Interview: Blu Avenue

Interview by Stuart Blythe
LMM: You’ve recently released your debut album “Sounds From The Escape”
Can you tell us about the song-writing and recording process?

Blu Avenue: We wanted Sounds from the Escape to try and be cohesive and yet have each song tell their own story. The songs themselves were all created at different times and we allowed each one time to evolve into what they became on the album. We gave them a taste of being played live as well as practicing them to get the songs to what they became. Honestly, some of them are still evolving even after recording them!

For us, as far as actually recording the songs, we wanted the sound of the album to emulate how we sound live as much as we could. We wanted the listener to hear our music and to see us live and be able to enjoy the music because it sounds like the album. So with that we set out to keep the sound as organic as possible. We really feel the album is a true representation of our live sound which is what we set out to do!
 
 
LMM: Your first single “Skydown” is getting rotation. For the uninitiated, how do you describe your sound

Blu Avenue: It is really hard for us to put a label on our sound. When you think of a certain genre tag you have an assumption of it will sound like. We love dynamics in our music and having the songs tell stories. For the new fans we normally say we are a progressive band but even then it’s hard for us to call it that! Our songs take different paths dependent on where each song takes us.
 
 
LMM: Which bands did you grow up with, and who still inspires you now?

Blu Avenue: Most of the band grew up listening to a good mix of bands which helps define our sound!

Our singer, Frank, loves Incubus and Brandon Boyd was a huge influence on him wanting to sing growing up. Later in life he found inspiration in Trent Reznor and his genius as a musician and a composer. His favorite vocalist at the moment is Ian Kenny from Karnivool and Birds of Tokyo. Ian’s control and live sound are remarkable and a huge inspiration.

Kyle, the drummer in the band, is a 6th generation drummer and has a huge range in tastes from Breaking Benjamin, all the way to Dave Weckl. His favorite band right now is Porcupine Tree and Kyle absolutely loves Gavin Harrison and the style of his playing and his mastery of his instrument!

The lead guitarist, Josh, is rooted deeply in 70’s and 80’s rock. He grew up listening to Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden and it inspired him to take up playing guitar. Josh is a avid Brand New fan and loves the way Jesse Lacey approaches songwriting and being a lyricist.

The bassist in our band, Matt, grew up playing piano and eventually took up bass. Matt grew up enjoying Iron Maiden and other hard rock bands. He is a big fan of Avenged Sevenfold and Red Hot Chili Peppers and of course loves Flea’s bass technique.
 
 
LMM: How did the band line-up come together?

Blu Avenue: It started with Kyle and Frank wanting to make music and play their favorite songs. Soon after we found Josh and started making our own music. While playing a show at a popular university we found Matt who complimented not only our sound but us as members.
 
 
LMM: What would be the biggest obstacle as an artist in the music industry today?

Blu Avenue: The biggest obstacle would be getting enough exposure to connect with people that are like you and love the music you create. In this day and age of quick fixes and short attention spans, it’s hard to find a way in the crowd of bands to distinguish your sound and music from other more popular bands. We are just getting to the point where we have started meeting people over various platforms of social media and live shows who love our music and love the music we do as well. We hope people who read this will not just be our fans but our friends!
 
 
LMM: When you think of Australia, you think…

Blu Avenue: The best fucking music and music scene in the entire world!
 
 
LMM: Anything you would like to say to your Australian fans?

Blu Avenue: The music in the US is not just what you hear on the radio! There are still actually bands that use music to express their experiences in life and the world around them and we hope our music can be the soundtrack to your life!


—- Quick Questions —-
:: What track changed your life ::
Josh: Enter Sandman – Metallica
Frank: Deadman – Karnivool
Kyle: Anesthetize – Porcupine Tree
Matt: Comatose – Skillet

:: Biggest influence ::
Josh: Randy Rhoads
Frank: Brandon Boyd
Kyle: Gavin Harrison
Matt: Red Hot Chili Peppers

:: Name a band or artist we should checkout ::
Josh: lostprophets
Frank: Blu Avenue
Kyle: Porcupine Tree
Matt: Kamelot

:: Favourite Quote ::
Josh: “I’ve got that rock and that roll”- Andy Hull
Frank: “I think, fundamentally, music is something inherently people love and need and relate too, and a lot of what of is out right now feels like McDonalds. It’s a quick fix. You kind of have a stomachache afterwards” – Trent Reznor
Kyle: “Music expresses that which can not be said and on which it is impossible to be silent – Victor Hugo
Matt: “Life is like a box of chocolate you never know what you’re gonna get – Forrest Gump

:: Three words to describe the last year? ::
Josh: Listen to us!
Frank: Interesting, Musical, Slow
Kyle: Music is life
Matt: Spontaneous, Difficult, Fantastic

:: Three for how you feel about the year ahead? ::
Josh: Listen to us!
Frank: Optimistic, Fearful, Awesome
Kyle: Music is life
Matt: Mysterious, Fortuitous, Unique

Blu Avenue on facebook