The Word Alive new album is titled Life Cycles.
Posted
CommentPost a comment
“The All Stars Tour,” a power-packed super tour has been rumored to release a full lineup announcement soon. Suicide Silence and I See Stars have been the only official bands announced thus far. Below is the official lineup for this years “All Stars Tour.”
Headbang Battle Winner
At The Skylines
For The Fallen Dreams
Obey The Brave
Make Me Famous
Betraying The Martyrs
Stray From The Path
Attila
Stick To Your Guns
Winds Of Plague
A Skylit Drive
I See Stars
Unearth
The Word Alive
Suicide Silence
Escape the Fate will be going on the “This World is Ours” tour with Attack Attack!, The Word Alive, Secrets and Mest.
4/5/12- Rapids Theatre- Buffalo, NY
4/7/12- Clutch Cargos- Detroit, MI
4/9/12- First Avenue- Minneapolis, MN
4/10/12- House of Blues- Chicago, IL
4/11/12- Pops- Sauget, IL
4/12/12- Beaumont Club- Kansas City, MO
4/13/12- The Summit Music Hall- Denver, CO
4/14/12- In the Venue- Salt Lake City, UT
4/16/12- The Showbox At The Market- Seattle, WA
4/17/12- Roseland- Portland, OR
4/18/12- The Senator Theatre- Chico, CA
4/19/12- Regency Ballroom- San Francisco, CA
4/20/12- Soma- San Diego, CA
4/21/12- House of Blues- Los Angeles, CA
4/22/12- Marquee Theatre- Phoenix, AZ
4/24/12- Diamond Ballroom- Oklahoma City, OK
4/25/12- House of Blues- Dallas, TX
4/26/12- White Rabbit- San Antonio, TX
4/27/12- House of Blues- Houston, TX
4/28/12- New Daisy Theatre- Memphis, TN
4/30/12- Revolution- Fort Lauderdale, FL
5/1/12- House of Blues- Orlando, FL
5/3/12- The Norva- Norfolk, VA
5/4/12- Starland Ballroom- Sayreville, NJ
5/5/12- Theatre of Living Arts- Philadelphia, PA
5/6/12- Irving Plaza- New York, NY
5/7/12- The Sound Academy- Toronto, Canada
5/8/12- Club Soda- Montreal, Canada
5/11/12- Garrick Events Theatre- Winnipeg, Canada
5/13/12- Edmonton Events Centre- Edmonton, Canada
5/14/12- MacEwan Hall Ballroom- Calgary, Canada
5/16/12- Vogue Theatre- Vancouver, Canada
The Word Alive released a statement regarding the departure of their drummer and keyboardist:
Dearest TeamTWA,
We come before you, to officially announce the departure of our brothers Dusty Riach, and Justin Salinas. And that is exactly what they are, brothers. TWA and TeamTWA are a family, and it will remain that way. This might come to a shock to many of you, and that is ok. Member changes are never fun for fans to hear, or bands to go through. Reality is though, they happen. And in this case, we’re not only leaving on the best terms possible but as long as all the details get worked out, both Dusty and Justin will be playing EXTREME THING in Las Vegas NV on March 31st with us for their farewell show. So make sure you come out and support them, and us, as we all move forward!
That being said, what everyone wants to know, aside from juicy drama, which we’re sorry to report there is none… Is what are we doing moving forward, and how will this effect going into the studio in a couple days. So here you go:
The fact is that Dusty and us mutually agreed to part ways a month ago, after we decided the writing process and touring just weren’t working out. Dusty is a great keyboard/synth player, and has always added a good amount to the band. He’s a great performer, and as you know, nobody does keyboard handstands like him. He’s also an original member, and will be missed. We wish him the best of luck as he pursues different paths in his life. As he states below, we’re always going to be a family.
