Warped In Reverse - Episode #13 Interview by Cosmic-A (Monica Demattei) | Transcription by Tyler Peckham
Wage War is a young Metalcore band from Ocala, Florida who formed in 2013 and was signed soon after by Fearless Records. The band is comprised of Briton Bond on vocals, Cody Quistad on guitar and vocals, Seth Blake on guitar, Chris Gaylord on bass, and Stephen Kluesener on drums. Their debut album Blueprint came out in November of 2015 and more music is in the works. In 2017, Wage War was named Alternative Press’ Most Anticipated Music. Tour Press Force caught up with some of the band at the 2016 Vans Warped Tour last summer.
Hey this is Monica with Tour Press Force and I’m here with…
Chris and Cody from Wage War
How’s the tour been treating you guys so far?
It’s been one of the best tours we have ever done as far as amount of people coming to check us out, making new fans, and meeting new people - it has been a great experience. You gotta be thankful to be here.
How are fans here versus the fans back home?
We’ve played all these places at least two or three times now so we get to see some repeat fans that have come out to play. California has been one of the better places that we’ve gone, Massachusetts, Florida, Ohio, they’ve all been good. Our hometown show in Orlando was probably one of our better shows that we’ve played in an emotional sense.
You said you’ve played these venues at least three times, so you’ve done these tours in the U.S. before?
We pretty much haven’t been home since last October; we’ve been coming and going.
Chris Gaylord and Cody Quistad during Van's Warped Tour 2016 | Las Vegas, NV
So what are you going to do after Warped Tour?
Is any new music coming out?
We’re always working on new stuff, but our debut album Blueprints just came out in November so we’re still pushing that pretty hard. Right now that’s our focus.
How would you describe the sound of Blueprints?
It’s a heavy record. We’re all 22, 23 so it’s kind of a younger take on the Metalcore genre. We’re trying to bring new life into the genre. There’s a lot of melody on it. Lyrically it’s kind of all over the place, I like to call it more of a foundational record. It says the message we want to have for our band. It’s just about being a positive light where we can, but also be authentic and real about our situations. There are songs on there about depression and suicides, unfaithfulness in a relationship, poverty, just trying to tackle the issues that we see are worth it.
How are your fans responding to the message?
It’s been unreal, so much better than we could have ever expected. It being our first record, you never really exactly know what to expect or how many people will latch onto what you’re doing but this summer and on previous tours we’ve really seen a ton of people who really cared about our band and what we’re trying to do and are excited to see what we do moving forward.
Do you have any final words for the fans?
If you’re going through a tough time, keep going, it’s going to get better. Thanks to everyone who listens to us and gives us a chance.
Wage War has recently come out with a new single, “Stitch” which can be found on all major streaming sites. The band is also touring again until May 27 where they will play River City Rockfest 2017 with Def Leppard in San Antonio, Texas. The tour hits mostly East coast and Middle America states. To see a full list of dates, visit http://www.fearlessrecords.com/artists/wage-war/.
Photography by Nahnalah_G
YouTube | Stitch – Wage War (Official Music Video)
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