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A Tragedy in Progress is a five piece Tennessee band with a love for big riffs, growling vocals and thumping drum beats. After releasing their e.p 'Going Down With the Ship' in early 2011 the band has been working on their new album 'Mechanical Weather'. Originally comprised of several members of the band 'Across Five Aprils', A Tragedy in Progress are looking to spend 2012 tearing it up to their new album.
Alt-sounds caught up with guitarist Jason Fields and drummer Drew Miller to get the lowdown on touring,inspirations and what to expect for 'Mechanical Weather.
So you formed as a band under the name Across Five Aprils in 2001 and released an album titled A Tragedy in Progress. What was it that led to you adopting this as your band name?
Jason Fields: Honestly we had no intentions of being a band again. In the summer of 2010, we all decided it would be fun for us, the original members of Across Five Aprils, to play a reunion show together. We kind of felt it would be inappropriate to play the show under the name Across Five Aprils since there were several lineups of that band after us. Out of respect for them, we just decided to play under the title of the full length we'd recorded together. Once plans for the show were starting to take shape, we were approached by Matt at Indianola about recording some new tracks. We'd previously talked about writing and playing a new song at the show. That song became three new tracks and we re-recorded an Across Five Aprils track and that became the Going Down With the Ship EP, which we decided to release under the band name A Tragedy in Progress. It just felt right and comfortable.
Drew Miller: Just felt right at the time. We knew of bands that had done the same thing before, to play shows under a different name. It was also a way to sort of keep that connection with the Across Five Aprils history that the five of us had.
When you started out did you all have a love for similar music, or was it a case of different styles coming together?
JF: I think all along, we've all had some common ground musically, but our differences allowed us to develop our sound into what it currently is. We all listen to all kinds of music. Over the last eleven years, we've grown up a lot. Our tastes have changed a little, our musicianship becomes a little better and all that plays into the music we are currently making.
DM: Of course we all share somewhat similar interests in music but at the same time all of us tend to shift towards different genres and styles. I myself am liable to be listening to literally any genre at any given moment. Lately that has included a lot of Latin.
Do you think there’s a strong Metalcore/Post Hardcore scene in Tennessee?
JF: I can't really speak on much of Tennessee today. I'm kind of out of the loop as far as the scene goes nowadays. From what I can tell, Chattanooga has a pretty solid scene. Kids seem to make it out to shows and support the bands they are into. I like to think we had a small part in helping establish that. When we first got started back in 2001, there was us and a great metal band called Rifles at Recess, a handful of other locals and that was it. It's good to see that it's grown into what it has.
DM: I would be lying to you if I said that I had any clue about the music scene in Chattanooga anymore. When I stopped playing / touring in Across Five Aprils, I totally distanced myself from anything having to do with it for some reason.
Where has been your favourite city to play so far?
JF: Well we haven't really toured with this incarnation of the band, but back in the day I used to love playing in Nashville. We always had fun shows there.
DM: Long Island was always really fun to play I thought.
Which bands have you most enjoyed touring/sharing the stage with?
DM: Three bands really come to mind when I think about the best times I had on tour. I also still talk to some of the members from time to time... Secret Lives, Glory of This, The Burning Season.
JF: We were lucky enough to play the last Furnace Fest in 2003 and that was amazing to play a festival alongside all those bands you had posters and flyers of on your wall.
What kind of things do you get up to when on tour?
JF: Again we haven't toured really with this band in it's current state, but I think a safe answer is Sheetz. If there's one available, we will be stopping there. Other than that, we just drive, hang out with friends, play our set, eat, sleep and do it again. I think Drew just generally liked to push people's buttons.
DM: I always tried to see how bad I could get on any given person's nerves that day in the van. We can laugh and joke about it now but I'm sure it wasn't really funny to them at the time. Brandon Mullins was always the easiest to get riled up.
You’re recording a new album as a follow-up to "Going Down With the Ship" - What’s different about this album?
JF: I would say without a doubt it's the maturity of the record. Both lyrically and musically, this upcoming record is very representative of who we are now. Going Down With the Ship was about seeing if we could still do it or if we were just old and washed up, ha. Once we realized, OK we're still capable of making music people like, it allowed us to approach the writing of Mechanical Weather with more confidence. We've always written the record we wanted to and this new one is no exception. We are just fortunate enough that some people out there like what we're doing and allow us to keep doing it.
