Interviews: Burden Of The Sky


In this new occassion we have had the opportunity to interview the  Alternative Metal/Rock band Burden Of The Sky from USA. Check out the interview and this band on their FACEBOOK PAGE.

1. Where did you get the idea for the band name, you planned it or came out just like that? 

Brad Shaw: The name “Burden of the Sky”, nearly universally, brings about the imagery of Atlas holding up the world, but even beyond that, I’ve always taken the name to refer to the burden that the sky itself bears, for all of our sake.  There is no human race, no nature, nothing at all without its containment, without its protection, and so, truly, it was this happy accident that stemmed from the Atlas story and the themes within. A lot of the names we had been throwing into the hat were thematically very similar to that, and eventually the Atlas concept rolled around, and the burden of his sky. 

The other happy accident, of course, being that the shorthand way to refer to it is “BOTS”, which we discovered after about a month and thought was incredibly ironic.

2. Why did you want to play this genre? 

Brad Shaw: While it’s by no means the only genre that I’m a fan of, it’s definitely the one I love the most.  Rock music, especially today, is a consistently debatable topic among those in the hierarchy…  You have the Dave Grohl’s of the world, on the one hand, stating outright that rock is alive and well, and we certainly all want to think that.  But you’re always going to have the naysayers, the “Rock is dead” crowd.  Maybe the truth is somewhere in the middle, but I can say with confidence that I couldn’t think of a different genre that I’d prefer to be a part of, no matter where on that spectrum the truth is hiding.  Rock music has a stubborn, never say die attitude guiding it along, and to say the least, I think it’s well due for its own Renaissance.  There are few things I’d prefer in life than being a part of that.

3. Did you know each other before the band was formed? 

Brad Shaw: Josh and I had crossed paths more than a few times, as we’d played a bunch of shows together in our previous bands.  Josh also knew Scotty back in one of his previous bands, the connection of which didn’t truly come full circle for quite some time afterwards.  Mike was pretty far up north, and so meeting him was really a lucky break for all of us.  Finally, Rick and Dustin were Peoria natives, but Dustin ended up playing a show in Bloomington with his previous group, and essentially, Rick found us. So, you could almost say that we knew OF each other prior to the band’s formation.

4. Each band member favorite band? 

Josh: Korn
Scottie: Coheed and Cambria
Brad: Sevendust
Rick: Sum 41
Dustin: Led Zeppelin
Mike: Deftones

5. Who or what inspires you to write songs? 

Scottie James: I'm inspired by life in general. Writing has always been my outlet and my way of getting my thoughts and feelings out of my head. I draw inspiration from listening to music as well. If i hear something that really moves me sometimes it can spark an idea in my head that turns into something else. It's difficult to pin point one source of inspiration. I'd say its more of a collection of thoughts that builds up in my head and I the only way I can get them out is to open the faucet and let them pour out of my head and onto paper.

6. Where was your last gig? 

Brad Shaw: We last played at the Castle Theatre in Bloomington with Dead Girls Acadamy, Killakoi and From Ashes to New.  Had a special guest with us that night, rapper Futuristic came out and performed his song ‘Epiphany’ with us.  Was honestly an unforgettable experience, and all with our own hometown crowd too.

7. Where would you like to act? 

Scottie James: I think it's unanimous that we would all like to play a part in The Office.

8. Whom would you like to feature with? 

Scottie James: Korn is a band we all would love to be on stage with. Some other bands would be Killswitch Engage, Breaking Benjamin, Asking Alexandria.

9. Whom not? 

Scottie James: Please no mumble rappers. Please. No. Mumble. Rappers.

Brad Shaw: There’s a pretty small list of artists that I’d say we don’t want to feature with. I’m pretty happy to collaborate with anybody, really. I second the “no mumble rapper” approach. HAHA

10. Any of you has ever suffered from stage fright? Any tip for beginners on how to beat that? 

Brad Shaw: As I’m sure all of the rest of these guys will attest to, nobody on the planet gets more stage fright than me.  There’s like a four second span of time from the very first chord that I genuinely fear I will completely and totally forget how to play guitar, and just be trapped up there making what can only be described as “Bad noise”.  This fear has yet to manifest, though, and honestly, there’s this borderline ‘high’ that you get from the anxiety of it.  It’s comparable to public speaking, where you’re worried that it’s going to go horribly wrong, and then, from the moment you start, you’re just rolling with the punches, and then, out of nowhere…. It’s over.  Good or bad, you did it, and everyone survived.

The best piece of advice I would give, while it should certainly come across as obvious…. Practice.  Prepare yourself.  There is a difference between giving a presentation that you simply didn’t work very hard on, and are finding yourself suddenly up there winging it, and just straight up being nervous.  I’ve played in bands like that before.  ‘Stage fright’ should come because you get nerves, not because you don’t know your songs.  If you are well prepared, it will go away.

11. What bands have inspired you the most? 

Brad Shaw: For me personally, I have always felt that Sevendust has remained my all time favorite group, and that they have been consistently growing and evolving throughout their career, even after all of these years.  It’s the fact that they express humility, and give off the vibe that their concert audience is, in truth, ‘their family’.  Plus, they haven’t put out a single album that I could say I don’t like, which is an impressive accomplishment when you’ve been around for 20 some odd years.  Maintaining a consistent level of inspiration, and not falling into the creative doldrums…  I can attest already that it’s as much an art as a skill, and that it’s incredibly difficult to pull of successfully.

12. What's the weirdest thing a fan has ever asked you for? 

Scottie James: I had a fan ask me to sign their arm so they could get the signature tattooed. I said only if they sign me first. We both agreed that signing my butt cheek was the best solution. So, I guess that's partially my fault?

13. What do you think of your fans? 

Scottie James: We are extremely thankful for our fans. Seeing them at the shows screaming our lyrics and watching them smiling and having a great time from the stage is an experience like no other and we couldn't be more thankful to have so many great people supporting us. We have a lot of fun hanging out with them after shows; hearing their stories and goofing around all night. I think our fans see that we just like to have fun up on stage and when they come hang out with us it's no different. We're just like on big group of friends.

“The Puppeteer”, the newest single from Burden Of The Sky, is available now on
all major streaming and download sites.

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