The rock and roll world is waking up to a fresh sound of a band called To Whom It May. Their new single, "Calculate," out on G4L Records, from their new CD, "The Great Filter" is full of music which is anything but the standard fare. This song is an explosive track that singer Jonathan Jourdan says was "influenced by" the idea that a person has a "hero and that hero loses their faith in themselves and you become their hero and you remind them of why they are special, of who they are."
Such thoughts were reflected upon during a recent phone interview that I had with Jourdan.
As the interview clearly shows, boring song structures and retread lyrics may be poisoning much of today's music, but To Whom It May is offering something much different.
What does it all mean?
Samuel Di Gangi: I recently listened to your song, “Ghost,” and both the haunting keyboards and the samples are quite different from the other music which I found from the band. It was very melodic and hauntingly beautiful.
Jonathan Jourdan: There is a lot of melody in our music, but especially with “Ghost.” There are not a lot of keyboards in our music, but “Ghost” was written on a keyboard. I just wrote it that way. We did not want to reinvent the wheel on this CD, but we wanted each song to be unique and different."
The song “Signal Fire” is an off-tempo 3/4 song that really shows off the skills of you, as well as bassist Robb Mars and drummer Dexas Villarreal.
Musically, it has a very Protest The Hero feel to it, is very complex, and is very technical. Still, it is groove-based. Was that on purpose?
That's funny, I have heard the Protest The Hero comparison before, and I've listened to them a few times, I like them, but I had not really heard them much. My influences are Pink Floyd, Metallica, anything really groovy, Pantera...even heavier stuff like Meshuggah.
That is quite a list of bands and sounds, which is awesome. When it comes to lyrics, what are some of the topics that a listener can expect to hear or that you write about often?
Our songs are about a lot of different topics. We like to tell a story but keep it ambiguous too, in order to appear on a parallel level. The goal is to connect the listener to what they are dealing with while telling a personal story.
We are also big fans of science and physics, so that is put into the music of To Whom It May, as well.
With their lyrics, it is about 'What is the big picture? What is the influence,' and things of that nature. While we have war stories from the road, we are not a party rock band. No offense to those who are, everything has its place and time, but we are not writing about getting drunk on Coor's Light. We like our music to guide the listener on a journey, like Pink Floyd or Tool.
About those road stories...
As far as road stories go, do you have a favorite?
Well, I grew up listening to bands like Metallica and, of course, Drowning Pool. I was pulled on stage to sing their hit, "Let The Bodies Hit The Floor," I guess its really called, "Bodies," that was a really cool moment.
I had grown up listening to that song and there I was on stage singing it with the band. It is just great getting to meet these bands that you, for lack of betters words, 'idolized' and to find that they are just like you. They are in the same boat that you are in. This is a small community, like a family. There are not many egos, thankfully.
Oh, so you being on the road with them must be extra exciting for you!
Yes, we have two more dates and then on December 27, it is us with Drowning Pool and 10 Years in Columbus, OH at Scully's Music Diner. That is going to be really cool.
In modern times, being signed to a record deal or being out on the road isn't as prosperous for everyone as it used to be.
What are some of the things that you would tell bands who are hitting the road in 2018 and onward?
Touring smart. The days of a band hopping into a van, hitting the road, and hoping for the best are getting harder and harder for making money. The most important thing that a band or artist can do is to spend a lot of time on their product. People tend to make a big deal about releasing a lot of content but sometimes it is more important to focus on the content and quality over the quantity.
We were on the last Van's Warped Tour and we learned a lot. You don't travel 2,000 miles for one show, but you should develop a strong fan base vicinity to vicinity. It is becoming more like a family and less like fans.
We live in a time of V.I.P. packages where fans can get to meet and know the bands that they love and I think that that is a good thing. It creates a bond and brings people together.
My famous last question: Is there anything that you would like to say to everyone that you haven't been asked?
No, actually, you hit all. I am happy to have had a chance to talk about what inspires our lyrics and our time on the road quite a bit.
