Interviews: Async Await

On this new occasion, we have had the opportunity to interview the Electronic Alternative Rock solo project Async Await from the USA. Check out this amazing project.

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

“Async” and “await” are programming terms in web development that deal with asynchronous tasks, basically stuff that requires you to send some data somewhere and wait for a response, but you won’t necessarily get the response immediately. It's kind of a reference to the fact that some of these songs I wrote over ten years ago, some took many years to write, and some I wrote much more recently and in a day. The writing process for this was asynchronous.

2. Why did you want to play this genre?

I’m still trying to figure out exactly what genre I’m trying to play, but generally, these songs are just what comes out when I play guitar. I think I’ve ended up with a playing style that’s very metal-influenced but not metal. When writing Claustrophobic I was really into My Bloody Valentine, so the bending chords in that song are kind of emulating what they were doing with a vibrato bar and effects. For Owl Sanctuary, I was into a lot of weird stuff so I wrote a weird song that didn’t really sound like what I was listening to. The other two followed suit.

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

N/A - It's just me in the band at the moment

4. Each band member's favorite band?

It would probably have to be Devin Townsend and all his affiliated projects. My college roommate got me into Strapping Young Lad somewhere between 2007 and 2009, so his music up until that point and for a while afterward was a big part of a fundamental shift in what music meant to me, what I wanted out of listening to it, and what I wanted out of writing and performing it – basically breaking out of the standard metal tropes and into stuff that I felt was more meaningful.

5. Who or what inspires you to write songs?

A lot of what I’ve written so far is a sort of misguided attempt to communicate thoughts and feelings that I haven’t had a way to communicate otherwise. Sometimes personal relationships just dissolve and you never get the opportunity to get closure or explain things, so a lot of this stuff is me trying to say those things once and for all and try to correct the times that I feel I’ve misrepresented myself. On the other hand, some songs are just a way to reckon with what’s going on in my life at a particular moment, and so the feelings behind those songs can be fleeting. But either way, it’s all just an attempt to be heard and understood by the world.

6. Where was your last gig?

My last show was also the first one for this project. It was with Pocket Vinyl and Cult Tides at the Mill Hill Basement in Trenton, NJ which has been a landmark of the New Jersey music scene for at least a decade now, probably more. As I write this I have a show this weekend at a small art gallery in Oaklyn, NJ called The Lair with Erin Incoherent and CJ Coward.

7. Where would you like to act?

I would love to play Stavanger, Norway. I have family there and have spent some time there. It’d be great to play a set and then have a beer overlooking the fjord. There’s even a bar there with my name on it. They say it's really rainy there but it’s always sunny when I’m there.

8. Whom would you like to feature with?

There’s a bunch of Norwegian stuff I love: Ulver, Manes, Atrox, and Vulture Industries. Async Await doesn’t sound like any of that but there’s a vibe to all this modern Norwegian stuff that really resonates with me and that’d be a show I’d love to go to.

9. Whom not?

It’s hard to imagine turning down performing with anyone. And I think the only people I wouldn’t work with would never invite me anyway.

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

Yes, and I still do. I’ve sung, played guitar, and played bass on stage for a number of bands and projects, and every time you do something new – whether it's a new instrument or new songs – it requires some acclimation. I like exposure therapy, the only way is to power through, and every time you do it, it’ll only get better. Maybe have a couple beers beforehand too.

11. What bands have inspired you the most?

The Norwegian stuff I mentioned above for sure, and a slew of other weird electronic, metal, and rock stuff. Black Dresses, Bjork, Portishead, KMFDM, Foetus, System of a Down, Modeselektor, Silversun Pickups, Chvrches, etc. I love bands where there isn’t anyone else that sounds exactly like them, then you get obsessed with one album, and the fact that there’s nothing else like it makes it so much better.

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

I don’t think anyone’s asked me for anything weird yet. But my friend Tony got Devin Townsend to autograph his forehead once, that was pretty sick.

13. What do you think of your fans?

Thanks for your undying support, all six of you!

14. What do you think of our site?

It’s great to see coverage of the underground stuff. It’d be easy to just cover Slipknot and Lamb of God and harvest the clicks, there’s so much more music out in the world that people might not know about and still deserves attention and publicity. I know music journalism is a tough game and I have a lot of respect for the people putting in the work.

15. Something to add?

Check out my EP “Irretrospective, Part 1” out on September 15th, Thanks!