As for Justin, you’ll read in his statement below that he just fell out of love with drums. He definitely was a light in our band. He’s one of the funniest people we’ve all ever known, good hearted and when he came into this band we knew he belonged right away. He’s one of the hardest hitting badass drummers out there, and we appreciated all of his hard work in TWA. He’ll be starting a new life post-touring in Portland OR and we wish him the best. DG4lyfe.
WILL TWA STILL HAVE SYNTH/KEYS/ELECTRONICS!?
YES we will. Tony and Zack have been programming some of the most insane parts along with writing guitars and drum parts for the new record. We’re very confident that you guys will be more than happy with what we produce for this album in that department. That being said, we will not be replacing Dusty on the keys. We will be sampling our keyboard/synth/electronic parts completely and moving forward as a 5-piece.
As far as drums go, we’re a band that tour constantly. Mostly all the drums were programmed in, and then recorded by Justin on the last cd. This process will be the same. We’re having a close friend of the band, and great drummer record the drums on this album for us, most of which Zack and Tony have written for their perspective songs. We DO have a new drummer who we will be welcoming in after the studio process, and once you see what he can do, you guys will be even more excited to see us live with what he can bring to the table. We’ve always been a band, that while we appreciate what our past members have done for the band, we try to progress and improve if we’re going to replace someone. That isn’t a shot at any of our past members, but we know that you guys deserve the best, and we’ll make sure we provide that. We’re really excited about the future of the band, and stand by the statement that this will be our best body of work so far. We hope you’re ready to dominate 2012 with us, because that is exactly what we intend on doing. Thank you so much TeamTWA for standing by us, we will continue as long as you guys remain the best fans in the world. Over and out, Telle Zack Tony & Daniel.
Justin’s statement:
“The past two years have been the most insane, amazing years of my life. I’ve made so many new friends and toured the entire world with my best friends.
While writing for the new cd and having time off in Arizona I found myself at a crossroads. Continue doing what I was doing because it’s all I’ve known the past 8 years of my life and tour… or come home for the first time and hang up the drum gloves. I’m hanging up the drum gloves.
I fell out of love with drums. Thats the only way I can explain it. I wasn’t playing them if I didn’t have to. I was feeling like playing drums was a burden, I had no more passion or drive to play.
I wish I had a juicy drama filled story of some badass band beef, but I don’t. I love Telle, Tony, Zack, Dusty, Daniel and our entire crew, yes, even brian;) with all my heart. I love our music. I love the new music. But PLAYING drums for a living is not what I want to do anymore. I’ve been touring full time since i was 18 and now im an old, old, tired 26yr old man that just wants to take another path for once.
My band are my brothers and they would do ANYTHING for me and I would do the same for them. Being gone constantly is just too much for me these days and seeing our year planned out kept eating me up inside.
I thank every single person that i’ve had the pleasure of meeting at shows, all the bands we’ve toured with and all the companies that went the extra mile for me/us.
From the bottom of my heart, you all truly changed my life and gave me an experience I will never forget.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned from being in The Word Alive it’s; never play music for any reason other than you genuinely LOVE it. These are the hardest working, passionate, talented, genuine people and musicians i’ve ever met. Support them because I guarantee to you they put every ounce of themselves in every song and thats what music should be about.
Thanks for every single memory we’ve shared across the world together. Time for me to stay home. :)”
Dusty’s statement:
“I know people are waiting for me to make a statement about not being in the word alive anymore but im just going to leave it at that, I’m not in the band any more. I’ve decided to explore myself and try other things… Everything was mutual and we are still family… And everyone should just listen to music for music and continue to support the things you enjoy. I really thank everyone who has come out and supported me in my time in the band I hope we can make new times in the future as I will always be making something… I will miss seeing you at shows and I will miss jamming with my brothers…”
Always A Family.
Craig Mabbitt (Escape the Fate) released a new song titled “Edge of Reality” from his new solo project.
