Interviews: You Win Again Gravity

In this new occasion we have had the opportunity to interview the Technical Post-Hardcore band You Win Again Gravity, from UK. Check out this band and give them a like on their FACEBOOK PAGE.

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

It's a quote from Futurama (Zapp Brannigan for anyone trying to place it..) that had always been kickingabout in our group of friends. It was originally a song name but our band name at the time, Alaska, was also used by a couple of other bands so we decided to go with this one as it was definitely unique. The only point of contention has been whether there should be punctuation... 

2.Why did you want to play this genre?  

I think it's very difficult to write music that you don't love. It's not really as a choice as much as what comes out. A couple of us have experimented with being in bands of a different genre in the past and it just doesn't feel right. Aside from that, heavier music is just the most fun to play live really. It's easy to let yourself go and flail about like an idiot. 

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

Mostly, yeah. Dan, Jack, James and Johnny go back to school and playing Blink 182/System of a Down/etc covers in the practice room. Andy joined a few years back when we were looking for a new bassist but it instantly felt like he'd always been around too. 

4. Each band member favourite band?  

Ooh, are we talking right now or all-time? Let's go all-time:

 

Jack: Oceansize 

Dan:  Brand New 

Johnny:  Meshuggah 

Andy: Circa Survive 

James: Poison the Well 

5. Who or what inspires you to write songs?  

All sorts really, as we’re sure most songwriters would say. Sometimes after composing some chord progressions or a lead line you can instantly get a feel for the kind of mood that that section should be about, but just as often you can find yourself angry or excited about a conversation or an incident on the bus, and by the time you’re home you’ve got some lyrics ready and everything suddenly revolves around them. Recent themes are to do with darker human emotions and traits, but there’s so much of that that’s evident in today’s social and political affairs that it’s hard to avoid thinking about it sometimes.

6. Where was your last gig?  

Well our last gig was actually a wedding... A friend asked if we'd be her wedding band and we thought we'd give it a go. We're unlikely ever to play Don't Stop Believin' by Journey to a group of drunken aunts and uncles again but it ended up being a really great night overall. 

7. Where would you like to act?  

There are a few festivals we'd definitely like to play. We grew up going to Reading (and it's obviously local to us) and in recent years we've loved ArcTanGent, a smaller festival down near Bristol. It's very much our music there. Beyond that, we played a couple of great gigs at O2 Academy venues and Underworld would be really cool. The ultimate dream would be to tour round Europe. 

8. Whom would you like to feature with?  

Any of the more up and coming bands around our genre would be incredible. Such as Agent Fresco, Arcane Roots, Black Peaks and so on. And we saw Northlane earlier in the year who were amazing live. 

9. Whom not?  

I think we're open to playing with basically anyone really - we once played a show headlined by a solo female violinist and still had a great time. 

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

Some of us have suffered from stage fright worse than others but it's all about finding your own way of dealing with it. Whether it's a beer before the show to settle your nerves or taking a deep breath before the first song. And just to make sure you're fully prepared. Make sure you can play the songs in your sleep and that way it shouldn't be any different on a stage. 

11. What bands have inspired you the most?  

We all have slightly different musical tastes, which definitely gives us our somewhat varied sound, but the artists which have the strongest influence on our sound over the years are probably post-hardcore or progressive staples. Most of us went through the 00’s stage of metal or hardcore, while some of us grew up listening to Pink Floyd, so it’s a little difficult to pick specifics. If we had to do that though, we think you can hear a bit of our sound in bands like Misery Signals, Oceansize, Deftones and Circa Survive. 

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

We don't appear to be at the level of properly crazed fans yet! Everyone we've met has seemed really genuine and nice so far. But as soon as we receive a request for a single lock of hair, you'll be the first to know... 

13. What do you think of your fans? 

Without meaning to sound cliché, our fans really are very important to us. If anyone takes the time to listen and appreciate our music then it makes the whole thing worthwhile. 

14. What do you think of our site? 

It's great that you guys are supporting the scene. The more the better and you seem to be doing a particularly good job of it! 

15. Something to add? 

Just thanks for the interview!