What Lies Within from California don't play that typical Melodycore you might expect from this region of the US but rather Shai Hulud style Hardcore which I like very much. Reason enough to do an interview with them.
Hey there, who is answering my questions? How are you doing at the moment and what would you do right now when you wouldn't be answering my questions?
Hey, my name's Brenton, I sing for What Lies Within, and If I wasn't doing this interview I would be curled up in a fetal position in the corner.
First off, I really like you songs from the split with Death Before Disco a lot. But honestly I've never heard of WLW before this split record, so please tell me everything about WLW; when did the band start and who were the founding members, have there been any line up changes so far and did you ever record any songs before those from the split?
Well, we started last year playing in Josh (our drummer's) garage. We recorded the songs on the split about 2 months later. The response from our CD was great, but we had some internal problems that have held us back. We booted one of our old guitarists because we had major differences, and frankly he pissed all of us off. So a major part of our our growth has actually been reconstruction. We're a lot more solid now though, and you can expect to hear a lot more from us.
If I am right you are from California. Are the four songs from the split released on Goodlife only available in Europe or was the record also released in the US? Or does Goodlife take care for the European market while you have another record label for the American market?
We have seen the CD in a few stores here. We have a portion of the press coming our way soon, so it should be available at our shows in the near future. Goodlife is the only label we have done any releases with, we may be appearing on a comp from our bassist's own D.I.Y. label though (Nihilist World Productions).
I heard that you sent Goodlife a demo and right after that they offered you a deal. That's pretty cool. What do you think were the reasons they signed WLW? I guess there are tons of demos being sent to them each week, so what makes WLW special in your own words? Feel free to advertise :-)
(laughs) That's essentially correct. The people at Goodlife have been very good to us despite our misfortunes and shortcomings. I think the reason they became interested is because they genuinely liked the sound, and the way we executed it. I think they see a new talented and diverse band on the rise, which is what we are going for.
Your lyrics for the song "My hell" are rather pessimistic I'd say. They go: "What the fuck is wrong with me? Nothing's good enough for me. Why can't I be happy?" Is making music in a band like WLW some sort of relief for you to cope with your frustration or can't even making music help to make things better?
In one way or another this music is a release for us all. We just write what we feel. I was really depressed when I wrote that. It seems like no matter what I do or what I accomplish, I always end up feeling like shit. I dunno, maybe I'm just crazy.
The booklet of the split doesn't say much about the members of WLW. Hopefully I'm not repeating question no.1, but who plays what instrument in the band and how would you characterize the single band members?
Steve, our main guitarist, is the laid back one. He is an AWESOME musician with very diverse tastes and styles. He is learning how to record so we can make quality recordings at home. Josh, our drummer, is the party guy. He and Steve have been friends for years and they are very comfortable with each other's styles. Ethan, our bassist, is the quiet deep thinker guy, and he handles our webpage and does some booking and promotion. I'm the weirdo singer. I do promotion, booking, and merch. Wanna buy a shirt (What?!? I thought we agreed on this deal: I do an interview with you guys, and you sent me shirts, stickers, etc.?? :-) - Stefan).
What are you guys doing besides the band? Any other bands you're involved in? Would you like to make the band a full time thing in the future?
I have another band called TO MY GRAVE I play drums in. It's straight up hardcore. Ethan has his own DIY label. Steve does recording and plays a lot of guitar. Josh is the man. At this point, the band is our priority and we are all doing what we can to make us succeed.
Where were your songs from the split recorded and who produced them?
They were recorded at EXUM recording studio in San Diego CA, by a guy named Scott (Just Scott? - Stefan). We did all the producing ourselves. Scott is a wizard engineer, I definitely recommend him to anyone looking for good quality recording.
Have you already done some new songs and when will they come out? Will Goodlife once again take care of them?
We have some new shit that will blow the old shit away. We'll probably record them after the tour this summer when we all have money. I'm looking forward to having Goodlife release our new material.
Any tours so far for WLW? Or have you done more single shows in the past? With which bands did you play so far and with which bands would you love to play in the future?
We have a tour lined up this summer, possibly playing Hellfest. In the past we played more single shows. We've played with Scars of Tommorrow, Impact, Dystopia, and Phobia to name a few. We want to play with Shai Hulud, Terror, Bane, Red Hot Chili Peppers or Joe Satriani (Who the hell is Joe Satriani? Steve Vai is way better! :-) - Stefan) in the future.
What do you think about bands like Thrice who play great music and get signed by a major label? Sometimes I think it's amazing that major labels sign a band like Thrice or Hatebreed, because they're so different from the stuff major labels usually put out. Would you ever sign to a major label?
From what I hear, all those guys work very hard and earned everything they have. I wish them all the best. I have heard many horror stories about majors that screw bands out of everything they had, so I hope they are very careful. If we signed to major, there would have to be an understanding on everyone's part of our collective interests as a band, and we would need a damn good lawyer (Hey, how about me? Pretty soon I'm gonna be one... - Stefan).
Talking about record labels: Are you satisfied with the work Goodlife has done so far concerning WLW?
Well, we had a few problems in the beginning because of our situation as a band. But looking back now, Goodlife has really done a lot for us and I am very pleased.
As I said before I like your songs a lot. Sometimes they remind me to Shai Hulud, because you also have this combination of screaming vocals, fast parts yet still very melodic elements. Would you agree? How would you describe your music?
We all love Shai Hulud. We all love fast parts. We all love melodic stuff. But really we just make whatever we want to hear that hasn't been made before. Needless to say, we don't want to rip anyone off.
What are your future plans concerning the band as well as your life outside the band or the music scene?
We want our music to be enjoyed by all that would appreciate it. That means lots of dedication and lots of hard work. When I'm 70 years old, I want to go into a record store and see our CD's in the oldies but goodies section. I plan on getting married in a few years and I'm in school to get my teaching credential. Steve and Josh are both in college and I think they will both have successful lives. Ethan is in the Marines and he is going to work and school when his term is up in a few months. Speaking for myself, I have no plans to leave the music scene ever.
Ok, I think we're at the end of the interview. Did you like it and do you have anything to add?
I'm grateful for your interest and I hope I answered everything you wanted to know. Look out for us coming your way real soon, and feel free to hit us up anytime at our website- www.whatlieswithin.net
Yer pal, Brenton.