Push to Fire: Interview with End of The Spectrum

Push to Fire Interview: End of the Spectrum
by Suzy Harrison
End of the Spectrum promo
End of the Spectrum is a UK band from London who describe their music as poppy, melodic, emotional, defiant rock. The five piece consists of Jamie and Mark (guitars), Becca (vox), Sean (bass) and Sciz (drums). The band started out as a few friends covering songs for their own enjoyment but has quickly progressed to something more. We caught up with the band to hear more about what they've been up to lately.

Where did you record your first EP and how long did it take to finish?
Mark: We recorded it in Reading at Outhouse Studios. They are such nice guys there and have recorded some of our favourite bands! (Enter Shikari, The Blackout, Youmeatsix) It took a week to record it and it was ready for download. It took us another couple of weeks to get all the CDs and the covers printed, cut and ready for handing out.
Becca: Outhouse was an absolute dream.
Sean: I loved Outhouse, the guys there were amazing and really know what it takes to make a track tick.
Sciz: Yeah we were all pretty excited about Outhouse - it had been a bit of a vision for a while and the guys there turned out to be a great laugh! I think next time we might be getting some help for printing the CDs though!
How did you come up with the artwork for the debut EP? What's the meaning behind the image on the cover?

Becca: From the beginning we’ve always wanted to be a very self-sufficient band, creating as much as possible. So being a photographer, it felt only natural that I would shoot the cover. (Sean’s a graphic designer, so placed the font, and created the banners). I wanted the model's bareness to represent a fresh, empty canvas, but also showing her as being very vulnerable. She’s shielding herself. I showed a lot of myself through the lyrics on this EP, which can be, sometimes, an incredibly scary feeling. The lyrics on the opening track read as "You say I’m drained! I say I’m bare! Like a canvas breaking under pressure".
So where can we get a copy of the self-titled EP?

Mark: You can download it for free here (http://endofthespectrum.bandcamp.com) or come to one our shows and get a physical CD!
Who would you cite as being influences in terms of the music your band plays?
Mark: Saosin, Alexisonfire, Biffy Clyro, Fightstar, Chiodos, Lostprophets, Funeral for a Friend, Mute Math, Rise Against, Thrice.
Sciz: Yeah that covers the major influences for me. We’ve got quite a range of influences that reach a little further away from the typical rock scene and it adds up to some pretty neat tricks in some of the songs.
Becca: Perhaps not exactly in terms of the music we play, but I have to mention Michelle Branch as being one of my major influences, as she inspired me to really start singing and learn to play guitar. Youmeatsix are a massive inspiration, being one of the few bands who re-started the pop-rock hype again in England. Whatever we listen to and love influences us, as well as what we see and come across day to day.
How does Endofthespectrum's song writing process happen?
Mark: We all have a part in the song writing process. One of us might come with a riff, or the bare bones of a song, and we all build from there, writing our individual parts and helping others out too. We’re very open with each other when it comes to our music and if someone thinks a part is rubbish, we’ll say it. It’s music, as much as it’s important to us, it’s not going to kill us saying that.
Becca: I think it really varies a lot with each one. Sometimes only two of us will write a song, but then the next one may have a little piece of all of us in it. It’s all part of the fun, you never really know what’s going to happen.
What's the best thing about being in a band? And more specifically Endofthespectrum?

Mark: Playing music in a band is always a great experience, and playing live is one of the greatest experiences you could ever imagine. The energy, the adrenaline and the crowd is something that you just can’t repeat in your bedroom, or a studio. Our music lets us go crazy, it’s almost an accepted norm in our genre! We’ve got up beat music that rocks and that lets us become the craziest people on stage. Running around, jumping about, spinning and bashing into each other are all to be expected.
Sean: Being in a band with people you love and get on with is a great thing. You get to experiment and have so much fun with writing/rehearsing/playing and travelling. For me though the icing on the cake as it were would be playing live. I would say that it's one of the best experiences you can have in life if you do it right. The energy and adrenaline is amazing, and knowing that the people there have come to see you and travelled from all over just gives you a buzz in itself, even before you step on stage!
Becca: Getting to meet and talk to so many amazing people, who before I would have never had the chance. I find that being able to express myself through music, and then being lucky enough to have people listen to it is incredible, it sounds corny, but it really gives my life more meaning.
If you could tour with any band, past or present, who would you choose and why?

