Voice of the Underground |
Interview with 286by John Hazeltine With their self-released EP, ‘Profiled’ creating quite a buzz around the underground music scene, 286’s hard driving rock sound is a much needed breath of fresh air for listeners. 286 are a band that has what it takes to take the industry by the balls and rock it’s socks off. Only time will tell if the corporate suits have an inkling of good taste left in them. If they do, this is one band they need look no further for. But enough mumbo jumbo. Let’s see what Adam, Nikee, Pete and Martin have to say about this, that and what not. Give us some of the history behind 286. ADAM: Everything started when Nikee and Martin Verry (bass and guitar) moved from Argentina to LA in 2003 with the idea of the project. They started to play with local musicians but they weren’t happy with the results so they decided to start over and post some ads here and there. In February of 2004 Pete (drums) answered an ad posted on MusicConnection.com. They started to rehearse, write songs and stuff until October of the same year when I decided to move from Pittsburgh to LA and after a week I answered this weird ad from these guys looking for a singer, a mix between Bonn Scott and Phil Anselmo, I was like “what the fuck!!!?? I can’t image what that would sound like.” I remember doing the audition, the chemistry felt so good, so intense, we looked at each other and we were like “yeah, let’s make it happen” and after a month rehearsing we did our first gig in Hollywood. Where did you guys come up with the name? MARTIN: The name is just the number of our practice room here in Downtown Rehearsals (L.A.) nothing really special besides the fact that it’s the name of our band. Now you’ve got the EP ‘Profiled’ and it’s been out for some time now. How has the overall reaction been to it? NIKEE: Well, the reaction was and still is really good, the sales are growing and people are digging it, of course since we do everything ourselves, sometimes it gets kind of tough, specially the distribution but despite that, we are doing really well. The online store helps a lot (www.286music.com) Give us a brief rundown/description of ‘Profiled’. PETE: It’s fucking pure, raw, in your face rock and roll, no bullshit, no “copy and paste”, it’s a real band playing music. Describe 286’s sound. MARTIN: Catchy choruses, a powerful rhythm section, lots of guitars, a little touch of blues and a very aggressive and distinctive voice. You’ve been getting tons of great reviews on ‘Profiled’. How has this made you guys feel? PETE: It’s great, it encourages us to do things the right way, or at least what we think is the right way, keeps us going, in a way, makes us gain more confidence and mostly, it confirms that rock and roll is not dead and that there are people out there enjoying it. We are very grateful. Are there talks of a full-length in the works? And when can that be expected? NIKEE: Yes, we have enough songs for 2 full lengths, but we think that we have to play more and tour more before getting our souls to the studio again. If everything goes the way it’s going now, we probably record our debut full length sometime in 2007. What sort of touring plans do you have lined up? ADAM: We are working with different booking agents so touring is always our first choice. We want to tour as much as we can to promote the EP, like we did in 2005. We’re trying to emphasize quality over quantity. That way the people watching us are seeing the best possible representation of the product and they deserve that. How have the crowds been reacting to 286’s music? NIKEE: Honestly, we are impressed about that because when you are on tour and stuff you book shows with different bands and styles and the reaction of the crowd was always good, whether we play in a rock show, metal show or punk show, we appeal to many different kind of people and that makes us really happy because they appreciate our honesty on stage. Are you guys like the local favs? PETE: We are pretty much a young band, but despite that, we are generating the buzz and people have been noticing it. What can one expect from a 286 show? ADAM: Energy, energy and energy, tons of fun, a real band on stage, no attitude, no bullshit just rock and roll and of course songs people can appreciate! Has there been very much radio play? MARTIN: There has been airplay in Spain, Italy, Germany, USA, Argentina…but none from main stations (your record company has to pay in order to get airplay there…shhhhhhhhh) but fortunately there are magazines and radios stations that support indie music like you guys. ADAM: Internet and pod casts have been really great to us too – we did appear on the Heidi, Frosty, and Frank show in LA and that was a mainstream station. Who are some of your influences? PETE: We have been influenced by many bands in our life, just to name a few, Van Halen, Pantera, AC/DC, Iron Maiden, Queen, MC5, Black Label Society, Rage Against the Machine and many more… What sort of bands have you been listening to lately? NIKEE: Iron Maiden, Tool, Pantera, Van Halen…pretty much the old good stuff. Has there been any larger label interests? ADAM: A few labels have approached us with cards, ideas, and such, but the right deal hasn’t come across the table yet. What’s become of those? PETE: Who knows!!!!! The business has changed in the last 5 years and it seems that there is no logical ways to do things, I-tunes, Napster and all the downloads are kind of killing the CD, hence, the record companies, so they find their selves in a very difficult position and sometimes they have to team up, but what do I know? Are you ready to sign a “major” record deal? MARTIN: We’ll be ready in less than a year from now if we keep on working hard like we do. When not playing as a band, what kinds of things keep you occupied? ADAM: Nikee and Martin have a flamenco guitar duo called SEIS CUERDAS (www.myspace.com/seiscuerdas2006), they mix music styles that go from Paco de Lucia to Yngwie Malmsteen, all instrumental. Pete and myself spend a lot of time online promoting 286, booking shows and stuff, basically we do all the business when we are not playing. I also sometimes appear at political events and play acoustic & harmonic folk based protest music I like to call AARM while Martin and Nikee call me a Hippie… What are your goals for the band in the coming year? NIKEE: Basically, we want to record our debut album and go on tour to support it. We also want to shoot our first official video and have more merchandise. Anything you’d like to add? Rant about? MARTIN: No matter what you do in your life, stick to your dreams and STAY TRUE!!!!! ADAM: Yeah, if you’re over the age of 21 and you have the inkling to write a whiny pop song about some girl you lost in high school, please spare our ears the turmoil. |