{"id":12774,"date":"2012-10-18T12:39:47","date_gmt":"2012-10-18T01:39:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/maytherockbewithyou.com\/mtrbwy\/?p=12774"},"modified":"2012-11-12T16:48:23","modified_gmt":"2012-11-12T05:48:23","slug":"dan-briggs-of-between-the-buried-and-me","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/maytherockbewithyou.com\/mtrbwy\/2012\/10\/dan-briggs-of-between-the-buried-and-me\/","title":{"rendered":"Dan Briggs of Between The Buried And Me"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\u201cWe\u2019re just going to keep writing the music that makes us most excited and hopefully people will be into it. If not, at least we\u2019re excited about it.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

With their new album The Parallax II: Future Sequence <\/em>debuting this week at #22 on the Billboard Charts, it\u2019s no surprise to also learn that shows are already selling out for the upcoming November Australian tour.\u00a0 For over 10 years and across seven studio albums, Between The Buried and Me have sold in excess of 400,000 records and well and truly pushed the boundaries of heavy music to the extreme.<\/p>\n

In November, the band will hit up five capital cities with US instrumental metal act Animals As Leaders as support, a pairing of prodigious proportions.\u00a0 I mean seriously, if you are into heavy music and want to see the ultimate in musicianship, you\u2019ve got your tickets already, haven\u2019t you?<\/p>\n

Currently out on tour in Europe with Periphery and in between changing bass strings, Dan Briggs chats to us about the new album and upcoming Aussie tour!<\/p>\n

Hey Guys, thanks for chatting to May The Rock Be With You!\u00a0 So congratulations on the release of \u2018The Parallax II: Future Sequence\u2019 which should now be out worldwide.\u00a0 Musically, how would you compare the album to what you have delivered with your past few?
\n<\/strong>It\u2019s easily our best record, we all feel that way. Our sessions were super inspired and we just really had this great feeling that we were doing something bigger than just another record. Being able to write with the story in mind, and being able to do something that was meant to be theatrical was super fun.<\/p>\n

I always love to find out the meaning behind the choice of an album title and in your case we are talking a sequence\/concept of two releases.\u00a0 So \u2018The Parallax\u2019, for the uninitiated, what does that represent conceptually?
\n<\/strong>Parallax is a reference to two objects that are displaced, this meaning the two characters who are represented as being displaced throughout different galaxies. Its kind of sci-fi, but really the core of the story is something more that people can really relate to.<\/p>\n

How did the songwriting and recording take place for the new album, was this something significantly different to the approach you have taken in the past?
\n<\/strong>There were a few small differences here and there, generally we have the same routine of writing separately at home and doing some small arranging and then really putting the pieces together when we are all in the same room together. \u00a0A few songs were composed by only one person, which was something pretty different. Tommy wrote \u201cBlack Box\u201d, which is a song I\u2019m really excited to do live. \u201cGoodbye to Everything\u201d, \u201cAstral Body\u201d, and \u201cBloom\u201d.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve listed three songs from the album and would love your thoughts\/comments on each:
\n<\/strong>Autumn<\/em> – is just a noise track representing travelling through the nothingness of space. \u00a0It\u2019s mainly keyboards, but we also added a few tracks of Bass Clarinet, Sax, and Tuba all pitch shifted and fucked up sounding and just taking the direct signal.<\/p>\n

Parallax –<\/em> is a short segue track that is the chord progression from the chorus of \u201cSpecular Reflection\u2019\u201d from the EP, and is also the progression in \u201cBlack Box\u201d. Our friend Amos Williams does the spoken word on the track, which is about the characters meeting each other and realizing they\u2019re the same soul.<\/p>\n

Telos –<\/em> is a track we wrote mid way through the session and came together real quickly. \u00a0I love playing the first half of the song live so much and always get bummed when the melodic section ends haha. But it\u2019s a fun song.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>When you think back to the recording sessions for the album, what are some of the thoughts\/memories that most immediately come to mind?
\n<\/strong>Playing baseball in the backyard excessively everyday and cooking out! That\u2019s what recording is all about to us now, spring time, beautiful weather, and fun in the sun. \u00a0Oh, and I guess we recorded a bit of music too!<\/p>\n

You have recorded a \u201cperformance demonstration\u201d video clip for ‘Telos’, how have you found the fans response to the band sharing that level of insight into your music\/songs?
\n<\/strong>I\u2019m not real sure to tell you the truth. I don\u2019t keep up with the Internet stuff, but I assume people like to see that sort of thing. \u00a0People always come up and talk to us about our DVD that we made in 2008, so I know they enjoy watching a performance video. \u00a0I love buying music DVDs myself, if you see my collection it\u2019s like \u00bc movies and 3\/4s music DVDs haha.<\/p>\n

