The rock scene got another stab in the arm with the release of Otherwise’s debut full length True Love Never Dies. This is a massive sounding record that deserves your attention and there is not an ounce of filler. During a recent stop Otherwise’s Corky Gainsford and Vassilios Metropoulos took the time to hype their rise to the top of the rock heap and shed light on what it really took to get to where they are at.
And interview with Corky Gainsford and Vassilios Metropoulos of Otherwise.
By Jeffrey Easton
Metal Exiles: To me, True Love Never Dies is a very emotional album. What did it take to get through recording this?
Corky Gainsford: This record came at an interesting time. When we were signed it was a surprise and a rush. We were signed on Dec 21st and we were in the studio one week later, what we had was what we went into the studio with.
Metal Exiles: The songs were ready to go?
Corky: That’s was why we were able to do that because it was all done. We spent the better part of the last year doing demos and writing, I have pro tools in my garage so we demoed there so we went in with a plan of attack and did the record in about four weeks. We would not have been able to do the record in the time frame given if we did not have all of the preparation done. The reason this happened is that Soldiers was getting played on Sirius Octane and it was the most requested song at the time and we were still an unsigned band so that got us signed and we went on the road as fast as possible. That was January of 2012 and we have not stopped since.
Metal Exiles: What does the track Soldiers mean to you?
Vassilios Metropoulos: I have close ties with family in the military so it means a lot to me. It is also great when military people come up to us telling us how they listened to the song when they were overseas and it helped them through hard times, it is just an emotional experience when you can see how a song can touch another person’s life.
Metal Exiles: The whole album to me seems to be dark and moody. What else came out of you when you were recording?
Corky: The guys in the band have been through a lot of dark times and loss. Soldiers came about when the band was about to hang it up. Otherwise had been around over six years and opened for every band that came through Vegas. Bands would pass through town, we would open for them but no record label would touch us. Soldiers is a “band of brothers let’s stick together and get through this” type of song and it was ironic that that was the one that hit and people started identifying us with outside of Las Vegas. We had done everything we could in Las Vegas and Los Angeles for years before anything happened to us.
Metal Exiles: On True Love Never Dies you covered Rolling In The Deep. Did that make you fast friends with Adele?
Corky: We recorded that, which was done in my garage as well, about six months before we were signed. It was one of the first demoes we did after I joined the band. Up to that point nobody had any recording equipment or know how to be able to do it. “Lets go into the garage and record a cover” and somebody tossed out that idea for Adele. Next thing I know we are doing it, get some screams into and have some fun and we honestly thought it would never see the light of day. When we were finishing up the record the record label heard it and said it sounded like a perfectly good b side to them and next thing we know it’s a b side on iTunes.
Metal Exiles: It does sound like your song, not a cover.
Corky: We have heard that from a few people which is good. I have played in cover bands for years in Vegas and doing covers that long will make you want to kill yoyrself as a musician so when you are doing a cover you have to change everything and make it your own, make it a new piece of music.
Metal Exiles: The record has been out a year now, what have been some highlights so far with that release?
Corky: Some of the bands we have had the luxury of touring with, bands we have looked up to since high school and here we are on tour with them. It’s a great opportunity to tour with them and have them take us under their wing.
Metal Exiles: I know you have a few EP’s and now the full length. Would you have put this out anyway without the deal?
Corky: When we were signed we were working on putting out another EP. The difference between an EP and full length is how much money you have available. There was a stack of demoes ready to go, which included that version of Soldiers that hit at Sirius Octane, so when we were signed we just took those pro tools sessions into the studio and ended up recording over them. The song Soldiers is what kept us going and put us on the map. We have just gone from their and we are now three singles deep on True Love Never Dies and just thankful to be a new rock band that can do what we are doing.
Metal Exiles: You guys are piling up the awards and accolades from your debut.
Corky: We are trying, we are just going to keep writing music and do the best we can do. We are also looking forward to getting the acoustic EP out there to show a different side of the band.
