by Kenneth Morton

These Hearts is a new band based out of Fargo, North Dakota, who are beginning to make a big name for themselves outside of their hometown. Not only do they have a new self released EP out entitled Mistakes And Second Takes, but they've toured a good deal of the country over the summer, making scores of new fans along the way. Here is an interview we recently conducted with this exciting new collective of musicians…

Where is the band from and what is the local music scene like there?
We are from Fargo, North Dakota. Fargo has a really strong metalcore/hardcore scene. There is also a pretty big mall scene crowd but they don’t support the local bands as much as they could. Fargo is really lucky to have a good number of talented bands for its size.

Is there any story or concept behind the CD title Mistakes and Second Takes?
Mistakes and Second Takes is the title of the fourth track on the album. That song just talks about the fact that we as humans screw up everything that God has intended for us, but the crazy thing is that he is always willing to give us another chance if we decide to trust Him.

How easy or difficult was it to release your EP on your own?
Releasing the EP on our own was somewhat difficult financially, mainly paying out of pocket for the recording and pressing, but we knew it was something we wanted to do so we did what we had to in order to get the job done, and we are extremely pleased with the final product.

You recently went on a tour that covered a good deal of the States. How did the tour go and what were some of the highlights?
The tour went well for us. We originally had planned on taking another band out with us, but ended up going out by ourselves. One of the biggest highlights was our tour kick off show in Fargo. It was also our CD release show, so we set up the show ourselves and brought Four Letter Lie to town. The turn out ended up being better than all of us could have imagined, and we hit the road with some extra money, which was sweet. It was also amazing because we met a ton of people and bands who we are still in contact with and friends with. We also played in front of some great crowds, in places we have never played before, where people actually knew our words and sang along with us. So that was pretty amazing.

Any strange happenings while out on the road?
We were at a show in South Dakota, and the guitarist in a band that we are good friends with was strangled by 2 drunk guys because of a misunderstanding. After they choked him he called the cops and they ran and hid. About an hour later they came back and we almost ended up getting into a serious fight. Luckily nothing ended up happening, although a girl we were hanging out with proved to be braver than the rest of us, as she verbally abused the drunk guys while we watched silently.

What was it like opening for bigger bands such as the Bouncing Souls and MXPX? Did you get to meet them and were they cool to you guys?
Opening for the Bouncing Souls and MXPX was really fun. The venue was huge and the guy running the sound did a really good job. We talked to the front man of the Bouncing Souls for awhile – he was really laid back and cool.

Do you consider These Hearts to be a Christian band? Why or why not?
Not all of our songs are related to God or to Christianity, so in that sense we are not a Christian band. However, we are all Christians and I think that definitely comes through in a lot of our lyrics and hopefully in our behavior on and off of stage.

Who in These Hearts would you say is on Myspace WAAAAYYY too much?
That would be Isaiah (drummer). The only person in the band who doesn’t have a computer is Ryan. The rest of us are on myspace quite a bit since we use it to book most of our shows and stay in contact with our fans.

Have you ever played in the Los Angeles area, or do you plan to do so in the future?
We have concentrated our touring to the east and Midwest, but we are gonna be hitting the road as much as possible, so eventually we will tour out west for sure.

Have you guys had any label interest?
We haven't been seeking out a label yet... we are trying to push it as far as we can on our own so that we can show a label that we have already established a fan base and that we are willing to work hard to make this happen.

What’s up next for These Hearts?
We are going to be on the road as much as we can. We are all taking a break from school, so that will hopefully open up a lot of touring in the fall and winter.

Any final words of wisdom?
One of the biggest things we have had to learn to do and are still learning to do is appreciate every opportunity we get to play. It sucks to drive 12 hours and play for 5 kids who don't even like your kind of music, but that’s something most bands have to go through at some point in time. It sounds cliche, but paying your dues is really essential as a young band, and that is the stage we are in right now. Just being able to be in a band and travel the country with your friends is something that no one should ever take for granted.

These Hearts Links

These Hearts on Myspace: Their Official Myspace Page!
The Highwire Daze Home Page: Return to the Main Page!

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