Andy Biersack highlights Wretched And Divine by the Black Veil Brides - Guitar International
December 2012
Wretched and Divine is a tremendously cohesive sounding CD where all the songs fit well together and flow musically and vocally. Tell me about the thought process behind this rock opera?
Andy Biersack: Every band, no matter what scale of success talks about the importance of their follow-up CD. This puts an unnecessary amount of pressure on a band.
While making the follow up to Set the World on Fire, we created six songs with a different producer (than Wretched and Divine). They felt like songs that you would expect from a BVB CD, something that we were supposed to be. It felt a little boring considering we are always evolving. I think that this approach is more fun!
There are many bands that I grew up listening to, who I stopped listening to because they never went anywhere.
They would put the same CD out over and over. I think the idea when we starting working on this concept was to detach ourselves from a follow-up and put ourselves in this rock opera.
I think that naturally leads itself to a more cohesive sound. By the same token, what we didn’t do was try to bog ourselves down with the thought of a concept record. We tried to write great songs that were the best that we could write, then refined them to make sure they fit within the story line.
No one was hammering away at “does this work in the story”.
How long did it take to complete?
Andy Biersack: We started the end of May 2012 and finished about the first week of September 2012.
What will happen to those six songs that didn’t fit on Wretched and Divine?
Andy Biersack: One of them was revamping and put on the Avengers soundtrack. The song “Wretched and Divine” came from those sessions. It was rewritten for the purpose of the CD. The other ones will see the light of day eventually. They are all great song, but didn’t fit in the context of this record.
Read the full interview here
Wretched and Divine is a tremendously cohesive sounding CD where all the songs fit well together and flow musically and vocally. Tell me about the thought process behind this rock opera?
Andy Biersack: Every band, no matter what scale of success talks about the importance of their follow-up CD. This puts an unnecessary amount of pressure on a band.
While making the follow up to Set the World on Fire, we created six songs with a different producer (than Wretched and Divine). They felt like songs that you would expect from a BVB CD, something that we were supposed to be. It felt a little boring considering we are always evolving. I think that this approach is more fun!
There are many bands that I grew up listening to, who I stopped listening to because they never went anywhere.
They would put the same CD out over and over. I think the idea when we starting working on this concept was to detach ourselves from a follow-up and put ourselves in this rock opera.
I think that naturally leads itself to a more cohesive sound. By the same token, what we didn’t do was try to bog ourselves down with the thought of a concept record. We tried to write great songs that were the best that we could write, then refined them to make sure they fit within the story line.
No one was hammering away at “does this work in the story”.
How long did it take to complete?
Andy Biersack: We started the end of May 2012 and finished about the first week of September 2012.
What will happen to those six songs that didn’t fit on Wretched and Divine?
Andy Biersack: One of them was revamping and put on the Avengers soundtrack. The song “Wretched and Divine” came from those sessions. It was rewritten for the purpose of the CD. The other ones will see the light of day eventually. They are all great song, but didn’t fit in the context of this record.
Read the full interview here
Jinxx interview on examiner.com
December 13, 2012
Like Jake, you are classically trained. Why the violin? Was it by choice or did your parents put one in your hands? How has that training helped you, and at the same time, do the discipline and technique create challenges within the rock genre?
I was not forced to play violin. That’s something I chose on my own. My mom suggested I play something cool, like a saxophone. I said, “I’m not playing saxophone. I want to learn violin!” My biggest push in that direction was my grandfather, who played violin. I thought that was so cool. He said, “If you start taking lessons, one day I’ll give you this violin.” I started out on smaller sizes, I was 7 years old, and it’s something I wanted to do. That goes for any instrument — you have to want to do it or you’re not going to learn. I remember being in school with kids who were forced to learn the violin and they dreaded it. They never practiced, and of course they never did anything with it afterward. I took lessons and studied until I was 17. I played in the symphony in Des Moines, where I’m from. It was like a part-time job — my first job was playing with professional orchestras when I was in high school. I would still take lessons now if I had the time. There’s way more I can learn. There’s no cap on what you can learn. There’s so much musical literature and so many techniques that I haven’t begun to discover. I still play. On every record that we make, it might not be very prevalent, but it’s there. I want to do that as much as I can. I take a violin on the road with me sometimes and practice, and I practice at home. Before Black Veil Brides started up, I played for weddings to make extra money to pay rent.
What did you learn from Jake about recording and production?
Jake hugely impacted me. He went to recording school and learned a great deal and shared a lot of that knowledge with me. We work so well together and things happen so magically and so easily. It’s helped a great deal. I don’t know where we’d be if we weren’t able to make the demos we make on our own, because we don’t go into the studio blindly. We have a solid vision of what we want, and unlike a lot of musicians who don’t know, the magic happens for us on our own.
Read the whole interview here
Like Jake, you are classically trained. Why the violin? Was it by choice or did your parents put one in your hands? How has that training helped you, and at the same time, do the discipline and technique create challenges within the rock genre?
I was not forced to play violin. That’s something I chose on my own. My mom suggested I play something cool, like a saxophone. I said, “I’m not playing saxophone. I want to learn violin!” My biggest push in that direction was my grandfather, who played violin. I thought that was so cool. He said, “If you start taking lessons, one day I’ll give you this violin.” I started out on smaller sizes, I was 7 years old, and it’s something I wanted to do. That goes for any instrument — you have to want to do it or you’re not going to learn. I remember being in school with kids who were forced to learn the violin and they dreaded it. They never practiced, and of course they never did anything with it afterward. I took lessons and studied until I was 17. I played in the symphony in Des Moines, where I’m from. It was like a part-time job — my first job was playing with professional orchestras when I was in high school. I would still take lessons now if I had the time. There’s way more I can learn. There’s no cap on what you can learn. There’s so much musical literature and so many techniques that I haven’t begun to discover. I still play. On every record that we make, it might not be very prevalent, but it’s there. I want to do that as much as I can. I take a violin on the road with me sometimes and practice, and I practice at home. Before Black Veil Brides started up, I played for weddings to make extra money to pay rent.
What did you learn from Jake about recording and production?
Jake hugely impacted me. He went to recording school and learned a great deal and shared a lot of that knowledge with me. We work so well together and things happen so magically and so easily. It’s helped a great deal. I don’t know where we’d be if we weren’t able to make the demos we make on our own, because we don’t go into the studio blindly. We have a solid vision of what we want, and unlike a lot of musicians who don’t know, the magic happens for us on our own.
Read the whole interview here
I think everybody is 'Wretched And Divine'
December 13, 2012
‘Wretched and Divine: The Story of the Wild Ones’ is a very epic sounding album name. What does the title mean to you personally?
Growing up, I wasn’t like the kid in ‘Breakfast Club,’ but I was like the weirdo like “Don’t let your kids around that guy” – I had like a James Dean complex when I was a kid and I wanted to be this rebel person but it wasn’t because I wanted to rebel against things it was just that my inclinations were more towards rock ‘n’ roll, leather jackets and that kind of stuff.
I wasn’t a kid who got into trouble, I didn’t get into drugs as a kid but just the way that I looked and my interests made me into this social pariah. So at a young age I was already fascinated by the social dichotomy of if someone looks a certain way or someone has certain interests they can be labeled as a bad person without any actual knowledge of who they are. The older I got, I started to realize more it’s not necessarily that any of us are inherently bad or good, you just kind of carve your own way and you are your experiences and your surroundings and what you grow up in.
I think on any given day somebody could help out a homeless person and cuss out somebody that cut them off in traffic and I think that everybody has that inside them, it’s just how you live that balance – so I think everbody is ‘Wretched and Divine.’ Our band also, we’re a very polarizing band in opinion – people either tend to love us or hate us, there’s not really anything in between. We like to think of ourselves and the people that support us as people on the fringe, we don’t care to be part of one group or another. We kind of exist on our own bubble so to speak and with that I think that may be where the title came from.
Can you talk about the brand new single ‘In The End’ musically and lyrically?
