Fine Fine Titans - Interview

Hey, Breathing The Core fans, here we bring you another interview of the Post-Hardcore band Fine Fine Titans  from USA, so here you can see and give a like their FACEBOOK PAGE. All the questions are answered by Tom a member of the band. We have nothing more to say, enjoy this excellent interview of this more excellent band. 

1.Where did you get the idea for the band name, you planned it or came out just like that?  

Jenn: After Evan, Dustin (our former guitar player) and I had started writing music together, we were throwing around ideas on what to call our band. Dustin came up with the name...no one is exactly sure where it came from or what it meant but it stuck. Even when we considered changing it, there were quite a few oppositions so we left it.

2.Why did you want to play this genre?  

Kris: For me, it's got the energy that I love from punk rock but the grit and grime that comes along with playing metal. It's a happy medium.

Joe: I wanted to play this genre because of the rawness and honesty of the songs. Lyricists in this genre of post-hardcore tend to write songs that come from the heart and are basically just an expulsion of bottled up feelings, and I love that our band is no exception to that. Jenn is a great example of a lyricists who means every word she writes.

Evan: I wouldn't say that I wanted to play this genre with this band particularly. It just came out this way. However, one of the things I love about this genre is the ability to really bring in all of your influences from punk, rock, hardcore, metal, and prog.

Jenn: The passion and rawness that exudes from this sort of music in particular draws me in. It’s not overly thought out or heavily produced, it’s true heart that’s poured into it and I definitely have to hand it to the bands that kept me going in the hardest times of my life. During my teens and early twenties, I was desperate to find belonging in something and alternative rock was where I sought solace. Bands like AFI, The Used, My Chemical Romance, Taking Back Sunday, Motion City Soundtrack, Glassjaw, Brand New and The Deftones got me through some really trying times and although I was raised on many genres and types of music, this is where my heart is. Genre aside, there is no connection quite like the connection between fans and players in this subculture.

3. Did you know each other before the band was formed?  

Kris: Evan and I have been long time friends and fellow musicians, I met Jenn through Evan as their relationship flourished and was introduced to Joe shortly after I started playing with the titans.

Joe: No, I didn’t know any of them before I started jamming with them. The power of the interweb brought us together!

Evan: I knew Kris for years prior to him joining the band, Jenn and I were married before hand, and we just happened to stumble upon Joe quite a few months back.

4. Each band member favourite band?  

Kris: If I said I only had one favorite, I'd be a liar. Lately I've been listening to a lot of 1876, At The Drive In and The Bled.

Joe: As of now, Manchester Orchestra’s new album Cope has been playing nonstop in my car, but my all-time favorite band is Jimmy Eat World.

Evan: Picking one favorite band is such a hard thing. I've been so hooked on bands like letlive, Every Time I Die, The Bled, Exotic Animal Petting Zoo, and The Safety Fire lately. If I had to pick that one all-time favorite though, it'd have to be Rush.

Jenn: Incubus! Always.

5. Who or what inspires you to write songs?  

Kris: I'm inspired by life. It's full of ups and downs and every once in a while you get a good story to tell.

Joe: I’m inspired by other drummers constantly. Just recently I had heard “The Dope Beat” by Letlive. and unfortunately I didn’t have my kit home at the time but I sat down with a practice pad and tried to write a drum beat that was even half as cool as that song’s.

Evan: I'm inspired to write by quite a few things .... daily life, going to a good show, listening to new music, and even old stuff from bands that inspire me to play. The one thing that inspires me the most though is sitting down with my instrument in hand and just playing it until something comes out.

Jenn: Specific incidents and people in my life is what I tend to write (and sometimes rewrite) about often. Recently, I’ve been trying to draw much more outside of my own experiences to try to understand the pain that other people are going through. And I don’t mean pain like your girlfriend of a month broke up with you (because seriously, there are more important things), but deep rooted issues that sneak up on people and force them to act the way that they do. I prefer to paint pictures with my lyrics so that these stories can connect to people like other songs have allowed me to connect.

6. Where was your last gig?

Jenn: Our last show was our album release at Take Hold Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

7. Where would you like to act?  

Kris: I'd love to get added to a festival like Reading in the UK or The Vans Warped Tour here in the states.

Joe: I would love to play down in South Africa. We have small a group of fans down there, so to be able to go play for them and also experience life in another country would be a blast.  Evan: I would love to play Vans Warped Tour, Download, or Soundwave.

Jenn: Can we just get to Europe already? And a music cruise like the ones that are gaining popularity lately seem like a dream!

8. Whom would you like to feature with?

Kris: Letlive, Every Time I Die, He is Legend, The Bled, Exotic Animal Petting Zoo, etc

Joe: I would love to record a song with Jason from Letlive. He has the most soulful yet aggressive voice. It’s just perfect!

