We can't say for any other bands, but writing and practicing are a part of our daily lives. Even after an album has been recorded and it's time to tour/play shows, we are still constantly writing. We have some amazingly creative people in our band; at any given moment we always have about 20 new ideas for songs or riffs and what not. Sometimes, inspiration can come in the most unlikely of places, like sometimes Tommie gets a new idea at the gym or in the car. There was one time when Tommie actually dreamt of writing a riff, woke up, and then actually wrote it. So it fits to say that this is our entire life, it envelops everything we do and we are defined by it.
At practice we always give an hour or two for the writing process, but the majority of our time is rehearsing our material and staying on top of our game, which is always fun! Even though we aren't in front of a crowd, you will find us jumping and head banging all over the place just getting into the music, but we also do this for what we call "stage mastering". On stage and in front of a crowd, one of the more important things is having a strong stage presence; nobody is going to care to listen to you if you look ridged and uncomfortable, you need to basically spread the energy around to get any energy in return… if that makes any sense. So an easy way to get that professional kind of stage presence is to practice like you're on stage every time you pick up your instrument/mic. Sometimes we'll have someone take some video so we can see what works and what really doesn't.
In addition to all the obvious work a band must do remains the behind the music type of work, which is a lot of clerical and administrative type shit. Pretty much a band is a business, and if you don't have additional employees in your business… then… well, you're going to have to do it yourself and that's exactly what we do. On more than one occasion we've had to stay awake into the late hours of the night working on all the websites and pages, as well as coordinating future events or practices, editing pictures, making or designing merch, promoting, making advertisements, and figuring out finances to pay for anything the band might need such as studio time, mastering, products, etc. So as you can see, being in a band… or at least our band, is a lot of work, a whole hell of a lot of work and sometimes it can be extremely expensive.
Music gear doesn't come cheap… well at least the "good stuff" doesn't. You can get by in a band with sub-par equipment, but there is only so much you can do to with it, which means you are always looking for the next big upgrade. By far, our drummer, Bishop, takes the cake in expensive equipment. I'm sure that in most metal bands the drummer is the one that has to spend the most on his gear. In a metal band, there's usually not just the basic 5 piece drum set with a hihat and a cymbal or two, there's a whole plethora of different sounding cymbals, extra toms, stands/rack gear, and often times an additional bass drum. And when it costs $40 just to replace a simple head on one of the many drums, the expense starts to build up quick. Guitarists can get to be pretty expensive as well, Tommie has seven guitars and is always wanting more for various reasons as well as wanting to upgrade the stack and pedals. Bands are expensive, but the goal, in regards to equipment, is to someday be sponsored by your favorite brand so you never have to worry about buying all that expensive stuff anymore.
Well anyways I think that we've talked enough for one post. Just a little tidbit of what our band does on a daily basis and we hope you enjoyed seeing into our crazy world. Stay Brutal and Keep Moshing!
-Order Through Blood