The song probably came about two or three weeks after my grandfather died. I was very close with my grandparents and through the course of writing the song, I started to think more and more about – just from my personal perspective because everyone in the band has their own feelings on when songs are written. But when I was sitting outside writing lyrics to it, I was feeling — I’m not a religious person but I grew up in a religious family. I went to the funeral for my grandfather, a person that I love very much and everyone is speaking about how he went to heaven and how he’s in heaven. I always fight with that because I would love nothing more to believe that my grandfather is in the clouds playing Xbox 460 or whatever awesome stuff they have up in heaven but I can’t.
Keep reading here
‘Wretched and Divine: The Story of the Wild Ones’ is a very epic sounding album name. What does the title mean to you personally?
Growing up, I wasn’t like the kid in ‘Breakfast Club,’ but I was like the weirdo like “Don’t let your kids around that guy” – I had like a James Dean complex when I was a kid and I wanted to be this rebel person but it wasn’t because I wanted to rebel against things it was just that my inclinations were more towards rock ‘n’ roll, leather jackets and that kind of stuff.
I wasn’t a kid who got into trouble, I didn’t get into drugs as a kid but just the way that I looked and my interests made me into this social pariah. So at a young age I was already fascinated by the social dichotomy of if someone looks a certain way or someone has certain interests they can be labeled as a bad person without any actual knowledge of who they are. The older I got, I started to realize more it’s not necessarily that any of us are inherently bad or good, you just kind of carve your own way and you are your experiences and your surroundings and what you grow up in.
I think on any given day somebody could help out a homeless person and cuss out somebody that cut them off in traffic and I think that everybody has that inside them, it’s just how you live that balance – so I think everbody is ‘Wretched and Divine.’ Our band also, we’re a very polarizing band in opinion – people either tend to love us or hate us, there’s not really anything in between. We like to think of ourselves and the people that support us as people on the fringe, we don’t care to be part of one group or another. We kind of exist on our own bubble so to speak and with that I think that may be where the title came from.
Can you talk about the brand new single ‘In The End’ musically and lyrically?
The song probably came about two or three weeks after my grandfather died. I was very close with my grandparents and through the course of writing the song, I started to think more and more about – just from my personal perspective because everyone in the band has their own feelings on when songs are written. But when I was sitting outside writing lyrics to it, I was feeling — I’m not a religious person but I grew up in a religious family. I went to the funeral for my grandfather, a person that I love very much and everyone is speaking about how he went to heaven and how he’s in heaven. I always fight with that because I would love nothing more to believe that my grandfather is in the clouds playing Xbox 460 or whatever awesome stuff they have up in heaven but I can’t.
Keep reading here
Black Veil Brides' Andy Biersack discusses new album following surprise appearance at listening party for fans - Metal Insider
December 13, 2012
About 20 fans just received the surprise of their lives by your appearance during today’s listening party of the new album. What was your first thought upon entering the room and seeing the look on these die-hard fans’ faces?
I heard it was only going to be 20-25, but 25 in a little room like this looked like a lot of people. I thought “Oh there are a lot of people sitting around!” More than anything, I love our audience. I love hanging out with them. They’re so cool. Our fans have such incredible stories, and they’re such strong kids – so many of them – that deal with so much stuff, and of all ages. People come up to me and say, “I’m an older person, and I got back into metal because of you,” or “I got into hard rock because of you.” So much of our audience, these kids have incredible stories of strength and perseverance. They’re my heroes, they’re great.
Are there any stories in particular that tug on your heartstrings more than others?
Over the years, we’ve met so many incredible – and some are so young – kids that have dealt with such adversity. Things that I’ve never had to deal with. For them to say that our music helps them is really cool.
Yeah, I was talking to your manager and he was saying how unusual it is to see fans this passionate about a band, especially nowadays.
Yeah, we’re very fortunate. In a genre that’s becoming increasingly marginalized in the mainstream culture, we have a fan base that’s dedicated, that allows us to do things like make a movie and do all this stuff. Rock bands have a tough road right now. The popular landscape, in terms of top 40 music, is not friendly to metal bands right now. I just think that the resurgence of devotion for bands like ours, and a few other bands that are in existence and coming up, are kind of bringing back the importance of metal and hard rock music. And you get to see these kids that are, fuck, maybe one in every ten kids they go to school with listens to hard rock, and everyone else listens to Flo Rida or whatever else. So I’m proud of all these kids that were in here tonight, and everyone that listens to our band. I’m so fuckin’ proud because it’s harder and harder to be a rock fan in this world. You get beat over the head with all the fuckin’ homogenized hip hop, and that’s all that you ever hear. If you didn’t know any better, like if you watched the American Music Awards, you would think that rock music didn’t ever exist. So it’s cool that kids care about it.
Read the whole interview here
About 20 fans just received the surprise of their lives by your appearance during today’s listening party of the new album. What was your first thought upon entering the room and seeing the look on these die-hard fans’ faces?
I heard it was only going to be 20-25, but 25 in a little room like this looked like a lot of people. I thought “Oh there are a lot of people sitting around!” More than anything, I love our audience. I love hanging out with them. They’re so cool. Our fans have such incredible stories, and they’re such strong kids – so many of them – that deal with so much stuff, and of all ages. People come up to me and say, “I’m an older person, and I got back into metal because of you,” or “I got into hard rock because of you.” So much of our audience, these kids have incredible stories of strength and perseverance. They’re my heroes, they’re great.
Are there any stories in particular that tug on your heartstrings more than others?
Over the years, we’ve met so many incredible – and some are so young – kids that have dealt with such adversity. Things that I’ve never had to deal with. For them to say that our music helps them is really cool.
Yeah, I was talking to your manager and he was saying how unusual it is to see fans this passionate about a band, especially nowadays.
Yeah, we’re very fortunate. In a genre that’s becoming increasingly marginalized in the mainstream culture, we have a fan base that’s dedicated, that allows us to do things like make a movie and do all this stuff. Rock bands have a tough road right now. The popular landscape, in terms of top 40 music, is not friendly to metal bands right now. I just think that the resurgence of devotion for bands like ours, and a few other bands that are in existence and coming up, are kind of bringing back the importance of metal and hard rock music. And you get to see these kids that are, fuck, maybe one in every ten kids they go to school with listens to hard rock, and everyone else listens to Flo Rida or whatever else. So I’m proud of all these kids that were in here tonight, and everyone that listens to our band. I’m so fuckin’ proud because it’s harder and harder to be a rock fan in this world. You get beat over the head with all the fuckin’ homogenized hip hop, and that’s all that you ever hear. If you didn’t know any better, like if you watched the American Music Awards, you would think that rock music didn’t ever exist. So it’s cool that kids care about it.
Read the whole interview here
Black Veil Brides album listening party & frontman Andy Biersack interview - LocalBozo
December 13, 2012
LocalBozo.com: The new Black Veil Brides album “Wretched and Divine: The Story of the Wild Ones” comes out on January 8th. But one must look first to 2011′s “Set The World On Fire” and songs like “Fallen Angels” which were epic. Yet on the new album you guys brought it to a whole new level. Please give us some insight into the process the band went through to make this all happen so cohesively and just bringing in a ton of instrumentation like violin, effects and of course plenty of haunting vibes.
Andy Biersack: You know, I think we wanted to do something that was on an entirely different scale. It was something completely different then we have ever done before. So the importance of playing stylishly with the sonic level of the record was very cool. It was something we have never done before, you know? We had to relearn the way we write songs, because we wanted to involve a lot of orchestration and soundscapes. While using instrumentation we have never used before. It was definitely a difficult learning curve to get used to that stuff because it was self imposed. We wanted to do it so we knew we had to learn it to do this. It turned out great and we’re really proud of it. I think we wanted to avoid making a follow up record to our last record. We wanted to do something that was it’s own piece, that could stand on it’s own and be it’s own entity in itself. And I feel like we succeeded in that.
LocalBozo.com: With nearly twenty songs on “Wretched and Divine,” it can easily be seen that this was a gigantic undertaking between an immense amount of writing and orchestration. Yet throughout the overall “story” featured throughout the record there exists these mini bookend moments as seen on songs “Done For You” through “Lost It All” (Tracks 14-16) where you start with a ballad and end with one. Were these singled out departures a premeditated choice?
