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They say there’s a resurgence in the Pop-Punk genre happening right now but to me, Pop-Punk has never left — it’s only grown.
I’ve been talking with quite a few new(er) Pop-Punk bands that put in just as much effort and have just as much talent as the best of them, and it shows.
Today, I’ve got Mason, Kyle, and Kane of the band Only The Strong with us. While they may hail from Calgary, Canada, their music can be heard worldwide, so be sure to give their new EP Fractured a listen! Regardless of if you’re new to Pop-Punk/Emo or a veteran listener, there’s something here for everyone to enjoy!
Anthony:
Thanks a lot for doing this with us today! It’s great to interview another Pop-Punk band! How have these past couple of years been treating you?
Only The Strong:
Well as everyone has, we have had our ups and downs but overall it’s been fantastic, and we are stoked to be getting new music out as well as putting ourselves out there more and more every day!
Anthony:
So, you formed in 2018 and kinda hit the scene head-on and. Aside from your various singles, you have your first EP out. How did the band start? Who are the three of you? Who plays what, and where’d the three of you meet?
Mason:
I’m the lead vocalist. I met Kane online, and Kyle through a Metal band that we are both in!
Kyle:
I’m the guitarist. As Mason said, we met through another band we are in. Then I met Kane when I joined OTS.
Kane:
I play the drums, and I joined the band after I was looking for a group online. They needed a drummer, and I was vibing with some of the material they showed me.
Anthony:
How did the band form? What are your respective backgrounds in music? How did you get to where you are today?
Mason:
The band was started in a Facebook group a couple of years back. Then Kane joined like a month after it started, and a few months afterward Kyle joined as well. I grew up listening to Linkin Park as well as a bunch of Pop-Punk bands like The All American Rejects, and have just always loved Metal and Punk. Now, we kind of mix and match things which is really fun for us, and has helped us to create something familiar but kind of different.
Kyle:
I joined after they were already kind of going so I had lots of material to work with and put my spin on. I was raised on Metal. For as long as I can remember I’ve listened to bands like Iron Maiden, Dream Theater, and Megadeth. Also, all of my family plays music, so I was basically born into it. I got to where I am today by practicing a lot and being open to trying new things.
Kane:
The band was formed a month or so before I joined. I used to listen to a lot of instrumental music when I was young. I played saxophone in a band for years and then taught myself how to play the drums when I was sixteen. I’d learn from watching YouTube, and some of my favorite drummers. I had a lot of encouragement from people just saying I had talent when it came to music, so it inspired me to keep going.
Anthony:
Regarding your newEP, Fractured — what would you say is the overall tone, and the message you’re sending out with it? A sort of “mission statement” if you will.
Only The Strong:
The overall theme of the EP is the feeling of being broken by something and learning to take control, and piece yourself together. We just wanted to find a way to help people feel the kind of comfort we felt when we were writing this EP.
Anthony:
It seems like a lot of bands these days are going back to a 2000s era style sound with a modern twist. Who would you say some of your influences are for the band? I hear some Trash Boat and the ever-present New Found Glory.
Mason:
Honestly, our influences are all over the place. The main ones for me would probably be In Her Own Words, Nothing Nowhere, and Movements. I do love Trash Boat though!
Kyle:
To be honest I’ve never listened to those bands. [Laughs]. I just try to play what sounds good to me. Listening to Chunk No Captain Chunk, Belmont, and Sunrise Skater Kids helps a lot with learning this style of music.
Kane:
I just like to play what I would like to hear, and I never would have learned to play the drums if I hadn’t seen Travis Barker play on TV. He’s my biggest influence. His technicality and style mix really well with any genre, and I draw from that versatility in my own style.
Anthony:
How did you get into music? Has it been something you were into during school, and has it grown from there?
Mason:
I think I have wanted to do music my whole life. Ever since I was a kid, I have loved singing but didn’t learn an instrument until I was sixteen. I didn’t start taking vocal lessons until I was eighteen, but Chester Bennington was what made me sure I wanted to do music. His voice was so incredible and unique, and ever since I heard it all I could think was, “I want to do that. Nothing else, just that.”
Kyle:
Like I said before, my whole family are musicians, so I’ve always had music in my life. I started with drums then moved to bass, but I really decided on guitar when I first heard Avenged Sevenfold. Synyster Gates is the G.O.A.T, and my life’s goal is to meet him or open for them.
