Interviews: Sailing For Tomorrow

On this new occasion, we have had the opportunity to interview the Metalcore band, Sailing For Tomorrow from France. 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?

Kevin: It happened a while after the four of us were set together. We had some tracks ready, and we knew the matter of the name had to be addressed. So we started thinking about it, and at the end of one of our rehearsals, I finally found it. It was uncannily simple to find, yet very clear, because it encompasses the very feeling we wish to convey through our songs. And as time went on, it has become more and more apparent to us that this name really represents what we do: throughout our music, we (and the audience with us) journey through different places, emotions ... And we know not how the journey ends, but we four know that our fellowship is really Sailing for Tomorrow, no matter what awaits, we do it together.

2. Why did you want to play this genre?

Edouard: We didn’t choose a specific genre in the beginning, we just started playing what we like, each one of us with our own influences and will to make songs together with an open mind. We have some influences in common and add our own personality to the music.

Rémi: It all came a bit naturally when Manu joined the band. Originally, the project was entirely instrumental and didn't really have a proper “style”, even if the global sound was quite metal already. We adapted the existing songs to Manu's singing style, and even deleted some of them, resulting in a Metalcore vibe, which I think is a little different than it was at the start.

Kevin: We are very open-minded to other genres. Soon enough Rémi started integrating smoother chords into some of our first songs, as we also started jamming during rehearsal sessions, with some ideas being kept in the end for songs we play today. I guess, if we had to choose one genre we « belong » to the most, it’d be Metalcore, given the structure and the atmosphere of most of our songs, but we definitely don’t want to limit ourselves to it. We all feed on different genres, and inspirations, and that gets channeled into our music too.

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

Rémi: I was the only one who knew everyone else. Edouard and I used to play together when we were teenagers, but then the group stopped because everyone was studying and I had joined a more professional band. During this period, I met Kevin, who often spent time in the same concert hall as me. We became friends, and we followed each other's musical paths. Aside from that, I also knew Manu from our common workplace.

Manu: The first person I got to know was Rémi, whom I met when he joined his old band Lumberjacks, but we didn't really start talking until we became work colleagues. And I also went to the same rehearsal space as Rémi, Édouard, and Kevin, I had already seen them but had never spoken to them yet.

Kevin: I knew Rémi from his former band Lumberjacks, when his band and my own were rehearsing at the same wonderful place, Le Barde Atomique (The Atomic Bard) in Ecquevilly. I was spending a lot of time there apart from rehearsals, and Rémi and I got along from the very beginning. I left my former band quite soon after we met, and I told Rémi I’d be very much interested in playing with him. He was already very nice to me, so he said “Sure, why not!”. Few months later, in September 2019, I heard he was leaving his band, and asked him “Hey, still up for making music together?” and he was still up for it. That’s when he introduced me to Ed, whom he had known for years, and by the beginning of 2020 he brought Manu for a casting. Needless to say, he was already part of the band by the end of that rehearsal!

Rémi: Yeah, the whole thing came together really spontaneously when Kevin told me he wanted to set up a project with me. I think it was a great meeting for everyone.

4. Each band member's favorite band?

Manu: As far as I’m concerned, my taste in bands is quite varied, ranging from Helloween to Emperor via In Flames, Bleed From Within, Periphery, etc... 

Edouard: I don’t have an all-time favorite band, my taste in music has evolved over time and I like to listen to a lot of different styles, but lately it has been Bleed From Within.

Rémi: It's always been Avenged Sevenfold for me. I think my approach to music evolves with them.

Kevin: That’s a very hard one...I have favorite artists/bands I love in different genres...but if there was one to pick that I could listen to all day long, it’d be Linkin Park. Damn you, Chester!

5. Who or what inspires you to write songs? 

Manu: The inspiration for the first EP came mainly from my anxiety and the fact that I wanted to free myself from it, but for the next one I drew a little more inspiration from everything that's happening around us. I'm helped by Kevin, who put a lot of himself into the lyrics for this one, and we make a perfect duo, because often I get my ideas mixed up and I write the lyrics like a film script, and he's a lyricist and English teacher, so he helps me get my mess in order (laughs). 

