Adelitas Way

What you've heard is true, we got the chance to interview Rick from Adelitas Way! This amazing band native to Las Vegas will not disappoint you. Whether you're a die hard fan or you're just hearing about them for the first time now, you'll quickly learn what an incredible band this is. Check out everything we learned, including the unique story behind the band's name and who the song "Alive" is about to why we wish that all artists had the same mindset as them.

 

S&Em: Adelitas Way is a unique name. How did you create this name for the
band? Is the Mexico story on Wikipedia true?

AW: Yes the Mexico story is 100% real haha it was a really crazy but also enlightening experience in Tijuana.

(S&Em Note: Check it out on Wikipedia, it’s one of the most interesting stories we’ve heard. It includes Mexican police and getting robbed).

S&Em: It seems as though Homeschool Valedictorian becomes even more popular each and every day, even though it was released in 2011. Did you ever anticipate this album, or even this band, getting to this point?

AW: We worked really hard on it so we definitely are blessed but we did believe it could get to this point, I still see the band getting bigger from here, I really feel like we can be the band headlining these big festivals.  We work really hard and we are constantly growing as artists and performers. The level of what we are doing will be even higher on the next release we have a vision and a goal, and I don’t plan on stopping until we are at the top of the chain.

S&Em: Will there be any more singles from Homeschool Valedictorian released before the new album?

AW: We have already been blessed with 4 hit singles off the record with Sick, The collapse, Criticize, and Alive, and we are very grateful, but we are ready to release more music. I see us as a band who is building a die hard following, we aren’t a band that is really too singles driven but we are honored to have success there. We like to do it the old fashioned way by rocking every city every night and building an army.  Rock has become somewhat underground outside of the amazing support we get from the G ass rock stations, because mass media really ignores most rock bands, not all but the majority. We don’t concern ourselves with anything but making great songs, and rocking as hard as we can every single night for every rock n roll fan that comes to see us.  We like to make great records, not just live song to song, and I’m ready for the world to hear what we have created next.


S&Em: People have been writing on Twitter, Facebook, and other forms of social media that they want to use “Alive” as their wedding song. What is it like to hear that from fans?
AW: I wrote the song about the most beautiful woman to change my life for the better, my beautiful wife, and I’m glad that people are connecting with the feelings I had about to the ones that they love so much.  The song is about love and passion, and someone giving you a feeling that makes life beautiful. It’s so amazing to be a part of such a special day in someone’s life, so for people to use that on their big day it’s such an honor

(S&Em Note: Awwww! Swooning!)

S&Em: The video for “Alive” featured a man in the hospital who looked like he was about to go in for a procedure , but was taken away by someone that we presume was his girlfriend and brought around for an adventure. At the end it seems like it may have been a dream, but
nevertheless it was a great concept. Where did the idea for this come from?

AW: Never take the ones you love for granted you never know how long you will have them for

S&Em: The song “The Collapse” got us pumped up when we were listening to it. What song gets fans most pumped up during shows?

AW: Our set is really high paced and energetic and the fans keep up from front to back, they love Sick, Invincible, Criticize it’s amazing to see and feed off of them.


S&Em: “Criticize” had a sound reminiscent of Seether and Shinedown combined(we hope you take that as a compliment). We loved the message of the song and we know we’ve had people in our lives similar to who you describe in the song. Have each of you had a person like that?

AW: Haha I think the whole world knows that person, they exist for each of us in our minds.

S&Em: With the success of Homeschool Valedictorian in mind, do you put more pressure on yourselves for your new album?

AW: Not too much, you always wanna be great, but I do this because I enjoy it, I like to make music, and use my influences from my life.  I just go with the flow and work hard to execute and make sure it’s real.  I have learned so much from the beginning of my musical journey, and I
feel we are the best we have ever been right now.  I take my music really seriously, and I work on it that way to.  I am very confident in what is coming next from us, it will separate us from the pack, and take us in the direction we have been focusing on which is being one of the best to do this in the time we are a part of in music.

