What happens when you put members of well know Pop-Punk bands? You get the super group known as Fire Sale! Let’s see what they have to say!
First off, What’s up with your name? Is there a story behind it?
“Picking a band name is always difficult. I had like 20 potential band names written on a piece of paper…and one night my friends is the band Get Dead released a new video for their song “Fire Sale”. I thought the name sounded cool…so I researched if there was already a band named that…and there wasn’t! The rest is history!”
Tell us about your musical past, would you tell us about your early years?
“I started playing guitar around 7 or 8 years of age. My uncle gave me a Metallica tape…and it changed my life. I have never wanted to do anything else. I have played and toured with many bands over the years…most notably was my time with The Ataris(Columbia Records).”
How would you describe your sound?
“We have elements of 90’s skate punk, pop punk, metal, and mid tempo rock. I grew up on a steady diet of Fat Wreck, Epitaph, and thrash metal and that informs a lot of my writing style.”
Which artists have the biggest influence on your sound?
“Metallica influenced me greatly in how I approach the guitar. I love riffs…every good riff can be turned into a good song. As far as songwriting; bands like No Use For A Name, Face To Face, Bad Religion, Hot Water Music, etc. It’s not lost on me that my bandmate and friend Matt Riddle was in two of the bands I mentioned. Haha.”
What’s the last song you listened to?
“Redbone by: Childish Gambino”
What’s your source for hearing new music?
“I host a podcast called That One Time On Tour. I have had all my heroes and friends on the show…but publicists send me awesome new bands all the time. I let unsigned bands sponsor episodes and I have found some amazing music from that also.”
Who is your dream producer?
“I would absolutely love to work with Bill Stevenson. Our new songs were mixed and mastered at Bill’s studio, The Blasting Room…but I would love to record there and have Bill produce. I think he really gets what we are trying to do. Also a bucket list producer would be Bob Rock. He did amazing things with Metallica’s sound…and the records he has made with The Offspring are sonically great.”
If you could collaborate with anyone, who would it be?
“It has been a dream come true collaborating with the guys in Fire Sale…but if I could pick anyone…I would like to write and record a song with Daniel Johns from Silverchair. I love his voice and melodic tendencies. Dallas Green from Alexisonfire/City and Colour would be amazing also!”
What led you to music, and what motivates you to keep making it?
From the moment I picked up a guitar…it just made sense to me. It has been a constant in my life since I was a small child. I have also made my living from it since I graduated. Touring in bands, working in the behind the scenes business side, teaching guitar, mixing and mastering for other bands, etc. From day one…music has been the only thing that I am passionate about. It’s my favorite thing is the world, besides my family of course.”
Tell us about the songwriting process. How does it all come together?
“We all live in different states…so it is a crazy process. Riddle and I come up with the music…maybe just a riff or a whole thought out song. We all have studios…so whoever writes the skeleton of the song plays to a click track so it’s all gridded out. Then we send it around and Pedro writes and records his vocals…and then Matt Morris writes and records his drums. It takes a long time…but in the end we have something we are really happy with and proud of.”
How do you connect with your audience?
“We try to always reply and make ourselves available on our social media accounts. I feel like chatting with the people who follow and like your band is a good way to connect. Also…with all of us being 40+ years old…we feel very fortunate that we can write and release music at all. We truly appreciate anyone that takes the time to check us out.”
What is the easiest way for them to connect with you?
“Social media: @firesaleisaband also we love getting emails: firesaleisaband@gmail.com”
www.facebook.com/firesaleisaband
www.instagram.com/firesaleisaband
What’s next for you?
“We are busy finishing up more new songs…we have written around 20 songs in the last two years…but we don’t just want to put out a full length and then disappear. The plan with our label Negative Progression is to do a series of singles to continue to grow the band. We are also going to film a couple videos to have a visual element to our songs. We plan to make some festival appearances next year…and there has been talk of some dates in Asia and a few other overseas markets.”
Anything else you’d like to add or let us know about?
“We are just so thrilled to share our new singles with everyone. It has been a pleasure working with Seth at Negative Progression Records. It means the world that he believes in us and our songs. We would just like to thank everyone that has taken the time out of their day to check us out…even if they didn’t dig our stuff. Your time is precious, and everyone is fighting for it…we appreciate it very much. Lastly…thank you for doing this interview!”
Bio:
Fire Sale is an American melodic punk band consisting of Chris Swinney(The Ataris/Brazil/Underminded) on guitar, Matt Riddle(Pulley/Face To Face/No Use For A Name/The Implants/22 Jacks) on bass, Pedro Aida(Ann Beretta/ShotClock/Fun Size/River City High) on vocals, and Matt Morris(Darlington/41 Gorgeous Blocks) on drums.
Their first single, “Dark Hearts”, received major terrestrial and satellite radio support and has amassed impressive streaming numbers across all platforms in the last year.
The band is currently working on new music and recently signed to Negative Progression Records. Look for Fire Sale to be gracing festival stages in 2023.
