TEAM LIGHT YOU ON FIRE!
Members: Jeremy "Jer Bear" Maurizi - Vocals. Damien Hager - Rhythm Guitar/Back-Up Vocals. Brian Revor - Bass/Back-Up Vocals. Adam Petkus - Drums. Ian Sullivan - Lead Guitar.
Genre: Unclassifiable
Location: Chicago Heights/Homewood/Glenwood, Illinois
Record Label: None yet, but looking
Team Light You On Fire! is a 5-piece band from Illinois. Their sound that is sort of a blend of punk and metal, drawing heavily from all kinds of influences. I recently had the pleasure of interviewing them and have been listening to two new songs from their upcoming EP The World Is Not Loud Enough which is due out right in time for Halloween. One thing that really radiates from all these guys is their passion for simply putting on the best show that they can for their fans (something which they all agree is better than sex by the way). And the passion really carries over to the songs on the EP, with it retaining that sort in-your-face intensity of being right there seeing the band play, while refining the sound and also allowing a trick or two from recording studio technology. The presumably reclusive Ian did not participate in the interview, but all the other guys talked fondly of him, so I can only assume he's trying to cultivate some mystique as an eccentric lead guitarist.
THE REVIEW
The first track I listened to was 'Last Goodbye', which starts off with a short riff and quick build-up on the drums before really kicking in, and exploding into the crunchy verse. Immediately I was struck by the dual-vocals- a combination of a tradtional, passionate croon and a sub-sonic howl- and how well those two seemingly opposing sounds meshed together. I also found the melody to be instantly memorable, withh the lyrics seeming to carry a lot of personal impact: 'My hands shakes as I write these words/ You messed with my mind, my head wants to explode'. I for one can think of many times my head has felt like it wanted to explode, so this is something I think everyone can relate to. Throughout, the drums move at a breakneck-pace, with the rest of the band following and chugging along like a train. Things get really interesting during the bridge, where a riff that sort of reminds me of the intro to 'Welcome to the Jungle' emerges, and the lead guitar comes in with a brief but very tasteful phrase, before transitioning effortlessly back into the chorus: '...Let the streets run red with blood/ No one will be safe and sound, not after what you've done'. The track is capped-off with some particularly deep growling and a skillful little display of drum-fireworks.
The second track I checked out, and my personal favorite of the two, was 'Asleep in the Trenches'. This track kicks right in with some riffage that can really only be described as 'badass'. The lyrics: 'Divided we stand/ United we fall...'- seem to be carrying a message of self-reliance... that sometimes, the only person you can really count on is yourself. For some reason I keep getting a bit of a Mastodon feel from this track (mainly from the churning guitar and the guttaral wail of some of the vocals) not a bad thing at all since personally I think Mastodon is one of the better, if not best of the current metal bands. Around 3:20, the band starts engaging in some very interesting rhythmic interplay that actually called to mind System of a Down. The band then segues neatly back into a reprise of the beginning with a cool echo-effect on the vocals that could have come off as a little cheesy (but doesn't) before ending ending on a killer, menacing growl. Something else I just have to say about this track, is it makes me think of the music they play in those 'Army of One' commercials, you know, just that really over-the-top, dramatic metal- which again is not a bad thing, just an observation, and also I think surprisingly appropriate because the title 'Asleep in the Trenches' does call to mind images of being in the trenches of war.
It should be noted that the Team Light You On Fire! guys cite just as much of a punk influence as metal (as you'll read in the interview they all have a fondness for Rancid), but there does seem to just be a predominantly more-metal lean to their songs, at least what I've heard so far.
Here's the interview.
How long have you guys been a band?
Jer: As a full band we've been together since April 2009, but the whole thing started back in January right after my old band Misfire played our final show.
How did you guys meet?
Jer: Well me and Brian knew each other for a while cause we were friends in high school and used to be in 2 bands together, then I knew Ian from school also.
Brian: Me and Jeremy have been homeboys for quite a while, going on 5 years. I met him in speech class and didn't like him at first because all he'd talk about was boxing.
Jer: According to Damien, I've met him plenty of times from old Misfire shows, but I never really started talking to him till i posted a bulletin on Myspace saying that TLYOF was looking for a rhythm guitarist and he responded...
Damien: Well I stalked Jeremy's old band Misfire for a while. Eventually they disbanded, and I saw Jeremy at work a couple days later, asking him if he was doing anything else band-related at the moment. From what I gathered he already had another full band, but a few weeks later he posted the bulletin on Myspace about needing a new guitarist, and I filled that position.
Adam: I met everyone through Damien. I'd known him since probably my second year of high school, though we never talked much back then until one day we were at a friend's party and started talking music. He told me one day he'd like to get together and jam...
(Editor's note: And the rest, as they say, was history.)
Has your line-up always been like it is now or have there been any changes?
Jer: Our line-up has seen some changes. The band originally started out when my old band broke up cause I couldn't stand the idea of not playing music. So I started talking to Brian about playing bass, then I started talking to Ian during some games of beer pong and thats kind of how it all started. Once we got Ian he got a drummer named Brian who never showed up to a practice so we eventually replaced him with my friend Pat. After about a month of practice Pat quit due to unknown reasons, and at this time we had just recruited Damien to play guitar for us. Lucky for us, Damien knew of Adam and from then on we've been the same.
Who would you say your biggest influences are?
Jer: My biggest influence has always come from punk music, mainly the band Rancid. They are my inspiration for everything. but for this band I get a lot of influence from Escape The Fate. They seem to fit the style of TLYOF a lot more than Rancid does, and I try to take as much influence as I can from their old and new singer when it comes to my stage presence.
