We caught up with Escape The Fate before their show at Leeds Cockpit on the 27th January to talk about their current UK tour, who Ashley is and so much more.

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

How did you guys form as a band and how did you come up with the name Escape the Fate?
Well the band was originally formed by Max and the old singer Ronny four or five years ago. Pretty much they just wanted to form another band as they were both in bands before and they kind of had a falling out. So Max was like fuck this lets get a new band together, we are not going to be those guys who were musicians in a band and our band broke up and we are just quitting we have to escape that fate. So they decided to make that their new band name and find more people and then try to make Escape The Fate last as long as possible. So that is where the name came from, Max has defiantly stuck with the meaning and trying to keep the band together.

What are your influences and whom would you say contributed to your current musical style?
I know for the rest of the band they are fans of the older arena rock bands like Motley Crew, Aerosmith, Van Halen all those kind of acts, they kind of wanted to bring it back with the look, image and sound. My personal musical influences come from everywhere I can not really pin point it at one style because I listen to everything. There has been times when I have written a screaming part based off a country melody I heard because I liked it and wanted to change it around. I get my influences from everywhere.

When did you start playing music and what made you pick up your first instrument?
I started playing music in fifth grade, there was the violin that was the very first thing I ever played. Then I moved to a saxophone, I don't know what made me want to do it I've just always liked music. I would always walk by rooms where musicians where practising and they would be playing songs and stuff and I was like man I want to play something.

Towards the end of last year you released your second studio album This War Is Ours, what was the recording process like and what kind of response have you received with this record?
The recording process for the new record was different for everybody because we were not prepared, we just knew we needed to get a record and we needed to buckle down and be under pressure finish the songs and write some songs. I think we had a week to come up with twelve songs, practice and play three shows then go and show it to the producer. We only ended up writing one song and that's The Flood which is actually on the record. The other songs pretty much came when we were in the studio with the producer John Feldmann a really awesome guy, he really believed in us. So he heard the one song we wrote, we showed him some other ideas we had and he was like “I really wanna work with you guys” So we went in the next day and started writing more songs and recording them.

Over the past year I understand Escape the fate has been through a lot as a band, what has the journey been like so far and do any of the songs on This War Is Ours reflect what you have been through as a band?
This War Is Ours as a whole album reflects what the band has been going through the past year. The good thing about that is that Escape The Fate was going through it and so was I and that helped everyone when we came together we all had the same attitude. This might be our last chance, we can not take this for granted. The band was like now we have the drama out of it, we got to stop quitting shows and quitting tours we have got to try to make it to every show. An actual cool thing is our first US tour as the new Escape The Fate was the very first tour that Escape The Fate has ever finished.

You must get asked this question all the time, so I will carry on the trend. Who is Ashley?
Ashley is just a very very common name that can touch a lot of people. It was originally going to be Gabby which is my girlfriends name, she was not my girlfriend at the time though but I still wrote the song. I sat down one day and I had a talk with the producer and he said “look man do you really want to write this song named Gabby for a girl your not even with that does not want you talking to her, do you really want to listen to this on your record for the rest of your life and probably have to sing it?” and I was like “yeah your right”. So we tried out different names the rhymed with it and did some research on what cool names it could be, Ashley rhymed perfectly with Gabby. Then we researched the name and it ended up being the number one most common name in America. After all that me and my girlfriend ended up getting back together, so I felt like a dick.

You have just released a video for something, what was it like creating this video?
Making a music video is always really really fun and its an exciting experience because its always different, you always get a feel of the song at a different likeness. When shooting the new video we got there at eight in the morning so we were all tired. I was in a cast as I still had a broken ankle. Which is still brothering me a little bit. It was though for me as I was In a cast and I had to drive a car which was a stick so I was having to push down on it with my cast and then it just got tiring as we had to record The Flood on that same day. So I was like ok, now we have to do another video after this, I was bummed out because I could not move I just had to stand there at the mic stand. I'm used to running around and hanging from things and stuff like that, it sucked but It was still fun.

How did you break your ankle?
I was playing a show with my side project called The World Alive when I used to be in that band. I was just backstage in the dressing room getting drunk and being stupid, I decided to run out and jump off the stage for the last band but there was like no more kids left in there. So I jumped out over all the kids and landed right on my foot and broke my ankle.

Do you have any rock and roll stories from your time on the road?
There are endless stupid funny stories of stuff that happens on the road. The ones that always stick in my mind are the scary ones. I have to say the scariest times on the road with the band is actually when you are on the road and not at the venue, we might stop at some dark gas station in the middle of nowhere looking like we do, people just staring at us. One night on tour we heard a big bang, we looked out the back of the bus and our trailers just rolling down the fucking free way because it came unhooked. So we hear dink and we were like “what the hell was that” then we see our trailer rolling off.
Did you get the trailer back?
Yeah we got the trailer back, it was broken though so we had to get another one. That was defiantly fucking scary.

