Friday, August 20, 2010

Mozart Season Guitarist Benton Christensen

So how was the "No Bummer Summer Tour"? Any memorable moments?
Well, after going through two crappy vans and having to purchase a brand new one…the entire tour ended up being one big memorable moment for us. The boys in Lower Definition and Gwen Stacy are all such awesome people and every night we played with each other it was a constant barrage of trash talking and prank-playing, including nothing but non-stop laughing. I’d have to say though that the show in Dallas at Fat Daddy’s Sound Shack, or the show at The Vault in Temecula would have to be the most memorable days on tour. Both of the shows were absolutely insane and the crowds were the best we saw on the entire tour, which makes the shows stick out the most in my memory.
You recently signed with Equal Vision Records to release your latest E.P. "Nightmares", out July 20th. What specifically attracted the band to Equal Vision?
What doesn’t attract us to Equal Vision? The label has been at the forefront of the hardcore movement for longer than most of us have been listening to hardcore music. They are a label that has received respect and acknowledgement from countless people and have achieved this through nothing but hard work and diligence. They have a very select roster and being asked to be a part of that roster was the best thing that has ever happened to this band, and we are so thankful for the opportunity.
What type of musical direction were you guys trying to achieve with this record?
We’ve always wanted to write music that was heavy as hell, but not metal, and at the same time have our music be catchy, but not cheesy. We always want to push the boundaries of our genre, and this record was our first display of our range while also displaying our growth since our self released EP “Apotheosis”.
How were the tracks for "Nightmares" written? Any specific inspiration behind the songs?
The songs were all written collectively by everyone in the band, and were subject to everyone’s criticism and influence. If one of us doesn’t like a part, we change it, and do this over and over until we’re all happy with the final product. The lyrics are all written about things that we as a band, or Nate, has experienced firsthand. We also like to make our songs be about issues that relate to more than just us, because just like everyone else, we have our own views of the world, and wish to share them with everyone through our number one outlet: our music.
Who are some of your biggest musical influences?
We all have a very diverse background in music as far as what we listen to, but everyone in the band would agree that we pull a lot of influence from As Cities Burn (old and new), Underoath (old and new), Glassjaw, Norma Jean, Fear Before, Every Time I Die, The Refused, Circa Survive, and of course, Saves the Day. This isn’t the extent of our influence, but it’s a good portion of it.
Like many other bands, Mozart Season seems to have been through a ton the past several years (break-ups, line-up changes, etc.). How has this strengthened the group?
When you’re betrayed or let down by a band mate, you learn a pain that was never known before. It sucks, and it’s something nobody wants to deal with, but it happens. For us, after going through a hiatus, and more line-up changes than we’d care to admit, finding a line-up that had good chemistry and worked well together was the most rewarding thing we’ve experienced in years. After everything we all had to go through to make it to where we are now, it makes any little hiccup or bump in the road seem like nothing, and our bond together pulls us through anything as long as we work together and remember why we work so hard.
Full-length album in the works?
OF COURSE!!! We are so eager to release a full-length and talk about it constantly, as does any aspiring musician. We’ve been working for the past two years just to have the opportunity to do so, and first chance we get, we’ll be in the studio recording the full-length our fans have been demanding from us for years. We’ve have a pretty demanding tour schedule, but we make the most of our time off, and plan on having new songs ready to drop on everyone, sometime next year.
Where is the best place to acquire the new EP?
Our EP can be picked up at MerchNow.com, iTunes, Zune Marketplace, or from our hands personally at any of our shows!

No comments:

Post a Comment