DM: I'd say the general feeling. I think these new songs, as a whole, have a darker feel to them and are more gritty.
Where does the band hope to be by the end of 2012?
JF: I personally hope that the release of Mechanical Weather is well received, that people recognize the hard work we, and the people working behind the scenes, have put into it. I think the success of the record will have a lot to do with if we decide to record again. I don't think any of us are thinking too far ahead though. We're in a unique position to just enjoy it for what it is, and let the chips fall where they may.
DM: I'm just happy to take it all at face value. None of us do this as a job anymore. I'm just glad it gives all of us a reason to get together and still hang out.
Who would you most like to share the stage with?.
DM: New Found Glory, Blink 182, Poison the Well to name just a few.
JF: Tough question....A few of us drove to North Carolina last fall to see the Hopesfall reuinon show in Winston Salem. I remember thinking at that show, that it wouldn't suck at all to share the stage with that lineup. They were such an influence on most bands from our era.
If you only had enough battery on your iPod for one song each, which songs would you all choose?
DM: Shai Hulud's Misanthropy Pure recording of "Set Your Body Ablaze"
JF: Thrice's "The Whaler"
Are there any festivals or shows you really want to play in the future?
DM: It would take a lot to get us all in line to play it but if I could pick just one I'd say the revival of Furnace Fest that I've been day dreaming about.
JF: We'd certainly entertain any serious offers. Bamboozle would be fun. Warped Tour would be as well. So if any of you would like to make that happen, go ahead.
Have there been any new influences that might change the sound for your newest album?
JF: I think our sound has always been a melting pot of our influences, past and present. I don't know that I can name an artist specifically that influenced us on the writing of this record.
DM: I wouldn't say there are any new influences but my drum beats do tend to change according to what music I've been listening to lately and, like I mentioned earlier I have been listening to a lot of Latin lately.
Why should people listen to your new album "Mechanical Weather"?
JF: I feel like it's a solid record start to finish. A lot of records have high points and and a lot of filler in between. I feel like our record is strong throughout. Across Five Aprils fans will hear things that are indicative of this lineup and our chemistry, but they will hear better crafted songs with a more mature sound. That being said, I believe and hope a new listener would enjoy it just as much.
Alt-sounds caught up with guitarist Jason Fields and drummer Drew Miller to get the lowdown on touring,inspirations and what to expect for 'Mechanical Weather.
So you formed as a band under the name Across Five Aprils in 2001 and released an album titled A Tragedy in Progress. What was it that led to you adopting this as your band name?
Jason Fields: Honestly we had no intentions of being a band again. In the summer of 2010, we all decided it would be fun for us, the original members of Across Five Aprils, to play a reunion show together. We kind of felt it would be inappropriate to play the show under the name Across Five Aprils since there were several lineups of that band after us. Out of respect for them, we just decided to play under the title of the full length we'd recorded together. Once plans for the show were starting to take shape, we were approached by Matt at Indianola about recording some new tracks. We'd previously talked about writing and playing a new song at the show. That song became three new tracks and we re-recorded an Across Five Aprils track and that became the Going Down With the Ship EP, which we decided to release under the band name A Tragedy in Progress. It just felt right and comfortable.
Drew Miller: Just felt right at the time. We knew of bands that had done the same thing before, to play shows under a different name. It was also a way to sort of keep that connection with the Across Five Aprils history that the five of us had.
When you started out did you all have a love for similar music, or was it a case of different styles coming together?
JF: I think all along, we've all had some common ground musically, but our differences allowed us to develop our sound into what it currently is. We all listen to all kinds of music. Over the last eleven years, we've grown up a lot. Our tastes have changed a little, our musicianship becomes a little better and all that plays into the music we are currently making.
DM: Of course we all share somewhat similar interests in music but at the same time all of us tend to shift towards different genres and styles. I myself am liable to be listening to literally any genre at any given moment. Lately that has included a lot of Latin.
Do you think there’s a strong Metalcore/Post Hardcore scene in Tennessee?
