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Interviews - Hardcore Band In Pieces

Check out In Pieces

In Pieces was originally started in 1998 as Born to Resist, but the band changed their name and adapted their sound in 1999. In February of 2000, Val and Rick were selected to take over guitar duties as original vocalist Steve Elin and guitarist Ryan Horrigan were replaced. Scott moved from guitar to vocals compensate for the loss of Steve, and the new In Pieces was born. They then began to turn their focus to a more melodic but still hardcore sound. In Pieces collects inspiration from and have been compared to bands such as Shai Hulud, Bane, Poison the Well and Grade. During the Spring of 2000, Sike Records released the debut 7" "Brick Wall Stare," giving In Pieces some exposure throughout the nation (being distrobuted by Revelation Records) and even Japan (because of producer Adam D. from Killswitch Engage / Aftershock). Then, at the end of Summer 2000, In Pieces released a self-titled, 2 song demo showcasing their newer songs and their shift to a more dynamic, emotional sound. Other releases include a self released cd demo for promoters and labels entitled "A Broken Promise to Last a Lifetime" and they released that material to the public on Purity Records. 5 songs from In Pieces and 5 songs from the band Craig made up the split cd "How to Make a Human Heart". In Pieces is now signed to Escape Artist Records and they are working hand in hand on releasing In Pieces' first full length and also some releases to come after. In Pieces thrives on playing shows constantly to expose their music to as many people as possible. After already playing with such established bands as Hatebreed, Reach the Sky, Ensign and Buried Alive and touring with This Day Foward and From Autumn to Ashes and with the support of fans and friends, the band has a bright future ahead of them..

The interview

AccRock: How did you get started on the guitar, and did you take lessons?

Val_Loper: i got a guitar for Xmas in 6th grade and ive been playing ever since...and i took lessons for about 2 years when i first started, but then i stopped because i was more interested in just playing with my friends

AccRock: How did you learn about modes and theory?

Val_Loper: i kinda just picked bits and pieces up along the way, it was never a conscious effort for me to learn theory or anything. i just learned here and there and now im at a point where i feel pretty comfortable

AccRock: Have you always played in hardcore bands or did you also play in other genres?

Val_Loper: oh god, ive played in tons of different kinds of bands...punk bands, ska+reggae bands, rock bands, but i feel most comfortable playing hardcore/emo/metal/rock...like inpieces

AccRock: why do you think you like those styles so much?

Val_Loper: i dont really know...i guess because its what i listen to the most and get most of my influence from.

AccRock: Which bands or players have influenced you the most?

Val_Loper: hmmm....this gets really diverse...for bands (for me personally) i would say, the smiths, radiohead, sunny day real estate, lifetime, jawbox, converge, the list goes on and on...for guitar players, i dont really have any favorites, but i would say that i think j. robbins from jawbox is amazing, jeff buckley, elliott smith, a lot of singer songwriters.

AccRock: Cool - I don't know j.robbins or Jawbox, I'll have to check them out. Jeff Buckley is good!
How has being #10 on MP3's metalcore charts helped the band?

Val_Loper: hell yeah, im a huge jeff buckley fan. Oh man, its helped us so much... last year when we put up songs from our 1st album "How to Make A Human Heart" the song "A Part of Me Dies" did really well and got us so much exposure. it got us label interest, much more shows, and it got our music out to more people than we ever imagined

AccRock: I see you're doing a tour in Jan "02. How many tours have you done & what did you learn on your first?

Val_Loper: well we did a short tour last winter and we toured for just over 2 weeks this past summer...
i think we learned that tour involves a lot of driving, late nights, eating bad, sleeping on floors, meeting SO many cool people/bands and having an awesome times with your friends

AccRock: Rock and Roll!!

Val_Loper: ha. yeah, its fun

AccRock: Where do you see your band in a year?

Val_Loper: thats really tough to say, i guess it depends on how well our new record is received...
hopefully we will be touring more and starting to get more attention. i just wanna be writing songs and playing music.

AccRock: How's the record company's distribution?

Val_Loper: recently its been getting really really good...they just got a deal with Caroline Distrobution i believe so that will get us out to lots of people hopefully, they also have lumberjack and very distro currently

AccRock: Let's talk about your rig

Val_Loper: or lack of..haha

AccRock: Whatever works!

Val_Loper: i currently do not have a head, but i used a mesa boogie dual rectifier on the new album and that sounds amazing. i have a ampeg classic cabinet right now though

AccRock: What do you use for amplification?

Val_Loper: im getting a peavey 5150 soon, but right now i just borrow heads at shows...the hardcore/punk scene is good for sharing. =)

AccRock: How do you work out parts with the other guitarist in the band?

Val_Loper: oh, at practice i piggy back a peavey 212 with my cabinet, but i dont use it for shows

AccRock: Do you and the other guitarist play unison parts alot?

Val_Loper: yeah we do sometimes, but we tend to swtich off alot. rick, our other guitar player handles more of the lead parts than i do, but we switch off. we find its more interesting than playing the same thing.

AccRock: Yah - I did the same thing when I was in a 2-guitar band

Val_Loper: thats awesome. it adds more depth and room for harmonies and layering

AccRock: What music-business advice would you give to up and coming bands?

Val_Loper: be smart and dont take the first thing you get. every band is anxious to get started, but dont get involved with people or labels until you get to know them. otherwise you could end up their puppet. its good to have a relationship with everyone who is involved with your band

AccRock: Good advice dude!

Val_Loper: thanks, its your band...don't let anyone take that away from you.