Mark: There are quite a few bands I would love to tour with. We wouldn’t fit with their tour but hey! I saw Rolo Tomassi with Biffy Clyro so who am I to judge! I would love to tour with TesseracT. I’ve watched a lot of their tour videos and they seem so much fun to hang around with and their crowds seem cool with most music. Enter Shikari would be amazing to tour with as well. The amount of mischief I’m sure they get up to would be brilliant to get in on!
Sciz: I’d give anything to tour with the guys from Incubus. Their music and lifestyle is pretty inspirational and to be able to share that would be an incredible experience.
Any bands you're listening to at the moment that you would recommend we check out
Mark: I’ve been listening to so much TesseracT recently. They just released their album One and it’s one of the greatest albums I’ve heard for a long time.
Sciz: I recently saw an Australian band called the Jezabels. They make amazing music and are all super nice, I’d suggest you take a listen to their “Dark Storm” EP and take the opportunity to see them live if the chance comes up!
Becca: I recently saw The Naked and Famous live, and they were so tight! I keep replaying their album at the moment. I’m always listening to tonnes of Versaemerge and Francesqa. Just check out everyone who played at Slam dunk 2011, they were all incredible!
What are your plans for the rest of 2011? - anything you are hoping to achieve by the end of the year?

Sciz: There are murmurs of tours but I think we’ll keep that behind closed doors until things are more final. 2011 is about growth for us, time to get people listening!
Sean: Writing new and exciting things, a whole heap of gigs and just getting out there and letting everyone hear what we have to offer.
Becca: I would love to start supporting more bands that are closer to our genre, or just start supporting more established bands in general. It would be great to start playing to bigger crowds.
Do you find that having a female singer can win/lose certain people as fans or do you think people don't mind either way?

Mark: We do find it can lose fans and gain them. We have had a lot of people pass us up for being compared to Paramore, and a lot of people who love us because we sound like them. It’s all a sense of perspective and who you love music wise. It’s been a while since the industry had big female fronted rock bands. Paramore are now, but it’s been a while since the likes of Dusty Springfield, The Carpenters, and The Bangles.
Sciz: It does seem to be a strange mix of reactions. Comparisons to other female fronted bands can often turn people away from listening to our music - but at the same time it can also bring people who would otherwise not take the time!
Becca: Definitely win! If I come across a new female fronted band I will want to check them out straight away. Maybe I’m slightly biased, but there are very few really successful female fronted bands in the UK. I think there’s a very large hole to be filled.
Being female and in a band myself I've noticed that there's an inequal division in terms of males and females in alternative/rock music i.e. more males. What are your opinions on females and the music industry?

Mark: There are more males, but that may be because rock is a very male oriented genre. If you take a look at the likes of hip hop, pop and r'n'b there are plenty of female vocalists. I guess the timbre of the female voice is just best suited to the flowing melody of pop than the gritty guitars of rock. There are the exceptions, like Dusty Springfield, The Carpenters, and even Fleetwood Mac. Nobody knows who’s going to be big in what genre. This is too big a question just to be a paragraph long, I’m sure people have written entire books on this subject!
Becca: Since the massive success of quite a few female fronted rock bands in the US, I’ve noticed the number of female fronted bands increasing hugely. There are plenty of them around, just very few have managed to break into the mainstream. I guess the race is on? Haha...

Much thanks to End of the Spectrum for taking the time to answer our questions. Promo photo provided by the band. Find more info and music clips on their MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/xendofthespectrum, Facebook: http://www.www.facebook.com/endofthespectrum and YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/endofthespectrum.