Evan: There's so many, but a couple that come to mind would be guest vocals by Jason Butler (letlive), Keith Buckley (Every Time I Die), or Daryl Palumbo (Glassjaw). It would also be amazing if I could ever have Geddy Lee lay down a bass track in my place on a song.

Jenn: Realistically, I would love to work with Jordan of La Dispute again. In my dreams, I would love to shoot for Daryl Palumbo, Dave Grohl or Prince (a girl can dream).

9. Whom not?  

Kris: I'd play with anyone!

Joe: I don’t really think there is an artist I wouldn’t record a song with if the opportunity presented itself. I mean, you’d at least have to try it out to see if there was any chemistry!

Evan: Probably Scott Stapp, but that's mostly because of the fact that he has to do the "metal hands" in all of his photos. It's intimidating, really.

Jenn: I wouldn’t like to work with anyone dead because that would be pretty strange. I just don’t think it will work if you can’t even breathe.

10. Any of you has ever suffered from stage fright? Any tip for beginners on how to beat that?  

Kris: I have. The trick is to find a dark alley, (a toilet would also work) and just let it go. Sometimes you just need to get your guts in check.

Joe: I have never gotten stage fright too bad, but if ever I feel nervous or overwhelmed on stage, I find the best thing to do is close your eyes and just get lost in the music as much as you can. You’ll find not much else really matters to you if you can really connect with the song you’re playing.

Evan: I think stage fright is something everyone deals with from time to time. I find it best to remove myself from the situation temporarily, go outside, relax, and come back in ready to go.

Jenn: I’m always nervous before a show! Nerves are good; they give you that fight or flight instinct. If you’re too relaxed, you might become lazy. However, try not to puke all over the stage because of jitters. Jumping jacks. Breathing. Smiling. These things all work for me to chill out a little before I take the stage.

11. What bands have inspired you the most?

Kris: I'm inspired by so many incredible musicians, but I'd definitely say bands like Jawbreaker, The Lawrence Arms, Botch and Boysnightout really made a mark with me.

Joe: Some bands and drummers that have inspired me the most have been Jimmy Eat World, Silversun Pickups, Joel Piper, Zac Farro, and certainly Dave Grohl!

Evan: The bands that have inspired me the most over the years have been Rush, Every Time I Die, and Glassjaw, just to name a few.

Jenn: Incubus, especially the early years. There is so much soul and groove with a bit of aggression but still a soothing tongue. The way that they have evolved is intriguing and impressive. Brandon’s lyrics are powerful and poetic.

12. What's the weirdest thing a fan has ever asked you for?  

Kris: I still get caught off guard when fans ask us to sign anything, it's extremely flattering.

Joe: I’ve been asked for band name ideas before. I usually just make something up on the spot that is completely far-fetched and confusing. I wonder if that’s how Jenn and Evan picked our name…

Jenn: A ride in the van to a show out of town. It’s cool if I know you and hang out with you but if I’ve never met you aside from the internet, I’m not totally into the idea of letting anyone travel with us. That’s the perfect scenario for a horror plot to begin.

13. What do you think of your fans?  

Kris: Our Titans are incredible. They breathe life into the band in ways the four of us simply cannot. I have a tremendous amount of respect and gratitude for every single person who gives us the time of day.

Joe: They’re great! We’ve been lucky enough to befriend a lot of them, and they are all extremely supportive! They’re also awesome at spreading our name around! It’s crazy to see how one person digging your music can turn into five people digging your music, which can turn into ten people digging your music, and so on. Like I said earlier, we have a group of some fans in South Africa, and that was all started by one person. Somehow, our friend Craig had discovered our music from halfway across the world! I guess he liked what he heard so he told a lot of his friends about us, and now we have a whole group of titans out there! It’s crazy how much of a chain reaction word-of-mouth alone can create!

Evan: I'm extremely grateful for those who have supported us. They've been there through all of the ups and downs, pushing us to keep moving.

Jenn: Our fans are tried and true. There have been a few instances in the last few years where I was just really down and out about the band and it was tearing me down. However, a certain magic happens when you express your feelings and a fan or two sends you personal messages and tells you that quitting will personally affect them and that I have to keep marching forward. This has happened a few times and that’s exactly why I call them our Titans. They are fighting for us even when we feel exhausted and defeated.

14. What do you think of our site?  

Kris: It's excellent! Thank you for promoting not only Fine Fine Titans, but for supporting the music scene as a whole. It's extremely important to have people like you in the scene.

Joe: I really enjoyed checking it out! Thanks for having us!

Jenn: All done by one guy?! Man, I’m impressed. You must work hard on this!

15. Something to add?

Kris: "San Dimas High School football rules!"

Evan: Thanks to you for taking the time to interview us, thanks to those who have taken a moment to read this, and check us out at finefinetitans.com. Let's be friends!