New York’s Backtrack are back in Australia at the moment armed with their brand new album ‘Lost In Life‘ which was recently released on Bridge Nine Records. They have already nailed shows in Brisbane, Newcastle and Sydney, and this week continue with shows in Wollongong, Adelaide, Melbourne and Perth. They are joined on tour by Iron Mind who just released their self-titled album on Resist Records. The Others are also on the tour plugging their 2013 debut album ‘Red Eyes‘. This week in The Hotseat we chat with Ricky from Backtrack. Expand this post for his answers and a re-cap of all those remaining tour dates.
THE BASICS
Name : Ricky Singh
Band : Backtrack
Job In Band : Guitarist
Website Address : Backtracknyhc.com
HOME
Hometown : Hicksville, NY
Hometown is best known for : Billy Joel
Best venue in your hometown : Best venue on Long Island right now for a smaller show would be the Sayville Republican Club. For a bigger show maybe 89 North. Venues come and go all the time on LI but we have a few solid places which is great.
Favourite show you’ve seen in your hometown : Probably Kill Your Idols “last show” before their recent last show. It was supposed to be at another venue that was shutdown mid-show and they ended up playing in the back parking lot of our old practice space and it was insane. The vibe, timing, place, everything about it gives me chills when I think about it. It was a special experience, I don’t know if another show will impact me like that one did.
Favourite show you’ve played in your hometown : I think the Darker Half Record Release on Long Island. The show was crazy and we played with a lot of sick bands. There’s some cool videos of it on Youtube.
THE BAND
How did the band first come to exist? 2 groups of friends came together to start a hardcore band. That’s pretty much the short version.
How long has the band been going? Almost 6 years now. I think on the day I’m writing this (January 1st 2014) 6 years ago me and our drummer John started writing the demo in his bedroom.
Any particular story behind the name? It’s a song by the band Killing Time… a band we all love and are influenced by.
What’s your most recent release? Tell us a little about it… ‘Lost In Life’ is our newest release. It comes out in 2 weeks on Bridge Nine Records. It’s a 12-Song LP of NYHC. We spent a lot of time and work on writing/recording the record and it’s my favorite release we’ve put out so far. It’s better sounding and better written then our previous stuff. We definitely learned a lot from writing our first LP ‘Darker Half’ so we knew what we were getting into writing the new record, and the amount of hard work we put in it is pretty clear in my eyes.
Got a personal stand out achievement of your band to date? Everything we’ve done so far is a personal achievement to me. None of us expected to do as much as we have so far. We just wanted to start a hardcore band and tour.
OFF THE STAGE
What was your first introduction to music that made you think seriously about playing it? I had a best friend that lived around the block from me who was into a bunch of alternative type shit when I was in Elementary School. He had a guitar and it made me want one so when I was around 8 or 9 my parents got me a Lotus guitar for my birthday.
Any particular band / album or song that you personally credit as a major influence? I think the record these helped introduce me to a lot of punk and hardcore was Punk-O-Rama 4: Straight Outta The Pit. It came out on Epitaph and was a 25 song compilation. Pennywise, H2O, Rancid, Agnostic Front, Bouncing Souls, Millencolin, + a lot more. I recently found a huge poster of the cover at a record store in Nebraska. I need to get that shit framed.
Your first band name, and what style did you play? This is a great question. When I was 11 me and some friends started a band called “The Pre-Skoolerz” spelt exactly like that. We were getting into punk and it was a punk band.
Most prized music related item you own? Shit I don’t know that’s a hard question. Maybe my Gibson SG… it was a High School Graduation Gift from my parents and aunt. It’s been around the world with me and the headstocks cracked 3 times. I’ve recorded all the Backtrack Stuff with it.
When you’re not doing band related stuff, what are you usually found doing? Hanging and partying with some friends, going to the movies and dinner with my girlfriend, normal shit. I help run Flatspot Records and I do a zine called Moment Of Truth that takes up a good amount of time also.