Kane:
I did play the saxophone in school. I went on on to perform in stage band, and one summer taught myself how to play drums. Music just made me feel so good, and I knew if I could make music I could make other people feel good too.
Anthony:
What is it like now for you as a band that came out in a nearly completely digital age of music? How hard is it for you to get your music out there, and heard when there’s countless other bands doing the same?
Only The Strong:
It is definitely different. Honestly, the hardest thing is consistency. It sounds easy to be running ads and posting multiple times a day, but after a while it gets taxing. That is why it’s nice that we are all willing to put in the effort.
Anthony:
Have you been able to play live yet as Only the Strong? If so, where have been some of your favorite places your music has taken you? If not, where are you excited to play, and who would you like to share the stage with?
Only The Strong:
We have been able to play live quite a bit, actually! We were planning our first tour in January of 2020, for obvious reasons that did not work out, but before everything shut down we got to play a show with Capstan and Set it Off, and that was probably one of the most surreal experiences we have had as a band.
Anthony:
I love learning about all the different equipment people use. So, this is one I ask everyone — what do you guys use to play, and record with?
Mason:
I use a Sennheiser e-835 when we play, and the mic I use to record is a Shure SM7B, but when we recorded the EP I’m not actually sure what mic we used.
Kyle:
I have a ton of guitars, and I use all of them, but my main one right now is my Ormsby TX GTR. You can see it in our “Hollow Eyes” music video. For the EP we used a few guitars. I did all the leads on the Ormsby, and most of the rhythms were on an LTD Eclipse with an Evertune. We used a Kemper for all the guitar tones. Also, we used a Dingwall five-string through a Kemper for all the bass parts.
Kane:
I haven’t tracked live drums in a while. With today’s tech, it’s more cost-efficient, and time-saving just to program drums. Some people don’t prefer it, but you get a lot of control, and you can rewrite parts pretty rapidly.
Anthony:
Here’s another one we ask everyone — do you collect any music? Records? Cassettes? CDs, etc.? What bands and albums would you say mean the most to you as both a person and as an artist?
Mason:
I used to collect CDs. The ones I remember the most are Of Mice and Men’s Restoring Force, and The Story So Far’s Self-Titled.
Kyle:
I don’t really collect anything…probably guitars, I guess. But the albums the mean the most to me are A7X’s City of Evil, Dream Theater’s Scenes From a Memory, and Gojira’s Magma. That last one got me through a really hard time in my life.
Kane:
I don’t collect any of that. Blink 182’s The Mark, Tom and Travis Show is special to me. It was the soundtrack to one of the best years of my life. And A7X was always one of my favourite bands too. I bonded with a lot of my friends through a mutual love of their music.
Anthony:
What does the future of Only the Strong look like during these still uncertain times?
Only The Strong:
We are jumping right back into writing. We are also looking into touring depending on how COVID goes. There is still so much uncertainty, but we are excited to play again once we know it is safe to do so.
Anthony:
Some bands I’ve talked to have said the pandemic has been both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, you have the free time to work on music that you may not have before or be with family. Has any of this been the case for you all?
Only The Strong:
We had a lot more time to work on music but there was always something that messed with our plans — restrictions changing, some of us getting called back to work while others didn’t. But even though there were a lot of random changes, it made us adaptable which has been really beneficial. We have found lots of ways to work while being apart from each other, and creative ways to do work we needed to be together for. A socially distanced photo shoot was a lot harder than we thought it was going to be.
Anthony:
What is your fantasy lineup for a tour? Who would you love to open up for?
Mason:
Movements, State Champs, and The Story So Far would be an insane tour to be a part of.
Kyle:
This one is tough for me because we wouldn’t fit in with the bands I’d want to tour with, and I don’t know enough Punk bands to put one together. Putting that aside, mine would be Avenged Sevenfold, Gojira, Bullet for my Valentine, Trivium, and then us. A little festival, basically.
Kane:
I’d like to tour with Caskets, Girlfriends, or Point North.
Anthony:
Thanks a lot for doing this! Is there anything else you’d like to say or mention that we may have missed or didn’t go over?
Thanks for having us! Fractured is out now on all major streaming services, so go check it out!!
Interested in learning more about the music of Only The Strong? Check out the link below:
Dig this? Check out the full archives of A.M. Radio, by Anthony Montalbano, here: https://vwmusicrocks.com/a-m-radio-archives/
