Interview: Get to know All-In Moment

In poker, going “all-in” generally means putting your chips in the middle of the table and going for broke, no matter how foolish or brave it might seem. For Staten Island, NY rock/metal band All-In Moment, that couldn’t be more fitting. A hard rock newcomer that takes influences from multiple areas of the heavy rock spectrum, the band’s self-titled debut album (released late last year) has provided a solid foundation, and it’s clear the inspired fan response has also spurred the rising band to bigger things in the future.

We sat down with All-In Moment, through the wonderful technology of e-mail, to discuss their new album and a plethora of other topics too. Check out the read below and listen to their debut album as you go along, too!

Please introduce yourself and what you do in All-In Moment.

I’m Dave and I play guitar.
Hi! I’m Chris Scott and I’m the vocalist for the band.
I’m Luke Lewis, I play bass and I mainly focus on the structure of the songs.
Dan, I’m the drummer.

You guys just released your debut album – what sort of reception have you picked up from your burgeoning fanbase?

Chris: We’re grinding to get discovered by more people. However, the responses from our fans have been very positive. They love our sound and believe we have the quality to someday share the stage with the heavyweights of the industry.
Luke: Mainly positive which is thrilling because not many bands release a debut with good reception.
Dave: We have had mostly very positive feedback so far which makes me very excited. Especially when people hear us for the first time that had no idea who we are.
Dan: Our stuff is pretty solid. Some people like it and some people really love it.

Tell us about the song “Haunt Me”. How did the songwriting process for it come together?

Chris: I can speak on behalf of the lyrics. Our minds work in very complex ways. For whatever reason, memories pop up that we wished would just stay locked away. Like memories of an ex, as much as I say I’ve completely moved on, images still uncontrollably appear in my head of the good times we had. It’s haunting to me.
Luke: Dave and I were together one night and he came up with the opening of the song and then immediately I knew exactly how I wanted the bass to sound and we created the structure and it came to us instantly.
Dave: Haunt Me was one of the final songs we finished writing for the album and I think really shows how we have grown as artists who write their own music. I had both the riffs for the verse and intro written for a while, possible even before we formed in 2016. It must took the right time to figure out what they went with well. I owe the help of finding those riffs a home to Luke. We were jamming on a riff I had written with the intention o be a fast and aggressive song, but when Luke started playing it on the bass at a slower speed the idea hit me to pair it with another idea I’ve had for a while. after that it all fell together easily.
Dan: Haunt Me was written at an airbnb over the course of a whole day when we were really focused on putting different riffs together and kinda changing up out song writing structure.

What was the most challenging aspect of making your debut record? What did you learn from the experience overall?

Chris: It’s challenging to incorporate all of our tastes into one song, but we were able to through trial and error. It’s important to try new things and experiment with different styles. I think we learned the only way we could grow individually as artists was by reaching out of our comfort zones and adapting to one another’s ideas. It’s worked out nicely.
Luke: Trying to get everyone on the same page and strategizing how we’d meet up to write, record and practice is the biggest challenge because we’re all currently working full time jobs with fickle hours and since this our first musical effort we learned that music is a hard lifestyle and that’s how we want to live.
Dave: There were numerous challenges, especially it was all of our first times recording a record. Having done the process now, I would say the most challenging aspect of the process was agreeing on the final product. We all have different styles and want the best outcome possible, so there were definitely times we butted heads in the creative process, especially in post production. But I guess its all part of it, and without each of us being as passionate about it as were, I don’t think the end result would have been what we wanted.
Dan: How difficult it is to agree on things and where to go with a song with 3 other people with completely different music backgrounds.

What sort of expectations did you have when releasing your debut album? Do you feel like you met them as a collective unit?
Chris: Releasing the album was a milestone I was going to be proud of regardless of what people’s reaction was going to be. I knew we worked hard on it for a long time, and I knew it didn’t sound like trash. But I also knew that not many people knew of us, so it was important to avoid getting discouraged from low streaming numbers. We wanted to release a quality album that caught the attention of the metal scene. Now that we have thousands of streams online, I feel like we are starting to gather momentum. People are starting to notice us. What matters most is how do we follow-up.
Luke: Before we released our album we played a lot of shows where people who watched us said they really liked our songs which made us feel good about releasing it and it continued to receive positive feedback from those who have listened and reviewed. We all had great contributions to this album and we’re proud of each other for it.
Dave: It is hard to say. I just want people to hear it, we worked hard on it, lots of time and money went into it. We’re a brand new band and our album has been out less than a year. With the resources that are available to us I would say we are exceeding expectations.
Dan: My expectations are usually set low so that disappointments aren’t really a thing. I feel like everything went as I imagined it would.

What’s the music scene like where you are in New York? Who are some of your favorite locals to check out?

Chris: Staten Island has only one bar that I know of that promotes metal music and original acts, and that’s Mother Pug’s. Every other venue wants you to be a cover band, and that’s not what we’re in here for. It’s unfortunate, but that’s how it is for now. We still always have an awesome turnout at Pugs, which is the place we like to think of as our home. It’s fun playing in Brooklyn, Queens and New Jersey. More venues are open to a band like us playing out there.
Luke: Despite rap and pop being the mainstream here, there are still plenty of heavy metal bars and venues that typically host bands like us it’s very diverse.
Dave: Depends what you are into. For the local rock metal scene, it can be tough sometimes. Everything cost more in NY, and to have people leave there comfy homes and spend their hard earned money to see a local show makes each person we meet special. I’d say, with no question, one of, if not THE best spot for local rock shows in NYC is Mother Pug’s Saloon on Staten Island. We have been very lucky to be one of the numerous bands to frequently play there. So if you want to check out a great local show with a great local scene atmosphere, most certainly have that place on you radar.
Dan: New York is really into Jersey EDM, pop dance, trap, rap, and generic pop on z100. Our music is definitely not a big attraction at all in New York. A local band I really love is Senses Fail from Jersey.

What’s next for All-In Moment in 2020?

Chris: We got some ideas cooking. We want to release new music and music videos. Maybe more surprises are to come we haven’t thought of yet.
Luke: We’re hoping to release our second album somewhere within 2020 we have rough drafts for new material and we’re feeling good about it.
Dave: Right now we are starting to get back into the jam sessions to work on some new music. We all have ideas and can’t wait to see them unfold. While we do that, we play as many good shows as we can locally and are taking bookings outside of the tri-state area to help reach out to new people. We also are in the works for a new music video so stay tuned for that as well.
Dan: Writing our second album.