Thanks Joe.
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In a city overflowing with cynics who constantly clamor for someone to break the mold, bands like Fixtures are welcomed with open, sleeve-tattooed arms. The raw, desperate vocals of frontman Jeffrey Bias over top of the slow, churning tempos and atmospheric melodies give the group a sound that is refreshingly unique in Richmond’s disconcertingly repetitive music scene. Hopefully this kind of originality will give the fledgling outfit an edge that will lead to a full-length in the near future. Until then interested parties should absolutely check out their split EP with This Time It's War, Rusted Screws and the Machinery of Man. I got a chance to talk to Blake Melton and Jeffrey Bias about who they are and whatever it is they do.
Members:
Blake Melton- Guitar
Jeffery Bias - Vocals
Travis Jordon - Drums
Reed Mincey - Guitar
Ashley Small - Bass
So for starters, how'd you guys all meet?
Blake: Jeff and I were in another band together for around four years, and Fixtures started around late 2007 when we (Jeff and I) decided to form a more “progressive” side-project. During that time, we met Reed and Travis, who were in another local band that we played with often. Ashley has sort of always been a friend of ours, so after both our old bands met their demise, we invited Ashley in. Naturally, our sound manifested from its “progressive metal” roots into whatever it is today.
Normally I don't ask this question, but I actually like your name and was wondering why you chose it.
Blake: Jeff and I chose our name from a song by an amazing New York hardcore band called Achilles, who have a song titled “We Are Fixtures.” It stood out to us, so we decided to snatch it.
How would you describe Fixtures to someone who has never heard of you?
Blake: It’s like heavy ambient music for cowboys of the cosmos
Jeff: Post-Ambient Space Metal
What are your thoughts on the metal scene in Richmond? Do you think it’s changing and evolving or fading away?
Blake: Oh, the Richmond metal scene is thriving. Aside from bands like This Time It’s War, I can’t exactly say that there’s much originality here. We’ve tried our best to shy away from the cesspool of breakdowns, blast beats, and cliche violent lyrical themes, and we rarely perform with acts of that nature. It’s really just a gimmick these days, but kids here dig it a lot... and that sucks, haha
Jeff: I hate the metal scene in Richmond. I know hate may be a strong word, but most of the metal bands here are content with regurgitating the same songs everyone has heard before and stringing breakdowns together. There are some bands that are worth a shit like This Time It's War and Postcards so I guess I still have hope, but not much.
Do you see bands in your area striving to become more unique as a response to this?
Blake: I’m not sure if they are specifically unique in retaliation to the locals’ cries for diversity, but there has definitely been a sudden bloom of genre-defying musical artists in the area. Bands like Postcards, Shy, Low, and Mouthbreather are all doing very different and new things in Richmond. It’s awesome to be able to go to a show and be bombarded by a different sound with each band that plays, as opposed to the typical back-to-back breakdown-fests that we’re so used to seeing. In short, there is a valuable trend spreading that is birthing more “unique” bands than I have ever seen in central Virginia. However, I don’t think it is in direct response to showgo’er complaints.
Jeff: Even though most of the music in Richmond is derivative and unoriginal, there are a few bands that strive to do something new like Shy, Low, Postcards, Comrades, and Fletchette.
Is it hard to find venues with that cater to heavier music?
Blake: It is quite difficult to find venues that are specifically suited to a specific genre here, because contrary to popular belief, Richmond has a very diverse local music scene. Unfortunately, many bands simply dig themselves into one specific niche and inversely wind up playing the same venues with the same bands, over and over. Strange Matter is definitely at the top of my list of great venues in Richmond. There’s always excellent sound and environment at Strange Matter. I’ve (personally) never been to a bad show there.
Jeff: It's hard to find venues of any kind in Richmond right now. The city is shutting down all of the DIY venues which really sucks. There's little I love more than playing in someone's living room, shoulder to shoulder with everyone who’s there for the show. I'm not very choosy when it comes to the venues we play in. I want to play anywhere.
How'd you decide which songs are going on your upcoming EP? How much of it is new material?
Blake: There is one song we wrote called The New Swarm that we have been playing since around December of last year (2010). The other track that will appear on the split is called House Of The Silver Wedding, which we have had written for quite some time now... we’ve just never gotten around to performing it live. We chose these two tracks because they are somewhat of a departure from our other material.
