{"id":938,"date":"2011-05-04T11:41:22","date_gmt":"2011-05-04T01:41:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/maytherockbewithyou.com\/mtrbwy\/?p=938"},"modified":"2011-09-08T11:57:33","modified_gmt":"2011-09-08T01:57:33","slug":"the-great-valley","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/maytherockbewithyou.com\/mtrbwy\/2011\/05\/the-great-valley\/","title":{"rendered":"The Great Valley"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Catchy Power Pop Rock music just isn\u2019t done that much anymore, and that makes me somewhat sad as it should be a genre taking over the Universe.\u00a0 Luckily a band like The Great Valley has come along to keep that tradition of hooks and catchy choruses going and they should be thanked for that.\u00a0 We thought them so very worthy of being one of our Best Things You\u2019ve Never Heard and were able to have singer Louis Matos answer some questions for us and share with you all just why you should check out The Great Valley and their debut album \u2018Ruthless.\u2019<\/p>\n

For those that haven\u2019t had the pleasure of hearing of you, can you give us a little brief on just who The Great Valley are?<\/strong>
\nWe are two brothers that have been playing music together for over a decade. \u00a0We released our first EP in April 2010 and our first Full Length in March 2011. \u00a0We come from a musical family. \u00a0Our parents are musicians and have always supported us in our endeavor.<\/p>\n

Growing up together obviously, being brothers and all, but when did you finally realize that you needed to make music together?<\/strong>
\nWe knew at a young age what we wanted to do. \u00a0We were surrounded by it our entire lives. \u00a0Mom played the piano and sang all day and dad played the drums. \u00a0I was 12 or 13 and Nick was 11 when we picked up our rock instruments. \u00a0We had been playing piano and singing in choir for our mother years before that.<\/p>\n

With only the \u2018Wrecking Ball EP\u2019 out in 2010 how was it that you captured the attention of AOL?<\/strong>
\nIt just had a big sound that caught their ear. \u00a0Wrecking Ball is just one of those songs that is so catchy with a demographic that is much wider than some of the bands with more records under their belt.<\/p>\n

From that you recorded a \u2018Stripped\u2019 session where you did 3 songs acoustically, how surreal was that being a relatively unknown band with primarily an on line fan base to be given that kind of opportunity?<\/strong>
\nIt felt great that people actually wanted to hear more from us. \u00a0It’s something that we have aspired to be and want to continue to give fans what they love. \u00a0Some even prefer the stripped down versions but I will always love the full band “in your face” versions.<\/p>\n

Your \u2018Wrecking Ball EP\u2019 was released in early 2010 and your album\u2019 Ruthless\u2019 released early 2011 within a year of the EP release.\u00a0 How important was it to have the album out so quickly? <\/strong>
\nWe immediately started writing for Ruthless as soon as we released Wrecking Ball. \u00a0The songs on the EP, except Wrecking Ball, were written two years prior to the release. \u00a0It was such a struggle for us to get the music out so we were so determined to never let that happen again. \u00a0Hence, we have the quick follow up with Ruthless. \u00a0We have never been happier with our music. \u00a0Now the hard part will be to continue to surpass the song writing on Ruthless with the next release which we are already planning the writing and recording of. \u00a0Very early stages haha<\/p>\n

What if anything did you do differently for the recording of \u2018Ruthless\u2019?<\/strong>
\nRuthless was done differently than any other recording we have ever done. \u00a0Nick and I have been writing and recording for as long as we have been playing together. \u00a0Nothing really ever made it out until WB. \u00a0We have been in and out of studios and finally just said, “Let’s do something different and more relaxing on our own time”. \u00a0 And that’s exactly what we did. \u00a0Instead of having the expectation of recording the songs as fast and as accurate as possible we had the opportunity to wake up and walk into our basement to focus on what we were actually saying and writing. \"\"<\/p>\n

Can you give us some Inspiration behind the songs on Ruthless?<\/strong>
\nAll the inspiration for Ruthless came from life experience or the human experience you could say. \u00a0With all the hard work and failure we have seen in ourselves, family and friends it just came out after being pent up inside for longer than I could remember. \u00a0You can tell in “Wrecking Ball” with the lyrics and music it was more “fun”. \u00a0“Ruthless” really honed in on what over a decade of failure and ignorance in others can do to people.<\/p>\n

Your sound is very power pop \/ rock oriented, who would you consider your major Influences?<\/strong>
\nGrowing up it was really bands like Nirvana, silverchair, Foo Fighters, Green Day, etc. \u00a0Further down the road we’re talking your Drive Thru bands like The Starting Line, The Early November, The Movielife, etc. \u00a0Coheed & Cambria are probably one of the biggest influences musically for the both of us. \u00a0The list could go on for days but we’ll stick to that for now. \u00a0We’re such huge fans of just about every genre.<\/p>\n

With the internet making everyone in the world accessible and the ease of something like iTunes to purchase your music, is this in a way a help or a hindrance to what you\u2019re hoping to achieve?<\/strong>
\nIt’s difficult to say. \u00a0We, the music community, are still in transition. \u00a0Record companies are scrambling for the next big money maker while unsigned bands are barely making enough to get by. \u00a0I think it has never been harder to be a musician in this day and age. \u00a0 I notice so many copies of copies are being created every second. \u00a0All those people will be weeded out in the next five to eight years. \u00a0The intelligent and talented musicians will last the test of time. \u00a0Everyone will look back at 2005ish to 2012ish (hopefully no longer) as most do the 80’s hair metal bands.<\/p>\n

Even though it does make it somewhat easier to get your music out there, are you worried that something like illegal downloading could mean the end of a band like The Great Valley?<\/strong>
\nNo. \u00a0Illegal downloading has its positive and negative effect. \u00a0Negative in a sense that the band doesn’t make money for their work and may have to increase the price of their merchandise or ticket sales to compensate for the loss. \u00a0Positive in the sense that people want to hear them. \u00a0Music just has to be marketed in a different way because the time for purchasing an album is on it’s way out.<\/p>\n

What gives you the drive to do what you love and want to do?<\/strong>
\nWe want to give our family a better life and give our fans something motivational. \u00a0We want to help people. \u00a0If our songs gets our fans through tough times, make them smarter and stronger then we did our job.<\/p>\n

On a side note, you have recorded a cover of Teenage Dream by Katy Perry. What drew you to this track?<\/strong>
\nIt’s so catchy haha we heard it and thought it would be a blast giving it our own spin.<\/p>\n

What’s next on the agenda for the Great Valley?<\/strong>
\nWe have some tours coming up to support Ruthless. \u00a0We want to meet as many people as possible, write another record and continue on the path we set out.<\/p>\n

OK, lastly you have a crystal ball, in five years The Great Valley will\u2026
\n1. \u00a0<\/strong>Be a household name.
\n2.<\/strong> \u00a0Be in movies.
\n3. \u00a0<\/strong>Finally pay their parents back for all their love and support.<\/p>\n

\nEssential Information<\/h2>\n

From:<\/strong> USA<\/p>\n

Sounds Like:<\/strong> Power Pop Rock<\/p>\n

Band:<\/strong> Louis Matos – Vocals \/ Drums\/ Keys, Nick Matos – Guitar \/ Bass, True Arahill – Guitar, Allen Spicer – Drums<\/p>\n

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

Latest Release:<\/strong> Ruthless<\/p>\n\n

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