S&Em: You’ve toured with some major artists (Seether, Shinedown, Creed, Three Days Grace, Theory of a Deadman, etc.)  Now you all are pretty major artists yourself. Have any of these artists mentored you or helped you along the way?

AW: Of course they have all been so amazing to us, and they have all become great friends.  When you are playing with great artists you strive to be a great artist, and we have never taken our eye off the prize.


S&Em: You are signed to Virgin Records. How did that come about?

AW: Lots of hard work, A great team, and an A&R guy who isn’t afraid to believe, Kim Stephens believed in us since day 1 and he has never stopped.  He understands our vision of what we can become, and we are becoming it.  We have been blessed, but we also put in above and
beyond the work to do it.

S&Em: How did each of you become inspired to become artists?
AW: We all just love music, and are influenced by so many amazing legends such as Metallica, Zeppelin, Nirvana, Soundgarden, The Beatles, listening to all the great bands inspires you to send your messages to the people in the world.  I feel like a lot of people can close their
eyes listen to my words and connect with me on a level that if you think about it is really amazing.

S&Em: What was one of the most random times that inspiration for a song hit
one of you?

AW: I sometimes just get hit with the song, the chorus, the lyrics, I can feel it, it’s pretty crazy but I just go with the flow.  I also get inspired by jamming some things just have a vibe and u can feel it, the topic and song almost just comes to you.  Like I said I just follow the path, and work my ass off.  If a great idea comes to me my only focus is executing it the way i can hear it being.

S&Em: Where do most of the inspirations for songs come from?

AW: Life, sadness, happiness, anxiety, love, beauty so many things but it all stems from life

S&Em: For you guys, what is the process of putting a song together like?

AW: So many different ways, we usually start with a melody or lyrics, or we just jam out.  Music comes from so many places.  I walk around all day everyday with my mind racing, lyrics, melodies, ideas, and we jam that shit and try to execute the sounds I hear.  Rob inspires me a lot
with beautiful guitar licks or chords.  Our chemistry is fun.

S&Em: There is currently a contest to win a signed guitar from you! Tell us a little bit about that.

AW: We love connecting with our fans and showing them we love and appreciate them, we have a great energy with the fans and it’s important to let them know that  you wanna kick ass for them at all times.

S&Em: What can we expect from your album that is due out this year? Any major surprises?

AW: We really want to separate ourselves but stay true to who we are, I never stray away from my influences in music or in life so it will be AW, but we see ourselves as a band, a real one, I wanna be Gangsters. We are going to do things that no one has heard in a long time, we are
gonna use our energy, and our passion, and our work ethic, and we will make a record that will be good for rock music.  We are going to execute, and our mission is to destroy every farce band out there, if you’re  not a real band you will get stomped out by us, that’s the mission, that’s the goal, I want people to look back when I’m gone and say they were one of the best bands I saw, or the songs they wrote inspired me, or helped me, or relieved me.  It’s on, we aren’t fucking
around.

S&Em: What is a band that you have not toured with yet that you would like to tour with?

AW: Soundgarden or Alice in chains

S&Em: One of our favorite things about Adelitas Way is that every song is powerful. The vocals and instrumentals are always strong. Sometimes, musicians let one or the other become weaker to put the focus on the opposite. How do you keep that balance?

AW: We just play, if you overplay you do take away from the vibe, but you can also be musical, and melodic together, it’s about the band connecting with each other and feeling where we all are, it’s a beautiful process.

S&Em: We all have artists that we think are going to be considered legendary. Who, out of musicians today, do you all think will be legendary?

AW: I think for today’s climate I expect us to be as legendary as we can be, there are obvious legends like Metallica, Soundgarden, AIC, Incubus, I think and believe we will be todays versions of what some of them bands became, we have the potential and skillet to make music
that can change people moods.

S&Em: As a band, what is one of the biggest goals you are striving for right now?

AW: We are striving for being the best we can be, and connecting with our audience on a level that is really personal, but in many different moods.  I just wanna rock faces, and connect with our fans, and be one of the best rock bands that’s come out in this time.

