Miguel Lepage - Obey The Brave (13/08/2013)
Bursting onto the metalcore scene and touring for the first time in Australia, The 59th Sound caught up with Miguel Lepage of Obey The Brave.
Hey Miguel, how's it going?
Good, good. Yourself?
Yeah I'm good. You must be excited to be kicking off your Australian tour in a couple of days time?
Yeah, we're flying down tomorrow.
Have you ever been to Australia before?
No, it's my first time. I think it's all of our first time except for Alex (Alexandre Erian) our singer, he's been there with his old band before.
Has he told you much about what to expect of Australia?
Yeah I've heard all good things. I like the bands over there and I think our style of music will be what people like over there. Parkway Drive, I Killed The Prom Queen and bands like that are pretty big there so hopefully we'll be well received like them but it's our first time so we're not expecting anything but it should be fun.
You're touring with Boris The Blade and The Storm Picturesque, have you checked out both of those band's music?
Yeah, yeah, I did. I checked out both bands. I know that Boris The Blade is a new band and it's got some guys from The Red Shore and I loved The Red Shore when they were a band so I'm excited to see those guys and the other band I checked their music online and I'm really excited to see what they come out with and I'm sure they're nice guys.
Let's move onto your band, how would you describe Obey The Brave to those who haven't heard you before?
Well our old bands we were playing different styles of music so we tried to do something new. Alex was in Despised Icon for many years and I was in Blind Witness so we tried to do something different and we worked really hard to be where we are right now. We're really responding to our fans via social networks and it's working out great so far because we wanna travel the world and not just play in America and Canada. We get so many fans asking us to come to places all around the world like South America or Europe and we wanna bring our music to everyone and we want everyone to have the chance to see us live.
How did the band form?
Well in Blind Witness I was with John (Campbell) the guitar player right now and we were friends so when Blind Witness crapped out we still played music together and Alex from Despised Icon was a friend of mine because Blind Witness toured with his band in Canada and he's from Montreal so we used to hang out and when my band was gone I called him to see if he wanted to play music together and he did. We started writing music and we asked Eric (Morotti) who was the Blind Witness drummer to play drums for us but he was busy with other projects so we asked his brother (Stevie) and he said yes and he bought over Greg (Wood) who's our guitar player now. Basically it's just friends and friends of friends so it was pretty easy.
Where did the name Obey The Brave come from?
To be honest we actually wrote all the songs and the band was planned out a year before releasing any songs. We even did a music video before the band was announced but trying to find a band name was tough. Everything we wanted to have, like all the band names we were looking into were either taken or they were too similar to other band names. It ended up coming down to a last minute brainstorm because we had shows booked without a band name and we wanted something where the music would reflect the name and so we thought that Obey The Brave would suit the band well and it'd suit what we were trying to say in our lyrics.
You've mentioned Blind Witness a couple of times now. What would you say the differences between the two are?
Well Blind Witness was a deathcore band and the lyrics were way darker than they are with Obey The Brave. Jon (Jonathan Cabana, former Blind Witness vocalist) was writing the lyrics for Blind Witness and it was a pretty bad time in his life and it reflected in what he was writing instead of Alex who's way more positive, like always trying to keep your head up. That's what our lyrics are all about in our band. Like a positive way to see things.
You guys released your debut album Young Blood last year, what's the reaction and feedback been to that?
It was overwhelming. Like we didn't really know what to expect especially because all of our other bands were so different and this was new for all the people we would play in front of and I don't know if they really knew what to expect of us and I think it was a shock for everyone but in a good way. The people that come to the shows and the way they react I think they're die hard fans already so thanks to them. So far so good.
How does it feel to get that sort of response this early in the band's career?
Well we've worked really hard. We're just paying our dues right now, we just wanna tour and we want people to hear our music. We wanna make new friends and play in front of everyone so we're just blessed I guess. We're doing the right things at the right place at the right moment and so far it's going great.
When you were younger what bands inspired you to be in a band yourself?
Well the first time I picked up an instrument I was thirteen. I got a guitar for my birthday and the first song I learnt was Dammit by Blink (182) and I picked up the song pretty fast so that made me love music even more and try to learn new songs all the time. Me and my friends started listening to punk rock, bands like Pennywise and Millencolin, and I was discovering new music and new sounds and then I started listening to bands like Korn and Deftones and Slipknot, like I started to enjoy heavier music I guess, and I guess that's where the love came from.