The thing you most look forward to just before a tour is… Getting to play shows every night and if the tour is with a friends band i’m excited to see them and hang out.
The thing you least look forward to before a tour is… Packing, that shit sucks.
ON THE STAGE
When on offer, what’s your one must have item on the rider? Sounds kind of retarded but i’ll go insane without chicken for a few days, so chicken in some form.
Favourite place you’ve toured… and why? I loved touring Australia the last time we were there. Beautiful country, great weather… awesome shows.
Most memorable show you’ve played? and why? Probably the Darker Half Record Release that I wrote about in one of the earlier questions. Also doing a short set at Groezrock 2013 was pretty crazy.
Got a favourite song to play live? Too Close is a fun song to play live. A lot of energy and cool music + lyrics.
Any embarrassing on stage moments come to mind? I fell offstage once at one of our earlier shows in 2008. Our old Guitarist Chris still gives me shit for it all the time.
Any pre-show rituals? No not really, I just try to think about the set a little bit and hope my equipment doesn’t mess up.
What do you find is the hardest aspect of touring in a band today? I think compared to years ago when bands were touring without the internet, bands now have it very easy. The price of gas is always going up so that’s one thing that kind of sucks.
RIGHT NOW
Last song you listened to? I’m listening to this band Real Estate – Out Of Tune 7” right now.
Last album you acquired? The new No Warning 7”. It’s awesome, I suggest picking it up for anyone who hasn’t.
Which band or album is currently on high rotation? The new Friend or Foe 7”, King Nine LP, Iron Mind LP
Tell us an up and coming band or artist you think we should go and listen to right now? Cross Me from Milwaukee, WI. They are going to put our a sick 7” this year.
What’s on the cards for the next few months for the band? Touring pretty much non-stop off the new LP ‘Lost In Life’.
IF ONLY…
You can pick any one album for your band to cover in full, what would it be and why? One Voice by Agnostic Front, everything about that record is so cool to me.
You can pick any one band / artist to cover one of your albums in full, what would it be, and why? I don’t know, I think that’s kind of weird. I’m not going to answer that… I want to cover the King Nine Intro at every show we play though.
One band you wish you were able to see live but never had the chance? Pantera. RIP Dimebag.
One venue you have yet to play that you would love to? Not sure about this one either… Sea World
The chance comes up to fill in for a member of a band for one tour, which band would it be, and why? Madball, they are my favorite hardcore band and a huge musical influence for me.
A headline tour overseas comes up, tell us two bands you’d take along to support your band. Take Offense and Xibalba. 2 of my favorite bands to hang out and tour with without a doubt.
PLUG TIME
Got any final words? Pick up ‘Lost In Life’ on Bridge Nine Records. Come out to the shows we’re playing in Australia. Shoutout to Broken Hive Records. Pickup the new Iron Mind LP on Flatspot Records and Resist Records. Outsiders Code rules. DPN Forever.
——————————
BACKTRACK – ‘Lost In Life‘
Available now on Bridge Nine Records.
Order via iTunes [Here].
——————————
BACKTRACK
With Guests IRON MIND (except WA) and THE OTHERS
JANUARY
28th – RAD, Wollongong [AA] w/ Mood Swing, Sundial
29th – Crown and Anchor, Adelaide [18+] w/ The Weight, Crisis Alert
30th – The Reverence Hotel, Footscray [18+] w/ Reincarnation, Frozen Over, Impact Zone
31st – Wrangler Studios, Melbourne [18+] w/ Free World, Born Free
FEBRUARY
1st – Rosemount Hotel, Perth [18+] w/ Truthseeker, Idle Eyes, Losing Grip
2nd – YMCA HQ, Leederville [AA] w/ Miles Away, Mindless, Apollo Zen
—> Tickets available now.
—> For more information, visit [Here].
——————————
——————————
Punknews.org