A Sonnet To Silence – The Highwire Daze Legacy Interviews

A Sonnet To Silence: Metal Explosion Over Greeley

Originally Posted: 08/19/10

A Sonnet To Silence is definitely ready to explode into the big time.  Based out of Greeley, CO, the band recently won a competition to play the local Denver date of the Vans Warped Tour.  The band recently released an EP entitled Your Cross To Bear.  Here is an interview Highwire Daze recently conducted with A Sonnet To Silence…

Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in A Sonnet To Silence, and how long the band has been together.
Hi, my name is Michael Machado and I am one of the guitar players in A Sonnet to Silence. This band got together about two years ago while we were still in high school, and we’ve kept together since.

Where is the band based out of and what is your local music scene like there? Who are some local bands you could recommend?
Our band is based out of a town called Greeley, Colorado, about a 60 miles north of Denver. Our local music scene has kind of been shaky, The Atlas Theater was shut down for a year and a half and sort of set things back. Although, it has just reopened, and things are looking up for sure. The local scene consists of a lot of rock, blues, country bands for the most part. There are some of Metal/Hardcore bands in the area that keep the scene going. Ruins of Tomorrow and Crow, are both two bands that are from the same area as us and are very good.

Are any of the members in prior bands that we might know?
There are not, this is all our first legitimate band we’ve been in.

Is there any story or concept behind the EP title Your Cross To Bear?
There isn’t a set story or concept but most of the songs deal with perseverance rather than with hostility. Many of the song ideas come from the everyday struggles with deal with in life, and learning how to contend with difficulties.

What exactly are The Nine Rings?
The Nine Rings are based off of the nine rings of hell demonstrated in the book “Dante’s Inferno.” Our vocalist read the book, and it really inspired him to write a song describing the demons the protagonist had to face in the story.

What is the Casanova Frankenstein and is there one of those in A Sonnet To Silence?
Casanova Frankenstein is actually a character from the movie Mystery Men played by Geoffrey Rush. There is not one of those in Sonnet, the name just naturally came to our vocalist. I guess he remembered the movie and decided it was a good song title, haha i have no idea why.

Generally where do you get your ideas and inspirations for the lyrics?
Our vocalist Lucas usually comes up with the majority of the lyrics but most of them come from the everyday struggles everyone goes through. Some of the songs deal with religion, substance abuse, and family issues. Many people think most metal bands write “hate-your-mom” songs but we definitely take a different approach and prefer the more optimistic view.

What could one expect from a live A Sonnet To Silence show?
We try to make every show we play very unique. One can and will experience an absolutely great time for sure. Our shows are filled with energy and have a community atmosphere to them. People are making new friends, enjoying themselves, and just overall having a good time at a local show. I think many people would be surprised how much fun local shows are when compared to going to the movies or going out to the bar. It’s something the average person should try sometime.

How easy or difficult was it to release the EP on your own and who did you work with in the studio?
Releasing our own E.P. was tough for a while. We couldn’t decide where to get it pressed, or raise enough funds to do it ourselves for at least a year. And, then one day one of the local promoters decided he wanted to sign us to his own indie label and we finally got our E.P. released. We worked with Ten/Six Studios out of Loveland, Colorado. Our good friend Roger Foster runs the studio and we ca’t thank him enough for all of his help. He’s definitely helping us get to that next level.

Who are some of the bigger bands you have opened for in the past and what was the experience like?
We’ve opened up for quite a few national touring acts but some of our favorite show would have to be The Ghost Inside, Protest the Hero, and American Me. Each of these shows were a surreal experience for sure, especially the Protest the Hero show. We met them at Warped Tour after watching their set and a year later we ended up playing with them, it was quite ironic. The American Me show was an absolute blast! There were a lot of people, and the venue was in a rodeo arena with dirt floors. It was one of the more odd experiences but is something that you will only find in Greeley.

Have you had the opportunity to tour outside of Colorado yet, and if so, what has the experience been like?
We have not had the chance to tour yet, but we are looking to book an upcoming 2010 Winter Break Tour in some southwestern states. The Ghost Inside show was in Casper, Wyoming and that was an amazing time as well. There’s nothing like jumping in a van with your best friends and doing what you love together. It’d be the best job in the world.

Have you ever played the Warped Tour in Denver?
We will be playing Warped Tour for the first time this year in Denver on August 8th on the Ernie Ball Stage. Somehow, we won the battle of the bands competition and now we’re playing and super stoked for it!

Any strange or unusual Myspace stories you could share?
Hmmm, there was this one time where a fan of ours tried to set up a date with Lucas over Myspace. Unfortunately, Lucas had a girlfriend at the time, and nothing transpired.

What is it you’d like a listener to remember the most after hearing your music for the very first time?
We’d love for listeners to remember how different it is and hopefully they make a connection to the music. That’s really what it’s all about, writing something that you feel and making a connection with the listeners. If they can feel the way you did when you wrote it, then your mission has been accomplished.

Any messages for peeps reading this who might want to check your band out?
We’d love it if you told your friends about us and check us out on Facebook or Myspace. Pick up a copy of our E.P. today or download it on iTunes and give it to your friends. Word of mouth is the best promotion there is. But all in all, we’d love if you just gave new music a shot!

(Interview by Ken Morton)

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