Interview with D at Sea/Confession

You first gained widespread recognition when your acoustic cover of
Carrion by Parkway Drive went viral, tell me a bit about what that was

like first starting out.

I was so surprised! I thought people were going to hate what I'd done

to such a good song (laughs). I'm stoked on the way people have warmed to it.

You have quite a distinct style, what first inspired you use your

acoustic gutiar to re-invent songs the way you do?

Thank you! It started off with the more rocky bands. YMAS, Mayday

Parade etc. I enjoyed them but I wanted to be able to play my

favourites too. So, I thought i'd try it with heavier bands! I enjoy

it. It's really opened up the way I look at music.

Did you start out busking or performing at open mic nights?

Nope. I was so bad. By the time my first show came about I could barely play guitar & sing at the same time. I still struggle, (laughs) I would like to try both. I think they'd be fun.

How did you come up with the name D at Sea?

I was in a band called 'All My Friends At Sea'. My friend, William and

I started up a joke rap group called 'Lemon Smashle' (which is still the YouTube account I use). William's rap name was initially 'B Down' later changed to 'B Tricky'. I was super creative and used the initial from my first name 'D'. And as I was from AMFAS I tagged the 'At Sea'.

BOOM! Fresh band name / terrible, (laughs)!

Who inspires you to make your music? Who are your influences?

Eminem is a legend. Blink 182, Parkway, Amity, TGI and many many more. I'm not sure if I'm influenced by them, but they all inspire me to do what I do. My friends & family also support me a lot. They pick me up and keep me going when I'm down & out.

For those who don’t know you recently joined a new incarnation of

Confession with Michael Crafter (ex-I Killed the Prom Queen).

What has your experience been like performing with the band

(Confession), how does it differ from your solo work?

It's been sweet. Crafter is a 100% out of control desmond, but he's a good dude. It's totally different. On a personal level, both acts have elements that the other can't provide. I'm lucky to have the opportunity to experience both.

What was it like joining the band, did you have long to learn old material before playing shows?

It was like starting a new band. We have a solid line up now with some good dudes. I'm still learning the old material, (laughs). Heaps of chugs and opens #mosh. We wrote a new song that has just been released. The music video was premiered on Channel V and is now on YouTube. "This Is A War" Check it out!

So, you must be excited to be on the line-up for Soundwave 2013?

Hell yeah! So keen! I'm very grateful to be part of such an amazing festival.

What other bands are you looking forward to sharing the stage with?

I have my days planned out for before and after I play. They're all

great bands, I'm stoked on the line up for Soundwave 2013.

Any other bands you’d like to check out during the festival?

All of them, I'll be running around like a mad man.

Now I haven’t asked this question before, but if you could get into a time machine and get transported back to any music era, would you? If yes, then when and why?

If I could time travel my EP lyrics would be totally different. "I am

here, I am now. But now I’m bailing back in time 'cause right now

sucks for me, cya!" There's so many factors, do I get younger if I go

back? 'cause that would be sweet!

I think we have a decent era of music. It's really hard to say.

Progression is a beautiful thing. I'm not too much into older music.

I'd probably go back and try join Metallica or Blink so I could play

main stage at Soundwave.

Any tips you could give any aspiring vocalists?

Practice! Enjoy yourself :)

Congratulations on been signed with UNFD, what was going through your head when you found out?

Thank you! "Jaddan, stop sweatin' me!" (laughs). I was very happy to hear that they wanted to work with me. Jaddan came out to a show and I offered him a drink card in the club he owns. Smooth move!

What will 2013 be like for D at Sea and Confession, anything exciting coming up?

More music, albums, tours & D at Sea shows. I'm doing a music video

for D At Sea. Plus I've started training to fight Crafter.

I have an EP launch tour coming up!

Thursday 7 March, 5PM

Kill The Music In-Store, Brisbane

Free Entry

Thursday 7 March

Snitch, Brisbane

Saturday 9 March

Resist Records In-Store, Sydney

Free Entry

Sunday 10 March

Plastic, Melbourne

Monday 11 March

Push Over Festival, Melbourne

With an EP out soon, what was the recording experience like? How did it compare/differ to your original work on your own?

I recorded everything myself in my little home studio. It was fun, relaxed with time frame but difficult at times. I'm really keen to get into a real studio for my album.

'Unconscious EP' is available March 8! Pre-orders are available now

via UNFD, JB Hi Fi & iTunes.

In the space of a couple years you’ve made it pretty far, is there any advice you would like give to musicians just starting out?

I am very grateful for where I am with music. My advice would be, practice, practice, practice, it's going to be hard but don't give up, network, be nice, be humble and most importantly, enjoy yourself.

