They're a hot new act from Connecticut and we've tipped them for big things. Waking Elliot have a lot of big things happening over the next 12 months, starting with a set at the Bamboozle festival this Saturday (May 19). We are happy to bring you an exclusive interview with a band that are set to make waves in 2012.
Can you tell us a bit of background about the band?
"We are a female-fronted alternative rock back. We’re a little different to bands like Paramore, Evanescence or Flyleaf though because we’re fronted by two female vocalists. We formed around two years ago though we all had performed in other groups prior to getting together."
What's the story behind the band name?
"We don’t really have any sort of crazy story to go along with the name - we just came up with it and liked the way that it sounded. We do tell people sometimes that “Elliot” was a kid we saved from a burning building or a pet dog but we basically use those stories to spice-up our mundane non-story about the name."
How would you define your sound for those who haven't heard of you?
"We call it “emotionally charged alternative rock”. We used to get compared to Paramore pretty frequently but lately the comparisons have moved more toward Eisley. Our hope is to create powerful songs with relatable lyrics."
Who are your biggest musical influences?
"We’re all influenced by different
bands/groups/vocalists. The fact that we all listen to different music actually
helps us to keep our music fresh and interesting. We all write our own parts so
it makes for an eclectic mix and helps us to avoid having each song sound the
same. Our tastes have a wide range, actually: Bright Eyes, Radiohead, Pink
Floyd, Incubus, 30 Seconds to Mars, and The Hush Sound to name a few."
Your 'Simply Pathological' EP was released in 2010 - how would you say your musical style has changed and developed since then?
"When we started out we didn’t know who we were as a band- like what defined us. It took a while to settle-in and figure-out best methods for writing, what worked and what didn’t work… it’s a great deal of trial and error, actually. Writing music can be a very vulnerable process but we think we’ve grown into a place where we feel much more confident and unified. We take more risks now than we did when the EP was released and we’re able to critique ourselves in a productive way. We are continually learning new things. In fact, admitting that there is always room for growth has helped us to be better writers and performers."
What is your favourite song to perform from the EP and why?
"We always enjoy performing 'One Two' and 'Truth or Dare' They are both high-energy songs which our fans enjoy singing along to. Whenever we receive a response from the crowd it helps us to put more of our heart into the performance."
Have you begun work on any follow-up to your EP?
"We have been in talks with our producer
about getting back into the studio as soon as possible. We’re always writing and right now a
full-length follow-up is our biggest priority. We have new music that we’re
dying to release."
Are you excited for this year's Bamboozle festival?
"We are beyond excited for the Bamboozle festival! We feel honored to be representing Connecticut with our friends in Forget Paris."
Are there any bands that you are eager to see perform?
"We are eager to see Incubus, Foo Fighters,
My Chemical Romance and all of the bands at the Yuu Zoo Break Stage!"
How are you preparing for your slot?
"We agonized over our setlist, we always do. We want to put-on the best show we possibly can so we have been practicing like crazy."
You're playing on the Saturday, a day when some of the biggest rock acts such as Foo Fighters are also performing. Does this make you slightly nervous?
"It makes us feel excited and honored! We idolize bands like the Foo Fighters so it feels really great to even be in the same state as them, let alone the same venue!"
How do you plan to make yourselves stand out from the other bands at the festival?
"As it stands, there aren’t nearly enough female-fronted rock bands out in the mainstream, so the fact that we are fronted by two girls will make us unique compared to many of the other bands. Beyond that, we hope our music will speak for itself- we’re going to do what we do and love every minute of it. Hopefully people will respond to that."
What can the audience expect from the show? Anything special?
"We will be performing a brand new, never-before-heard song at the festival titled 'Lost Me At Hello'. We’re really excited about this song and we can’t wait to finally perform it!"
Is there anything that you hope for your audience to take away from the show?
"We hope that our audience will have a good time and relate to our music. We put our hearts and souls into our music so our hope is that some of that passion and emotion impacts our listeners. We also hope that people who hear us for the first time on Saturday are inspired to check us out online later on Facebook, etc."
After Bamboozle, what's next for the band?
"We are working on writing and recording our next album, playing a few other festivals over the summer, performing at Six Flags New England and doing a bit of touring. Mostly, we’re really thrilled to be receiving such a great response from people- it truly validates the work and love we put-in."
The band are performing at Bamboozle on Saturday (May 19) on the Yuu Break stage between 2:45pm-3:15pm.
