Page 25 - Black Velvet Issue 101

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he cover artwork for ‘A Deadset En- of those things…Every time you’re on tour, second they open. He’s not sat in a dressing
Tdeavour’ was created by American when you’re going, ‘My voice hurts, my back room silently, he’s there working all day.
artist Mike Cortada, who has provided illus- hurts’, you still get on stage every night and There’s a reason he’s one of the best gui-
trations for numerous bands including A Day do exactly the same thing because that’s tarists in the world; it’s because he trains, he
To Remember, Pierce The Veil, Pop Evil and what you love doing. It might hurt that one works so hard, he’s playing guitar seven
Good Charlotte. The cover art features the night but the next day it’s fine again. So, hours a day, every day.”
Scales of Justice. “For me personally, I think that’s why the song is called ‘Can’t Fight The All five members of the band are also
it makes sense for us in terms of what the Feeling’, because that’s the irony of it - you willing to put all the hours in they can into
album is about, it definitely represents the can’t fight the feeling of it, that’s why we do The Fallen State. They want to work for it, be-
album,” Ben says. it. I might moan about it in the verses...” he cause, as Ben happily tells us, it is some-
When the band reached out to Mike, they laughs, “but when you have those rough thing they believe in. “A lot of people have
explained to him the theme of the album, but times, it really helps for you to have perspec- their jobs and they hate going to work
wanted to let him do his own thing. “When tive about not just that one day that you’re whereas we go into rehearsal and we go into
Mike sent us back the original idea, we were feeling bad. You can then go, ‘Well, actually, rehearsal because that’s our work, but we
like, ‘That’s perfect, go for it’. We never said look at what we have done’, and that really love our work. Same as going on tour, it’s
to him, ‘We want the Scales of Justice,’ or picks you up when you’re there at the end of hard work but we love it.”
anything like that; Mike just said to us, ‘This a tour and you’re going, ‘I’m knackered but Ben reminisces about the first gigs the
is what I want to do for you guys.’” it’s been amazing’. I think that’s why we band played. “When I first joined I was not a
The left side of the scale holds a bar of wrote that song as well; because we wanted very confident person. If you ever get to see
gold and jewellery, whilst the other side to say about having the perspective - that footage of the first couple of gigs I did they
holds a heart. Referring to the scales, Ben in- one bad day is just one bad day, you’ve ac- were…” he laughs. “I was very shy, I was re-
forms us, “We’re putting it on the right hand tually had a great time.” served, you know, wasn’t very chatty; in
side, we’re going for the heart; not necessar- every aspect of my life, that wasn’t just being
ily that they are all like love songs, or heart- n between tours Ben reveals that they on stage. Since then, the band’s helped me
felt songs in terms of that, but they’re all Ifind day jobs to help bring in a bit of become a way more confident person, out-
from a place that we want it to come from. All extra cash. “We go on tour and then we go going and stuff which definitely is something
the songs are personal to us as opposed to, home and do our thing. It can be hard when I’m glad I was in the band for. To have that
‘oh yeah, we just wrote that song because you’ve got like a month’s worth of recording now is… it’s just natural now. I think for the
we need an album filler,’ or, ‘we wrote that and then three months’ worth of touring. other guys as well, a lot of things the band
song because we wanted a pop track’. We You’re trying to be on a job search site be- has done for them in terms of confidence
wanted the artwork to represent the album cause you’ve got to go home in a week and and in terms of business as well. We are
and I think Mike did that perfectly with what you’re like ‘Argh’, but it is part of the fun! Ob- doing so much now on the business side
he did.” viously you’d love to be doing the band full that you don’t really think about as maybe a
Taking into consideration of what the art- time, but in the music industry now that’s listener or someone that likes a band. The
work depicts, we ask Ben how hard it has less realistic unless you’re really huge, so amount of stuff you have to do on the busi-
been for himself, Jon, Greg, Dan and Rich to you’ve just got to do your thing. Every band ness side of things definitely amps you up,
balance trying to make a living whilst follow- is in the same situation and it makes you so when you go back to your normal daily
ing their heart and staying true to them- work harder for the band, because you see job you have all this experience.”
