Interviews: Stay For Tomorrow

On this new occasion, we have had the opportunity to interview the Alternative Rock band, Stay For Tomorrow from the UK. Check out the interview and follow the 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?

After many conversations were had as to what to name the band. We landed on the word ‘tomorrow’ and really took to it. After bouncing around a couple of similar ideas, Ollie eventually suggested “Stay For Tomorrow”. Once that was mentioned we knew that was the name for us without considering anything else.

2.Why did you want to play this genre?

We never really started with a goal of “this is the genre of music we want to play”. All of us are influenced by a wide range of music but when we have to categorise ourselves we would say our music fits within the alt/rock category. Our songs vary between indie rock, hard rock and melodic rock.

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

Sean (the drummer) and Nic (the guitarist) have known each other for a while and were in a band together previously called “State of Truth”.

4.Each band member's favourite band?

Ollie - Stereophonics

Joe - Paramore

Nic - Metallica

Sean - Pendulum.

5.Who or what inspires you to write songs?

We just love writing songs! Sometimes it’s just from that inner drive to tell a story; whether they’re from a thought, a feeling or personal experiences we always strive to make them relatable to many.

6.Where was your last gig?

Monty’s Rock Bar, Dunfermline on 29.02.2020, supported by Ninth Degree and Trading Glances.

7.Where would you like to play?

We have already ticked off a venue on our bucket list when we played King Tut’s in Glasgow back in 2019. Other than that we are hoping to broaden our fan base and play outside of Scotland and potentially Europe at some point.

8.Who would you like to support?

I think any upcoming Scottish band such as ourselves would want a support slot with Biffy Clyro. Other than that bands such as Paramore, Black Stone Cherry, Creed and Stereophonics would be the dream.

9.Who not?

We would consider supporting most artists/bands who were in the same or similar genre who we felt our style of music would be suitable for their main fan base.

10.Have any of you ever suffered from stage fright? Any tips for beginners on how to beat?

Nic - Absolutely and as a guitar tutor this is something I am always asked about. From my experience one of the best ways to get over stage fright is to perform in front of people regularly. Start small in front of just family and close friends, then try attending small open mic nights and gradually just build it up. The more you play in front of people, the easier it will become.

Also be well practiced and prepared, make sure you know exactly what you are playing as being unprepared will add to the stress and anxiety of being on stage.

Throughout school I played clarinet. A wind instrument, much like singing, is one of the worst things when you have stage fright because often the first thing to happen is your breathing goes all over the place. I remember doing solo clarinet performances and my legs would be like jelly, my breathing would be like I had just ran a marathon and my embouchure would go to pot, ensuing constant squeaking.

11.What bands have inspired you the most?

Nic - So many bands! I guess if I had to whittle it down to say five, then I would have to go for Metallica, Black Stone Cherry, Rush, Extreme and Queen.

Metallica were the first ‘heavy’ band I got into. It must have been when I was in my second year of high school, I had not long gotten my first electric guitar (a cream Jim Deacon Strat) and someone from my Dad’s work gave him a bunch of old guitar magazines and books along with a Zoom GFX-1 multi-fx pedal. One of the books was “Riff By Riff: Metallica”. I opened it to the first song, popped on the CD and there I heard for the first time the intro riff to “Seek And Destroy”. I was hooked immediately and from that point on my obsession with Metallica began. I would be a very different musician today if it wasn’t for Metallica.

During high school when I really got into music, many of the bands I loved had been around for quite a bit of time but I discovered Black Stone Cherry right near the start of their career thanks to “Smackdown vs Raw 2007” which featured their debut single “Lonely Train”. This made them feel really special to me as in my mind I was discovering them before loads of other people. I have followed their career the whole way and I think they may be the band that I have seen live the most.

As well as their music being amazing and being a big part of my time at university, from pieces being used for performance exams to creating a “Learn How To Play Black Stone Cherry Book”, another way that they have inspired me is the way they operate as a band. I have learnt from them that a band is more than just the musicians you see on stage, it is a whole family of people working together.

The first time I heard Rush I was transported to another world. I was blown away by the sound being produced by just three people and the musicianship was out of this world. I had never heard anything quite like it.

Rush are a great example of a band that have constantly changed and developed throughout their career, always embracing new technology and pushing the boundaries of music. This has made me always look at how I can develop my own understanding of music technology to aid in fully exploring the needs for every song we write.

When it comes to guitarists that have influenced my playing, Nuno Bettencourt from Extreme is probably on top. The percussive way that I play riffs is directly influenced by Nuno’s style. Not only are Extreme incredible musicians but in my opinion they are also phenomenal song writers.

If it wasn’t for Queen then I may never have started playing guitar (Queen were also a huge influence on Extreme so without them perhaps Extreme wouldn’t exist to influence me).

My Mum was a huge Queen fan and I have many memories as a small child playing in the living room with Queen music videos playing on the TV, a personal favourite was “Breakthru”. I wanted to be Brian May and I think he is the reason I got my first guitar. However 5 or 6 year old me was very disappointed upon receiving my first guitar to strum it and for it not to sound like Brian May.

The way that Queen were never afraid to go against the norm and just write what they wanted to write is definitely how I try and approach writing my own music.

12.What is the weirdest thing a fan has asked you for?

After not having a t-shirt in a fan’s size he decided he would just casually buy 10 £1 lighters instead.

13.What do you think of your fans?

Without our fans there would be no Stay For Tomorrow so we are very grateful for the support we receive from them. We also miss being able to interact with our fans face to face after a gig so we are hoping that can be possible soon!!

14.What do you think of our site?

It’s great to find a website that covers so many genres that aren’t always embraced by mainstream media. We try not to pigeonhole ourselves into one genre which gives us so much freedom when we are writing, we hope this comes across in all of our releases so far.

15.Something to add?

Just thank you so much for chatting to us and for supporting Stay For Tomorrow, it means the world. We hope you and your readers love “I Don’t Need You To Save Me” and we look forward to meeting you all when we can start getting back out there gigging again!