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Saturday, June 20, 2015

7 Minutes In Heaven (6/18/15)

7 Minute In Heaven are a punk-pop band from Chicago, Illinois. I was able to interview the band before their show at Kilby Court, opening for Hollywood Ending. We ended up having the band sitting on a couch (of questionable cleanliness and sanitation) and I was sitting on the floor in a building adjacent to the venue, which held the bathrooms. The interview went very well, in my opinion at least, and I feel like I did a pretty decent job for it being my first interview! (The only complaint I have is that the door to one of the bathrooms kind of sticks, so when people had to use the toilet is made a pretty loud scraping noise that was bugging the shit out of me) The band members (Alex, Justin, and Timmy) were all very sweet and happily answered all of my questions and made me feel like a real journalist.

Q: What's your favorite city to play in?
Justin: We're a little biased, but we love Chicago. Outside that, there are so many cool times. Boston is always fun to go to. St. Louis has a good crowd.
Alex: St. Louis is always cool.
Timmy: Minnesota 
J: Minnesota always comes out. Atlanta, actually is a really- the kids always come out. We played a show there, it was one of the smaller dates of the tour, but the kids went absolutely insane. It was fucking sick.
A: What was that one we play? Was it Kansas?
J: Uh, Iowa City
T: Oh yeah, I think it's Des Moines. It's just Des Moines.

Q: What bands/artists did you listen to growing up?
Timmy: I listened to Blink -a lot of Blink-, Sum 41, Greenday
Alex: Yeah, we all listened to Greenday
Justin: Yeah, Greenday was a very big influence for me
A: All Time Low, I think we all got a lot of inspiration from it
J: Fall Out Boy, can't forget
A: My Chem, Anything early to mid-2000s pop-punk. Literally anything, 'cause we all listen to somewhat heavier stuff as well: Punk-rock, like Breaking Benjamin, Evanescence- 
J: That's mostly me and Alex.
A: Yeah, we listen to a lot of what we consider punk rock.
J: Yeah, Timmy listens to a lot of punk, like skater punk. Like something you'd hear at Tony Hawk
A: Yeah, exactly- like, straight up punk

Q: Do you have a dream/goal that you'd like to accomplish as a band?
Justin: I just want to rule the world
Alex and Me
Alex: I think doing like a full-on arena tour- not even arena, but like a world tour. Like being able to do a four month tour, that isn't like Warped. When we can do that, and do it successfully, that's a goal. We can make that. That's the bar we set. There's no going back at all from that point
Timmy: Basically what Fall Out Boy is doing now; it took them ten years to do it, but hey
A: That's the goal
J: We got time, we're young
T: This is just the beginning
Me: With or without the Wiz Kalifa?
A: with or without
T: We'll take Hoodie
J: Yeah, we'll take Hoodie

Q: Do you have any advice for someone who wants to start a band?
Timmy: Just do it
Alex: Just do it, but be prepared. When something goes wrong, you have to push harder. That means something is there 
T: When things happen, when you'd normally get discouraged- like when bad shit happens- you have to keep going, because it's going to make you stronger as a person and make that drive stronger. 
A: And mistakes are key. If you don't make mistakes, then you're doing something wrong. We have to make mistakes to grow, otherwise you have someone doing the work for you. 

Q: Was there any one event in your life that really got you interested in starting a band?
Justin and Me
Timmy: Ever since I was young, I always wanted to be in a band. I was through middle school. I don't know if there was one moment that really made me want to play music. When I found out my dad was in a band, I was like "I want to do that, I want to be like my dad". He was the screamer for some death metal band in the 80s; I didn't really want to do that, but I just wanted to be in a band. 
Justin: As soon as I saw the "Dance, Dance" video, I was like "I want to be like that guy" -pointing right at Pete Wentz. He was definitely a big influence.
Alex: Watching Bullet In a Bible. There's no particular point I can think of that was the point when I really started thinking "Oh, I could do this", it was more- I think the first time I went to an actual small show. I went to My Chem before, but they didn't really change anything- at that time I already wanted to be in a band. But just going and being at smaller shows, seeing people rock out. I think it was watching Bullet In a Bible, it was such a fun live show, I was just like "oh, this is fun"
J: And there's like 10,000 people
A: I saw everybody there, and I was just like "this is what I want to do". I also watched Straight to DVD, I watched that to get confident; despite how over glamorized that DVD was about the band lifestyle, I think that's the fun behind it and the hard work behind it
J: I never really had a set plan, I always just wanted to be in a band, so I never really thought about an actual job or an actual career. I just wanted to do music
T: There was no Plan B for me; I never thought, when I was young, "oh, I'll go to college for this". It was always "I want to be a musician, that's what I want to do". And I get to do that, and it's pretty fucking cool

