Ironsides

Look at the link for details. - Anonymous

Every once in a while an album comes along and you have no idea what to expect from it, and it's amazing, and then there are times when it's just mediocre. This is one of the latter times. Ironsides is a hardcore band that mixes in some melodic guitar and sampling in their music, making them stand out only a little bit from the hardcore scene.

'The Shallows' is the name of the album, which it fits seemingly well too since the album is pretty shallow and falls flat. To be fair, hardcore rock bands like this one are not my forte, so adjust my score as you see fit. One thing I will accredit to the album is that it does a great job of setting the atmosphere. The album starts off with an intro the sounds to be a music box burning in a fire, thats certainly sending a message.

After the intro things get heavy with the track “The Beast Beneath This Flesh”. It's with this track where you get to hear some of the best guitar work on the album, another positive aspect. While there is plenty of guitar in the album, it isn't worth writing home about how the guitar work is spot on and always sounding tight and well pulled off. This is because strong guitar work is merely an expectation, rather than a surprise.

“Doubter” is the next track and … well … it sure sounds a lot like the previous track. “No Longer My Torment” follows and while it does sound different than the last two, I still gotta say, it still seems to follow the same patterns. Screaming, guitar work, melodic screaming, guitar solo, breakdown, rinse and repeat.

It's at about this point that you may notice that the guitar work sounds great and unique from song to song but the drums feel recycled. Throughout the whole album the drums just seem to be the same on almost every song. I will also say though, that it is within this song where you hear some interesting vocal effects that make the song stand out, that was a welcome surprise.

“Circus of Pawns” continues the trend of the album and then leads us into the interlude which ends the A side of the album. The interlude is a nice little mood setting atmospheric and airy slow guitar solo. It's really quite lovely. From there we transition into a slow song, which was a nice change of pace. “Broken” is the beginning of the B side and really showcases the Josh Cox's voice and shows that he is more than capable of both singing and screaming.

Unfortunately the next song is “The Fallen Few” which goes back into the generic sound of the album. “The Shallows” redeems the B side a bit with one of the best breakdowns I've heard in quite awhile (although I don't hear too many) and it is most definetley the heaviest and hardest song on the album.

Honestly after that, the rest is downhill, like so many albums these days. The following two songs, “With Only a Whisper” and “Face Defeat”, probably won't do much for you. The album does finish nicely though with one last slow song in “End of a Story”. I gotta say, these slow songs kinda get to me, maybe Ironsides should think about what genre they wanna attempt to conquer.

All in all, the album isn't bad. It's just that it seems like it needed some more work. Some fans of the scene will like the album a lot more than others but when it comes down to it, it just feels lacking. This won't be the last we hear of Ironsides though, I'm sure that they'll be back soon with something much more finely crafted. Keep an eye on em'. - Addison Langford

Local Metalcore group Ironsides is skyrocketing through the ranks, going from hometown heroes to regional titans. They’ll be playing Warped Tour in Cleveland, and have a new album set to release on July 22 during their show at the ES Jungle in Broad Ripple.
I was lucky enough to catch up with Josh, Nic, Robby, Butters, and Zakk before their practice recently to discuss just what Ironsides is.