Brian: My tastes in music have changed over the years. I used to be really into metal, bands like Pantera and Trivium but then that started to fade once i heard Rancid for the first time and I consider punk rock to be my first love. I still like metal plenty but Rancid changed my entire world when it came to music. I try to incorporate several different styles into what i play, trying to throw some punk sounding lines in some of our heavier stuff. Recently i have really become a friend of ska and the Reel Big Fish and Streetlight Manifesto have been some of my favorite bands.
Damien: My main influence has always been punk rock, from a very early age I've been listening to a lot of punk bands. Ska also plays a large role in what I do- for a while I was in a ska band for about 2 1/2 years. Even though my main influences have been punk my favorite band is Pantera. Most recently my influences are expanding.
Adam: It's hard for me to narrow it down to just specific ones.. cuz there are a lot of different bands and styles of music that influence me.. I would first have to say my father influences me.. he plays the drums and I guess I just picked up the skill from him.. But other influences would be Metal, Rock, Punk, Jazz, and Rap (yeah rap, I know)... I mainly was hooked on things like Megadeth and King Diamond... also newer things like Dream Theater... those were the bands and styles that most influenced me.
How did you come up with the band name?
Jer: The band name was created kind of from my old band in a way. Back when I was in Misfire I had this friend Zack that I always worked with who decided that since my band was called Misfire, we would call ourselves Team Backfire. So eventually it turned into kind of a big thing for us, we always hung out and would introduce ourselves as Team Backfire. So one day after Zack left for the army I was talking to one of my friends at White Castle and started to say 'Team Backfire', when i realized it was pointless cause Zack wasnt around anymore. So I started to think of things related to fire and eventually thought of "light you on fire". And I thought Team Light You On Fire sounded so good that I texted Brian and we decided that would be our band name way before we even had a band.
Have any of you ever actually committed arson?
Jer: I did without knowing once, I accidently threw something that was on fire on the ground, not knowing that there were a bunch of dead leaves there and walked away. When I returned later I saw a bunch of fire trucks there and walked away. I also accidently lit a kid that we called Wiggles on fire... but he was ok.
Brian: Never anything serious, just lighting little things on fire just for the sake of watching it burn. Never any people though, unlike my Jer.
Damien: Yes, but i'm really not able to explain it.
Adam: I used to burn things just for the hell of it.. me and my friends would just light shit on fire all the time. Nothing super serious though... I also have never lit anyone on fire...
Any thoughts on the upcoming new Kiss album?
Jer: I didn't know there was an upcoming Kiss album.
Brian: I also wasn't aware but I was never really into them, they were more of the shock effect and show than actual music.
Damien: I'm jizzing in my pants just thinking about it.
Adam: Kiss sucks... I never listened to them and don't plan on starting now... so obviously that tells you I don't know shit about their new album coming up... lol
(Editor's note: Yeah... Kiss does suck... I know. Sorry guys.)
Do you play live a lot? Jer: We try to play as much as we can, but it's hard cause there's not many places in the area to play at anymore.
Brian: We like to play as much as we can, but limited vehicles and limited venues kind of prevent that, but we make the best of it.
Adam: I would love to play live all the time... but there are limitations to that.. most of the band members have jobs and have to work their schedules around that... I go to school... so I have to manage it around that...
Do you like playing live?
Jer: I love it, it is the greatest feeling ever. I wish I could play shows every night, its better than sex.
Brian: It's pretty much my favorite thing in the world, even if there are only a few people there I feel that we must put on an awesome show for them, but when there is a lot the feeling is so much greater, its better than sex.
Damien: If i didn't i wouldn't, but its better than sex.
Adam: Playing live is probably the best thing ever.. especially when people are into what your playing.. when the crowd is head banging to your music.. It kinda makes you feel like you've done something good for the world.. and it's better than sex.
You are in the process of recording an EP- what's it been like?
Jer: The EP isnt finished yet, we're only 2 songs in right now, but it's a work in progress. We have 4 songs written and we're in the process of completing 2-3 more. We're recording it as the songs are written, then we record them at McWoah's Studio in Mokena, Il. We plan on having everything ready for release this Halloween and it will be called "The World Is Not Loud Enough".
Brian: The guy's at McWhoah's are awesome guys who do good work and make the recording process a lot easier.
Damien: It was a really quick process.
Who's the primary song-writer?
Jer: Damien and Ian are pretty much the song-writers
Brian: Damien and Ian write the majority of the music, Jeremy writes the lyrics, I don't really do any writing except for some bass fills and some different bass things that fit in with the songs.
Adam: Damien and Ian.. they are the guitarists so they write the backbone for the songs... Jeremy does write some of the lyrics... and of course I come up with the unique drum part for each song... also Brian contributes as well...
What are your ultimate goals for the band?
Jer: I would love to make a career out of playing music, but if I cant then I want to have as much fun as possible and make music that people like.
Brian: Having music as a career would be pretty much the greatest thing ever, even if this band goes nowhere it is a lot of fun playing shows and just creating music, hopefully music that other people like
Damien: Get signed and get bitches =]
Adam: To someday become well known and famous.. It would be a great thing to remain in this band forever...or as long as I'm still alive.. that is providing they still want me in or still feel passionate about music at that time.. I would love to record many albums with the band... and continue to put on kick ass shows for the people...
SONG OF THE DAY:
"The Last Goodbye" by Team Light You On Fire! (Left click, take it from there...)
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