List members/roles in the band:
Originally when we started writing for upcoming Vesuvius material, we were only four people all working multiple roles. However, we are slowly beginning to develop a complete live band, in which our roles will be more definitive.
As of right now, we have Billy Melsness and I (Ben Cooligan) splitting vocal duties, Taylor Rossi taking the bass section, and Robin Parsons take care of key parts.
For our next studio session, we linked with two of our good friends: Luc Malo doing guitars and Carter Peak on percussion. We plan for them to resume permanent membership post-studio session.
Outside of a live setting, Billy and I take care of most of the songwriting, while Robin handles a large portion of graphic design and marketing.
What bands were you guys a part of prior and for how long?
Prior to the formation of Vesuvius, four of us were in our prior project Of Burning Empires full time for three years. Carter also helped us out with some live work, however we disbanded soon after knowing that we wanted to change direction.
Luc and I worked together many years ago in my first ever live band called I Am Rapture.. We never shared the stage together; being so young, it was difficult to put together a set worthy of an actual audience. However, we never lost touch and I contacted him as soon as we realized we would have a guitar slot open in the new project.
Carter has also gone on many tours as a session drummer for pop and country projects. The live experience definitely shows through his drum performance, regardless of the vast genre shift.
Outside of Vesuvius, Billy is also a solo producer of ambient music. I also write R&B on the side under the alias "fvckben".
Who writes the songs? Main themes or topics? Will these change?
We usually split up the writing process. I (Ben) handle a large portion of lyrical conceptualization and try my best to contribute to the music. Billy is an incredible songwriter and often has many ideas and criticism to bring my contributions to the next level. Robin is also always my biggest vocal critic in the studio, always telling me when my takes suck, haha.
As for right now, we're attempting to tackle our first full length record. It is from front to back a concept record of personal anecdotes from my life growing and developing throughout childhood and adolescence. I also dabble in a parental concept; the next single we are to record will feature a back and forth between Mother and Son which I am very excited to see unfold.
As for now, we're working with the one theme for this record, but I'm sure over time we will adjust our conceptualization; no sense beating a dead horse.
Which bands are currently inspiring your sound?
It's really hard to place any influence on any specific artist. I must say that when it comes to writing heavy riffs, I have been listening to a lot of the first Slipknot record recently and that always pumps me up to write something angry.
In terms of lyrical song structure, I've been opening up a lot more to adjusting the overall theatre of the music to the emotional roller coaster read through the lyrics, rather than vice versa. Bands like Between the Buried and Me, Dream Theatre, and Queen have always inspired me to write long, score-like material.
Was there a particular band/artists that inspired you to make music?
That's a difficult question. For myself personally, I grew up in an incredibly musical family so it was really only second nature for me to start learning an instrument.
There certainly were bands growing up that I originally aspired to sound like when I first started getting into louder, heavier music. When I was much younger, it was all Green Day and My Chemical Romance, and then when I started high school, it was all The Used and Avenged Sevenfold.
How do you prepare for a show?
A nice big dose of caffeine, maybe a beer or two. I have yet to play live with Vesuvius, but throughout rehearsal I am just consumed by the emotion in the music.
One of the reasons behind the name and member change was to adjust our live performance to something massive and theatrical. I just hope that it translates as well as I am expecting.
Highlight of the band's career?
Being a young band, it is difficult to imagine that we've yet to reach any real highlight. Every single moment of being in this band has been an amazing experience; the reformation has given us the opportunity to right all the things we've done poorly in prior projects, and starting on a clean slate was definitely necessary.
I am personally just ecstatic to be back onstage with our new live layout. Our set is about to become more exciting and violent than ever! Haha.
If you could tour with anyone, who would it be?
This is always such a hard question. Being a fan of so many different types of music, I couldn't possibly throw together a dream tour.
I really just want the opportunity to play a live Audiotree set. I can watch Audiotree live for hours; sound and video quality is unreal.
Is there anything else you'd like to add?
I would just like to thank the boys for putting up with me, Unsigned Spotlight for giving me the opportunity to share and promote my musical endeavours, and of course, my family and pals for their endless support.
Cheers!
Ben