Artist Interview: 1-on-1 with September Sky

Artist Interview: 1-on-1 on September SkyRarely do you come across a rock band that actually fits that title. Often times you are smacked in the face with pop and some sexy guitar riffs, and a few dudes with tattoos. That is about it. And while these guys might have a few tattoos among them, they are not a popular band by any means. Now wait, let me rephrase that. They don’t play popular music. They play rock. Hard rock. I wouldn’t call it metal, but sometimes you almost want to see it go there. These guys are in the process of releasing a new full length disc, and have taken some time to share their inner thoughts with me here. I am glad to have met them, am excited that they are sharing their story with the Indianapolis area, and am ready for them to continue melting faces all over the Midwest. Ladies and gents, allow me to introduce you to September Sky.

Where did you guys get that name?

It’s a metaphor for good/evil, hope/fear, seasons of life, etc. September is the first month of fall.  Fall is the transitional season between summer (the light season) and winter (the dark season).   The name September Sky represents the changes and seasons of life.  Got the original name/idea off a t-shirt but that was October Sky so we wanted to change it since that’s a movie title.

How long have you been performing?

We’ve all been in different bands for the last decade but September Sky has been performing a little less than two years. We formed in late 2008.

Where did you guys all meet?

Through work and family.  Larry (guitarist) and I met through work where we became friends and started working on acoustic projects.  Our bassist Jeff is Larry’s brother in law.  And our drummer Martin is also family.

Where do you practice?

We practice down in Larry’s basement.

You guys only have a few shows coming up. I assume you guys have day jobs outside of music?

Yep, we all have 9-5’s.  Have to pay the bills and unfortunately we aren’t rock stars yet. (Laughs)

What is the biggest crowd you have ever played for?

Around three hundred.

The smallest?

Forty or fifty probably.

I see you guys are on Facebook. Are you on Twitter?

Yep. You can follow us anytime you like!

Do you guys have a favorite venue?

It’s tough to pick a favorite venue.  We like different venues for different reasons.  We really enjoyed The Music Mill back in its glory days.  Birdy’s Bar & Grill is always a good time.  The Rock House on the south side has a great thing going on.  Spin Night Club was cool, but it’s gone now. We enjoy playing anywhere that has a good sound system with a cool staff.

What are you drinking on stage?

Mostly water. Our drummer Martin is partial to PBR (that’s usually post stage).

How did you guys react to the passing of the King of Pop?

It was surreal for sure.  Man, I grew up to Michael Jackson and his music.  It’s kinda strange (me being mostly a rock music guy) but he was someone who made me think that being a musician/singer was really cool. We all have massive respect for the guy even though his personal life started to unravel towards the end.

Describe your genre in one word.

One word? (Thinks) How about rock?  One word is tough. But rock best fits us.  More like hard rock, but that’s two words!

Who are some of your biggest influences?

We like the Stone Temple Pilots, Alice in Chains, Tool, A Perfect Circle, Shadows Fall, and Rush.

If you could only perform one song for the rest of your careers which song would you choose?

It’s brutal to just pick one, but I would say the song Awakened. That was one of the first tunes we wrote that gave us a bit of direction for where we wanted our music/writing to head.  It incorporates a lot of elements.

Who is writing all of your lyrics?

I (Scott) write 90% of them.

Where do you get inspiration for a new track?

In life’s moments.  Usually a dark time in my life. When I’ve felt fearful or confused.

What is the best concert you have ever been to?

Hurt & Army of Anyone at Pierre’s in Fort Wayne.  First time I ever saw Hurt live and those guys were amazing! Our guitarist Larry would probably say the Pantera show where he about got trampled to death when the giant barricade wall fell down between the crowd and the stage. Complete chaos.

Do you ever forget the lyrics to your own songs?

Guilty.  Not often but it has happened.

What is the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to you on stage?

We literally almost got into a fist fight with a sound dude.  Apparently he didn’t think it was his responsibility to do a good job running sound.  He started screaming and cussing at all of us on stage when we made requests like “more guitar/vocal in the monitor”…of course this was all in front of a crowd. Not cool.

If you could live anywhere else in the world where would you go?

Ireland…or Brownsburg, Indiana.

Are you using a PC or a Mac?

PC.

I know you guys just got a new MySpace design. What are your thoughts on that dying service?

I agree that it’s not the #1 networking site it once was.  There are others that are better.  But I believe it really serves a good purpose for bands who want to have a web presence without designing a website from scratch.  A lot of time and cost involved with that.  And at the end of the day you’re showcasing the same things (pictures, song tracks, bios).

You guys getting any radio play on X103.3?

Yes, sure am.  But we could always get more.  In fact if anyone has a second feel free to go to one of the below links to request us on X103’s Facebook page or to listen to us from their local band section.  Local bands need all the help we can get to get on the radio stations.  You guys can help a ton…

I see that you guys are unsigned. Are you actively seeking a record deal?

We would never turn down a good record deal, but aren’t actively pursuing one.

Any thoughts of releasing a full disc this year?

Not this year.  Our upcoming debut album is actually a six song EP. It releases in August.  We hope to be doing a music video in 2011 to follow that up.  Full length will be awhile out.

Where can I get some September Sky merchandise?

You can get it through our MySpace page, through our Facebook page, or just email us and we’ll hook you up.

Tell me about the show you guys just did at Birdy’s Bar & Grill. (Are you coming to the rickyleepotts.com presents six bands for six bucks?)

It was a great show.  It was a ticketmaster event that featured five local bands, mostly hard rock.  We saw about two hundred fifty people throughout the course of the night. Not too shabby. Was a lot of fun. As far as the 6 bands for $6 event, count me in!

Explain what someone could expect seeing you perform for the first time.

Probably something different than what they expect.  At least that’s what we’ve been told time and time again.  I think people listen to our music (without seeing us live) and expect us to look a certain way or have a specific image.  But we’re really just a bunch of “dudes next door” type guys that enjoy rocking out. No dog collars or crazy piercings. (Laughs) (Not that those are bad things).  Just a live show that contains lots of energy. We really feel our music and enjoy getting into it. Some people like that.  Some people are surprised by it.  We love em all!

What does a typical Friday night look like for you?

Generally low key.  Hanging out at home with our families.  Or going out with some friends to catch a live show or a movie.

Where do you see yourselves in five years?

Anything could happen.  But I’d like to be in a spot where we’re well known locally and even regionally…and have had the chance to play with some awesome bands (locally and nationally). Full length album? Possibly. Music videos? Definitely. Tour? Hopefully.

What do you want to be remembered for when this is all said and done?

That we were four guys that wrote music from the heart and did our best to put together quality tunes. And that we promoted the local Indianapolis scene best we could.  There are so many talented bands in Indy, and it is frustrating to know that many of them go unnoticed.  We’d like to play a part in changing that.  Even Seattle had to start somewhere right? (Laughs)

I always let the artist get the last word. Go.

First and foremost we want to thank all of our families, friends and fans for supporting us.  You guys make it all worthwhile.  The debut album has been in the works for a long time now and we have a lot of people to thank for that. The album will hopefully be available online as your reading this through Reverbnation, our MySpace page and eventually iTunes.  We will have full CD production by August 20th.  Our CD release will be August 20th at The Rock House Café.  Special thanks to Scott Rainey at The Hit Department, Eric Gray at Eric Gray Designs for our album and merchandise design, Andrew Taylor of PROFILErehab for our brand new MySpace design.  And thanks to you, Ricky, for doing this interview.  We really appreciate your support of local Indy artists.  Keep rocking!