What about now, what bands are you into?
I'd say Deftones still. I'm really into stoner rock right now, bands like Baroness and Red Fang, and trashier stuff like All Pigs Must Die and all those kinda bands. At my worst that's all we play in the van (laughs)
Which band would you say has been the most fun to tour with?
I'd say Stray From The Path. Those guys are crazy. I love them. Every single one of those guys are nice and they're really into what they're doing and they're a good example of a band that really work hard and that's why they are where they are right now.
Are there any bands that you haven't toured with but would like to?
I'm looking forward to touring with Deez Nuts and with Stray From The Path again. I'm also looking forward to touring Japan with Shai Hulud. They've been around for many years so it should be fun.
Obey The Brave are touring Asia after the Australian tour, have you been there before?
No, it'll be our first time. It's going to be fun.
What's the plans for the rest of the year?
We come back from Asia and then a few days later we start out Canadian headliner and then at the beginning of October we start recording our new album and that's until the end of October and then after that we tour Europe with Deez Nuts, Stray From The Path and Heart In Hand and after that I think that's it for the year.
Has the writing for the next album begun?
Yeah, we already have six or seven songs written. One of those songs should come out before October, we're working on it right now. I think this is our best material yet. I can't wait to release it and show everyone what we've been doing.
What's your favourite song the band has done so far?
That's a hard question. I like Get Real because it's probably our heaviest song on that album. Having Scott (Vogel) from Terror on it was a privilege. I'd say that's my favourite song to play live also but to be honest the songs we're writing right now are the next level so we can't wait to release them.
What one thing that the band has done are you most proud of?
I'd say the upcoming tours. Like as a band traveling the world it's just the best thing so far and I'm just really glad of where we're going right now and what we've been doing.
When you get some time off from the band what do you like to get up to?
Well I work in a shop in Montreal, a tattoo shop, so that's the other thing I do. I really like tattooing, spending time with my girlfriend and my dog and cat.
How long have you been tattooing for?
I've been tattooing for almost five years now. My shop's called Saving Grace Tattoo and it's in Montreal and I work with three other amazing artists and they're really nice with the fact that I go on tour. Like they let me go on a tour and stuff, it's not every job that would let you do that.
Absolutely. Do you get many clients recognising you?
Well actually most of my clients are people that like the band. Being in the metal and hardcore scene most of the people have tattoos so when people find out I tattoo they want me to do some on them. It goes together well.
Definitely does. What would you say is the best and worst thing about being in Obey The Brave?
The best is that I get to travel the world with good friends and live crazy experiences and the worst thing is to be far away from the people I love at home. It's the hardest thing when you want to make this your career and have a life at home at the same time.
How do you deal with always being on the road?
I try to keep in touch with my girlfriend and my parents. Like I email them and now we have Facebook, Twitter and all those networking sites so I try to upload pictures all the time and try to keep my family and friends updated with what I'm doing.
Over time does being on the road away from those you love get easier?
Well it's always hard and difficult but that's usually just the first few days and then you kinda get into the habit of it. As long as the people that love and care about you know that you're doing this because you're loving it, that's the most important thing. In all of my life I've never felt anything equal to playing shows while travelling so as long as people can understand that then it's a good thing. It's a privilege we've got. You've only got one life to live so we've got to do as much as we can.
Absolutely. We'll wrap it up there now. Thanks very much for your time and have fun on the Australian tour.
Thanks, it's been a pleasure, man. Take care.
Matt Barton
TOUR DATES:
Friday 16 August - Black Market @ The Light Hotel, 141 Currie Street , Adelaide (18+)
Saturday 17 August - Bang @ Royal Melbourne Hotel, 629 Bourke St , Melbourne (18+)
Sunday 18 August - Allen Mclean Hall, 37 Albert St , Mordialloc (AA)
Tuesday 20 August - Pot Belly, 5/26 Weedon Close , Belconnen (18+)
Wednesday 21 August - The Vault, Cnr Lambton & Curley Rd , Broadmeadow (AA)
Thursday 22 August - Hot Damn @ The Exchange, 34 Oxford St , Darlinghurst (18+)
Friday 23 August - Studio Six, 6 Boyle St , Sutherland (Lic/AA)
Saturday 24 August - Thriller @ Coniston Lane, Coniston Lane , Brisbane (18+)
Sunday 25 August - Tall Poppy Studios, 3/629 Toohey Road , Brisbane (AA)
Hey Miguel, how's it going?