Push to Fire Interview: End of the Spectrum by Suzy Harrison End of the Spectrum is a UK band from London who describe their music as poppy, melodic, emotional, defiant rock. The five piece consists of Jamie and Mark (guitars), Becca (vox), Sean (bass) and Sciz (drums). The band started out as a few friends covering songs for their own enjoyment but has quickly progressed to something more. We caught up with the band to hear more about what they've been up to lately. Where did you record your first EP and how long did it take to finish? Mark: We recorded it in Reading at Outhouse Studios. They are such nice guys there and have recorded some of our favourite bands! (Enter Shikari, The Blackout, Youmeatsix) It took a week to record it and it was ready for download. It took us another couple of weeks to get all the CDs and the covers printed, cut and ready for handing out. Becca: Outhouse was an absolute dream. Sean: I loved Outhouse, the guys there were amazing and really know what it takes to make a track tick. Sciz: Yeah we were all pretty excited about Outhouse - it had been a bit of a vision for a while and the guys there turned out to be a great laugh! I think next time we might be getting some help for printing the CDs though! How did you come up with the artwork for the debut EP? What's the meaning behind the image on the cover? Becca: From the beginning we’ve always wanted to be a very self-sufficient band, creating as much as possible. So being a photographer, it felt only natural that I would shoot the cover. (Sean’s a graphic designer, so placed the font, and created the banners). I wanted the model's bareness to represent a fresh, empty canvas, but also showing her as being very vulnerable. She’s shielding herself. I showed a lot of myself through the lyrics on this EP, which can be, sometimes, an incredibly scary feeling. The lyrics on the opening track read as "You say I’m drained! I say I’m bare! Like a canvas breaking under pressure". So where can we get a copy of the self-titled EP? Mark: You can download it for free here (http://endofthespectrum.bandcamp.com) or come to one our shows and get a physical CD! Who would you cite as being influences in terms of the music your band plays? Mark: Saosin, Alexisonfire, Biffy Clyro, Fightstar, Chiodos, Lostprophets, Funeral for a Friend, Mute Math, Rise Against, Thrice. Sciz: Yeah that covers the major influences for me. We’ve got quite a range of influences that reach a little further away from the typical rock scene and it adds up to some pretty neat tricks in some of the songs. Becca: Perhaps not exactly in terms of the music we play, but I have to mention Michelle Branch as being one of my major influences, as she inspired me to really start singing and learn to play guitar. Youmeatsix are a massive inspiration, being one of the few bands who re-started the pop-rock hype again in England. Whatever we listen to and love influences us, as well as what we see and come across day to day. How does Endofthespectrum's song writing process happen? Mark: We all have a part in the song writing process. One of us might come with a riff, or the bare bones of a song, and we all build from there, writing our individual parts and helping others out too. We’re very open with each other when it comes to our music and if someone thinks a part is rubbish, we’ll say it. It’s music, as much as it’s important to us, it’s not going to kill us saying that. Becca: I think it really varies a lot with each one. Sometimes only two of us will write a song, but then the next one may have a little piece of all of us in it. It’s all part of the fun, you never really know what’s going to happen. What's the best thing about being in a band? And more specifically Endofthespectrum? Mark: Playing music in a band is always a great experience, and playing live is one of the greatest experiences you could ever imagine. The energy, the adrenaline and the crowd is something that you just can’t repeat in your bedroom, or a studio. Our music lets us go crazy, it’s almost an accepted norm in our genre! We’ve got up beat music that rocks and that lets us become the craziest people on stage. Running around, jumping about, spinning and bashing into each other are all to be expected. Sean: Being in a band with people you love and get on with is a great thing. You get to experiment and have so much fun with writing/rehearsing/playing and travelling. For me though the icing on the cake as it were would be playing live. I would say that it's one of the best experiences you can have in life if you do it right. The energy and adrenaline is amazing, and knowing that the people there have come to see you and travelled from all over just gives you a buzz in itself, even before you step on