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The band recently took part in the Fist2Face Farewell show at TLC in Bayswater. Fist2Face is an independent record and merch store located in Ringwood, Melbourne. It was originally started in 2004 by Elliot Davidson, originally as an online store run out of his bedroom. A year later, current owner, Gerard Pidoto bought the place out. After another 6-9 months it was launched as what some of us know it today. In the last 10 years the store has been a big part of the local music scene in Melbourne. It saw band signings and instores from acts such as: All Time Low, Beneath the Rising Tide, Calling All Cars, Dream on Dreamer, D at Sea, Escape the Fate, Northlane, House VS Hurricane, Of Mice & Men, The Bennies and more.
I got the chance to speak with Andy Szetho (guitar) about the band's past achievements
aswell as hopes for the future.
aswell as hopes for the future.
First off all, thanks for taking the time to do this interview
Our pleasure!
How did the band originally form?
Alex, Billy, and I (Andy) went to school together about 5 years ago and we just started jamming and playing rock covers before we started to get a bit more serious. We then recruited Will, who we knew through mutual friends and Daniel who responded to an advertisement we put up on a music community website.
Where does the name come from?
One of the hardest parts about starting a band is always finding the right name that everyone agrees on. After brainstorming names for a long time, our drummer Alex was sitting in a Uni course (most likely bored out of his mind) and had an epiphany. I remember he messaged me "Storm The Sky" and I instantly loved it. A couple of the other guys were a bit skeptical, but it grew on us and we really liked the positive connotations associated with the name. Metaphorically, it was a strong statement about what we wanted to do in terms of making a big impact on the heavy music scene (we wanted to take it by storm haha). You would've heard of the saying "the sky is the limit", that kind of thing.
Honestly, we initially wanted Will to sing and play bass, but after trialing it for a while it became evident to us that Will was able to sing a lot better without playing bass, and we wanted to utilize his talent as much as we could to make sure he was using his voice to the best of his ability. Daniel was already in the band at this stage so we decided to do something a bit different and roll with two front-men!
What are some of your main influences as a band, drawing mainly from local or more international acts?
The thing with our band is we all listen to all different genres of music, and I think you can definitely hear that in our music. Our older stuff (Vigilance EP and earlier material) was probably more influenced by bands like Memphis May Fire, The Amity Affliction (who are also Australian), The Devil Wears Prada, and bands similar to those, but in terms of newer stuff we're working on now, I'd say a few bands we've taken influence from are 30 Seconds To Mars, Bring Me The Horizon, AFI, and at the other end of the spectrum bands like This Will Destroy You, Sigur Ros, and even some shoegaze/dream pop bands like Slowdive. Our overall attitude with our newer material is to try and make the songs sound really atmospheric, dark, and I guess a lot more wide-scope than our earlier songs. We've gone for a more textural approach to writing the new material at the same time, but our sound is always very accessible which isn't a bad thing at all.
What has the experience been like recording your first EP?
Recording our first EP was a very new experience for us. I don't think we were nearly as prepared for it as we were with recording our Vigilance EP a year after that. It was a great learning experience for us and for what it was at the time, it turned out pretty good!
Now the 2nd EP Vigilance has done very well!
Thank you so much! The Vigilance EP did do extremely well for us, and it's always so humbling to see kids screaming the lyrics back at us at shows. The fact that people went out of their way to buy our CD was just so overwhelming. This EP also opened a lot of doors for us and led to many great opportunities so we couldn't be happier with how it all unfolded. We also had it mixed and mastered by Will Putney (Northlane, The Amity Affliction, Stray From The Path, Like Moths To Flames) over in the USA which was really exciting for us, especially because he has worked with so many bands that we really looked up to at the time.
You have a few music videos out, what has been your favourite so far?
All of them were heaps of fun to make, but at the same time extremely hard work involving A LOT of time and stress. We had our close friend Ed Reiss do all of them, and he is just such a gifted guy so we owe him a lot for those videos. If we had to pick a favourite, we'd say the Common Kings live video, because all we had to do was do what we do best (or at least try haha), and that is put on a captivating and energetic live performance. If I had to choose between the Giants and Vigilance videos, I'd say the Vigilance video, because we sort of had a better idea of what we were doing! Also, it was indoors, so we didn't have to deal with freezing cold weather, and rain!
Are you currently working on a follow up release?
We definitely are. I can't really say much about it at the moment, but I can guarantee what we've been working on is our best work to date (even though every band says that), and we've put literally everything we have into it. There are a couple of surprises as well. It'll all come to light soon enough, and we can't wait to share the exciting news with everyone!
2013 was a big year for Storm the Sky, how is 2014 shaping up to be so far?
Funnily enough, we've only played 3 shows in 2014 so far. This time last year we would have just finished our 4th Australian tour! We've been working extremely hard behind the scenes writing new material and working on some stuff. Although on the surface it may seem as though we're not doing anything, we guarantee we've actually been very productive and have been working our asses off. The 2nd half of 2014 is shaping up to be pretty huge for us so keep an eye on what we're doing.
What do you think of Australia's hardcore scene right now?
