Formed in 2018 and hailing from Detroit, Michigan, Empire Thirteen brings nothing but high energy Hard Rock music. Their sound has been compared to the likes of Sevendust and Breaking Benjamin, and have been referred to as "Hook Machines". Their melodic and catchy guitar riffs mixed with a booming rhythm section will force you to bang your head and move your feet. Toss in some thought provoking lyrics and vocals that match, and you get the perfect recipe for rock! With a very distinct sound that separates them from the rest, Empire Thirteen can proudly stake their claim as "Music's best kept secret!".
E13 Is:
Matt Cox - Vocals
Brian Johnson - Guitar
Romie Burford - Drums
Aaron Walker - Bass
-Interview- (11/15/23)
1. How did you get started with music and how did you develop your sound? Who thought of the name "Empire Thirteen" and is there any meaning behind it?
Brian, Romie, and I (Matt) has been in bands for a while before Empire Thirteen was created. We brought Aaron in after our original bassist left in 2018. I think our sound developed over time with a mutual hate for what the local sound was. Hate is a strong word so I guess I mean "general disdain" for the local sound. Everything just sounded bland and we wanted to stand out. Nobody seems to do straight forward rock anymore. We wanted to do it and do it right. Mission accomplished. As far as the name goes, it's pretty simple. The drummer, Romie, was playing around with a Roman empire theme and after awhile he landed on Empire Thirteen. We just ran with it. And it works nicely being from Detroit. E13 meets 313.
2. What do you want people to take away from your music?
Enjoyment. We want people to leave a show or finish a song with a smile. Music is supposed to envike emotion. We aim to make that emotion happy.
3. How would you describe your sound to the average listener?
Straight up hard rock. Not everything has to be metal core, or hard core, or whatever core. Hard Rock is not dead. We aim to keep it alive as best we can.
4. Who are three bands you’d like to tour with?
For me personally (Matt) I'd say Mudvayne, Sevendust, and Breaking Benjamin.
5. How has Covid affected what you do?
We took a year break pretty much. It almost derailed us but thankfully we are still here doing our thing.
6. What’s your take on the current state of Pop Punk?
It's good! It could be better but when you see bands like Staind, Creed, 3 Doors down, Flaw, Ra, Sevendust, etc all touring anniversary albums and selling places out, that tells me things are well.
7. What's the current music scene like there in Michigan?
A lot of talented bands out there. Not as many venues as there used to be which makes us sad. A ton of pay to play promoters too. I personally think that's what's killing the locals and venues. That's a whole other conversation though.
8. What’s your take on the royalties that streaming services pay out to artists?
It sucks. Not much to elaborate on.
9. What's next for Empire Thirteen?
2024 is gonna be a good year. We plan on recording another EP, hopefully hop on some cool shows. We have some goals we have set as a band and we plan on hitting all of them.
10. Any shoutouts?
Shout out to everyone who has bought a piece of merch, liked or shared a post, bought a ticket, etc. The people that support this little engine that could mean the world to us.