AB: When we first started writing the record it was all based on a short story I had written. This story of the “Wild Ones,” which I wrote on a flight back from Europe. It was just an idea I had and not something we were definitely going to make a record out of. But I loved the idea of involving this comic book-esque “1984″ “V For Vendetta” kind of story into what we are doing. So we started making a record with that as the intention. Let’s make this concept record. Let’s do this (said the band). And very quickly within this process we set out to make a concept record we were cutting ourselves off from writing great songs. You start to bog yourself down with, “Okay does this work within the context of the story?” And “Does this lyric work here?” So we decided to take off the idea of the concept record for a few weeks and we just wrote. We wrote as many songs as we could. What we kept finding was no matter what we did, we kept referring back to the story. And it was just naturally happening. We were so naturally involved with it. That even when we were intentionally not trying to, we were still writing about the story. And so at that point we realized if we do it more casual and just write as we would write, the story is going to come through. And when we completed with our writing, we saw how all of these aspects fit into place.
Keep reading here
LocalBozo.com: The new Black Veil Brides album “Wretched and Divine: The Story of the Wild Ones” comes out on January 8th. But one must look first to 2011′s “Set The World On Fire” and songs like “Fallen Angels” which were epic. Yet on the new album you guys brought it to a whole new level. Please give us some insight into the process the band went through to make this all happen so cohesively and just bringing in a ton of instrumentation like violin, effects and of course plenty of haunting vibes.
Andy Biersack: You know, I think we wanted to do something that was on an entirely different scale. It was something completely different then we have ever done before. So the importance of playing stylishly with the sonic level of the record was very cool. It was something we have never done before, you know? We had to relearn the way we write songs, because we wanted to involve a lot of orchestration and soundscapes. While using instrumentation we have never used before. It was definitely a difficult learning curve to get used to that stuff because it was self imposed. We wanted to do it so we knew we had to learn it to do this. It turned out great and we’re really proud of it. I think we wanted to avoid making a follow up record to our last record. We wanted to do something that was it’s own piece, that could stand on it’s own and be it’s own entity in itself. And I feel like we succeeded in that.
LocalBozo.com: With nearly twenty songs on “Wretched and Divine,” it can easily be seen that this was a gigantic undertaking between an immense amount of writing and orchestration. Yet throughout the overall “story” featured throughout the record there exists these mini bookend moments as seen on songs “Done For You” through “Lost It All” (Tracks 14-16) where you start with a ballad and end with one. Were these singled out departures a premeditated choice?
AB: When we first started writing the record it was all based on a short story I had written. This story of the “Wild Ones,” which I wrote on a flight back from Europe. It was just an idea I had and not something we were definitely going to make a record out of. But I loved the idea of involving this comic book-esque “1984″ “V For Vendetta” kind of story into what we are doing. So we started making a record with that as the intention. Let’s make this concept record. Let’s do this (said the band). And very quickly within this process we set out to make a concept record we were cutting ourselves off from writing great songs. You start to bog yourself down with, “Okay does this work within the context of the story?” And “Does this lyric work here?” So we decided to take off the idea of the concept record for a few weeks and we just wrote. We wrote as many songs as we could. What we kept finding was no matter what we did, we kept referring back to the story. And it was just naturally happening. We were so naturally involved with it. That even when we were intentionally not trying to, we were still writing about the story. And so at that point we realized if we do it more casual and just write as we would write, the story is going to come through. And when we completed with our writing, we saw how all of these aspects fit into place.
Keep reading here
Black Veil Brides Rewind: The Jake Pitts Interview - Examiner.com
December 11, 2012
You came into this band through Jinxx and actually built the foundation with Christian before Andy and Ashley came into the picture. Did the sound and direction change much once they joined you?
Basically, what I had done before was write the guitars, drums and bass, the whole musical composition, but I wouldn’t do a whole lot with the vocals or melodies at that point. I just wrote the music part of the songs. I played with Jinxx and for a while we played with C.C. as well. I would demo on Pro Tools using my recording equipment at home. Jinxx would come over and we’d write songs together and write the guitar parts together. Once we met Andy and Ashley, everything clicked and it all fit. It was exactly what I was looking for.
Andy is clearly a team leader and very much a businessman, yet he ensures that this is a band and not a solo project. Could you sense his leadership abilities early on?
Oh, definitely. The first time I met him he seemed very professional for how young he is and very intellectual. He knew exactly his plan, what the goal was and what it took to make it happen. As far as our strategy and image, he told me the first time I met him what his idea for the band was about, and was it something I was interested in. It was definitely what I wanted. He had the direction and I had the music, so it worked perfectly.
Were your previous bands in any way similar to Black Veil Brides or was this a musical departure?
I put the metal elements into my most recent band. It was more of an alternative … I hate to say … almost like a pop-punk band with a metal edge, where I had guitar solos and the vocal style was more pop-punk. I wasn’t as interested in it because it wasn’t what I wanted to do, so I was writing and recording songs that I wanted to listen to. It didn’t have to be for anything, but I ended up revisiting those ideas and most of it became Set The World On Fire, stuff I was doing after my previous band and on my own time. I was building an arsenal of music and playing what I like to play, and now that’s what this band is.
Read more here
You came into this band through Jinxx and actually built the foundation with Christian before Andy and Ashley came into the picture. Did the sound and direction change much once they joined you?
Basically, what I had done before was write the guitars, drums and bass, the whole musical composition, but I wouldn’t do a whole lot with the vocals or melodies at that point. I just wrote the music part of the songs. I played with Jinxx and for a while we played with C.C. as well. I would demo on Pro Tools using my recording equipment at home. Jinxx would come over and we’d write songs together and write the guitar parts together. Once we met Andy and Ashley, everything clicked and it all fit. It was exactly what I was looking for.
Andy is clearly a team leader and very much a businessman, yet he ensures that this is a band and not a solo project. Could you sense his leadership abilities early on?
Oh, definitely. The first time I met him he seemed very professional for how young he is and very intellectual. He knew exactly his plan, what the goal was and what it took to make it happen. As far as our strategy and image, he told me the first time I met him what his idea for the band was about, and was it something I was interested in. It was definitely what I wanted. He had the direction and I had the music, so it worked perfectly.
Were your previous bands in any way similar to Black Veil Brides or was this a musical departure?
I put the metal elements into my most recent band. It was more of an alternative … I hate to say … almost like a pop-punk band with a metal edge, where I had guitar solos and the vocal style was more pop-punk. I wasn’t as interested in it because it wasn’t what I wanted to do, so I was writing and recording songs that I wanted to listen to. It didn’t have to be for anything, but I ended up revisiting those ideas and most of it became Set The World On Fire, stuff I was doing after my previous band and on my own time. I was building an arsenal of music and playing what I like to play, and now that’s what this band is.
Read more here
Black Veil Brides on the new Ourzone Magazine
December 8, 2012
Whether the mere mention of their name causes your ear canals to close in a burl of disgust, or open wide to let the music roam free - you can't fault Black Veil Brides in terms of impact. For a band who only released their debut album last year, they've become one of the most talked about names in modern day rock. And it's undeniable that things are only going to get bigger following the release of next year's hotly anticipated album Wretched And Divine: The Story Of The Wild Ones.
One man who knows this all too well is front-man Andy Biersack. He spared us some of his precious time while he was in the UK earlier this month to discuss the band's latest musical venture. "We're excited to release the record," he smiles. "I'm absolutely not nervous. It's such a big step up for us that having other people listen to it is an exciting thing for us. I can't wait for the fans to hear it."
It must be a mutual thing then, because we can't wait to hear it. But what's this we're hearing about punk-rock vibes on the new album?
Keep reading
Whether the mere mention of their name causes your ear canals to close in a burl of disgust, or open wide to let the music roam free - you can't fault Black Veil Brides in terms of impact. For a band who only released their debut album last year, they've become one of the most talked about names in modern day rock. And it's undeniable that things are only going to get bigger following the release of next year's hotly anticipated album Wretched And Divine: The Story Of The Wild Ones.
