Please list all of your band members and their roles in the band.
Liz Fisher - vocals, synthesizer, violin
Corey Dickerson - vocals, guitar
Kyle Edwards - guitar
John Allen - bass
Jeremy Miller - drums
For starters, what bands were you guys a part of prior to The Cordial Sins? How long has the band been around?
Corey, Jeremy and I are the founders of the band. Each of us have various musical backgrounds, but The Sins have been our main creative endeavor since we began playing together in 2013. After undergoing a line up and sound change, we added our second guitarist, Kyle, and have had rotating bassists over the years. Currently, we work mostly with John Allen, a fellow Ohio State Alumni.
What’s the origin of that name and have you changed the band’s name before?
Our band name actually came out of our desire to change it. Prior to my joining the group, we had a working name that referred mostly to Corey and our bassist at the time, Levi. After deciding we needed a name change, we threw around some idioms and someone misread "The Cardinal Sins" for "The Cordial Sins". So, we ran with it.
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 songwriting process has varied over time, but we're currently locked in on a pretty good routine. Corey will often come up with a guitar riff that is run by me for melody ideas. If we can find mutual excitement and a vision, we'll present it to the band. Another way we've been writing songs derives from jamming at practice. We feel the need to capture our most organic moments for future reference.
Lyrically, I am often inspired by coping with broader ideas in life, particularly the passing of time. Even if I'm inspired by a specific person or event, however, I try to write lyrics that can be fairly relatable.
What bands are currently inspiring the music that you’re making?
Radiohead, Dead Gaze, Death Cab For Cutie, The Vines, just to name a few..
Was there a particular band/artist or concert that inspired you to start a band?
The first national act I saw was Cold War Kids in the tenth grade. I remember thinking how awesome it must be to perform in that capacity as a career. I can't say with certainty that it directly inspired my wanting to form a band, but it did kickstart my love for alternative music in a live setting.
What do you do to prepare for a show? Any flexing, exercises, etc …
We all try warm up a bit before shows. Corey and I often do vocal warm ups and test out some of our harmonies. Kyle will often pull out his guitar and play for a bit as well. We also try to stretch and "limber up" so we're as relaxed as possible.
What has been the biggest highlight of the band’s career so far?
We've had a lot of great moments. If I had to choose one highlight, I'd pick our release of "Go On" and subsequent 2016 Independents Day performance in Columbus. We love our community here and are honored to be a part of it.
If you could tour with any bands, past or present, who would they be and why?
At the moment, I think we'd pair really well with Wolf Alice. We first listened to them after we had released "Daze," and even after we wrote "Go On," which is amazing because we were able to draw so many similarities between our sounds. I really admire how Ellie approaches songwriting and I've also enjoyed their live performances. They're typically the band I envision being able to tour with.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Thanks for reading and taking interest. We're currently in the midst of recording our upcoming EP and releasing a music video for "Go On," so be sure to stay up-to-date with us on all of our social media platforms!