Who likes catchy riffs and lyrics?
Who likes Metalcore and breakdowns? Who enjoys energetic bands on stage?
Who likes Metalcore and breakdowns? Who enjoys energetic bands on stage?
If you do, then Reaping Monday, a Hard Rock/Alternative Metal band from Mississippi, may be your cup of tea.
Get to know them by soaking in all the information below!
(Hosted by Patrick Rangel, So Fresh Int; Answered by T.J. Franks, Reaping Monday):
Q: How did you first get into music (as a band)?
A: Well I (T.J.) have been playing guitar and writing songs since I was 13. It wasn't until about age 19 that I hooked up with our drummer Spence while he was in a band called Point Blank. Spence, another guitarist named Kenneth, and I played mostly cover songs together for years until I decided to bring some of my original music to the band and that's when Reaping Monday really started to take shape. Our bassist Tyler, an old high school friend of mine, joined us later and we finally started playing gigs. Some time later, we had to replace Kenneth with our current guitarist Wes, and finally we added Sam to replace myself as the other guitarist so I could focus on being lead singer only.
A: Well I (T.J.) have been playing guitar and writing songs since I was 13. It wasn't until about age 19 that I hooked up with our drummer Spence while he was in a band called Point Blank. Spence, another guitarist named Kenneth, and I played mostly cover songs together for years until I decided to bring some of my original music to the band and that's when Reaping Monday really started to take shape. Our bassist Tyler, an old high school friend of mine, joined us later and we finally started playing gigs. Some time later, we had to replace Kenneth with our current guitarist Wes, and finally we added Sam to replace myself as the other guitarist so I could focus on being lead singer only.
Q: How long have you been together as a band?
A: Spence and I have been together under the name Reaping Monday for around 6 years, but we have only been in "full form" for about 3 years.
Q: Name some of your biggest influences? Musically or otherwise?
A: Breaking Benjamin is our biggest influence. When I discovered them they had already released We Are Not Alone, and they changed my life forever. I have their symbol tattooed on my forearm. Apart from them, we also draw a lot of influence from Sevendust, Chevelle, older Evans Blue, and many others. As far as the subject matter of our music, I use life experiences for the most part, but I also pull a lot of feelings from movies/tv. Our most popular song Dark Passenger is inspired by tv's Dexter. We're working on a new song called Victims....Aren't We All? which is a reference to The Crow and deals with the idea of life ending and then beginning again different than before.
Q: What's your favorite part of being involved in music?
A: Without question, it's meeting fans. When I first started writing music, I had no idea if it would go anywhere. I was just writing songs for myself to listen to basically. All these years later, to talk to people who say "I haven't stopped listening to you CD since I bought it!" or "Your music has helped me through some stuff", there is no better feeling in the world to us.
Q: What are some accomplishments, recognition, events, etc. that you're proud of?
A: There's always a cool feeling that goes along with winning a Battle of the Bands, and we have a few wins under our belt. The show we're most proud of is a Halloween Bash we just headlined back in October. Looking out into a packed room and seeing so many people singing along with our songs isn't something we are necessarily used to yet, but at that show I finally felt like we had devoted FANS instead of people who just happened to be there seeing us.
Q: What can fans expect in the horizon for Reaping Monday?
A: We have big plans for 2013. Tons of new songs, a new EP, and our first tour!
A: We have big plans for 2013. Tons of new songs, a new EP, and our first tour!
Q: After giving you guys a listen, I still really couldn't put my finger on your sound (in a good way, of course). You seem to incorporate a couple different things into your music. Can you tell the readers about your vibes and specify some artists that you might compare to?
A: We've actually had a few people comment on our unique blend of styles. We started out as a pretty straightforward rock band, but in the last few years its undeniable how popular hardcore music has become in the rock/metal community. As we started to listen to more and more "core" bands (Attila, For the Fallen Dreams, and A Day to Remember to name a few), we started peppering in more breakdowns and screams into the style we had already established. Now we have something that pretty much any rock or metal fan can get into, but that blessing has also become a bit of a curse. We are a great deal heavier than most rock bands we share the stage with, but we aren't hardcore enough for the metal shows (haha).
A: We've actually had a few people comment on our unique blend of styles. We started out as a pretty straightforward rock band, but in the last few years its undeniable how popular hardcore music has become in the rock/metal community. As we started to listen to more and more "core" bands (Attila, For the Fallen Dreams, and A Day to Remember to name a few), we started peppering in more breakdowns and screams into the style we had already established. Now we have something that pretty much any rock or metal fan can get into, but that blessing has also become a bit of a curse. We are a great deal heavier than most rock bands we share the stage with, but we aren't hardcore enough for the metal shows (haha).
Q: What's the music scene like in your part of Mississippi?
A: Eh...it fluctuates. Some shows we can pack out, but for the most part Mississippi is a country and rap state. My own father even says "I can't take that headbangin' crap, y'all need to play some Conway Twitty." I'm almost positive we're the only rock band in our entire home-city of Starkville, MS.
Q: Name some notable acts that you've shared the stage with.
A: As far as national acts go, we've played with One Less Reason (twice), Hot Action Cop, and Egypt Central. There's also plenty of pretty big regional acts we've played with including Shallow Side and Surrender the Fall.
Q: Lately, quite a few people have been posting on your wall with lots of positive feedback whether it concerned your music or performance. How does that affect you as a whole?
A: It is so gratifying to hear that stuff. We love our fans to death, and their feedback affects what our band becomes more than anything else. It feeds us in a way that makes us give 110% percent every time we play because we don't want to let those beautiful people down.
Q: As I've mentioned before, you've a lot of notoriety with your live performance. What are you guys doing differently that makes you stand out?
A: We have the attitude of "Dress for the job you want, not for the job you have." We may just be a local band right now, but we try to play our shows as if we're a famous band playing a huge auditorium full of screaming fans. We just try to think of what would impress us to see a band doing on stage, so we incorporate plenty of jumps, energetic movement around the stage, and crowd participation.
Q: Lastly, is there anything else you'd like to add/say to our readers?
A: Thank you guys SO much for supporting us. With your help, we feel like we can actually make it as far as we want to with this band. For anyone interested, you can pick up our debut EP Watch You Fall on iTunes for only 4.99 or just drop by our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/ReapingMonday and listen to a couple of tracks. Thank you guys!
[Reaping Monday's ReverbNation]
-Patrick
-Patrick
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