One man who knows this all too well is front-man Andy Biersack. He spared us some of his precious time while he was in the UK earlier this month to discuss the band's latest musical venture. "We're excited to release the record," he smiles. "I'm absolutely not nervous. It's such a big step up for us that having other people listen to it is an exciting thing for us. I can't wait for the fans to hear it."
It must be a mutual thing then, because we can't wait to hear it. But what's this we're hearing about punk-rock vibes on the new album?
Keep reading
Hollywood Music Magazine
December 6, 2012
Hollywood’s glam rock gods Black Veil Brides are releasing their third album on January 8th 2013 a full scale monster of a concept album entitled: Wretched And Divine: The Story Of The Wild Ones. Winners of such coveted awards such as “Best New Artist” at Revolver’s Golden Gods and “Best Newcomers” at the Kerrang! Awards it’s easy to say that the Black Veil Brides have one of the most anticipated album releases and tours of 2013. Here’s what Black Veil Brides’ vocalist and founding member Andy Biersack had to say about what the new album is all about.
Why did you go the concept album route on the new album?
Andy Biersack: Around April of last year we started working on a follow up to our second record. We got about six songs in as far as the writing process and it never really felt as exciting as I wanted it to be. It felt it was a little too much of a logical follow up to our last record and I guess I became a little disillusioned to the idea of making just another rock record. We weren’t really being as tenacious as we should be as in terms of what we were doing. Around that time we had done a round of festivals in Europe and in Germany I remember just sitting there and thinking that I wasn’t particularly excited about anything that was happening on the record and I really wished that there was more that we could do. That’s when I sat down and started writing down the concept of this story, just a couple paragraphs, outlining the story of this “Wild Ones”. It’s a Viva- Vendetta-esque story where this bad guy organization called F.E.A.R. takes away science and creativity from man and I suppose is a parallel to the religious and political upbringing of all of us in small towns in America. And that was something that really excited me. When we got back to LA I really got excited about making it into a record and around that time I met John Feldmann our producer. It was a combination of meeting him and having this story that I was so excited about that two days later I shut down production with the other producer and moved everything over to John Feldmann’s studio and really started working on and fleshing out what would become this sort of concept record.
Read the whole interview here
Hollywood’s glam rock gods Black Veil Brides are releasing their third album on January 8th 2013 a full scale monster of a concept album entitled: Wretched And Divine: The Story Of The Wild Ones. Winners of such coveted awards such as “Best New Artist” at Revolver’s Golden Gods and “Best Newcomers” at the Kerrang! Awards it’s easy to say that the Black Veil Brides have one of the most anticipated album releases and tours of 2013. Here’s what Black Veil Brides’ vocalist and founding member Andy Biersack had to say about what the new album is all about.
Why did you go the concept album route on the new album?
Andy Biersack: Around April of last year we started working on a follow up to our second record. We got about six songs in as far as the writing process and it never really felt as exciting as I wanted it to be. It felt it was a little too much of a logical follow up to our last record and I guess I became a little disillusioned to the idea of making just another rock record. We weren’t really being as tenacious as we should be as in terms of what we were doing. Around that time we had done a round of festivals in Europe and in Germany I remember just sitting there and thinking that I wasn’t particularly excited about anything that was happening on the record and I really wished that there was more that we could do. That’s when I sat down and started writing down the concept of this story, just a couple paragraphs, outlining the story of this “Wild Ones”. It’s a Viva- Vendetta-esque story where this bad guy organization called F.E.A.R. takes away science and creativity from man and I suppose is a parallel to the religious and political upbringing of all of us in small towns in America. And that was something that really excited me. When we got back to LA I really got excited about making it into a record and around that time I met John Feldmann our producer. It was a combination of meeting him and having this story that I was so excited about that two days later I shut down production with the other producer and moved everything over to John Feldmann’s studio and really started working on and fleshing out what would become this sort of concept record.
Read the whole interview here
Andy Biersack on Concept Albums, His Fans + Politics - Noisecreep
December 6, 2012
Noisecreep recently spoke with Black Veil Brides lead singer Andy Biersack aboutWretched and Divine, the group's hardcore fans and his thoughts on the recent American presidential election.
Andy, this has time for the band been a long time in the making. How do you feel now that you're on the heels of what seems like the band's biggest release to date?
Excited - the only word is excited, honestly. This my favorite thing I've ever done artistically and I can't wait for people to hear the amount of work that's gone into this. It was not an easy task doing a project on this scale – it's different building this kind of story, a really a tough thing to do, and I've actually been inspired just by watching the rest of the band and everyone else relate to this. Just a huge effort by everyone, all working together.
Did you like concept albums as a kid?
I remember growing up how everybody hated concept albums, that's at least from my era of growing up. They were usually considered sort of goofy. But then, all of a sudden, you had this resurgence thanks to thing's like Green Day's American Idiot, and so I'm happy people came back around on storyline, concept ideas. As a kid, I was also a fan of Batman, which a lot of people are aware of today. I liked the characters that had no superpowers, but rather with a heightened kind of reality. Those were my kind of super heroes.
Read the whole interview here
Noisecreep recently spoke with Black Veil Brides lead singer Andy Biersack aboutWretched and Divine, the group's hardcore fans and his thoughts on the recent American presidential election.
Andy, this has time for the band been a long time in the making. How do you feel now that you're on the heels of what seems like the band's biggest release to date?
Excited - the only word is excited, honestly. This my favorite thing I've ever done artistically and I can't wait for people to hear the amount of work that's gone into this. It was not an easy task doing a project on this scale – it's different building this kind of story, a really a tough thing to do, and I've actually been inspired just by watching the rest of the band and everyone else relate to this. Just a huge effort by everyone, all working together.
Did you like concept albums as a kid?
I remember growing up how everybody hated concept albums, that's at least from my era of growing up. They were usually considered sort of goofy. But then, all of a sudden, you had this resurgence thanks to thing's like Green Day's American Idiot, and so I'm happy people came back around on storyline, concept ideas. As a kid, I was also a fan of Batman, which a lot of people are aware of today. I liked the characters that had no superpowers, but rather with a heightened kind of reality. Those were my kind of super heroes.
Read the whole interview here
Kerrang! Magazine
December 05, 2012
"All you need to know about Wretched And Divine!" - Kerrang!
What time is it?
It's Bier O'Clock!
And BVB mean business. Anyway, since they're headlining our tour, K! had the first listen to the new "concept" album, Wretched And Divine: The Story Of The Wild Ones, anywhere in the world! Andy Biersack talked to us through it...
Read the transcript of this interview here
I found this on BVBARMYUK.
"All you need to know about Wretched And Divine!" - Kerrang!
What time is it?
It's Bier O'Clock!
And BVB mean business. Anyway, since they're headlining our tour, K! had the first listen to the new "concept" album, Wretched And Divine: The Story Of The Wild Ones, anywhere in the world! Andy Biersack talked to us through it...
Read the transcript of this interview here
I found this on BVBARMYUK.
7 things you need to know about the new Black Veil Brides album Wretched and Divine
December 3, 2012
Black Veil Brides are a modern rock phenomenon. In a few short years the facepaint-clad crew have amassed an almighty, fiercely loyal following (or the BVB Army as they like to be known), so it’s little surprise that the band’s new album, titled Wretched and Divine and slated for release in January, is eagerly anticipated to say the least.
With that in mind we got on the phone to guitarist Jinxx and got the lowdown on what you need to know about the new record.
Keep reading here: Music Radar
Black Veil Brides are a modern rock phenomenon. In a few short years the facepaint-clad crew have amassed an almighty, fiercely loyal following (or the BVB Army as they like to be known), so it’s little surprise that the band’s new album, titled Wretched and Divine and slated for release in January, is eagerly anticipated to say the least.
With that in mind we got on the phone to guitarist Jinxx and got the lowdown on what you need to know about the new record.
Keep reading here: Music Radar
Inside Black Veil Brides' Book Of Shadows - Kerrang!
November 28, 2012
This year saw Black Veil Brides hit greater heights than ever before. But it also left Andy Biersack filled with doubt about whether his band were doing the right thing. Over the next eight pages, we look through their private journals, the doodles and lyrics, and learn how it took a concept album to pull them from the brink...