Credit: Doodle Shots
Nic: E-Harmony?
Josh: Me and another member that is no long with the band started everything. We needed more members because the two of us only played guitar. We actually found Nic through Facebook, Butters went to school with [Nic], and a kid named Dustin Savage did vocals for us. Dustin had to leave the band and we did a sort of change of genre and member placement within the band.
Nic: Actually Robbie and I worked at [a guitar shop] together and I asked him if he wanted to be in the band and he went “pshh, yeah right.”
Robby: Yeah one day I told Nic, “Hey I wrote a song for you band” as a joke…But then he thought it was pretty good…So I came to practice…
Josh: Anyway, I was playing guitar and doing the actual singing. And [Dustin] left so I took over screaming and singing, and we added Robbie on guitar. Then we lost the other original member, and after going through numerous guitar players, we added Zakk.
Where did the name Ironsides come from?
Robby: I actually used to do acoustic stuff and called it Ironsides…They were looking for a new name and suggested taking Ironsides. I didn’t know if I liked it but then they said too bad…so…now we’re Ironsides. Turns out that was a good choice!
Why do you guys play the style of music you play?
Josh: It’s more fun than any other genre.
Robby: This totally isn’t my typical genre that I’d play, but it really is a lot of fun.
Nic: Anything goes. That’s my big thing. You have no expectations when it isn’t going to be on the radio anyway.
Where does the inspiration come from?
Josh: All of my lyrics, aside from inspiration from other people’s lyrics, probably come from my religious beliefs. And kind of what I think is to come in our society.
Nic: And it seems like a lot of stuff he’s been through. “End Of The Story” is pretty graphic in terms of what is going on in his life.
How much does religion play a factor overall?
Robby: We all definitely have our own beliefs and everything and understand our differences and support each other in whatever we do. I just think it’s a good place to be, knowing whatever I think is okay because we support each other. We try to be positive.
Zakk: I agree with Robbie, most of us have similar upbringings, but we all have our own views in the end, just like most Christian bands.
Josh: It has to be talked about, too. If you have a problem , or concern you have to talk about it just like any relationship or you’re doomed. This is a relationship, we’re five dudes in a band, a small family.
Talk about the new record a little bit…
Josh: It’s heavier, that was our goal. Kids like it heavy. There’s a certain extent of heavy we all like, and we weren’t going beyond that.
Nic: This album is way more chill than the last one.
Josh: We achieved what we wanted to do: Be heavier but be dynamic and include lots of singing.
Butters: We started writing the last record last January.
Josh: We’ve been recording for entirely too long, also, since last August, so about nine months.
What’s in the near future, besides Warped Tour in Cleveland and the new CD?
Zakk: Making a living doing this.
Josh: With Nic leaving for five months, it will put us on a mini-hiatus. But our goal is to play more shows with a good draw and a lot less small shows. We can save up, buy better gear, fine tune things, and once January rolls around and he comes back we’ll be ready to go.
Robby: And by then I’d like to have another EP written, as well, so Nic can write the drums and we can crank that out.
Where are you going, Nic?
Nic: I actually joined the Army. I know you don’t hear that a lot from dudes in bands, but I did it to pay for school mostly. I don’t really have financial help and family support so it’s a way to get an education to fall back on. I’m gonna take care of whoever gets the spot to fill in. The band means a lot to me and I wasn’t going to just leave without telling them or making sure there was someone to fill in. I’m willing to pay someone to fill in because this is my baby, too.
If there’s one thing you want kids to leave an Ironsides show thinking, what is it?
All: What the hell just happened??
Robby: “That was crazy.” I try to exude an air of being a little crazy around the kids when we’re at shows. Which might be bad…I might scare them…Whoops…
Josh: I want to hear “holy crap, that was crazier than The Chariot.”
Zakk: I think it’s going to be a little while until we get to the level of The Chariot…But other than entertainment, the vibe as far as lyrics and stuff, I want them to be touched in a positive way. There are a lot of bands that sing about a lot of crap, and I want kids to know that this means a lot to us. Like “wow dude, that was really good…”
If someone wanted to hear more Ironsides or come to a show, how would they find you online?
Josh: Facebook.com/Ironsidesband, it’s all there.
Robby: Or if they want our old EP, then mediafire.com/Ironsidesband. Basically, any kind of social media site – facebook, twitter, whatever – just /ironsidesbands works.
Zakk: Don’t get us confused with Old Ironsides, though. That’s not us.
Josh: Yeah, that’s a bar.
Zakk: Oh. I thought…Well, we’re not a bar. That’s for sure.
I want to extend a serious thank you to Ironsides for giving up part of their practice right before KyleStock to do the interview. - Michael Hadley

Too many people around Indianapolis continue to gripe about the same thing: There’s no local music scene. When major acts come through, a couple of people notice the opening bands – nearly always local – but the majority of concert-goers are too busy texting or chit-chatting to take heed of the quality that is on stage.

