Alternative hard rock n' rollers Eve To Adam discusses their latest album "Locked and Loaded" along with word about new music and more shows and touring coming soon! Guitarist Gaurav Bali discusses that album and those plans!
1. Can I get a backstory on the band/ band biography?
Gaurav: The band was formed by Taki and Alex (Lead Vocals and Drums) originally and they found me when they moved to NYC. The band actually started as a 4 piece, but in the winter of 2012 we decided to finally add a second guitarist. We've released 4 albums and one EP. Our most recent album is called "Locked & Loaded" and it was released in September of 2013. Our most recent single, "Immortal" peaked at #15 on the Active Rock Chart and the new single "Locked & Loaded" will be released on May 27th. Our current lineup is Taki Sassaris (Lead Vocals), Alex Sassaris (Drums), Gaurav Bali (Lead Guitar), Adam Latiff (Rhythm guitar and backing vocals) and Aaron Boehler (Bass and backing vocals).
2. How did you guys come up with your band name?
Gaurav: "Eve to Adam" is a subsection of a book of poetry called "Paradise Lost"...Our singer Taki came across it and thought it would be a cool name for a band. It refers to the temptation of Rock and Roll as well as the dynamics of the music - the more aggressive male side and the softer female side....so the name has significance on a few levels. Some fans have even come up with their own interpretations!
3. Where is the band based out of and what is your music scene like there? Are there any local bands you could recommend?
Gaurav: The band is based in New York, although a couple of members don't live there. This is a tough question; we haven't been part of the local scene for quite some time because of all the national touring we've been doing for the last few years. I've heard there are some great new bands, but unfortunately not sure exactly sure which ones because I'm never home to check out shows...sorry!
4. What lyrical theme do you guys use in your music? What message do you want to send?
Gaurav: I don't really think we have any general message...The theme in the lyrics is just that they're all about real life experiences and always brutally honest. That's the best way to relate to people because we all go through the same things and we're not the type of band that can perform any music that we don't believe in 100%. I'd say our music is about as real as it gets and people can feel that.
5. What bands have influenced your band and its sound?
Gaurav: Everything from Guns N Roses to Alice In Chains and even classic rock bands like Led Zeppelin. Personally, I'm into many different styles of music and would love to bring them into the band's music as much as possible, but obviously that can be difficult when you have a limited amount of time in the songs etc. I think we definitely expanded the sound of the band on this record though...we got the opportunity to use strings, synth and electronic sounds, so I was really excited about that. Hopefully we can push the limits even further in the future.
6. Is there any story or concept behind the "Locked & Loaded" title?
Gaurav: It basically refers to how strong we feel this album is as a whole. We wrote with some writers outside the band for the first time to make sure that every song was a s strong as possible...a big complaint we've been hearing for years from rock fans is that they don't buy full albums as much anymore because there are only 2 or 3 good songs...the radio singles! So we wanted to make sure we did everything possible to make sure every song had something special and the album as a whole is "Locked & Loaded" with great tunes...we had the pleasure of working with an amazing team and i think it really shows on this album.
7. Who produced "Locked & Loaded," and what was it like working with them?
Gaurav: The main producer of the album was Michael "Elvis" Baskette, but our other writing partners (Eric Bass of Shinedown and Grammy winner, Dave Bassett) also contributed some production work on their respective songs. It was amazing working with all of them on many different levels. As far as Elvis goes, He not only has great ears as a producer, but also is a great writer. He also had the task of making all the songs sound cohesive sonically and he really nailed the final mixes. He's just a great guy and a blast to be around, so we'd love to work with him again in the future. We were very lucky to work with all 3 of these guys!
8. Who did the cover art for "Locked & Loaded," and how much input did you have on it?
Gaurav: This is always one of the hardest things to agree on and our entire team agonized over it for weeks...This cover art is a photo that we all liked and then made some adjustment to... like adding the red tint, for example. Obviously, we wanted it to have some sex appeal, but without being corny or demeaning. That's actually a very difficult thing to accomplish...To me, it looks like a poster for an old James Bond movie and I think it came out really cool. The vast majority of women also like it because it depicts a strong, sexy woman in a tasteful way. In fact, the shirt with the cover does really well at shows with both men and women.
9. Select two songs from "Locked & Loaded," and tell us what inspired the lyrics.
Gaurav: I'm not the lyricist, so I'll select two of my favorites and explain why and what they mean to me...The first is a song called "Fortune Teller"...I really love this song because the lyrics have to do with the unknown future and aspects of fear and doubt that accompany that. This is something that everybody can relate to because we all wish we had a way to make the best decisions in life in the "safest" way possible, but obviously, there's just no way to tell the future. So to me and most other people, it would be awesome to have a real Fortune Teller.
Another one I really love is the second song we wrote with Eric from Shinedown, entitled "What Would You Kill?"...the lyrics to this one are really amazing because it's basically a person having a debate with themselves regarding what they'd change about their personality. The words are a conversation within a person analyzing their own strong and weak points, which is something that we all do when trying to figure out how to be better people. The vocals were also recorded in a way that the listener can tell the two distinct personalities within the one person. It's really interesting and I hope everybody checks out the record so they can experience the amazing lyrics in all these songs.
10. Do you guys have any new music in the works as far as a follow-up release?
Gaurav: We're always stockpiling ideas on the road, but we have two very different mind sets for recording and touring. So the answer is yes we always have individual ideas, but not really any brand new songs; people are just discovering this record and our previous ones! However, there are a couple of songs we recorded for the this album that didn't make it and I'd love for people to hear them at some point...
11. You have been on the road as of late, what else do you guys have planned for this year?
Gaurav: More of the same hopefully! This lineup is really starting to gel and the live show is better than ever.
12. Where can we listen to your band and where can we buy your stuff?
Gaurav: You can buy music on iTunes and Amazon.com and visit us at:
evetoadam.com
facebook.com/evetoadam
youtube.com/user/EVETOADAM
13. What is it you'd like a listener to remember the most when hearing your music for the first time?Gaurav: I'd like them to remember something about the songs and want to hear them again because they were touched in some way. Nothing feels better than when someone tells me that our album has been on repeat on their iPod for weeks...and then of course we want them to experience the songs live where they come to life even more.
14. What can the fans expect to see from you in the future?
Gaurav: Hopefully more albums and worldwide touring!
15. Any final words of wisdom?
Gaurav: I'm just a guitar player, so I'm not sure how much "wisdom" I have! I'd just like to thank the entire ETA team, fans, radio stations and venues that have supported us...we truly appreciate the opportunity to do what we love everyday and we can't do it alone. So, thank you!
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