Interview with Foolsbane

Who: Foolsbane
What: In Concert for VIKTOR’S BIRTHDAY BASH
Where: Benton St. Bar & Grill - map
When: Friday, June 5, 2009
How Much: 18+ $6 / 21+ $5

Progressive rock band Foolsbane, from Twin Falls, is making their debut Pocatello performance this week. I caught up with vocalist David Chambers about the band's history and their upcoming show.


SLG: Describe your genre of music in as much detail as you like. Maybe list your three best crowd-pleasing songs? Can you explain in what way do you most appeal to your fans?

DC: We are definitely progressive by nature. The vast influence that comes from the six of us drives that side of us. We have a song called “Infiltrator” which really gets the crowd going. It basically starts slow and then hits you in the face. Another crowd pleaser (Alpha) tends to be a quick bit off our current album, which is just a quick instrumental piece that has a good solid groove.

Foolsbane appeals to a wide variety of people because of the diversity of sound we provide. We’ll go from heavy hitting in-your-face to melodic and melancholy before you realize what has happened, all within one song. You can hear it all over our current album! We formed to play music we wanted to hear and hopefully pick up a few fans along the way. It is what it is, and we certainly hope people enjoy themselves while listening!

SLG: Band member first and last names / instruments. How long has this line-up been together?

DC: Our lineup is David Chambers on vocals; Shane Cotee is on keyboards and is the newest member of the band as of a few months ago. Tracey Emery and Jason Ramsey are on lead and rhythm guitars, Shane Hall keeps the beat on drums, and Chris Wiersema plays bass. The current lineup has been together since last November with the exception of Shane Cotee who only joined in a few months ago.

SLG: Tell us where you're from and currently based in what town?

DC: We are currently based out of Jerome, Idaho but members actually travel from as far away as Hailey and Pocatello for practices. The lead singer is currently living in Pocatello attending ISU.

SLG: Past shows or venues you'd like to brag about? Past or future shows in the Pocatello area?

DC: Our first show was in an old haunted theater in Gooding, Idaho, and we actually practiced there for a bit. Our furthest show we have played was at Studio 7 in Seattle, Washington, where we were introduced at that show as being the “Biggest band of the night (by weight)”! We are all big guys, and Chambers alone stands 6’4”. It was a crazy fun time. Last summer we opened for Skid Row in Twin Falls, Idaho, where the crowd was great, and we had an awesome time. To date that has been one of our most memorable shows!



SLG: Describe this particular show(s) ... date, times, place opening acts? headline acts? time you hit the stage? what can ppl expect if they come to this show? All ages or 21+? Ticket prices or cover charge?

DC: The show on Friday the 5th is a Birthday bash for a member of two of the other bands playing. He (Viktor Wilt) contacted us and wanted us to come up and play, and we are ecstatic to do so. The current lineup is going to be Neckbrace, Dr. Seuss Is Dead/The Reptilians, Foolsbane, and Fault Paradox. VIKTOR’S BIRTHDAY BASH 18+ Cost: $5-$6 don’t miss this one!

SLG: Any comments about the local live music scene, the music industry in general? What do you think is the best way to get your music out there?

DC: We (Foolsbane) have certainly dealt with some other bands in our past that showed very poor musicianship, but as far as the current scene is concerned we couldn’t be happier with the support bands are showing each other. We absolutely wish success for everyone in the music scene whether it is on a large or small scale.

Foolsbane is a complicated machine, and we buckled down last year to record our first album. We were only able to play one show, but we are hoping to up that frequency now that we have material completed, and we look forward to finishing more product. We were invited to play this show, we are grateful to be a part of it and look forward to playing for some new faces.

This industry is hard, and we knew that when we started. So our focus was to mature as a band, and eventually we built our own studio (Foolsbane Studios) in Jerome, where we lock down and get to business. We have not gigged very much, but we do hope to change that. Because of our having 6 members it is hard sometimes, when music is not your day job, to schedule shows that work for everyone. We will be playing in Boise on June 27th at Grizzly Rose Night Club with some of the local scene up there, and we are excited to hit that area as well.

We are excited to play in Pocatello and hope to play some other venues in the area as well, just as soon as we can schedule them. The Icon contacted us, but we were unable to commit to the date that they asked for, and we were sorry to let opportunity go. But we hope we will play there eventually.

(More Foolsbane video on YouTube)

SLG: Recordings? Will you have CD's or more for sale at the show?

DC: Our First album is called “The Curse of the Third Man---Alpha,” and we decided to make it a concept album where each song tells a part of a story. Rush did a concept with their album "2112" and Queensryche did a concept with "Operation Mind Crime," so we definitely played a unique card with our first self produced effort as a group. The album hosts many time and key changes and even a 15 minute song called “Revelation.” However, the concept does not end with the last song on the album because it is a two part concept, and we are currently writing the second half. “The Curse of the Third Man---Omega,” which we hope to have out by early next year, is our next focus. The first title of that album will be our show closer this Friday and is entitled “Grip.” It has been a crowd-pleaser for many years. It was an early song that we have resurrected for the concept albums.

Currently we are out of merchandise and CD’s (we know, shame on us) for this upcoming show, but we invite everyone to visit our web pages to learn more about what we are doing and where they can find our music. We are currently available for download through iTunes, Rhapsody, Amazon mp3, and Napster, to name a few. Currently you can hear full length versions of some of our songs on our myspace page.

Our web pages are:
www.foolsbane.com
www.myspace.com/foolsbanemusic
www.reverbnation.com/foolsbane
www.facebook.com/pages/Foolsbane/24853877055