Interview with Lions Among Us Spring 2013
-Who are all of the band members? And what do they do in the band?
Nick Dewar-Vocals
Nick Rupert-Guitar
Joe Burek –Drums
Mason Kemmerer –Bass
-What's the origin of your band name, Lions Among Us? Have you changed the band's
name before?
I honestly don’t remember, where I came up with the name haha. I keep a folder in my
phone of ideas for song titles, lyrics and things of that nature. So, I honestly, don’t
remember what lead to thinking of the name Lions Among Us, but when I was getting
things together for the band I saw it in the folder and liked it. I guess I should come up
with some cool and crazy story like, “I was on this safari in South Africa and while falling
asleep one night, I heard the sounds of lions roaring and it was cool. Then, I woke up in
the middle of the night and there was a lion in my tent!! I freaked out cause I mean
seriously what do you do in that situation?! I sat stiff as a board trying not to move a
muscle as to not let him know I was awake. But he knew. He got up, looked me square in
the eye, walked up to my face…and licked me. I sat terrified, not knowing what to do at
all. Then, just like that, he got up and left. The next morning I heard people talking about
all the lions that had been among us in the camp the night before and that’s where the
name came from.”
Sadly, none if this is true. But if it was, it’d be pretty cool, right? And as of now, we have
not changed the name ever.
-What genre of music do you consider your work to be? Who are your major influences?
We consider it Post-Hardcore but I don’t like playing the genre game cause everyone
has their own opinion. For example, some people think Metallica is metal some think
they’re classical. We scream. We sing. We play breakdowns. It gets dance-y. We have fun.
-How old were you when you started this band?
I was 22 when I started this band.
-How long have you all known each other? How did you meet?
I met Joe a few years ago when our old bands played together. I met Mason when his old band broke up and I met Nick from Mason and that was about 8 months ago.
-When did you form your band? What inspired you to make music together?
I started the band in 2012. We had just disbanded my previous band and I was trying to figure out what to do. So, I went into the studio and along with my good friend and studio engineer Jordan Palmer. We co-wrote and recorded the 5 songs on the EP. I started shaping everything that is Lions Among Us and putting together the perfect group of people to take over the world with.
I have known that I would make music since I was 15 years old. And I have been trying to ever since. I think that this is the best work I have ever put out and I am proud of it. As far as the other guys in the band, they are straight up amazing guys and great musicians. Plus our visions for life and the band are very much the same so it all works out very well. We are inspired to write music in general by anything and everything around us. There is so much to be inspired by and so much in this world it’s hard NOT to take inspiration from everything. We are all on the same page musically so it just really fits for us to work together.
-Do you have a record label? If so, what is it?
We don’t currently have one, but if it is the best fit, we are hoping for it in the future!
-What can you tell me about your instruments? (i.e., Are you subject to brand loyalty or will you play with whatever's available? What made you choose the instruments you have now? Was it cost or was it a style/model/brand/color preference?
(Nick Dewar-vocals) I will pretty much use whatever is available (that’s of decent quality) but I do have a few Shure SM58s that I like a lot.
(Nick Rupert-Guitar) I use ESP guitars, Peavey6505+ head and a mesa cab.
(Joe Burek –Drums) I currently play Orange County Drums and whatever cymbals sound good!
(Mason Kemmerer –Bass) I’ll play with whatever is available but I am definitely partial to ampeg and fender products. I just think they make fantastic stuff. They have really good warranties and their helpdesk is awesome if I need repairs. I chose my bass based on looks and sound. They're price is definitely great for the quality. I use DR strings. I have my fender Aerodyne (which was my dream bass until I bought it). I have a Fender Jazz Bass. My new dream bass is an American deluxe jazz bass with natural body and maple neck with black square inlets.
I have a small rack and Ampeg B2RE head. Chose it because it had onboard eq and it is not tube but still kicks butt and sounds way better than anyone else I knows bass rig setup.
-Which songs do you perform most frequently? Do you ever play any covers? Do you have a set play list for your shows?
Right now, the songs from our EP are the most played the most frequently. That does include a cover of Katy Perry’s “Part of Me” to which we have added our own twist. For now that’s about it but we are working on a few new songs that should be added shortly!
