 "Photo: Brian Milo")
I know my usual music genre seems to be pop/punk or something of that sort, but for this week, I went a little different. Meet Heart-Set Self-Destruct: a hard rock, metal and alternative band from Chicago. These four guys are incredibly talented with Dave on the vocals/guitar, Chris also on the guitar, Daniel on the bass and Nick on the drums. I had the chance to talk to Dave about the band and how they work.
Meghan Hole: How long have you guys been a band? Dave Naruszewicz: For about five years. Heart-Set Self-Destruct was established in 2005 after looking for the right members for over six months.
MH: Where are you all from? DN: We are from all over the Chicagoland area.
MH: What genre do you place yourselves under? DN: Hard rock, metal [and] alternative.
MH: Why do you guys play the type of music you do? DN: We play the music we play because that is the product that comes out. There is no set idea of how things should sound. I donít think we have ever written a song that has come out exactly how one person expected it to, but we are proud of our results so far.
MH: What makes you different from other bands out there? DN: We are doing our own thing in the hard rock/metal/alternative genre. We definitely want the ìradioî hits without compromising our artistic integrity, although I am not really sure what that means yet. All of us have such different influences, and all those influences come out when we are writing music ñ which is a good thing when we are all on the same page and [is] at times a bad thing because our influences will clash.
MH: The song ìSkinî seems to have a very danceable beat. Was that on purpose? DN: Again, it just happened that way. ìSkinî is a song that has hard rock/hardcore elements with a rock chorus that delivers the hook.
MH: Did you guys get chosen to play SXSW? How did that happen? DN: A promoter we know has had his bands play down in Austin for the last two or three years and had mentioned bringing us [for] this year. He came through so far. Although all the dates aren't confirmed just yet, we are booked to appear at SXSW 2010.
MH: How do you prepare for big tours/shows like that? DN: Saving money and making sure you are covered as far as gas and lodging goes. It sucks sleeping in the van with six people: four band members [and] two crew members.
MH: What was it like playing Warped in 2008? DN: Blistering hot and totally amazing. It was an awesome experience. Everyone there loves music and will at least stop and listen to you even if it is just for a second. We made so many new fans at the dates we played. We also made a lot of new contacts and got to network with some great bands and people. All in all, a great experience.
MH: How many albums do you have out? What are their names? DN: We have two albums out: ìVictims Like Meî [from] 2007 and ìBridges to Burnî [from] 2009.
MH: You guys will be recording soon; how are you preparing for that? DN: We have the opportunity to work with Steven Gillis of Filter on our next record, which is tentatively due out in [the] summer [of] 2010. We have been writing nonstop for months ñ just getting ideas nailed down until we begin writing with Steve in December at his studio in Chicago. We are set to record in May.
Be sure to check out Heart-Set Self-Destruct on their MySpace page, as well as look for them around Illinois and Texas- if you live there, of course!
Be the first to comment on this article!