A Very Loud Death is an alt rock band from Atlanta, GA.

Please list all of your band members and their roles in the band.

Chris Edge - Guitars, Vocals
Bryan Peel - Bass
Cole Robertson - Percussion

For starters, what bands were you guys a part of prior to A Very Loud Death? How long has the band been around?

Holders, Leaving Babylon, Falls End. AVLD has been around for about 4 years now.

What’s the origin of that name and have you changed the band’s name before?

We've never changed the band name, though we shorten it sometimes to AVLD. The band name is a reference to the expression La Petite Mort.

Who writes your songs? What are the main themes or topics for most of your songs and do you think these topics will change over time?

Our singer writes the lyrics and the does the general compositions, but as a band we craft each song over time together, do the arrangements together, and each member writes their own parts to the initial composition.

Most of the themes vary. We have songs about love, murder, death, self-esteem, creation, life, destruction, drug use, escapism, existentialism, prostitution, violence, domestication, consumerism, technology, modern life, hopelessness, hope, alcoholism, greed, etc. We imagine over time the themes will continue to change as we garner new life experiences and changes to our journey.

What bands are currently inspiring the music that you’re making?

We listen to everything that we can get our ears to and try to understand what each act in the world of music is doing.  Usually we deconstruct what we hear if there is something that catches our attention. Sometimes we might apply those techniques and themes. For some recent specifics we've been listening to Tropical Fuck Storm, Television, Clutch, Link Wray and a lot of cool Atlanta locals like Satyr, Challenger Deep, Kid Macho, Eddie Rascal etc.

Was there a particular band/artist or concert that inspired you to start a band?

I think just a general appreciation of music inspired most of us. We just grew up playing instruments, being surrounded by it. Just a part of us, really.

What do you do to prepare for a show? Any flexing, exercises, ect …

We try to do a pre-show set just to warm up. Our bassist and drummer will sometimes have a drink, or just talk to people. Our singer/guitarist tends to be aloof and in his own head. He likes to visualize the show, play through each song in his head a lot. He also won't drink any alcohol, caffeine etc. No dairy and all that stuff.

What has been the biggest highlight of the band’s career so far?

Honestly every day we fail- either a bad performance, or a rejection letter, life tragedies, or we get ignored etc. and every day it just motivates us to get better. So far the overall process of creating music and striving towards a goal with no knowledge except that which we gain from going out and trying has been a pretty big thing to the overall creation of our art and the unity of our members. And in a way is the ultimate highlight.

If you could tour with any bands, past or present, who would they be and why?

We would have loved to tour with The Mars Volta- more just the chance to watch them every night would have been a treat. We think we'd put on a good show with Muse, Royal Blood, Queens of the Stone Age. In the past definitely would have loved to work with Pink Floyd, Queen, Iggy Pop, Blondie, Fleetwood Mac etc.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Yeah. The universe is really just energy and action. And everything we get caught up in and do and get involved in can sometimes suck up our focus to the point that it feels like that's all there is- good or bad. Truth is we're just energy, a constant resurgence of the earth bubbling up over and over again. So just keep acting, keep making that momentum. Keep moving, hopefully towards a target. And keep that in mind and it helps to appreciate everything as part of something that isn't really out to get you.