My absolute favorite thing about the Florida music scene is the incredibly diverse, and eclectic group of bands that make up the state. While central Florida is famously renowned for it’s history with extreme metal, there is undoubtedly something for essentially everyone to discover. These three bands we’ll be visiting in this segment may be complete polar opposites of each other, but they’re all a part of the bigger picture in the Florida music scene. You can get to know them a bit after the jump.
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7/15
Band – Raising Cadence
Hometown – Orlando, FL
Genre – Progressive Rock/Alternative
https://raisingcadence1.bandcamp.com/
Raising Cadence is;
Vocals – Miguel Larson
Guitar – Andrew Rouleau
Guitar – Samuel Oliveria
Bass – Ronald Paul Cook II
Drums – TJ Howard
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Q – For anyone who may not be aware just yet, can you give us an introduction to Raising Cadence?
A – We are a group of like-minded dudes who came together with a goal in mind… become one of the next great musical acts of the century. We’ve all been in various projects separately, so with this band we wanted to become the best musical versions of ourselves possible. We have a fierce drive to share our music, and we believe our live show needs to be an experience you’ll never forget that will have you singing along from the start, and having a great time until the last note is played. We’re excited to show the world what Raising Cadence is about.
Q – You released a single entitled ‘Take Me Higher’ back on April 28th, can you tell us a bit about it? – Where was the single recorded, lyrical themes etc?
A – Our single ‘Take Me Higher’ is what we believe Raising Cadence’s sound is growing into. The five of us have been jamming together for three years and have learned a lot from each other, and we wanted to adapt what we’ve learned into our music. We felt ‘Take Me Higher’ is our strongest song yet. Lyrically it’s about obtaining a significant other that you believe you can grow with. That metaphoric light that literally takes you higher. The song was recorded, produced and mixed by Randall Karriker at Red Oak Collective. Randall recorded our first EP ‘Northbound’, and we believed he would be perfect once again to work with, with him already having the knowledge of the direction we are heading towards.
Q – Since the band’s debut EP came out in 2015, the band has released two singles entitled ‘I Define Every Moment’, as well as the recent ‘Take Me Higher’. Are there currently any plans for a full length or EP later on in the year? And if so, will they be part of it?
A – We are thrilled to say that we will be releasing our new five song EP entitled ‘Take Me Higher’, with the title tracking kicking it off. ‘I Define Every Movement’ won’t be on the new EP, unfortunately. It was a single we wanted to record to give fans a taste of what we are leading into as a band. We will be premiering more new songs, though! With a fresh new sound that we’re excited for everybody to hear. It will debut on June 30th!
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8/15
Band – Wirethrone
Hometown – Tampa, FL
Genre – Melodic Death Metal
https://wirethrone.bandcamp.com/releases
Wirethrone is;
Vocals – Josh Delgado
Guitar – James Harper
Guitar – Adam Mehdaova
Bass – Chris Horan
Drums – James Smith
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Q – For anyone who is unfamiliar just yet, can you give us an introduction to Wirethrone?
A – Wirethrone is a 5 piece melodic death metal band from Tampa, FL. We play a similar style to bands like In Flames and Soilwork, with some added progressive grooves.
Q – You released a single back on March 17th entitled ‘A Rebirth’, can you tell us a bit about it? – Where was the single recorded, lyrical themes, artwork etc?
A – “A Rebirth” is about overcoming your fears of failure and essentially evolving into a new version of yourself. It was recorded in our home studio by Chris Horan who did a fantastic job. The song is accompanied by a lyric video done by Hulyan Minosso and Hyruan Minosso of Estúdio Pontilhado, a Brazilian digital and graphic art company.
Q – Are there currently any plans for new music later on in the year?
A – We are planning to release our sophomore album by the Fall of this year. Last September, we visited Anup Sastry at his home studio in Maryland and recorded our drums. On May 19th we enter the studio with James Lewis of Nomadic and Forerunner Recordings. We are very excited to release this album!
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9/15
Band – Forthteller
Hometown – Tampa, FL
Genre – Tech/Metalcore
https://forthtellerband.bandcamp.com/releases
Forthteller is;
Vocals – David Winters
Guitar/Vocals – Ryan Kole
Guitar/Vocals – Justin Hatton
Bass – Garret Sharp
Drums – Thom Schultz
Keys – Josh Beoddy
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Q – For anyone who may not be aware, can you give an introduction to Forthteller?
A – Forthteller started in 2014 under the name I Shot the Albatross. When we first started, we weren’t sure where it was headed musically, ideologically, or otherwise. We just knew that we wanted to do something different. We wanted to challenge the status quo in somewhere or another. As we progressed, we realized that the name was too cumbersome. We really wanted something that was sleek, but still represented who we are. Which is where Forthteller came from. As a band, we follow three guiding principles that really shape everything we do. Those three characteristic are Genuine, Intentional, and Passionate. With everything we do, from our music, to our live show, to our social media presence, down to the merch that we produce, we try and embody those characteristics. In a lackluster world, full of mindless frivolities and masked interactions, we try and push people to ask the tough questions. The questions that will push that to move beyond the status quo, to really challenge the world and fight to make it a better place.
Q – It’s been roughly a year since the ‘Madman’ EP came out, are there currently plans on releasing new music later on in the year?
A – We just finished recording our latest release, which is going to be title ‘Nihilist’ EP. It is currently being mixed and mastered by Matt Goldman of Glow In The Dark Studios. Plans for release are in the making. What’s really cool about this new release is that we really pushed ourselves musically, compositionally, and conceptually. We took the best part of our earlier releases and distilled down the parts that are really what we believed are the essential elements of our sound, and worked around those to create something that we are all really proud of. For me, the most exciting part is the lyrical content. We really want deep and heavy with this album, and we can’t wait for people to start digging into it.
Q – You put out a music video for the song ‘Shapeshifters’ back on March 21st. Can you talk a bit about the lyrical theme, and the meaning behind the video?
A – ‘Shapeshifters’ is about the struggle between genuine existence self and the masked projection of self. In a society, the individual is forced to conform to the expectations of others. This isn’t always a bad thing. Often times this pressure helps us achieve great things. However, there is also a dark side to these expectations. All too often, the expectations placed on the individual will begin to create insecurities. The individual becomes less autonomous and more dependent on the mask in order to feel worthwhile.
With the music video we wanted to highlight the intellectual process that is often required for a person to move beyond the crushing weight of expectation. The symbolism used throughout the video is meant to highlight the philosophical journey that is required for someone to become an individual. The Madman (the character who lights the lantern) represents someone who has submitted themselves to that intellectual process and by the end of the video he is on a quest to share that enlightenment with others.
Photo credit: Miranda Elliot
