These Hearts – The Highwire Daze Legacy Interviews

These Hearts: Adventures in Popcore!

Perfectly describing their sounds as “Popcore,” hard work and perseverance has certainly paid off for the young musicians in These Hearts.  Based out of Fargo, North Dakota, These Hearts are now signed to Victory Records, and they have just unleashed their debut Forever Ended Yesterday on the iconic label.

Editor’s Note in 2020:  I had been in contact with These Hearts since 2008 when their drummer Isaiah Folk sent me a copy of their self-released debut Mistakes And Second Takes.  The band would eventually sign to Victory Records, releasing two albums – Forever Ended Yesterday and Yours To Take.  I would finally see These Hearts headlining at the legendary Cobalt Cafe in 2011 presented by Two Hearts Promotions.  Inspired by Christian hardcore bands such as Underoath and For Today while placing their very own pop punk spin into the proceedings, These Hearts truly presented an Adventure in Popcore!  Here is an interview I conducted with vocalist Ryan Saunders in 2011 a few weeks prior to their Cobalt show…

Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in These Hearts and how long the band has been together.
My name is Ryan Saunders, I sing/scream in the band. The band has been together almost 4 years.

Where is the band based out of and what is your local music scene like? Any local bands you could recommend?
We are based out of Fargo, North Dakota. The scene there is doing pretty well. There are a lot of up and coming bands out here.

How did you wind up being signed to Victory Records?
We recorded an album and music video we planned on self releasing, but after exchanging a few emails with Victory, we decided to sign with them.

Is there any story or concept behind the CD title Forever Ended Yesterday?
The album title is actually a song title from the CD. The concept behind it is that no matter how happy you are, whether it’s having to do with a relationship or not, it can be over in a second. Nothing lasts forever.

What was it like working with Craig Owens and what did he contribute to the overall recording process?
While Craig was busy working on D.R.U.G.S at the time, we were working directly with our other producer Matt Dalton. Craig’s ideas were relayed over to Matt and us via phone call and e-mail.

Select two songs from the new CD and what inspired the lyrics?
The song “Romans 15” was inspired by the bible verse, and the lyrics came from how that verse helped me deal with a situation. The song “Live to the Point of Tears” was inspired by the death of my cousin and amazing friend.

What could one expect from a live These Hearts show?
We try to bring a lot of energy and fun to our live show, getting the crowd involved as much as possible.

Any chance of These Hearts touring this summer – maybe some dates in California?
We will be on tour all summer, towards the end of August we will be playing some shows in California. Check our Facebook for tour dates.

Who did the cover art for Forever Ended Yesterday and how much input did you have on it?
Mike Cortada did the cover art for our album. We gave him the concept and he did a great job of capturing everything we wanted.

Any strange or unusual Facebook stories you could share?
Someone wrote on my wall swearing that I am not the real Ryan Saunders, and that my profile is a fake.

What advice would you give band looking for a record deal?
You need to write the best music you can, work really hard, and be original.

How long did it take to do the Apology Rejected video and who directed it?
It was directed by Ron Ravensburg of “Table-Four Films,” we shot for around 12 hours until like 4 am.

Any final words of wisdom?
Keep your mind on something that actually matters, life is too important to waste it.

Originally posted: August 14, 2011.

Band Members:
Ryan Saunders – Vocals
Isaiah Folk – Drums
Daryl Van Beek – Guitar
Kyle Colby – Guitar
Tyler Rice – Bass

(Interview by Ken Morton)

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