Red Morning Voyage
When it comes to, Indianapolis is just like any other metropolitan area. There are your big-picture kids (“kids” used loosely for 14-24 year olds), the ones who only head to huge shows and sit on the lawn or in the back. Of course you have your hip-hop and Crunkcore kids who find a way to incorporate suburban living to an urban ideal. There are a few folk kids walking around listening to bands you’ll never hear of in your lifetime. But there are two dominant groups driving the scene: A Punk/Pop faction, as well as a Metal-Fusion faction. These two players aren’t led by one band or a couple bands in particular, but rather they are advancing as a whole to put their stamp on the current wave of Indianapolis-based music. I was fortunate enough to chat with three of Indianapolis’ growing bands that are sprouting from this new-found forward push.
The bigger of the two groups right now is definitely Metal-Fusion. What the hell is Metal-Fusion, you ask? Just think of every band that seems to have been popular in the last three years. A Day To Remember, I See Stars, Bring Me The Horizon, they all draw inspiration from the same well. There are more than a few Indy-area bands that are doing the same thing, and I was able to catch up with Ironsides and Red Morning Voyage at a recent show.
“The scene isn’t as strong as it was a few year ago,” said Ironsides guitarist Zakk Foster. “Shadeland, The Contortionist, bands like that, they were awesome. The scene kind of died after those guys and other bands started breaking up.”
But the guys from Ironsides aren’t what I’d call pessimistic, especially vocalist Josh Cox.
“There are some bands like Rose Maylie, Red Morning Voyage, and Forevermore that are really help build the scene up. Red Morning Voyage especially has done a lot of work in the northern part of Indiana. They tour constantly, too, which definitely helps everyone.”
Red Morning Voyage, who seems to be in everyone’s iTunes now, is a Metal-Fusion band from Rensselaer, Indiana who combines a solid Metal-base with Southern Rock undertones and an all-out blitzing stage presence. They’ve gotten a unique perspective on the Indianapolis music scene, using a two hour drive any time they want to play at a true music venue.
“We’re looking to move down to Louisville, a more centralized area,” drummer Jesse Shelley said. “We won’t lose any of our fans from up north since we are used to driving to play anyway, and it will be easier to go to bigger cities like Indianapolis, Cincinnati, and even Nashville. The scene in Indianapolis, though, has gotten a lot better in the last year or two. The guys from Forevermore have really built an impressive following that has helped grow the whole scene.”
(Don’t you love how these guys are so appreciative of each other? It’s really something awesome. Everyone recognizes everyone else’s accomplishments. Very cool.)
Guitarist Ryan Pattingale had his own unique view of everything that’s going on.
“Metalcore is on the rise. But the question is, has it been on the rise for too long? Has it plateaued? The music scene is hard to define, for me, by genre. Our target audience is generally high school aged kids who seem to like a style of music because their friends like that music, which generally means a million bands are going to pop up that sound like that. Our goal is to be in that handful that rises to the top.”
The other big group of artists is a bit more wide-reaching, but blooming nonetheless. Dotted by groups like Glorious Rebellion, a five piece Pop/Punk group lead by a rare female vocalist named Brook Voils. Glorious Rebellion is a fairly typical Indianapolis-area Pop/Punk band, being right in the middle of the age-range, playing mid-to-small sized shows all over the greater Indy area.
“The ‘Indy music scene’ seems to be growing but it could be that way for me just because I’ve been more involved in it recently. Indy seems to be seeing a lot more action and more local bands are taking the reins and making the stand – getting out there. I like to see that.”
In the Pop/Punk scene, much like the Metal-Fusion kids, Brook sees a good number of established bands that are helping breathe life into the dreams of up-and-coming groups.
“The first thing that pops into my mind about Indy music is probably local Indy bands that have been ‘running the scene’ for a while. The names we see most often like News From Verona, Same as Sunday, and Forevermore are first to mind because that is just what I see when I’m looking at both Indy and Music. But lately more and more bands have been putting themselves out there, especially the last couple months. I really look up to any and all of them. If someone is able to do music and do it well – make a fan base and get themselves out there – I will look up to them. I really admire the bands when you can just tell it is what they love. That is why I do it, so I like to see the same in others.”
So, where does that leave the Indy music scene?
“Every scene, everywhere, goes through cycles,” said Zakk from Ironsides. “It’ll definitely go back up over the next few years, but I wouldn’t doubt that it will dip down a bit later on.”
Jesse from Red Morning Voyage said he thinks “the Indy scene has a ways to go. It’s not all the band’s fault, and it’s not all the kid’s fault. The better the bands get, the more the kids care, and the more the kids care, the better the bands wants to be. It’s a vicious circle but both sides need to step up if they want to see the bands get bigger.”
“The economy plays a big role, too,” chimed in Nic Powell, drummer from Ironsides. “A lot of the venues we play are all ages, and if parents don’t have money for gas, they’re definitely not going to give their kids money for a show, let alone merch and other stuff that helps bands.”
There is a deeper, less obvious bond that ties not only each subgroup together, but an increasingly huge number of mid-state Hoosiers together. Stay tuned for The Sprouting Indianapolis Music Scene, Part Two coming to a computer screen near you in a couple weeks! - Michael Hadley