If you have yet to pick up True Love Never Dies you are sorely missing out on one of hard rocks true gems.
Official Otherwise Site
BUY True Love Never Dies!
And interview with Corky Gainsford and Vassilios Metropoulos of Otherwise.
By Jeffrey Easton
Metal Exiles: To me, True Love Never Dies is a very emotional album. What did it take to get through recording this?
Corky Gainsford: This record came at an interesting time. When we were signed it was a surprise and a rush. We were signed on Dec 21st and we were in the studio one week later, what we had was what we went into the studio with.
Metal Exiles: The songs were ready to go?
Corky: That’s was why we were able to do that because it was all done. We spent the better part of the last year doing demos and writing, I have pro tools in my garage so we demoed there so we went in with a plan of attack and did the record in about four weeks. We would not have been able to do the record in the time frame given if we did not have all of the preparation done. The reason this happened is that Soldiers was getting played on Sirius Octane and it was the most requested song at the time and we were still an unsigned band so that got us signed and we went on the road as fast as possible. That was January of 2012 and we have not stopped since.
Metal Exiles: What does the track Soldiers mean to you?
Vassilios Metropoulos: I have close ties with family in the military so it means a lot to me. It is also great when military people come up to us telling us how they listened to the song when they were overseas and it helped them through hard times, it is just an emotional experience when you can see how a song can touch another person’s life.
Metal Exiles: The whole album to me seems to be dark and moody. What else came out of you when you were recording?
Corky: The guys in the band have been through a lot of dark times and loss. Soldiers came about when the band was about to hang it up. Otherwise had been around over six years and opened for every band that came through Vegas. Bands would pass through town, we would open for them but no record label would touch us. Soldiers is a “band of brothers let’s stick together and get through this” type of song and it was ironic that that was the one that hit and people started identifying us with outside of Las Vegas. We had done everything we could in Las Vegas and Los Angeles for years before anything happened to us.
Metal Exiles: On True Love Never Dies you covered Rolling In The Deep. Did that make you fast friends with Adele?
Corky: We recorded that, which was done in my garage as well, about six months before we were signed. It was one of the first demoes we did after I joined the band. Up to that point nobody had any recording equipment or know how to be able to do it. “Lets go into the garage and record a cover” and somebody tossed out that idea for Adele. Next thing I know we are doing it, get some screams into and have some fun and we honestly thought it would never see the light of day. When we were finishing up the record the record label heard it and said it sounded like a perfectly good b side to them and next thing we know it’s a b side on iTunes.
Metal Exiles: It does sound like your song, not a cover.
Corky: We have heard that from a few people which is good. I have played in cover bands for years in Vegas and doing covers that long will make you want to kill yoyrself as a musician so when you are doing a cover you have to change everything and make it your own, make it a new piece of music.
Metal Exiles: The record has been out a year now, what have been some highlights so far with that release?
Corky: Some of the bands we have had the luxury of touring with, bands we have looked up to since high school and here we are on tour with them. It’s a great opportunity to tour with them and have them take us under their wing.
Metal Exiles: I know you have a few EP’s and now the full length. Would you have put this out anyway without the deal?
Corky: When we were signed we were working on putting out another EP. The difference between an EP and full length is how much money you have available. There was a stack of demoes ready to go, which included that version of Soldiers that hit at Sirius Octane, so when we were signed we just took those pro tools sessions into the studio and ended up recording over them. The song Soldiers is what kept us going and put us on the map. We have just gone from their and we are now three singles deep on True Love Never Dies and just thankful to be a new rock band that can do what we are doing.
Metal Exiles: You guys are piling up the awards and accolades from your debut.
Corky: We are trying, we are just going to keep writing music and do the best we can do. We are also looking forward to getting the acoustic EP out there to show a different side of the band.
If you have yet to pick up True Love Never Dies you are sorely missing out on one of hard rocks true gems.
Official Otherwise Site
BUY True Love Never Dies!