S&Em: On Twitter, we asked some of your fans what questions they wanted to ask you. The most frequent questions were about touring. First of all, will you be touring through the States in 2013?

AW: We will be touring in the summer again, and we will be better than we have ever been we promise

S&Em: If you come to Massachusetts, will you let us know? We’d love to see you live. And
of all the members of the band, who is the trickster? Has there ever been an epic band prank?

AW: Our live show is one of the things we pride most, ask our fans about it the AW experience is a fun one :) lots of energy, and madness, we aren’t [pranksters], we are really chill, we hang together and focus on domination.

(S&Em Note: With the mindset that Adelitas Way has, we are sure domination is in the near future).

S&Em: What is the best thing about being on tour?

AW: Playing shows for the people, I love it.

S&Em: What is the best thing about being off tour?

AW: Spending time with my family and recuperating my body

S&Em: Do you have any unique names for your fans?

AW: No we just think they rule :)

S&Em: What advice do you have for aspiring musicians?

AW: Get ready to work really really really hard, the game has changed there’s not a ton of money, or fame, but if you want it for the right reasons you will be gratified, it’s about the music and the fans and your family.  There is no feeling like creating, or playing live that could fill a spot in my life like music does

These City Lights

We were recently rather stoked about interviewing this band, These City Lights. Oh you haven't heard of them? It's because they're from a land far, far away from here, Australia. Not only do they sound pretty great, but they each have a way better sense of humor/personality than most of us (which made this interview quite enjoyable). Check out the hilarious things they said and everything we learned about These City Lights. If you don't have a sense of humor, or are a little over sensitive, this may not be the interview for you to read.

S&Em: Female fronted bands are normally hard to find. You have had two lovely ladies in the band at one time, how do you feel that affects your fan base and your opportunities as a band?

TCL: I think it helps connect to the younger female audience. There aren't many female fronted bands in Melbourne OR Australia for that matter so it gives us a lot more of an opportunity.

S&Em: Since we aren't from Australia, we don't know much about the music scene there. Are there a lot of opportunities?

TCL:  The market is still growing out here and as a result there aren't nearly as many opportunities as there are in the USA or Europe. There is also unlimited support from venues so bands just have to get places on their own steam.

S&Em: You all seem to be extremely close and seem like you're always together. Were you band mates first or friends?

TCL: Band mates. We'd all met before but never really bothered with each other. Since being in the band, we've grown to hate everything about each other. It's honestly pretty excellent.

S&Em: With this level of closeness, we have to wonder, have there been any inter-band relationships?

TCL: Chris and Jesses' love has certainly blossomed over the past 2 years. It's developed into lust.

S&Em: You're currently working on an EP! That's very exciting news! How's it going and what can you tell us about it?

TCL: It's going to be a 6 track EP. It's all going smoothly so far. We've been working really hard over the last 12 months writing and demoing tracks to make sure it's the best it can possibly be.

S&Em: Patrick is relatively new to the band. How did you find him? Do you have any funny/silly ways of initiating a new band member?

TCL: Jesse and Pat were once in a band together, but the sexual tension between them just became too much. Luckily now they've grown up a little bit and Jesse has moved on to Chris. We don't have any funny or silly ways of initiating a new band member, but I think [being] forced to be around us is punishment enough.

(S&Em Note: Yes, they were the inspiration for Britney Spears' hit song "Three").

S&Em: When it comes to writing songs, who writes the lyrics? Where does the inspiration come from?

TCL: The inspiration doesn't always come from anything in particular. The ones that do are just about the typical things we all deal with. Falling in love and falling out of it, losing friends or gaining them, but sometimes I write about my friends and what they've gone through as well.

S&Em: What bands have inspired each of you to become musicians? What bands inspire you to continue to be musicians?

TCL:This is going to be interesting.
Chris- Dream Theater, Paramore, Led Zeppelin, Mayday Parade, Bayside, Deep Purple.
Patty- Hendrix, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Metallica, Guns 'n' Roses, Mayday Parade.
Jade- Jojo, Paramore, The Script, Taylor Swift, Mayday Parade, Demi Lovato.
Jesse- Brand New, Enter Shikari,, Usher, ya Boi Bang$, Cannibal Corpse.