Kevin: And man, isn’t it messy! (laughs) But yeah, part of my role in the band was always writing lyrics. I can write in French and in English, and quite early on I said that I’d be interested in writing our lyrics, which everyone else agreed on. The first EP was everyone bringing ideas together, which I put into words and matching them with our music. Our second EP, however, was more challenging, as I had to write most of everything lyrically speaking. But it always came from our music: I listen to the riffs over and over, to the beat, I get to experience the emotion as we play the tracks, and from there the lyrics come along. I also draw inspiration from everything, from personal experiences that I want to share with others, to fantasy or actual topics to tackle. Our voice, our journey is made to be understood by others, so it is important the lyrics stay so, and heartfelt all the way.

6. Where was your last gig?

Manu: The last big show we did was at our very special « le Barde Atomique » in February with Dead Tree Seeds and No Return, otherwise we did a private show for Remi's birthday!

Rémi: Yes, we played in my garden last week, we got my neighbors to headbang, and it was great fun!

Kevin: It had a very « roots » vibe to it. That was so much fun ! Really shows how close we are to one another.

7. Where would you like to act?

Kevin: I’d love so much for us to become an international touring band...It’d be magic to play with other bands from around the world that we love, to be part of not just a local stage but to share our music and passion with everyone in the world ... But, before we get to that, let’s start by conquering the local stage, shall we?

Edouard: We've mainly played in the Parisian suburbs for now. To play shows in nice venues in Paris (like: Le Klub, Elysee Montmartre, La Boule Noire, etc...,) would be awesome, also in different regions of France, in other European countries, and do a few festivals too in the future.

8. Whom would you like to feature with?

Kevin: There are so many great bands, with gifted musicians out there... We love Bleed from Within, Spiritbox, and many others...I guess the band we’d all love to play with, or even better tour with, would be Bleed from Within. Not much of hesitation here.

Rémi: Yes, with Bleed From Within, we love these guys! And boy, they're incredible on stage!

9. Whom not?

Edouard: Every opportunity is good to take so I don’t think we have bands we don’t want to play with for the moment haha.

Manu: Haha frankly, I don't know, we're still too young to say which bands we don't want to play with, time will tell!

Rémi: Hahaha we won't answer that, it's a trap! Besides, we're not here to make enemies. What we need right now is a little more notoriety!

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

Manu: Yeah, I've had stage fright, and as I said before, I have anxiety, sometimes it's violent and sometimes it's nothing at all, but if it happens, the most common thing is to isolate yourself in a quiet corner and take deep breaths or do cardiac coherence, which helps a lot, and then throw yourself on stage with the band and give it all you've got! The only problem is that afterward, they'll have to hold you by the belt so you don't go back on stage because of the adrenaline haha.

Edouard: I can have a little bit of stage fright but it gets better over time. I’m a bit shy in public, but playing the drums keeps you at the back of the stage. I’m not the center of attention and I’m in my zone so it’s alright. Personally, my stage fright comes mostly from not knowing well a song, being afraid of making mistakes, and not playing well. Even if it seems obvious, my advice for beginners would be to be well prepared before shows and know very well the songs you play so you can think less and be more at ease, and more involved in the show.

Rémi: As for me, I've always had a bit of stage fright, and I think the way to master it is really up to each individual. As far as I'm concerned, I always take 5 or 10 minutes to warm up with my instrument, which allows me to clear my head a bit, and I like to chat with my boys and the other bands, which always motivates me. Once I'm on stage, I'm completely disconnected and the only thing I can think about is giving it my all.

Kevin: I used to be petrified by the stage – and on stage, from early years on. What came as a salvation was meeting kind people I’d share the stage with, and with whom I started to feel more and more confident. Meeting Rémi, Ed, and Manu was, I think, the climax point of that because I’ve never really experienced stage fright with them. So my advice would be to find strength in your friends with whom you’re playing but also remember that they may seek it within yourself as well. So try to do both, and it goes really great!

11. What bands have inspired you the most?

Manu: When I was young, my inspirations were Iron Maiden (Bruce Dickinson), Halloween (Michael Kiske), and the Power Metal style in general. I even had a cover band of bands of this genre called Guardians, then one day I came across the C.O.L.O.N.Y album by In Flames and my vision of Metal changed and so did my singing... And also had a vocal cord accident which meant that power metal and those lyrical flights of fancy were no longer for me, so metalcore and melodic death welcomed me with open arms! LOL, my favorite singers are: Spencer Sotelo, Anders Friden, Devin Townsend, Spencer Charnas, etc...

