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The Fire Still Burns
Scott Saint Hilaire of The Fire Still Burns perfectly described their sound in this interview: "Authentic Fast Melodic Hardcore Since the '04!!" That should be all the info you need when deciding to check them out.
1. State something interesting about you and each of your bandmates...
Hmm...This one is hard- let's see: Nate has a bitchin sleeveless Sacred Reich shirt that he rocks onstage sometimes. Alf has a pimped-out old school Harley that he rides occasionally. Brent rocks my favorite bass of all time. Ross has the sickest collection of black-velvet truckstop paintings this side of the Mississippi River. And I get made fun of by my band for wearing a Rasta belt once in a while...
2. Why does it seem like bands have such a hard time solidifying a line up?
Being in a band and finding members that all work together has got to be one of the hardest things to ever make work! Not only do you have to find people that are awesome musicians, you need to find people that actually play the instrument you are looking to have in the band. Next, you need to find out if they are actually cool people or not, and then you need to see if they work well with you on a personal level. You also need someone that can be willing to work together as a team, and someone who can take the whole thing seriously. It's sort-of like looking for a whole bunch of things all in one: a new girlfriend, that will also be your business partner, best friend, constant companion, and creative muse. Now try to find all of that 4 or 5 times over, and you will have your band! I have been in numerous bands over the years, as have most of the other guys in THE FIRE STILL BURNS- and I am completely grateful that I have finally found the right combination of guys that all work together in such a great way. I am happier in this lineup and playing this music than I ever have been, and I feel blesses that things are working out so well for us...
3. Do you ever get sick of listening to your music collection?
Not really, because over the years I have managed to whittle most of my records down to a few rare classics which I love and can play over and over. I am always on the lookout for something new and exciting though, and once I find new things that interest me it keeps me occupied for a while at least. I am so busy with our band and writing new songs right now though that I must admit I haven't listened to much lately other than my own stuff. But I always try to check out new stuff weekly when I get a chance, that's one of the best things about MySpace is that I can instantly check out and hear a band that I have heard of from somewhere- and I have discovered some great gems on there!
4. Is being a popular band the same thing as being a successful band?
I think that would all depend on how a person defines the word "sucessful". If by sucessful a band is judging themselves on how "popular" they are, and if they seem to have a big following, then I would say that they would view themselves as a success. That is typically the way commercial bands and big record labels would view things. Personally, I view it a little different than that. To me "success" includes getting to have a fun time making music with your friends, getting to see the world, and getting your aggression out in a creative way. I am not really worried about being "popular" in the traditional sense, because if I wanted for that to happen I certainly wouldn't be playing the style of music that we are playing. Our genre is much more a niche market, a little less known about, and it happens to be the stuff that we all grew up loving and playing in other bands.
In THE FIRE STILL BURNS we take those traditional sounds and we add a little bit of a new spin on it, and that's about it. The so-called "popular" sounds these days are hip-hop, emo, indie rock, or metal. And we fall into none of those catagories, and that is on purpose. I only want to play music that I truly believe in with all my heart- because in the end all you will have is your integrity- and I am just not the type to fake it in order to sell more records. I need to know in my heart that when I look back years from now and put on all the old records that I played on, that the music I did was completely sincere and from the heart. And what is in my heart is fast melodic hardcore!
5. Whats your favorite month of the year and why?
You know I don't have an exact favorite month, but my favorite time aperiod is usually late september into early october. That's when the summer heat finally goes away, and you feel a chill in the air again and the leaves start turning. Maybe it's psychological, but I always associate the fall as being a time when new things are about to start happening. It could be because school always started in the fall, and the first year I got into the hardcore scene I started going to shows in the fall. You smell the changing season in the air and get excited at the prospect of new beginnings. Or something like that... Haha
6. Whats the toughest or most frustrating part about hunting for new band members?
I think I touched on this a little bit in one of the previous questions in the sense that it is extremely hard to find people that you will be able to work with that will really fit the role you are looking for. We got really lucky with our band, as we lost our original bassist and drummer at the same time last Christmas. The worst and most frustrating thing about that was that it took us over 4 months to finally fill the positions with people we really felt were right for the job. All of that downtime was driving me crazy, and I felt like we weren't doing anything at all, and I wanted to move forward as soon as possible. It took a while and we were selective but I don't regret the wait because the right combination came together. So sometimes patience pays off I guess!
7. What's one movie everyone should see?
Well I have two favorite movies of all time, and I will share them with you here. The first one is called "ANOTHER STATE OF MIND", and it is a tour documentary of the bands SOCIAL DISTORTION, YOUTH BRIGADE, and MINOR THREAT. I saw that movie when I was 12 years old, and it changed my life forever. The other one is a classic hip hop movie called "BEAT STREET", and it is about the original early days of hip-hop culture. It is important because it references a time where there was a real spirit, a purity, and a passion in that music scene. I think "ANOTHER STATE OF MIND" also does the same thing in some ways for the punk scene. Netflix 'em if you can't find them in your local shop!!
8. State a little known fact about Invisible Youth PR.
Hmmm, I would say that he is an EMBRACE fan, as am I. And I give tons of respect to people who know who the real EMBRACE is!!
9. Name one album, besides your own, that you think all kids should have in their collection.
I cannot define one album, but I would say every self-respecting individual should own some if not all of the following: BLACK SABBATH, BAD BRAINS, BOB MARLEY, MINOR THREAT, BOOGIE DOWN PRODUCTIONS, RISE AGAINST, ERIK B AND RAKIM, STRIKE ANYWHERE, and RITES OF SPRING. Word...
10. Final comments.
Check out the flavor at: http://thefirestillburns.com , or http://myspace.com/thefirestillburns ...Authentic Fast Melodic Hardcore Since the '04!! We would love to have you come say hello at a show or
on the 'net sometime! Thanks! =)