As folks begin to make plans for summer tours and festivals, we thought we'd dust off this exclusive interview with The Devil Wears Prada from the Warped Tour in 2008.  We spoke with Jeremy DePoyster and Andy Trick at the Scranton, PA stop.  Unfortunately a bad sound quality from the press area almost stopped this interview from going to print, but we were able to salvage some good conversation.

inReview: I'll admit, I am not a huge fan of hardcore music, but I like your sound.  Why do you suppose that is?

Jeremy: We don't approach it the same way, I guess, a lot of times ... I guess it all comes back to just trying to be as real as possible or whatever.    

Appetite for Construction
Stabler Arena, Bethlehem, PA
Friday November 16, 2007
Local Crew

I had the privilege of working local crew for this show so I decided to do a sort of photo journal about the experience to help others understand what goes on before and after a show. Before I start, my disclaimer is that I used my cheap camera and since I was working, I could not take a lot of time to get the best pictures. Stick around to the end of the article for photos taken during the concert with a better camera.

The work began at about 9 AM with unloading the first of two tractor-trailers. Before we began, the tour crew, normally holding some form of caffeinated beverage, assessed the stage area so they would have a better understanding how to set up for the show. Many of the crew looked liked they just woke up. They have long days as the load in begins early in the morning and load out ends early the next morning.

I first encountered this Birmingham, AL, band about a year ago at The Anchor, located in southern New Jersey, a spin-off of the official Anchor Venue in Nashville. They played in the sanctuary of the rather small church, filled with hardcore and scene kids windmill kicking and moshing. With the pews pushed to the sides of the room, I attempted to dodge the audience's thrashing arms and punches as I Am Terrified confidently took the stage.

Not being the biggest fan of hardcore music, I was already skeptical. But my skepticism soon turned to intrigue as I listened to the band's clear, crisp vocals placed strategically in between and overlaid among screams that weren't too high pitched to be annoying, or too low to resemble growling. To say that I enjoyed the set would be an understatement. High energy guitar solos and pounding, high-speed drumming were mixed with intense vocals, especially when the small crowd joined in on "I'll fly away oh glory, I'll fly away…" during the chorus of "Some Glad Morning."

Alright, close your eyes for a second. Imagine a hot summer day, surrounded by thousands of other sweaty, worn-out teen and college-age concertgoers. A guy sporting a slick hat steps up to the stage and begins to swoon the audience with a song that brings John Mayer to mind. He then  stands up, moves his wooden stool out of the way and somehow easily transitions into a hip hop track, jumping and bouncing all over the stage. Who else could do this, but Gotee’s fairly new artist, B-Reith.

During this year’s Purple Door festival, inReview caught up with Pillar for a few minutes aboard their air-conditioned tour bus. (A much appreciated break from the weekend’s heat). As we heard the female-fronted band, The Pledge, take the stage behind us, we were able to delve into the minds of the four band members and pick their brains about the past tour, new members, and an upcoming CD release.

Later that night we witnessed the crowd intensify as Pillar began their set. With such a great live show and dedicated fans, only greater things could possibly be in store for this hard rock act. Listen in on what they had to share, and be sure to pick up their new album when it drops on September 22nd, 2009.

Since we sat down with Matt Carter (guitar, vocals) and Josh Head (keyboards, vocals) of Emery at last year’s Purple Door Arts and Music Festival, the band has been busy.  Between touring and releasing an EP last fall, with a follow up full-length disc which hit the streets in June of this year, we wonder how they find time to spend with their families.  While inReview is getting ready to set sail on another Purple Door event, Emery is headlining a tour in support of their most recent release, … In Shallow Seas We Sail.  These veterans of the music scene spoke to inReview in this exclusive interview.

Some of the best interviews I’ve had the opportunity to conduct were completely on the spot and unplanned. This doesn’t happen often, due to the busy schedule of most bands; but I had the pleasure of happening upon one quite recently.

While attending a show on the Drop Dead Gorgeous tour, I was fortunate enough to run into a band that I hadn’t heard of before and that I immediately fell in love with. As they took the stage, tuned, and then began their first song, I inhaled a breath of fresh air. At a predominantly intense hardcore show, their heavy guitars and pounding drumbeats were lightened with melodic vocals. Two songs into their set, the piercing screeches of the venue’s fire alarms could be heard, causing the bewildered band members to cease playing their instruments as the crowd was ordered to exit the room until all was clear. Those two songs were my first introduction to Before Their Eyes.

Approximately six years ago, The Classic Crime was born. This alternative rock band provides a little bit of musical brilliance for everyone. With a mixture of powerful vocals, great instrumental compositions and thought-provoking lyrics, this West Coast act is gaining national ground. "I guess we don't have many fans on the East Coast," vocalist Matt MacDonald shared before our interview at a meagerly attended New Jersey show, that also happened to be inconveniently scheduled on Father's Day. But if my estimations are correct, that fan count will soon be changing as they play a few large festivals this summer, including Cornerstone and Creation East.

Matt, along with Alan Clark (bass), Robert Negrin (guitar), Paul "Skip" Erickson (drums), and Justin DeQue (guitar), comprise the five-piece band. Listen in to what Matt had to share with inReview:

Texas In July 

I can only imagine that a visit to Texas in the month of July would be rather hot. Coincidentally, the same could be said about the career of five teenagers from Ephrata, Pennsylvania. It’s every band’s dream: get some friends together while in high school, make some awesome music, land a record deal within two years, begin touring, and have a downright awesome time. Practically speaking, this doesn’t normally happen according to plan. But what if it wasn’t in the plan? “Basically we just did it for fun,” shares Logan Maurer, guitar player. “We’re blessed to have come as far as we have.” Logan, along with band mates Ben Witkowski on bass, Alex Good delivering sharp, brutal vocals, Adam Gray drumming away, and Christian Royer also on guitar, teamed up to form the one of the youngest hardcore bands on the Christian music scene today.

Rachael takes on Creation East main stageThe Washington Projects may be new to some, but siblings Jekob Washington and Rachael Washington are not new to the music scene.  In fact, they are two of the three original members of The Souljahz.  "The Washington Projects is all about spreading love, hope, peace, joy, happiness through music, hip-hop, R&B, a blend of folk, soul, bluegrass, and everything else”, explained Jekob when we sat down with them during GMA week in Nashville this past April.  Commanders of the Resistance was released by the duo in October, 2007.

We found some interesting quotes from the band at various places online and decided to ask them to discuss them further.  The following lists the quotes and responses in this exclusive interview