by Kenneth Morton

Mostly based out of the state of Connecticut, A Coastline Ending has just release a new CD entitled In The Name of Progression on Not Alone Records. Produced by Chris Badami, whose resume has included bands as diverse as The Dillinger Escape Plan and The Starting Line, ACE's latest effort should gain the a solid following all across the nation. Here is a recent interview we conducted with keyboardist Cyrus Thomas-Walker. …

The band 'A Coastline Ending' has been around for years now, but LJ is really the only founding member. Our true start was right at the beginning of 2008! We found Aaron through some scratch tracks we had been demoing. After we added him in the band, we buckled down and finished the album!

Where is the band from and what is the music scene like there?
We're from the northeastern part of Connecticut (Minus Aaron! He's lives in Southern Utah and flies out for touring, recording and any other shenanigans we catch ourselves in!), about an hour and a half from Boston, and two and a half from NYC. It's been awesome growing up between two major music capitals, but unfortunately we've been trapped a decent distance away, so where we're from the scene is pretty dry. Musicians and fans alike are influenced by a lot of stuff that comes out from around here, but unfortunately there's just not enough venues, promoters, and bands around here really putting their noses to the grindstone. The few that do are amazing, and we love the local fans and friends in bands around here from the bottom of our hearts. We really hope over the next few years, between ourselves and some friends' bands, we can really get this place going.

Is there any story or concept behind the CD title In The Name Of Progression?
None at all! The album was really a cultivation of a number of influences we've had over the years, and we think it can be heard pretty well. We get kids that come up to us, and nobody can agree on a favorite song, it's always different. It was written kind of with that in mind. We had such a short period of time to put it out, that we really took bits and pieces from everything we knew and liked about music, and let it 'progress' our style as musicians and songwriters. That's where the name of the album came from. We've been getting nailed with people calling us out thinking that we were trying to reinvent something with this album by putting 'progression' in the title, which is the farthest from the truth. We're all young guys who are taking our first serious shot at putting our music out there, and the trials we went through to get this album to where it is and how it sounds today is truly a testament to the progression we all individually and collectively as a band have undergone.

Where did you get the ideas for some of your lyrics? Please cite a few song examples and what they are about?
All of the lyrics are written by Aaron and Aaron alone. We put a lot of faith into him when he wrote for this record; we only were starting to get to know him, and only had heard a few demos when we really committed to writing and recording the full length. From the time in the studio, and all of our time on tour, now we've discovered a lot of meaning in a lot of songs. They were all written from pretty personal experiences by Aaron. The entire time he wrote he drew inspiration from events directly in his life, instead of looking to outside stories/influences. Songs like 'Made By Machine' were written about people close to us and him that he's watched spiral out of control, and generally watching them destroy some of the best things going for them. Other songs like 'So Many Faces' hit really close to home, and call out select individuals that have told kids like us to give it up already, and that music was bringing us nowhere. I think a lot of the lyrics speak out to a number of things that people go through all of their lives.

Is Not Alone Records your own label? If not, how did you get signed on it? If so, how difficult is it to run your own label and release the CD independently?
Not Alone Records is owned by a close friend of ours, Chris Merrow. Around the time when we were narrowing down our singer search, Merrow had been there carefully watching and generally excited for us to get our act together. After adding Aaron, and it was made clear by Chris that he was looking to open up a label, we turned what we had as friends into one of the best functioning and closest business relationships any of us have ever seen. It's really tough trying to get noticed, both as an artist, and as a business professional in the industry. By combining our individual talents and assets, we've made a lot of progress and are looking forward to a really great year following the release of the CD!

How does this CD compare to your previous one?
A Coastline Ending's previous CD was an EP put out by a totally different lineup, with a drastic change in songwriting. It's similar to me comparing this CD to my previous band's work or Aaron's older bands. We're a totally revolutionized lineup with a different attitude, work ethic, experiences and sound than the previous A Coastline Ending.

