We got confirmed for Vans Warped Tour tomorrow in Atlanta! Still needing questions for Every Time I Die, After The Burial, Taking Back Sunday, The Ghost Inside, and Born of Osiris. Submit yours here
http://killthemusic.net/post/22713938480/vans-warped-tour-interview-questions
We’ll (hopefully) be interviewing the following bands at Warped Tour so if you have any questions, leave them in the comments and/or email us jordan@killthemusic.net
Troy, Ohio melodic metal band MISS MAY I has just been confirmed for a slot on one of the Kia main stages at this year’s 2012 Vans Warped Tour! View the full announcement at www.vanswarpedtour.com and stay tuned for more updates and MISS MAY I exclusives coming in the next few weeks.
“We are more than excited to play the Vans Warped Tour this year, especially main stage with the bands that got us into music in the first place,” comments frontman Levi Benton. “Summer will be a hell of a ride and all we can say is…. CIRCLE PIT!”
MISS MAY I recently announced details about their new album entitled At Heart, now being released with Rise Records on its new release date of June 12th, 2012. At Heart was produced by famed record producer Machine (Lamb of God, Every Time I Die, Suicide Silence) this past winter at Machine Shop in Belleville, New Jersey. The newly released album artwork was created by graphic artist Zac Schwiet.
MISS MAY I is currently on tour with Whitechapel, After The Bruial, The Plot In You, and Structures. The tour will travel through the United States until March 30th, taking a month long break while MISS MAY I heads to Europe to tour with Parkway Drive, The Ghost Inside, and Confession, and kicks back up again on May 3rd in Louisville, KY. The tour closes with two east coast shows, including the 2012 Bamboozle Festival in Asbury Park, NJ.
The band’s first album, Apologies Are for the Weak, reached #29 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart. Their 2010 sophomore release, Monument, charted on the Billboard Top 200 and hit #10 on the U.S. Hard Rock chart. Churning out over 450 performances since 2009, the band is regarded as one of the hardest working young bands in the metal genre.
REMAINING 2012 TOUR DATES:
W/ WHITECHAPEL, AFTER THE BURIAL, THE PLOT IN YOU, STRUCTURES
3/22 - Ventura, CA @ Ventura Theatre
3/23 - Fresno, CA @ Club Retro
3/24 - Tucson, AZ @ Rialto Theatre
3/25 - Las Vegas, NV @ Hard Rock Café – Vegas Strip
3/26 - Farmington, NM @ Top Deck
3/28 - San Antonio, TX @ White Rabbit
3/29 - McAllen, TX @ El Rey Theatre
3/30 - Corpus Christi, TX @ House Of Rock
EUROPEAN TOUR W/ PARKWAY DRIVE, THE GHOST INSIDE, CONFESSION
4/6 - Amsterdam, Holland @ Melkweg
4/7 - London, UK @ Indigo2
4/8 - Birmingham, UK @ HMV Institute
4/9 - Glassgow, UK @ ABC
4/10 - Manchester, UK @ Academy
4/11 - Cardiff, UK @ Uni Great Hall
4/12 - Obergausen, Germany @ Turbinenhalle
4/13 - Paris, France @ Bataclan
4/14 - Lyon, France @ Transbordeur, Rockstorm Fest
4/15 - Madrid, Spain @ Sala Heineken
4/16 - Barcelona, Spain @ Sala Razzamatazz
4/17 - Toulon, France @ Le Vox
4/18 - Milano, Italy @ Alcatraz
4/19 - München, Germany @ Tonhalle
4/20 - Wien, Austria @ Gasometer
4/21 - Leipzig, Germany @ Agra, Impericon Fest
4/22 - Wurzburg, Germany @ Posthalle
4/23 - Copenhagen, Denmark @ Pumpehuset
4/24 - Gothenburg, Sweden @ Trädgårn
4/25 - Oslo, Norway @ John Dee
4/26 - Stockholm, Sweden @ klubben
4/27 - Hamburg, Germany @ Große Freiheit 36
4/28 - Meerhout, Belgium @ Groezrock Fest
W/ WHITECHAPEL, AFTER THE BURIAL, WITHIN THE RUINS, THE PLOT IN YOU
5/3 - Louisville, KY @ Expo Five
5/4 - Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel
5/5 - Birmingham, AL @ Zydeco
5/8 - Lake Buena Vista, FL @ House Of Blues
5/9 - Jacksonville, FL @ Freebird Live
5/10 - Charleston, SC @ The Music Farm
5/12 - Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall Indoor Stage
5/13 - Huntington, WV @ Big Sandy Supercenter Grand
5/15 - Clifton Park, NY @ Northern Lights
