'Cutting Room Floor', their newest song which debuted just before the new year and produced by Erik Ron (Saosin, Panic! at the Disco...) is edgy without being abrasive, poetic without being pathetic, melodic without being overly 'poppy'; a fine example of how I the Mighty will easily stand out amongst the plethora of bands trying to get signed these days. So if you're lucky enough to live in California the band are playing a selection of shows at the end of the month - see below for details.
I got Brent to talk to us about I the Mighty:
How would you describe your sound and who do you draw influences from?
We get compared to bands like Circa Survive, mixed with Say Anything and many bands in between. Our older songs (which are out now) I could see drawing more of a Say Anything comparison. However, our newer material which will hopefully be released within the next few months is a step in a slightly heavier and more progressive direction. Kind of Circa meets Thrice meets Pierce the Veil? At least, we like to think that. We categorize ourselves as progressive/indie/rock.
Our influences are vast throughout the band. I'll state my own for the sake of this interview. The heavies over the years have been Thrice, Coheed and Cambria, Say Anything, Bright Eyes, Death Cab...to name a few. However, recently Ian and I became obsessed with the newest Pierce the Veil record, "selfish machines." Damn that's a good album. I wouldn't be surprised if that had a contribution to some of our new songs.
Where do you see I the Mighty in five years from now?
In 5 years time we would like to be on our 5th record and touring the world. Plain and simple. The bigger the stage the better.
Where do you see I the Mighty in five years from now?
In 5 years time we would like to be on our 5th record and touring the world. Plain and simple. The bigger the stage the better.
If you could only listen to one band forever more who would it be and why? God... I'm not sure how I could ever choose that. I'll go with Coheed and Cambria for now, simply because the memories I have tied to their first 3 records I'd like to re-live forever.
How do you feel about the music industry? Is it hard for bands to break out these days?
I have mixed feelings about the music industry. I think it's in a really shitty place right now. I think that major labels (for the most part) sign a bunch of garbo and when they do take a chance on a band that doesn't make top 40 pop music, they're usually dropped after a record. That's a sad thing for rock music. It's sad to me that it's so hard for a band like Pierce the Veil, who are so obviously talented and amazing song writers, to break into the mainstream and actually make some money. It's tough knowing that most bands who play our style of music, even the ones who reach a very credible level of success, aren't making a 5th of what Rhianna makes off of one auto-tuned single she didn't write. It sucks to me that singles sell now instead of records. There's less pressure in mainstream music to make an amazing album then there used to be.
That being said, I like that Indie labels are gaining strength. I like that progressive rock seems to be making a little come-back. Most of all I think being a musician regardless of the monetary downsides is probably one of the most rewarding careers out there, so long as you're lucky enough to have longevity in it. I couldn't dream of working towards anything else right now. I don't think its really hard for bands to break into the scene provided viral online marketing. However, I think its hard to create a long-lasting career given all the different coming and going bands, trends, and styles. You have to work towards a cult fan base that really gets you and is with you for the long haul. Something I really hope we're starting to form now.
What's been I the Mighty's career highlight so far?
Playing BFD in the bay area with Sublime and a bunch of other huge bands was pretty cool. We had the pleasure of doing a show at UCSD with Scary Kids Scaring Kids that was pretty awesome as well. I'm hoping we can add a lot of great things to our resume over 2011.
The Cure Vs The Smiths? The Cure
The book Vs the film? The book (almost always)
The beach Vs the city? The beach during the day followed by the city at night
Touring Vs Recording? Touring (though certain moments of gold in the studio are priceless)
MP3 Vs Vinyl? Mp3. I mean of course vinyl is awesome, but I can't carry around 5,000 records in my pocket can I? Convenience!
Also check out the band on Facebook, Twitter and Myspace.
But, if you only do one more thing online tonight, make sure it's viewing the band's covers and other videos on their YouTube channel. You won't regret it.
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