Interviewer: Alex
Interviewee: Tilian
Alex: How long have you known each other and how did you meet?
Tilian: I have known Josh for about 13 years. We went to Middle School together. I knew Alan and Spencer a little bit a couple years before we started the band in December, 2007. We didn't really hang out before that. The other three members had a band 5 years ago but they broke up after a year or so of jamming.
Alex: How did you get your start as a band? Who were the founders?
Tilian: We are all the founders really. Alan and I were living in LA (not together) and we both came home (Clearwater, Fl) for Christmas in 2007. Alan wanted to do a kind of reunion show of Spencer, Josh and his old band. Adam and I were listening in on their practice and we all decided to form a new band. We played our first show after being a band for 10 days.
Alex: What caused you to pick your band name?
Tilian: Tides of Man is kind of an analogy to the rise and fall or ebb and flow of empires. It can also be taken as the "tidings" or story of a man.
Alex: Is there a relation between your band name and the lyrics you write?
Tilian: The name is pretty broad, so yeah, it has to do with our lyrics.
Alex: Who writes the music?
Tilian: We all write the music for our respective instruments for the most part. Usually Spencer or I will come up with a series of riffs and chord progressions. We then move on to the next instrument (usually drums) and work out a structure. Sometimes I will have a whole song in mind and I will teach the parts to the other guys.
Alex: Who are your biggest musical influences?
Tilian: Musically, A Perfect Circle, Radiohead, Days Away, The Dear Hunter, The Sound Of Animals Fighting, Death Cab, Circa Survive, more recently Veil Of Maya and Karnivool. I am also heavily influenced by movies and books: American History X, Jonathan Livingston Seagull, etc.
Alex: How did you come about getting signed to Rise Records?
Tilian: We did an interview with indiestar.tv. Emarosa had also done and interview with them, and Craig Ericson was checking out the website when he saw our link on the page to our myspace. He hadn't heard of us before. Within hours we were talking with Rise.
- What was the initial feeling you had when you got signed?
The initial feeling was amazing. We were done being a local band. We had people giving us advice not to sign, and to wait it out, but we were tired of waiting and didn't want to miss our window. I think we made the right choice :)
How does it feel to travel and tour with bands that have already made pretty big names for themselves?
It's rad, man and very inspiring. You get to know great musicians and form relationships of mutual respect.
- Who, if any, has been your favorite band to be on tour with so far?
My favorite band we have toured with has to be Karnivool. They are incredible.
Alex: What has been your biggest challenge as a band? Have you been able to overcome that challenge? If so, how?
Tilian: Money. Really it's no joke. It is extremely difficult for a touring band still paying their dues to stay solvent on the road. And it gets really stressful at times.
Alex: What is the ultimate direction for you as a band? Do you seek fame and fortune, or do you do this for simple love of music? (or both, I understand that totally. haha.)
Tilian: I listen to music for pleasure and enjoyment, but there are also times when I need it, even if I didn't know I needed it. At certain times I have been in a tough spot or faced with a tough decision and I have listened to a song that was so beautiful that by the end of the song I had the answer, the solution. That's what we are trying to create with our music.
Alex: And finally, are there any last words you would like to give to the readers or any advice on getting a their band up and going?
Tilian: Right now... My advice to bands is to get some chugga chugs and breakdowns and scary notes with br00tal screamz. Get some auto tune and try to find a singer who sounds like N'SYNC.
So there you have it guys, br00tal screamz, chugga chugs, breakdowns, and an N'SYNC autotuned singer. Hahaha
Thanks so much Tilian and congratulations to Tides of Man on their success so far and on their new album!
which was the final track of their first EP, remains unchanged from it's original version but brings a relatively high energy to the table and sets the mood for the rest of the album. The high energy pop/rock feel continues through the next 2 songs before coming to the new "Rock, Shock, and Load." I personally prefer the original version to the new one and feel that it would have been better to introduce the changes as a new song rather than a revamp. In any case the guitarists finally add more taste and fills to their songs all the while most certainly improving their overall sound. The last three songs are all new and show more of a progressive side to Thee Armada.
