Youngstown quintet, Wake the Lion, have managed to explore a musical style that stitches thrashing metal versus together with catchy, anthem sized, screamo chorus’. The bands duality spikes seamlessly from one side of the rock meeter to the other, most notably with frontman Kyle Hoffman’s ridiculous pendulum of range. The band is currently out playing in support of its debut self titled EP, which was released back in the spring. We had the chance to talk to the entire crew: Kyle, Ben, Kevin, Justin, and Bill about feeding their starving bellies, Myspace popularity, and a Wake the Lion Fantasy tour.
S*KM: In your bio you guys explain a rather free flowing approach to making music that also appears to serve as a band creed of sorts. After ruling out 90 percent of traditional subject matter, what substance is left to fill a WTL song?
Kyle: Well I really hate writing songs about girls, love, and bleeding hearts as criteria for a metal song, so I decided to narrate creepy situations that could really compliment the band’s intensity.
S*KM: What prompted the band to adopt a LeBron James-like policy on controversial lyrical content?
Ben: Sorry, we do not condone Lebron James or Professional Basketball.
S*KM: You guys are signed to OBH Records out of Pennsylvania, how did you get hooked up with those guys and have they provided an enjoyable experience thus far with the label?
Kevin: Well, they basically helped us with funding our recent EP release. They seem to be in the process of expanding, so there hasn’t been too much contact back and forth between us and them recently, but it’s a start for now.
Justin: Jaggons!
S*KM: The band recently launched an online store to hawk its goods around the globe, has that dramatically helped the availability of your products and in turn put a little cash in your pockets?
Kevin: It helps out quite a bit because we expand our merchandise sales beyond the venues we play and allows us to sell our CD to anyone at any time really.
Justin: We’re in pretty bad debt still, so buy stuff to feed our starving bellies. www.wakethelion.bigcartel.com
S*KM: Give us an idea of how far the WTL army spans, what’s the furthest place you have received an order from?
Kevin: We are currently globally(???) dominating on myspace. We have yet to figure out the whole international shipping deal though, so as of now the online orders are confined to the US. We have a few sad fans in the UK because of this.
Ben: We are still researching what this “Internet” thing really is.
S*KM: You released your self-titled debut EP back in May, how well is the effort being received from fans and critics in the area?
Justin: We have no official reviews actually, so far the fans seem to dig it, and a lot of good response on myspace, but no media reviews or anything. We’ll happily take a review from your fine website if you would.
S*KM: I’m sure that can be arranged. Now forget about the fans and the critics for a second, what are your peers saying about WTL? Who are some of your favorite bands playing the area?
Kevin: It’s been generally a good response from our peers and friends. A lot of kind words, people seem to really appreciate the live show and the humor we bring to a lot of the things we do.
Justin: Some of our local favorites include Amplexus and A Voice Like Rhetoric.
Kyle: Aldous is another enjoyable band
S*KM: With MP3’s, ipod’s, and the Internet, is it fair to base a majority of a bands popularity on its Myspace stats? Or do you find that is only a small percentage amongst the fan base?
Bill: I’d say Myspace popularity has a decent amount of relevancy to judge who the more popular bands are, but you cant take that completely serious just because of all the loopholes involved with adding friends and plays and whatnot.
Ben: Aside from that, it’s obviously still a great place to have your music and promote just due to the great volume of users and the ease of access to these people.
S*KM: Let’s put together a tour that would be headlined by Wake The Lion and feature the bands biggest influences supporting, who would play?
Bill: Lower Definition
Justin: Aha! (they sing that song “Take On Me”)
Ben: Minus The Bear
Kyle: Life In Your Way
Kevin: Phil Collins
S*KM: If you had to send one member to an extreme play to the death musical tournament, who would represent the band?
Ben: Definitely bill, he is the most well rounded. Excellent pianist, if that counts for anything.
Kyle: Wait, are we playing until we die?
Ben: Is this endurance or skill? Actually I would say endurance, Justin and skill, Bill.
Justin: Logic and reasoning to the death! would be comprised of Kevin and Kyle together.
Kevin: If I get a machete, I’m going in.
S*KM: If you could play in any other band, past or present, besides Wake the Lion, which would it be?
Ben: Oreon
Kyle: Blink 182
Justin: Aha! (they sing that song “take on me”)
Kevin: Slayer
Bill: The Tomorrow Sky
S*KM: Congratulations you made it to the end of the interview, just for that we are going to give you a little one on one time with the people of Saw*Kick and the Wake the Lion fans to inform them of any important events.
WTL: Check out our online store! www.wakethelion.bigcartel.com, www.myspace.com/wakethelion. Also, the Cleveland Browns 2008 season is approaching us quickly, and dear god we can hardly contain ourselves. Go brownies!
As the band graciously stated you can check out Wake the Lion for yourself at www.myspace.com/wakethelion and catch them live next at the Newton Falls Community Center on Saturday, August 2 in Newton Falls, Ohio.