-Interview- The Rift (6/9/13)

The Rift
www.facebook.com/theriftmusic
From: Los Angeles, CA
Sounds like: Rock


http://www.facebook.com/theriftmusic


1. How did the band come together and form? Who thought of the name “The Rift” and is there any meaning behind it?

The band came together originally by me and my brother John forming it in high school. We struggled for a few years developing our sound and finding other good players until I met my friend Tyler Holsclaw. He and I just started jamming all the time then I asked him to join the band and he introduced me to Matt and Tesh. The chemistry between all of us was immediate and we have been making leaps and bounds with our music ever since. I came up with the name and I thought it just really fit what we do. It doesn't force us to be any one genre and it has a great ring to it.


2. What do you want listeners to take away from your music?

We want all of our fans and new listeners to really connect with the music, just as much as we all do in the band.


3. How would you describe your music to the average listener?

I would say that we are an alternative rock band something along the lines of 30 Seconds To Mars mixed with Linkin Park and more guitar driven.


4. What can people expect from your live show?

A gaggle of sweaty dudes… no seriously speaking we put in a ton of energy to our live shows and really care about how we sound live. We also wear these LED lights on our fingers that look cool in the dark. And in general we love to perform and meet every fan that comes out to see us.


5. Who are three bands you’d like to tour with?

We’d like to tour with Story Of The Year, Coheed and Cambria, and Affiance.


6. Any crazy show stories?

We have a lot of crazy show stories but one recent one was when we played at the USC pregame football party. There were so many people walking by and listening to us that it was a crazy experience just playing. After we played it got crazier because we had to tear down our equipment. At the LA Coliseum there is only one road that goes in an out of the stadium so when we were packing up our gear our drummer nearly got run over while he was carrying his drums to the car.


7. What’s your take on the current state of rock?

Current state of rock well there is a lot of great music out there especially online you can find tons of great independent bands. But the problem is there is so much online that it’s super saturated. This means that good independent bands have a hard time getting anyone to find there music. Bands that are signed or having success are the ones sticking to the small niche where rock is surviving. New bands that are sounding like successful bands are doing well. But we are trying to do something a bit different. Were not trying to be one genre or sound like any one band, we all have a wide array of influences and styles that we like. So when any one of us comes up with a song or a cool riff it doesn't matter what style it is, as long as its something we believe in we know it will come out good. We also think were doing alright because of how important live shows have become, and how we make a real effort to knock each show out of the park.


8. What’s the current music scene like there in California both locally and state wide?

Locally music scene is pretty small in the suburbs. In LA it’s very saturated and there are a lot of really shady promoters who don’t care about new artists, or promoting their shows for that matter. Many clubs in LA don’t care about new bands and actually charge them to play at their venue. We have been somewhat luck of late to meet a few good promoters they have high expectations but they deliver.


9. What’s your take on legal/illegal music downloading?

We think its good and bad. For new artists it can be good exposure to have a track be spread across the internet quickly. But it takes away the value of music financially and as a new artist that is frustrating. I’m sure that it hurts big artists as well, but not nearly as much as new artists. Illegal downloading isn't going anywhere soon and there are a lot of good things about it, but I think it has also been one of if not the sole reason why the music industry has been in ruins for that last decade or so.


10. What’s next for The Rift?

We’re going to be recording soon, and keep trying to get known any way that we can.


11. Any shoutouts?

Chuck our producer, T-Roy a promoter of ours, Rigo and Tony for being great buds and fans, and our local band buddies Vengeance For The Fallen.