Fixed Fate – Interview – Thanks for Asking!

Fixed Fate – Interview – Thanks for Asking! – by Liam Sweeny.

We connected with the band Fixed Fate and had a chat. This is that very chat.

RRX: Is there a song you wrote that really died on the vine? Something you all like but somehow just couldn’t make it work. You swear never to play it live, that sort of thing?

TF: Nothing that extreme no, but some of my older stuff definitely gets less attention at the live shows! I’m in the process of recording several new releases, so my live set is in sort of a weird spot right now. I play a lot of unreleased material that will see the light of day pretty soon, but I also use the stage as a fun place to work out song ideas and arrangements on top of playing the normal “hits”, so you never know what you’re going to get from me. I like to play not-so-well known cover songs too and give them my own flavor.

RRX: Love is a big part of music. We’re talking first loves here. Lots of cool stories about first loves and the things we do for those loves. Can you (or, in the case of a band, one member) talk about your first love, especially if you did something cool to express that love? (No names needed.)

TF: When I was a naive kid first learning how to play and develop my own voice as a songwriter, I had this wild idea that I could make a girl fall in love with me if I just made one perfect song. Very 80s movie-esque… very stupid! No but in all seriousness yeah of course I’ve written love songs about a lady or two, or ten.

RRX: We have to play somewhere, and sometimes those places have more going for them than a stage and a power outlet. What is a memorable place you played, and bonus points if it’s not a well-known place.

TF: So many obscure hole-in-the-wall venues to pick from, but I loved them all! The first one that pops into my head would have to be the Cat Trap. It’s not a real venue, but it was that night! We planned a house concert (exactly what it sounds like) in the basement of a student rental house and made a makeshift venue right then and there. I vividly remember when we were scoping the place out we realized the staircase was unsafe for large numbers of people going up and down it, so we tore the whole thing out and built a new one the day of. Shout out to Dylan and Omar (and Taters!) for executing that whole thing so successfully, I’m surprised that house is still standing!

RRX: Our style comes from the extension of our influences. It’s like an evolution. We’re influenced, and it inspires us to influence. What can you say about your influences, and what you feel you’ve done with their influence as a musician or band? Have you extended their work?

TF: I grew up on a lot of 80s rock; Tesla, Metallica, Cinderella, Warrant, etc. That stuff really inspired me as a kid to try and emulate that sort of “Guitar God” style in the music and a raspy wide-ranging vocal sound. As I grew up I started to get into some 70s and 90s stuff (Alice in Chains, Aerosmith, Black Sabbath, Blind Melon, many more) and that started to work it’s way into my songwriting style a bit. So my sound sort of covers the whole spectrum of rock and metal (but no scream vocals!) I also want to specifically point out Jani Lane, Jeff Keith, and Layne Staley as just a few guys whose lyrics really speak to me and continue to inspire my lyrical style in both delivery and subject matter.

RRX: In the musical world, there are many supporting players. Recording engineers, sound techs, cover art designers. Who are three people that support the craft that you would like to shine a spotlight on?

TF: I’m glad you asked, I’ve been helped out by so many great people along the way; Kelly Kintner, a great songwriter and producer, gave me my first break and brought me in to record my first two records (A Year in the North and Icarus) at his studio and it was a blast! I’ll always be grateful for that and the friendship he offered to me through that time. Oksana Mazur is a brilliant visual artist from Ukraine who designed the cover to my second album, I plan to work with her again in the future, but no spoilers! I want to give a shout out to the guys in Broken Clovers; a great set of musicians and just good people all around. Patrick O’Hearn is another great musician and recording engineer who’s been doing great work with his studio- I’d highly recommend any local musicians looking to record good quality songs to seek him out! Special thanks to Cass for existing (you know who you are), and Madison (you know who you are!), the only person to give Cass a run for her money at the claim of being my biggest fan. (That goes for Alejo too, thanks brother.) Thanks to Kieran Carberry for all the great music we wrote together (and continue to write, gotta love technology). We’ll always be good friends man, give me a call! Thanks to the original lineup of Fixed fate, those were some cool shows way back when! (You too, Anthony.) I’ll stop here before I write the next War & Peace on gratitude. There’s so many other people I want to include, maybe next time 😀

RRX: Let’s talk about your next project, your next few. Just not the ones you’re working on now. The ones you have your eyes on for the future. What’s coming to us?

TF: In short- a lot! What I need to decide next is how to package all these songs I’ve been building up the last few years. I plan to put out an EP of piano songs called Black and White pretty soon. Then I have to decide how big album 3 is going to be. I’ve considered making it a Triple album and calling it Yours, Mine, and the Truth. I may sort the songs by style and divvy them up into albums 3 4 and 5. Realistically, you can expect about 45 to 50 new Fixed Fate songs in the not so distant future. I’ve also been tossing around the idea of doing another acoustic EP and a covers album. That one would be pretty expansive too as I want to call it D.N.A. and record a ton of obscure songs I’ve found over the years of exploring music that maybe didn’t get the attention they deserved from the music buying public. I’ve been getting really excited lately about the idea of putting out a short (maybe 8 song) album of just straight crushing heavy songs. Pantera guitar heaviness with 80s Metallica melodies. We’ll see. All I can say is stay tuned, because there is a metric sh*t-ton of music coming for you!

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