Chances are, if you’re into heavy music, then Joey’s probably produced the record you’re listening to. He’s currently recording Emmure’s follow up to their 2011 release, Speaker of The Dead. Joey was cool enough to answer some questions in the midst of recording.
State your name and profession
I am Joey Sturgis, and I am a producer, engineer.
Do you remember the moment in your life when you knew that a career in music was what you wanted to do?
There actually wasn’t a moment like this for me. Everything just sort of fell into place. I was working towards a strong career in computer science, starting in high school with an extra curricular activity in A++ computer education. That landed me job placement in 11 and 12th grade with a local computer store. I was working there as the boss’s right hand man fixing computers and handling networks for the tri-county. I worked there for a few years until I came to the conclusion that I was doing $70.00/hr service calls and only getting paid $6.00/hr. It was time to stop going in to work. Around this time, I was at the studio more often doing stuff with music and my band. Eventually the boss called and said he’d call me if he needed me (aka, you’re fired) and the rest was history. My band put out its demo on myspace and other bands heard about it and wanted to work with me after finding out I was the one who made the demo.
Looking at your discography, I think maybe it would be better to call you the “King of Metal/Post-Hardcore Producers.” What are the essential elements you need to make a Metal/Post-Hardcore record?
I do want to address this question very carefully, because I feel like with my name being out there in the scene, people just have no clue who I am and where I come from with my musical background. I listen to everything. I really mean that. I love country, techno, 80’s, 90’s, rock, piano ballads, dub-step, folk, bluegrass, blues, metal, death metal, hardcore, metal-core, post-hardcore, Shania Twain, Nickelback, Rascal Flatts, Gloriana! I can go on and on and on. At the end of the day, you’re not going to find me listening to breakdowns very often! The artists I work with know what it takes to make their music, and they are in touch with their fan base and understand what their fans want. I could go my whole career without having to understand this. All it takes is for me to understand where the artist is coming from and where he wants to go, then I connect the dots. It’s really that easy. On a side note, please stop putting people in categories because of what they like or believe. You are the reason everything is so messed up in our country.
How did you learn how to work the software and ultimately do what you do?
Open the same program every single day, and eventually you’ll learn how to use it. Trial and error, reading the fucking manual, and searching on Google taught me everything I needed to know about how to use digital audio workstations / software.
What do you say to critics who think that every band you produce sound the same?
I’ll start out with an obvious defense. Please listen to Let’s Get It, the Digital Spaces EP, then head on over to Oceano’s debut LP on earache. Please tell me how those sound alike. Next, I’ll reveal to you that VANS makes shoes, and most of them go on your feet… Best Buy sells mostly electronics… and Joey Sturgis records Joey Sturgis records. If you are mad about a band working with me, go to their show and complain to them. Bands practically kill people and make huge investments to work with me. Believe me when I say they’re doing it on purpose and going after something they want.
How did you get that bass tone on Of Mice and Men’s “The Flood” album?
Run your bass through a simulated Guitar amp… and no that won’t work live.
How do you get your guitars/screams to sound so big?
People think this is a big mystery. It’s not. You need good takes. When I say good takes, I mean takes that are precisely on time (down to less than 1 - 10 ms shy of grid), and good playing. Palm being in the right place, pick hitting string in the right place, right strings for the right tuning, right guitar to hold the tuning… the right pick ups. All of these factors matter. Finally, you need a good listening environment. You need to be hearing things properly or you won’t be making proper decisions. Armed with all of those things in line, you will be able to choose the right tone, the right takes, and ultimately get the right sound.
What kind of artists do you prefer to work with?
Experimental; I recorded this band called Rosaline once… no one really knew about it because they fell apart shortly afterwards. I love to work on weird stuff like that. I would also really love to record country music. You can fill a room with country musicians and just stand there with zero microphones and listen… it will sound like a record. Amazing!
Can you describe how it feels to be associated with the number of hits that you’ve worked on?
