Somber Chronicles

Interview with Somber Chronicles 

February 21, 2016

Describe your band, telling a little about it.

We are an alternative metal band based out of Butler, Pennsylvania.

What are your names? / Who plays what?

Somber Chronicles consists of:

Ryan McElravy - lead vocals

Patrick McElravy- guitar/vocals

Jason Gonzalez- bass/vocals

David Magnus- drums

Have members played with any other bands?

We have all played in bands before except for Ryan.  Dave I guess you could say is the veteran out of all of us in the Pittsburgh music scene, having played in various metal bands throughout the years such as Sealing the Gates. Jason and I were in a hard rock band called Insides Out for a few years. Somber Chronicles is Ryan's first step into the music world.

Do you write your own music or perform covers?  Has it always been this way?  Since the beginning this band has been an original project. There is nothing better than getting up on stage and playing songs you have poured your blood and sweat into.

What year did the band form?  Ryan and I joined the original lineup in 2013. When that lineup fell apart, we recruited Jason and Dave and have been trucking ever since.

Where is bands home? Butler, Pennsylvania.

What's your style of genre?  We play heavy metal with a good dose of hard rock thrown in the mix. People have compared us to Godsmack, Slipknot, and Mudvayne. We have clean and brutal vocals, heavy riffs, guitar solos, and crazy drums and bass.

Just listen for yourself.

What inspires your music?  Everyday life. Sometimes I don't even know where it comes from. Lyrics and song parts will just come out of 

nowhere.

How often do you rehearse?  We try to practice once a week to every other week. It can be difficult sometimes because some of us have kids and we all have families. Not to mention we all work weird job hours. We make it happen when we can. We 

practice on our own which helps a lot.

Do you utilize a booking agency, and what are your thoughts around that?  No, not at this time we don't. I'm either way about it. I think it's good to get your feet wet and book your own shows. That being said though, a booking agency has the potential to provide you with opportunities you may

 not have had before.

Are you looking for a label, and what are your thoughts around that?  Not at this moment. We are a fairly young band and are just getting out there starting to get some recognition.  As far as labels go, if the right opportunity presented  itself, we would definitely hop on it. But the way the music industry is now a days, you don't necessarily need to be backed by label to be a successful band.

What are your songs about?  Whatever is going on in life. We try to write songs that people can connect with and take what they want from it.

Who does the composing and writes the lyrics?

I (Patrick) generally start the song writing process. I will bring in a piece on guitar with or without lyrics and the guys build on from there, whether it be just adding their parts or reconstructing the original idea. By the time of the song is done it is a group effort. Sometimes Ryan will bring in some lyrics he has worked on and we will build off of it.

Do you start with the music or the lyrics?  It all depends on the day. Sometimes a guitar riff will pop in my head, other days a vocal melody with some

 lyrics will come out first.

Do you compose in a certain enviroment?

Nope. Creativity knows no bounds. I do my best to keep the idea in my head until I can get to my guitar or my phone so I can record a quick vocal memo for lyrics or melodies.

What are the least and most people to attend one of your gigs?  Haha this is a good one. We have played to audiences where it is mainly just the bands and our parents or significant others. We have also played shows where it’s packed and crazy mosh pits going on. You never know, but you still play like you're playing to a packed venue and give it your all.

What ages are most of your concert attendants?

I'd say generally between 16 to 30.

Do you always play the same songs live, or do you vary?  We are always writing, at this point we can swap songs out. It’s a nice way to test how much we and the audience likes it.

Do you have a regular place you play live often?

We have played places a couple times, we've never really stuck to just one venue though. We always try to find new places.

What was your first gig like?  Our first gig was at the Rex Theater in Pittsburgh. It was through a terrible booking agency I won't mention, and the show was mostly rap with a couple punk bands. We were last on the line up and we played to our parents 

and the staff.  All the other bands and people left which was lame.

What was your latest gig?  Our last show was a Halloween show in Butler at the Beacon Hotel. We had a pretty stacked line up and the

 place was packed. It was one hell of a show.

Have you had to cancel a gig?  Yes, unfortunately. We cancelled one show due to our drummer injuring his ankle very badly and another due to our lead singer moving out of town.

Where have you played live this year?  We have played in venues like the Keynote Cafe, the Smiling Moose, the Diesel Club Lounge, and the Beacon Hotel to name a few.

Where do you plan to gig the coming year?

Anywhere our schedules will allow us. We really want to make it up to Erie over the summer. We are focusing on recording now and getting an EP out.

What do you think about people downloading music instead of buying records now a days?

Downloads are defiantly more easier and more convenient to get your hands on, and are more convenient this day and age. They definitely make it easier to expose your brand and product to a wider range of audience via the Internet. While that's awesome,  records let you take a part of the artist with you to hold physically.

How do you think the music industry have changed because of this?  It has definitely been a game changer for the industry itself. It has definitely made it harder for bands to profit off of their recordings and now to tour relentlessly to make any sort of profit.

Do you have any role models or idols?

We all come from various backgrounds but also have a common middle ground.

Dave - Frank Zappa, Blake Richardson

Patrick - Stevie Ray Vaugn, Jerry Cantrell

Ryan-Ryan Clark, Bjorn Strid

Jason-Breaking Benjamin, Chevelle 

Is it easier to find inspiration from older bands, or bands that are more active today?

I don't think it really matters either way. It differs from each person. Influences change all the time.

What have been your biggest obstacles?

Our schedules and lives. We are all busy but we do our best to make this work.

What advice would you give other bands or artists?

Do it for the love of music. Write and play from the heart. Put your all into it, because if you want any sort of success on a national level or even locally you got a lot of foot work to do. Support other bands in your scene.  We are all in this together. Go to shows, share each other’s music via social media. Always be supportive. There is no room in the scene for negativity.

Do you have any new material?  Yes. We just put out our single "My Solace" last month and are heading back into the studio to finish our first EP. The response from the single has been great and we can't wait to put this EP out soon. 

What are your websites?

www.facebook.com/SomberChronicles/

https://somberchronicles.bandcamp.com/

How can people reach you?

Facebook is usually the easiest way.

What are your plans for the future?

We are recording and working to release our Ep “My Solace” and continue writing and playing shows.

What do you think of my work?  I thought this was a very in depth and personal interview to get to know the artist. From a band’s stand point this was very fun to do.

How do you think that this interview will help you in the local music scene and beyond? 

Anything that will help get a band’s name out helps. The internet is a crazy thing. 

Do you have something to add?

Like I said before, support your local scene. Support your fellow bands in any way you can. Thank you very much for taking the time to interview us and post this.