selves as a band. the difference
“Very…” Ben admits. “But, we made the and you go, h e
decision a while ago, I’d say around the time ‘you know “We tell each other when we’re feeling Tband
we released ‘Crown Your Shadows’ [the what, I’m not low. We try and be really honest with has grown
band’s 4th EP, released in January 2016], taking this for each other, it helps that we’re really quite a lot
that we weren’t chasing the gold side of g r a n t e d ’ . over the
those scales. We just wanted to say what we Whereas, I close friends, as well as a band. You past few
wanted to say. We wanted to be free. I think suppose if you know, we hang out anyway. We rehearse years, on a
when you let go of the chains of trying to be were just tour- three or four times a week, we’re all to- p e r s o n a l
a band that’s big, or a band that’s making ing all year you level and as
money, or a band that’s touring all the time, might start tak- gether so we can make sure we’re all musicians
and you just say, ‘You know what, in terms ing it for good and if anyone is feeling low then too. They
of writing we’re just going to do what we granted.” also appear
want to do. At least if it fails we’ve done what As well as we pick each other up.” - Ben Stenning to be more
we wanted to do.’ It takes a lot of the pres- doing the ‘toi- i n s p i r e d
sure off. We’re not the band that’s trying to let circuit’ than ever.
make it big or that’s trying to make a living tours, The Fallen State have also played in “The reception to this album, it definitely
off it even; we’re just doing it because we bigger venues when they have been out on spurs you on and it gets you hyped up about
love it now and I think that’s a better place to the road with the more established bands. songwriting. That’s what we love to do - we
be at. It took us a while to get there in terms When asked which type of tour he feels the love to write songs and we like to play live,
of, we’ve done a few EP’s where we were try- band learn the most from, Ben’s response is, that’s the reason we’re in a band. When you
ing to make the next single, you know. When “Probably the toilet tours - that’s where you have a good release and everyone is happy
you let go of that, suddenly the best stuff do all the learning and hope by the time with it and you’re happy with it, suddenly the
comes out, it’s funny how that works, but it you’re due on stage you’re good to go!” he ideas to the themes for the next album just
always seems to be the way.” laughs. “But,” he continues, “I’d say the start popping up! We have no plans to re-
bands that we’ve toured with, we’ve learned lease album two, or anything like that yet,”
n ‘Can’t Fight The Feeling’ Ben sings, something from all of them. There’s a reason Ben laughs, “but, we’re already sat there at
I‘I’m empty now, done ragging my voice they are doing things, it’s because they have rehearsals coming up with new songs and
and cracking my spine out,’ and ‘I been run- their business down and they’re on it. You have new ideas. It has definitely given us
ning for five years, I can see the end…’ Ben learn a lot just being around these people, more courage to write.”
responds, “The irony of that first lyric, that seeing how hard they work and it does in- The response ‘A Deadset Endeavour’
‘I’m done ragging my voice and cracking my spire you because it’s not just all about the has received has been overwhelming for the
spine out’, is because I was saying about the music. You see people that are off stage and band. Something tells us that 2019 could be
fact that I always try and push my voice re- they are working just as hard as they are on the year when The Fallen State makes those
ally hard, to get that nice tone that I like, and stage, all day. Like when we were on tour bigger waves. With a headline tour in the
I’m onstage headbanging, doing my back in, with [Mark] Tremonti, he’s there all day doing works and festival appearances lined up, if
because I’m rocking out so hard; I’m done meet and greets, then he’s doing guitar les- you get the chance you should definitely go
with that, you know, I’m done with that. But, sons and he’s doing a soundcheck with peo- and check them out!
the irony of it is, I’m not done with it at all!” ple in there. He’s talking to all of them, he’s Visit www.thefallenstate.com for more
Ben laughs. “The whole album, I’m singing signing stuff and he’s meeting guys and little info.
that same tone and on tour I’m still rocking kids with guitars, helping them out and stuff.
out in exactly the same way. I think it’s one It’s inspiring to see him be there from the Words by Penny & Sam Gower
THE FALLEN STATE