We asked Dissonants to tell us more about themselves using our A-Z challenge!
A song which made you want to write music?
Reece (Vocals) : I grew up on a lot of hard rock and glam, and prog in places from my dad, he never really pushed me into his sort of music taste i just found my way into it one day, I remember picking out Led Zeppelin’s greatest hits vol.1 and Back in Black by AC/DC that was definitely a defining moment in my life, also watching The death of Ziggy Stardust on BBC four one really late Saturday night, That was the first time I ever thought “I would love to do that”.
Mike (Bass): Dani California
Ben (Guitar): In Bloom by Nirvana. The video for that song is the reason I picked up guitar and the reason I want to be in bands, so I can do crazy stuff like Kurt Cobain did
Best rider you have ever had?
Reece: Free Pub Curry, a case of beer and water, we hadn’t consumed anything other than noodles and cider for about three days.
Mike: I’ve only ever had one rider whilst being in a band before, so it would have to be that one I guess!
Ben: Probably a case of beer and some water bottles, nothing too exciting.
Craziest moment your experienced in the band?
Reece: I’ve had a few wild ones but as this band are relatively new its hard to say, on the whole its probably the time we stayed in an abandoned college somewhere on tour, it was completely empty with old classrooms and empty halls to skate around and cycle in, that was nuts. In this band probably the reaction to the first single, everyone was so complimentary on our return to music it seemed like we’d achieved what we set out to with it.
Mike: Hard to say as we’ve only just started, probably the reaction to ‘Exhale’ and how positive it was.
Ben: Probably when we got our EP back and it sounding infinitely better than the demos (shout out to Dan Kerr at Avenue Studios).
Deepest lyrics one of your songs features?
Reece: ‘And yet I watch you deny yourself. I’ve seen these wrists a thousand times, but never cut this deep.’.
Mike: ’She lives inside my heart, this is the price I pay, I feel her rip right through me every day. At least I’ll never live in fear to ever hear you say I never loved you anyway’.
Ben: ‘I will give you my love, and you will bleed me dry every time’.
Easiest song you wrote?
Reece: Lyrically they were all pretty hard as all of them happened to me, so it’s like trying to pick the best worst time I’ve had. But “If It Takes Forever, I Will Walk Forever” was easy to put together when actually sitting down and concentrating on it, the anger invested in those lyrics are as true as they come, I can still go back to that place when I sing it.
Mike: To play musically, Exhale.
Ben: Chambers was probably the quickest song for me to write musically, I wrote it at 5AM on Christmas morning a couple of years ago .
Favourite song in your set?
Reece: Vultures.
Mike: Follow.
Ben: Exhale.
Guest you’d most like to feature on your record?
Reece: Snoop Dogg… For real though, Chino Moreno and probably Heather Baron Gracie from Pale Waves, I reckon her lyrics and aesthetic and voice would work so well with mine, I also want her to be my wife so yeah.
Mike: Sam Carter.
Ben: Anthony Green or maybe Chino Moreno. Little off topic but I’ve also always had this dream of being at a stage in a band where I could get Danny Dyer to cameo in a video.
Hardest thing about being in a band?
Reece: I think anyone who has the idea that being in a band is glamorous and
exciting all the time is kinda misinformed, a lot of effort goes into it, a lot of time and money, blood, sweat and tears can sometimes leave you feeling like you need your head checked, if you want it, it has to come before anything else, despite your own personal stuff, you’ve signed up to a difficult path but without trying to sound cliche playing the shows with the people you love and the feedback you get really does make all of it worth it.
Mike: All the little things you don’t even think about that you have to organise and pay for.
Ben: Wondering if anyone’s actually going to enjoy your music, seems to be going ok so far though! (Touch wood).
Interesting fact about one of your members?
Reece: I’m probably a better guitar player than a singer in my eyes, Guitar comes first, it’s what shaped me.
Mike: Aaron is incredibly hairy but about as exciting as it gets – we’re all just very average guys really!
Ben: I’m missing a knuckle on my right hand and my thumbs look like toes!
Jokes you have in the band?
Reece: Our lives??
Mike: We all have horrible, horrible nick names for each other that I’m not going to dare repeat in public!
Ben: We’re all pretty meme-ey kinda guys so there’s always some joke going on between us.
Key to writing a song?
Reece: For me, juxtaposing the element of personal experience with the fact that your sharing it with people and making it relatable, once you find that balance writing a good lyric will get easier and the sense of achievement will heighten.
Mike: Not trying to force anything. The inspiration and moment will come, you’ve just got to let it come to you. And riffs, lots of riffs.
Ben: If I get stuck writing I usually try and listen to some new music or something I haven’t listened to in a real long time for some inspiration. Always be open to new ideas.
Longest distance you’ve travelled to play a show?
Reece: Southampton to Leicester.
Mike: Southampton to Aberdeen.
Ben: Southampton to Leicester.
Most inspiring musician you’ve experienced?
Reece: James Dean Bradfield.
Mike: Garret Rapp, such a positive dude.
Ben: Jason Richardson for sure, so much talent and his career started at such a young age because of his dedication to his instrument.
New band you’d recommend?
Reece: Bleach, Arcade Hearts, Placeholder, and Reawaken.
