Interview with 'A Wolf In The City'

Firstly, introduce yourselves and tell us a little bit about the band and how you came to be?

Hey, my name is Rob, I do vocals for 'A Wolf In The City'. The band came about, like, two years ago, I think? Josh (our Rhythm Guitarist) and I have been doing music together for years. We had an acoustic thing that was just the two of us, then a high school band that lasted a year or so, then we found ourselves without. Steve (our Bassist) is a long time friend of ours, so we approached him about possibly starting something and he volunteered to play Bass. Fast forward, Josh has been living in Orlando for a while, going to school, and gets a spot at a studio called KDS where he meets Jentzen (our Drummer) and Clay (our Lead Guitarist). They make fast friends and Josh brings up 'A Wolf In The City' (we already had the name) and shows them the demos we had ready to get a full band on. They dug it, but I don't think it was until the five of us got together and got out that first single that they were really in. I don't think it was, until then, that I was fully in, come to think. It was a pretty rad moment, when we were done playing a full song through for the first time, that we had fully written that day. Everybody just kind of looked around with that, "Alright. Ok," kind of expression, and Brian DiMeglio from Pineapple Record Co. was the one who tracked it all for us. He just kind of turned back to us with that same expression and nodded in approval. We just meshed really well, and everything worked. Fast forward again, and here we are now. Doin' the thing.

What were you all up too prior to the band, was this always the chosen path or did you have other dreams and aspirations?

Prior to AWITC? We were all going to school. It took so long for us to get 'Heavy' out because of school and work. I lived in Lakeland at the time, everyone else was in Orlando (on the far side, naturally), and there just wasn't a lot of time to get things done. I actually lost my first car as a victim of commuting for band purposes. RIP Bonnie. Josh was like, two or three years into an engineering degree and Steve was living with him and going to school. Clay and Jent both were going for sound engineering and living together. So, in hindsight, I think I was the problem, when it came to scheduling. As far as this always having been the goal, yeah. Definitely. Ever since Josh and I started writing together, early on in life, I knew I wanted this. Granted, everyone was really focused on more practical paths, including myself. If I had to guess though, I would say that once everyone had the idea of 'A Wolf in the City' as a real possibility in their minds, everyone tried as hard as they could to make it happen and still do.

Tell us about your latest EP and why our readers should check it out.

So, the EP is called 'Heavy' and it is six songs of raw emotion and loud noises. I wrote the lyrics for 4 out of the 6, Josh wrote "Claustrophobia," and the guys got together to jam on the interlude. When I wrote my part of 'Heavy', I was not in the best state of mind, but I was really trying to rationalize and come out of it, and that was the key. "Reprieve," specifically. That was the first one I wrote, and it really set the stage. It was literally almost me just thinking onto a piece of paper. I just needed a way to cope with a massive loss of direction in my life, and these songs are about that. Asking for help, being scared and feeling alone, watching everything crumble in front of you. Then, "No Refunds" happened. A friend of my cousin's had died and I sat outside on the back porch just thinking about everything. Life and death. God. Love. Everything I had been going through. It all came to a close. So, I guess you should listen to the album if you feel any of that. If you've ever had these thoughts. If you wanna stop feeling alone or want to feel alone harder. Go for it. Why not? What's the worst that could happen?

Have you ever come face to face with someone within the music scene who has left you awestruck and why.

Oh man, I mean, I've met a lot of people in the past year or two. I'm not sure I could pick just one person. Marshall Rones is like, the best. He books for two of the bigger venues in Orlando and always has the locals in mind. Genuinely one of the nicest guys I've ever met. He always sticks around to hang out and drink after the shows. Ian Marchionda, is another one. Amazing musician. That man can pick up anything with strings, I think, and make it look like the easiest thing in the world. It's incredible. Of course, the guys in AWITC. Every time I get to play with them, practice or show, or even just get to hang, I'm left awestruck. I've really managed to surround myself with genuine guys who love what we do. I'm honored to be a part of this band with them. B from Pineapple Record Co. is another of the nicest guys you could ever meet. None of this would be possible without him. John Chapman of Henrietta has helped us so much along the way. We will forever be in his debt. Brian Swindle from 'Have Mercy' has also been so forthcoming with help whenever we have no idea what we're doing and is a really cool dude to hang with.

If we were to head out to one of your live shows what can ourselves and others expect?

Five dudes on stage playing instruments. We're still pretty new to this, but we're definitely coming around. It's not a Pop Punk show, but as far as Emo bands go, it's pretty high energy, I think. Half of me on stage is my bad balance. I get all excited and try not to fall over or stomp out Steve's pedal board. When we played with 'Cute Is What We Aim For', I actually stomped on the microphone cord and ripped it out. That was fun. We definitely want you guys to rock out, too. The more involved the crowd is, the more fun it is for everyone, you know? Especially when we play "Stag." When everybody is into it, it's an incredible feeling for us, and we try to send that vibe right back. We tend to hang out at shows, too. You can definitely catch any one of us just walking around the venue. At the bar, at the merch table, in the crowd for the other bands. We're just dudes who do a thing.

If you had one artist/band that you could go on tour with tomorrow who would it be and why?

Oh man. Tough. 'Taking Back Sunday' has to be it. On like, a 10 year anniversary tour of 'New Again', or 15 year anniversary tour (is that even a thing?) of 'Tell All Your Friends'. Which is funny, because Steve's answer to this question would be 'Brand New'. Josh would say this upcoming 'Mayday Parade' tour for 'A Lesson In Romantics', but only because the one for 'Tales Told By Dead Friends' just passed. I actually don't know what Clay and Jent would say. I think, maybe 'The Used' and 'Dance Gavin Dance', respectively. Don't hold me to it though.

You can spend an hour with a musical icon living or dead, who would you pick, why and what would you speak about?

Riff Raff. No doubt about it. If I could just get an hour with Riff Raff, I'm not even sure what I would talk to him about, but I feel like it would be an enlightening experience. No matter what. He almost ran Josh and I over at 'Warped Tour' last year on his quad. If not Riff, then Adam Lazarra. Definitely. As the vocalist for my favorite band, and a performance veteran, the amount that I could learn in an hour would be invaluable. I feel it's worth mentioning, Ronnie Radke was a close second.

And finally and most importantly is Die Hard a Christmas Movie?

Who am I to say it is or isn't? I'm just saying that the whole, McClane saving his marriage by Christmas morning thing, seems pretty holly jolly to me.

Check out 'Stag' taken from their debut EP 'Heavy'

Website - http://www.awolfinthecity.com

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/AWolfintheCity/