As far as touring, you\u2019ve got a bunch of Australian dates coming up \u2013 how many new tracks are you planning on working into the setlist and where are you at as far as deciding a setlist these days with what, 7 albums of material to choose from?
\n<\/strong>We\u2019ll be playing the same set as we are in Europe right now because it\u2019s all one big trip. \u00a0We\u2019re rotating 3 different songs on this tour, 2 at any given night. \u00a0It\u2019s been fun, the songs feel totally comfortable right now too which is great. \u00a0It took a few nights but once you get a couple under your belt you can pretty much play anything with comfort.<\/p>\n

You last toured Australia in 2010 – what are your memories of that last tour and how did you find Aussie audiences?
\n<\/strong>The audiences were amazing, the weather was great, the food was lovely, and the flights every day were hellish, much like they will probably be this time as well haha. We were spoiled the first time we went to Australia, we got to do 3 weeks by van and got to see so much of the country and had tons of time to hangout and see the sights. That\u2019s not a normal Australia tour though, you\u2019re in and out in 5 days, flying every day, renting new gear every day, trying to figure out how much merch to have at each show. \u00a0I wish it were more relaxed because we love coming, not that it\u2019d ever stop us. \u00a0The shows are going to be a blast.<\/p>\n

How diverse have you found your audience base to be as you travel around the world \u2013 do you feel you have built up an awareness of who a \u201ctypical\u201d BTBAM fan is?
\n<\/strong>It\u2019s constantly evolving which is pretty cool. We\u2019ve always had a diverse crowd, and I think the majority of our fans now are generally fans of progressive forward thinking music instead of just metal fans. \u00a0It\u2019s great to have fans that are in line with where your band is.<\/p>\n

You are bringing Animals As Leaders with you this time to Australia, what can you tell us about your association with, and what we can Australian audiences expect from this instrumental trio?
\n<\/strong>Well, we took them on their first ever tour in 2009 in the states. \u00a0We took them on their first Euro tour last year, and this year we\u2019re bringing them to Australia and Japan for their first ever tours there. \u00a0We just love the band, love the music, and we\u2019ve been friends with the dudes since before they were even Animals As Leaders. \u00a0We made a pact to go all over the world and we\u2019re getting pretty close now!<\/p>\n

For the decade that BTBAM has existed, in what ways do you feel \u201cmusic\u201d has changed around you during that time?\u00a0 For better or for worse that might be!
\n<\/strong>I think people are more excited than ever about experimental innovative music, and we\u2019ve been super thankful about it because it\u2019s like our fans have evolved along with us. \u00a0We\u2019re just going to keep writing the music that makes us most excited and hopefully people will be into it. \u00a0If not, at least we\u2019re excited about it.<\/p>\n

Essential Information<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

From:<\/strong> North Carolina, USA<\/p>\n

Band members:<\/strong> Dan Briggs: Bass, Blake Richardson: Drums, Tommy Rogers: Vocals, Keyboards, Paul Waggoner: Guitar, Dustie Waring: Guitar<\/p>\n

Website:<\/strong> www.betweentheburiedandme.com<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Latest release:<\/strong> The Parallax II: Future Sequence (October 5th<\/sup>, 2012, Metal Blade\/Riot! Entertainment)<\/p>\n

Tour dates: w<\/strong>ith guests Animals As Leaders<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tuesday 13 November \u2013 Amplifier Bar, Perth (18+)
\n<\/strong>With Chaos Divine
\n<\/em>Tickets available from\u00a0www.heatseeker.com.au<\/a>, 78’s, Mills, Planet Video or Star Surf<\/p>\n

Wednesday 14 November \u2013 Fowlers, Adelaide (Lic\/AA)
\n<\/strong>With Seconds Before Sunrise
\n<\/em>Tickets available from Moshtix on 1300 438 849 or\u00a0www.moshtix.com.au<\/a>,\u00a0Venue*Tix on (08) 8225 8888 or\u00a0www.venuetix.com.au<\/a><\/p>\n

Thursday 15 November \u2013 The Zoo, Brisbane (18+)
\n<\/strong>With The Shoenberg Automaton
\n<\/em>Tickets available from Oztix on 1300 762 545,\u00a0www.destroyalllines.oztix.com.au<\/a>, and Oztix Outlets<\/p>\n

Friday 16 November \u2013 The Corner Hotel, Melbourne (18+)\u00a0SOLD OUT!
\n<\/em><\/strong>With In Trenches<\/em><\/p>\n

Saturday 17 November \u2013 The Metro, Sydney (18+)
\n<\/strong>With The Helix Nebula
\n<\/em>\u00a0Tickets available from Ticketek on 132 849 or\u00a0www.ticketek.com.au<\/a>,\u00a0Metro Theatre Box Office 02 9550 3666 or\u00a0www.metrotheatre.com.au<\/a><\/p>\n

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www.facebook.com\/BTBAMofficial<\/a><\/p>\n

www.metalblade.com\/btbam<\/a><\/p>\n

www.twitter.com\/btbamofficial<\/a><\/p>\n

www.facebook.com\/metalbladerecords<\/a><\/p>\n

www.destroyalllines.oztix.com.au<\/a><\/p>\n\n

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