who: All Eyes West
when: Now!
location: Chicago, Illinois
So you recently finished touring England and will be starting a tour in the US. How is touring overseas different the US?
Well, first off it’s great touring in both countries. In England it seemed like people were really just into going out to shows. Didn’t seem to matter if the bands were well known or not. Typically the crowd would all stick around through every bands set and remain attentive. That’s not always the case with American crowds. Also, it’s just really cool to be able to visit another country and basically experience a different culture for a couple weeks. You get to see a different part of the world! It’s just awesome! However… there’s nothing like touring through the U.S.! So many great cities and different natural landscapes! Like I said, it’s great in both. We meet and play for so many great people! It’s always a treat!
I am told you are currently in the process of recording a new album. How is that going? Will the songs on your Bandcamp page be included on it?
The songs on the Bandcamp page are from the debut album we have coming out Aug. 23rd on Jump Start Records. It was originally supposed to come out last Spring. There were some delays with another label… blah blah blah. But ever since Jeremy and Jump Start took over the release, things have been moving along! We started doing some demos for the next record a while back and are always writing. We’ve been playing new songs on the tours. Just feeling them out and seeing how they work on stage. In my opinion, the new material really sees us finding ourselves. We’re really excited about the next record! But there’s still a lot of work to do for the first record. We hope to have a couple 7” releases out later this year.
Speaking of your Bandcamp page, I really enjoyed those songs. How does the rest of the album compare to those songs?
Well, I love the whole album. This group of songs just happen to be the first 8 songs we wrote. When you’re listening to the album, you are hearing the tunes in the order they were written! It’s literally just what came out! We did everything super quick. Jeff works over at Million Yen Studios, so we just hopped in there and threw it down. I feel like the songs stand well next to one another. You could say it’s a document of us becoming a band.
Who were your influences when you started playing?
For me it started early as a kid with The Beatles. I also had a bit of a heavy metal phase pre-junior high. However, it wasn’t until I found the punk/underground scene that I started realizing you don’t have to be some amazing musician to write a good song. There are so many bands I could name. I’m sure Rick and Jeff have a ton more they could ad. Everything from Minor Threat and Dag Nasty to Sunny Day Real Estate and Smashing Pumpkins. However, Jawbreaker was one that stands out as really influencing not only my songwriting and all that, but also helped me realize that touring isn’t just something that the huge bands do. My friends and I could do it to!
What bands are you listening to now?
Again, lots of different bands. The van regularly pumps out a lot of Samiam, Rocket From The Crypt, Husker Du, Jawbreaker, Seaweed, Fugazi, Sonic Youth, Superchunk… I love checking out new music, but the old stuff still rings true.
How has the scene changed since you started doing shows? Has it been for better or for worse?
When I started playing and attending shows in my early teens, there was a strong sense of community in the scene. Shows were an event, not just somewhere to drink on a Friday night. Over the years that sense of community seemed to be fading. However, in recent years I’ve noticed a lot more DIY stuff going on. Some of the best shows I’ve seen or played in the last few years have been in basements and living rooms! There are a ton of bands out there doing some GREAT stuff! And there’s still a bunch of people out there lending their couches and floors to strange dudes who are driving around in a van!
The Punk/Indie/Underground scene is alive and well in my opinion.
What do you think of file sharing/illegally downloaded music? Does it hurt you as a band?
Our band doesn’t write songs to try and make money. We love what we do. We love coming to your town and playing our songs for you! We love having the recording to share our songs with everyone. I’d like as many people as possible to hear our music. However, it costs bands money to do all these things. So it does hurt a band who’s working at a certain level. I just think that if you like what you hear, you should understand that someone went through a lot of time and money to provide you with that enjoyment. It takes a lot of funds to get the van from show to show. Pick up a record and hold the artwork in your hands while you listen to the songs in full quality! That’s the ideal situation!
What format do you prefer? Vinyl or CD?
I like both! Still have a huge CD collection while a lot of my friends have tossed theirs! But nothing beats listening to vinyl on a good stereo! Plus, I really get into artwork on a release. So, I dig having a larger version of the art! Vinyl is tops!
Any words of wisdom for people out there thinking of starting their own band?
Stop thinking about it and get to it! Have fun! Get awesome! Then book a show in your town… with us, of course!
Any parting words of wisdom or shout-outs to anyone?
Definitely want to say THANK YOU to people like Matt Pullman, Jeremy @ Jump Start, Jon Drew, Jimmy Islip and the many others who have been helping us do this!
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