Can you tell us as to who the members of your band are and what roles they play within the band. What inspired you to call yourselves “The Vincent Black Shadow” and where do you draw inspiration from for your songs and lyrics? How long has the band been in existence and how did it form?
Robbie:Guitar
Cassandra:Vocals
Tony:Drums
Chris:Bass
The name comes from the name of a motorcycle written about by Hunter S Thompson. Our inspiration comes from everything – from other music, movies and literature. The band was formed in 2003 by Robbie, Cass and Tony.
You’re considered to be part of a new wave of exciting bands. What was your local scene like before you formed and how do you think it’s adapted in order to accommodate an outfit such as yourselves? Did you encounter any difficulties as a new and emerging band and what advice would you give to other musical outfits on breaking into such a difficult industry?
We aren’t really part of any local scene as we tour all the time, but the Warped Tour in the USA has embraced us, and we have gone from playing the smallest stage on it last year, to the biggest one this year. My advice to new musicians, is prepare for the worst, and unless you are prepared to give up your social life, girlfriend/boyfriends, money and lucrative career, then stop now as you basically have to sacrifice everything to do this. And in a way, that makes us love it.
Out of all the bands gaining attention in the mainstream press, which bands do you most admire and how do you think their existence has benefited the music scene? On the other hand, what bands do you consider as being unworthy of the adulation and praise that has been lavished upon them by the industry and why do you think that they represent everything that is wrong about the business today?
First off, what’s wrong with the business today is that everyone is constantly saying who is worthy and unworthy of success when it should just be bands trying to make the best music possible. People like Mike Patton, Dave Mustaine, Les Claypool, Amy Winehouse, Fiona Apple are all pushing their own musical boundaries and trying to contribute to the music culture. I don’t want to insult anyone’s tastes so all I can say is any band in this for the $ should fuck off.
How do you think the internet and downloading culture has affected your career as a band. In what way have MySpace and filesharing activities helped or hindered you, and how have you reacted to the ever-evolving and changing nature of the music industry?
Myspace is great, it allows us to stay in contact with our fans. We’re not against file sharing but we appreciate when people spend money on our records. We’re happy that people listen to any form of our music.
What advice would you give on love and romance and what is your opinion on two-timers and whores? Are women just as bad as men (and vice-versa) or is this just a side of the human condition that only afflicts the morally weak and the criminally insane? How can we save ourselves from such dubious people of low moral character and what would you recommend as being a befitting treatment for those who leave a trail of broken hearts in their wake?
We’re musicians, not marriage councilors.
For the interest of our readers, how would you describe your music and where can we find out more about you and your music? Who have been your key influences and do you have any recorded music for sale or in the pipeline?
Our music comes from a variety of influences from metal, alternative, pop, punk etc.. Some bands we like are Megadeth, Faith no More, The Misfits, GnR, Avenged Sevenfold, Amy winehouse.
Our Debut album ‘Fears In The Water’ is available now!
What are your future plans and how do you think these tie in with your goals and aspirations as a band and in life? What would you consider as being important to you and how would you wish to be remembered once the dust has settled and you’ve had a chance to achieve your objectives?
Future plans are for a new video to follow our first single and video ‘Metro’, continue with warped tour which we’re currently on, and more touring. We hope to be remembered as an original band that worked hard for its success.
Finally, when can we expect to see you again in the UK and do you have any kind words or morsels of advice that you’d like to dish out to your fans?
We sincerely wish to thank anyone who supports us with our music and we hope to be back for the fall in the uk.