Motionless in White
When gothic emocore band MOTIONLESS IN WHITE (MIW) hits the stage at the Vans Warped tour, it will definitely set the crowd in motion. Fans cheering, screaming, and chanting the name of their favorite band will not be easily missed.
According to MIW’s drummer, Angelo, the band’s vocalist, Chris, writes all the vocals, lyrics, guitars, and other music, and Angelo adds drums.
Angelo and Chris are the only original members of the band, which formed about five years ago.
“[We] wrote some songs, played some shows and went through a few member changes,” Angelo says. “We eventually got our guitar players, TJ and Ryan, and added Balz on keyboards.”
The band began playing numerous shows, acting as its own booking agent.
“Then, when we were on the Warped Tour in 2008, Shawn from the band Alesana watched our set, and right after we were done playing… he asked if we would be interested in having him be our manager. He worked for an agency called the Artery Foundation,” says Angelo.
Ever since then, the band has been signed with Fearless Records, toured non-stop, released an EP, and is now in the studio working on a full-length record. The album will be MIW’s debut and is being made with producer Andrew Wade (A Day to Remember, The Word Alive, In Fear and Faith.)
Other than having to replace the bass player, the band has been pretty solid for the last two years.
In 2007, MIW won the Ernie Ball Battle of the Bands contest in Scranton, PA. After they played, they were asked to play the next day in New Jersey. 2008 found MIW playing two weeks of the Warped Tour. The pace for MIW has been steady; in 2009, they played Bamboozle and also Bled Fest ’09, as well as other shows.
Angelo said immediately after this year’s Warped Tour, the band will start the Thrash and Burn tour until mid-August. After that, they should be on tour again. As for the album, he said it’s looking like it will be released in early October 2010.
With touring comes wisdom, and Angelo said he’s learned some things from touring: “Eat healthy, or you will get fat; sleep when you can; and hang out and talk to your fans.”
When the band needs to unwind after touring, Angelo commented, “Some of us go and do our own thing, and some have girlfriends. We just relax. I like to hang out at my house and watch TV, practice, and work on artwork.”
Finally, when asked about his advice for bands just forming who aren’t sure what direction to take, Angelo says, “Do what you want to do, write the music you want to write, be yourself, and be patient.”
Following this path has definitely worked for Motionless in White.