-Who writes your songs? Is it a group effort?
The Unfailing Answer EP I co-wrote with my good friend and studio engineer. Since then, we have not released anything but we have written a few songs. At this point they have been written by Mason, Nick or I. We record them and then send them to each other. From there, we usually say “Oh you could do this or change this or I like this” or whatever the case may be.
-What are the main themes or topics for most of your songs? Do you think these topics will change over time?
Our songs are generally very positive. They were written with the hopes to show people that there is hope in the world, to show that love is real and that life is worth living. We have a song “Love Revolution”. This is by far my favorite song we have so far. The main theme and lyric is, “It all comes down to Love”. And that’s what we are trying to show people. We are trying to start a Love Revolution. The chorus of another one of our songs, “Scarlett Brohansson” goes, “There is hope there is light in this world I just need to get this one point straight Though I may stumble in the darkness I refuse to be kept down today So stand up for this life your living You just need to get this one point straight
You’re not worthless; Your life has meaning Come with me we’ll live just for today “
We are all Christians. We are all alive today because of it. This is the reason that we are alive and a band. We are here to show that there is hope and there is Love in the world. We have all been through a bunch of tough situations and through it all, there is only one reason we’re still alive and kicking.
-Could you briefly describe your music-making process?
Writing for us is very much like any other band these days. With technology being what it is, the internet is a great tool. One of us usually writes a song or a riff, records it, and sends it to the others to listen to. We then give pointers on what we think would make it better, or just record more ourselves. Then send it around again. Once its more solid we sit down in practice together to get it all worked out and put any new changes in.
-What are your rehearsals generally like? Do you have a set time each week in which you practice or are rehearsals more spontaneous?
Practices for us are a lot of fun haha. We are a bunch of goofballs so we like to have fun but when it’s time to work, we work. We like to practice once a week but also get together more to write or go over parts etc more.
-How has your music evolved since you first began playing music together?
Well we haven’t been together that long. But I can already tell it’s changing. This is mostly in part to the fact that I wrote the EP and now I have 5multiple people writing. It’s a lot heavier and darker sounding but still have a lot of the same aspects like the positive lyrics and the electronic parts. I’m definitely very excited for where this band is headed!!
-What has been your biggest challenge as a band? Have you been able to overcome that challenge? If so, how?
There are a lot of challenges in a band. It’s not “rock and roll all night and party every day” as some would like to think. Being in a band is a ton of work and
-What's your ultimate direction for your band? Are you seeking fame and fortune?
We are by no means seeking fame and fortune. Really, There is no money in music unless youre like, U2. And the chances of that are slim (especially in our genre) we would honestly just like to be able to eat and pay bills haha. Our main focus for being in a band is to spread hope in a broken world and we would like to do that while on the froad full time. As of now, that’s not possible for us but it’s looking very soon it will be. And if we can make it to the point where we are headling main stage at Warped tour, I don’t think any of us would complain about that either.
-What advice do you have for people who want to form their own bands?
The best advice I can give is find people who want to do exactly what you want to do and don’t give up. Work hard. Then work harder.
-How would you describe your music to someone who has never heard your music before?
We are a Post hardcore band. So we sing, we scream, we play breakdowns and habe dubstep/electronic parts. It’s a lot of fun!!
-How can fans-to-be gain access to your music? Do you have a website with sample songs or a demo CD?
The best ways to get in contact with us are Facebook and Twitter but we have a lot of the social networking sites that we’re always on.
http://www.facebook.com/LionsAmongUs
https://twitter.com/lionsamongus
http://www.youtube.com/lionsamongus
http://www.reverbnation.com/lionsamongus
or you can buy it here:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-unfailing-answer-ep/id565642153
http://lionsamongus.storenvy.com/
-Would you ever do an interview like this with us again?
Yes please!
-Would you like to do more fun/funny questions in another interview?
Absolutely! Haha We are all a bunch of goofballs to begin with so we love questions crazy questions and fun times!
-Any last words?
Keep in touch with us!! Thank you so much for everything you’ve all done already!! We could never do it without you!
If you ever need anything even just someone to talk to we are always here!!
Email us: Lionsamongus@gmail.com