On Friday June 24th at College Park Ministries, 18 local and 1 not so local band, took the stage to kick off the summer of shows in the local music scene. It was a compilation of some of the best hardcore/punk bands Indy has to offer. If you hadn’t experienced the music scene in Indy yet this was definitely the show to do it at.
Kyle Stock started 3 years ago, when Kyle Williams came up with the idea to have a few bands get together to kick off the summer. He was just thinking about doing it at his house, but when ten bands signed up, he and friends Matt Reed, and Michael Mathioudakis decided a venue was a necessity. They contacted the people at College Park Ministries and the show has been held there all three years.
One thing I found awesome at this show was that they had two stages set up, so that there was very little lag between bands. The down time was less than fifteen minutes a set. Last year was the first time they went back and forth between stage areas.
K.Stock was a reminder of all the great bands Indy has, and the scene they grew up in. It encompassed many of the seasoned bands in Indianapolis, Same as Sunday, News From Verona, Rose Maylie, Ironsides, and recent Ernie Ball Battler winners, Forevermore.
Having only heard of the greatness of some of these bands I was excited to see them play! You hop around the music scene enough, its clear to see who are the real show-stoppers, the ones people go the distance to see.
There was so much camaraderie and support at this show, it was great to see all of the bands interact with one another and support each other.
I arrived at the show at nearly five o’clock so I missed the first couple acts. The first full band we got to see was The Great Flood Catastrophe from Forte Wayne, Indiana. They were a little more pop punk then I would have expected at K. Stock, but there were moments in their songs that were reminiscent of Maroon 5, their not Maroon 5 but similar. I could see how if you were a fan of Maroon 5 you would enjoy this band. The band played mainly on the ground connecting with their fans. At one point the lead singer even walked his way through the audience singing to each individual. They were great at working the crowd. The band will be playing at the He is We show on Friday at the Emerson, for a chance to see them again.
Dismiss the Serpent, it’s always kind of hard for me to be too harsh on Hardcore bands. I don’t like a lot of hardcore but there is some I love. I wouldn’t classify Dismiss the Serpent as bad. I recall some good guitar rifts, great backing vocals and the crowd was into it, I just wasn’t. I don’t have anything bad to say, it just wasn’t my style. When the snarls come in and the pig noises start….you lose me.
Red Morning Voyage was up next, they are another melodic hardcore band, but their performance was amazing! They had very good stage presence throughout their entire set and it was clear to see that they loved what they did. Plus they had some real nice melodies to go with their music. The drums were intense and wondrous and you could feel the music as it played. Their vocals were clear, and they did a great job! I would be happy to watch this band play anytime.
After Red Morning Voyage was over, I was anxiously awaiting one of my favorite local band, Same as Sunday. The boys started off with “Roads, where we’re going we don’t need Roads,” which is always a crowd favorite and good for pulling in people. I would say SAS’s usual crowd wasn’t there at Kyle Stock, I think it was more about the Hard hardcore music, but none the less the boys didn’t let it stop them.
The show might not have been as good as their April Fools show at The Gear, but they never really disappoint. A highlight for me is when the band decided to go a little old skool with an “Ode to Miss Communication,” at which point the crowd and lead singer Chris Bauchle really got into it, the SAS we all know and love shined in this song. As always Josh Cox’s presence during “Exits and Entrances,” with SAS was felt, he is always a nice addition to SAS.
No matter what SAS showed exactly why they have been kicking this city’s ass for several years now, and will continue kicking it, til they just can’t kick anymore.
It couldn’t have worked out better for Ironsides to be the next band up. After Cox left SAS, he started setting up for his set. Here’s where I admit something that might be shocking, I have known of various bands including Josh Cox, over the last couple years. I have seen him at SAS shows, joining them on stage, I have even been to shows that Ironsides played at but just missed them…so this was my first time seeing Ironsides.
Obviously at this point it was a band I had interest in seeing, I was hoping I wouldn’t be disappointed, I wasn’t.
Their set was so intense. It kicked hardcore in the butt and made it rock. My favorite part of their performance was when Josh Cox grabbed his acoustic and started strumming away, “End of Story.” I was expecting some big transition into some hardcore song, and just when I thought it wasn’t coming, it came and let me just say it was AMAZING, the band couldn’t have timed it better. The other highlight of their set was their new song “No longer my Torment,” as Cox introduced the song he let us know it was the first time they had ever played the song publicly, they had only just tried it out the night before. I am glad they decided to let us here it, “the legit breakdown,” as Cox called it was golden in this song.
Rose Maylie was up next, I had never seen them play before but the crowd made it clear whose home turf this was. Another band, I never had the chance to see, that was AMAZING! I can honestly say they are probably one of my favorite hardcore bands I have seen in this area. They were on point from the first song to their last. It didn’t matter where you were standing their performance was good and felt. It’s always great when the audience is right there with the band hanging on to every single word. Trust me the crowd was doing this. Lead singer, Caleb Spencer was right there with them the entire time. His screams were perfect, just loud enough without being too loud. The crowd even got rowdy during their set, they were jamming and jumping around with the band.
Next up was special treat from Nashville, Farewell Fighter, who just got picked for their local Warped Tour battlers. They were amazing from the first song. I had never heard them before, although they have played locally a few times. They were amazing from start to end, their lyrics were perfect. It’s no wonder that they were AP’s #1 Hometown heroes for the year 2010. They have a video currently playing in the store Journey’s so be sure to look for that. Also make sure to check out their facebook, and say hello old skool Ludo….but better! I seriously can’t express how great this band was from their Disney cover of “You got a friend in me,” from Toy Story, to their originals, “Love Lust or are we losing it,” and “Growing Pains.”
After their set, it was time for one of my other local favorites, News From Verona. A lot of you don’t know this but Josh Randolph was one of the first people I met in the Indy music scene. I had not seen them perform in quite sometime, the last time I saw them perform however was extremely memorable.
Now with a whole new slew of songs and a much more developed sound, I was so excited to get to see them play again. The first song the guys started with was their current single, “All I know is I know Nothing,” this has to be one of the best songs the guys have written. The song sounds amazing from the keys, to the strings of the guitar, to the beat of Dan Voris on the drums. One thing I loved that NFV did with, “Here we Are,” was go back and forth between lead singer, Josh Randolph and lead guitarist/backing vocalist, Chad Shirrell. On All I know, this is something the boys once again immerse themselves in and I can honestly say it really creates a last effect with the song. I got to hear a few songs played for the first time “Liars,” was a real treat and showed a new and developed band.
NFV heads to Nashville, to the studio soon to record their first full length album, with Eden Records. I’ll be heading down to spend a little bit of time with the guys in the studio, so be looking for video/photos and an interview with the boys sometime mid/late July.
Giuseppe Capolupo, played a short acoustic set, just him and his drummer. The songs were fun and he did great! Afterward he and a bunch of the drummers from the show created a drum circle. The drummers showed off their skills, it was a lot of fun and definitely a highlight of the memorable evening!