Q: What was the first song you learned to play?
Alex: "Brain Stew" by Greenday
Timmy: "Holiday" by Greenday
Justin: The first song I learned on my own, it was probably my second day owning a guitar and I just played by ear, I just learned it by ear; It was "Smoke on the Water". It was seven in the morning on December 26th, 'cause it was the day after Christmas. My dad was getting ready to go to work, he's a police officer, and he hears me playing it. 
He's like, "Is that 'Smoke on the Water'?"
"Yeah". 
He's like, "How'd you do that? Where'd you learn to play it?"
"I don't know, I just figured it out on my own"
He just left for work, frustrated for some reason. 
T: The first song I ever taught myself, like officially- so I got my first guitar, my friend- he was like a few years older than me, so it probably upset him- he had a bass and I had a guitar. He was trying to figure out "Aerials" by System of a Down, but he could get the melody right. I was just watching him up to where he'd mess up, then I figured out the *imitates sound of guitar*
Timmy and Me

Q: Does anyone in your family play music?
Alex: My whole family plays music
Timmy: Just my dad
Justin: Nobody, nobody in my family plays music. 
T: Apparently, I'm somehow related to one of the Doobie Brothers. I have this family in Mississippi, I'm not super close with them, but some part of my dad's side lives in Mississippi. All of them play music and stuff, all my cousins; but apparently, somehow within that, I'm related to one of the Doobie Brothers. 
J: Nobody in my family really plays music. My mom just thought it was a phase, so she got me a really shitty starter guitar. And that was the end. 
T: My first guitar had a speaker built in, but you had to put batteries in it
A: My first guitar was a PV Raptor. It was just black
J: It was a wash burn
A: Oh, the PRS lookin' one?
J: Yeah

Q: What is your preferred method to listen to music?
Alex: I'm such a hipster asshole about it, but I love vinyl. Whenever people are like "what are you excited for after tour?" I love just waking up and having my vinyl set up the night before, just having a coffee, cigarette- especially when my mom isn't home, 'cause I have to live with her now- and I can just have it blasting and be outside on my porch with the window down. It's nice
Timmy: If I had a vinyl player, I would be all about it. I have the sickest vinyl collection
Justin: He has a really sick vinyl collection
A: But I'm the one with the record player. Dude, actually I might be able to give you mine. There's another one there that needs a speaker- like an old vintage one from my grandpa, but I get to keep it- so if you want my old one
T: I do
A: You just have to help me fix the speaker
T: I usually just listen on my phone, though. We listen to CDs in the van
J: We listen to a lot CDs in the van. We have a Jambox; Jambox is really cool
T: For that digital era
J: I still don't know what my preference is. They've definitely got my into vinyl, because I was not a bout it at first; it was just too big, but then I understood collecting and all that
A: We spend so much money on vinyl. We like have a day off in a mall, go to Hot Topic check the vinyl. 
J: It's the first thing: as soon as we go into a Hot Topic, we just beeline it to the vinyl. Just malls in general, FYE; it doesn't matter
T: I hate FYE, actually
A: Dicks, a bunch of dicks
J: Just kidding FYE. I use my headphones a lot, if anything; if it's not a CD, I'll just use my headphones. Skullcandies!

Q: What was the first album you ever bought?
Justin: My first album was AFI- December Underground. I preordered it, because it was coming out on 666 (June 6th, 2006). 
Alex: With my own money, the first album I bought was Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge, well that and Black Parade
Timmy: Mine was Linkin Park- Hybrid Theory. The first CD I bought was , I guess, kind of sketchy. I bought Take Off Your Pants and Jacket from my neighbor, because he wanted to sell it. I was in 3rd grade, under the table. It was one of the bonus disks that had two bonus songs on it.
A: It's in your mom's car or something

Q: Do you know when your next album will be released?
Alex: Somewhat
Timmy: We do
A: We know after this tour we're going to finish
Justin: It's like a sliding, sloppy-copy kinda
T: We're aiming for October
A: We're aiming for an EP, not ready for the full album yet
T: We go into the studio in September
J: But yeah, we're gonna have that out by October

Q: Anything you'd like to add?
Alex: Just thank you! Thank you for reading and/or listening! (That means you, the people reading my blog!)
Timmy: We are 7 Minutes In Heaven
Justin: We are 7 Minutes In Heaven!
A: We are 7 Seconds of Winter... or fall
J: We are 8 Minutes In Hell
A: I miss fall, right now
T: Same
J: Wooo!

That concludes my first interview! I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I did conducting and write this. The band is very kind and humble, and they have big dreams. Each of these guys has a great work ethic, and that leads me to believe they can accomplish anything they set their mind to. I believe, very strongly, that 7 Minutes In Heaven has a very bright future, so I'm glad I got this interview in before they are all over the radio and on the Tonight Show and all that jazz.

7 Minutes In Heaven's Website

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