JF: I can't really speak on much of Tennessee today. I'm kind of out of the loop as far as the scene goes nowadays. From what I can tell, Chattanooga has a pretty solid scene. Kids seem to make it out to shows and support the bands they are into. I like to think we had a small part in helping establish that. When we first got started back in 2001, there was us and a great metal band called Rifles at Recess, a handful of other locals and that was it. It's good to see that it's grown into what it has.
DM: I would be lying to you if I said that I had any clue about the music scene in Chattanooga anymore. When I stopped playing / touring in Across Five Aprils, I totally distanced myself from anything having to do with it for some reason.
Where has been your favourite city to play so far?
JF: Well we haven't really toured with this incarnation of the band, but back in the day I used to love playing in Nashville. We always had fun shows there.
DM: Long Island was always really fun to play I thought.
Which bands have you most enjoyed touring/sharing the stage with?
DM: Three bands really come to mind when I think about the best times I had on tour. I also still talk to some of the members from time to time... Secret Lives, Glory of This, The Burning Season.
JF: We were lucky enough to play the last Furnace Fest in 2003 and that was amazing to play a festival alongside all those bands you had posters and flyers of on your wall.
What kind of things do you get up to when on tour?
JF: Again we haven't toured really with this band in it's current state, but I think a safe answer is Sheetz. If there's one available, we will be stopping there. Other than that, we just drive, hang out with friends, play our set, eat, sleep and do it again. I think Drew just generally liked to push people's buttons.
DM: I always tried to see how bad I could get on any given person's nerves that day in the van. We can laugh and joke about it now but I'm sure it wasn't really funny to them at the time. Brandon Mullins was always the easiest to get riled up.
You’re recording a new album as a follow-up to "Going Down With the Ship" - What’s different about this album?
JF: I would say without a doubt it's the maturity of the record. Both lyrically and musically, this upcoming record is very representative of who we are now. Going Down With the Ship was about seeing if we could still do it or if we were just old and washed up, ha. Once we realized, OK we're still capable of making music people like, it allowed us to approach the writing of Mechanical Weather with more confidence. We've always written the record we wanted to and this new one is no exception. We are just fortunate enough that some people out there like what we're doing and allow us to keep doing it.
DM: I'd say the general feeling. I think these new songs, as a whole, have a darker feel to them and are more gritty.
Where does the band hope to be by the end of 2012?
JF: I personally hope that the release of Mechanical Weather is well received, that people recognize the hard work we, and the people working behind the scenes, have put into it. I think the success of the record will have a lot to do with if we decide to record again. I don't think any of us are thinking too far ahead though. We're in a unique position to just enjoy it for what it is, and let the chips fall where they may.
DM: I'm just happy to take it all at face value. None of us do this as a job anymore. I'm just glad it gives all of us a reason to get together and still hang out.
Who would you most like to share the stage with?.
DM: New Found Glory, Blink 182, Poison the Well to name just a few.
JF: Tough question....A few of us drove to North Carolina last fall to see the Hopesfall reuinon show in Winston Salem. I remember thinking at that show, that it wouldn't suck at all to share the stage with that lineup. They were such an influence on most bands from our era.
If you only had enough battery on your iPod for one song each, which songs would you all choose?
DM: Shai Hulud's Misanthropy Pure recording of "Set Your Body Ablaze"
JF: Thrice's "The Whaler"
Are there any festivals or shows you really want to play in the future?
DM: It would take a lot to get us all in line to play it but if I could pick just one I'd say the revival of Furnace Fest that I've been day dreaming about.
JF: We'd certainly entertain any serious offers. Bamboozle would be fun. Warped Tour would be as well. So if any of you would like to make that happen, go ahead.
Have there been any new influences that might change the sound for your newest album?
JF: I think our sound has always been a melting pot of our influences, past and present. I don't know that I can name an artist specifically that influenced us on the writing of this record.
DM: I wouldn't say there are any new influences but my drum beats do tend to change according to what music I've been listening to lately and, like I mentioned earlier I have been listening to a lot of Latin lately.
Why should people listen to your new album "Mechanical Weather"?
JF: I feel like it's a solid record start to finish. A lot of records have high points and and a lot of filler in between. I feel like our record is strong throughout. Across Five Aprils fans will hear things that are indicative of this lineup and our chemistry, but they will hear better crafted songs with a more mature sound. That being said, I believe and hope a new listener would enjoy it just as much.
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