Good, good. Yourself?
Yeah I'm good. You must be excited to be kicking off your Australian tour in a couple of days time?
Yeah, we're flying down tomorrow.
Have you ever been to Australia before?
No, it's my first time. I think it's all of our first time except for Alex (Alexandre Erian) our singer, he's been there with his old band before.
Has he told you much about what to expect of Australia?
Yeah I've heard all good things. I like the bands over there and I think our style of music will be what people like over there. Parkway Drive, I Killed The Prom Queen and bands like that are pretty big there so hopefully we'll be well received like them but it's our first time so we're not expecting anything but it should be fun.
You're touring with Boris The Blade and The Storm Picturesque, have you checked out both of those band's music?
Yeah, yeah, I did. I checked out both bands. I know that Boris The Blade is a new band and it's got some guys from The Red Shore and I loved The Red Shore when they were a band so I'm excited to see those guys and the other band I checked their music online and I'm really excited to see what they come out with and I'm sure they're nice guys.
Let's move onto your band, how would you describe Obey The Brave to those who haven't heard you before?
Well our old bands we were playing different styles of music so we tried to do something new. Alex was in Despised Icon for many years and I was in Blind Witness so we tried to do something different and we worked really hard to be where we are right now. We're really responding to our fans via social networks and it's working out great so far because we wanna travel the world and not just play in America and Canada. We get so many fans asking us to come to places all around the world like South America or Europe and we wanna bring our music to everyone and we want everyone to have the chance to see us live.
How did the band form?
Well in Blind Witness I was with John (Campbell) the guitar player right now and we were friends so when Blind Witness crapped out we still played music together and Alex from Despised Icon was a friend of mine because Blind Witness toured with his band in Canada and he's from Montreal so we used to hang out and when my band was gone I called him to see if he wanted to play music together and he did. We started writing music and we asked Eric (Morotti) who was the Blind Witness drummer to play drums for us but he was busy with other projects so we asked his brother (Stevie) and he said yes and he bought over Greg (Wood) who's our guitar player now. Basically it's just friends and friends of friends so it was pretty easy.
Where did the name Obey The Brave come from?
To be honest we actually wrote all the songs and the band was planned out a year before releasing any songs. We even did a music video before the band was announced but trying to find a band name was tough. Everything we wanted to have, like all the band names we were looking into were either taken or they were too similar to other band names. It ended up coming down to a last minute brainstorm because we had shows booked without a band name and we wanted something where the music would reflect the name and so we thought that Obey The Brave would suit the band well and it'd suit what we were trying to say in our lyrics.
You've mentioned Blind Witness a couple of times now. What would you say the differences between the two are?
Well Blind Witness was a deathcore band and the lyrics were way darker than they are with Obey The Brave. Jon (Jonathan Cabana, former Blind Witness vocalist) was writing the lyrics for Blind Witness and it was a pretty bad time in his life and it reflected in what he was writing instead of Alex who's way more positive, like always trying to keep your head up. That's what our lyrics are all about in our band. Like a positive way to see things.
You guys released your debut album Young Blood last year, what's the reaction and feedback been to that?
It was overwhelming. Like we didn't really know what to expect especially because all of our other bands were so different and this was new for all the people we would play in front of and I don't know if they really knew what to expect of us and I think it was a shock for everyone but in a good way. The people that come to the shows and the way they react I think they're die hard fans already so thanks to them. So far so good.
How does it feel to get that sort of response this early in the band's career?
Well we've worked really hard. We're just paying our dues right now, we just wanna tour and we want people to hear our music. We wanna make new friends and play in front of everyone so we're just blessed I guess. We're doing the right things at the right place at the right moment and so far it's going great.
When you were younger what bands inspired you to be in a band yourself?
Well the first time I picked up an instrument I was thirteen. I got a guitar for my birthday and the first song I learnt was Dammit by Blink (182) and I picked up the song pretty fast so that made me love music even more and try to learn new songs all the time. Me and my friends started listening to punk rock, bands like Pennywise and Millencolin, and I was discovering new music and new sounds and then I started listening to bands like Korn and Deftones and Slipknot, like I started to enjoy heavier music I guess, and I guess that's where the love came from.
What about now, what bands are you into?
