AMERICAN STANDARDS - BRANDON KELLUM

AMERICAN STANDARDS

INTERVIEW answered by Brandon Kellum

💿 Hi, it's a pleasure for us to have on Hardrockheavymetal BRANDON KELLUM of AMERICAN STANDARDS, well-known US noise-punk band!! Let's start talking about the early days of the band; When did this all begin? Which bands have influenced you?

Cody Conrad (American Standards founding guitarist) first emailed me on New Years Eve of 2010 with the idea of what was to become American Standards. We wanted to do something with more punk and hardcore influences then the metal bands we had been in, in the past. We also loved the raw sound and intense live shows of bands like The Chariot, Botch, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Converge and Refused. 💿 From April 28th, 2017 is out your full-length ANTI-MELODY. We're very satisfied about this new platter. Can you say us somethin'about that and its composition process and style?

We're very happy with the songs and emotion captured within them. After a series of complications, we were forced to self mix the album though. I think that doing the mix ourselves added a lot to the raw, unpolished sound but I also would of loved to hear them with a slightly larger scale production. I think we'll find that balance with what's next to come. 💿 What's your feeling about music business today?

The playing field in the music industry has really been leveled by the accessibility and affordability of new technology. This allows anyone to record relatively cheap and get it out to the world almost immediately. It also allows for what's being created to get lost in all the noise. More than ever, artists need to stay on top of these changes and get creative on how they engage new audiences.

💿 You're signed with VICTORY RECORDS. Can you tell us somethin'about the relationships with them?

We had a fairly indirect relationship with Victory Records. We were signed to an imprint of the label and Victory just facilitated the distribution piece. For us, the key to partnering with a label at the time was artist development. We knew the business model was changing for many labels and this particular imprint was dealing in quantity more then quality. With the label we were still being asked to pay for our recording and physical distribution along with tour booking 100% ourselves. It didn't seem as if there was a clear strategy or at least little visibility into it. At the end of the day, we felt that anything we were getting from the partnership we could of done ourselves and perhaps done more efficiently. At worst, we would know that any success or failure the band had was directly correlated to the work that we put into it. 💿 Punk..noise. etc..Honestly your music is hardly classifiable..Do you agree?

I would agree. I think a lot of show promoters don't always know what bands to pair us with. As a result, you may catch us on a bill with anything from a pop punk band to a death metal act. It allows for us to get this wider exposure but at the same time we may be the heavy for the punk rockers and too punk for the metal heads. 💿 Can you give us some info about your next gigs? How much is important for you playin'live?

We have a few regional shows to round out 2017 and we're already planning our tour schedule for 2018. You'll likely see us in the US on the west coast first, looking at an east coast shortly after and if the stars align we'll finally get out to the UK. There's nothing we love more then meeting new people and that 30 minutes on the stage 💿 Thank you so much for your time! See you soon on Hardrockheavymetal!

Thanks so much for having me.