Interview: Brandan Schieppati of Bleeding Through

Bleeding Through put out a new record in January and proved they still have what it takes to create a great metal album. I emailed vocalist Brandan and discussed his gym, Rise Above Fitness, his long career in the band, and his side project, I Am War.

State your name and role in the band please.

Brandan Schieppati. I sing…. well kinda

Tell us how Rise Above Fitness got started

I’ve always taking fitness very serious. As I started to age I started not being in the dame shape that I was in before ever with working out. Basically I was just going through the motions cause I wasn’t educated on how to break through plateaus. So I starting seeing a trainer and eventually became his intern and I realized that I had a place in the fitness world and that was to educate and train people seeking all fitness goals. So I became a trainer in 2009 and quickly built up my clientele and now I opened my own gym and things couldn’t be better!

How is your style of training different from a conventional gym or aerobics class?

I use the basis of Metabolic Circuit training. It’s basically a high intensity workout incorporating functional movements. Olympic lifts as well as Strength and Conditioning all wrapped into one. In the end, you have an hour long work out that gets everything you need without wasting away at the gym. If you are in the gym longer than an hour and a half, you are just there to make friends.

Have you ever thought about making fitness DVDs in your free time?

 One is indeed in the works. I start production this week.

 Is it hard to find time to work out on the road in between shows?

Hell no. Just takes the will power to execute. In my DVD, I will show people that you don’t even need weights or a big space to spike your metabolism and get a workout in.

 What do you feel has contributed to your long career as a band? Bands like Thrice and Thursday have recently broken up, bands that had been at it for a while.

I feel we transitioned at the right time from a full time touring band to what we are now which is a very active band but have other things in our life that are the focus. Like my gym. Bleeding Through is fun. Started as fun and will end as fun!

You’ve been in this band for 13 years — there have definitely been some hard times along the way; have you ever considered quitting the band, and if so, what things encouraged you to stick with it?

I have thought about it when it became a business. We made a good living of the business of music for a while and still do ok but we just had to switch that focus to what was important and that was to play and write this music cause we love it and not worry about the industry or what people say and think. We are a family and BT breaking up would be like a family breaking up and we don’t have a reason to. Plus people still for some reason care about this band a lot. I think it is because we are consistent and not trendy!

When appealing to different sets of fan bases, new and old, young and old, what is the thought process when trying to write something that has an appeal to both, but also embodies what Bleeding Through is?

We just write that way we feel. I know that is may be bad to say that we don’t care about opinion and we do care to an extent but we really just write to the emotional level that us as individuals are feeling and that translates onto the record.

There’s a instrumental track on Declaration that’s been my favorite for a while; Finis Fatalis Spei. Could you give us the background on the making of this track? I know you sampled a quote from 300 on it.

That is all Marta on that one!

How has it been with the label for you guys? A lot of bands have been saying very positive things about the label, but some bands have also spoken negatively of it. Craig himself is very outspoken. How has it been working with Rise for you guys?

I love Rise. Craig is a good guy and a fan of music; straight forward and honest. They let us be ourselves which is good for a 13 year band that isn’t going to change for anyone. hahaha

Do you have complete creative control since you’ve been around longer than most bands on the label?

See above. Ha yeah they let us do as we wish!

Can you give us an update on I Am War? (side project with Alex from Atreyu)

Music is done. Finishing up vocals and mixing soon. I fucking love the sound so far and I think it is going to take people by surprise.

Last question: what are one book and one band you’d recommend to anyone that listens to Bleeding Through?

Book= Never Die Easy. It’s about Walter Payton, my childhood idol. Band= Entombed! Enough said!