A Dirty Dozen with BRIAN WILLE from CURRENTS – May 2020

According to a recent press release: “CURRENTS have shared the video for the new song “A Flag to Wave.” The song appears on the Connecticut band’s upcoming second album The Way It Ends, out June 5 via SharpTone Records. The Way It Ends is a thematic and spiritual successor to Currents’ dense, bludgeoning, and smartly constructed full-length debut, The Place I Feel Safest (2017), and a direct follow-up to the blistering and diverse EP, I Let The Devil In (2018).” We get the singer Brian to 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 record The Way it Ends is the spiritual successor to our first full length The Place I Feel Safest and is a direct follow-up to 2018 release I Let the Devil In. The two characters on the cover can actually be seen in the background of TPFIS falling off a cliff in the distance and the album’s title is derived from the final line of the last track on I Let the Devil In. Other than that, there’s a few references & similarities to TPIFS that people should definitely pick up quickly, but I don’t wanna give anything away!

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

My parents were always playing rock music for my sister & I growing up, but I found metal later on in video games & on the internet while I was growing up. I’ve always wanted to perform ever since I was little, but seeing Linkin Park’s Live in Texas DVD definitely solidified my desire to play concerts and be in a band.

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

I think “Blackened” by Metallica was the first metal song I had ever heard. Early on, I found Marilyn Manson & Rob Zombie as well, but Linkin Park & Bullet For My Valentine were the first heavy bands I could really get into. Over time my taste developed into more of the modern metalcore you’d hear throughout the last 10-15 years.

4. Who would be your main five musical influences?

As far as getting into heavy music? Probably All That Remains, Haste the Day, Killswitch Engage, Bullet for my Valentine, Still Remains, etc.

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

There are too many talented artists to name! I always thought it would be cool to incorporate a female voice on a song or two but I can’t nail down who I would choose. Our songwriting process is pretty specific and we’re not really fans of features or anything like that, so it’d have to make sense!

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?

I guess I’d say we’re a djent-influenced metalcore band. I’m not very picky with genres and people can call us whatever they want, but I always get kinda bummed out when people use the term ‘nu-metal’ to describe us. I don’t think we’re nu-metal at all!

7. 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?

None of us are really ‘sing-a-long’ types. Chris loves making nacho trays, me & Ryan are the drinkers and I guess if I had to pick a sing-a-long guy, Chin is the most outgoing of all of us, so maybe him!

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

I’ve always been a fan of the music we play and the bands we tend to tour with, so I still get starstruck sometimes! I’d say maybe Northlane, WCAR or ABR. They’re all great dudes though!

9. What is the best part of being a musician? If you could no longer be a musician for whatever reason, what would be your dream job?

The best part of being a musician is touring. There’s nothing like getting to travel the world playing music alongside your friends & your favorite bands! I’m not sure what I’d be doing if I wasn’t doing this… I love playing video games so maybe I’d try to do something with that. However, I don’t think I would ever stop playing music or at least writing.

10. What is one question you have always wanted an interviewer to ask – and what is the answer? Conversely, what question are you tired of answering?

I always like talking about ‘overlooked’ songs on our records and doing deep-dives into lyrics. Really I just like anything specific that shows someone has a genuine interest in the band. There’s no bad questions, but I get kinda annoyed when I hear the infamous “how’s the tour going man?” because the only answer you can really give is “it’s good, man!” OR people ask us how the band all met. It’s such a long story and I think we cover it enough for the average fan to know the deal already!

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?

No do-overs! Life happens for a reason and dwelling on ‘what-ifs’ is a distraction.

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?

I think it’d be fascinating to be a fly on the wall for a few early Joey Sturgis records! His work with Asking Alexandria, TDWP, Attack Atttack! etc is so unlike anything done before it and getting to see the writing & recording process would be super sick to me.

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Category: Interviews