Dear Diary... Let's go back to March 30 2012. Backstage at London's O2 Academy Brixton, Black Veil Brides have just come offstage after playing their biggest-ever headlining show in the UK.
Bassist Ashley Purdy, guitarists Jinxx and Jake Pitts, and drummer Christian 'CC' Coma are clinking glasses, toasting a job well done. But frontman Andy Biersack is absent. Alone in a separate dressing room, he sits, pensive and fraught with fear and doubt, but certain of one thing: something's wrong, and it has to change.
"It was a dark time for the band," Andy confesses today, almost eight months later. He's about to give Kerrang! an exclusive peek into his private journals to get a very personal view of just how much of a roaring success - yet stressful worry, also - this year's been.
This year saw Black Veil Brides hit greater heights than ever before. But it also left Andy Biersack filled with doubt about whether his band were doing the right thing. Over the next eight pages, we look through their private journals, the doodles and lyrics, and learn how it took a concept album to pull them from the brink...
Dear Diary... Let's go back to March 30 2012. Backstage at London's O2 Academy Brixton, Black Veil Brides have just come offstage after playing their biggest-ever headlining show in the UK.
Bassist Ashley Purdy, guitarists Jinxx and Jake Pitts, and drummer Christian 'CC' Coma are clinking glasses, toasting a job well done. But frontman Andy Biersack is absent. Alone in a separate dressing room, he sits, pensive and fraught with fear and doubt, but certain of one thing: something's wrong, and it has to change.
"It was a dark time for the band," Andy confesses today, almost eight months later. He's about to give Kerrang! an exclusive peek into his private journals to get a very personal view of just how much of a roaring success - yet stressful worry, also - this year's been.
I found this on BVBARMYUK.
Kerrang Magazine!
November 21, 2012
"We've taken hold of Andy Biersack's diary. Next week, we're sharing it with you!"
"We've taken hold of Andy Biersack's diary. Next week, we're sharing it with you!"
Hit The Floor Interview
November 13, 2012
Interview with Jake and Ashley. Andy joins at 8:46.
Interview with Jake and Ashley. Andy joins at 8:46.
The Lowdown - Interview with Jinxx and CC
November 2012
"I mean, why do they hate us? Why do they wanna hate us? Because we’re on the same scene as them? Or because we’re popular?"
Christian “CC” Coma: Cool! Shall we just sit here?
Keen to avoid the, aforementioned, sweltering office, CC sits down on the sofa in the middle of the open plan space, he's wearing a black bandana round his forehead and has his trademark black lines facepainted on each cheek. I grab the cool 1960’s style ball chair and prepare to start before we notice Jinxx sitting on the edge looking unsure of what to do with himself.
Jinxx: Am I meant to be with you guys?
Christian “CC” Coma: Uh, I don’t know. He didn’t say!
Jinxx: Oh!
AltSounds: Ah, come on! Yeah, come and join in!
Jinxx grabs the spot next to me as the PR guy returns.
PR Guy: Ten Minutes, alright!
I switch on the little recording device on my phone and place it down on the table in front of us. CC looks at the device and begins to shout…
Christian “CC” Coma: HEY! HEY! YEAH! YEAH!
After seeing the little dial move up and down as it detects his voice, he gives it the thumbs up. Jinxx doesn’t seem to convinced though…
Jinxx: Maybe we should just talk a bit louder
Christian “CC” Coma: No, It works fine! We’ll shout anyway, just in case!
Satisfied that everything is working OK, the interview begins…
Keep reading here
"I mean, why do they hate us? Why do they wanna hate us? Because we’re on the same scene as them? Or because we’re popular?"
Christian “CC” Coma: Cool! Shall we just sit here?
Keen to avoid the, aforementioned, sweltering office, CC sits down on the sofa in the middle of the open plan space, he's wearing a black bandana round his forehead and has his trademark black lines facepainted on each cheek. I grab the cool 1960’s style ball chair and prepare to start before we notice Jinxx sitting on the edge looking unsure of what to do with himself.
Jinxx: Am I meant to be with you guys?
Christian “CC” Coma: Uh, I don’t know. He didn’t say!
Jinxx: Oh!
AltSounds: Ah, come on! Yeah, come and join in!
Jinxx grabs the spot next to me as the PR guy returns.
PR Guy: Ten Minutes, alright!
I switch on the little recording device on my phone and place it down on the table in front of us. CC looks at the device and begins to shout…
Christian “CC” Coma: HEY! HEY! YEAH! YEAH!
After seeing the little dial move up and down as it detects his voice, he gives it the thumbs up. Jinxx doesn’t seem to convinced though…
Jinxx: Maybe we should just talk a bit louder
Christian “CC” Coma: No, It works fine! We’ll shout anyway, just in case!
Satisfied that everything is working OK, the interview begins…
Keep reading here
Black Veil Brides' album is based on 'fear and shadows' - BBC Newsbeat
November 9, 2012
US rock band Black Veil Brides say their third studio album, due for release in January, is based on "the idea of fear and shadows".
Wretched And Divine: The Story Of The Wild Ones is a concept record containing 19 tracks.
Lead singer Andy Biersack says fans can expect a regular rock record which also has a story that parallels their own experiences in life.
"The story follows this group of outcast leaders, rebels, through their journey to defeat this fear, which is an acronym for every and all religion," he said.
Read what Andy and Ashley say about the new album here.
US rock band Black Veil Brides say their third studio album, due for release in January, is based on "the idea of fear and shadows".
Wretched And Divine: The Story Of The Wild Ones is a concept record containing 19 tracks.
Lead singer Andy Biersack says fans can expect a regular rock record which also has a story that parallels their own experiences in life.
"The story follows this group of outcast leaders, rebels, through their journey to defeat this fear, which is an acronym for every and all religion," he said.
Read what Andy and Ashley say about the new album here.
Black Veil Brides
October 10, 2012
ANDY BIERSACK (vocals): "For every photo you see of us, there are probably 40 or 50 other shots from the shoot of us laughing. But people never get to see those. We're all good friends, so we're always joking around. We'll find something hilarious but no-one else will know what we're laughing about. I think that might be what's going on here. I do like shots where we look intense and serious - regular shots don't really go with our aesthetic - but I also like photos like this, because they show a bit more about us. It doesn't surprise me that you guys might have shots of us laughing like this, because we're a happy band."
ANDY BIERSACK (vocals): "For every photo you see of us, there are probably 40 or 50 other shots from the shoot of us laughing. But people never get to see those. We're all good friends, so we're always joking around. We'll find something hilarious but no-one else will know what we're laughing about. I think that might be what's going on here. I do like shots where we look intense and serious - regular shots don't really go with our aesthetic - but I also like photos like this, because they show a bit more about us. It doesn't surprise me that you guys might have shots of us laughing like this, because we're a happy band."
The Kerrang! Tour 2013 is coming! - Kerrang!
October 10, 2012
Black Veil Brides head up K!'s annual extravaganza - but will Andy Biersack be able to survive a fortnight of pranks from Chiodos, Tonight Alive and Fearless Vampire Killers? We sat down with each band to see what they have in store...
Kerrang! is finally able to announce the full line-up for the Kerrang! Tour 2013 - and Satan's beard, is it a stormer!
Headlining our annual whirlwind of rock insanity will be Black Veil Brides who - whether you love them or hate them - are sure to kick up a storm fiercer than a moody shark that's been poked in the eye with a stick.
Equally as explosive, though, is the rest of the four-strong bill, with the return of Craig Owens' reformed Chiodos standing alongside Australia's Tonight Alive, and Fearless Vampire Killers, flying the flag for Britain. And keeping local greengrocers in business with their garlic rider requirements.
The Kerrang! Tour 2013 calls at 11 cities across the UK in a hectic February fortnight and, though we've a few months to wait yet, our line-up's frontmen and frontlady could barely contain their excitement when we sat them all down to find out their plans - for the stage and for the dressing room...
