Please list all of your band members and their roles in the band.
We are Upside Down formed by:
Quique Martínez rhythm guitar and lead vocals.
Ángel Fernandez lead guitar and backing vocals
Alex Castellano bass and backing vocals.
David Sanz drums.
For starters, what bands were you guys a part of prior to Upside Down? How long has the band been around?
Alex: well, I have been playing in bands since I was 16 years old. My first band was called Dry Ice. Then I got into bands of different genres: Labra Legue (punk-rock), Down the Riot (pop-punk), Zri (pop) and Rexina (rock).
Angel: I had my first band when I was 16 years old, It was called In Progress, it was a punk rock band. In college, I played in two indie rock groups, one was called ‘Residence’ and the other was ‘La Gran Duda’. During that period I also started to produce electronic music and I released a couple of tracks under the name ‘Mr.Phox’.
Quique: I had my first band when I was 17 years old. It was called Wait 2 Fall and it was a Post-Hardcore band. After that I got into some projects like Rails in Mars (Punk Rock) and Small Talk (Pop Punk).
David: I had my first band when I was 16. It was called 'The Playfuls' and we played pop-rock songs. We thought that it was a serious band but it was more like a hobby!! When I quit, I formed Upside Down
Upside Down has been around for the last 3 and a half years. We started this band in October of 2014.
What’s the origin of that name and have you changed the band’s name before?
It all started with ‘Small Talk’, the previous band of David and Quique. They parted ways with that & started fresh, turning the band “Upside Down”!. And so, they decided that could be a suitable name!
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?
The four of us work really hard together to write our songs. One way or another, each of us takes part in every song when we write them. For instance, maybe one of us has the lyrics of a chorus written, and the four of us start working from that until we have a full song. If we like what we wrote, we try to improve it, change it, look for something to make it better. If we don’t, we just delete it and start again.
For “Scars are Forever”, our new album, the lyrics basically tell of our past mistakes, sorrows and every problem we’ve had to go through in our lives. Breakups, the loss of loved ones or depression. However, it also shows a little bit of hope. No-one should give up and we want everyone to fight. That’s why we want our fans to be aware that they are not alone and with this little spark of light, maybe they try and fight harder.
Maybe for the next album we want to tell different stories, who knows what happens in the future?! Now, we just want to keep working hard and show ‘Scars are Forever’ to everyone.
What bands are currently inspiring the music that you’re making?
The main bands that we grew up with were the usual pop-punk influences…Blink 182, Good Charlotte etc.
On the new record, we’ve been influenced by newer bands…Handguns. Real Friends, The Starting Line, even a bit of Bring Me The Horizon had it’s part in “Scars are Forever”
Was there a particular band/artist or concert that inspired you to start a band?
Alex: For me, Green Day always have been the band that inspired me the most. I started listening to them when I was 12 and when I was 14 I impulsively decided to buy a guitar. I decided I wanted to be like Billie Joe and so I started taking guitar lessons.
Quique: My special band is, and will always be Linkin Park. I started listening to them when I was only a child and they are a source of inspiration for everything I create and play.
David: Pereza and Paramore were two of my favourite artists and they inspired me to start my first band. But I wanted to play another style of music when I discovered The Amity Affliction.
Angel: I started a band to play Blink 182, My Chemical Romance and Green Day songs, but my main goal was to be able to play stuff like Suicide Silence or Bring Me The Horizon, back in 2009.
What do you do to prepare for a show? Any flexing, exercises, etc …
We don’t really have any ritual or anything similar to play a show. We just warm up hands and voices before going on stage. But we do nothing special, we are not superstitious.
What has been the biggest highlight of the band’s career so far?
We all agree that the biggest highlight of the band was touring with ROAM. We did 3 dates but it was really cool to share stage with a big band. We are big fans of those guys and having the chance to play with them and know them was really huge for us.
If you could tour with any bands, past or present, who would they be and why?
Alex: I would love to tour with Handguns. Ever since I first saw them supporting The Wonder Years, I fell in love with that band and I have always wanted to tour with them.
Quique: I would love to tour with Silverstein someday. They’re one of my favourite bands and they have an incredible live show!
David: I admire a lot of bands, but I would love to tour with the 00' Blink 182, MCR, BMTH or 30 Second to Mars.
Angel: Right now, I’d love to play some shows with Bring Me The Horizon, Arctic Monkeys or DON BROCO, I’ve been listening to these guys quite a lot lately.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Thanks for hosting us Kill The Music. Everyone go check out our newest album ‘Scars Are Forever’, which is available in every digital platform: smarturl.it/upsidedownsaf
We hope you love it as much as we do!