Honestly, it’s kind of a out-of-mind type of thing. It’s something you’ve accomplished and something you can remember, but you’re always looking forward and always moving on. I am very grateful to be where I am right now, but its not something I am looking at from a nostalgic point of view. From my perspective, I’ve been helping groups of 4 - 6 dudes stay on the road, which is essentially where most of them want to be. So that’s a great gift to be giving in any sort of way.
How has social networking benefited your business?
My business, these bands, this scene would not exist AT ALL without social networking. I had a buzz about me generating in forums before there was the giant explosion of myspace. So even in the early days, it was all about the web.
Are drums always the first thing recorded or do some bands work backwards?
In my studio, drums are first and foremost… and very key. I do not do ANYTHING else until the drums are completely finished, including mixing.
What are your thoughts on the continual volume increases in the industry, where music has just gotten louder, or more crushed, at the expense of dynamic range?
For all the people who don’t understand the loudness war, go grab a Rush cd or an old Metallica cd and put it in your car. Now turn up the volume to where you normally listen to cd’s. Now turn it up a little louder. Listen to how much more punchy it is than a modern cd. Why? Dynamic range. By destroying dynamic range, you achieve every softer sound being as loud as the louder tones, effectively giving you a louder cd. but what you lose is the snare or kick always being x amount of volume over the guitar…
Honestly, I don’t really care where this goes or what happens because of this. But people should definitely know what its all about. Ultimately, the fans and the artists and the record labels will all meet somewhere in the middle at some point. It’s not really up for me to decide I guess.
Last question: Is there anything left for you that you haven’t accomplished that you want to accomplish?
When I was in high school, I was really into programming and game development. It is one of my goals to actually complete my ambitious idea for a game and not be poor afterwards. I am already working on it so if you know any pixel artists, please send them my way… I will pay for pixel art!
This interview was originally gonna take place on the Dec 8th stop of the Fearless Friends Tour in Atlanta but then they broke down in Florida and couldn’t make the show. Thankfully, Telle was cool enough to make it up with an email interview. We discussed their setlist for the tour, his clothing line (Resist and Rebel), and why they chose a new producer for the upcoming record.
Please state your name and role in The Word Alive
Telle, I’m the vocalist for TWA.
What are some of your music influences and how involved in music were you growing up?
I wasn’t really involved with music until I was about 18-19. But I always loved it. Some of my influences today are Deftones, In Flames, Soilwork, Underoath, Thursday and many others (as far as this genre goes).
How was the Fearless Friends tour for you guys?
It was great, 1st US tour after Warped tour and we had a lot of fun. Our fans sang louder than ever.
How hard was it picking the setlist for the tour? I know it can get tiring playing the same songs over and over again. Looking over the setlist for the tour, you had the crowd favorites like “The Wretched” and “2012”, etc.
We try to pick a mixture of fan favorites, high energy songs and songs we enjoy playing live. Especially on a support tour we want to play songs that keep our set flowing and bringing a lot of energy to the crowds.
With that in mind, what’s a few songs that weren’t in the setlist that you would’ve liked to play if you had more time?
We wanted to play “The Only Rule Is That There Are No Rules” but couldn’t squeeze it in unfortunately.
What’s one song that you haven’t played off the Deceiver yet that you’d like to?
We Know Who You Are, which I hope we can one day.
Deceiver is a year old; what are some misconceptions people have about the album?
I’m not sure of misconceptions really, I haven’t heard anything along those lines. I think the only thing people might think is that I didn’t do all of the singing/screaming. There was a misprint once upon a time saying that I only did singing; I do it all.
Are you on good terms with Greeley Estates and In Fear and Faith and would you ever tour together in the future?
We’ve toured with IFAF since I joined TWA twice now I think, and just haven’t been on any tours GE were on. We’re all friends though so of course. We’ve been on great terms for a long time now. It’s good to know everyone is happy where they are at.
You have a clothing line, Resist and Rebel; how did that get started?
