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

Arte - vocals; Tikhon - lead guitar; Alexandr - rhythm guitar; Rost - Bass; Egor - keyboard/percussion; Danila - drums.

For starters, what bands were you guys a part of prior to (insert band/artist name here)? How long has the band been around?

Danila (drums): Other than a few school bands Tiavara was the first serious band for all of us. You could say that we grew musically together and that is part of what makes our sound unique. Arte (vocals) has some background in academic singing and pop music but Tiavara is his first endeavour in metal and being part of a group.

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

Tikhon (lead guitar): Tiavara is the original name of the band. The story of the name, however, is very personal and only people in the band and their close relatives/friends will ever know what it actually means. It is even older than the band itself. The only thing that is important is that the name conveys our vision and passion for music.

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?

Danila: We almost always follow the same songwriting routine. Tikhon (lead guitar) would make a demo (guitars + his vision for the drums). Then I take that demo, write my own drum parts for it and come up with lyrics, sometimes making minor arrangement adjustments so that everything fits together. Once that is done I bring the song to our band practice where everyone gets to make their input and the we learn the song.

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

Tikhon: I am a huge fan of groove metal like Lamb of God and DevilDriver. However, I tend to listen to different bands in different genres including Godsmack, Shinedown, Architects, Killswitch Engage and sometimes even hip-hop. Anything really can inspire me to a particular riff or a mood in which the next song will be written.

Danila: When I write lyrics I draw my inspiration from all kinds of sources but I do like to listen to Johnny Cash and Leonard Cohen among other softer music as their songs tend to provoke deeper thoughts and set a contemplative mood.

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

Tikhon: Not particularly, however, there was one concert that was inadvertently a pivotal point for our bands existence. My brother, three of our mutual friends and I used to jam a lot. One day, my brother and I went to see a Killswitch Engage show in Moscow. That same day, right after we got back from the concert all three of our friends, without prior discussion said that they didn’t want to jam with us anymore for various personal reasons. It was a matter of bad timing of course and had nothing to do with the Killswitch Engage show, however it was then that my brother and I decided to get serious and find some dedicated musicians with whom we would create a real band.

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

Tikhon: The guitarists usually do some dynamic stretching (necks and backs) and actively warm up (jump around mostly). However, most of the times Alexandr and I usually ride our boards before the show to increase the level of adrenaline in advance. That helps especially during our tours when we only get like 5 hours of sleep every day. But the main rule that we have is no alcohol before the show. None of us will ever drink even one beer the entire day before the show.

Danila: I do a bit of stretching before the show, however we always spend a lot of time making sure our equipment is all in order and performing a soundcheck, so by the time we start the show we are all warmed up and ready.

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

Tikhon: For me personally, there was one time when I got recognized at a random place by our fan. I just went in to buy some strings for my guitar and the seller was there very nice and we started talking. After like two minutes of talking he recognized me without my makeup and said: “Oh my god, aren’t you the guitarist of Tiavara?” At that moment it hit me that we are not just a couple of friends jamming in our garage and trying to release a crappy demo for the first time, but a legit band that is being recognized at places I have never been to before.

As for the shows I would say there was a sold-out at one of the towns of Russia where people just went crazy. Mosh-pit, slam, everything you know… But the best part was when during “Celestial Dance” I’ve managed to make every single person in the venue to sit down and go crazy on my count. That moment was just breathtaking.

Danila: There was that one time when we performed at a local summer festival by the Black Sea and the festival was going alright but nothing particularly exciting. However when it was time for our set there was a significant increase in people in front of the stage. The moment I remember most fondly was when after we played a song I decided to scream into the crowd “I can’t hear you!”... And for the first time I’ve actually heard a powerful roar in response! It was absolutely overwhelming!

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

Tikhon: Since I am a huge fan of Lamb of God I would definitely enjoy touring with them, just to see how they operate. I also think that we would do well with some of the modern metal bands like Of Mice and Men, Architects or Bring Me The Horizon. I believe that System of a Down would be an appropriate match since our vocalist is from Armenia and our music is somewhat relatable.

Danila: I totally agree with all the bands that my brother mentioned, I personally would’ve been over the moon to share the stage with Slayer and System of a Down.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Danila: We would like to invite everyone to check out our latest singles “Celestial Dance” and “When Silence Reigns” and to stay tuned for our upcoming album “Delusional Tales of Grand Intentions”, out on April 27th!