5/16 - S. Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground
5/17 - Portland, ME @ State Theatre
5/18 - Asbury Park, NJ @ North Beach (Bamboozle 2012)
5/19 - Syracuse, NY @ Lost Horizon (NO Whitechapel)
MAIN STAGE - 2012 VANS WARPED TOUR
6/16 Salt Lake City, UT @ Utah State Fairpark
6/17 Denver, CO @ Sports Authority Field at Mile High
6/20 Las Vegas, NV @ Luxor Festival Lot
6/21 Irvine, CA @ Orange County Great Park
6/22 Pomona, CA @ Pomona Fairplex
6/23 San Francisco, CA @ AT&T Park
6/24 Ventura, CA @ Seaside Park
6/27 Chula Vista, CA (San Diego) @ Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre
6/29 Las Cruces, NM @ N.M.S.U. Practice Field
6/30 San Antonio, TX @ AT&T Center
7/1 Houston, TX @ Reliant Park - Main Street Lot
7/3 Dallas, TX @ Gexa Energy Pavilion
7/5 Maryland Heights, MO (St. Louis) @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
7/6 Auburn Hills, MI (Detroit) @ The Palace of Auburn Hills
7/7 Tinley Park, IL (Chicago) @ First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
7/8 Shakopee, MN (Minneapolis) @ Canterbury Park
7/9 Bonner Springs, KS (Kansas City) @ Sandstone Amphitheater
7/10 Noblesville, IN (Indianapolis) @ Klipsch Music Center
7/11 Cuyahoga Falls, OH (Cleveland) @ Blossom Music Center
7/12 Burgettstown, PA (Pittsburgh) @ First Niagara Pavilion
7/13 Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Bank Arts Center
7/14 Montréal, QC @ Parc Jean Drapeau
7/15 Mississauga, ON (Toronto) @ Molson Canadian Amphitheatre
7/17 Darien Center, NY (Buffalo) @ Darien Lake PAC
7/18 Scranton, PA @ Toyota Pavilion
7/19 Mansfield, MA (Boston) @ Comcast Center
7/20 Camden, NJ (Philadelphia, PA) @ Susquehanna Bank Center
7/21 Uniondale, NY @ Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
7/22 Hartford, CT @ The Comcast Theatre
7/24 Columbia, MD (Washington, D.C.) @ Merriweather Post Pavilion
7/25 Virginia Beach, VA @ Farm Bureau Live
7/26 Atlanta, GA @ Aaron’s Amphitheatre at Lakewood
7/27 Orlando, FL @ Central Florida Fairgrounds
7/28 West Palm Beach, FL (Miami) @ Cruzan Amphitheatre
7/29 St. Petersburg, FL (Tampa) @ Vinoy Park
7/30 Charlotte, NC @ Charlotte Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
7/31 Cincinnati, OH @ Riverbend Music Center
8/1 Milwaukee, WI @ Marcus Amphitheatre
8/4 Redmond, WA (Seattle) @ Marymoor Park
8/5 Portland, OR @ Rose Quarter Riverfront
MISS MAY I is:
B.J. Stead - rhythm guitar
Jerod Boyd - drums
Justin Aufdemkampe - lead guitar
Levi Benton - lead vocals
Ryan Neff - bass guitar, clean vocals
For more information on MISS MAY I, please visit these sites:
I first saw After the Burial back in October on the Crush Em All Tour II and was impressed by their command of the 8 string. They’re currently writing for a follow up to their 2010 album, In Dreams. You can catch them this spring on The Recorruptour which will be headlined by Whitechapel and features Miss May I and The Plot In You with Structures and Within The Ruins on certain dates. Justin was kind enough to answer some questions about his guitars, and advice to upcoming guitar players.
Please introduce yourself and your role in the band.
I’m Justin and I play guitar and have been known to handle some production duties here and there.
How many years have you guys been playing, what sorta of practice did you do to get where you’re at now, and what is your warm up routine?
We’ve been a band for a little over 7 years now. We used to practice quite a bit more as a band compared to now. Back then, we had all of our members living close together around Minneapolis, and now only 3 of us live in the Minneapolis area. The difference is now, compared to the way things were back then, is we are almost always on tour. My warm up routine is simple, it usually just consists of me having a beer and playing my guitar for a few minutes. Anything to get the blood flowing.
The latest album, “In Dreams” is a year old. What are some misconceptions people have about the album?
