|
After a more "mainstream" success with their last album 'Vanity', 18V front man, James Hart, did this interview
for us to let us know what is happening with 18 Visions at the minute and what their future plans are.
*So what's happening with 18V at the moment? are you working on a follow up to your 'Vanity' album? and if so can you
tell us anything about it?
JH-Yeah, the record is called 'Obsession'. it's release date in the u.s is june 15th. it's comparable to 'Vanity' in a
lot of ways. it has a lot of the rock/singing elements, but without any real metal and filler. there are a couple of songs
up on eighteenvisions.com so check those out and see for yourself. we also have a new drummer. Ken (our old drummer) has moved
to guitar. when we recorded the record we didn't want to comprimise any idea's and Keith felt it would be best to get a second
guitar player. Ken writes half the music so felt it would be best to just move him and get a new drummer, so that's what we
did... our new drummer is Jason Shrout from kansas city, MO. he was in a band called Saved By Grace. we are also touring right
now doing a u.s tour with HIM and Kill Hannah. from that we do a u.s tour with From Autumn To Ashes and our friends Atreyu.
from there we do a week of headlining shows with It Dies Today and Fear Before The March Of Flames. then we do 2 weeks with
Underoath in the u.s and then 3 weeks on the VANS Warped tour. from there hopefully we are doing a full u.s tour with your
own Lost Prophets.
*Did 'Vanity' do well for you?
JH-It did. I think it could've done better. Trustkill was early in with his sony distro. I think they didn't know what
to do with us at first. also... we didn't have management and we didn't do a good job really touring the record or doing the
right tours. I think it did well, but I think 'Obsession' will do much better.
*How and when did 18V get together?
JH-Oh me and Ken (drummer now on guitar) have been together for years. we went to school with each other. Keith was always
a fan and when we decided to grab a new guitar player he was the guy. Mick we knew from a band he was in in salt lake . our
new drummer Jason we had also known from a band in kansas city.
*Who are some of your biggest influences for 18V?
JH-There are a ton. it ranges anywhere from Nirvana to The Beatles to Bjork or Pantera. we may not sound like these bands,
but they all have great ideas and it makes you push yourself and try new things.
*Are you big fans of Bleeding Through?
JH-They are a great metal band. doing really well for themselves. i'm happy for Branden and everyone in the band. I am
a fan of Branden.
*Were there any hard feelings when you found out you would be losing your guitarist when he joined Bleeding Through full
time?
JH-No. it was actually more of a mutual thing. he was doing that and wasn't really into the direction 18V was headeed,
so we all sat down and talked. both parties felt it was the best decision and it has turned out to be beneficial to both sides.
*Can we expect to see you in the u.k anytime soon?
JH-Definitely. hopefully in september once we have toured the record here. we would love to come back to the u.k and do
a real tour over there. we get mail from the u.k all the time.
*How would you describe an Eighteen Visions show to anyone who hasn't seen you live yet?
JH-It's more of a rock show. a lot of attitude. over here we have a light show incorporated to the set to add a little
bit. I think we have a pretty flashy and rockin' show. very different to any other bands in the hardcore scene. it's almost
like we want to put on a small rock show of sorts.
*Do you play any early 18V stuff from your first 2 releases in your live sets?
JH-No we don't. we played those songs for so long. we really are only playing 'Vanity' and 'Obsession' songs right now.
there are some kids who know the old stuff, but those songs don't go over as well as the 'Vanity' tracks. I don't really like
playing the old songs either. it can be quite boring for me just screaming an entire song. I like a little more versatility.
*Are there any new bands or labels that you recomend we check out?
JH-The Bled. Scarlet. Kill Hannah have been around for a while, they are a great band.
*Any side projects on the cards?
JH-No, we are really only allowed to do Eighteen Visions.
*What do you guys enjoy doing when you get a break from 18V?
JH-Well when I was home last summer, the beach was nice.
check out:
www.eighteenvisions.com
or email:
eighteenvisions@trustkill.com
|
 |
|