Through Tragedy

Through Tragedy are an unsigned Canadian progressive metalcore band from Calgary, Alberta, formed in June of 2009. The band consists of vocalist Eric Koch, guitarist Calvin Chapman, bassist Brett Miller, and drummer Ryan Kusz. With a strong do it yourself work ethic, the band emerged with their self-titled demo released in 2010, and then proceeded to tour in support of it. Through Tragedy embodies the do it yourself work ethic by booking their own tours, recording their own music, and doing their own art. With a vast array of musical influences spanning across all members, Through Tragedy uses that to their advantage to create music that is unique, meaningful, and powerful. They took the time to answer a few questions by e-mail for me:

What’s the origin of that name and have you changed the band’s name before?

Through Tragedy, our band name was derived from one of our older songs which was influenced by the tragic events we have all faced in our lives and the steps to recovering from them

Who are your major influences?

Parkway Drive, As I Lay Dying, Misery Signals, Between the Buried and Me

How did you meet each other?

Calvin and Eric met through the magic of the internet about 3 years ago, it was a bromance from the get go.
Eric met Brett Miller through a different band 4 years ago, and when we had to replace our bass player, we called on Brett and he was down. Ryan and Kyle shared a jam space with us in their former band for about a year and a half, when we lost our other members it was just natural to call upon those talented and beautiful individuals.

What inspired you to make music together?

All of us have an intense passion for music and really – it’s the only thing we’re good at.

Are you subject to brand loyalty or will you play with whatever’s available? (What made you choose the instruments you have now? Was it cost or was it a style/model/brand/color preference?)

Ryan – “Whatever is cheapest, and stays together the longest”
Calvin – Esp and Peavy
Brett – Fender Bass/Amp
Kyle – Digs LTD and Line Six
Eric – Korg Pianos
Calvin has brand loyalty to ESP, everyone else is really flexible to what we play, as long as it’s good and of quality we are down.

Where have you performed and do you have any upcoming shows?

All over Western Canada so far. We’re playing in the town of Wainright in general is always a great time, and everywhere in BC was amazing. We are playing Wainright January 8th at Theatre 75, Calgary January 15th in Verns, Edmonton January 22nd.

Which songs do you perform most frequently? Do you ever play any covers? Do you have a set play list?

Our two favorite songs to play are Curse Called Time, and Reply and they will probably be kicking around our set list for quite some time. We just released our version of Gimme Sympathy by Metric onto our Myspace so that will be the cover we will be playing for the time being. We don’t really have a set play list; we like to change things up from town to town.

Who writes your songs? What are the main themes or topics for most of your songs and do you think these topics will change over time?

We all write the songs, no one in specific writes the song – one of us presents an idea and everyone makes their own version then we see which works best where. To say the least, it is all a collaborative effort. I write the majority of lyrics with contributions from everyone else if they have ideas. Typically, the topics vary from anything such as religious ideas and themes, to personal experiences and issues faced, and everything in between. It’s hard to say how much the topics will change over the course of time, but it is a guarantee that as our music gets more mature, so will the lyric base, where that leads remains to be seen.

Could you briefly describe the music-making process?

Someone writes a riff, we build upon it, put it together and then polish it off with vocals and piano parts

What are your rehearsals generally like? Do you have a set time each week in which you practice or are rehearsals more spontaneous?

Spontaneous jams typically; we usually jam for a couple hours 2-4 times a week whenever we can really as everyone has a fairly busy schedule. At rehearsal, we basically just take a look at what we are weakest at and then practice the hell out of it.

How has your music evolved since you first began playing music together?

Our music has evolved dramatically since Calvin and Eric first started making the formation of what became Through Tragedy. In the beginning, there was a lot more punk influences and as we finalized the band line up, we slowly evolved to a more heavy and progressive style.

What has been your biggest challenge as a band and how did you overcome it?

Kicking out the douchebags that were previously in the band, and stabilizing our lineup with the group of friends we have now. Over the years, we have lost a few members who proved themselves to be, let’s say unreliable and shady. Luckily through the connections we made in the band previously, we were able to create a solid lineup.

Was there ever a time on tour when you almost died?

Forget “a” time, try multiple. Some people on the road DO NOT know how to drive.

What advice do you have for people who want to form their own bands?

Stay positive, overcome the obstacles, be persistent and don’t take shit from assholes who like to talk on the internet and douchebag promoters.

How can fans-to-be gain access to your music?

You can find some of it on our Myspace or you can also download songs such as our Metric cover off our ReverbNation. On top of that, if someone has spare $4 dollars, you can grab our EP off iTunes and we would be more than happy to personally email you the Metric cover if you want it!

Is there anyone you’d like to acknowledge for offering financial or emotional support?

Our family, our close friends who have stuck with us from the beginning, especially the ones that came to our shows and moshed when we especially sucked as well as all the amazing friends, promoters, and fans we have made on the road so far.

Any last words?

It’s party time, excellent.

http://www.twitter.com/throughtragedy

http://www.myspace.com/throughtragedyband

http://www.reverbnation.com/throughtragedy

http://itunes.apple.com/ca/artist/through-tragedy/id400311151

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Through-Tragedy/109543521205 - Atlanta Metal