Read this interview here
Black Veil Brides head up K!'s annual extravaganza - but will Andy Biersack be able to survive a fortnight of pranks from Chiodos, Tonight Alive and Fearless Vampire Killers? We sat down with each band to see what they have in store...
Kerrang! is finally able to announce the full line-up for the Kerrang! Tour 2013 - and Satan's beard, is it a stormer!
Headlining our annual whirlwind of rock insanity will be Black Veil Brides who - whether you love them or hate them - are sure to kick up a storm fiercer than a moody shark that's been poked in the eye with a stick.
Equally as explosive, though, is the rest of the four-strong bill, with the return of Craig Owens' reformed Chiodos standing alongside Australia's Tonight Alive, and Fearless Vampire Killers, flying the flag for Britain. And keeping local greengrocers in business with their garlic rider requirements.
The Kerrang! Tour 2013 calls at 11 cities across the UK in a hectic February fortnight and, though we've a few months to wait yet, our line-up's frontmen and frontlady could barely contain their excitement when we sat them all down to find out their plans - for the stage and for the dressing room...
Read this interview here
I found this on BVBARMYUK
BVB Poster - Kerrang!
October 03, 2012
Black Veil Brides: Behind Enemy Lines!
September 19, 2012
"We get the inside scoop on Black Veil Brides' new record thanks to The Used's Bert McCracken!"
The Used's Bert McCracken spills the beans on BVB's studio secrets!
Since Kerrang! dropped it on Black Veil Brides' LA studio last month, Andy Biersack and co. have kept a locked door on their upcoming third album. But that hasn't stopped Kerrang! from smuggling out some more details on the release - courtesy of rogue reporter Bert McCracken!
As K!onfidential reported last week (K! 1432), The Used frontman has been in the studio with BVB lending some guest vocals, and he made sure to take some notes on how the album is shaping up.
"It's kind of got a Danzig-y punk rock vibe," Bert explains. "But it's a little bit more rock'n'roll than that. It's less hair metal and a little bit more Misfit. All the stuff that I heard was really reminiscent of punk, but in a rock'n'roll way.
"I think they're really young, and that youth and energy inspires me," Bert says of the experience. "It's incredible to be around that passion. It makes me want to write my own masterpiece."
Time to get scribbling some ideas, then, Bert?
"Well, we've had the past four weeks off following the Warped Tour, and I've been taking a lot of time to work on myself," Bert says. "I've been such a self-destructive person my entire life, and it's good for me to take a break and chill out. For the moment, I'm just getting ready to go back on tour, which I'm really excited about."
Be a shame to see that inspiration go to waste, mate...
THE USED RETURN TO THE UK IN NOVEMBER. SEE THE GIG GUIDE.
"We get the inside scoop on Black Veil Brides' new record thanks to The Used's Bert McCracken!"
The Used's Bert McCracken spills the beans on BVB's studio secrets!
Since Kerrang! dropped it on Black Veil Brides' LA studio last month, Andy Biersack and co. have kept a locked door on their upcoming third album. But that hasn't stopped Kerrang! from smuggling out some more details on the release - courtesy of rogue reporter Bert McCracken!
As K!onfidential reported last week (K! 1432), The Used frontman has been in the studio with BVB lending some guest vocals, and he made sure to take some notes on how the album is shaping up.
"It's kind of got a Danzig-y punk rock vibe," Bert explains. "But it's a little bit more rock'n'roll than that. It's less hair metal and a little bit more Misfit. All the stuff that I heard was really reminiscent of punk, but in a rock'n'roll way.
"I think they're really young, and that youth and energy inspires me," Bert says of the experience. "It's incredible to be around that passion. It makes me want to write my own masterpiece."
Time to get scribbling some ideas, then, Bert?
"Well, we've had the past four weeks off following the Warped Tour, and I've been taking a lot of time to work on myself," Bert says. "I've been such a self-destructive person my entire life, and it's good for me to take a break and chill out. For the moment, I'm just getting ready to go back on tour, which I'm really excited about."
Be a shame to see that inspiration go to waste, mate...
THE USED RETURN TO THE UK IN NOVEMBER. SEE THE GIG GUIDE.
I found this on BVBARMYUK
BVB Poster! - Kerrang! Magazine
August 22, 2012
Behind The Bravado - Kerrang!
August 15, 2012
"We go behind the bravado for part two of our chat with Andy Biersack." - Kerrang! Magazine
Last week, we took you inside the mind of Andy Biersack as he works on Black Veil Brides' third album. Then we kept talking, and got under the skin of rock's most divisive figure...
Read the interview here
"We go behind the bravado for part two of our chat with Andy Biersack." - Kerrang! Magazine
Last week, we took you inside the mind of Andy Biersack as he works on Black Veil Brides' third album. Then we kept talking, and got under the skin of rock's most divisive figure...
Read the interview here
Kerrang! Magazine
August 8, 2012
Black Veil Brides!
"I'm ready to kill!"
Andy Biersack is at breaking point... are you next on his hit list?
Black Veil Brides frontman Andy Biersack is the most polarising star we've seen in years. Those who love him see him as a hero, a lifesaver. The haters, on the other hand, not only voted with bottles at Download 2012, but write in to tell Kerrang! every single week. The situation has reached breaking point. As BVB continue work on their third album, watch as...
THE DARK KNIGHT RISES
The scene: Download 2012. Black Veil Brides frontman Andy Biersack is bent over, with his back turned and bare bum pointed at 100,000 people. A torrent of pee-filled plastic bottles, aimed squarely at him, fly from all directions, mostly missing their lean, gangly target. His band -completed by guitarists Jinxx and Jake Pitts, bassist Ashley Purdy and drummer Christian 'CC' Coma - are busy playing the biggest show of their lives, on the festival's main stage. But things aren't exactly panning out perfectly. Then again, it's not like their frontman ever dared dream they would.
"I expected to be bottled that day," Andy admits, when we catch up with him now, in the thick of recording Black Veil Brides' third album, within the plush surrounds of Foxy Studios in L.A...
"I came out with the upper hand. A lot of people would have crumbled in that situation. That's why I mooned them. In the face of adversity, it's important to stand your ground and show people they can't get the better of you."
Read the interview here
Black Veil Brides!
"I'm ready to kill!"
Andy Biersack is at breaking point... are you next on his hit list?
Black Veil Brides frontman Andy Biersack is the most polarising star we've seen in years. Those who love him see him as a hero, a lifesaver. The haters, on the other hand, not only voted with bottles at Download 2012, but write in to tell Kerrang! every single week. The situation has reached breaking point. As BVB continue work on their third album, watch as...
THE DARK KNIGHT RISES
The scene: Download 2012. Black Veil Brides frontman Andy Biersack is bent over, with his back turned and bare bum pointed at 100,000 people. A torrent of pee-filled plastic bottles, aimed squarely at him, fly from all directions, mostly missing their lean, gangly target. His band -completed by guitarists Jinxx and Jake Pitts, bassist Ashley Purdy and drummer Christian 'CC' Coma - are busy playing the biggest show of their lives, on the festival's main stage. But things aren't exactly panning out perfectly. Then again, it's not like their frontman ever dared dream they would.
"I expected to be bottled that day," Andy admits, when we catch up with him now, in the thick of recording Black Veil Brides' third album, within the plush surrounds of Foxy Studios in L.A...
"I came out with the upper hand. A lot of people would have crumbled in that situation. That's why I mooned them. In the face of adversity, it's important to stand your ground and show people they can't get the better of you."
Read the interview here
Kerrang! Magazine
August 1, 2012
Black Veil Brides frontman Andy Biersack is a man on a mission. He gives us the lowdown on their forthcoming album.
Love them or (really) hate them, one thing's for sure: Black Veil Brides aren't in the mood to cash in their cheques and head off into musical obscurity quite yet. That much is clear the second Kerrang! steps into the Los Angeles studio where the band are busy working on their third album and follow-up to 2011's Set The World On Fire. And to make sure we don't head home in any doubt, frontman Andy Biersack is set on us leaving with our ears ringing.
