THE DOMINION COLLECTIVE

INTERVIEW BY CORYN ROSE

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY AUDIOSTROBELIGHT

Not many bands can combine the infectious pop lyrics of ALL TIME LOW and the raw rock and roll spirit of the FOO FIGHTERS like the members of AUDIOSTROBELIGHT. One of the many successful pop punk influenced bands to come from Virginia Beach, AUDIOSTROBELIGHT consists of their guitarist and vocalist Gabe, their bassist and vocalist Kris, their drummer Scott, their guitarist and synth player Ed, and their violinist and mandolin player Adam. We recently had the chance to talk to Adam about the band’s role in the Virginia Beach music scene over the past eight years and their influence on fans nationwide.

I saw on your Facebook page that you have toured with an impressive collection of national bands, many of whom I find seem to strongly influence your sound. Which bands were you most excited to share the stage with over the years?

For the big national bands, there was really only one show here or there, when we caught them as they were coming through our area. One of the bands we spent the most time with was our friends, ON MY HONOR, another pop punk band. Also, Count TO FOUR from New Jersey. We did a lot of shows with A PLACE IN TIME too. It’s basically like being a part of this new class of pop punk bands. Really, when you think about, it’s like high school. You’ve got bands like ALL TIME LOW, who are the alumni, and then THE WONDER YEARS, which are like fresh graduates. We like to consider ourselves the underclassman, starting to break into the international, and keeping up the momentum. We expected to be on the bigger stage in the next couple of years. And in the end, it really pays off to tour with the people in your “class”. When it’s you and a bunch of people on your level, you’re all putting in a lot of effort and getting the recognition you deserve from that.

Your most recent tour ended just a few months ago. What is touring like now, compared to when you began, and do you have any memorable moments from traveling you’d like to share?

It’s interesting, things have changed a lot. We’ve been playing music together for a number of years now. In the beginning, it was like a basement band. But now, looking back, we’ve gone through so many fan base changes. It started off with pop punk moshers, took a detour for a while, and now it’s back to pop punk. Hardcore and metal music has been dominating the past decade, and now pop punk is taking more ground and going more mainstream. We were fortunate to power through that, and although a lot of people don’t consider us “pop punk”, we think our attitude aligns with the genre. Mainly, we really enjoy connecting with people. We come across more people who listen to us from out of the area, and we love to have them come out, and get to meet them.

What’s coming up with AUDIOSTROBELIGHT that fans can look forward to?

We’ll be wrapping up October with a couple of special edition Halloween shows. We’ve really gotten into it the last couple of years. We’ll pick a band, do some covers, dress up, do a melody, and mix it with a normal set. This year we’re going to be doing the FOO FIGHTERS. It’s one of the biggest shows at the end of the fall. Then, we’ll be heading out with UH-HUH BABY YEAH for a month. It’ll be one of our biggest tours yet, and we’re anxious to see how it pans out. Then, we will be working on booking some new tours for 2014; nothing is finalized yet, but we’ve got some things in the work. People are never sure what to expect. We’re prone to surprises, and we love to be in your face, interacting with the crowd, getting into the fray. If we’re not bleeding or sweating by the end of it, we didn’t do our job.

What are some of the strongest influences in your music, lyrically and musically?

That’s a difficult question – all of us have our own personal influences. Kris undeniably has a huge hand in writing. I help with vocals and lyrically. Kris is largely influenced by MILLENCOLIN and NO USE FOR A NAME. I prefer KE$HA and FALL OUT BOY. Blink 182 and a lot of indie pop bands influence Scott. It all comes from different and weird places. For instance, when writing lyrics, I pull from romantic ideas. On the other hand, Kris doesn’t like to draw on personal experience. Our songs are never going to be about personal experiences. We want it to be more real, not just one individual experience one of us had. At the end of the day, everything ends up blending in new and interesting ways, and I think people relate to it better. Girlfriend songs don’t do anyone any good.

What album, song, or tour to date do you think has had the strongest impact on the band?

I like to everyone has their own answer for this one. Kris would probably know best, since he’s always been guiding and writing, but I think overall, it’s watching everything we’ve worked for and pumped the energy into taking root, particularly beyond us and our social reach. Actually connecting with people, out at shows and on the road. The first time we played a headlining show at home, we saw 700 people going crazy. And we just said, “Wow, people give a shit.” We get messages from kids now that say “I was having a really shitty day and your music came on my iPod and I felt better, and I had to let you know.” It means a lot, especially when planning tours and things don’t go right. When we play in a new area, we’ll run into kids saying “I’ve heard of you, and I had to see you.” It makes us realize, we need to be doing this; it means something to someone. We’re not the biggest band in the world, but someone out there cares.

What other bands involved in the local Virginia music scene do you suggest others look into?

There is a lot of talent. On a side note, I think when you go out on the road, people make Virginia Beach out to be way more important than it really is, just because there is so much talent coming out of the area. Some names worth mentioning I think would be SECRET MARK, THE ELEVENTH HOUR, YOUR FAVORITE COASTLINE, CONQUERING ROME, BROADSIDE, and WITHIN OUR GATES. I can feel myself forgetting so many people in the area. So many greats are doing good work, and you see people putting out their stickers and wearing their shirts, especially out of state. Virginia is coming on the map, and it’s growing.

Do you have any final thoughts that you would like to share?

If you are really looking for a pop punk band that is different, and doesn’t sound the same, check out our new record. It’s good quality, and we dare and challenge you to come out to a show and not have fun. We’ll be going on tour at the end of October, all of November, and early next year. We’ll be putting on the best damn show we can, and we guarantee it will be a whole new side of the band.

For more updates on AUDIOSTROBELIGHT, follow Team Strobelight and “like” their Facebook page for more details on upcoming local shows and tours.