Interview '07 - Venture
10.19.07 - Friday
Like every other young band that have strived to make it to the top of the rock genre the four musicians that make up the group Venture are not taking the easy road on their climb up to superstardom. The last four years since their formation have been met with all the trials and tribulations that come with the territory of being a musician. The hardships that a prevailing artist will go through in order to prove themselves is something that can be counteracted by longevity and since Venture's humble beginnings they've made all the sacrifices placed that were put in front of them. From their days on the bar scene to playing in front of a crowd of 4,000 in support of Godsmack several months back this group from North East Texas are now ready to set their sights on the rest of the world.
A little over a month ago Venture released their first full length album, The Prisoner, on an unsuspecting world not quite knowing what preliminary reactions would be. Armed with a disc that is a nonstop assault of raw intensity Venture have delivered one of the most superb modern rock albums of the year. In a contemporary scene that has become jaded over the last several years Venture have managed to bring passionate arena rock back in a form that is helping shape the very future of the genre. Recently, Shipwreck Island Studios had the chance to sit down with Venture as all four members: Vocalist/guitarist Blake Self, Guitarist Vin Abadie, Drummer Michael Barnes, and Bassist Chris Gentry were more than happy to share their thoughts on their evolution as Venture to having some help from several big names on their debut. To see what else the guys had to say keep reading.
Photos Courtesy Of:
www.myspace.com/venture
Blake: Well I'll take this one since I came up with the name long ago, in a galaxy far, far... Ehhh you get the point! The name actually came to me in a bulletin board for a different rock group. I used to sit up all night posting ads for musicians that would possibly want to jam with me in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. One night I landed upon the submersed forum and found a group of fans chatting. I immediately threw myself out there, telling them who I was and my motives. I got a bunch of "sorry I don't play an instrument" from the majority of the group, but in the midst of everything, I got a response from a guy that wanted to wish me luck on my musical 'venture'. For some odd reason he quoted venture. I quickly wrote back to him thanking him for the support and for naming the band for me! If you look venture up in the dictionary, you will understand why I wanted to name the band venture at that time. If there was one word that could sum the four of us up as 'venture' it would be 'daring' in my opinion, and that basically sums up its definition..
Island:
For an artist cutting their teeth in this industry means
constantly touring and gaining a following. Over the last three years
Venture has managed to garner respect by building a loyal following and
this past July you had the opportunity to open for one of the biggest
hard rock acts in the industry today: Godsmack. When a band reaches such
a point in their career there is obviously going to be some butterflies
as you have to balance the honor of opening for a group who has already
established themselves with the burden of making impression on the
audience. Did the experience opening for Godsmack bring about any new
outlooks toward how you perform in front of a crowd? What was the
initial reaction coming off stage once your set was over for both the
band and the audience? Lastly what is the fondest memory that will
constantly remain with you from that night?
Blake:
Wow! Where to begin?! First and foremost,
I'd like to thank Godsmack for allowing us to be on that stage. It is
definitely the highlight for all of our careers at this stage. We
learned so much on that stage that has helped us in our live shows after
that night. You learn very quickly how to work a crowd and how to keep
their eyes on you at all times. When you have 4,000+ people watching
you, its make it or break it. Fortunately we put on the best show we
have ever performed to this date. The crowd gave us a very warm welcome
and made that 40 minutes the best time of our life! I will always
remember the last song we played, 'without a doubt'. During the bridge,
there is a gang vocal that we did. A 'chant' so to speak. We extended
that bridge for the live show so I could have a couple of rounds at
teaching the crowd the chant. When it was their turn to come in with it,
I will never forget the sound of thousands upon thousands of people
shouting our song!
Island:
Looking into the future and with the new opportunities
that will come forth is there any one band that would be the ultimate
experience for Venture to open for or go out on a full blown tour with?
Also if you had the opportunity to go back in time and open a show for
any band from the last 30 years which one would it be? Would there any
particular reason that you’d want to open a gig for them?
Vin:
It would probably be Metallica because they are such a
huge inspiration to all of us and they play huge shows... If I could
back in time and open for any band it would probably be Ozzy with Randy
Rhoads......Enough said!
Island:
Usually when a band records their first studio album
together there will be some inexperience to worry about however Venture
has recorded a couple EPs worth of material over the last couple years.
One can imagine when you guys entered the studio for the recording
sessions on The Prisoner that there was still some anxiety remaining
since the finished product would be your first full length release. The
main thing that really makes the album standout is the combination of
great mixing with the tight production skills of Brett Hestla and Justin
Thomas. Brett has become renowned for his work in Dark New Day so it’s
very impressive to have him in the mixer/producer’s chair. How did Brett
get involved with Venture in the first place and as a producer what did
he bring to the table?
Vin: Brett
heard our stuff and wanted to work with us, and we were psyched to work
with such a great musician.... He brought insight into the whole
production side of recording and helped us with arrangements.
Island: Another thing that makes The Prisoner such a powerful debut is the fact that some of the final mixes were done by world acclaimed producer Beau Hill. Beau has worked with some of the biggest names in rock so to have him mixing tracks on your first album must leave you in a state of awe. First off how did Beau get involved? Second, what is your reaction to the finished product? And finally, were you shocked when you heard the final mixes compared to when the songs were initially recorded and pieced together?
