The band Sinsanity is currently writing new music while out performing at East Coast clubs, supporting their recent EP, The Machine. The group consists of Tia Bocker, Vocals; Brian Jimenez, Lead Guitar; Jeremy Burns, Drums; Will Woytowicz, Rhythm Guitar; and David Bialas, Bass. Popdose caught up with Tia to discuss what the present day for Sinsanity is like.
The band Sinsanity has a recent EP out called The Machine. The band is also currently in stages of writing new music. Do you see this as being an album, another EP, or is it too early to tell?
We like the idea of EPs, but you never can tell with us. We zig and zag. We certainly have enough for a full length, but I think EPs are better at holding today’s ADD audience.
What is the writing process for the band like? A lot of times, with digital communication, there is little interaction between band members during the writing process…
Brian (Jimenez) generally writes the riffs. He’s constantly coming up with them, even in the middle of practice. I want to follow him around with my phone to record everything! I write lyrics all the time; but I will cut and paste from one or two for a song depending on what comes to mind when I hear the music. Other times I’m writing the lyrics on the fly to new material at practice. On some of the earlier songs, I’d blend my lyrics with input from another band mate or two, but in the past year it’s been just me. Brian and I will hash out music and melody and then bring it to the band so everyone can put their feel and thought into it.
It’s impossible to completely and accurately describe the sound of a type of music in words, but could you give a ballpark idea of what Sinsanity sounds like?
I’m so not the one to come up with the flashy phrases! But a fellow musician, listening to us for the first time was surprised and impressed at how we mix the heavy riffs and melodies…I don’t come up with typical melodies that should go over heavy riffs it seems. I think it’s because I’m into singing different styles of music. For example, I warm up to Jeff Buckley, Christina Aguilera, Etta James. We write how we feel and we don’t have one style we do, but I’m sure being on the outside listening in, we do possess our own sound so that when you hear it, you know it’s Sinsanity.
We have discussed in the past that you started with a pop singer background and did pretty well with that release, relatively. Beyond that, nothing more needs to be said other than since then, you have been involved strictly with the rock band/hard rock sound, not just with Sinsanity but with your previous band Bluescream. During these times, rock as a genre in general has seen rise and fall in general popularity. The commitment clearly shows you have a love for it. What about rock does it for you?
I grew up hearing Led Zeppelin, Elton John, the Beatles and Doors; some Janis Joplin, too. My uncle was into Al DiMeola, Eric Johnson, Joe Satriani; music like that. It seeped into me and never left. I’ve been involved in pop, dance, trance and hip hop one-off projects, but I always go back to rock. And when I sing, I like to bring little elements of the other genres into my rock music.
Sinsanity is an independent band, so just about every aspect of the group — not just the creation and production of the material, but the business of running a band — is run in-house. Are there obvious benefits and benefits that people might not have considered?
When you run it yourself you can have more control over how you present your art. You can also get away with more of a raw and real feel. We write what we want and don’t have to fit into a marketing formula. You also know where the money is spent. I think it brings band members even closer together because there’s the sense of it being completely ours. We did this thing. I think when it’s your own thing, you have less of a chance of losing site of the art and emotion of it.
Are there unique challenges posed to any performer in the post-2000s that previous eras have not needed to deal with?
The industry is flooded with too much music, too much internet, everyone wants and thinks they can be a rock star so it’s hard to get attention on the talent. Too many reality shows, people becoming famous for eating cheese in their living room… You watch these shows like American Idol and people hang their drama out for all to see to give them an edge and their talent is incidental, but people fall in love with them because they’ve had their hearts manipulated. Not to say I don’t have compassion for someone who is struggling against personal issues, but to think they may be using their story to win a contest…discredits the art. Let me hear the contestant sing first, then I’ll listen to their story. The other thing about today is the constant social media and having to be camera-ready at all times…makes it harder to focus the PR on images and videos that you want people to see. That makes it harder to create a persona.
Where can people buy The Machine and keep in touch with the band for the new material?
You can stay connected with Sinsanity at: Facebook, Reverbnation, Twitter, and our website. And you can buy our music through Amazon and iTunes. Come to a show and visit the Merch table! You can buy a cd, t shirt and have some yummy homemade baked goods ;-)
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