St. Catherines, Ontario-based pop-rock band ARIA took the time to answer a couple of questions for us about their recent EP release, video for "Escaping The Transcience", why they think you should check them out, and what to expect from them in the year ahead. We'd like to thank ARIA for doing this interview with us.
Lara@RRR: Thank you for doing this interview. Could you please state your name(s) and role(s) in ARIA?
Nick: I play Bass
Bianca: I am the vocalist and the lyricist.
Lara@RRR: How did the band form and what is the story behind the band name?
Nick: The band originally was made up of all guys from Buffalo, NY since 2007. Bianca auditioned early 2009 and moved out east to replace the old vocalist which resulted in a name change from The Maimed to ARIA. After about a year, some of the members decided to go their separate ways but Bianca and Anthony wanted to continue the band. They decided to relocate their base to St Catharines, Ontario where they eventually recruited myself and Damian (and later Malcolm) to form what is ARIA today. As for the band name, we wanted to name our band like you would a baby and ARIA was the name we all collectively chose.
Lara@RRR: The band released their second EP which was self-titled in December. How was the writing and recording process of the EP?
Bianca: The writing was done over the span of a couple months. At this time, Anthony and I were the only official members and would record and send each other rough tracks back and forth, and then we brought them to the studio where they were tweaked and recorded.
Lara@RRR: Is there an underlying theme on the EP?
Bianca: There is not really a unifying theme throughout the EP. I try to touch on different themes and concepts for each song.
Lara@RRR: From where do you tend to draw inspiration for your lyrics?
Bianca: I draw inspiration from every person, every emotion, every circumstance, every memory of my life. I want people to relate to my music on every level. I especially draw inspiration from my own core. Because people can relate to that which is most personal to you. They identify with the things that you feel, the things you experience, your beliefs, your hopes, your fears, your insecurities. So I try to write about all of those things and convey all of those ideas in my songs.
Lara@RRR: What do you think sets ARIA apart from other pop-rock/female fronted bands out there?
Bianca: I think the fact that we use programming sets us apart and helps diversify all of our songs. They help make the songs more full and create a different atmosphere in addition to the chord progressions. Also having members from both the US and Canada and members that range from 15 to 23 gives us a wide variety of influences to our sound.
Lara@RRR: Although you reach out to fans of Paramore and VersaEmerge, do you ever get tired of certain comments/being harshly compared, or has the response to ARIA been fair?
Nick: Because we are a female fronted band with heavy guitars, we do end up getting a lot of comparisons to bands like Paramore and VersaEmerge, and we understand that. We take it as a compliment because those are two very talented bands. At the same time we try to distinguish ourselves by adding different elements into our music and I think people can identify with that. Very rarely do we ever receive negative comments, and I think that is because those aforementioned bands are so well received.
Bianca: In our experience, Fans of Paramore and Versaemerge have welcomed us openly into their music libraries and are more excited than not to have another addition to their list of female fronted bands. They often tell us our sound is a mix of their favorite ones. So generally, we have a very good response.
Lara@RRR: You shot a video for “Escaping the Transience” – what is the message behind the song, and how was that portrayed in the video?
Bianca: Escaping the Transience is based on two ideas. The first idea is the fear of growing old, and the second idea is the knowledge of our imminent death/the impermanence of our lives. It's about wanting to stay young and beautiful forever, and knowing that we could if we wanted to by living fast and dying young. It's also about how scary it is not knowing what exactly the future has in store for us. The mummy in the video is supposed to represent fear or death as he lurks about and finally takes us with him into the darkness.
Lara@RRR: Is ARIA currently writing new music, and when can we expect to hear it?
Nick: I think as artists we are always writing music, its just what we do. Currently, we are assembling some demos so that we can prepare for our next studio album. At the moment, we have a good number of songs under way and we’re continuing to expand our list of songs, experimenting with different sounds and trying to find the best songs that will accurately represent us at this time. We have no formal timeline but ideally we’d like to be releasing new material in the early new year.
Lara@RRR: Are there any touring plans?
Bianca: We are currently booking dates in eastern Canada for the next few months.
Lara@RRR: What do ARIA have planned for the year ahead?
Nick: We’re extremely excited for the next coming year. We are going to be finishing writing our album and releasing it as soon as we can. We’re also planning on touring and playing as many out of town shows as we can, so expect to see us in a town near you soon!
Lara@RRR: Thank you for taking the time to do this interview – is there anything you would like to add?
Bianca: Thanks Review Rinse Repeat for your interest in us and for thanks for the interview!
