Exclusive Interview: Bradley of Introduce Yourself/The New Fury.Com

So I have had the pleasure of knowing Brad since December of 2011. At that time Introduce Yourself Band Promotion Page was taking off on FB. Eventually we teamed up to create something that reached many people (www.introduceyourselfzine.com). After a huge amount of success and recognition from bands and labels, we decided to do some things different and went separate ways.

Then began a birth of a new era, The New Fury. Brad has continued to excel  and followed my teachings to accomplish a lot, impressing me personally.

The Interview:

Please “introduce yourself” (haha) and how you are involved in the music scene?

Hayyyyyyy I’m Bradley Dillon. I interview way too many bands, do the occasional album review, and am running my own blog, The New Fury. The title comes from a song by the hardcore band Verse.

How did you get started as a journalist?

Well, I’ve always been ridiculously good at writing. I’m the kind of person that can wait until the 11th hour to do a term paper and get an A+ on it. I didn’t realize until recently that music journalism was my true calling. I’ve seen so many…average journalists out there. And it’s not that they’re bad, far from it. But I don’t want to be average. Basically, this is what I was meant to do.

Top ten favorite bands and why?

How do I even answer this? I secretly love when people ask me this, though.

#10: Parkway Drive – they’re a big reason why I’m into metalcore in general.

#9: Killswitch Engage – they KILL it live and Alive Or Just Breathing is one of my favorite albums ever.

#8: Opeth – Nothing they’ve ever done has disappointed me, and they were one of my gateway bands into extreme metal. Blackwater Park r00lz.

#7: Nine Inch Nails – I could listen to their discography all day, but Pretty Hate Machine and Year Zero are strokes of brilliance.

#6: Tool – They need to release new music pronto. But Lateralus blew me away when I first heard it, and I’m a huge fan of Danny Carey’s drumming – see “Ticks And Leeches” as an example.

#5: Porcupine Tree – I haven’t been listening to them for more than a few years, but I discover something new about them every time I listen – whether it’s the prog metal of Deadwing or the space rock of Signify, there’s plenty for me to enjoy. Also, Steven Wilson and I were born on the same day.

#4: Funeral For A Friend – My favorite post-hardcore band ever. No question. See all those bands on Rise Records and other labels that are popular? They can thank FFAF for their appeal. Band can do no wrong – even their weaker albums have something interesting about them.

#3: Linkin Park – Used to be my favorite band ever. They are THE reason why I’m interested in the music I am today. You think I’m obsessed with Deftones now? I was twice as much enamored with LP. Hybrid Theory is probably my most listened to album ever.

#2: Thrice – Nobody writes songs quite like Dustin Kensrue. I was very ad when they broke up. Vheissu, 2nd favorite record ever.

#1: Deftones – Favorite band ever. They perfectly combine light and heavy, beautiful and ugly. White Pony, Koi No Yokan, and Diamond Eyes are god-tier material.

If you could interview any one who would it be and what’s the one major question you would ask them?

I’d interview Dustin from Thrice and ask him how he comes up with the elaborate metaphors in his lyrics.

Where would you like your career to be in 5 years?

I’d like to be getting paid for the things I do and spreading the word about great music at a magazine, or, if my new venture takes off, working for myself and surrounding myself with a great team of writers. I just want people to connect with their favorite bands and discover new ones.

What is your favorite interview you have done and why?

Good question. Probably interviewing Sonny of POD, not because it was the greatest interview (it was close, though) but because sitting down and talking with one of my favorite bands ever is just amazing. Other than Linkin Park, POD was one of my gateway bands.

So a lot of people have been saying the scene is dead in FL, what is your opinion on this?

I’m not too sure. It depends on what “scene” you’re referring to. I think the problem is when the local bands don’t show up for shows or wait until an hour before the show to say “hey we can’t play sorry guys (herpderp)”, that’s usually the sign of a poor work ethic, and also a sign that you won’t be taken seriously by anyone. I don’t think it’s dead, but I do think it needs more variety. I like deathcore, but there’s entirely too many bands of that genre around here, the breakdown-reliant ones. Let’s see some variety!

In closing is there anything you would like to add?

Yepppppp. Be sure to check out Thenewfury.com for music news and lists of things, thanks to RATA for talking to me, and be sure to check out the new Daylight album, as it’s my favorite thing released this year!

Interview By: Tim Morris