Alexisonfire – Sept 09 Cover Story

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Something that surprises a lot of AOF fans is that each group member has a separate musical side project. It’s a challenge for musicians to make one band successful so I asked if  having other musical ambitions on the side affect their work for AOF in anyway.

“No! It’s just something to do when Alexisonfire isn’t touring I think.” Jordan responded. “We still want to play music but maybe you want to play a different type of music. It just takes up some time when we’re not on the road.”

Arguably the most popular side project to emerge is that of lead singer Dallas Green. Choosing to go solo under the name ‘City and Color’, he moved away from AOF’s hardcore sound and created two folk rock albums that showcase his undeniably outstanding vocals. The guys of AOF admitted to being big fans of their band mate’s work. When asked what the last show they attended was, Jordan responded:

”The last one I went to was ‘City and Color’ which is kind of funny. I went when Dallas was playing a few shows in Toronto.” Chris was in attendance as well.

Some of the other side projects include ‘Fucked Up!’ in which George plays bass, ‘Hunter’ where Jordan plays drums and ‘Black Lungs’ which was formed by guitarist, Wade MacNeil.

As the interview came to an end, we briefly touched upon some of the things they’ve learned throughout their journey in the music world. When asked what advice they could give to up and coming bands, George responded with an answer worthy of industry veterans.

“I think you should be doing it because you love music and you love playing music and not because you want to get famous or get drunk every night. Not that there’s anything wrong with getting drunk every night but just remember that music is the most important thing.”

With so many bands competing in today’s music market and only a select few of them truly succeeding, AOF stated that their main goal is just to be remembered. With everything they have accomplished so far in their careers and so much more still on the way, they will be very hard to forget.

George wrapped up our interview by saying: “I just hope that people look back on it fondly and that we didn’t necessarily compromise things. Even if we’re not the biggest band, I hope people remember us and think that the time we spent here was worthwhile.”

As the guys left to get ready to hit the stage, much to the pleasure of the thousands of fans waiting for them, I realized how privileged I was to have gotten the chance to talk with a band that has had such a large influence on music.  As I stood at the back of the crowd watching them perform, I could see their years of experience; obvious with every note played and with every lyric sung. The chemistry and passion of this band is undeniable.

You can check out more information on Alexisonfire at the following links:

http://www.theonlybandever.com/home/

www.myspace.com/alexisonfire

http://twitter.com/aof_official

And here is the link the full interview Transcript: http://www.confrontmagazine.com/web/2009/08/24/alexisonfire-transcript-2009/

To view our full Picture Gallery please click here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/confrontmagazine/sets/

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