I’m not sure, I don’t really look into that very much. However, I think people may not know that some of the album’s music actually has come from demo material that was written from as long ago as when the band started.
What made you decide to want to use an 8 string guitar for your songs and what are the advantages using it over a classic 6 string, if any?
I wanted to tune lower, without detuning my guitar too much. I was big into the 7 string guitar for a really long time before making the switch to 8. The 8 just made sense, because we could stay relatively close to standard tuning and still have the opportunity to tune very low as well. If anything, it was a bit of a challenge trying to decide what the best tuning for the bass was going to be.
What type of gear do you use in the studio and how does that correlate and translate to a live touring rig?
My studio and touring rigs are similar in that I use the Fractal Audio Axe-Fx Ultra pre-amp for both. Studio-wise, the setup I use for almost everything is pretty simple; MacBook Pro, Logic, Toontrack and Spectrasonics software instruments, Nord Lead 2, Axe-Fx Ultra, a pair of Yamaha HS-80m monitors, and an Apogee Duet interface. Live I use the Axe-Fx Ultra, powered with a Rocktron Velocity 300 power amp and controlled by the Voodoo Lab Ground Control Pro. I also use the Line 6 g90 relay wireless system. The main guitars I use live and in the studio include 2 Ibanez RG2228’s, one custom Ibanez 8 string, featuring a body similar to that of the RG2228 with a maple fingerboard, and an Ibanez RG3570z. All of the 8 strings are fitted with Seymour Duncan Blackout 8s.
What goes through your head when writing your songs; where do you draw inspiration from?
Sometimes there are too many different things going on in my head at once, so it’s tough to actually decide and be set on one riff/idea. Inspiration comes from all over though…For example, I got the idea for the riff at about 1:21 in our song “Berzerker” from reading the prices of the first three beers at the top of a drink menu at this bar Jimmy’s in Vadnais Heights, MN. Inspiration truly can come out of anywhere. With all members of the band, there are quite a few different inspirations and influences spread between all of us which I think can help give us a unique sound when we bring them all together.
How does a normal song process go for you? Do you start with guitar riffs and eventually evolve from there?
Most of the time, the song will start out with a riff or two. One thing I like to do is record a really long demo that has about 10 different riffs in there. They don’t necessarily all go together in that context, but we’ve been able to pick and choose from them and build songs around maybe one or two specific sections of the demo. That isn’t how it always works though, sometimes we’ll have a demo that basically becomes the song. For example our song “Pendulum”, Trent had the skeleton of that song and most of those riffs close to what the final song was. So it could go either way, sometimes we’ll be working in demo world, and an entire song will just present itself and won’t take on too many readjustments after that.
Are there any new singles and/or music videos coming out soon; maybe one for My Frailty.
As of right now, our main focus is writing our new album. Things are moving along, and it’s a really exciting time for us. There aren’t any immediate plans for a new video, but I’m not ruling that out in the near future.
What’s your view on the whole “djent” label/genre? (Even though it’s just a guitar sound)
My view on it, is that it’s cool, but you probably won’t hear me use the word very often. I think I’m part of an older generation of metal fans that like to keep the genres simple and to the point and stick to the ones that have been around for years. If it’s heavy, it’s heavy. No need to go in splitting hairs trying to pinpoint the exact right adjective to classify a genre. I think it’s taken on a life of its own with the younger metal fans and it seems like media is grasping on to the term as well. I’m totally fine with this because in my mind, anything that helps someone describe something to someone else and it has a positive outcome because of it I think is a good thing. For example, let’s say someone who says our band is “djent” has some friends that haven’t heard After The Burial and wants to tell them about it:
KidA- “Hey! You guys should definitely check out After The Burial”
KidB- “Yo, what do they sound like?”
KidA- “Well, I think they might be hellapolydjentcore mixed with a little shredjent”
KidB- “OHH FUK YAAAA. I love me some djent…I get dowwwwn to that shiiiat”
Then, if KidB goes home and checks us or any band out somewhere like YouTube and digs it, that’s awesome. That is how I think “djent” as a label/genre can be a good/cool/positive thing, whatever it takes to help describe music that people can relate to and understand that can potentially produce genuine results.
Do you have any advice for any guitarists/musicians who have reached a plateau in their playing and wish to go beyond it?
Absolutely, play as many shows as possible, and hit the road for a while. Constantly challenge yourself musically, in one way or another.
You guys played the All Stars Tour this past summer; are you playing Warped Tour or anything like that next year?