Rémi: I think it's good to draw inspiration from lots of different musical universes, metal must represent 30% of what I listen to, but all styles are inspiring. I really like bands that know how to reinvent themselves and always come up with new things without really focusing on one style. That's why I really like and respect Avenged Sevenfold, and why I like Falling in Reverse, Bring Me the Horizon, and Slipknot...etc But if we're talking about my guitar playing, my main influences are "Gary Moore", "Synyster Gates", "John Petrucci" and "Rabea Massaad".

Kevin: I love to draw inspiration from anything, and in music especially to draw inspiration from many different genres and bands/artists. We are such a privileged generation to benefit from such musical heritage, and also to be part of the diversification of the « original » genres... Figures like David Bowie, Les Claypool, Prince, are icons of what a real « show » is, as well as artists/bands that convey such positive energy and emotion on stage, like Linkin Park, Coldplay, Dream Theater, Biffy Clyro, Trivium...I’ll stop there, but there are so many more that should be part of this Olympus of Music Gods haha.

Edouard: I listened a lot to Avenged Sevenfold so I took a lot of inspiration from The Rev and Mike Portnoy (“Nightmare” album), and Brooks Wackerman more recently. I can also mention Slipknot. Sometimes I take inspiration from specific songs when interesting drum parts catch my ear. Lately, I really like Ali Richardson’s (Bleed From Within) and Matt Halpern’s (Periphery) drum parts that inspire me. I listen also to Allt and like the details Adam Bjork adds in his drum parts, that is something I like to include in my drumming too.

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

Manu: So far no strange requests, but it shouldn't be long now (laughs).

Rémi: I was asked once to take a photo, and I thought it would be with me, but no, it was with my Guitar! Not weird, but funny!

Kevin: I can’t answer that question truthfully right now...but my second choice would be someone who asked me if I’m wearing pants on the stage, which comes from a joke started by Rémi and Manu during a promotion video on social networks (as it always starts, to be honest).

13. What do you think of your fans?

Manu: I love them! And I hope it will continue like this as the years go by, whether it's new fans or those who are already following us!

Edouard: They come from different horizons. We have people from the metal scene and others not familiar with this genre, and each one finds something different to like in our music. I like the fact that we can gather different people together.

Rémi: I think that comes from the fact that we always try to create music that's rich and full of influence, but also that within the band there's a really special energy that I think overflows on stage. And you can feel it in our audience: a lot of people who don't really listen to metal follow us and appreciate what we do, because the energy is there. It's a real pleasure to have them

Kevin: What is interesting, is that we have people from all generations coming to see us, whether it’s the first time because they’re curious to discover us, or long-time fans that keep coming. On that note, our fanbase keeps on growing, but at every concert we make, we always see those who were here from day 1 (and no, not just our family, that wouldn’t be fair) coming back to our shows. and I’m so so grateful for that, to see among the crowd all these faces we know... And I hope it’ll continue that way, because they may not realize how much they matter to us, but they do, a lot so.

14. What do you think of our site?

Manu: Frankly, it's so cool, all that you're doing to promote the young MetalCore bands and others from all over the world. We feel supported and it's very important to give young bands a vision. Because in the music world, it's very complicated to be seen when you're not very well known.

Rémi: It's cool, with lots of groups around the world, it's perfect for discovering new things! And your interviews are really nice! We saw some of our friends too (6:33 in particular).

15. Something to add?

Manu: Yes to all bands, music fans, and others, keep following your dreams, it's what allows us to live and to give you our best! and Listen to our First EP « Setting Sail » because our second EP will be a real war machine! And if not, drive safely! 

Edouard: Thank you for this interview. To everyone, keep listening to new music, open up your mind, love each other, and support your local scene :) Also, stay tuned for our upcoming EP later this year !

Rémi: We've got a second EP coming out at the end of the year, so stay tuned because we're really proud of it, and we hope you'll like it! And continue to support the emergent scene by going to smaller concerts, which are always full of surprises and always have a great atmosphere! See you later guys!

Kevin: In the immortal words from a very great man: « You’re only given one little spark of madness. You mustn’t lose it ». We do share that spark together, Rémi, Ed, Manu, and I, which is the most precious we have going on with our music. So, be sure to stay tuned, because Sailing for Tomorrow’s journey is only beginning, and we can’t wait to take you along with us. Bon voyage!