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

Peat Rains - 8 string Bass

KC Solaris - Drums

Bryan Wilson - Cello

For starters, what bands were you guys a part of prior to You Bred Raptors? How long has the band been around?

Well, I was in a video game music band called 'This Place is Haunted' that I started in college. I lived in the incredibly bland and basic land of central Pennsylvania attending Penn State University. The town was powered by alcohol, NCAA sports and a rampant lack of creative outlets for anyone working on the fringes. We played original music and swam upstream for awhile. But most venues would only book you if your band did covers. So we backdoored in there and played video game music. That eventually stuck and we played regional conventions and festivals doing that. I had been signed to a record label prior to college as a solo bass player so doing double duty was getting tough. I graduated and moved to NYC to continue the solo effort. KC, our drummer, has extensively toured as a percussionist in different projects. And this is Bryan's first full time band. He's also an accomplished solo artist that just released his debut CD. 

The band has been around since 2010, started with just myself and a drummer. We were accepted into the Music Under New York program after only two shows. 7 years later, it's been almost 1,000 subway/venue shows as well as 8 drummers, 3 cellists, about 150+ masks and 27 states for touring. We're either incredibly prolific or incredibly dumb or both. 

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

I always had a dream to start a band with zero guitars and zero vocals and name it "You Bred Raptors?". Originally it was supposed to be two bassists and a drummer but I wanted to make my job infinitely more difficult by adding a string section. I stole the name from a line in Jurassic Park. And we haven't had to change it yet. The lawyers at Universal might send a cease and desist letter at some point but I doubt it. We are paying homage. And I always thought SOMEONE there would care that a band is dedicating each album to a central character in the JP franchise. And oh hey, we score films. Nudge nudge. 

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?

I'm the primary songwriter. Sometimes either Bryan or I will come to the table with scattered parts or a bare bones exoskeleton. We realize that not having vocals can make it difficult for people to connect with us. So we write lines and riffs that are more narrative in nature. It's not "normal" for a bass to usually do that heavy lifting of providing a storyline or arc to a song. The cello too has had a rich history of laying a foundation and taking the backseat with great effect. There's exceptions to both but we tend to color outside the lines. We respect our instruments but also want to push boundaries on what's possible to write the best song possible. 

As far as themes and topics. It runs the gauntlet of emotions and tirades that everyone else deals with. I typically don't disclose what certain songs were written about. Only because those songs might mean something totally different to someone else and I don't want to "correct" them because interpretation is an abstract concept. Conversely there's a few songs that don't mean anything as I was writing them. Maybe I stumbled on a good chord pattern or a riff in an odd time signature caught my ear. Those songs might evoke emotional responses in our audience so I'm not going to ruin that for them and tell them I wrote that not wearing pants while binge watching MacGyver on Netflix. 

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

I've always been drawn to instrumental music because it tests your ability to maintain cohesion and staying focused. With that said, it's extremely easy and common to get distracted and write unnecessary parts that might detract from the overall theme. There shouldn't be rules in writing music but I fought that battle with myself long and hard. When I was younger I wrote overly complicated and proggy songs that might have only been interesting to musicians or fans of that genre. As the band grew into our own I found that finding a common ground and balancing your creativity and your crowd was crucial. Listening to bands like Russian Circles, Explosions in the sky, Consider the Source and RATATAT have exhibited to me that you can write interesting music while still keeping it accessible. You don't always have to throw on your duster-jacket and emulate Dream Theater to be taken seriously. I grew up being exposed to celtic and bluegrass music so appreciation of roots and world music has always kept things fresh while writing. We always get compared to Primus and Animals as Leaders because of the bass heavy instrumentation and extended range strings. I'd love to open up for either of those bands. Just tell me who I have to sleep with around here. I'll do it. 

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

As pretentious as this sounds, I don't remember a choice for this trajectory in life. It just always seemed like the natural choice. I was always the serious butthole in the band that wasn't there just to have fun. Every show I did (and do) ends with a self assessment and critique about how I could have done it better. It's an unhealthy way to deal with things but it's kept me hungry and always striving to be better than I was. But in the spirit of the question, I do have a definitive answer. My first concert that I went to of my own volition was Green Day on their Insomniac tour in early 1996. I could play every song on that album because outside of 8 stray single notes, that entire album is power chords. I played the root notes on the bass. I played along to that and Dookie every day until the tapes warped. That concert was also my first mosh pit. I had just turned 14 years old and was terrified. But I had to do it and luckily it was at a farm show complex with dirt and saw dust on the ground as a cushion for when you inevitably fell. It was harrowing and supportive at the same time. I knew from then on I wanted to live in that atmosphere. 

I recently was invited to see Green Day a month ago while they were at the Barclay's Center. I check the date and it turns out it's 21 years to the day as my first concert. I'm afraid of death and took it as a sign. And it was a free ticket so I agreed. Normally I'm not a fan of arena rock but fuck, that concert was still so much fun. Seeing people my age and their kids digging actual rock music without backing tracks or laptops on stage, even for a concert of that magnitude, it was really rad. I didn't recognize half the set but that band still has it. It was nostalgic and at the same time gave me hope for the next generation singing along to the same songs that affected me so much 20 years ago. I know I might lose street cred telling that story but that's the truth. That band shaped me a teenager and is responsible for the slapdash, undisciplined rhythm that I have. 

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

Damnit, I totally should be doing more flexing and stretching before shows. If for nothing else, to show off these sweet guns I've sculpted. In all reality, almost every show is plagued with me worrying that there won't be enough people there. Even if it's sold out through ticket sales, I'm still convinced it's a mistake and we'll play to a sparse room. I usually like to not be around stage or the entrance before the show. I don't want to watch people coming in. I find a place with high ceilings or a quiet corner outside to juggle. It relaxes me and it makes me look like I'm NOT obsessing about the show now that it's out of my control. I sometimes run my hands under warm water to keep them from freezing up depending on what song we start with.

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

I'd say this is where I could list some humblebrags. But honestly, some of the biggest joys I feel with this band are behind the scenes. Scoring a support slot for a nationally touring band when you're up against nepotism from bookers or shitty baby bands with a high bankroll behind them. I get immense satisfaction when hard work actually pays off. When we play to a huge crowd that we busted our asses promoting for and shutting down naysayers or smug industry types. You have to eat so much shit from those people that when sonic reason wins out, it's a rare victory that should be celebrated. That elation lasts about 12 seconds before freaking out about promotion time, schedules, merch inventory, announcing properly etc etc. I mean, it was amazing opening for Stu Hamm and Yoko Ono (let me bend over and grab those names I dropped) but the aesthetic of this band has been faithfully grinding and relying on ourselves to prove we should be taken seriously. We've played during engagements and breakups in the subway, happening in front of us. Good or bad, our music is the soundtrack to people's lives in some ways. 

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

The business side of me wants to dog whistle here to try and plant some seeds. Like I would love to tour with Russian Circles, any Les Claypool project, or Explosions in the Sky. I think we'd be an amazing fit to those bills. But the music fan in my wants to tour with GWAR or Bela Fleck just because I'd like to see them perform every night. Can I tour with the Tupac hologram? Also, I want to tour with a huge band based solely on the fact that someone else would take over the booking duties. 

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Come see us on one of our many shows on our upcoming US tour for our new album "International Genetics". We are contractually obligated to bring the fucking ruckus.