If I'm being completely honest with you, and I might cop a bit of brunt for this, but although it is thriving, I don't think Australia's hardcore scene is at it's best right now. I feel as though the scene is over saturated with bands sticking to the same formula doing the exact same thing, following trends so as to impress their friends. I'm not discouraging young people to play music or anything because I would encourage every single kid out there to pick up an instrument and have a good time with their mates. It's more so the attitude of a lot of people. There are way too many kids who will stand there watching a band with their arms crossed, thinking they're being really tough, and who talk crap on bands because they don't have enough breakdowns, or aren't heavy enough. For example, something we get a lot of the time is "You guys suck because you have clean vocals, they're so lame", or comments along those lines. Sure, you might not like us and that's absolutely fine, because everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but instead of using your mental energy talking crap on bands, why don't you use that mental energy to talk about and praise the bands you do love, and support them instead. There is also just a lot of close mindedness in the Australian hardcore scene, and I know for a fact that in other genres in Australia it's not half as bad. It's because of this that there are so many bands that are too afraid to step outside the box and do something a bit left of field. With all that being said, and on a more positive note, there are definitely some outstanding heavy bands in Australia, and the fact that you can look at the ARIA charts and see a heavy band up the top is a very motivating thing. As a result, more and more people are starting to pay more attention to what Australia's hardcore scene really has to offer, as well as an incredible amount of shows being put on and tours coming through our country, which is also giving younger bands the chance to live their dreams. Go Australia!
What was it like playing Fringefest?
Having just come back from America after 6 weeks, and having not played a show for about 3 to 4 months, it was so amazing to see how many people were actually still interested in seeing us live. Also, having attended Fringe Fest in the past and going to them as young kids watching our favourite bands to headlining it this year was really very humbling. The crowd looked like they had a great time too! Our mates in Void Of Vision and Elegist also played, and they absolutely killed it as per usual!
You guys recently headlined the Fist2Face Farewell show, that must have been an honour! What was that like?
This was also a great show for us. When we were first asked to play this show, we didn't even think twice and said yes, as we really wanted to help out Gerard as he has done so much for our local music scene here in Melbourne. Fist2face did the pre orders for our Vigilance EP, and have been hosting shows and helping bands for as long as I can remember. There was a real community spirit, and everyone dropped their egos and close mindedness for the day and united to be a part of a great mixed bill show. The turn out was great, and everyone looked like they were having a great time!
Would you say Gerard and Fist2Face have become quite a large part of the local scene of the past 10 years?
Definitely! They have done so much for the local scene, and have given so many bands a platform to release their music and merchandise, and reach fans that they otherwise may not have been able to reach. The music scene, Melbourne in particular, would not be as thriving as it is now without the help and support of Gerard. We wish him all the best with his future endeavors!
What have some of your favourite tours/shows to play on? Having supported the likes of Blessthefall, House VS Hurricane, Vanna and Dream on Dreamer, Stray from the Path and Fit for a King.
We always get asked this question, and it's usually the same answer! I would say our favourite tour as a band was our New Zealand tour with Stray From The Path, and our Aussie pals Stories. It was the first time we played outside of our own country, and it was just mind blowing that there were actually kids that knew who we were. The Stray From The Path guys were also some of the best people I know in the music industry. Everything they do is so genuine, and they are all insanely talented, innovative musicians. This doesn't take away from any of our other tours at all, as each one of them has their own memories and what not, and we became pretty close with most bands we toured with!
You guys are now managed by Jayden Roy of the Artery Foundation, what has the journey been like so far?
To put it simple, Jayden has done SO much for us. He picked us up at a time when not many people were interested in us, and he gave us that chance. He has also become one of our/my closest friends and a lot of our success can be attributed to him. We can only look to the future!
What are your thoughts on his Band Rescue project, can you explain a little bit about that?
It really is a great opportunity for young bands to get some insider knowledge on how the music industry works, as well as getting some valuable and honest feedback on your band. Jayden is one of the easiest guys I know to talk to, and he will help your band achieve your full potential. Shoot him an email at bandrescueaus@gmail.com if you're interested in working with him on this!
What are rehearsals like, any funny stories to share?
As much as I'd love to tell you we are always very serious at rehearsals, and we get heaps done all the time, I'd probably be lying haha. Sure, we work hard and what not and we are productive (most of the time), but we don't take ourselves too seriously. We figure if we're not having fun anymore, then what's the point of doing it? If I have to single out one funny story (or at least we thought it was funny haha), the only thing I can think of is the one time we all switched instruments, and covered ACDC's Back In Black with Alex on vocals. Alex's real name should be Tamika, because his pipes are niiiiiiice.
What are some long term goals you have as a band?
I know most bands will tell you this, but I know for a fact that everyone in our band would say Warped Tour is one of them. We just want to be able to travel the world and play our music. We want to leave our mark on the heavy music scene. As a band our next goal is to hopefully sign to a label, release our debut album, and see where that takes us. A personal long term goal for me would be to play Reading/Leeds Festival one day, or even Coachella (probably wishful thinking).
Any last words or advice for the fans?
I feel a bit bad about my rant on the music scene before, so don't take me too seriously haha. If you want to start a band, do it because YOU want to do it, and forget about all the cool tough guy kids. Just play what YOU want to play, regardless of whether it's "cool" or "trendy", and you'll find that there's a lot more self satisfaction and longevity with what you're doing. In terms of Storm The Sky, keep an eye on our page over the next couple of months as we will have some of the most exciting news of our musical career to tell you guys, and we hope you're all as stoked as we are. Thanks so much for all the ongoing support as you're helping us do what we love, and we honestly really appreciate it! Word.
