Some Things are....Better Left Unsaid By Aaron Tunnell    Hailing from Modesto, Better Left Unsaid has signed to Stillborn Records, completed a full length album, and toured the West Coast, all in the last four months. Their new album, The Fight Within, came out on July 22nd and has been selling out at Hot Topics and record stores across the nation. I had the chance to talk with drummer Brent Terry about everything that’s been happening with the band lately. Crave: How did you come up with the name Better Left Unsaid and how long have you been around? Brent: When we formed the band six years ago, we all came up with a bunch of different names. The name Better Left Unsaid was brought up, and at the time, fit the overall attitude, direction, and goals of the band. Crave: How would you describe your music to someone who has never heard it before? Brent: The toughest question to answer... I would say that our music is an eclectic mix of guitar-driven, pocket-grooving, modern metal with a variety of hardcore, thrash, and European influences. We definitely do not limit each band member’s influences when writing songs. I think this keeps the writing process interesting and pushes each member to expand on what they know. Crave: You recently signed to Stillborn Records. How has being on a record label changed the way your band operates? Brent: Simply put, we work harder! We feel that this is the opportunity of a lifetime, and we want to make sure that we give 100% with everything we do. In our eyes, this is when the real work begins. Crave: So what is the significance of the name of your album, The Fight Within? Brent: The Fight Within is definitely a musical representation, point and time, of us as a band and individually. Each song has its own story, each title has its own meaning, and the lyrics definitely come from real life experiences. The title is a summary of what a band goes through to stay a band. It is not easy to quit your job, leave your family, and give up a regular life to be a musician. It is definitely a “fight within” to succeed. Crave: What was the recording process of the album like? Brent: Grueling! We entered the studio with a plan, and by the end of the first day it was out the window. We missed our initial deadlines, were way over budget, and we had a hard time deciding on the overall sound of the album. Thankfully, we had an incredible engineer, Sam York, who assisted us with production and fought with us on parts he insisted be a part or not be a part of the album. This was definitely the longest we have spent in the studio and we learned a great deal. Hopefully we can take these experiences and improve on them the next time we enter the studio. Crave: Is this the first time your music has been available in stores? Brent: Yes, and this is the most surreal part of being signed to a label. There is nothing quite like walking into a record store and seeing your name on a placeholder, and then your album on the shelf. We all have made trips to each music store, and just stared at the album on the shelf. And yes, we then laughed at ourselves as we left the building. Crave: What inspires you all to play music? Brent: Our soul. Each person in this band has been a musician their entire life. Playing music is not an option for people like us. It is something we cannot live without. This is the reason we do what we do and have never given up on our dreams. Crave: Do you still book most of your own shows, or is there someone doing that for you now? Brent: We definitely still book most of our own shows. “Good” booking agents are definitely hard to find, and when you do find them, getting them to actually work for you is even harder. Throughout the years we have built personal relationships with clubs, promoters, and bands. This definitely has helped us in the tours we have booked and the shows we have been fortunate enough to play. Crave: How have the gas prices affected the way you tour? Brent: Gas prices have negatively affected the way we tour. In the past we could hit the road, play a series of shows, and get by with a small guarantee and the merch that we sold. With the gas prices today, it is very hard to tour because clubs cannot afford to pay touring bands enough money to even cover gas. Hopefully this will change as time goes on, but we are much smarter about routing, guarantees, and drive times. Crave: What’s in the future for BLU? Brent: Whatever our hard work, dedication, and determination will bring us. We continue to write new music, tour, and play the music we love. That being said, there are definite plans for a music video, bigger and better tours, and a new album in the works. But we continue to take things day-by-day and let our hard work pave the path. Better Left Unsaid can be found online at www.myspace.com/blumusic.

Copyright © by Crave Magazine All Right Reserved.

Published on: 2008-10-10 (2994 reads)