I unfortunately didn’t get to catch most of TugFork, I had a couple of people I needed to talk to for articles and this happen to be the time it worked out.
The last band of the night was the band that just landed a spot on Warped Tour Indy, Forevermore. It was the first time I got to see these guys as well, like Ironsides I have been to plenty of shows that they played at, but happen to come in right after their set. I was excited to see them play live, I’d heard their stuff on Facebook, and their word of mouth is amazing. After this set I can understand why. Their set was memorable from start to finish!
From the first song to the last song, Forevermore’s stage presence was felt. Bassist, Derek Belter, was on point the entire show, and unlike most bassist he got involved with the crowd and had fun throughout the entire set. Lead singer, Jordan Furr, was amazing his screams were heart felt. The guitar rifts from Alex Smith and Jared Storm were incredible, there was one point where they played in unison, and all I could do was stare at the quickness of their fingers.
I can’t wait to see Forevermore play at Warped in less then two weeks, they will be a great edition to the Ernie Ball stage.
The highlights of this show were, Same as Sunday, Farewell Fighter, Forevermore, Ironsides, Rose Maylie, and News from Verona.
One thing is for sure, the boys behind Kyle Stock definitely know how to pick bands, they did an amazing job of encompassing the best of Indianapolis music scene. It was a little more hardcore then I get into, but it was GOOD hardcore, and I still had a blast. I honestly can’t wait to see who’s playing next year, it was good blend of music at the heart of the scene punk/rock/hardcore.
When the music scene feels like its faltering, or you begin to be worried about your local scene, its a show like this that can bring it all together - Crystal Tieszen

