Interview: JUNCTION 28

What got you into music, and if you had not gotten into music what would you be doing today?

I think like a lot of people I use music as an overpriced and mostly unsuccessful form of therapy. I think I need that creative outlet though, so if I wasn’t doing music I like to think I would maybe doing some writing or film work.

What do you like to do when you are not playing music and how does that influence your creativity?

We're a pretty normal bunch, we like films, video games, maybe a party if we can fit it in our schedules haha. Obviously all these things influence us, I still want to sample the Silent Hill soundtrack at some point.

How long has your band been around?

Dick started putting the group together maybe 3-4 years ago, but our current line-up has been around for about year now, with Gary being the latest addition.

Where are you based out of and how did that influence your music?

We all come from Essex in the UK. I think we really try to find a balance between local influences and those from further afield. There’s a lot of great music, both mainstream and underground that’s come from our area, but also with proliferation of the Internet over the past decade, it’s so easy to find music that inspires us from way further off.

How did you come up with the name of your band and what does it mean to you?

Hahaha, basically it’s the turn-off for the motorway we all take to get to our practice space. But I think it gives our sound a sense of geography though, like this is the area that we all grew up in and formed our sound. It’s shaped us and our music.

Tell me about your most memorable shows.

We actually played a really good one last night! It was down in Hoxton in London. There’s definitely been crazier shows but this was a new area and most of the audience were unfamiliar with us. It makes us really proud when we get a new crowd dancing and singing along.

What is your favorite venue to play at, and do you have any places you want to play that you have not already?

I don’t think we really have a favorite, we have a lot of gear so the bigger the stage, the better!

If you could play any show with any lineup, who would be on the ticket?

So I really like the idea of playing a festival with some of the younger emerging artists from the past few years. The rock and metal scene has been fighting for relevancy over the past decade, and I think festival promotors should be doing more to give younger bands a bigger shot, rather than just relying on the same few groups that have been around for decades. Loathe, Venom Prison, Issues and Spiritbox are just a few that come to mind.

What is some advice that you would give to someone who is just getting into playing in a band and some advice that you would give to your younger self?

Use every advantage you have and never be afraid to ask for help. I remember when I was just starting, I was so adamant I had to do everything myself, that I would be compromised if I ever brought anyone else in or asked for favours. That’s not how this business works. No one has gotten anywhere without collaboration or help and anyone who says they have is lying.

If you could go back in time and give yourselves advice, what would it be?

See above haha.

Of your songs which one means the most to you and why?

At the moment, probably Don’t Say. When we were first writing the material for our EP, we were constantly questioning whether this was going to work. Bringing in synths and samples was such a huge change for us and we didn’t really know what we were doing. I remember writing the very early demo for that track and thinking “the rest of the guys are never going to go for this”. But everyone vibed with it almost right away and once we got together as a group to work on it I knew we had something special.

Which songs are your favorite to play and which get requested the most?

Suffocate. It’s our most popular track and it always gets everyone going ballistic at our shows.

What is the creative process for the band, and what inspires you to write your music?

Normally it’s me or Craig that starts things off. We'll write a basic demo and send it over to the rest of the group. If everyone vibes with it then we’ll all get together to work on it. Normally I like to start with a completely basic idea that the rest of the track grows from, like a single sample or rhythm that forms the groundwork for the song as a whole.

What kinds of messages do you like to get across in your music?

We’ve really been trying to emanate these ideas of personal growth and positivity within our music recently. It’s something I personally have to get used to. I probably listened to too much Emo music when I was a kid so when I write new material I’m always imagining these dark, brooding lyrics to go with it. Then Craig will get back to me with lyrics he wrote and they have such a positive, self affirming attitude. Its a different angle to work with and I think it’s one that works for the best.

Do you ever have disagreements in your band, and how do you get past them?

Yeah sure we have disputes but we’re all adults so we normally just solve them over a few beers haha. I never really did get these bands that are constantly at each others throats. Like how does anything get done?

What are your plans for the future, and do you have anything that you want to spotlight that is coming up?

We have a couple more gigs coming up, the most important is probably the small local festival we are running on the 30th of July in Brentwood. Then in September we’re back at the studio to record our next EP, which will hopefully be out early next year.

www.junction28band.com