Interviews: Highwind

In this new occassion we have had the opportunity to interview the Alternative Rock band Highwind from USA. Check out the interview and this band on their FACEBOOK PAGE.

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

The band name is actually a Kingdom Hearts reference! I was playing the game one night, around 3 A.M. I had just started replaying it. The second day on Destiny Island, you race Riku to decide the name of the raft you are using to escape the island. If you lose, Riku names the raft, “Highwind.” I lost the race the first time. Riku said he was naming the raft, “Highwind,” and then it just kind of came to me from there!

2. Why did you want to play this genre?

I started playing music at around twelve years old but didn’t really know what kind of music I wanted to play. Fast forward to about age sixteen. One night, I had the Pandora radio app playing and I was trying to learn songs by ear. The Permanent Rain by The Dangerous Summer came on. Instead of trying to sit there and learn it, I just sat there and listened, amazed by what I was hearing. If was from that moment on, I knew I wanted to play alternative music.

3. Favourite band?

As It Is are easily my favorite band. Their singer, Patty Walters, is the reason I started taking singing seriously. I love what they stand for as a band. Their songwriting is unbelievable. As a band, they are constantly evolving and trying something different. Continually progressing. Watching them go from the “This Mind of Mine,” era to now, seeing how much progress they’ve made, has been unbelievable.

4. Who or what inspires you to write songs?

Honestly? It just kind of happens. Everything I write has been inspired by some kind of situation I went through or something I’ve felt. Writing is like therapy for me. I use it to let our any emotions or stress I feel about something.

5. Where was your last gig?

The last show I played with Highwind was at EJ’s Tap House in Seaside Heights, New Jersey around Halloween. It was Highwind’s debut show alongside my friends in Poeta and With Sails Ahead. It was a super fun first show and took away a lot of nerves I had about this being a brand new project. I’ve done some gigs filling in on guitar for other bands here and there as well.

6. Whom would you like to feature with?

I have a few. I would love to work on a song with Nothing,nowhere, The Dangerous Summer, or Alex from Selfish Things in particular. I would also love to write with Awsten from Waterparks and see what happens.

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

I’ve been performing since I was about 13, so I never really dealt with stage fright. However, I would honestly tell someone who has stage fright to just go out there and go for it. Once you go out there and get your feet wet, all that’s left to do is keep diving in and working on it from there. You deserve that chance to let your voice be heard, so go out there and give it your best shot!

8. What bands have inspired you the most?

Both As It Is and The Dangerous Summer have been some of the biggest influences on me as a musician and a songwriter. Anberlin are also a really big influence on the kind of sound I want to go for with my music. Selfish Things have also been extremely inspiring as of recent, with how brutally honest their songwriting is.

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

I’m not too sure, to be completely honest. I don’t think I’ve ever been asked for anything too out of the ordinary in the past.

10. What do you think of your fans?

The people that have supported every project I’ve been a part of, especially Highwind, mean the world to me. The fact that people even want to support what I do is mind-blowing to me. Going into a new project is really scary because you’re basically starting from the ground up. So knowing that there are supporters out there that have my back is the best feeling in the world. I hope they all know how appreciative I am of them.

11. What do you think of our site?

I love it! I love the fact that you have a site that supports new and upcoming bands, and that you give new bands easy access to your site. Seeing that you have promoters on your site that are spread across the globe is great as well.