“To follow trends or not to follow.”
That is the question.
Like it or not, we live in a culture that rewards those who can do what millions of others have done before and often shuns those who may go against the grain. While many acts are still doing what Atreyu did nearly 10 years ago or are trying to do what A Day To Remember is doing now, there are still those who prefer ignore the trends. Those who prefer to not be known as the next (insert name here) and become the first one of them.
Which now brings us to Noblesville hardcore outfit, Ironsides. In just a few short years, they’ve gone on to play countless shows (including sharing the stage with acts like The Chariot, Oh Sleeper, and even that one band from Indianapolis I promised never to mention on here ever again) and released an EP (available on iTunes). Now fast-forward to 2011 where they’ve released their full-length debut The Shallows.
So how does this effort fare?
In today’s overcrowded Indy metal scene, there are those who will try to capitalize on current trends just to get ahead for a moment and there are those who are built to last. Ironsides is (thankfully) one that falls in the latter.
Rather than pump out the tired metal cliches (ie: the screaming verses and singing choruses, stomp riffs and yes, even breakdowns, etc.), they decide to take the road less traveled: through honest, heartfelt emotion and a sound comprised of Underoath-meets-Oh Sleeper with maybe a hint of Trenches. Heck, even songs like “The Fallen Few” and “The Beast Beneath This Flesh” bring up thoughts of Define the Great Line, while “No Longer My Torrent” sounds like something off the b-sides of When I Am God.
Of course, with every review, it’s time to nitpick.
Despite “Broken” providing a welcome break from the overall heaviness of the record, I can’t quite shake off the feeling that it feels more like a filler that builds up to the next songs than something that could stand alone and be its own lighters and (unfortunately) phones-in-the-air anthem.
The standout track? I have to award this honor to “End of a Story,” their ballad of a closer utilizing a soft acoustic intro, haunting vocals, a brief moment featuring frontman Josh Cox’s ferocious throaty vocals, and a sing-along ending sure to induce chills to anyone who listens. The proper closer is one that not only ties everything else together, but also leaves you wanting more. In the case of this song, they knock it right out of the park. There’s the small detail of a hidden track, but we’ll let that speak for itself.
Final verdict?
Is this album for everyone? Well, no, but mostly because it’s a metal album. Sure they may not be as conventional or as catchy as most of the mainstream, but if you can convey this much emotion and this much passion without compromising, then you’re clearly doing something right. Make no mistake, there’s nothing “shallow” about the amount of potential this band has. With this first record under their belts, it’s a definite step in the right direction. - Josh Lauritsen

It is rare to find a band who brings light to the meaning of talent. But the band that I am sitting with today does that and then some. Not only do they look and sound like they need to be on center stage at Warped Tour, but they also sound like they belong on the radio and on your iPod. These guys are from Indianapolis, Indiana and I cannot believe that it took me this long to find out about them. They scream here and there, which I usually do not like, but it is so well done that it is hard not to fall in love with it. Their lyrics are very educated and as far as I can tell come from real life situations. Sit back, relax, and get to know the guys in Ironsides.