"I'll say this," he asserts. "This next year is gonna be the year of Black Veil Brides. We're doing things that are going to be impossible to copy. It's the kind of thing that people see and feel; that fans of the band will know is genuine. This is an opportunity to do something. It might well be make or break, but if anything, we're seeing this as a chance. This is our chance to do something special. The next 12 months will be all about this band."
That sounds like fighting talk to Kerrang!, and what's brought us to LA in the first place is the chance to see qauite how the quintet are preparing to back it up. The result might surprise you...
Read the interview here
Black Veil Brides frontman Andy Biersack is a man on a mission. He gives us the lowdown on their forthcoming album.
Love them or (really) hate them, one thing's for sure: Black Veil Brides aren't in the mood to cash in their cheques and head off into musical obscurity quite yet. That much is clear the second Kerrang! steps into the Los Angeles studio where the band are busy working on their third album and follow-up to 2011's Set The World On Fire. And to make sure we don't head home in any doubt, frontman Andy Biersack is set on us leaving with our ears ringing.
"I'll say this," he asserts. "This next year is gonna be the year of Black Veil Brides. We're doing things that are going to be impossible to copy. It's the kind of thing that people see and feel; that fans of the band will know is genuine. This is an opportunity to do something. It might well be make or break, but if anything, we're seeing this as a chance. This is our chance to do something special. The next 12 months will be all about this band."
That sounds like fighting talk to Kerrang!, and what's brought us to LA in the first place is the chance to see qauite how the quintet are preparing to back it up. The result might surprise you...
Read the interview here
Poster: Andy Biersack
July 18, 2012
BVB Poster - Kerrang! Magazine
July 7, 2012
The Ultimate Rockstar Test
June 27, 2012
"Andy Biersack from Black Veil Brides takes our Ultimate Rockstar Test!" - Kerrang!
"Andy Biersack from Black Veil Brides takes our Ultimate Rockstar Test!" - Kerrang!
Andy takes on critics and credibility
June 26, 2012
Love them or hate them, there’s no denying Black Veil Brides, and that’s exactly how vocalist Andy Biersack wants it.
The band — Biersack, guitarists Jinxx and Jake Pitts, bassist Ashley Purdy, drummer Christian Coma — released their latest album and label debut, Set the World on Fire, in June 2011. Like its independent predecessor, 2010’s We Stitch These Wounds, it’s been a tremendous success, thanks to a loyal fan base that immediately embraced BVB’s music and image, which both lend themselves to 1980s rock. To some, it’s an era long gone and greatly missed; to others, not so much. But as Biersack explains, BVB will never be all things to all people. Nor does he want them to be.
You’re a very young band with what some might deem a “retro” sound and look, for lack of a better term. Has that been a challenge, especially dealing with the media, who tend to be jaded and cynical about everything?
The people who are writing about the record are not the people we’re making the record for. Anytime we make music, there are definitely elements that hearken back to things we’re influenced by, but everybody has that. Some people are just afraid and they don’t want to wear it on their sleeves. Plus, we try to spell it out a little bit more. We’re influenced by bands that are potentially seen as retro, but to us, that music never really went away.
Where do you see Black Veil Brides bridging that gap?
As a kid that grew up in the ’90s, the music that I liked was the music that existed prior to my adolescence and that we wanted to hear. A band like ours didn’t exist when we got together. There were a lot of retro bands that we liked, but there wasn’t a band that was influenced by the rock and roll rebellion of past decades without it being almost tongue-in-cheek. We wanted to take it seriously. Inasmuch as a lot of the music of that time period was sort of, I guess, campy, a lot of bands did a lot of great stuff for rock and roll music. We’re influenced just as much by the ’70s punk bands as we are by Motley Crue or other bands. If you look at, say, The Misfits into Motley Crue into Metallica, there’s a similar thread, and I feel that’s what Black Veil Brides is. It’s a culmination of all of those things. So it’s a bit of an uphill challenge when you first start to try to get people to hear it, but by the same token, it was never really our concern.
What enabled you to establish yourselves and build a following? There’s obviously a huge audience for what you’re doing.
We sort of had a built-in fan base from day one. To the fans’ credit, they’ve been there since we started, so we made it impossible to ignore us in that regard. Eventually, whether people liked us or not, they had to start writing about us and paying attention because we were there. As long as we maintained a sense of doing it for the right reasons, for ourselves and for our audience, then we weren’t concerned with how others would view it, because once something’s successful, everybody wants to say that they agreed with it; nobody’s going to fight that it’s doing well. People may not like it, but no one ever writes about us and says, “This band has no fans.” They’ll say, “This band is the biggest pile of s--t in the world, but wow, they’ve got a big army.”
Read the whole interview here
Love them or hate them, there’s no denying Black Veil Brides, and that’s exactly how vocalist Andy Biersack wants it.
The band — Biersack, guitarists Jinxx and Jake Pitts, bassist Ashley Purdy, drummer Christian Coma — released their latest album and label debut, Set the World on Fire, in June 2011. Like its independent predecessor, 2010’s We Stitch These Wounds, it’s been a tremendous success, thanks to a loyal fan base that immediately embraced BVB’s music and image, which both lend themselves to 1980s rock. To some, it’s an era long gone and greatly missed; to others, not so much. But as Biersack explains, BVB will never be all things to all people. Nor does he want them to be.
You’re a very young band with what some might deem a “retro” sound and look, for lack of a better term. Has that been a challenge, especially dealing with the media, who tend to be jaded and cynical about everything?
The people who are writing about the record are not the people we’re making the record for. Anytime we make music, there are definitely elements that hearken back to things we’re influenced by, but everybody has that. Some people are just afraid and they don’t want to wear it on their sleeves. Plus, we try to spell it out a little bit more. We’re influenced by bands that are potentially seen as retro, but to us, that music never really went away.
Where do you see Black Veil Brides bridging that gap?
As a kid that grew up in the ’90s, the music that I liked was the music that existed prior to my adolescence and that we wanted to hear. A band like ours didn’t exist when we got together. There were a lot of retro bands that we liked, but there wasn’t a band that was influenced by the rock and roll rebellion of past decades without it being almost tongue-in-cheek. We wanted to take it seriously. Inasmuch as a lot of the music of that time period was sort of, I guess, campy, a lot of bands did a lot of great stuff for rock and roll music. We’re influenced just as much by the ’70s punk bands as we are by Motley Crue or other bands. If you look at, say, The Misfits into Motley Crue into Metallica, there’s a similar thread, and I feel that’s what Black Veil Brides is. It’s a culmination of all of those things. So it’s a bit of an uphill challenge when you first start to try to get people to hear it, but by the same token, it was never really our concern.
What enabled you to establish yourselves and build a following? There’s obviously a huge audience for what you’re doing.
We sort of had a built-in fan base from day one. To the fans’ credit, they’ve been there since we started, so we made it impossible to ignore us in that regard. Eventually, whether people liked us or not, they had to start writing about us and paying attention because we were there. As long as we maintained a sense of doing it for the right reasons, for ourselves and for our audience, then we weren’t concerned with how others would view it, because once something’s successful, everybody wants to say that they agreed with it; nobody’s going to fight that it’s doing well. People may not like it, but no one ever writes about us and says, “This band has no fans.” They’ll say, “This band is the biggest pile of s--t in the world, but wow, they’ve got a big army.”
Read the whole interview here
Andy Biersack: The man who faced down the bottlers
June 20, 2012
Black Veil Brides split the crowd in a different way. There are bottles flying from the moment they take the stage but, far from being cowed, Andy Biersack meets the haters head on. Or at least arse on, as he braves a shitstorm of missiles to moon what he terms the "bullies" from the edge of the Metallica snake pit that extends out into the crowd. Add a series of hookladen, glam-tinged pop-metal gems and there's no mistaking the victors of this confrontation.
Read the interview here
Black Veil Brides split the crowd in a different way. There are bottles flying from the moment they take the stage but, far from being cowed, Andy Biersack meets the haters head on. Or at least arse on, as he braves a shitstorm of missiles to moon what he terms the "bullies" from the edge of the Metallica snake pit that extends out into the crowd. Add a series of hookladen, glam-tinged pop-metal gems and there's no mistaking the victors of this confrontation.
