We sent Joe and Jon from Flash Fire a few questions via e-mail to check out how their new band has been progressing since they formed and also to see what the future holds for them.

Hello and thank you for taking time out to answer these questions!

First of all can you give us a brief history of the band such as how you came together as a band and came up with the name Flash Fire?
(Joe:) Jon and I are best friends, we grew up together playing in bands and have continued on for about 11 years. Prior to working with MC Lars
I played bass for a band called Bedlight For Blue Eyes on Trustkill records until they called it quits in late 2008. Lars kindly took me in and I've toured with the band many times since. During one of the breaks between tours with MC Lars I came over to
Jon's house with a song idea I had worked out in garageband. We immediately setup a mini-studio in Jon's basement and started writing and recording songs. It started off as something just for fun but the feedback was nothing but positive and we gave a demo
to our friend Jeremy Comitas who is a producer at the Machine Shop (Cobra Starship, Four Year Strong, Gym Class Heros) in Weehawken NJ. He liked what he heard and wanted to get us in the studio to record a sampler so we decided to get serious with the band and
added Josh to the lineup. The name was a surprisingly hard thing to settle on but we decided we wanted it to represent the music's ability to catch on and spread as we had already started to see.

Who would you say your main musical influences are?
Jon is a huge fan of pop punk, while I like things a little more on the heavy side. It was ultimately Jon's influence that got me into writing pop music but I've always been a fan of bands like Jimmy Eat World and Brand New.
In writing the songs the goal was to appeal to as many genres as possible while keeping it a tune that anyone could enjoy listening to.

You are from New Jersey and it has such a huge and successful music scene, do you think the scene has influenced you as a band or maybe made it harder for you to get recognised due to the ongoing massive talent within the scene?
Growing up in New Jersey's music scene has proved to be a challenging feat. So many great bands have come out of New Jersey, so expectations are set high. The scene in New Jersey like many places in America is over saturated so it is difficult to make your band stand out.
As artists we've had to become well versed in the business of the industry as well as the music. This challenging environment has shaped our determination and ambition, bringing us to where we are today

You currently have two sample tracks on your MySpace which are the catchy ‘Coming Home’ and the even better ‘Someday Maybe’, how long did it take you to create these songs and are you happy with the final result and response you have got so far?
When we began our song writing kick a little less than a year ago we produced about 5 songs in a month and continued on in the same fashion, these tracks were among them. We managed to find our niche with song writing by utilizing my abilities as an Audio Engineer
and electronic music. The response to the songs from the start is what drove us to make the band a real deal, we're pleased to see the continuing support and enjoyment of our music.

Do you currently have any plans on putting an EP or album out in the near future?
We are constantly writing and working to promote the band. We plan on releasing an EP in the summer while we make plans to tour and shop for labels. In the meantime we are promoting our sampler and will be releasing teaser tracks in the near future.

Jon considering you drum for MC Lars do you have any plans on taking Flash Fire out on the road with him or do you want to keep Flash Fire as separate from MC Lars as possible?
I'd love to take Flash Fire on the road with MC Lars and hopefully we'll work something out in the near future.

Jon how is your house really as messy as MC Lars says it is and how did it make you feel having such a song made about you?
I had to be a good sport about it and actually thought it was hilarious because the song is an actual account of times he had visited the house. It did get a little out of control, but nothing more than you'd expect from a bunch of twenty one year old musicians.
However, the house has since had a complete makeover and looks amazing!

You currently have no live shows planned! Any idea when you are going to head out on the road to play some shows?
We're aiming to be playing shows and touring by spring/early summer

If you could tour with any band past or present who would it be and why?
It would have to be with Motley Crew back in the 80's for the crazy times and no holds barred fun.

MySpace seems to be a big tool in the music industry these days with bands communicating with their fans over it and some even ditching their own website and having just a MySpace site, what are your opinions on MySpace as a tool in the music industry?
Myspace is a great and almost mandatory promotional tool that has become essential to a bands marketing arsenal. Unfortunately, myspace has become so over-saturated with bands and all kinds of other businesses that it is not as effective a tool as it once was.
Where as it once was a new and different way to promote music, bands are starting to become part of the spam in the search for a higher friend count.

Where would you like to see Flash Fire in a years time?W
A year from now we hope to be on the road touring 8-9 months out of the year with label backing.

One random question that we ask every band, if you could be an animal out of a Zebra and a Giraffe which one would you be and why?
The band instantly agreed giraffe....nothing would be beyond our ability of peeping and we'd have super long tongues.

Thanks for your time do you have a message for your fans reading this?
Thanks for the support and check out the tunes at www.myspace.com/flashfirerock

Interview By Trigger