Where did you guys all meet?
Guitar Center, Facebook, and theft of a guitar player from another band.

How long have you been playing together?
Oh…almost two years.

I am digging the MySpace page. Who designed that?
Mister Lawrence Rosinko.

Speaking of MySpace, what are your thoughts on the service?
Yes? We love our fans, and love that they can love us via MySpace.

Are you guys on Twitter?
Josh and Robby are both on Twitter and would love to be followed, @josh9288 and @veryelaborate, respectively. Nic has one as well but Josh and I are the only ones with the password. (Laughs)

Where did you come up with that band name?
The name of the band before was The Last Word and then Robby joined, we wrote all new music and decided that we needed a new band name. Things were tossed around for a while and then Robby chimes in with “Hey guess what, we are called Ironsides now.”

Who is the ringleader of the band?
Well that is a bit complicated; we split it up. Nic handles the money, Josh handles the MySpace and all that, and Robby is just…kinda…weird.

Describe your genre in one word.
Ambibrutal.

Where do you guys practice?
Casa De Ironsides, up in Carmel. Want to hang out later?

Do you have a favorite venue?
We love any venue full of people.

Do you guys have jobs outside of music?
Indeed we do. Nic is your friendly neighborhood Jimmy John’s driver, Josh is getting pretty good at getting fired, Robby is on welfare, Butters is in high school, and Zek cleans windows.

Who is doing all of that screaming?
That would be Josh.

Who has the most tattoos?
Robby, with four…we need more tattoos.

Tell me about White Horse Entertainment.
White Horse Entertainment is run by our good buddy Joshua “Lego” Lohrman. He is everywhere, at every show, and sometimes he is on our couch when we come home eating Cheetos.

What are you drinking on stage?
Water, Gatorade, Monster Energy Drinks, and sometimes coffee.

What is the biggest crowd you have ever played for?
Cornerstone for sure.

The smallest?
Here is a story for you: Josh and Robby were commissioned a while back to do a one off acoustic show at a café in Illinois. No one showed up and we played to the guy that owned the place and his wife. Until she left, and then he got a phone call. We ended up playing to a 100% empty room.

If you could tour with anyone in the market right now who would you guys pick?
Oh Sleeper. Love those guys. Cool dudes.

You have a very Warped Tour style of sound. Have you ever thought about trying to get on any of those dates?
We have tossed the idea around; maybe next year.

Do you guys play outside of Indianapolis a lot?
As much as possible. We hit Illinois a lot. They seem to like us there.

If you could live anywhere else in the world where would you go?
Canada! They give bands government money!

How did you guys react to the passing of the King of Pop?
Consequently we received news of his passing while we were on our way to the acoustic show mentioned in a previous question. We like to think that his spirit filled the empty room as we dedicated that show to him.

Where can I get some of your merchandise?
Come to a show! We want to see your faces.

Who does all the songwriting?
Most of that falls on Josh. He brings a song idea, everyone plays around, with it, bada bing bada boom, Ironsides.

PC or a Mac?
Mac.

Who are some of your biggest inspirations?
Willie Nelson, Our Army of K-9s, and Hannah Montana.

If you could only play one song for the rest of your life, which song would you choose?
The Finisher by Oh Sleeper. We are listening to it right now.

Where do you see yourself in five years?
On the road, assuming Robby lives that long. He does foolish things like picking fights with bears and jungle cats.

What do you want to be remembered for when this is all said and done?
That we made good music.

I always let the artist get the last word. Go.
Pewp.
- Ricky Lee Potts