S&Em: Being a female fronted band, who do you get compared to the most? (We suspect Paramore).

TCL: Paramore, definitely. Being in Australia, we would get compared to Tonight Alive a fair bit as well.

S&Em: We know that people from other countries aren't normally all that fond of Americans. what's the worst thing about us?

TCL: Chris- I think there's a small amount of you who ruin it for the rest, we like you though!

S&Em: Who are the biggest musicians in Australia right now?

TCL: Gotye, Temper Trap, Guy Sebastian, Sia, Parkway Drive, Northlane, Tonight Alive.

S&Em: We found out about you guys after Jesse found Sammie's organization (Rock for RSD) since your drummer, Chris, has RSD. How do all of you deal when Chris has flares? As a band, do you try to help educate others about RSD?

TCL: Jesse likes to tease 'cause he's a prick, but the rest of us try to help as much as we can. Chris doesn't really like to let us know when he's in pain because he doesn't want to worry us that much, but we try to educate as many people we can because it needs to be known about how crap of a disease it is.

( S&Em Note: Chris, you and I are going to have some words about things we should probably tell our bandmates...)

S&Em: We saw you dressed as zombies for Halloween. If there was an actual zombie apocalypse, who would... Be the first one down? The most prepared? The one kicking ass? The one hiding? The one completely oblivious?

TCL: Chris- First one down because he can't run with his RSD. He would also try to be the one that would hide from everything to survive.
Jesse- The most prepared only because his girlfriend would make sure of it. What a good egg.
Patty- The one kicking ass, purely because he's Asian. He thinks he's a ninja, OR because he's a black belt. Whatever.
Jade- The completely oblivious one, for sure. Stupidest person ever.

S&Em: We saw that while in the studio, you all were working on your "artistic abilities." Which of your band members is the most inappropriate?

TCL: Definitely either Jesse or Chris. Sometimes they scare even themselves.

S&Em: How would you describe your band's personality? How would you describe your sound?

TCL: Upbeat and fun, which reflects in our sound.

S&Em: Normally, bands have a member that draws in people. Who is that in These City Lights?

TCL: It's less of a person and more a part of a person. Jade's boobs.

S&Em: What do you hope 2013 will bring?

TCL: Patty- Bigger and better things.
Chris- Patty's bigger penis.
Jade- A new band.
Jesse- A good harvest.
 

S&Em: If you could be signed with any record label, which label would it be, if any, and why?

TCL: Fearless, Hopeless, Fueled by Ramen. The bands we look up to are on these labels.

S&Em: In one word, tell us each of your thoughts on each of the following: Taylor Swift, Justin Timberlake, Justin Bieber, Blink 182, Three Days Grace, The Twilight Saga, and Glee.

TCL: Chris- Taylor Swift, promiscuous. Justin Timberlake, sexy. Justin Bieber, pothead. Blink 182, overrated. Three Days Grace, devastated. Twilight, boring. Glee, boring.
Patty: Taylor Swift, alright. Justin Timberlake, sexyback. Justin Bieber, #cutfor. Blink 182, nostalgic. Three Days Grace, shattered. Twilight, no. Glee, auto tune.
Jesse- Swift, elf. Timberlake, Nsync. Bieber, jail-bait. Blink, yoice. TDG, eh. Twilight, Edward. Glee, dinosaurs.
Jade- Swift, love. Timberlake, perfection. Bieber, baby. Blink, nothing. TDG, eh. Twilight, decode. Glee, love.

S&Em: Do you have any quirky names for your fans?

TCL: We have fans?!

S&Em: What are your preshow rituals?

TCL: Mighty ducks, hands in.


S&Em would like to thank These City Lights for giving us our most entertaining interview ever. Yes, this made us want to be all of their best friends.To download a few of their songs click here. Their EP should arrive sometime this Spring/Summer (for us in the US).