We did an email interviw with James Rose from Casino Drive and talked about the bands debut EP and the bands plans for the future.

Hello and thank you for taking time out to do this interview.

First of all can you give us a brief history of the band for the people who have never heard of you?
Ok, we've all been great friends for many years now! We all really got to know each other at school during our A-levels. Back then we were all involved in different bands and projects but we were all really close friends. Then we all went away and did our own things, be it University, moving to other parts of the country whatever and it was only last summer that we all found ourselves back in the same town and all of the bands/projects had ended so we got together and formed Casino Drive.

What are your influences and whom would you say contributed to your current musical style?
I think our main influence is our passion for writing music together! This drives us on and makes us excited about the music we create. We've all got very eclectic musical tastes and I think this helps us to try to create new and original music. Some of the bands who have had major influences on individuals in the band include: Nirvana, Radiohead, Hell is For Heroes, Reuben & Brand New.

Your debut EP 'Spin The Truth' has not long been released, how did you go about writing and recording for the EP and what themes do the songs have?
It's strange the way it came about actually. Usually bands will write a bunch of songs, rehearse them until they are happy to gig them and spend time gigging the songs around the country. However, we wrote 4 songs straight away and decided to get straight into the Studio with Joe Gibb and get them down onto CD. Basically the EP was recorded a couple of months before we had even started gigging!

Are you happy with the response 'Spin The Truth' has got so far?
We're extremely happy with the response we've had from 'Spin The Truth'. It has created many opportunities for us to play at show we never thought we could be playing so early on into our careers. The press have been really positive so far and we're really glad the EP was taken by the media so well.

Do you have a favourite track from 'Spin the Truth'?
I personally don't have a favourite! I like all 4 songs for completely different reasons. We've found this to be a popular trend amongst fans who have commented on their favourtie tracks. There isn't one clear winner which we think is a good thing!
The majority of the shows you have played have been in the southwest of England, have you found it hard getting shows out of this area?
To be honest, the reason we've stayed local so far was a conscious decision made by the band. We wanted to focus on breaking the local scene first so to build up a fan base who would eventually follow us further afield. We've had the odd one or two gigs outside of the South West region and we're planning to head further afield within the 2nd half of this year.

How would you describe the music scene in Trowbridge?
Unfortunately, it's declined a great deal since we were gigging a few years back in other bands. There used to be a buzz around local acts and people were excited and interested in going to gigs and supporting the local scene. I think a lack of good venues has a lot to do with this but it also seems as though the interest has shifted now.

How do you manage to keep the band going as well as working a full time job?
It's very hard work. We all work 9-5 jobs at the moment so the only time we get to rehearse and write is in the evenings and weekends. We end up practicing about 3-4 times a week at our practice room which we love doing, but it can really tire us out by the end of a busy week!?

How would you describe your live show to someone who has never seen you live before?
Energetic, melodic, catchy, sweaty!

Do you have any plans in shooting a music video in the near future?
Funnily enough, we've been talking to a couple of people regarding a music video and it's something we feel is VERY important for a band to have. So in short, yes indeed! A music vid will be on it's way! Just as soon as we work out which song we'll do it for!

What advice would you give to a new band starting off and what advice were you given when first starting off?
New bands: Don't give up - at times it'll feel like everyone's out to get you, or at least make as much money out of you as they can. Times will be hard, financially and mentally but keep a straight head and watch out for your band mates!

Where do you see Casino Drive in five years time?
I see Casino Drive still doing what they do best - writing and playing great rock music to the masses! We hope to make it our careers and will work our hardest to make this happen!

One final random question that we ask every band; if you had a choice, what animal would you be out of a Zebra and a Giraffe?
I'd have to say Zebra - although Giraffes are cool as fuck, I've heard they have no vocal chords so not much use for a singer! ha ha!

Thanks for your time, is there a message you would like to give to your fans reading this?
Check out our tunes @ www.myspace.com/casinodrive and if you like what you hear, come along to a show and buy the EP! See you at the front!

Interview by Trigger