Mike: Apart from ourselves, our good friends in Our Hollow, Our Home. Seriously hardworking dudes will some killer songs.
Ben: Our buddies in Greyhaven are also great. Seriously nice guys, catchy songs and Alex Hills has some of the best guitar solo faces I’ve ever seen live!
Opening for this band would be ideal?
Reece: Deftones, From First to Last (Dead Trees era), Architects, Empire.
Mike: Architects.
Ben: Architects would be great but also maybe someone like Saosin too.
Place you’d most like to tour?
Reece: America and Europe.
Mike: North America.
Ben: Definitely the USA.
Quote that you’d like to pass on to our readers?
Reece: I know I believe in nothing, but it is, MY nothing.
Mike: ‘Find a little light, hold it close, don’t lose sight of what matters most’.
Ben: ‘In this world there is room for everyone. And the good earth is rich and can provide for everyone. The way of life can be free and beautiful, but we have lost the way.’
Reason for the title of your forthcoming release?
Mike: You’d have to ask our vocalist Reece about that one!
Ben: I can explain! It’s the name of a song I wrote a few years ago when I was fighting depression. I was in a situation where I felt like the people I was surrounded by were trying to take everything they could from me and give nothing back.
Reece: The name came before the lyric, but I kept it for Ben. But I was suffering from a case of sleep paralysis at the time, one time it happened on holiday, I was still drunk from the night before but I swear to god I could see a weird winged demon creature sitting on my stomach holding me down, I thought I was going to die cause I couldn’t breathe, the angle of my head on the pillow was cutting my oxygen supply so I kind of had to accept defeat. When I woke up the next day I wrote the lyrics in one sitting as a way of coming to terms with what happened. Still have a lot of trouble with sleep these days.
See us live at?
Mike: Southampton Joiners on March 23rd, it’s our first ever show too!
Ben: We’re also announcing a lot more shows soon and maybe a cheeky tour so watch out for that!
The old days of music were better than the current, do you agree?
Reece: In terms of industry size, freedom of expression, lifestyle, Mainstream exposure and longevity then yes definitely. In terms of originality, diversity, and open mindedness the modern day wins.
Mike: I’m only 24, so old days were like early to mid 2000’s for me, but yeah music back then was fantastic.
Ben: I feel like some of the innovations made in popular music in the last decade or so with bands like Animals As Leaders and artists like Jon Gomm and Andy Mckee have completely opened up new possibilities for a lot of people but you can’t deny that the 80’s didn’t spawn some absolute classics!
Unusual merchandise?
Mike: We’ve just started off with the standard tshirts, but who knows we may get to the Kiss levels of insanity and start doing Dissonants coffins or condoms!
Ben: Yeah maybe eventually something dumb like life-size cut outs of all of us or maybe me and Aaron (the veggie boys) can release our own line of Dissonants branded vegetarian food some day. Me and Reece also call ourselves Team Oreo so maybe there’s a marketing collaboration waiting to happen there!
Reece: I wanna do notebooks, Lighters and skins but I feel like were a bit of a way off before we go too crazy, but I’m down with sad boi coffins and condoms, stay safe out there kids.
Variations you’d like to do on any of your tracks?
Reece: I’d like to hear a remix of one of our songs, I’d love to know what someone from a different musical background could make from our material.
Mike: I’d like to do some stripped back acoustic versions of some songs. Keep an eye on our Facebook page for something like this in the future…
Ben: There’s like a jazzy version of Vultures that I like to play sometimes for a laugh, maybe that could be a thing one day!
What do your fans mean to you?
Reece: If it wasn’t for peoples’ investment in the stuff you put out there would be no band to grow, they are the foundation of any bands success, don’t let anyone or anything sway that fact.
Mike: It sounds a cliché but they mean everything, without them we wouldn’t be able to play music.
Ben: Honestly the fans are the best, the response from Exhale has been amazing especially for our first single. It’s always nerve-racking releasing new music and not knowing if people will actually like it or not so for people to go out of their way to tell us they’ve enjoyed it and want to hear more is insane!
X-rays or any treatments needed for band related injuries?
Mike: Touch wood nothing yet!
Ben: I know Reece broke his foot onstage with an old band a few years back but other than that not that I can think of. I’ve almost stacked it over my amp a few times before.
Reece: I’ve broken a foot in two places, chipped my two front teeth. Cut my head open a few times due to microphone abuse (they were mine so it’s cool). I’ve been hit with a fair few headstocks, and I have been cut on both butt cheeks at different times playing shows, one was quite deep and made sitting difficult for a week still don’t know who or how.
You’re late for a show, whose fault is it?
Mike: Reece, always Reece.
Ben: 100% Reece every time. The man takes about 3 hours to drag himself out of bed (he’ll deny it every time though).
Reece: I’m actually a lot better than I used to be, But I still get called out for it cause these guys are the definition of punctual. But I will be the first to admit punctuality has never been my strongest attribute. By far.
Zoo animal that best describes the personality of the band?
Reece: Half monkey, half sloth.
Mike: Sloth – we’re always so sleepy!
Ben: I personally get compared to a golden retriever a lot but yeah, I think a sloth probably suits us all.