Local Spotlight: Falling Through the Center of the Earth

Band Name: Falling Through the Center of the Earth
Band Members: Dan Boyle, Ari Gazetas, Dank Bill, Pat Fitzmaurice, Matt Kohanowski
Hometown: West Milford,NJ
Formed: 2014
Genre: Metal

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How did FTTCOTE form?

The name "Falling Through The Center Of The Earth" was a concept that we had thought of while we were playing in our former band "Sirens". We've always played around with the idea of turning the name into a side-project to cater to our desire to play something with a bit more of a death-metal influence. Once Sirens started slowing down and we all started to lose the drive to continue playing that sound, we began to write what would become FTTCOTE. Instead of completely changing the sound of Sirens, we decided that we would start over again and create a new band that would be more fitting to the sound that we were trying to create.

Who are some of your influences?

One thing that I really admire about our members is that we all come from different musical backgrounds. While Bill may be influenced by Reggae, Pat is influenced by Thrash Metal. All of us seem to share the notion that being closed minded when it comes to music can only limit your horizons. That's how a genre becomes stale. If a band only abides by the guidelines set by the "in" bands at the time, they will just become a clone of something that has already been done before.

 
What sets you apart from other bands in the genre?

I think that our influences shine through our music without becoming a carbon copy of them. We are not bound by what we are trying to be. Regardless of what a band tries to sound like, they are always going to leave a personalized mark in their music. This is our idea of metal and I think that our idea is a little different than what metal has currently become.

The band's debut single "Interchange I" was release last week.  How has the response been so far?

The response has been excellent. The lyric video has surpassed all expectations already. The beauty of the genre that we play in is that metal heads are some of the realest people out there. If something sucks, they will tell you that it sucks...and most of the time, they will tell you why it sucks. The response has been overwhelmingly positive and any time that you find negative comments to be scarce in the metal community, you know that you've done something right. [Listen below].

What has the writing and recording process for the album been like?

We write a few times a week. The best part about this band is that we are all close friends who live extremely close to each other. So even if we don't plan on writing, when we are together, we usually end up writing. It's not a chore like it has been for us in past bands, it's more of a hobby that we do together. Some groups of friends play video games together or go golfing...we write metal music. We have been working on our debut album for a few months now and have been really taking our time to perfect everything. With past bands, we would book studio time and then rush to complete an album...now, we are taking our time and making sure things come out exactly how we want them. Once something is recorded, it is final...and you never want to have regrets about music that you are going to release to the public. Although, our producer/engineer has helped greatly to relieve any traces of regret that we thought that we would have. We are working with our long-time friend Kevin Kumetz at The Barbershop Studios in Lake Hopatcong,NJ. This dude has such an ear for music and a talent for knowing what fits and what doesn't...he helps us so much when we are unsure of something. Having somebody like Kevin around is definitely an advantage.

How do you think living in NJ and being exposed to the NJ music scene affected your music?

New Jersey is the best place to grow up for an aspiring musician. I grew up going to metal and hardcore shows all over NJ and I can truly say that the metal community is just that...a community. Especially when it comes to fellow bands. With our past bands we have been so lucky to make friends with some amazing musicians and overall amazing people. 

Any upcoming shows/tours in the works?

Right now, we are 100% concentrated on writing and recording. We are currently working on finishing up an EP for this fall and then we are planning to support the release by touring in the winter/spring.

 
Anything else you want to say/comment/messages to fans?

Thanks for all of the support so far and stay tuned to see what comes next!


Huge thanks to Falling Through the Center of the Earth for talking with Keep Calm and Carry On! Be sure to follow the band on social media for updates and check out their bandcamp to buy their debut single "Interchange I"
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