City In The Sea – The Highwire Daze Legacy Interviews

City In The Sea – The Highwire Daze Legacy Interviews

Originally Posted: 10/12/13

Editor’s Note:  City In The Sea released an album entitled Below The Noise on Sumerian Records in 2013.  Their only full length and a metalcore classic!  Dan Marinaro was also in metalcore band The Rendering prior to City In The Sea.  Here is an interview with the band…

Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in City In The Sea, and how long the band has been together.
Dan:  My name is Dan and I play bass in CITY. The band has been around shredding riffs since late 2009.

Where is the band based out of and what is your music scene like there?
Dan:  We are based out of Phoenix AZ.  I’ve watched the scene out here move in waves since I’ve been a part of it.  I’ve seen it at low points and very high points but I’d like to say right now there’s a few cool locals that are leading the scene strong.

How did you wind up being signed with Sumerian Records?
Dan:  They contacted the band wanting to do a showcase out in Los Angeles, at this time I wasn’t actually in the band. but when the guys got this message, they didn’t have a bassist, so they called me to come and play the show with them.  We drove out to LA and played our set in a little practice studio with no one but the label sitting on the couch in front of us haha.  They offered us a contract and from there on it was about development!

Is there any story or concept behind the title Below The Noise?
Dan:  I’m gonna let Todd chime in on these next few ones:

Todd:  There’s no concept for the CD as a whole, just songs that have individual meanings.

Dead Beliefs is such a standout track. What inspired the lyrics to that particular song?
Todd:  Dead Beliefs is a song about letting go, leaving what’s dead in the past, dead with the past.

Select two other songs from Below The Noise and what inspired the lyrics.
Todd:  Scarred is a song inspired by people who don’t believe in what we do and the obstacles that try to get in the way. We’re scarred because those things will always be there, but we know we can get through it together.

Light the Way is about the fears we face in life, learning to take risks and ultimately not be afraid to take those risks.

When you look back on your recordings prior to signing with Sumerian, what do you think of them now?
Dan:  Before I was in the band, they put out a record called The Long Lost, and I actually just listened to it the other day and I think that they sound great for an unsigned local band.

What was the very best and worst part about spending your summer touring on Mayhem?
Dan:  To be honest with you, there was not many bad things about touring Mayhem.  I would say the hardest part was doing it in a van, but we grinded through and made it happen. The best part was meeting and partying with such amazing people every day. There was such a camaraderie on this tour that I’ve never seen before.

Did you get to meet or hang out with any of the headlining acts on Mayhem?
Dan:  Yeah! of course, all of those bands were all hanging it all the time.  I unfortunately, didn’t get to meet Rob Zombie, but I got to have a beer and talk with pretty much everyone else. The Five Finger and Mastodon dudes kicked ass.

Any strange or scary happenings while on the road or at a show?
Dan:  Touring in the winter is always a little frightening. We got stuck at a hotel for three days in some little ghost town in North Dakota when we were out with The Contortionist and Within The Ruins. Driving on ice isn’t fun.

What could one expect from a live City In The Sea show?
Dan:  Energy from us and the audience; don’t come to a CITY show and expect to stand still.

What’s up next for City In The Sea?
Dan:  Tons and tons of touring to support Below The Noise this year.

Any final words of wisdom?
Dan:  If i can say yolo without sounding like a squirt haha!

(Interview by Ken Morton)

City In The Sea on Facebook