A Dirty Dozen with DOMINIC RUIZ from REMEMBER THE MONSTERS – November 2019

According to a recent press release: “Marking their official emergence in 2016, Remember the Monsters quickly gained significant attention from the release of their single, “The Pieces Remain.” The release, to date, has seen over 5 MILLION streams across Spotify, iTunes, and YouTube through the promotion of fan-crafted videos and tremendous underground support! Shortly after their initial release, the band found themselves in need of a new frontman. Through a friend’s introduction, they found their sonic match informer The Colour You singer, Julian Comeau. The range, energy, melodic and powerful vocals immediately meshed with the writing style of songwriter, Ashten Banks, evolving their music into the radio-friendly and hard hitting sound Remember The Monsters showcase. The current lineup hails from across the US, establishing their “band home” in Tucson, AZ. Each member’s unique taste in music contributes to an ever-evolving, refreshing new take on the mainstream rock genre.” We get guitarist Dominic discuss new music, influences, and much more…

1. Tell us a little about your latest release. What might a fan or listener not grab the first or second time they listen through? Are there any hidden nuggets the band put in the material or that only diehard fans might find?

Our new single, “Close Encounters,” was another that we did with producer Matt Good.  He’s really got a great feel for what we want the final product to sound like.  The song has an absolutely MASSIVE chorus and a little bit of an eerie vibe leading up to it!  One thing we put in that I really like is the space/alien themed sounds in the background of the track. It adds an extra layer to the track that isn’t noticeable at first. There is one giant detail that die hard fans would be aware of, an older version of this song was actually up before with its own video and single art. It was done through an old producer and was only available on one platform, but we knew we wanted to do it better before we released it at a greater capacity. Who knows, we might bring the original mix back someday!

2. What got you into music, and can you tell us about the moment you realized you wanted to be a musician?

We’ve all had a pretty diverse musical background are early ages, especially founder and guitarist Ashten Banks. Piano lessons, guitar lessons, music has always been around. But as we got older and exposed to rock music and shows we decided that we wanted to give it a shot. What initially started as just messing around evolved into something tangible.

3. Building on that, is there a specific song, album, performer, or live show that guided your musical taste?

I’ve always been partial to high energy performances from bands like AFI and Coheed and Cambria, as well as intimate sets from the likes of Anything Greene and Brand New.

4. Who would be your main five musical influences?

Bring Me the Horizon, Asking Alexandria, 30 Seconds to Mars, Muse, and Linkin Park.

5. If you could call in any one collaborator to do a song with, who would it be, and why?

We would want to collaborate with someone not directly in our supposed genre, like Halsey for example. I think that would be a cool dynamic!

6. How would you describe your music to someone who’d never listened to you before? What is the one comparison a reviewer or fan has made that made you cringe or you disagreed with?

We’re a high energy, modern rock band tinged with electronic influences. One comment we got that we thought was really funny was something along the lines of, “Remember the Monsters is a great introduction to hard rock/metal for people that like Paramore”.

7. What’s the best thing about being a musician?

It’s such an unconventional job, and there’s always something to aspire to. You definitely get out as much as you put in, but you’re definitely doing what you love. There’s also nothing like playing a live show with an audience!

8. When the band are all hanging out together, who cooks; who gets the drinks in; and who is first to crack out the acoustic guitars for a singalong?

Sean (bassist) is definitely the cook, while the whole band is no stranger to going out and having a good time. I am not above being “that guy” at the party to whip out the 6-string.

9. When was the last time you were star struck and who was it?

The producer we’ve been working with also worked with bands we liked (Asking Alexandria, Memphis May Fire) and they popped in once or twice. Meeting our producer (Matt), who played in From First To Last, was also a good one.

10. If you weren’t a musician, what would be your dream job?

I am big into technology, Sean owns property, Ashten is big into music and would love to pass on his knowledge and passion so…music teacher?

11. Looking back over your career, is there a single moment or situation you feel was a misstep or you would like to have a “do over”, even if it didn’t change your current situation?

We had a big battle of the bands where our backing tracks got messed up and switched between two songs. The winner of this battle got to open for Blink 182 at a big show so we were bummed. We definitely would’ve worked with the sound guy to make sure this didn’t happen.

12. If you could magically go back in time and be a part of the recording sessions for any one record in history, which would you choose – and what does that record mean to you?

Not too far back, but perhaps the recording session of Tool’s new album. They hadn’t put out an album in like what, 13 years? How do you go into the studio with that kind of pressure and expectations? It was big news so there was a lot riding on it.

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Category: Interviews