SHADOWS FALL Singer Wants To Retain Control Of Band's Career

October 7, 2004

SHADOWS FALL singer Brian Fair recently spoke to the FourteenG.net about the impressive commercial success of the group's latest release, "The War Within", and the band's current standing in the metal scene, among other topics. Several excerpts from the interview follow:

FourteenG.net: How do you feel about [being named "Best Underground Metal Band" in Metal Hammer magazine]? Do you want to stay underground? And if so, do you think you will be able to maintain that status with the early success of the latest release?

Brian Fair: "I don't know, we'll see! That's the whole thing, it's kinda hard to describe what is the 'underground' anymore. You've got bands that I consider to be non-mainstream bands selling over 100,000 records so it's kinda weird! [Chuckles accompanied by bewildered expression] And you have bands on major labels that are still definitely not commercial bands whether it's HATEBREED or LAMB OF GOD or even bands like POISON THE WELL or THURSDAY. So I think all of the rules have changed I think 'underground' is much more of an approach or an attitude. We keep it that way, we are still really DIY as far as our career, and we are involved with every part of it. We stay involved mostly because we don't want to release control to anybody because we've been used to doing everything ourselves for years whether it be booking our own tours or financing our first records; we put out our first record. We did all that stuff on our own. I think that's more of what keeps a band with the underground mentality. 'Cos right now, I'd love to sell a million records, don't get me wrong! [laughs] But I don’t think we’d ever do it at the cost of losing [control]."

FourteenG.net: What's the ratio of your fans: more male than females?

Brian Fair: "I'd say we have more male fans in general because metal seems to be testosteroned based BUT it has been changing a lot lately. It's been becoming much more of a mixed crowd in which I love!! We get some serious mosh action but I don't really like the violence at shows. I want people going crazy and jumping on each other's heads. But I don't like the fights and the boys' club mentality that can happen at a lot of shows; so it's nice to see girls singing along in the pit and stage diving. Hopefully we will get more and more and honestly as the band gets more popular, girls show up! And that's cool…"

Read Brian Fair's entire interview with FourteenG.net at this location.

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