MARCH 2008 Issue.pmd - RAG Magazine

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By Joseph VilaneA Day to Remember is one of the few bands that canpull off a particular style of music. Musically, the bandis very gifted, showcasing riffs and vocals that setthem apart from many other bands on the scene. Thescreaming is almost death-metal-like, and themelodies could be compared to any of the bigger, poppunkacts like Fall Out Boy or Panic at The Disco.However, whereas some bands get repetitive over thecourse of three years, A Day to Remember hasmanaged to maintain credibility along with a sense ofhumor.Blending an exquisite amount of style, these southFlorida rockers: Jeremy McKinnon, vocals; AlexShellnutt, drums; Neil Westfall, guitar; JoshuaWoodward,bass; TomDenney, guitar-surely digd e e pdelivering afresh incentiveof youthfulspirit as theyb r a v e l yapproach amixture ofsounds; theirattempt hasb e e nsuccessfulthus far, as they keep things interesting. Collectively,A Day to Remember has released two solid recordsthat showcase their undeniable talent. Their first, AndTheir Name Was Treason, was released in 2005 onIndianola Records. The second, For Those Who HaveHeart, was released January of 2007 on Victoryrecords; but the newly re-mastered version (releasedin February 2008) reveals a different side to thesewide-eyed musicians.44| DEC RAG MAGAZINEA Day to Remember dress for success; what you seeis a bunch of college kids beginning to discoverthemselves for the first time. They play rough, andare ready for their latest release, performing songssuch as “Fast Forward to 2012,” with a focused,energetic attack. Not to mention, a cover version ofKelly Clarkson’s song, “Since You’ve Been Gone,” arisky move by these hard rockers. It was these topics,among others, that RAG focused in on during a sitdowninterview with bassist, Joshua Woodward.“Actually it’s kind of weird; it’s a song that we wouldall be listening to in the van,” says Woodward,referring to the Clarkson tune. Woodward confesses,“We were all just fans of her, and that song, and wethought how cool it would be for a band that’s knownfor being heavy to just take an upright, catchy popsong, and make it ours -try to turn it into somethingwe like.”A Day to Remember’s music combines fast and heavyrhythms with dramatic poppy singing and deepthroated, hardcore growls. They draw influences frompop punk, hardcore, and metalcore - creating a soundwhich can be classified as “pop-mosh.”“We’re definitely just five kids that got into pop, punkrock,” says Woodward. He continues, “We’re fans ofNew Found Glory and we just found out what hardermusic was. All of us were fans of both sides of thespectrum, so I just said I wanted to be in a band that’spart of both sides of the spectrum.” There’s no realsecret to it, we just wanted to write music that wereally liked, and we both liked catchy and heavy stuff.”While one might say that’s such a contrast ofinfluences, but musically, you’d appreciate how A Dayto Remember go from being a plain rock/emo bandone minute, to jumping into a breakdown the next. Thebreakdowns are brutal; they play guitar chords
A DAY TO REMEMBER WILL BE PERFORMING AT REVOLUTION MARCH 2ND!smoothly as they whet your appetite. A Day toRemember’s diverse elements are what do, and will,set them apart from so many of their contemporaries.If you can appreciate the mixing of various musicalstyles, For Those Who Have Heart was made for you.With music, you never know when it’s going to end,but when it begins on a powerful note, it really sets usup for the future; it can really guide you towardssomething memorable and unforgettable.“People ask us if we sit down and think ‘do we reallywant to add a breakdown to this song?’ and it’s notlike that at all,’” asserts Woodward. Woodward continues,“It’s actually like we all sit together, and we just have ideas,and we decide whether we love them or not… we’ll take apart from this or that and we’ll just build off of each other,and if it sounds good, then that part will make it into thesong; we don’t force anything.”Sweetened by an emo-sounding riot act, McKinnon’svocals emit thirst for the scream and his passionaterange. There’s also the keen way in which Jeremyfits his lyrics into a song. “Jeremy is one of the mosttalented musicians I’ve ever worked with,” saysWoodward. Continues Woodward, “He has such anear for things; he’s amazing for sure. He was in apop band and then got into a hardcore band, anddecided he wanted to play both. It takes time forJeremy to find the happy medium because, obviously,screaming and stuff is gonna make your voice hoarse.Jeremy found the heavy medium and he knows hislimitations; he’s just an amazing singer.” AddsWoodward, “Personally, I think this album is muchbetter than our first.”www.RAGmagazine.com | 45
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