Falling Through April Interview[/caption]Falling Through April Interview
By Robin ErvolinaAlt rock quintet Falling Through April's Zodiac is a banger of an album with surprises at every turn. Featuring their new female vocalist Mikaela Salazar, Falling Through April have developed a sound that is unique, but have let go of the concept of a definable sound. In some tunes Mikaela channels Gwen Stefani, in others a tougher, saner version of Taylor Swift (and who doesn't need that in their life?). The songs are relatable and at times the lyrics are so delicious I fear I'll grow fat off them. I couldn't resist the urge to pick their brains about their new beginning and the album Zodiac. Bonus content: Dan (Candia - guitar/vocals) discusses 26-hour shooting days on the set of The Walking Dead, and his fear of being eaten by zombies. Mikaela and I call out Jonny Craig.
Shockwave Magazine: Hello, Falling Through April! Thank you for fielding my questions! I just finished my play through of Zodiac and I'm really excited to ask you about the CD! First though, having read your history, I noted that while Falling Through April has been a band for almost a decade, it was only in the last two years that Mikaela joined the ranks. So I'd love to hear a little about your history before she entered the band, and how it was that she came into the picture.
Dan: Yes! We original formed Falling Through April in July 2011. Our original line up had a male vocalist. During the time we spent together prior to Mikaela, we had built up a strong resume performing on bigger tours and festivals like Vans Warped Tour, SXSW, Florida Music Festival, and international touring with The Pretty Reckless, Adelitas Way, Breaking Benjamin, Pop Evil, Devour The Day, and more. We amicably parted ways with our vocalist and have since performed a show together with his new project. We did a surprise performance of one of our old songs with him. We started writing with Mikaela as a side project but about six months into writing we decided to keep the history and reputation we had built as Falling Through April and move forward with Mikaela as the new lead vocalist.
At the moment the decision was made to bring her vocals and personality to the forefront, did your concept for Falling Through April change?
Jim Siani (guitar): I wouldn’t say “change," more like evolved. It allowed us to explore more territory.
Did you sense a shift in the direction or sound for the band with her inclusion?
Dan: Obviously there is going to be a change with any member change but especially moving from male to female vocals. We did a little bit of soul searching (and sound searching) as we were working on the new album. We wrote over 50 songs trying to craft the best album we could with Mikaela. So yeah, a little bit of a change.
Okay, so let's chat about the "sound" because listening to Zodiac was delightful and surprising. I don't feel like you're hellbent on a genre, and I applaud that. Do you feel that is a conscious decision to play around with different styles and sounds? Is this an outpouring of your appreciation for punk, or pop, or rock?
Mikaela We love everything rock! The guys gave me about 50 tracks that they had written. I went through them all and picked my favorites and began writing along with the mood of the song. It just so happened that there was a wide range of styles from the selections that made it to the album Zodiac. I’m very happy with the collection of different genres you hear from track to track. Mashing variations of styles in one album wasn't intentional, but I loved it and didn’t want that to change because it reflects our different personalities and moods over the year of writing.
Are you, with a new lead singer, trying out sounds to see where the appeal lies for you, the fans, and the critics?
Dan: Yes and no, obviously we have to make some adjustments with a new vocalist and some of our fans may be surprised by the changes but the overall feedback has been very positive and supportive so far.
Do you think having a "sound" is beneficial, particularly for a newer collective?
Dan: It seems like today’s trend is all about singles. So bands/artists have the opportunity to re-invent themselves with each single. I guess it’s less important now to have a definitive sound than it used to be…. But you still need an aural framework for your music.
Let's dive into Zodiac. I hear lyrics that feel very intentionally crafted, yet they fit the melody! There is no lack of cohesion in any tune. Emotion is evident and prosody is evident in the blending of the words and the tunes. Do you first write melodies and then add lyrics, collaborate, or a little of both?
Mikaela: I wrote lyrics with a general idea and foundation for a melody but nothing was permanent. I took my rough drafts to the guys and we all reconstructed together as a team. I have found that writing songs or poetry has been therapeutic since I was a teen so I can definitely confirm that there is a lot of emotion and many stages of life that I had gone through that I needed to share and get off my chest. Zodiac gave me the chance to share my journey through my young adult life.
