Breathe In, a powerful new band on the scene, has recently dropped a new video for “Misfortune’s Hand” which you can watch below, and bassist Rob Gnarly took some time to talk with us about the band, the state of music, and belief it or not England’s King Charles!
XS ROCK: Tell me about the latest band news? Any new projects coming out, live shows, or announcements?
Rob: We just released our most recent track, Misfortune’s Hand, along with the video for it. Presently, we are doing production on our next song, but I’m not going to spoil anything just yet. Keep an ear to the ground for shows coming up, though!
XS ROCK: How long has the band been together?
Rob: About two years. There’s some nuance to that with solidifying a line-up and some production before anything was tangibly together, but two years is pretty much how long we’ve been a band.
XS ROCK: What was your primary motivation for starting or being in a band?
Rob: For me, music has always been an essential part of my life. I started getting into various bands during the MySpace era in high school and, shortly after, found the local music scene in New Brunswick, NJ. Once and finally, I found a community of wonderful, like-minded people in those sweaty, crowded basements and really felt like it was where I was supposed to be. It has really shaped my life and given me purpose beyond just existing, for which I am forever grateful.
XS ROCK: Which do you prefer? Writing new songs and recording or playing for a live audience?
Rob: Personally, I love performing the most. It’s a chance to really be someone different than who I am in my day-to-day life, and I love being able to essentially transform into a whole different person while I perform. A more confident, energized version of myself, if you will.
XS ROCK: Do you have any outrageous tour stories from the road?
Rob: Breathe In has yet to tour, but I think one of my craziest stories took place in Murfreesboro, TN, when I was touring in a thrash/hardcore band called Stressed Out. Someone at the house we were staying at gave us some bottle rockets to play with, and we thought it would be funny to shoot them out of our butt cracks. The one I selected was a dud, and instead of shooting up, it just exploded in my butt cheeks. The van we were in didn’t have enough seats for all of us, so I was usually sitting on an old bean bag chair and between them and the time we got back to New Jersey, the wound I had acquired from the bottle rocket incident had developed into an incredibly bad case of MRSA leaving me in pain from a political cyst and left me in severe agony for an extended amount of time until I was able to get it treated. Think the biggest most painful pimple you’ve ever had and multiply that by 1000: that’s how bad it hurt.
XS ROCK: What’s the strangest request that you’ve ever received from one of your fans?
Rob: When I was on tour with my previous band, Echo Black, I had a fan request that I sign her boyfriend or husband (I’m not sure which), who she was walking around with on a chain by a dog collar around his neck. No judgement and honestly really not that crazy, but that’s the thing that stands out the most to me.
XS ROCK: Were your parents supportive of your aspirations to play in a rock band?
Rob: Absolutely. Not once have they ever discouraged me from pursuing music, told me it’s time to quit, etc I’ve been fortunately blessed with wonderful, loving, and supportive parents.
XS ROCK: What are your favorite tracks to play live?
Rob: Fallujah is my current favorite track to play live. The bass groove is super fun to play, but I guarantee that answer will change in the future.
XS ROCK: Which band or artist inspired you to perform? Why?
Rob: This has unfortunately become a controversial answer due to how things went down for his band, but I’ll say it anyway because it is the truth. Chris Barker aka #2 from Anti-Flag. When I was young and impressionable, the combination of his playing style, stage presence, and general positive influence was not only highly impactful in my playing, but also my personal politics. He was also the first live musician I ever saw who protected a fan from show ejection for a stage dive which thought and still think is wonderful. He turned me on to a lot of really positive concepts I wouldn’t have otherwise been exposed to. I unfortunately now have a hard time listening to Anti-Flag because of how disgusting Justin Sane is now to me, but I can’t really change the way Chris influences me as a bassist and honestly wouldn’t want to.
XS ROCK: If you could design a dream tour for your band, who would be on the bill?
Rob: Falling In Reverse, Misery Signals, The Algorithm, Bayside, and Breathe In.
XS ROCK: What do you consider your greatest accomplishment so far?
Rob: Honestly, still playing music and feeling passionate about doing so feels like my biggest accomplishment. It’s easy to get discouraged and burn out, I’m glad that hasn’t happened to me yet.
XS ROCK: If you weren’t performing in a band what kind of career do you think you would have?
Rob: With how tough it is to maintain a career as a musician, most bands have day jobs nowadays anyway. I would probably be doing the same thing I’m doing already: Fixing electronics and designing guitar pedals.
XS ROCK: What type of equipment do you use for live shows?
Rob: I tend to mix it up when it comes to my amp depending on the situation, but my go to has been a Darkglass Alpha Omega 200 with a Hartke cabinet. My bass I use most frequently is an Ibanez SRMS625EX. My pedalboard has an Outlaw Effects Iron Hirse Tuner, Joyo Scylla Compressor, Line 6 HX One (specifically as my drop tune pedal), then a Joyo Double Thruster and a line 6 relay wireless system. I have been working on developing a bass overdrive to replace my Double Thruster as my main live overdrive, but that’s still in the R&D phase if you will.
XS ROCK: What do you think of the current music scene?
Rob: As a musician, it’s incredibly tough to stay playing music with the rising costs of everything, so it’s a bit rough in that regard, but I feel like as long as I keep seeing fliers for DIY shows, then it’s in a good place as far as I’m concerned.
XS ROCK: For anyone that doesn’t know you, what would they be surprised to know about you?
Rob: I once escorted the then-Prince, now King Charles, at the Academy of Music’s 150th anniversary concert in Philadelphia.
XS ROCK: If someone had never heard you before, how would you describe your sound?
Rob: The phrase “Power Metalcore” was something someone once said to me that I really liked and think fits the bill pretty well.
XS ROCK: Is there anything that you’d like to promote or say to your fans out there?
Rob: Get involved with your local music scene! Go support small bands. Send songs you like to your friends. Start a band. Offer to do artwork for bands you like. Book small touring bands in your basement. In general, if you love music and want to be more active in that community, there is probably a niche you fit into either as a player or a supporter, go explore and find out what that is and go for it!
Breathe In :
Shola Aurora – Vocals
Brian Kang – Guitar
Topeng – Guitar
Rob Gnarly- Bass
Paul Illge Jr. – Drums
For more on Breathe In, Visit:
https://www.facebook.com/breatheinband
https://www.youtube.com/@OfficialBreatheIn
https://www.instagram.com/breatheinband
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