| Back stage at Ozzfest with In This Moment.
Metal core act In This Moment, hailing from Los Angeles, Ca. have gotten together with a passion for music and a unique style all their own.
They are fronted by Maria Brink, who possesses a singing style ranging from clean and melodic to aggressive and hard-core. Tattooed and sporting her signature baby doll attire, she embodies a forceful edge that contrasts her feminine style. Chris Howorth, sporting dreadlocks and shredding on lead guitar, has helped formulated the sound of In This Moment, as well as being one of the original members. Blake Bunzel on rhythm guitar compliments Chris and the two together have come up with what Maria calls “a magical” connection between the two.
In This Moment have released their debut album entitled “Beautiful Tragedy” on Century Media Records and have graced the stage on both the European and American spectrum. In addition, they have successfully promoted themselves using the Myspace phenomenon, which has helped propel their success from an underground band to a signed national act. Lyrically, their songs are personal with heart felt emotion that range from experiences both good and bad as well as the lessons in life that challenge us day to day. On the musical side they offer the listener a wide range of styles from truly melodic and atmospheric to straight hardcore metal. With this abundance of variety and distinction into their music, In This Moment is a unique band who stand on their own and who remain individual.
To round out the band we have Jeff Fabb on drums, originally from Long Island and now firmly planted on West Coast soil, and Jesse Landry on bass completing this Southern California quintet. I met up with In This Moment backstage at this year's Ozzfest in Mountain View California and to my surprise, I had the opportunity to interview the entire band, which was a first for me. Excited about this prospect, we proceed to the media tent to sit and have a chat and to get a closer look into this band. Immediately I felt a warmness ensuing and a wide-eyed enthusiasm from the band members which I found to be a joyful experience.
Darien: You guys are pretty new in the scene. So is this your first big tour?
Maria: Well we have been around the scene for almost 3 years. The biggest tours we have done before this were Download and Graspop in Europe, which prepped us for Ozzfest. We had never been in front of that many people before.
Darien: So with some of your European festival experiences, what are some differences you have noticed?
Maria: Well the fans there chant a lot and throw there fists in the air more. They like to circle pit instead of the crazy moshing we do here. Those festivals got us ready for this and made us a little more confident.
Darien: How did Ozzfest come about for you guys?
Chris: We got a call one day around the possibilities for it and later on found out we were on it. We were so excited we then called all our friends and freaked out over it.
Darien: So tell me how you guys came about as a band. How did you get together? Were you guys friends before you guys hooked up or was it just a random meet?
Maria: Me, Chris, and Jeff were in another project together. That fizzled out, then me and Chris decided to start a new project. Eventually Jesse got on board basically right away. Then we got Blake through Myspace. So it happened all really fast and we immediately started touring.
Jeff: I saw these guys play early on and I was like “this band is sick.” We were going to do a tour together with my old band and then we hooked up.
Darien: I was reading that Myspace really propelled you. It’s kind of funny cause now I look at Myspace and I’m like “what did we do before that?” It was all really primitive before and now we're lucky to have such a huge medium for bands.
Maria: I think what’s important for bands that aren’t signed is to tour. My space can’t do everything for you, but it can give information out to the fans that you’re coming to town so then they’ll all come out to your shows.
Darien: What is a challenge for you in this scene?
Chris: Well, the challenge has always been getting your band heard above all the other bands and getting into the business somehow. I have been in bands before, but this one just has something right away.
Darien: What was it?
Chris: Great chemistry. We were blessed.
Maria: Magic!
Chris: We have great musicians and our styles came together to create the sounds that we play. It was really organic because when Blake came in the band with his perspective on guitar and with mine, it brought us to another realm. Jessie has all these ideas that make our songs what they are.
Darien: You guys have a variety of ranges in your music. For me, its awesome seeing another female fronted band, which I think, is great.
Chris: Some magical melodic meets some magical bludgeoning!
Darien: A lot of bands do that but it doesn’t really work all the time.
Maria: I think it’s just really who we are and it’s right. It just flows naturally.
Darien: What are some of the influences you have for this band? It doesn’t have to be just music but also in your own personal lives that come into play. We’re all influenced by our past.
Blake: Well I don’t really have that much of a challenging past. (The whole band starts to laugh and I may have caught him off guard with this question!) My life has always been great!
Darien: How old are you?
Blake: I’m 22. Ask Maria that question!
(Jeff and Jesse then chime in and say that everyone has their own experiences and struggles)
Darien: So tell me one. What was profound for you?
Jesse: Just being on tour after tour not going anywhere. Struggling to get to where we are now. Eating Top Ramen.
Darien: So did you eat it straight out of the package?
Jesse Yes we did, but now it just feels so good to finally experience a good band.
Darien: Now you’re in a place now where all that Top Ramen is paid off! Darien: So Jeff tell me something about yourself?
Jeff: I grew up in Long Island and I moved to California when I was 20. I was in a bunch of hardcore bands in New York. I wanted some other range of music so I went to California. I then met these guys, which was like a shot in the dark and now I’m in the best band I have been in my life.
Darien: Is there a track off your new album “Beautiful Tragedy” that stands out for you?
Maria: Probably “Legacy of Odio” which is about my best friend who passed away a couple of years ago. That touches my heart and a lot of people feel connected to that song. “He Said Eternity,” I wrote about my son and how proud I am of him.
Darien: You have a son?
Maria: Yes, I have a son he’s on tour with us. He’s 14. Everyone in the band loves him so much.
Darien: He’s got a bunch of uncles.
Maria: They are like big brothers to him.
Jessie: He’s such a great kid. For his age he is really hard driven and he helps us out. He a good kid and we love him.
Darien: So on this Ozzfest tour, currently you’re into your 4th show now?
Maria: Yes.
Darien: That’s great cause around here we almost always get the tail end of the Ozzfest tour and everyone is totally burnt out so now we’re getting you guys while you’re still fresh. You all live in LA?
Chris: Yes.
Darien: Being on the road and away from home is that something your still getting used to?
Jessie: We’ve been on the road a long time and we have also lived together for a bit. I mean we know each other inside and out.
Maria: We relentlessly tour so it can be hard especially when you’re new. You have to pay your dues.
Darien: What would you like to say to your fans out there?
Jeff: We appreciate our fans so much!
Maria: We really does!
Chris We appreciate all of this.
We concluded the interview with a photo shoot and some hugs and kisses goodbye. In This Moment will be main support for Megadeth's upcoming “ United Abominations Tour of Duty” along with The Confession. Check out their Myspace for tourdates near you.
Interview and Photos by Darien Lomeli www.myspace.com/inthismoment www.mspace.com/darien666 |
