Interview with By Definition

Are you ready to get your (heavy metal slamming) rock on? Yes? Well then here we have "The Hardest Working Band in Brighton", By Definition! One week week ago today I covered the band's new single, "Warrior" (http://metalmark.blogspot.com/search?q=By+Definition-%22Warrior%22+%28Single%29+), and it absolutely smoked! The number, which comes off the group's upcoming new album, "The Concerns of Mortal Man" (due for release on 5/26/14 so mark it down on your calenders friends lest you miss out on what is sure to be a rage of a party!), is pure bliss for those of us who can't seem to ever get enough of (hard rocking) hard & heavy metal and it has been rattling around in my brain since I first bore witness to it! In fact it's blaring away in the background right now as I work on this interview (scaring small animals, the elderly and anyone else who might dare trek down my way this rain-soaked Thursday morning!) and man alive does it BOUNCE about BREAKING shit up! With that said friends, By Definition were kind enough to share a bit about who they are, where they're from and where they are going from! This interview was made possible thanks to the continuing hard work/support of Lizzie from Quite Great PR* and if you are a band looking to secure the services of an amazing promotion company then by all means track this company (or more specifically the wonderful Lizzie!) down for yourself! And be sure to tell her that Andy sent you!

Andy-Please fill us in on who's who in By Definition.

By Definition (BD)-

Vocalist - Si: The "Youth" of the group. Full time beardy Jew. Full time Hip Hop head. Brings gruff vocals and rhymes about his penis.

Guitarist - Dan The flash bastard. Black shirted hard rocker. Lives and breathes riffs. One of the original founders of the groupGuitarist - Rob: The trendy bastard. Also a BD progenitor. Into bands most of us have never heard of. Often known as the chug monkey, brings grinding rhythms and an obscure T-Shirt to the group.

Drummer - Phil: The Old Man of the group. A seasoned professional. Knows how to keep the young 'uns in check. Brings half of the rock solid base of the group.
Bassist - J: The other half. Keeps his eye on the details. Not above slapping those who get out of line. Brings unending passion and funky basslines.
 

Andy-Could you tell us how it all began?

BD-It all started with Dan and Rob hashing out songs with friends, By Definition really came together with the addition of myself, Phil and eventually J a few years later. Soon after we released our first EP "Eyes on Wires" (2010). Since then it's been a long road filled with tunes, booze, random gigs and stinking vans. There's been some great times and some... not so great times since then, but we wouldn't trade it for anything!

Andy-By Definition is an interesting choice for a moniker. Is there a story behind that?

BD-Dan originally came up with the name in the early days. The idea was that we would make music that could not be clearly defined as a genre. Ironically, as the years went by, we found a sound that we all loved and we've been solidly in the hard rock bracket since then. Who knows, maybe one day we'll suprise everyone and go back to our eclectic roots!

 Andy-How has the reception been for "Warrior" and what can fans expect from the new album?

BD-The reception for "Warrior" has been overwhelming so far. The reviews we've seen have all been positive and the fans go absolutely nuts for it live. As to the new album, we feel it's our best material yet. There's a lot there for fans and newcomers alike. I think it's fair to say that, no matter what you're into, there'll be something you enjoy on here.

 Andy-Care to share a few song titles with us?

BD-Haha now that would be telling. Tell you what, we'll let a couple slip. Look out for "Russian Doll" and "Old Regrets". If you want more, you'll have to check out the album!

 Andy-Fair enough! I'll be looking forward to hearing the new album so be sure to hit me up! With that said let's tackle the new album a bit more shall we? Having read your bio it seems as if your band is known for adding in everything from hip hop to electronic elements to the mix. While "Warrior" doesn't exactly show that will there be a healthy dose of such creative flexibility on the new disc?

BD-When it comes to adding other elements into our music, we are always asking ourselves "What does this song NEED?". We've never really looked at it as adding a hip hop element or adding an electronic element. We've always felt that it's what the song NEEDS. 

 Andy-Besides releasing the new album (which I can't wait for!) what does the rest of 2014 look like for By Definition? Any upcoming shows you'd like to talk about?

BD-We have a few shows in the immediate future, we couldn't wait to get this out to people. The one to definitely watch out for is our launch show in our home town of Brighton on 26th May at Sticky Mike's Frog Bar. That show is going to go off! We also have some great shows lined up around the South East. Come and say hi...

26/05 – Sticky Mike’s, Brighton
28/05 – Bar 42, Worthing
30/05 – The Hermit Club, Brentwood
03/06 – The Bull & Vic, Dartford

Andy-Final thoughts? I always give bands and artists the last word.

BD-The final thought? So much pressure! It's tempting to be deep. It's tempting to be insightful. But we are none of those things. Our final thought is: Check out the album "The Concerns of Mortal Man" out on 26th May or come and see us at one of our shows! Always end on some shameless self promotion. That's what my dad used to say.

*Quite Great PR

publicity3@quitegreat.co.uk