Has A Coastline Ending ever played in the LA/OC area, or do you plan to do so in the future?
We would love to! With Aaron living so close to CA, being from southern Utah, he's been dying for us to follow him out there. On top of the fact that none of the rest of us have ever seen/been anywhere close to the west coast, it's something in our sights for sure! With how expensive touring has gotten, for even larger acts and groups, it's a lot easier said than done. But we're setting ourselves up for a really successful year that should get us out there as soon as possible!

Which member of ACE would you say is on Myspace waaaayyy too much?
LJ for sure! Me and him spend a lot of our free time sitting on MySpace and promoting, and when I don't get on, he yells at me to get on there and to start getting to work! We take it pretty personally when people generally take time and enjoy talking to us, leaving us messages and listening to our songs. The least we can do is respond back to them. Just getting home from tour, we didn't always have the opportunity to get online and respond like we normally do, but now that we're home it's our mission to get at as many people as we can!

What is a live ACE show like for those of us who have yet to see you play?
Chaotic. We're a pretty driving band, our songwriting doesn't take too many breaks in intensity, and we bring that same mindset to our live show. LJ comes close to busting all his heads every night, Kyle whips his bass around with intentions of sending one of us to the hospital, Brian hasn't taken his ADHD medicine in like 10 years and is always wild'n out, Aaron brings his world class dance moves to the floor, and I move around like a hyper little girl, or so I'm told. It makes it a sight to see for sure. We built up a lot of faith and confidence in each other, both in how we play and how we move, over the last tour, and have been revamping our set to keep making ourselves the best we can be.

Any touring plans coming up?
With the CD out now, and in stores in October, we plan to be on the road as much as possible over the next year, and many years to come, to really get up on our feet as performers, and get our name known as artists. We have some plans in motion for mid fall and early winter, and are in talks for some pretty big stuff throughout the spring, and already looking into big things for next summer. We need to be out as much as possible in as many places where people are willing to listen, and that's exactly what we intend on pursuing.

Your producer Chris Badami has worked with some pretty big names? What contribution did he make on the new CD? Any good advice?
Tons of contribution! A producer/engineer at his level was a godsend to work with for our first CD! With only a month in the studio, we got right to work and he let us know exactly what was up with our style, and how to pull a full length into one coherent musical work despite the chaos of just finishing our lineup, having written the album in just a few months, and the stress of writing while still in the studio, to finish a solid product. We're really looking forward to working with him again at some point in the near future hopefully. We've already begun writing new material now that we've been getting our bearings as songwriters, growing closer as a band, and taking advice in improving ourselves from people as talented as Badami.

The best advice we got from him, as simple as it may sound, has been helping drive us over the past few months. He told us stories of all the washouts who were so concerned with 'making it' that it destroyed them. Then he explained the success of all of the people he has met and worked with who worked feverishly and enjoyed the simplest moments reaching for the top, appreciating the smallest of crowds at shows, laughing at the worst of reviews, and living for the moment they had worked for. For us to play music alongside each other, and get to tour nonstop as the best friends we've become, we've lost the stress and uneasiness that accompanies musicians and artists in this business. When we were all in the studio, LJ and I would sit there on MySpace talking to everyone and anyone we could, and made a pact that we would get ourselves somewhere with the music we all made. It's been a blessing to live by those words and enjoy what's at hand, and openly accept what comes at us from our hard work. As awesome as MTV, tour busses, mansions and all that sounds (don't lie, everyone who's ever put their hands on an instrument has considered getting to that point), we enjoyed every second at the bottom, and with what we put into this band, have no worry of getting to the top.

Any final words of wisdom?
Check us out on MySpace! Pick up a CD somewhere online or in stores when it's out! And come talk to us! We think our music has something to offer for nearly everyone, and anybody the slightest bit interested in what we do and how we do it, we'd love to talk to and get to know! Thanks so much for reading guys, and a big thanks to Highwire for taking the time to talk to us!

A Coastline Linkage

A Coastline Ending on Myspace: Their Official Myspace Page!
Not Alone Records on Myspace: The record label for A Coastline Ending!
The Highwire Daze Home Page: Return to the Main Page!

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