Read the interview here
Black Veil Brides attack taunts at Download Festival - BBC Newsbeat
June 13, 2012
LA punk rockers Black Veil Brides played Download Festival for the second time on Saturday (9 June) but didn't have the easiest time on stage.
A few members of the crowd heckled the band and threw plastic bottles at lead singer Andy Biersack.
The front man challenged those taunting him and says it's important people stand up for themselves.
Talking backstage after their performance, he said: "It's really important for us as a band, that when someone is giving us grief on stage, to show our fans how important it is that they stand up for themselves and that they feel confident in themselves.
"It's not easy to be the weird kid or the rebel.
"We know that listening to Black Veil Brides, wearing Black Veil Bride shirts or being in Black Veil Brides isn't always the most popular thing in the world."
Keep reading here
LA punk rockers Black Veil Brides played Download Festival for the second time on Saturday (9 June) but didn't have the easiest time on stage.
A few members of the crowd heckled the band and threw plastic bottles at lead singer Andy Biersack.
The front man challenged those taunting him and says it's important people stand up for themselves.
Talking backstage after their performance, he said: "It's really important for us as a band, that when someone is giving us grief on stage, to show our fans how important it is that they stand up for themselves and that they feel confident in themselves.
"It's not easy to be the weird kid or the rebel.
"We know that listening to Black Veil Brides, wearing Black Veil Bride shirts or being in Black Veil Brides isn't always the most popular thing in the world."
Keep reading here
Themerchdude - Interview with Jinxx
Tonight we have @JinxxBVB from the band The Black Veil Brides @OfficialBVB on 5 questions with Themerchdude
I am a firm believer of doing my own thing, not listening to what anyone tells me about anyone unless I meet them personally. Which brings me to this.
Many of you may or may not know Jinxx’s he is a personal friend and great human, most people don’t understand that he is very blessed and cursed for being in one of those bands that everyone loves…to hate.
Take your time see a few things though his eyes and maybe understand that hate is the one thing that keeps Jinxx and his band going.
Here is Jinxx on 5 questions with themerchdude.
1) You are in the band Black Veil Brides, you dress up, wear makeup and have some of the most loyal fans, my question is, Do you feel that having such loyal fans, upset the fact that many people hate your band even before they listen to it?
Jinxx: Sure it does. I always think it’s funny when someone tries to inform me that my band sucks when there’s millions of our fans out there who will vehemently invalidate their statement. I think for many people they are put off by our sudden rise of success because it scares them. Like that it’s due to some sort of black magic or something, that it just couldn’t possibly be because our music is actually good or that we really are a great band. So they write us off before they even actually listen to our music, and in their minds it makes them more ‘cool’ to hate us. Besides, all hate comes from ignorance. The truth is, when you have all the right ingredients for a great band, or have a dream and the balls to actually take it all the way, there’s no limit for how far you will succeed. There’s magic, yes, but not black magic.
Keep reading here
I am a firm believer of doing my own thing, not listening to what anyone tells me about anyone unless I meet them personally. Which brings me to this.
Many of you may or may not know Jinxx’s he is a personal friend and great human, most people don’t understand that he is very blessed and cursed for being in one of those bands that everyone loves…to hate.
Take your time see a few things though his eyes and maybe understand that hate is the one thing that keeps Jinxx and his band going.
Here is Jinxx on 5 questions with themerchdude.
1) You are in the band Black Veil Brides, you dress up, wear makeup and have some of the most loyal fans, my question is, Do you feel that having such loyal fans, upset the fact that many people hate your band even before they listen to it?
Jinxx: Sure it does. I always think it’s funny when someone tries to inform me that my band sucks when there’s millions of our fans out there who will vehemently invalidate their statement. I think for many people they are put off by our sudden rise of success because it scares them. Like that it’s due to some sort of black magic or something, that it just couldn’t possibly be because our music is actually good or that we really are a great band. So they write us off before they even actually listen to our music, and in their minds it makes them more ‘cool’ to hate us. Besides, all hate comes from ignorance. The truth is, when you have all the right ingredients for a great band, or have a dream and the balls to actually take it all the way, there’s no limit for how far you will succeed. There’s magic, yes, but not black magic.
Keep reading here
Jake Pitts and Jinxx discuss their roots and connection to their fans - Guitarworld
January 10, 2012
With the release of their 2010 debut album, We Stitch These Wounds, Black Veil Brides immediately resonated with thousands of fans worldwide.
Perhaps it’s their hard yet melodic approach to rock and roll, which lends itself to the theatrical, anthemic arena rock of the 1980s — the era that influences them — or the underlying theme in their lyrics — individuality, survival, overcoming the dark moments — that connects with listeners. Likely, it’s both.
We Stitch These Wounds debuted in the Billboard Top 40 and at No. 1 on the magazine’s independent charts. It set the groundwork for their sophomore album, Set The World On Fire, their first label release, produced by Josh Abraham (Linkin Park, Velvet Revolver, Korn, Mastodon).
Black Veil Brides is vocalist Andy Biersack, bassist Ashley Purdy, drummer Christian Coma and guitarists Jake Pitts and Jinxx, whose double leads and harmonies are integral to the band’s sound.
During the recent Buried Alive tour, with Hollywood Undead, Asking Alexandria and Avenged Sevenfold, Pitts and Jinxx shared some thoughts about two-guitar bands, the dynamic of BVB and why the band has touched such a nerve.
How are your styles similar and different, and how do you make those elements work to your advantage in this band?
Jake: We use a lot of different styles and techniques. Jinxx is more classically influenced, and I guess I’m more straight up. I’ve been in many bands, but when I first played with him, he was the only guitar player who could keep up with me and play the same things I can play. We both like to shred on solos, so it was a perfect match.
Jinxx: We both grew up loving the same bands, listening to Metallica, Motley Crue, bands that came out in the ’80s. We were born in an age when MTV was prevalent, videos were popular, and we wanted to do that. That’s where it all stems from, and the influence of our parents being musicians. The first album I owned was "And Justice For All". I’d been playing guitar for a couple of years before that, and I started learning every track on that record from start to finish. Jake did the same thing with similar albums, coming from the metal and hard rock background.
Keep reading here
With the release of their 2010 debut album, We Stitch These Wounds, Black Veil Brides immediately resonated with thousands of fans worldwide.
Perhaps it’s their hard yet melodic approach to rock and roll, which lends itself to the theatrical, anthemic arena rock of the 1980s — the era that influences them — or the underlying theme in their lyrics — individuality, survival, overcoming the dark moments — that connects with listeners. Likely, it’s both.
We Stitch These Wounds debuted in the Billboard Top 40 and at No. 1 on the magazine’s independent charts. It set the groundwork for their sophomore album, Set The World On Fire, their first label release, produced by Josh Abraham (Linkin Park, Velvet Revolver, Korn, Mastodon).
Black Veil Brides is vocalist Andy Biersack, bassist Ashley Purdy, drummer Christian Coma and guitarists Jake Pitts and Jinxx, whose double leads and harmonies are integral to the band’s sound.
During the recent Buried Alive tour, with Hollywood Undead, Asking Alexandria and Avenged Sevenfold, Pitts and Jinxx shared some thoughts about two-guitar bands, the dynamic of BVB and why the band has touched such a nerve.
How are your styles similar and different, and how do you make those elements work to your advantage in this band?
Jake: We use a lot of different styles and techniques. Jinxx is more classically influenced, and I guess I’m more straight up. I’ve been in many bands, but when I first played with him, he was the only guitar player who could keep up with me and play the same things I can play. We both like to shred on solos, so it was a perfect match.
Jinxx: We both grew up loving the same bands, listening to Metallica, Motley Crue, bands that came out in the ’80s. We were born in an age when MTV was prevalent, videos were popular, and we wanted to do that. That’s where it all stems from, and the influence of our parents being musicians. The first album I owned was "And Justice For All". I’d been playing guitar for a couple of years before that, and I started learning every track on that record from start to finish. Jake did the same thing with similar albums, coming from the metal and hard rock background.
Keep reading here