe’ve been a band for about three years and we’ve been a band since 2001 or 2000 actually, a lot of people still think that we’re a brand-newband but we have two records before this. I think we’re starting tobreak into the more mass media and a lot more people are getting theopportunity to see us, ‘cause we’re still pretty much a new band tothem. We’ll see how this next year goes, ‘cause our record’s been outfor a year and we’re gonna give it two years and just see where it’s atbefore we release another one. We’ll see if it gets to the point wethink it should be. Hopefully this’ll give us a 2nd wind or 3rd wind.
WC: Have you guys been working out ideas and writing new songs yet?
BS: We always jam out. Brian, Scott, and Myself will just grab a guitarhere and there and just play. I think we have a good understanding, good grasp, good concept of what we want the next record to be like. We’reall on the same page right now. When we go home in October we’reactually going to piece together a new song ‘cause we haven’t actuallywritten since the album came out I mean it’s been two years since we’vewritten, so we’re really eager to get into the studio right now and wewant to keep pushing it on the road and do our touring, but we reallywanna write so bad. Even though our record is new to people, it’s old to us, and we’re just sick of playing it. We’re getting some new stufftogether and we’ll hopefully get some stuff written in October.
WC: Have you given any thought to who will produce the next disc?
BS: There’s been talk of Joey Jordison from Slipknot doing our record.We’ve also talked about doing it with Adam D from Killswitch Engage. But Ulrich Wild, the guy that did our last record, for the budget that hedid it with, did an incredible job and with this next record we’ll havea little bit bigger budget and he’ll grasp what we’re all about andreally bring everything out from inside. There’s a few possibilities,just being thrown out there, nothing set-in-stone.
WC: As far as touring goes, right now you’re on Ozzfest, that’s prettyhigh profile. You’ve done tours with Chimaira. Have you been offered any other high-profile ones yet?
BS: Um, we got offered the Lamb of God, Fear Factory, Bodom tour.Throwdown’s doing it, but we got offered the 4th spot on it. We couldn’t because we were supposed to go on tour with Atreyu but that gotcanceled, so then we got offered the Headbanger’s Ball tour which isMudvayne and Cradle of Filth. They are struggling to get the first twospots and we couldn’t do that because it conflicted with a Europeantour. There’s been talk of Slipknot taking us out which would beincredible. We’ll see what gets offered because we want to write inJanuary and February as we don’t want to travel during the cold season.
WC: Ok, you just mentioned Atreyu. I seem to be seeing a lot of bandsfrom the Orange County area coming out. How strong of a scene is that?
BS: I can’t even begin to tell you how big it is there. It’s somethingthat like about 5 years ago, there was bands like... I was in EighteenVisions, I was in Throwdown, but that was it. It was kinda the darkerera of the O.C., and Throwdown really brought it back; gave the kidssomething to get into. Then that just built into all these bands justcoming out. Bleeding Through started as four of us having a sideproject, just hanging out with our friends and jammin’. We startedplaying and the kids just got right behind us and started pushing usright away. Since our 5th show, it’s been sold out every time we play.The scene there is so big, ‘cause of all the bands. There’s AvengedSevenfold, Atreyu, Eighteen Visions, Throwdown, us, Thrice. All thosebands come from there and we really support each other so strongly andit’s all really close. It’s not just three types of kids, not just metal,hardcore, and punk kids that get into it and go to all the shows, I seefootball players [tape cut out right about here - Thrash-head]. I rarely see a show in that area not sell out anymore. When we play there we have to play places that are like 1300 seaters and they sell out. It reallymakes me proud to be from there.
WC: There seems to be a kind of East Coast/West Coast hardcore battlegoing on... any insight?
BS: I don’t feel it and I don’t really see it. We’re good friends with a lot of bands on the East Coast and I don’t really see a rivalry. I think hardcore and metal is past that time. I think if everyone wants thingsto be better for each other we’re going to need to have each other’sbacks a lot more.
WC: Getting back to the O.C. scene a bit, I’m noticing these other bands come out. Is there something there like where boys and girls just gettogether and just jam out? Because I just notice that everything I seefrom there is really professional, seriously musical...
BS: I just think that the scene is on such a higher scale.Unfortunately, it’s a bad thing that we don’t get shows like this[interview was conducted after their show at Forest Hills Lodge inRockford, IL; link for the review of that show is at the bottom of this page] where it’s in like a regent hall. Everything is with clubs and club owners, and everything just forces you to be reallyprofessional because you’re on this crazy stage where everything else is so professional. It’s all about how you portray yourself and I thinkthat’s something that right from the beginning dictated what we wantedto be like. Our stage show and everything about how we carry ourselvesis as a real band. If you portray yourself as a real band then kids WILL get behind you.
WC: As far as your own sound goes, a lot of bands from the O.C. tend tohave a similar style. One thing I’ve noticed that sets you guys apart is Marta [keyboard player].
BS: It came about because we started out and we didn’t have a keyboardplayer, Marta just came by and it just worked, like ‘wow, this works,this is something different and it works!’ When we first started to play the more metal style and bring it into the hardcore scene, it gave ussomething that was original. It wasn’t something that was in a lot ofbands; it was more of a traditional metal sound. When we startedplaying, a lot of people came to embrace that and it’s kinda overtakenthe style of Orange County. Orange County’s just kinda getting known for a bit more of a traditional metal style in with their hardcore. It’skinda cool.
WC: As far as playing here tonight, this was a show in Rockford, IL... nota very nationally recognized tour stop. You mentioned earlier thatyou’ll play anywhere, is that just sorta the mentality?
BS: It’s just like... we wouldn’t be where we are without people fromsmaller towns, like outside of the [WHACK! As he hits my dying taperecorder to get it working again. - Thrash-head]
WC: (laughs)
BS: It’s just something we embrace and we know that we wouldn’t be herewithout them, so we always try to come to these places where people buyour records and are really hungry for some real music. We don’t want toseparate anything; we wanna play for everybody. These kids shouldn’thave to drive 80 miles into the city, we’d rather come to them. We’re aband for the people because without the people we are nothing.
WC: Any last words for your fanbase?
BS: Keep on coming out to the shows. Keep on telling people about whatwe have going on. These shows kinda saved my life and look at what itdoes for all these other kids. I mean, I was just a kid in the crowd,and wanted to start a band. Once you have your scene behind you, it’lltake off, and it can happen anywhere.
Photography courtesy of Sgt. Deth
Bleeding Through's Website
Our Bleeding Through Concert Review Here
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