Andrew from Woe, Is Me was in Abandon All Ships at the time, and on our Smartpunk Tour headliner. We met, became friends, and discussed starting a line, and then decided to do one together and the rest is history. Just released several new items yesterday actually!
Your main priority is obviously TWA, but do you always plan on continuing your solo work/side project in whatever form you can?
I definitely will always create all kinds of music, but TWA is where my heart is and where I belong. I don’t really focus on the other stuff unless I have a ton of free time. I used to have that, but we’ve been writing a new record, I own a business and produce bands on the side now so I don’t have a lot of time for writing my own things.
You guys played Warped Tour this year on the Advent Stage; are you playing the tour next year?
Nope, we’re taking a year off. We played the last 2 years and while it would have been great to come back again, Warped Tour is all about staying fresh and we’re taking a year off to try another summer festival tour. It’s gonna rule. We love Kevin Lyman and he’s been a fan of our band for the past few years, his support has meant so much to us.
Speaking of touring: in your opinion, which is the best/worst run venues from a production and band point of view?
Venues who take huge merch cuts because they want to make up for a lack of promoting.
You’re set to record with Joey Sturgis in February; what made you decide to choose him over Andrew Wade?
It wasn’t really a him over Wade thing, we love Andrew and we wouldn’t be what we are today without him. We just wanted to try something else and see what effect it had on us. We’ve only ever recorded albums with Andrew. It was between Joey and a couple other producers, we chose Joey ultimately because of his love for metal, with a huge genius for the production side of things and that was important to us this time around.
Last question; pick two songs; one from your catalog, that you want new fans to check out after reading this interview. And one song from any band/genre.
”Lights And Stones” by us, my favorite and “Disconnect” by Soilwork
blessthefall are excited to have The Word Alive, Motionless In White, Chunk! No, Captain Chunk!, and Tonight Alive join them this winter as they hit a city near you! Enjoy this sick tour art and dates/routing are below!
They’ll be playing tons of new tracks from our new album Awakening, which will drop October 4th, so pre-order is today! Like BTF and Fearless Friends Tour OR Follow BTF and Fearless Friends for the latest news & updates!
11.09 Flagstaff, AZ @ Orpheum Theatre
11.10 Los Angeles, CA @ The Roxy Theatre
11.11 San Diego, CA @ SOMA
11.12 Pomona, CA @ Glasshouse
11.13 Sacramento, CA @ Ace of Spades
11.14 Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theatre
11.15 Seattle, WA @ El Corazon
11.16 Boise, ID @ Knitting Factory
11.18 Salt Lake City, UT @ Club Sound
11.19 Denver, CO @ Marquis Theater
11.20 Lawrence, KS @ Granada Theater
11.21 Minneapolis, MN @ Station 4
11.22 Chicago, IL @ The Bottom Lounge
11.23 Detroit, MI @ Magic Stick
11.24 Toronto, ON @ Opera House
11.25 Montreal, QC @ La Tulipe
11.26 New York, NY @ Gramercy Theatre
11.27 Worcester, MA @ The Palladium
11.29 Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr. Smalls Theatre
11.30 Cleveland, OH @ Peabody’s
12.01 Towson, MD @ Recher Theater
12.02 Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre Of Living Arts
12.03 Richmond, VA @ The Canal Club
12.04 Charlotte, NC @ Amos Southend
12.05 Orlando, FL @ Firestone
12.06 Ft. Lauderdale, FL @ Revolution
12.08 Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade
12.09 Nashville, TN @ Rocketown
12.10 St. Louis, MO @ Pop’s
12.11 Tulsa, OK @ The Marquee
12.12 Dallas, TX @ The Door
12.13 Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live
12.14 San Antonio, TX @ White Rabbit
12.15 El Paso, TX @ Open Gate Church
12.16 Tempe, AZ @ The Marquee Theatre
Tour is set to take place into November. Opener in the slot between MIW and FATS is still being confirmed.