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MM
– Please,
introduce the band to our readers. Who are the members of
S&M, when was the band formed and where do you call home?
The band was originally formed in 2000 by bassist George Paris
and I (Ryan Farrell). Then after many line-up changes, we
eventually hooked-up with guitarist Tony Cecala and drummer Dan
Huff, who knew each other for years before this band. We
currently consider Chicago, IL our hometown.
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MM - How
would you describe your style of music to someone who isn’t familiar
with the band and who do you see your target audience as being?
It's always difficult to describe our style of music without comparing
ourselves to someone, so that's what I'll do. I think we have a
unique sound that can be compared to Alice in Chains meets Tool
and Staind. Our target audience would be everyone that
likes good hard rock music. We're not doing anything
groundbreaking ...
we're just a true rock
group. No gimmicks or trendy concepts that will be out of style in
a year.
MM - Where
does the name ‘S&M’ originate from, and what does it represent?
Can you remember any of the other names that were toyed with at the
time?
It's actually the only name that we thought of. It came by
mistake, really. George was thinking of a name with just a couple
of letters or initials. Then when he said "S&M", I
thought that was great! It's easy to remember, and if it makes
people think about sex, then even better. When you're having sex
tonight, think of us!
MM -The band have been through more than their fair share of troubles
over the years. Generally, would you describe yourselves by nature
as pessimists or optimists? What is it that’s kept you together
even in your darkest hours?
We're
definitely optimists. We have to be otherwise, we'd go nuts.
Life's way to hard already then to be pessimistic about things on top of
that. The thing that's kept us together is the fact that we truly
believe in each other and enjoy being with each other. For each of
us, it's like being married to 3 people, so if you don't genuinely like
and trust each other it'll kill us sooner or later.
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MM
- What
bands/artists have influenced you the most over the years?
Collectively, we have many influences from The Beatles up to
current bands like Disturbed, but I would say that the biggest
influences as far as our band and it's sound goes would be Alice
in Chains, Stone Temple Pilots, A Perfect Circle, Staind, and
Godsmack.
MM
- How
does the songwriting process work within S&M? Is it
mainly one or two individuals, or more of a team effort?
It really varies, but usually, someone has an idea, then they
present it to the rest of us to complete it and mold it into the
final song. Then we really rehash it over and over until
we all feel that each part of the song is right for us.
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MM
- Do
you have any news on when there will be a full album release of your
material?
At this point, we're currently continuing to record in our home studio,
but we'll probably hold out on releasing a full album until we sign a
record deal. Right now, we've got some people helping us take care
of some of the business end of things, which will hopefully result in a
major label debut within the next year or so.
MM
- Which
songs do your fans enjoy the being played live the most, and what are
your own particular favourites and why?
Different songs get different responses at different shows. It's
weird, but I think it's a good thing. One night this song will get
the best response, then the next night another one will. I guess
that means that we've got more than one good song, which is definitely a
good thing. Honestly, since we work so hard at constantly writing
our best song ever, usually our favorite song is whatever is our most
recent one. I will say, however, that we typicaly end the show
with "Regret", and everyone feels that it's a great song to
leave as a lasting impression on the audience.
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MM
- What
are you listening to these days yourself? Old classics or modern
bands? Do you ever listen to music that is very different from
what you do, if so what?
We definitely like to keep up with what's currently going on in
music, so we're always checking out the new bands. I'm
currently listening to new albums from Staind, Disturbed, Korn,
Shinedown, and Avenged Sevenfold. As a genuine music
lover, I also find myself enjoying smooth jazz or even classical
music sometimes, just to take my mind off of things. Since
whenever I listen to rock music, I'm comparing and analyzing it
to death, so it's almost like work sometimes, but I love it
anyway! Someone else I love to listen to is Tori Amos,
because she's so creative and talented. It's always
inspiring to witness someone that's way beyond just a singer or
songwriter.
MM
- What's
the 'grand plan' for your band? Are you aiming for anything like
fame, fortune, artistic acceptance etc?
Of course everyone would love all of those things, but we really
have one basic goal in mind. We want to make a living
doing what we love, and make a permanant mark in the world of
music. If I could, I would love to have a lifelong career,
like Aerosmith or the Rolling Stones, but that just doesn't
really happen much these days because of the way the business
is. I would be happy simply making music for a living for
as long as I can, and if we're lucky, actually making a big
enough splash that people still remember us years after we're
gone. |
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MM
- In
three words, how would your best friend describe you?
Insane, generous, fucked-up.
MM
- I believe the band are to be featured on the soundtrack of the
forthcoming new sportbike stunt video ”Midwest Havoc”. Wow,
that must be so exciting for you guys. How did that come about?
Honestly, we were just contacted by them out of the blue. It's
ironic, though, because George and I both ride sportbikes, and are very
familiar with these videos. So it's especially cool that we got
our music on one. I actually got a copy of the DVD last month, and
love it!
MM
- OK,
a two part fun question now. (A) If you could have anyone locked in a
room so that you could torture them for a day, whom would you choose,
and how would you torture them?
Britany Spears. Use your imagination...
(B) Now turn the tables. Who would you most like to be locked in a room
with for a day and how would you like them to torture you?
Angelina Jolie. However she wants...
MM -
Tell
us one thing about yourself that not many people know.
I've actually got a 151 IQ. I never like to brag or anything,
since it certainly doesn't make me better then anyone else, but I always
hate when people think that I'm just some dumb long-haired musician.
I'm a musician because that's what I have a passion for, not because I
can't do anything else.
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MM
- What’s
the most precious thing in your life right now, who or what
could you simply not live without?
I'm really trying to learn to not be attached to anyone or
anything, because in the big picture of life, we can't take
anything or anyone with us when we leave, and it's also not
healthy to depend on someone else or something else to make us
happy, but
... I have to
say that I really, really love my new car. (a 2005 Z-51
Corvette) I know that's materialistic, but I just can't
help it. It really makes me happy.
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MM
- Finally,
is there anything you would like to say to all our readers out there?
I
would like to say thanks for the support, because that's the only thing
we really have. No matter who you are, if you don't have fans or
supporters, you've got nothing, and we'll continue doing everything that
we can to keep giving back the energy that they give us. |