We had a blast at the All Stars Tour. It’s a little too soon to say, but we are looking to do some sort of major touring again this summer.
Any last words for people reading this?
Happy New Year! We’re really excited to getting back out on the road this March with whitechapel. Look for some new music from us coming later this year!!
Dates for The Recorruptour featuring Whitechapel, Miss May I, After The Burial, The Plot In You and more can be found below
with Within the Ruins
Sat/Mar-10-2012 Memphis, TN Newbys
Sun/Mar-11-2012 Knoxville, TN Valerium
Mon/Mar-12-2012 OFF
Tue/Mar-13-2012 Grand Rapids, MI Intersection
Wed/Mar-14-2012 Indianapolis, IN Egyptian Room
Thu/Mar-15-2012 Springfield, MO Outland Ballroom
Fri/Mar-16-2012 Kansas City, KS Beaumont
Sat/Mar-17-2012 Wichita, KS The Scene-ary
Sun/Mar-18-2012 OFF
Mon/Mar-19-2012 OFF
Tue/Mar-20-2012 Reno, NV Knitting Factory
Wed/Mar-21-2012 Sacramento, CA Ace of Spades
Thu/Mar-22-2012 Ventura, CA Ventura Theater
Fri/Mar-23-2012 Fresno, CA Retro
Sat/Mar-24-2012 Tucson, AZ Rialto
Sun/Mar-25-2012 Las Vegas, NV Hard Rock
Mon/Mar-26-2012 OFF
Tue/Mar-27-2012 Farmington, NM Top Deck
Wed/Mar-28-2012 San Antonio, TX White Rabbit
Thu/Mar-29-2012 Mcallen, TX El Rey
Fri/Mar-30-2012 Corpus Christi, TX House of Rock
with Structures
Thu/May-03-2012 Louisville, KY Expo 5
Fri/May-04-2012 Asheville, NC The Orange Peel
Sat/May-05-2012 Birmingham, AL Zydeco
Sun/May-06-2012 OFF
Mon/May-07-2012 OFF
Tue/May-08-2012 Orlando, FL HOB
Wed/May-09-2012 Jacksonville, FL Freebird Live
Thu/May-10-2012 Charleston, SC Music Farm
Fri/May-11-2012 OFF
Sat/May-12-2012 Columbus, OH Newport
Sun/May-13-2012 Hunington, WV The Bid Sandy
Mon/May-14-2012 OFF
Tue/May-15-2012 Albany, NY Northern Lights
Wed/May-16-2012 Burlington, VT Higher Ground
Thu/May-17-2012 Portland, ME State Theater
OH’s Miss May I will enter The Machine Shop studios starting in early January to begin work on their 3rd release for Rise Records, which is tentatively scheduled to drop in spring 2012. The LP will be produced by Machine (Chiodos, Every Time I Die, Lamb Of God, Four Year Strong) and according to bassist/clean vocalist Ryan Neff, will be the band’s “most metal and dynamic release thus far.”
Miss May I has been writing songs since the spring of 2011 and began pre-production with Chris Rubey of The Devil Wears Prada during the summer while out on the Vans Warped Tour.
The forthcoming release will serve as the follow-up to the band’s breakthrough sophomore effort, Monument, which debuted at #76 on the Billboard Top 200. With combined sales of nearly 100,000 units over the course of their burgeoning career and a highly buzzed about stint on Warped Tour 2011, Miss May I is currently canvassing the country on their nearly sold-out No Guts, No Glory tour.
The band has also been confirmed as direct support on Whitechapel’s Recorrupter U.S. Tour and will join the lineup on Parkway Drive’s UK/European Tour, both of which kick off this spring (see dates below.)
As they prepare to start work on their biggest and heaviest release yet, 2012 is already shaping up to be another monumental year for Miss May I.