What do you think about the current state of the music scene?
I think two things about the current state of music. I think one, its amazing how many people like music and make music. I think at least one out of three people makes music or attempts to, you've got garage bands, Myspace, you have every way possible to find out about music. The downfall to that is, you can get music illegally you can illegally download albums before they are even released,which is what happened with us. I think that makes a lot of bands not be able to afford to come out and play shows for kids. You know if bands are not really selling records, then they really are not making money. Its just a different scene now a days, I've seen people with just one dude with a laptop he writes all his songs on his laptop, he does not care about illegally downloading stuff he just walks into a club puts up his laptop and there he is whole band. I think its kind of losing the flavour of rock n roll shows and stuff, I mean I love music and shows today but you look back and see how much a big event shows were back then, they had pyrotechnics, fire everywhere, people flying on ropes over the crowd. I think another down fall is that those kids with the heaver genre of music, is that people don't care about the band, where they come from, their back story, they don't care if they grew up without a family and the only thing that saved their life is having that guitar in their hands. They don't know that guys story, they just know that guy from some sick break down so I'm just gonna come to the show to punch kids in the face and get thrown out. You get people like that, it sucks too. I just think of a show as a big party, everyone comes to hang out, lets have a good time and play some music.

How would you describe your live show and what is your favourite song to play live?
I would say our live shows we try to get a little more personal. I will try to get down into the crowd or point at people, just try to get into peoples faces to make everybody feel part of the show. I can never stop saying thank you when I'm at a show, I think I say it way to much then I think it gets annoying. I think my favourite song to play live right now is a toss up between You Are So Beautiful and This War Is Ours just because the kids seem to get into it a lot and sing along really loud.

There are only a couple of dates left of this tour now, how have the shows been going and have you enjoyed your time in the UK?
The shows have been doing awesome, I have loved my time in the UK. Its always exciting to show up to a venue your first time over seas and its a pretty big venue, the staff come up to you and say “tonight is sold out” that always makes me excited for the show before the show even starts. The other thing that has happened to us a couple of times on this tour that makes us excited is getting to the venue and finding out we have been moved up a venue. That happened in Glasgow, we were supposed to play Cathouse and we got moved up from that which was like 500 capacity to the Garage that was a 800 capacity.

If Escape the fate were not a band, what would you guys be doing now?
Max would probably sell his bass and buy a motorcycle and he would probably just drive his motorcycle round the country. Robert would probably sit at home and play video games, Bryan would probably become a workout freak as that's all he does is workout and eat healthy foods, he would probably become a spokesperson on vegetarianism. I would just be a full time dad.

Out of all the shows you have ever played, which one would you say was unforgettable?
I don't know, I can not pick just one show. There is always something that happens that makes us say that was the best show ever. I'd say out of this tour the best show so far would have to be Bristol, that was an unforgettable show. It was a really big stage, a really big room so we were just looking out at loads of kids. I had a moment where it kind of got to me for a second I kind of started chocking up and stuff, that really meant a lot to me just to see that many kids. Every show on the tour has been great though, Manchester was awesome too.

If you could be in any other band past or present for a day, who would it be and why?
I'm not sure, I would have to say I would be in Areosmith just because its fucking Areosmith I mean what else can I say. They have the coolest songs, their stage show is awesome, they play huge arenas. I don't know it would just be awesome.

It is five years in the future from now and Escape the Fate are massive world wide, casting has just began for making a film about the band. Who would you like to be cast to play yourself?
Either Johnny Depp or Edward Norton one of those two. If I was really lucky I would have Michael Clarke Duncan (The Green Mile) it would be awesome if he played me, just because it would be fucking hilarious to see Michael Clark Duncan “I'm in Escape the Fate”

As a band what was the highlight of 2008 for you?
Writing the record and releasing it. When none of us knew what the hell we were going to do, actually seeing the record in our hands having it and hearing the songs. That is actually probably the best accomplishment we could have had.

Where do you hope to see Escape the Fate in five years time?
I hope to have a platinum album, a private jet, be playing arenas so we can have pyrotechnics and I can fucking fly everywhere like Nsync or Gareth Brookes or something it would just be awesome.

Okay, one final random question; if you had a choice, what animal would you be out of a Zebra and a Giraffe?
I would say a zebra, giraffes just stand there with long necks. They don't really do anything but get stuff off trees. So yeah I'd be a zebra and roam the countryside and probably get eaten by a lion.

Thanks for your time, is there a message you would like to give to your fans reading this?
Thank you for reading the whole interview and getting to the part where I say something to you. Thank you so much, stick with the band and we will stick with you.

Interview By Ellie