Survive This! Shawn Zyvoloski Lives The Life He's Chosen
Forged in the fires of sin city Las Vegas comes a skillful endeavor of pure genius! Wanted by their enemies, sought by their peers, these Musicians journey their way through Nevada, killing any stage that gets in their way! With a must see live performance, this band of unlikely heroes are here to show the world what they’re made of. Survive This! a symbolism of Post Hardcore, Electronic Metal and have been thrashing their instruments and raising hell to fans across the nation. With a strong will to survive they have managed to make it through the ranks of the ever competing industry of Sin City. With their do it yourself attitude they Continuously push and drive themselves to record and promote there sound. Frontman vocalist discusses of their latest album "The Live You've Chosen" and some backstory on the band from past to present conditions.
1. Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in Survive This!, and how long the band has been together.
Shawn: Hi I'm Shawn and I'm a vocalist In Survive This! We officially started ST! In 2008 but we have all been playing together since we were teenagers.
2. Can I get a backstory on the band/ band biography?
Shawn: Billy and I are cousins. We came from a musical working family. So we naturally fell into writing and playing music together. Daniel was billy childhood best friend who actually inspired billy to play the drums. Doug and Aj just eventually fell into place.
3. Where is the band based out of and what is your music scene like there?
Shawn: We're from Las Vegas Nevada. We all met and started playing tho in a subsidiary town called Pahrump. The scene was booming when we started. We built our way from a small town into the big city. We watched bands like escape the fate and panic at the disco thrive into success. But now a days this city could be one of the hardest scenes to play in.
3.1 Are there any local bands you could recommend?
I dig our friends in The Runaway lives. They have a cool pop rock vibe. Imperial tide if your looking for something heavier.
4. Why did you want to go and call yourselves Survive This! What is the representation behind that name and what does it symbolize and mean for the band?
Shawn: It originally started out as a joke. We were all into survival reality TV shows. Daniel threw out the idea and it stuck. The deeper meaning to it is the everyday struggle. To persevere through all of life's challenges. To stand up against the abuse, bullying, and torment life may throw at you. For me it's a symbol of hope. We are all Survivalist trying to find our Niche in this world.
5. How would you describe your style? Which bands influenced your music?
Shawn: We don't believe in being a style per say. We delegate more towards the writing of individual songs. If we like the way something sounds we will follow through with it. Our influence have such a diverse range. We listen to every style you can think of. Few of mine personally are Justin Timberlake, Taking Back Sunday, Underoath, and Michael Jackson.
6. What lyrical theme do you guys use in your music?
Shawn: We write what's on our minds. I really pull from the heart. I'll expose all my imperfections and thoughts through music. Life had so many influential struggles and inspiring moments. I find those to be the best places to pull from.
6.1 What message do you want to send?
Shawn: I want to give hope. I had a hard life growing up. I came from a broken home and lived an isolated life. I still fight the everyday struggle of depression and acceptance. But I've learned to persevere. We are not alone. We all struggle, but together we can stand strong.
7. Do you write your own songs? Can you discuss the songwriting process in detail?
Shawn: Yes we do. The most important thing in writing is the song as an individual. We will never throw away an idea because we feel it doesn't fit a sound. We can start from a riff or a beat, but the chorus is the heart of the song. Built to keep the song beating.
8. You've released a single and video for the song "Where I Belong" can you tell me about those and can we expect to see another music video from you guys off this release?
Shawn: Yes, the video was filmed by an awesome crew and a great director named Aaron Hymes. The shoot had such an amazing energy. Everyone's vibe was just so enthusiastic and supportive. It really made for great product. When we were on our last tour we shot another music video. Aaron worked with us again and shot us live at chain reaction. It was to our title track to the album and was released the the same day as our album.
9. How would you describe the overall sound of the new album?
Shawn: Fun! It's something we enjoy playing. I like to think of it as a collection of great songs. It has a similar vibe throughout the album but gives a unique quality of diversity.
10. Did the band have any definitive goals they were shooting for before the recording process began for this album?
Shawn: The main goal was to be happy with the songs. We wanted to love what we were playing live! It helps us connect with the audience. Hopefully help them connect with us.
11. Are you using any new instrumentation you've never used in the recording process before?
Shawn: We've been incorporating a lot of sounds and instruments for while. I'd say if anything was new for us, it would be going for different vibes that we have never dived into. Like writing a very pop song.
12. When did you start writing for this album?
Shawn: We started this album over a year ago. We were In The studio recording in January, but the pre-production was a long process.
13. Did you feel any pressure whatsoever about writing and recording for this debut release?
Shawn: I think everyone had some kind of pressure to do there best. Knowing that you have this opportunity you want to make sure your giving your best effort.
14. How was the vibe in the studio for everybody?
Shawn: It was very supportive. We are like a family and we needed to push and nurture or creativity together.
15. Who produced "The Life You've Chosen" and what was it like working with them?
Shawn: We worked with front man Ronnie Radke of falling in reverse. He has been a friend of mine for a little under a decade. So it was a very creative environment. Nobody was afraid to say how they felt. Working with him alone inspires you to try harder. You want to give him your best. The worst feeling is letting someone down.
16. "The Life You've Chosen" is the title of the album but is there a concept to this album or does the title fit a concept or story line to it?
Shawn: For our artwork we wanted a comic book feeling vibe. Sleeping with the fishes theme. The album was written about life's experience. The title track is representation of my overall struggle. That seems to tie every song together. So it just makes sense.
17. Who did the cover art for Perceptions and how much input did you have on it?
Shawn: Devin Taylor from Shrapnel, Bleeding Star Clothing, and Thinking Allowed Graphics. He's one of my best friends so we sat down and worked together with this project. He's a very talented guy.
18. Can you go into one or two tracks on the new album? If so, can you give us the track title and brief description of how the track sounds and how it came about?
Shawn: "Sail away"! It's one of my favorite songs on the album. It's my struggle with the choices I've made and the love I've lost. Struggling with my past and not having my grandfather there to guide me. He was the father figure in my life. When he was alive I would ask for his guidance and would follow by his example. Since he's been gone I've had to find my own way and learn from his teachings. I can only hope to be like the man I've learned from. Losing a love and a loved one in the same year was was painful. But I know one day I will see him again!
19. You guys will be heading out on the Bury The Hatchet tour - how did this all come together and what can the fans expect from your performance and what do you plan to do you prepare yourselves for this touring experience?Shawn: Well we worked with Ronnie on this record. So it was only natural that he would offer us a spot on his next headlining tour. Our biggest thing about live performance is giving energy and having fun. We're jacob the time of our lives and we want to share it with everyone.
20. What other plans do you have for the future as a band?
Shawn: Were really looking forward to upcoming tours. We really have our hearts set on traveling over seas and seeing everyone around the world that wants to be apart of our dreams.
21. Where can we listen to your band and where can we buy your stuff?
Shawn: Well were on YouTube, Spotify, Pandora and more. You can buy us on iTunes or Amazon and any other retailer that's carrying our CD.
22. Anything else you'd like to add or care to say?
Shawn: Thank you for having me. It's such a rewarding experience to be a part of this project. I can't express how much everyone means to us by supporting. Without it we would just be bunch guys banging on some instruments.