No Guts No Glory Tour Dates:
Dec 08 St. Andrews Hall Detroit, MI
Dec 09 The Bottom Lounge Chicago, IL
Dec 10 The Cabooze Minneapolis, MN
Dec 12 The Summit Music Hall Denver, CO
Dec 13 In the Venue Salt Lake City, UT
Dec 15 El Corazon Seattle, WA
Dec 16 Hawthorne Theatre Portland, OR
Dec 31 The Attic Dayton, OH
Recorrupter (Leg One) w/ Whitechapel, After The Burial, Within The Ruins, The Plot In You
3/10 Memphis, TN- Newby’s
3/11 Knoxville, TN- The Valarium
3/13 Grand Rapids, MI- The Intersection
3/14 Indianapolis, IN- Egyptian Room- Old National Centre
3/15 Springfield, MO- Outland Ballroom
3/16 Kansas City, MO- The Beaumont Club
3/17 Wichita, KS- The Scene-ary
3/20 Reno, NV- The Knitting Factory
3/21 Sacramento, CA- Ace of Spades
3/22 Ventura, CA- Ventura Theater
3/23 Fresno, CA- Club Retro
3/24 Tucson, AZ- Rialto Theatre
3/25 Las Vegas, NV- Hard Rock Café- Vegas Strip
3/27 Farmington, NM- Top Deck
3/28 San Antonio, TX- White Rabbit
3/29 McAllen, TX- El Rey Theatre
3/30 Corpus Christi, TX- House of Rock
Parkway Drive European Headliner w/ The Ghost Inside, Confession4/6 Amsterdam, Netherlands- Melkweg
4/7 London, UK- Indigo2
4/8 Birmingham, UK- HMV Institute
4/9 Glasgow, UK- O2 ABC
4/10 Manchester, UK- Academy
4/11 Cardiff, UK- Uni Great Hall
4/12 Oberhausen, Germany- Turbinehalle
4/13 Paris, France- Bataclan
4/14 Lyon, France- Transbordeur Rockstorm Fest
4/15 Madrid, Spain- Sala Heineken
4/16 Barcelona, Spain- Sala Razzmatazz
4/17 La Valette Du Var, France- Le Vox
4/18 Milano, Italy- Alcatraz
4/19 Maschen, Germany- Tonhalle
4/20 Wien, Austria- Gasometer
4/21 Leipzig, Germany- Agra, Impericon Fest
4/22 Wurzburg, Germany- Posthalle
4/23 Copenhagen, Denmark- Pumpehuset
4/24 Gothenburg, Sweden- Tradgarn
4/25 Sankt Hanshagen, Norway- John Dee
4/26 Stockholm, Sweden- Klubben
4/27 Hamburg, Germany- Grobe Feiheit 36
Recorrupter (Leg Two) w/ Whitechapel, After The Burial, Structures, The Plot In You5/3 Louisville, KY- Expo Five
5/4 Asheville, NC- The Orange Peel
5/5 Birmingham, AL- Zydeco
5/8 Lake Buena Vista, FL- House of Blues
5/9 Jacksonville, FL- Freebird Live
5/10 Charleston, SC- The Music Farm
5/12 Columbus, OH- Newport Music Hall
5/13 Huntington, WV- Big Sandy Supercenter Grand
5/15 Clifton Park, NY- Northern Lights
5/16 South Berlington, VT- Higher Ground
5/17 Portland, ME- State Theatre
The complete itinerary for the Crush ‘Em All Tour with After The Burial, Veil of Maya, Misery Signals, Within The Ruins, plus I The Breather and Structures on select dates is below.
Sep 21 Grand Rapids, MI @ The Intersection
Sep 22 London, ON @ London Music Hall
Sep 23 Windsor, ON @ Blind Dog
Sep 24 Toronto, ON @ Mod Club
Sep 25 Montreal, QC @ La Tulipe
Sep 26 Pawtucket, RI @ The Met
Sep 27 Albany, NY @ Northern Lights
Sep 28 Pittsburgh, PA @ The Altar Bar
Sep 29 Allentown, PA @ Crocodile Rock
Sep 30 New York, NY @ Gramercy Theater
Oct 01 Springfield, VA @ JAXX’s
Oct 02 Charlotte, NC @ Amos Southend
Oct 03 Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade
Oct 06 Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live
Oct 07 Dallas, TX @ Trees
Oct 08 San Antonio, TX @ White Rabbit
Oct 09 Corpus Christi, TX @ House of Rock
Oct 10 Lubbock, TX @ Jakes
Oct 11 Albuquerque, NM @ Launch Pad
Oct 12 Tucson, AZ @ The Rock
Oct 13 Sacramento, CA @ The Clubhouse
Oct 17 Sacramento, CA @ Ace of Spades
Oct 18 Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theater
Oct 19 Seattle, WA @ Studio Seven
Oct 21 Prince George, BC @ The Generator
Oct 22 Edmonton, AB @ Avenue
Oct 23 Calgary, AB @ Republik
Oct 24 Billings, MT @ Manny’s
Oct 26 Omaha, NE @ Sokol Underground
Oct 27 Iowa City, IA @ Blue Moose
Oct 28 Chicago, IL @ Bottom Lounge
Oct 30 Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
