Here comes something a little bit different, something I haven't covered before. Something being We Surrender (formerly Hitsman if you are lucky enough to know them in that time and place). The music is great and they are very intelligent, music savvy guys who definetly know what they are doing. We sat down via the inter webs and discussed everything from why the names changed (there was still another one besides hitsman, and it's pretty interesting!) with their very interesting categories for music. How did you come up with the name We Surrender? Has the name changed a lot before?
Choosing a band name is probably the hardest part of joining a band! Our original name at the heart of the band was "To Kill Christine". However, after several member changes we felt it was time for something new. The next name we hooked on was "Hitsman" which is simply just the vocalist' last name, it didn't stay that way for long, as we knew we wanted to be a band, not stand in the shadow of the singer.
"We Surrender" is a name that that has different meaning to us all. It's a name that is applicable to everybody in some way. No matter who you are, where you're from, at some point, past or future, you have surrendered to something. Giving in to conform.
To us, we are surrendering to our love of music. As easy a life it would be to live a life at a government office, our passion for music will always be our weakness ; therefore 'We Surrender' to the call of our hearts.
How do you go about the song writing process? Is it one person who writes the lyrics or is it more of a collective effort?
Each member in the band has their own way of writing songs. In the past, the vocalist "Eric Hitsman" would write and record a demo of each song, and present it to the bandmembers. Each member would then take the time , put their own spin on the song and write their own parts.
As time progresses, so does our style. Recently, we have been writing songs during our jam time. As this is a new idea to us, it doesn't work quite as quickly but the results are completely new and unique.
Lyrically, Eric Hitsman spends almost months writing the words. It takes a day to make a rough copy, but slowly he replaces words and adds new things to ensure his content with the messages he is trying to get across; drawing not only from his influences from not only his daily life, but the lives of those around him.
The lyrics are intended, not to be directly interpreted, but to mean something different for each and every person.
If you could have any super power, what would it be and why?
We would all love to have super strength, it's a must for a band on the road. After a month straight of less food then average, and dragging drum sets and guitar amps all around, you're going to be tired. With super strength, carrying equipment around seems like a walk in the park!
What did you want to be when you were ten years old?
Around 10 years old is about when we all got our first instruments. We've always wanted to be musicians. To us, theres never been anything else that seemed like a good idea. If not playing in a band, maybe producing, or mixing, or even just teaching.
As it stands, two of our members already work as music teachers. Its a rewarding job, that only helps us grow as musicians everyday. I can honestly say that since the age of ten, I have kept my dream alive with every note that I play.
What is your favorite venue to play? Your dream one?
Our favorite venue to play is a venue in our hometown called Zaphods. We play it about once a month. It's a great venue that has a great staff. The sound guys know what they are doing, and are always helpful and nice, the bar staff always comments on your show, and rewards you with beer tickets for the night. The Rolling Stones even recorded a video at the venue so that just goes to show how cool of a place it really is.
A dream venue for the band is a place I recently sang at. During my venture in the top 100 of Canadian Idol, I sang in front of judges on a great stage in Toronto. Vocalist Eric Hitsman sang alone on the stage, but would love one day to share the stage with the rest of the band! There is lots of room on the stage to have fun in any way that you want, a nice green room and lots of room for a huge audience! Or any stage at Warped Tour would be awesome!
Who would be your three favorite acts to go on tour with?
Sharing a tour with the Goo Goo Dolls would be a huge honour. They were a huge influence to the style of music we created, and their evolution from a heavy punk band into a new style of soft rock seems similar to the road we walked.
Another big influence that would be an honour to play with would be My Chemical Romance. The ir style and playing ability would be hugely benificial to our own. We would learn to grow off their style and better ourselves as musicians.
Blink 182 would be awesome to tour with, because they would always have a wicked crowd and what's a tour without a whole lot of comedy on the way?
What was the first album you've ever bought?
Its hard to remember back to the first album we bought. As we were children of the nineties, these albums range from 'Nevermind' by Nirvana to 'Dookie' by Green Day to 'Naveed' by Our Lady Peace" so the first albums we bought were a bit from grunge to punk and rock and roll.
What's your favorite treat?
Toxic Waste candies, they're like warheads but even more sour!
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You can find more of their music here
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