
Vocalit/guitarist Shawn Gough took time out to chat to Est.1987 about the band's sound, career highlights and what 2013 has in store for them!
You
initially formed back in 2009; how has the band and your sound changed
and developed from then to now?
The band changed members since
2009. The only original members still in
the band are Greg and myself .
The final line up was solidified in 2011, and our sound definitely
matured at that point. In the early
days, we were a pop punk band (emphasis on the “pop” haha). Since we finalized our line-up, we have
changed into a modern rock band that uses vintage tones to convey a more
mainstream, edgy sound. I enjoy where we
have taken the music, and in our recent writing, we have begun to use more
bluesy-rock influences.
You
guys have been tipped to be the next Panic! At The Disco or The Hush Sound. Which bands do you look up to and
which have influenced your sound?
As a band, we have very different
musical tastes and interests, so it’s hard to speak for the whole group. To name a few artists that come up a lot in
conversation between us: Switchfoot, Foo
Fighters, Needtobreathe, Maroon 5, My Chemical Romance, Taking Back Sunday
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Streetside Vinyl |
The music scene has definitely
taught us a lot about perseverance and the business side of the industry. You have to really want it and devote every
inch of your efforts to it in order to really make things happen. It has been awesome being able to perform at California venues such
as Chain Reaction, Whiskey-a-go-go, and Joshuafest. We have met a wide variety of people and have
thoroughly enjoyed the friendships we have gained. The people are really what inspired us to
form this band. We want to create a
sense of unity and understanding between our fans both on and off stage. We are a bunch of Christian guys, and we hope
to share that with the people we meet, even if it’s just through an honest song
about life.
And
the name? Why “Streetside Vinyl”?
Our original guitar player came up
with it, and we thought it sounded cool. It kinda just stuck from there.
You
recorded and released your debut album, “If There’s A Hope”, last year;
how was that experience of writing and recoding it?
We wrote that album over a period of
about six months. During those six
months, we grew so much as a band, from music style to our friendships amongst
ourselves. We wanted to write an honest
album with songs that people could relate to and sing along with, again lending
itself to the unity that we love about a show; everyone who is able to connect
with a song can share that moment when at a show or listening to the album.
Sum
up a “Streetside Vinyl” live show in one sentence…
We have a dynamic, high-energy set
that we hope people can sing along with!
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Streetside Vinyl |
You’ve
played with bands such as Say Anything and Hawthorne Heights , won
2011’s Joshua Fest Battle of the Bands competition, and of course recorded
your album; what has been your career highlight so far?
There have been so many great opportunities
that we have been blessed with; it’s hard to pick one. If I personally had to pick one, I
would say either the KRAB Free-for-all (where we played with Say Anything,
Imagine Dragons, Walk the Moon, and Jjamz) due to the sheer scope of that event
or the show we played at Chain Reaction with This Century; the Chain Reaction
show had one of the best audiences I have ever shared a room with. Shout out to Anaheim !
What
does 2013 hold for you?
In 2013, we are planning to
release a music video and continuing to write for our next album. We’ve been working hard to get our music out
to as many people as possible and look forward to getting some feedback on
these new releases!
If There’s A Hope, the album is out now