How did you choose the tracks for Zodiac?
Mikaela: It was a long process, we had to fight for a couple of the tracks featured. Basically, we always had to take a vote, lol. We chose the favorite ten tracks that I wrote out of the 15 or 20 songs of tracks that they sent me initially.
You included an acoustic version of "Better Off Alone" and even as I applaud that decision (wow, it's really showcasing the vocals and lyrics), I'm wondering why you decided to do that to close out the CD.
Dan: We originally had a 10th track titled “Car Crash” but as we put the finishing touches on the album that song stood out as not fitting the overall sound/vibe of the rest of the album. So we decided to cut it out in the last minute and instead of releasing a deluxe version of the album (with 2 acoustic tracks) we decided to just release it with a 10th track as the freebie “bonus” that was included instead. Maybe “Car Crash” will make it out one day but for now we chalk that one up to a B-Side.
I know people always ask this question (and I usually avoid it) but I can't help but hear a Jonny Craig collaboration on "Desperate Measures." So let me just ask: who is your dream collaboration and why? Would you pull them into a song you've written, or cover one of theirs?
Mikaela: I’d absolutely love to harmonize with Johnny Craig. Duets are my thing. Other collaborations I would love to be a part of would be Adam Lazarra or Aaron Gillespie. I would love to hear their interpretation and contribution to a track that we wrote.
Speaking of "Desperate Measures" it's delightfully ironic that a song that says "Tonight we come to life" was filmed on the set of the Walking Dead! Tell me about the experience of filming there, and how that video came about.
Mikaela: Isn’t that funny! To me, so many walk around merely existing and nobody is living to their full potential so I felt “Desperate Measures” could be an anthem to every generation living presently.
Dan: Filming there was a lot of fun but it was such a long process for that video in particular. Because of a limited window for filming, we shot for 26 hours straight. That part was not fun! I was so exhausted that a couple of times at night I got a bit freaked out because I started imagining what it would be like if an army of zombies just popped out of one of the dilapidated buildings. But – overall it was a great experience. Thankfully the next music video we will be releasing will not have 26-hour days, haha.
What was the decision behind choosing "Desperate Measures" as the first release, and what's the inspiration behind it?
Dan: Like Mikaela said earlier, everything we do comes down to a group vote. It was a unanimous decision to make “Desperate Measures” our first single. It just felt right. The message is strong, the structure is different than the other songs, and we thought it had good commercial appeal
Are there some songs that are more personal to you on Zodiac? Is there a story about a lyric we can know, or a person memorialized in a song that we can honor?
Mikaela: OH - every single one is personal for me... But I’ll talk about “With You In Mind.” Being raised in the ninety’s it kills me to see how disconnected the new generations have become due to social media. I've learned to live in the moment - Not the past or future. We live in a fantasy world sometimes and vicariously through people we follow online and that breaks my heart because there is more than meets the eye and nobody cares to see it.
What are your touring plans for 2018?
Dan: We have tour plans to announce any day now (can’t wait) and some festivals in the works as well. The best place to hear about it first is on our official website www.fallingthroughapril.com
Any other plugs we can include before bidding adieu?
Mikaela: We are on the major socials – Make sure you follow us, we post a lot of content daily. Say hello and interact with us, we love you guys and would love to hear what you have to say. Please come out to a show – we’d love to meet you in person!
Best of luck with Zodiac and 2018, and congrats!
FTA: Thank You so much, Robin!
Connect with FTA
Official Website: http://www.fallingthroughapril.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/bandfta
Bands in Town: http://www.bandsintown.com/FallingThroughApril
Purchase Zodiac
Upcoming Live dates:
3/22/2018 ILMS Spring Festival Fort Mill, SC
3/29/2018 California University California, PA
4/07/2018 Cooper River Bridge Run Festival Mount Pleasant, SC
4/28/2018 Younguns Kings Mountain, NC
6/23/2018 Fatemaker Music Festival (Main Stage) @ Fish Head Cantina Halethorpe, MD
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