Michael: Beau Hill was an excellent guy to work with. He came across us when we were approached for possible management. During negotiations, Beau Hill's name came up in conversation. We did our research on him and found that he was a very important player in the industry. We thought it would be in our best interest to give Beau a shot at two of our songs, 'Impossible' and 'Without A Doubt' and see what he could do with them. Definitely a smart move! We were very pleased with Beau's work and I think the fans were too!
Island: Most of the modern rock bands out there nowadays have an extremely tough time keeping the flow of an album consistent throughout its entirety but everything about The Prisoner is enormous in terms of sound. Whether it was the huge vocals, huge guitars, or huge choruses each of those qualities has an energy behind it that is very rare to find on a debut album in the modern scene. What was the attitude going into the recording of this album? Also were there any specific goals that the band wanted to accomplish since this is the debut album and it’s always those first impressions that are the hardest to make?
Chris: I think the only way to answer this question honestly is to throw it out there that we are not signed. Therefore... We do what we want to do. Not what the industry wants us to do. We had the freedom to rock out as hard as we want to and were free from the label reps whispering in our ears on what they thought we should sound like. What you get on 'The Prisoner' is Venture in its rawest form. It's how we want to be remembered and its exactly how we want to sound. Who knows, as we grow as musicians and as a group, our sound could change somewhat...But right now....We have the 'we don't give a *&^$ attitude' and I think it shows on our album! :)
Island:
Focusing on the consistency of the album it’s a little
unusual for an upcoming band to give listeners one straight forward
rocker after another without including some form of songwriting that
consists of the slow song/ballad formula. The Prisoner can be best
described as a hard edged adrenaline rush throughout the twelve songs
that are featured on the disc and that basically sets up for the next question:
Was the demeanor on this release just to give fans a straight forward
rock album that basically puts it out there and makes no apologies? Or as
a band did you just want to give everyone a release that would basically
live up to the general objective when Venture first took form several
years ago?
Blake: That is an interesting
question and it's tricky for us to answer. It's hard to write songs for
the people. It's difficult to sit around and compose a song wondering on
whether or not people will like it or if labels will like it. In my
opinion, it loses a lot of its meaning. The 12 songs on the album I
wrote when I felt them. They were not rushed, not pushed, and not
manipulated. They are honest, rockin' songs about certain times in my
life. As an active rock fan, that is all I can ask of my favorite bands.
Just stay true to yourself.
Island: When looking at the history of this band Venture has only been together since early 2004. It’s been a relatively short time but since then you’ve basically have taken Texas by storm and it looks like it will be a short matter of time before the rest of the world will be introduced to Venture. Not many bands are capable of coming into their own in just three short years and it’s such a rarity to see and hear a group of musicians pushing the boundaries on a debut album but you’ve managed to step up and turn some heads thus far. There is an obvious chemistry between every one of you since each individual brings their own unique traits to the group as a whole. If there was any one key element that Venture has strived for since day one what would it be? Also as the band continues to evolve are there any specific traits that you want to master between now and future albums?
Chris: There is not much that can be said besides the fact the we strive to get better every day. It's all we can do. Practice practice practice and write write write. The more songs we write, the more experienced we are going to become as a whole. We wake up every day wondering how we can get better or how we can take the band to another level. Eat, sleep, dream, poop Venture! ;)
Island: Songwriting is perhaps the most grueling art form that constantly pushes musicians past certain limits. The songwriting that is featured on The Prisoner is truthfully some of the most effective that has been created in the past year. Featured below are five song titles if you could give some thoughts and insight on the meanings behind them.
Blake: I usually don't give out the exact meanings of my songs, just because it ruins it for some of the listeners that think it's about something else. But I will give you a little details! (Laughing)
The Prisoner - This song was basically my response or 'comeback' to the nay-sayers that were around me. With any dream, there will be people out there that try and shatter it. In this song, I got my chance to tell them all goodbye!
Fallen Angel - This song was inspired by two friends that I had over in Iraq. Fortunately, they both made it back safely. I tried to put myself in their shoes and the rest is up for you to decide!
Hold You Down - Ahh this is a funny one. I could go on and on but ill refrain for now. You never know when that song could become a hit single and the culprit throws a lawsuit at me!!!! (just kidding!). Its about a girl. An evil girl. That thought the world revolved around her. Too bad it doesn't!
Give Me Your Pain - Unfortunately I can't really explain this song. It's probably one of the darkest songs I have written and it has gotten many of our listeners through some rough times. It was basically written about a person that was going through some terrible abuse. Physically and mentally. My heart goes out to people that are suffering from any sort of issue like that and I wish they could all 'Give Me Their Pain'.
Push - Push is probably the only spiritual song on the album. It's basically a cry out for help on where to go in my life.
Island:
As this interview wraps up we’d like to take this time
and congratulate you on the release of The Prisoner and wish you all the
best as Venture begins to put their support fully behind it. We’d also
like to thank you, Venture, for taking the time out of your schedules to
sit down and answer our questions. Are there any final words of wisdom,
or any final thoughts in general, you’d like to leave all your fans as
well as our readers with?
Venture:
Thank you for entertaining us with the
questions and we hope we answered them all for ya! To all our fans, eat
fruit splosions and watch out for spiders!! We have a whole lot more to
offer everybody and we hope we get the chance to share it with the world
someday! Peace!
Venture's full length debut The Prisoner is out now and available at: cdbaby.com as well as on iTunes
For more on Venture make sure to visit the following sites:
www.ventureband.com / www.myspace.com/venture