stage! Becca: Getting to meet and talk to so many amazing people, who before I would have never had the chance. I find that being able to express myself through music, and then being lucky enough to have people listen to it is incredible, it sounds corny, but it really gives my life more meaning. If you could tour with any band, past or present, who would you choose and why? Mark: There are quite a few bands I would love to tour with. We wouldn’t fit with their tour but hey! I saw Rolo Tomassi with Biffy Clyro so who am I to judge! I would love to tour with TesseracT. I’ve watched a lot of their tour videos and they seem so much fun to hang around with and their crowds seem cool with most music. Enter Shikari would be amazing to tour with as well. The amount of mischief I’m sure they get up to would be brilliant to get in on! Sciz: I’d give anything to tour with the guys from Incubus. Their music and lifestyle is pretty inspirational and to be able to share that would be an incredible experience. Any bands you're listening to at the moment that you would recommend we check out Mark: I’ve been listening to so much TesseracT recently. They just released their album One and it’s one of the greatest albums I’ve heard for a long time. Sciz: I recently saw an Australian band called the Jezabels. They make amazing music and are all super nice, I’d suggest you take a listen to their “Dark Storm” EP and take the opportunity to see them live if the chance comes up! Becca: I recently saw The Naked and Famous live, and they were so tight! I keep replaying their album at the moment. I’m always listening to tonnes of Versaemerge and Francesqa. Just check out everyone who played at Slam dunk 2011, they were all incredible! What are your plans for the rest of 2011? - anything you are hoping to achieve by the end of the year? Sciz: There are murmurs of tours but I think we’ll keep that behind closed doors until things are more final. 2011 is about growth for us, time to get people listening! Sean: Writing new and exciting things, a whole heap of gigs and just getting out there and letting everyone hear what we have to offer. Becca: I would love to start supporting more bands that are closer to our genre, or just start supporting more established bands in general. It would be great to start playing to bigger crowds. Do you find that having a female singer can win/lose certain people as fans or do you think people don't mind either way? Mark: We do find it can lose fans and gain them. We have had a lot of people pass us up for being compared to Paramore, and a lot of people who love us because we sound like them. It’s all a sense of perspective and who you love music wise. It’s been a while since the industry had big female fronted rock bands. Paramore are now, but it’s been a while since the likes of Dusty Springfield, The Carpenters, and The Bangles. Sciz: It does seem to be a strange mix of reactions. Comparisons to other female fronted bands can often turn people away from listening to our music - but at the same time it can also bring people who would otherwise not take the time! Becca: Definitely win! If I come across a new female fronted band I will want to check them out straight away. Maybe I’m slightly biased, but there are very few really successful female fronted bands in the UK. I think there’s a very large hole to be filled. Being female and in a band myself I've noticed that there's an inequal division in terms of males and females in alternative/rock music i.e. more males. What are your opinions on females and the music industry? Mark: There are more males, but that may be because rock is a very male oriented genre. If you take a look at the likes of hip hop, pop and r'n'b there are plenty of female vocalists. I guess the timbre of the female voice is just best suited to the flowing melody of pop than the gritty guitars of rock. There are the exceptions, like Dusty Springfield, The Carpenters, and even Fleetwood Mac. Nobody knows who’s going to be big in what genre. This is too big a question just to be a paragraph long, I’m sure people have written entire books on this subject! Becca: Since the massive success of quite a few female fronted rock bands in the US, I’ve noticed the number of female fronted bands increasing hugely. There are plenty of them around, just very few have managed to break into the mainstream. I guess the race is on? Haha...
Much thanks to End of the Spectrum for taking the time to answer our questions. Promo photo provided by the band. Find more info and music clips on their MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/xendofthespectrum, Facebook: http://www.www.facebook.com/endofthespectrum and YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/endofthespectrum.