Remnants of Hope Interview
Written & Conducted by Meryl DeWitt
Edited by Allie Beth
Young kids always are in need of inspiration. To me, nothing is more inspiring than seeing bands that are the same age as the kids they influence! Remnants of Hope is a group of young guns from Atlanta, GA. Their style is derivedfrom bands like Black Veil Brides and Bullet For My Valentine, as well as their own twists. Recently I talked with the guys about a little bit of everything!
Meryl Dewitt: Where are you guys from? What's your local scene like?
Zander Death: Atlanta, Ga. No comment.
Nykii Nightmare: It's not exactly the capital for Goth-Rock, so our scene has been kinda rough on us. We have made friends with a few other bands that are similar to us like "Our Way Out" though.
Paul Graveyard: Atlanta... Difficult.
Meryl: What's your favorite hometown venue to play?
Zander: Masquerade.
Nykii: I'd say it has to be The Masquerade. The staff there are very nice and easy to work with and are very courteous with getting our drum machine set up properly for use in our show.
Paul: The Masquerade. Awesome stages and amazing audiences.
Meryl: What is your goal city or venue to play someday?
Zander: The Tabernacle in Atlanta.
Nykii: One of the Hard Rock Cafes. I think it'd just be so rock 'n' roll to play a show at one of those.
Paul: Aaron's Amphitheater; A concert there in 2009 is what inspired me to learn to play the guitar!
Meryl: Who's the band's trouble maker? Worst trouble he ever got himself or the band into?
Zander: Nykii.
Nykii: It's either me or DJ Doom, I think (He runs all of our electronics during live performance and keeps us informed at venues). Within the band there are times when we're joking with each other off stage and it carries onto. Zander was having a day where he kept saying he wanted personal space, so I thought it'd be funny to get as close to him as possible over and over during our show. He got over it eventually, but mainly because of brotherly love.
Paul: Not me.
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Meryl: Out of all the songs you've written, which has meant the most to you & why?
Zander: "Set Me Free". I got to confront some inner feelings on it and I haven't done that in a lot of our songs. It's also very fun to perform because I can really get into it.
Nykii: I think "Bitter" has to be for me. It's about not letting anything or anyone make you change your perspective on life and what you want to do with it. Whether it’s people who don't like you or people who haven't taken the time to even think before they judge.
Paul: “Break Me". It is the first song I recorded vocals on; It gave me more confidence in my live vocals.
Meryl: Outside of your own music, what's a few songs that have touched your heart more than anything in the world?
Zander: "I'm Just a Kid" by Simple Plan. It is the first modern song that I heard and liked. There's a video that's very hard to find of me singing it when I was 6.
Nykii: "Scream For Silence" by Children of Bodom. The song always cheers me up when I’m down, and I found a meaning that I can really feel for in the lyrics. Another is "Bulletproof" by Black Veil Brides. The song never fails to get me pumped up or ready to take on the world, not that I intend to, but if needed I’d listen to it before I tried.
Paul: “This War is Ours" by Escape the Fate. We just saw them live and met them earlier this month!
Meryl: If you could write a song with anyone - dead or alive - who would it be?
Zander: Ronnie Radke. I love how powerful his voice is live.
Nykii: I think working on a song with Synyster Gates (Avenged Sevenfold) would be really educational and fun.
Paul: Matt Heafy from Trivium.
Meryl: Finally, where would you guys like to be in your career exactly a year from now?
Zander: Touring.
Nykii: I think it'd be the coolest thing to be on a few bills to play some big festivals at this time next year. We've never done one of those and it'd be cool to do one like Warped Tour or South by So What.
Paul: Somewhere good, having fun.
Meryl: Who takes the longest to get ready before a show?
Zander: Me. I like to look good before we play.
Nykii: I think Zander has to take the longest out of all of us. He always wears suits, so he likes to take his time getting his stage gear on. But I do a lot with my hair, so it's possible I’m take the longest to get ready.
Paul: I am pretty quick, maybe Nykii.
Meryl: Every band tends to have that one member that wonders off. Who's the hardest to find before a set or during load out?
Zander: Nykii. He is always running all over the place.
Nykii: I'd say Zander. Every time our intro starts rolling we can't seem to find him, then at about 10 seconds before we walk onto the stage he appears next to me and Paul out of no-where.
Paul: I can never find Nykii to give him his pre-show Monster [Energy drink].
Meryl: What or who inspired you to commit to the straight edge lifestyle?
Zander: Alcohol and drugs have ruined so many vocalists’ voices. I would like to keep my voice healthy.
Nykii: I'm committing to it because I don't like the effects drugs and drinking have on your body. I want to keep clean and healthy so I can be active and do what I want to forever. I've got no problem with what others do, it’s up to them. I'm just not going to be doing it with them.
Paul: I don't like the negative effects on the body, and I like to be in control.
Meryl: Do you ever feel it's hindering to market yourself as straight edge?
Nykii: There were a few awkward times when we declined when another band invited us to partake in something they'd brought to the show to get pumped up. Other than that we've had no troubles, luckily.
Paul: It might be.
