SEPTEMBER 30th 2011
TODAY I CAUGHT
THE PLAGUE EXCLUSIVE
Here, at MetalTitans, we got an exclusive opportunity to do a written interview with David, of "Today I Caught The Plague". David is the vocalist of the band, and designer of all the bands merchandise, website design, and much more. The band itself is based out of Ottawa and is a progressize metal act that is currently on tour with Protest the Hero and will be in Vancouver on October 8th at the Rickshaw Theatre. For more info...check out the interview below !!
Welcome to MetalTitans, Guardians of Metal Entertainment Worldwide.
1. “Today I Caught the Plague” what was the reasoning behind picking this name for your band ? In the formative phases of the band there was a lot of discussion about what we would call ourselves, and the opinions would always fluctuate back and forth. One week half the band would like a particular name that the other half didn't, and the next it would be vice-versa. Today I Caught the Plague came about later on in the decision process when one of the members at the time claimed to have found it in a Shakespeare quote; we all have searched for the line at later dates, but have since been unable to locate it. The name wasn't unanimously agreed upon at first, but one week we all agreed and so made it official. A potential little trivia fact is that some of the names being considered for the band, such as Columbella, and the God City Gunfight became song titles on the first EP, Ms. Mary Mallon. 2. How did you all come together to form TICTP ? When myself, and drummer, Michael Ieradi saw our previous band part ways we set out to form what would be Today I Caught the Plague. We spent the bulk of our time writing music and arranging auditions for the band. There was great response to the news that we were looking to recruit members and continue playing music, so we were able to work with many talented Ottawa musicians in order to find ones who were best suited to the project, as well as the close brotherhood we were looking to create. We found everything we were looking for in members by the time we had finished Ms. Mary Mallon, and we were ready to hit the road. 3. Your sound is a progressive metal with melodic hardcore, with some classical influence, how did you decide that this was the type of music you wanted to play ? We'd never say we ever really decided to play this type of music; the songs that we've created over the past years have been a reflection of what we were feeling and wanted to hear at any particular moment of writing. We've never looked to create any particular sound from the get go, but just let what came to us form naturally. We have a wide array of musical influences, with a good chunk of the members drawing a bit more from heavier music, and so that's why the music's come out as it has. 4. Do you think that the camaraderie both within the band and outside of it, helps the chemistry when creating your songs ? It definitely helps, yes. Having a certain level of comfortability in creative situations always allows for greater willingness to explore possibilities and push your boundaries. This is something we've definitely found within our band, allowing our creative sides to flourish, and expand through each others encouragement and desire for evolution. 5. Did you have bands that influence you? Sure did. I'm not sure any musician could honestly tell you they didn't, so long as they had been listening to music before they start creating it. That being said there weren't any bands that we ever felt we wanted to sound like, but sub-conciously, there were vast amounts of artists who influenced the shape of our releases; as many as we had in our playlists at the time of creating those releases. Four that could personally stick out would be The Mars Volta, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Opeth and Alchemy Index-era Thrice. 6. You have done a tour (all done by yourselves) from Newfoundland to British Columbia, do you think this tour acquired you more fans ? One-hundred percent. Every tour that we've embarked upon (5 previous to that one) has been beneficial in both that sense and others. Touring, while a lot of hard work to put together on your own, is one of the greatest tools we have to spread our name to people who would otherwise never have heard us before. We always try to make sure we play with talented bands, and through experience have found good, reliable promoters across the country to work with, which obviously helps. Our most recent set of dates, with Protest the Hero, has done wonders for exposing us to new fans, which we are very thankful for. 7. Did you find any one city more responsive than the other ? You definitely hit pockets that are hotter than others. I remember when we first started out we were all surprised at the turnouts and responses of Fredericton, New Brunswick, and St. John's, Newfoundland. Just last night we played in Peterborough, and the response was one of the warmest we've had. From time to time you'll find yourself in a city where the crowd may be less willing to let loose, but after you leave the stage they'll have nothing but the kindest words to express. Everywhere's different, but so long as you give it your all, and give it well, you will be well received. 8. Is there a band that you would like to tour with ? Many of us would agree that touring with Opeth would be pretty amazing, but other than that, we're happy to share the stage with any appropriate act. One of the greatest aspects of being on tour is meeting new people, and creating friendships that you know will last long after you go your separate ways. Touring with Protest has been a blast, and we've always really respected those guys, so it's nice to watch them tear it up each night and for us all to get to know each other on a more personal level. 9. You all bring something different to the table with all your varied influences, is it hard to put it all together for your album ? No, I wouldn't say it's hard; we've got a pretty fluid writing system down now, and everyone is quite open-minded. Another aspect that helps is that we've all gotten quite good at accepting each other's constructive criticisms, knowing that we all want what's best for the music, and that none of us will always choose the best creative paths on our own. It saves a lot of time and energy being able to let go of creative ideas that you breed, if it's striking a wrong chord with some or all of your members. 10. When you are on the road, what kind of music do you enjoy listening to ? The same music that I would listen to at home. I'm probably the least metal oriented member of the band, and so listen to a lot more laid back music, such as Iron & Wine, Bright Eyes, Radiohead, Sufjan Stevens as well as Thrice. As for the band on the whole, we try to play songs in the van that we can all get in to, and have a good time with; the ones that spark impromptu head-banging or ones you blast while flashing the interior van lights for spur of the moment shout-alongs. 11. Is there anything that you want people to know about you that they cannot find by looking it up on the internet ? Nothing besides the fact that some of us have been at music, in hard working bands for near eleven years now, and so would like to thank everyone who's had any part in helping us get to where we are today; we'd like them to know that they're much appreciated, and not forgotten. We're very fortunate to have made it to this point, and are quite aware of the fact that we owe a large part of that to them. Thank you David, for conducting this written interview for us, for the fans.
Thanks for your time, Metal Titans