Annmarie of DFD...

• Introduce yrself!...Hey, my name is Annmarie, I'm the vocalist in Dreams Forever Drowning, and I enjoy singing, screaming, and running around wildly on stage haha.
• How did the band meet?...Well, the band met through the break-up of another band. Two friends of mine had been in that band, and both wanted to form a new one, while I was looking for a band to join myself. It just kinda worked out well. After working that out, we found Jake and our old drummer, Derek, online, and the rest was history.
• Any line-up changes or difficulties since the band's start?...We have had a few line-up changes since. Derek was replaced with our current drummer, Dan, and our old bassist left us and we found Jon, our current bassist. Difficulties...well, they're an every day thing with any band, but we try our best to work through them.
• How would you describe yr sound to someone who had never heard you play?...Oh man, good question. Probably as a mix of hardcore, emo, screamo...rock, confused maybe? Haha. Sometimes it's fun to just sum it up as 'post-hardcore', but that's slightly unfitting for us as well. We usually tell people just to give us a try if they'd like to know what we sound like. We're ourselves, we're not any other band.
• What do you consider yr main influences?...Personally, my main influences are bands like Kid Dynamite, Walls of Jericho, Stretch Armstrong, Carry On, tons of bands. Vocally, I'd say Candice from WOJ, Alison from Discount, and even someone like Fiona Apple is a huge vocal influence to me...not even necessarily in the band, just in general.
• What topics/issues do you focus on in yr songwriting?...I focus on anything from personal relationships, overcoming personal hardships, to social and sometimes even political issues, though I rarely touch on those...I'd like to more often.
• Are you promoting a certain political/social platform, or are you just looking to create a fun atmosphere?...I like to promote a liberal political platform while creating a fun atmosphere. Music should always have some sort of a message, I think. I guess you could say I often get to use this band as a soapbox hehe.
• Who writes the lyrics/songs among you? Do you take turns?...I write the lyrics, the band writes the music. If I knew how to write music I'd be all in that but, alas, I don't, though I should learn.
• Where do you get the inspiration for yr writing?...My inspiration for writing is simply everyday life.
• Tell us about the scene where you live...is the rock crowd where you live accepting of women?...The scene where we live has always been strong, but usually divided and very hard to get into if you're a band. Shows are done now mostly by bigger clubs, and there are fewer DIY shows than there used to be and that's a real shame. As far as them being accepting of women, sure, I'd say that they are-but it's always hard to get the same approval a man does. I don't feel as if I have to prove anything though-I'm just as good as the boys can be.
• What sort of reaction does yr music usually get?...The reaction we usually get is either, 'wow, I had NO clue they were going to sound like this' (usually for the better), or a lot of girls will come up to me after the show and tell me how they want to do what I'm doing. That is the best form of flattery I could ever imagine.
• During any shows you've played, when did you get the best audience response?...The best audience ever was any show at the Temple in Brooklyn, NY (R.I.P)...the Temple has since been shut down. What an amazing place. They'd get 300 kids in there easy, no matter who was playing-and all the kids would get into it, and dance, and buy merch-it was so great! I really miss that place. The kids there were really awesome.
• How about the worst?...The worst experience would have to be our second show ever at SUNY Purchase. The vocals kept cutting out, the sound system was messing up, and that of course made us come off as sounding bad...I don't think the kids dug it. We just weren't on point either that night, but what do you expect, it was our second show ever haha.
• What sort of attitudes have you experienced toward yr music?...We usually experience a positive attitude toward our music. I like to say that anyone who's open-minded can find something they like in our band.
• Any new songs/material you've been working on/recording?...Oh man, all we've been doing is writing lately. The winter usually gets slow for us, so we like to hibernate in the practice space and write as much as we can. We were going to release a 4-song EP this winter...however, we're holding off and keeping those songs and recording some new ones for our first full length, so keep your eyes out for that.
• What song of yrs do you consider to portray the band most accurately?...I think the song that portrays us most accurately would probably be 'Resurrecting a Dead Language'. It's got the pretty part in the beginning, all singing...then breaks out into this heavy mosh part. Haha, it's great. I love it. It's unexpected, just like we usually are.
• What have you learned about yrself through being in this band?...I have learned that I have more capability of being in front of people than I even thought possible...I have severe generalized anxiety, so I thought that was something I could never overcome. Performing has taught me what a wonderful release singing and screaming for a band can actually be...it's almost like free therapy! Haha.
• Any lessons that performing has taught you?...It's taught me that if I can get up there and do it, so many girls who used to think like me can do it too, probably even better!
• What do you consider yr motto?...Our motto is always put on a great, energetic show and give your all, whether there are 300 people there or only 10.
• Is there anything else you'd like to add about yr band, yr experiences, and yr lives?...We may not be as far as other bands in the time we've been around, but that's due to school, work, and other obligations-we sure as hell try to keep progressing every day. All I can say is, if you haven't heard us yet-give us a try. We want to reach as many people as possible! We'll be touring sometime this summer (we hope), and any info at all you want to find out will be on our website (www.dreamsforeverdrowning.com). Also, if you want to ask us questions, or even just talk, feel free to email us attheband@dreamsforeverdrowning.com. Thanks!