Why'd you decide to do a split rather than a full-length?
Blake: We chose to do a split because, as simply as possible, we are broke. We’ve barely made it past a full year as a band so far, however, we have enough tracks to record a full-length. It is merely a matter of financial binds that keep us from pursuing that right now. Also, we had a few songs that don’t really mesh well with the rest of our material, so we figured they deserved their own release, which is why we chose to release them on a split.
Jeff: The split with This Time It's War will be our first "official" release so it's a good way to introduce ourselves. And it never hurts to have good friends like those dudes supporting our music as much as they do.
What are some qualities you want to see in a producer that you're working with?
Blake: Everyone in the band has a desire to have our music sound as natural and expansive as possible, meaning minimal trigger usage, copy/paste tracks, and essentially anything that would drastically alter our overall “sound.” There is also a certain element of “noise” involved in the songs we write, which we purposely include in order to obtain a similar experience to our live show. I would love to have control over a large portion of the audio manipulation so that we can achieve our “ideal sound.”
Who writes your lyrics? What do you like to write about?
Jeff: I write the lyrics. I really don't like to sit down and try to write lyrics with a certain subject matter in mind. The songs often end up having to deal with religion and mortality and the greed of our society as a whole.
Blake: We all share somewhat the same understandings and beliefs of Jeff’s lyrical content.
Do you ever write lyrics before you write the music? Or does the song have to be fully fleshed out before you put words to it?
Jeff: Most of the lyrics to our finished songs were written after the music was written. For Fixtures, I wanted to let the music of each song dictate my mood during the writing process.
What kind of crowd do you like to see at your shows?
Blake: We absolutely love seeing new faces. Usually a lot of the same people come out to shows, and we love that too. There’s nothing better than demonstrating your art to a crowd who simply appreciates it. They don’t have to understand it, or try connect with it, or even pay attention to it (although it is preferred). We just want the crowd to respect what we do as an art form and not as some music-based lucrative gimmick.
Jeff: I love to see anyone and everyone at every show.
What is that one sample you use on the song "The New Swarm"? I'm a movie dork and I kinda recognized it but not quite.
Blake: That sound clip is from the film Contact, one of my favorite movies of all time (trivia, haha).
Any plans to tour in the future?
Blake: We are hoping to get some touring going once my semester ends (I’m the member who holds the band back because I’m in college). We tried to book a short run this summer with This Time It’s War, but failed miserably with only one venue responding to our emails. Booking a tour is very difficult, kids. Basically, we spent about a month sending emails to various venues outside of Virginia... to no avail.
Jeff: We all either work full time or go to school so it's pretty difficult to line up tours, but we're looking to do a lot of weekend tours in and around Virginia in the very near future.
Some of your influences?
Blake: Personally, I draw influences from many different genres and artists when writing Fixtures songs. It can range anywhere from more “light” sounding artists like Stars Of The Lid, Sigur Ros, or Caspian, to more “heavy” artists like Rosetta, Cult Of Luna, or Callisto. We really try not to limit ourselves when writing, which makes it very hard for us to describe what we sound like to someone who has never heard us.
Jeff: Some of the bands that will always influence me are These Arms Are Snakes, Spitfire, Fear Before the March of Flames, Botch, Refused, the Blood Brothers, and At the Drive-In.
What equipment do you guys use?
Blake: I am currently utilizing a B-52 AT100 head on a HUGE old 80’s (I think) Peavey 4x12 cabinet, and I play with either my Fernandes H-65 or ESP Viper 400. I also use a Digitech multi-effects pedal, which I am looking forward to retiring as soon as I obtain any other pedals... I know Reed uses an Egnator amp on some Marshall 4x12s, Ashley uses a Gallien-Krueger amp on an Ampeg cab, and Travis uses a Ludwig epic series kit with an awesome 24 inch bass drum.
Reed: For guitars, I use a mid 1990's Gibson Les Paul Special & a 1972 Fender Thinline Telecaster. For amplification, I use an Egnater Tourmaster 4100 All-Tube Head, a Marshall MG412 Cabinet, and a Marshall MC212 Cabinet. For effects, I have an array of many pedals, but the main effect pedal in my rig is a Boss DD-20 Giga Delay pedal. My Gibson, Egnater, and my Boss Giga Delay are the most dear to me, and could never imagine my tone and overall complete sound without that combination.
- Joe Chevalier
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