Joe Flowers - Lead Guitar
Ben C - Rhythm Guitar and backup vocals
Kyle Shock - Drums
D Ray - Bass Player and the guy with the tattoos
Jamie Romance – vocals
How long has Passenger been around?
We got together in April of 2007 as a result of two bands that broke up at the same time. Passenger just started out as a jam session just to find out if there was any chemistry between us. We werent sure we wanted to be a band yet but we wrote two songs our first session together and by the end of the month we had eight songs so we decided to form Passenger and start playing shows.
What is the meaning behind Passenger?
During that first month of writing sessions it felt like we had no control of what music we were making it just flowed out of all of us. It was like magic how all the songs came together so quickly and it seemed like a good representation of the process was naming our band Passenger, because we are all just along for the ride.
Describe your style/sound?
The five-headed bastard child of Breaking Benjamin, Killswitch Engage, and Tool
For a band that hasn’t been around long your fan base in your area has grown quickly, As a new band of course that is a great thing. What advice would you give other bands?
1. Practice! Practice! Practice! - Build chemistry with each other and get your songs tight. There's nothing worse than forgeting your own songs on stage.
2. Don't be afraid to experiment with new sounds and challenge yourself musically.
3. Bands are hard to maintain so set goals for your band and have everyone participate in reaching those goals. Don't be the guy or girl who just shows up to practice like its a part-time job.
4. Don't be afraid to speak your mind to your other bandmates. If you are serious about being a band you might want to get to know the guys around you because you could end spending a lot of time together.
4. Don't take everything so seriously, keep everything in perspective, and try to have fun with what you do.
So what was it that made you go Hey I wanna be in a band?
Music videos. How can you watch Motley Crue's "Girls, Girls, Girls" video and not want that? Women, partying, motorcycles, being a crazy badass. Or it could've been the first time I heard Guns n' Roses. Most the rock videos in the late 80's all the bands looked like they had so much fun with what they were doing so I picked up a guitar and started learning how to play.
The feeling of writing a song is incredible when you seemingly create something out of nothing and its is really satisfying when people hear your songs and it affects them somehow. I think the best part about music is when you hear a song for the first time and it sends a shiver up your spine and it captivates you. You become addicted to listening to it over and over. Those are the best types of songs no matter what genre it is.
What influences your lyrics?
Most of my lyrics are influenced by my life experiences. Situations, my friends, heartbreak, hope, the future. I try not to get too specific when writing about my personal life so when I write a song I try to keep my viewpoint open on how it will be heard by an audience while still getting my point across. By doing that I think it is easier for people to relate to the song. As a songwriter is feels good when someone comes up to you and says that your song is stuck in their head.
I like lyrics that capture the feeling of the music like Maynard does in Tool and A Perfect Circle or Mike Patton's work in Faith No More. When those guys sing the words they do you feel it in your soul. Those are the types of songwriters I look up to.
5 bands/CD’s that influenced you?
Rage Against the Machine - any album
Tool - Aenima - that album is their masterpiece
Foo Fighters - The Colour and the Shape
Killswitch Engage - Alive or Just Breathing, The End of Heartache
Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon, The Wall, Animals, Meddle
You just recently finished your current demo in Oct. Who and where did your record at?
We recorded at NME Studios in Nashville, TN. It was an experience.
Any plans on shopping it around to labels?
We just wanted to record a demo to sell to fans and give to venues to play more shows. We probably wont shop the demo until we get it mastered. We are recording 3 new songs in December with Eric Reason Productions and we will shop those songs to some labels at the beginning of the year.
Noticed you had just played with Adema, How was that show?
That was the best show we've played so far. It was the biggest crowd any of us have played in front of. The show that night was amazing and it is so much more fun to play for a big, interactive crowd. We had a blast!
We interviewed some other bands from Tennessee and there are a lot of good bands coming up right now there. You got Gorilla Warfare, Hollywood, Taken Under just to name a few. How do you feel about the scene and bands in Tennessee?
I think there are a lot of great bands in TN and the support of local bands is growing all the time. All the local bands have to stick together and keep supporting each other playing shows and networking. Im sure there are dozens of other bands in the area I have yet to discover. As long as all these bands can keep growing and progressing im sure some of the bands in the area will be ready to break wide open.
What’s in the future for Passenger?
We are going to keep working hard, write more music, play more shows, and see how far this ride can take us. We are in the process of working with a management group who will help us in booking shows the south and eastern part of the US. So we hope to tour sometime this summer.
Your able to go on a world tour what bands would you bring?
A few of the TN bands I would like to bring out are
Joan Red - Memphis , TN
Deadsun - Nashville, TN
Seven Cycle Theory - Nashville, TN
The Jersey Sky - Nashville, TN
I think all these bands sound great so i would tour with these guys.
What would be your dream tour (current or past)?
Going on tour with the Foo Fighters would probably be ultimate dream just because Dave Grohl KICKS ASS! There's probably so much we could all learn from that band if we got to hang with them on tour.
Other bands I wouldn't mind a dream tour with are Nine Inch Nails, Pantera, Killswitch Engage, Alice in Chains, and Black Sabbath
What bands are you currently into now?
Right now i am really into Parkway Drive and Every Time I Die. Those bands really impress the hell out of me with their music. Keith Buckley is awesome and unique writer/singer for ETID and Parkway Drive's new album Horizons is just killer.
Any of those bands have any influence on your writing?
Not really in the way I write but Im very much influenced by their vocal patterns and how they present the lyrics with the music. Our music is influenced by all sorts of things and any particular group of bands but if we hear something we really like we might try to put our spin on it.
Anyone in any side projects?
As of right now, no. Passenger is all we are focusing on and until we reach a certain point its good to have the band looking at the ultimate goal.
How can readers get a hold of Passenger merch?
Just come to one of our shows!
But if you cant do that im sure we can work something out.
Our band website will be up soon and you can always send us a message on myspace page. www.myspace.com/psngr
Any bands in that area you’d like to plug?
Taken Under, Erebus, Seven Cycle Theory, and Gorilla Warfare.
These bands are friends of ours and everyone should check them out.
Best way to contact the band?
www.myspace.com/psngr
Send us a message we will be happy to respond.
Any last words?
We are really hoping 2008 will be a big year for Passenger so keep in touch, keep listening, and we hope to keep expanding our horizons.
Support local music, go to shows, checkout your local bands!
Thanks!
