www.facebook.com/borninviolence
From: Springfield, MO
Sounds like: Melodic Metal
1. How did you get started with music and how did you develop your sound? Who thought of the name “B.I.V” and is there any meaning behind it?
B.I.V was initially started as a side project for Chris Stika and a few former members. Baden Page played in this side project that eventually took fold as both Chris and Baden’s main focus musically. After a small hiatus and lineup change, the band currently stands as lead vocalist Baden, rhythm guitarist Chris, lead guitarist Justin Flood, bassist Lex Weiss, keyboardist Sarah Cornell, and drummer Daniel Mottl. The band’s sound is heavily inspired by Chimaira. Chris started this project wanting to emulate their heavy rhythmic sound with a degree of commerciality and industrial influence. The band was initially named Bred in Violence, but after discovering that the name was already copyrighted it was changed to Born in Violence and chosen to abbreviate it for ease—taking a page out of AFI’s book—B.I.V. The name is simply an homage to Whitechapel’s Breeding Violence and Chimaira’s Wrapped in Violence.
2. What do you want people to take away from your "She" single?
Our good friend and director of our music video Cherokee Turner was given his pick of which song he felt was best for a single release, a commercial video, and overall audience enjoyment. He personally preferred She out of the three songs available on our self titled EP. We supported his opinion because as a band we agreed it was one of our strongest songs that had a core meaning that we and our fans would enjoy. The song is about a person who has been wronged and seeks revenge in its most simplistic description. It of course allows for further interpretation whether this is an internal, external, political, or social situation.
3. How would you describe your sound to the average listener?
Heavy, driving, full, melodic music that fills every void with industrial, metalcore, and nu metal sounds. While many of our inspirations are 80s-early 2000s artists, we have taken these influences to create a modern metal sound. We’re not going to be the next Chimaira, the next Korn, or the next Nine Inch Nails but we can take those influences and be B.I.V
4. Who are three bands you’d like to tour with?
We would love to tour with Motionless in White because they are the closest thing to our sound that has transcended into mainstream and we feel we would be a complimentary artist for them. All of us agree Rob Zombie because he is one of the still touring greats with a gimmick, he has influenced us all, and his live shows are the best mosh pit meets dance party you will ever be a part of. And Missouri famed The Browning, we love how they really mastered combining electronica (EDM/Dubstep) and metal together and find we’re doing akin things but heavier and more industrial.
5. What are your three desert island albums that you'd never get tired of listening to?
Baden: Avenged Sevenfold - "Waking the Fallen", Slipknot - "Vol 3: Subliminal Verses", and Paramore - "Riot!"
Chris: Nine Inch Nails - "Pretty Hate Machine", The Lost Highway Soundtrack, and Chimaira - "Resurrection".
Justin: The Smashing Pumpkins - "Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness", Pearl Jam - "Rearview Mirror" and Pantera - "Cowboys from Hell".
Lex: Tragic Black - "Decadent Requiem", The 69 Eyes - "Devils", and Deathstars - "Synthetic Generation".
Sarah: Halestorm "Into the Wildlife", Stevie Nicks - "In Your Dreams", and The Dead Deads - "For Your Obliteration".
Daniel: Atreyu - "The Curse", Between the Buried and Me - "Alaska", and Lamb of God - "Ashes of the Wake".
6. What’s your take on the current state of Metal?
Metal, particularly nu metal and industrial based, are on their third wave. You hear it more often coming out in newer artists and with what is charting. People our age and younger grew up on those genres so it stands to reason it is the style we would all be inspired to play and seek out when listening to new music. You have within the past two years alone new Korn, Deftones, Marilyn Manson, Nine Inch Nails, and Powerman 5000 albums out. They’re all charting and doing well, much better than their albums post Bush era were, which shows how much this genre has returned. An interesting thing to note is that is has been many years since metal has had a forefront that everyone knows. While there have been some amazing artists that have come out, there has not been those heavy hitters that we had growing up. You could not go anywhere without somebody knowing the entirety of Duality or Vermillion Part 2 whether or not they even liked Slipknot. It’s hard to name a modern artist like that which perhaps is due to the changing culture of how we receive music. While music used to be a group activity of going to a concert or gathering around a radio it has changed and been reduced so far down that we all have our personal playlists that we stream and listen through earbuds, maybe share the playlist with a friend or two but don’t actively sit and listen like how we used to. You don’t go as a group of friends and line up outside a Tower Records waiting to buy that new album and pop it in your car as you head back home with everyone. It’s become a very individual activity of “oh hey my phone just notified me Heaven Upside Down just came out!”.
7. What’s the current music scene like there in Missouri both locally and state wide?
It’s great! It has really grown due to some amazing venue owners and fantastic promoters like Seth Kean. There is so much diversity in the Springfield, MO community from rap to rock there is something everyone can seek out and enjoy. It is becoming a major second stop city in Missouri while before you only had St. Louis as the go to music city of Missouri. Going to a show in Missouri is a whole different experience too. The people here appreciate music so deeply, they don’t always get each major tour or artist coming through, so they care and love and support everyone who comes out. It’s a very welcoming community in the state and something to enjoy about being an artist here.
8. What’s your take on legal/illegal music downloading?
At this point with technology music is going to get out one way or another, you can either accept it as an artist or try to fight it. We personally would rather somebody hear our music and then purchase a ticket to our show and spread the word than not hear us at all. After all, money is made through hard work, tours, good merch, and really connecting to your fan base at these shows and through social media. The music industry changed and its going to continue changing, so you can either adapt or disappear into the old dusty internet archives with Napster and LimeWire.
9. What’s next for B.I.V?
We’re working on our first full length album, booking gigs throughout the rest of 2017 and into 2018. We just signed a partnership with From the Depths Entertainment and Dirtbag Clothing. Daniel recently has been endorsed by Saluda Cymbals and Chris by Sinister Guitar Picks. Other than that we cannot discuss all future endeavors legally, but are excited to build our name and share our music with everyone.
10. Any shoutouts?
Of course we have to give our friends, fans, and families a shoutout, big thanks to the wives for supporting our music Holly, Erica, Danielle, and Shauna, and the people who have been there supporting us through all that we do Seth Kean, Cherokee Turner, Brian Jones, Spencer Soderblom, On My Six, Code Name: Phoenix, Paralandra, Seirenes, and As Shadows Collapse. And thank you to From the Depths Entertainment, Dirtbag Clothing, Saluda Cymbals and Sinister Guitar Picks for endorsing B.I.V.