#yolo (laughs)

Is there anything else you would like to add before we wrap this up?

Thank you for the interview. Thank you to all the listeners, I really

appreciate your support! :) <3

Interview with Jack Bergin from FRONTLINE!

Eastern 'burbs' proggy metalcore to make your mouth water, SLAAAYERR. Interests include family barbeques, smooth jazz and diddley doos. Inspired by heavy weights such as August Burns Red, The Devil Wears Prada, Northlane and While She Sleeps; they aim to take on the local scene by converting one Blood on the Dancefloor fan at a time and therefore saving the entire music scene. We caught up their guitarist/backing vocalist Jack Bergin.

How’s it going?
Jack Bergin: Yeah not too bad man, busy as usual!

Do you want to start the interview now?
JB: Sure do!

For those who don’t know, how did Frontline start?
JB: Well; myself, Kieren, Phil and Godwin; we were jamming for quite a while (I think we started in like 2010?) and yeah, it took us a while to find our feet and a sound that we all really wanted and agreed on. We took our mate Cronin aboard about halfway through last year and then we got straight into it from there really.

What style do you consider your work to be? Who are your major influences?
JB: I guess we fall under the metalcore category (laughs), although we try to mix in some stuff to make it more interesting and different! We all listen to a broad range of music, and draw influences from too many bands to note.

Any bands/artists outside metalcore genre which people wouldn't expect?
JB: Not anything nobody wouldn't expect [sic]. Cronin and myself love bands like Counterparts, Heights and Defeater, but yeah. Nothing surprising (laughs)

Do you have any comments on the current local scene? Do you think it will change much in the next few years?
JB: To be brutally honest, the local hardcore scene is nothing like it used to be. Kids don't go to many shows anymore and it's really hitting hard on people that run local shows. Some people (coughAshHullcough) are still doing a great job, keeping it alive and pulling the numbers, but if more people started co-operating, then you never know! The scene is always changing and it's usually based around the current trend. It's almost impossible to predict trends in music, although you know it's going to happen, but not when it'll happen. Maybe in a few months, or maybe in a few years!

How long have you all known each other?
JB: Kieren, Phil, Godwin and Cronin attended the same school and they've been mates for ages. I met the boys through Kieren (who I worked with) and now we're all getting along great!

What has your experience been like performing gigs, what has been the best and worst thing about as a whole?
JB: We've played a range of gigs, shows ran by mates, shows ran by local councils and shows ran by booking companies like Gunn Music and Melbourne Fresh (which are great for bands just starting out). We've had hits and misses haha. We've gone from playing with international metal giants Texas In July, to playing in a tiny bar to about 8 people, but every show we still manage to have a great time, nothing beats playing live.

8 string guitars, good, bad?
JB: (laughs glriously) they're pretty nifty, but we'd never use any.
Our buddies in Levels do very well however, check them out
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TI7MSmueqeg

Which songs do you perform the most? Do you ever play any covers?
JB: We probably perform that piece of shit 'Searching' the most, you'll find it on on our YouTube channel somewhere (laughs), but otherwise, we just play all the tracks from the demo! We've considered playing covers, never have though. Would be cool!

What animal would you say is the most hardcore, and why?
JB: Boxer dogs (R.I.P Scooter, the most hardcore dog we knew)

I have heard from your Facebook page (facebook.com/wearethefrontline) that you have a demo in the works which was originally supposed to be out around Christmas 2012, are you able to share with us anything on how that has been shaping up?
Jack: You heard correct! We set a pretty unrealistic goal to have it out by Christmas (laughs), we ended up putting in a lot more work to it than thought (adding an extra track etc.) so we hope that the small delay was worth it! Finishing touches are being added now, so expect it sooner than you think.

In terms of music and lyrics, who writes the songs and what themes are they centered around?
JB: I write most of the guitars, then Phil writes all drums while we all tend to pitch in with lyrics, writing mostly about stuff that pisses us off.

Do you have any before show rituals or things you do before performing to get pumped up?
JB: We don't really have any rituals, except Godwin, who always takes massive shits beforehand and they stink.

What is band practice like, any funny stories to share?
JB: Band practice is fucking great. We have far to many funny stories to share in just ONE interview. I think there should be a separate interview for them.

Yes, we should catch up again later to talk more about when the demo is out, anyway great chatting with you guys. What does the future hold for Frontline?
JB: Who knows! We have a few shows to announce, one of them I guess we can announce now! We're lucky enough to be playing the Melbourne Fresh Artist Showcase Grand Final at Revolver Upstairs on April 16th! Hit us up if you'd like a ticket!

We'll wrap it up there.JB: See ya.