Interviews: THE DISTANCE

On this new occasion, we have had the opportunity to interview the Post-Hardcore/Screamo band THE DISTANCE from Spain. Check out this band and follow them on their FACEBOOK PAGE.

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

Yamil Ghazi: The name of the band came from the title of one of the first songs we wrote, which is included in our first album "Prologue". We were discussing a possible name for the band and had a few choices but finally, we decided that "The Distance" fitted well with the band's sound and lyrics.

2. Why did you want to play this genre?

YG: We all come from the punk and hardcore scene. I started listening to bands from the new hardcore wave maybe in 2013 or 2014. Bands like Touché Amoré, Pianos Become the Teeth, etc., all of them with a big dose of emotion and really honest lyrics. I knew from the first moment that I wanted to make something similar.

Óscar D. Martí: When Yamil came up with the idea and asked me to be a part of this, I found it very interesting. I had never played in a similar style band although I had played in hardcore, punk, and anarcho punk bands for several years. This was something new and really fulfilling for me, even more, so once I dug into the style and listened to all those bands.

Julián Gil: I never thought I would play a style like this. I've always played punk and hardcore punk, but after a few rehearsals, I freaked out and felt extremely identified with it. It's very satisfying doing something and feeling how it moves you when you listen to it. Like a bomb of feelings and emotions. Hard to explain. 

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

YG: We did. We live on a small island and, if not personally, at least we knew who everyone was as we've been playing in bands for quite a few years now, so yeah. 

JG: I used to play in another band with Óscar and since the 90s we've been in the punk scene here and shared the stage with other punk bands.

4. Each band member's favorite band?

YG: Hard to tell, there's a lot of them. I listen to music every day and discover new bands almost every day and those bands become my new favorite bands. 

ODM: Never had a favorite band, not even a top list. There are literally thousands of them and a lot of styles I listen to. If you want me to name a few: more actual I could say Militarie Gun or Zulu. Lifelong bands like Avail, Apt. 3G, Hot Water Music, Samiam, or Youth Brigade. There are also crazy things that have blown my mind lately like "Petrodragonic apocalypse..." from King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard or "This is our Music" from Ornette Coleman.

5. Who or what inspires you to write songs?

YG: Lyric-wise, it's just my personal experiences. I usually write about things that happen to me, sometimes just some thoughts. The thing that all songs have in common is that the subject is something that has had a direct impact on my life. Musically I guess it's just a mix of our different sensitivities always trying to achieve that style we have in mind.

6. Where was your last gig?

YG: Last week we had two shows here. We invited a band that we all love and we played with them on Friday and Saturday.

7. Where would you like to act?

YG: Anywhere! We love playing live shows. In the end, that's why we've been playing in bands all these years, to show our music to the people. Anyway, playing abroad would be awesome, as we still haven't had the opportunity with The Distance.

ODM: Anywhere, of course! We would love to play around Europe. Berlin, London, Sweden... Having the opportunity to present our new album there would be great. 

JG: I'd like to start playing in different countries and feel the vibes of each place. I think it would be very inspiring to experience the emotions of different audiences from different countries.

8. Whom would you like to feature with?

YG: Any band from the genre would be great. Obviously, we'd love to play in any festival that holds some of our favorite bands (last year I went to Manchester to attend Outbreak Fest and had the opportunity to see Touché Amoré and Defheaven along with other great bands) but we don't close the door to any show or band, I mean, we've played with metal bands, punk bands, even stoner or pop/rock bands and we've had the same amount of fun with all of them.

9. Whom not?

YG: The only bands I can think we would never play with would be the ones that ideologically are far away from our way of thinking. If someone stands for sexism, racism, homophobia, or any other way of hate against a minority, I know I would close the door and would never play with them.

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

YG: Not in my case. There's always a little amount of nerves and excitement before a show, but when the first song starts everything disappears.

ODM: No, never. That little tension just before the show really excites me.

JG: Some years ago I suffered from stage fright and it's something you never expect to happen to you. It can fuck a whole show! I think these things happen when in those moments you have low self-esteem and don't believe in what you do. I believe the best way to get over it is to love what you do and try to make the audience feel what you feel, trying not to think about what people may think about you. In the end, you are trying to give people a part of you and that always says good things about you. You have to value that.

11. What bands have inspired you the most?

YG: In my case, as I said, bands like Touché Amoré, Pianos Become the Teeth, Envy, La Dispute, etc. Even others not so known like Landscapes or Departures. I also listen to a lot of post-rock (Mogwai, Sigur Rós, etc.) and try to introduce some of their riffs in our music.

ODM: I would say bands from different styles and eras. Hardcore, punk rock, power pop, metal, etc. From The Damned or Stiff Little Fingers, going through Germs or Poison Idea, to Touché Amoré or Refused.

JG: My strongest influences come from when I was a teen. I used to listen to American hardcore punk from the 80s (Circle Jerks, Black Flag...). During the pandemic, I started listening to other genres and I tried to reinvent myself musically with post-hardcore, post-rock, and noise bands. These days, playing with The Distance, I listen a lot to bands like Suis la Lune, Daïtro, Frameworks, Touché Amoré, Pianos Become the Teeth, La Dispute, and many others. I'm in love with the genre and each day I grow with the new bands I listen to.

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

YG: There are things you should never say in an interview...

ODM: Hahahahahahaha!

JG: Ufff! I'd rather keep it for myself. Hahahahaha!

13. What do you think of your fans?

YG: Well, I guess the same as any band thinks. In the first moment, you don't think about them when you write music, but when you are on stage and you hear them and feel their energy you know that that's why you are making music for. It's an experience hard to compare with any other and I enjoy it a lot.

ODM: I am exactly like them. I just expect that they enjoy the music the same way I do. And share experiences.

JG: If they enjoy what we do and feel the emotion in our music, I think everything is worth it. It makes me feel that this is real.

14. What do you think of our site?

YG: Cool site! You do a great job gathering all that information and the interviews are very cool. I like it.

ODM: What you do has a lot of value! It's important to communicate and let people know about the work of any type of band, all scenes and movements in the music world, and ideologies we like and share. It's very necessary and I like it. 

15. Something to add?

YG: Nothing else. Thanks for the hard work! See you in the shows.

ODM: Thanks for the interview, for your time, and for thinking about us.