Interview with Blessthefall's Mike Frisby and Jared Warth
by Sara Eckman
Taste Of Chaos is back out again this year, with an incredible line-up including Avenged Sevenfold, Atreyu, Bullet For My valentine, MUCC, D'espairsRay, The Underneath, and our friends Blessthefall! A lot has gone down with Blessthefall since we last spoke with them. Their vocalist Craig Mabbitt left and joined Escape The Fate and the band has started work on a new album. Our girl Sara Eckman visited with Jared Warth (bassist, acting vocalist), and Mike Frisby (guitarist) to get the scoop on the TOC tour, and the bands future.
Sara Eckman: How has Taste of Chaos been so far?
Mike Frisby : Um so far its been quite the experience, we came into it thinking it was gonna be a little bit different and we kinda had to adjust the first week, but ever since then we’ve kinda gotten into the groove of things it’s been the most fun tour we’ve ever done.
Sara: TOC is really different from just tours with like one or two other bands so what’s different about it and what do you like about it?
Mike: The way it kinda works is that you have to get up really early and find your merch spot and we did Warped Tour and with Warped we were up every day at like nine or ten o’clock so we thought since these shows were later we would be able to get here at like two and rest and sleep in but that’s not the case. You gotta wake up early and come and get stuff done.
Jared Warth: Yeah, but it’s really laid back
Sara: Yeah, well that’s defiantly a good thing. I know that you, Jared are singing on this tour, so how do you feel about that?
Jared: Yes, I am…well for me it’s like a little different because I’m not really the most talkative person in the band so talking to crowds is kind of intense for me.
Sara: Is this really difficult for you to get up on stage?
Jared: Um at first it was but now I’m just like whatever about it and Eric does the clean vocals so I don’t really have to worry about that part.
Sara: So what is the deal with the singer situation? Where are you guys with that?
Jared: Um there’s a couple of people we have in mind right now, were not set on anybody yet but we’re just looking around going slow, we don’t wanna rush into it.
Sara: Yeah, well with all of the shit going on how is your relationship with Craig? Have you guys talked? Was it kind of a bad breakup?
Mike: Um no, not at all. For a while there was a little bit of bad tension and then I’ve talked to him quite a few times and it seems like there is a friendship so…we wish him the best of luck in what he does and I’m sure he wishes us luck too.
Sara: I know that y’all are working on a new album, how has the song writing process been different without a real set lead singer? I guess Jared is singing in that too..?
Jared: Um right now we don’t have any set vocals so I’m still gonna be doing some screams like I did on the last album maybe a little more this time but as for the vocals we don’t have set in stone yet.
Mike: Everything we’ve written so far has been instrumental except for the new track we play every night which him and Eric kinda just got together and did.
Sara: Yeah, I know you guys are playing that for the first time on this tour and it obviously has lyrics and everything so was that process just completely different without a lead singer?
Jared: Um not really we wrote the instruments, like for the first time ever we got together and wrote the song as a band and just kinda jammed it out, and Eric had kind of a song in mind that he wanted to write about so he just took it himself and made the melodies and took it to Mike and Mike helped him and he just kinda showed me his ideas for the screaming and we just went from there.
Mike: It wasn’t too bad because myself, Eric and Jared have always been a part of vocals too so we’ve always been there to help out with the melodies that needed to be helped on and stuff like that.
Sara: Can you tell me a little about the album? What direction are you going in?
Jared: Um I don’t know, I think in my opinion it’s heavier and not so many break downs but just the whole vibe of it is much more intense and I think that it’s more of that darker feeling but there’s still like that pop-feeling to it.
Sara: With this tour you guys already said that it was really hectic and you guys have to wake up early so is there anything with a tour of this magnitude difficult?
Mike: No not really, I just wake up and do the same thing everyday so, for me right now I’m a robot.
Sara: So after this you guys are gonna go work on the album or what are yall up to?
Mike: Yeah after this tour I think we have a week off and we’re just gonna spend that with family and friends because we’ve been gone for so long, and then we head out to Bamboozle which is this festival in New Jersey and we do five shows out there and then once we come back from that which will be mid-May we’re gonna write the other half of the album
Sara: What are your thoughts on all the J-rock bands on this tour? What do you think of their style of music on this tour?
Jared: I think it’s awesome! I think it’s totally different, like I hear their whole scene back home is way different from international touring bands so my opinion is really awesome just to see like different bands coming together and making a show and they’re really, really nice people. Really, really humble so it’s pretty awesome.
Sara: Message for the fans?
Mike: Just bare with us and hopefully you’ll like all the new stuff we’re coming out with and come see us at one of the Taste of Chaos shows.
Jared: Cheers!