I'd say Deftones still. I'm really into stoner rock right now, bands like Baroness and Red Fang, and trashier stuff like All Pigs Must Die and all those kinda bands. At my worst that's all we play in the van (laughs)
Which band would you say has been the most fun to tour with?
I'd say Stray From The Path. Those guys are crazy. I love them. Every single one of those guys are nice and they're really into what they're doing and they're a good example of a band that really work hard and that's why they are where they are right now.
Are there any bands that you haven't toured with but would like to?
I'm looking forward to touring with Deez Nuts and with Stray From The Path again. I'm also looking forward to touring Japan with Shai Hulud. They've been around for many years so it should be fun.
Obey The Brave are touring Asia after the Australian tour, have you been there before?
No, it'll be our first time. It's going to be fun.
What's the plans for the rest of the year?
We come back from Asia and then a few days later we start out Canadian headliner and then at the beginning of October we start recording our new album and that's until the end of October and then after that we tour Europe with Deez Nuts, Stray From The Path and Heart In Hand and after that I think that's it for the year.
Has the writing for the next album begun?
Yeah, we already have six or seven songs written. One of those songs should come out before October, we're working on it right now. I think this is our best material yet. I can't wait to release it and show everyone what we've been doing.
What's your favourite song the band has done so far?
That's a hard question. I like Get Real because it's probably our heaviest song on that album. Having Scott (Vogel) from Terror on it was a privilege. I'd say that's my favourite song to play live also but to be honest the songs we're writing right now are the next level so we can't wait to release them.
What one thing that the band has done are you most proud of?
I'd say the upcoming tours. Like as a band traveling the world it's just the best thing so far and I'm just really glad of where we're going right now and what we've been doing.
When you get some time off from the band what do you like to get up to?
Well I work in a shop in Montreal, a tattoo shop, so that's the other thing I do. I really like tattooing, spending time with my girlfriend and my dog and cat.
How long have you been tattooing for?
I've been tattooing for almost five years now. My shop's called Saving Grace Tattoo and it's in Montreal and I work with three other amazing artists and they're really nice with the fact that I go on tour. Like they let me go on a tour and stuff, it's not every job that would let you do that.
Absolutely. Do you get many clients recognising you?
Well actually most of my clients are people that like the band. Being in the metal and hardcore scene most of the people have tattoos so when people find out I tattoo they want me to do some on them. It goes together well.
Definitely does. What would you say is the best and worst thing about being in Obey The Brave?
The best is that I get to travel the world with good friends and live crazy experiences and the worst thing is to be far away from the people I love at home. It's the hardest thing when you want to make this your career and have a life at home at the same time.
How do you deal with always being on the road?
I try to keep in touch with my girlfriend and my parents. Like I email them and now we have Facebook, Twitter and all those networking sites so I try to upload pictures all the time and try to keep my family and friends updated with what I'm doing.
Over time does being on the road away from those you love get easier?
Well it's always hard and difficult but that's usually just the first few days and then you kinda get into the habit of it. As long as the people that love and care about you know that you're doing this because you're loving it, that's the most important thing. In all of my life I've never felt anything equal to playing shows while travelling so as long as people can understand that then it's a good thing. It's a privilege we've got. You've only got one life to live so we've got to do as much as we can.
Absolutely. We'll wrap it up there now. Thanks very much for your time and have fun on the Australian tour.
Thanks, it's been a pleasure, man. Take care.
Matt Barton
TOUR DATES:
Friday 16 August - Black Market @ The Light Hotel, 141 Currie Street , Adelaide (18+)
Saturday 17 August - Bang @ Royal Melbourne Hotel, 629 Bourke St , Melbourne (18+)
Sunday 18 August - Allen Mclean Hall, 37 Albert St , Mordialloc (AA)
Tuesday 20 August - Pot Belly, 5/26 Weedon Close , Belconnen (18+)
Wednesday 21 August - The Vault, Cnr Lambton & Curley Rd , Broadmeadow (AA)
Thursday 22 August - Hot Damn @ The Exchange, 34 Oxford St , Darlinghurst (18+)
Friday 23 August - Studio Six, 6 Boyle St , Sutherland (Lic/AA)
Saturday 24 August - Thriller @ Coniston Lane, Coniston Lane , Brisbane (18+)
Sunday 25 August - Tall Poppy Studios, 3/629 Toohey Road , Brisbane (AA)