The Devil Wears Prada Interview

When corresponding with drummer Daniel Williams of the Dayton, Ohio Christian metalcore quintet The Devil Wears Prada via email, he enlightened us on how they formed, what would make 2007 rock for them, and why he loathes recording so much.

The Gauntlet: Give us a little background about when you guys formed?

Daniel: James and I were looking to start a band. I ended up putting some Myspace bulletins out, and changing my AOL Instant Messenger away message to something like "looking for band members, contact me if interested!" I ended up getting some responses, so I scheduled a date for a practice. Me, Chris, and another dude went to my house and were jamming a little bit of random stuff. We ended up heading over to James' house, where we met up with our bassist and vocalist at the time. We wrote part of Swords, Dragons, and Diet Coke there. A while later we added a second guitarist, and a new bassist and vocalist. The original bass player and vocalist were only in it for a few practices. They never played a show with us, and were not on PATTERNS OF A HORIZON.

The Gauntlet: How would you best describe your band's sound?

Daniel: Catchy metalcore that you can bang your head to.

The Gauntlet: How has your upbringing influenced your music?

Daniel: I went through a phase where i listened to nothing but metalcore. I think that's probably the phase that helped us create this band, even if its not exactly the style of music we listen to on a daily basis.

The Gauntlet: What was the easiest thing about recording the new disc? The hardest?

Daniel: The easiest was the fact that we had no clue we were writing those songs fora CD. We only wrote them to play at shows, just to do whatever. The hardest was finding out that the CD was going to be in stores. We had to make sure it didnt suck.

The Gauntlet: What is the one factor which sets your band apart from other bands?

Daniel: Contrast, i suppose. Some of the parts are super heavy, some are not at all. We try to mix it all into one huge melting pot of music.

The Gauntlet: How does your band's generally write songs (process by committee, one member shows the rest, etc.)?

Daniel: We used to work with a couple of members showing the rest, then the rest would add layers over it, but for our newer songs, it's more a group effort, writing until we all enjoy what comes out.

The Gauntlet: What has been your best musical experience so far? Worst? One you've learned the most from?

Daniel: The two best have been playing at the Saints and Sinners festival, and getting to play with Silverstein. Those shows were huge with so many kids and were so much fun. The worst are any of the shows that we have to deal with fights, and our hometown tends to like fighting. Ones we've learned from are just all of tour in general, as we learned how to deal with each other, as well as how to be calm.

The Gauntlet: Where do you feel your band fits in with the current musical climate?

Daniel: I think the type of music we write is getting a bit more popular in today's world. Hopefully everyone will get to experience our style of music. I believe that's what any band would wish for, just as any painting artist would hope for everyone to view his work.

The Gauntlet: Do you prefer the recording studio or the stage and why?

Daniel: Definitely the stage for me. I cant stand recording. It's so stressful. You have to make sure everything is perfect. The stage is only a few hundred kids at a time, but the record is meant for thousands upon thousands.

The Gauntlet: When I'm not in the band, I'm...?

Daniel: Playing Nintendo Wii, World of Warcraft, Guild Wars, or eating at Chipotle - the best restaurant in the world. Or working my 40 hour a week day job fixing computers. I'm a dork.

The Gauntlet: What's the best advice you've ever gotten and by who?

Daniel: Our agent Dave Shapiro gives some really good advice�nothing in particular that I can think of, but he's always good to go to with questions.

The Gauntlet: What would make 2007 the best year ever for you?

Daniel: Touring with Underoath. I want to, please?

The Gauntlet: Any final remarks?

Daniel: Jesus rules. Thanks to our fans for buying the CD. Thanks to kidsfor coming out to shows. Thanks to you guys for interviewing us.

Check out DEAR LOVE: A BEAUTIFUL DISCORD on Rise Records
www.myspace.com/tdwp


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Tags:  The Devil Wears Prada  , Daniel - drums, interviews

Mike SOS    March 15, 2007