interview with Until Rain

What is the name of your band? Until Rain

What does the name "Until Rain" stand for and what made you decide on it? Nothing! We just liked the sound of it and the images it might project in your mind. Also, we were looking for a name that wasn’t taken at the time and we succeeded in that!

How was the band formed and what made you form the band? 3 students who wanted to jam on their favorite tunes got together and that was the start of our band!

Can you briefly introduce your band and who you are? We have Yannis Papadopoulos on vocals, Theodore Amaxopoulos on guitars, Lefteris Germenlis on keyboards, Bill Gkagkavouzis on the bass and Alex Hughes on drums!

Where are all band members from? From Greece.

What were the ambitions of the band when you started? Same as today. Compose & perform our own songs!

Could you explain your music to someone that haven' t heard you? Not really. It’s a mixture of Prog Metal and many other elements but it’s quite vague!

Where was your first gig? Thessaloniki, Greece

Where was the latest gig? Thessaloniki, Greece

Who writes your songs?/Who writes the music who writes lyrics? Lefteris Germenlis & Theodore Amaxopoulos write the music & the lyrics.

Who has the best sense of humor in the band? It depends! We are all funny this way!

What's good/bad with the band?/What genre do you feel you are? We’re lets say in the prog genre!

Why did you pick that particular style?/What are your songs about? We liked that it’s challenging and has a sense of freedom while composing. That’s why we took this direction in our music. Our songs deal with many themes but they’re mainly anthropocentric. Our last album was about the connection between Nature and humanity.

Do you write your own material or mainly covers? We compose and perform only our own material.

Have you made any albums?/If yes what are they? We have 3 releases so far: The Reign of Dreams (2009), Pandemic EP (2011), Anthem to Creation (2013).

Do you have any clips on YouTube? Yes, many are official (uploaded by the band) and many videos uploaded by fans.

How old are you? What got you started in music? Our ages span from 21 to 27. Most of us have been doing it since we were young.

At what age did you start playing? Some us at an early age but some after 15 years old.

How old were you guys when you first stood on stage? As a band we were students (16 years old)

What year was the band started? 2004

How old were you the first time you saw a liveband play? We saw live bands perform since we were kids.

Best/worst gig you've played? Best gig was one of our last ones (supporting Psychotic Waltz in Thessaloniki). Worst gig?? I can’t recall the worst (because it was the worst)!

What places will you be playing in in the immediate future? All sort of places around Europe (Paris, Barcelon, London, Essen, Uden, Prague, Austria & more)

Where have you played from then till now? We’ve performed all throughout Greece but this is our first Tour outside of our country.

What songs are in your live sets? Usually songs from our last release ( in this case mainly songs from “Anthem to Creation”

Is it always the same set live? We try to change things so people that have seen us before get the opportunity to see more of our songs live.

What has been the best/most promising gig so far? The whole tour actually that we have ahead of as seems promising!

Have you had any bigger tours from start till now? No, this is our first big tour.

How big crowds do you usually play for? Usually in small venues but we’ve performed in festivals in front of huge crowds as well.

What are the plans for the rest of the year? Only the European Tour for now but we have many goodies prepared for 2014.

How do you get psyched up for a gig? Others drink a beer, others relax backstage etc.

What are your goals with your music? We just wanna show people what we do and perform in as many cities of the world as possible.

When did you decide to go all in for the music? When we actually released our last release.

Is it easier to get your inspiration from older bands or from bands more modern? Both. You can always find remarkable acts if you are open-minded.

What are your sources of inspiration? Many things but mainly music & arts in general and also our loved ones.

What's the first step when making a new song? It’s always different.

How do you feel about the downloading of music instead of buying albums? In many ways it helps artists get the promotion they need but in the same time it destroys the music industry.

Besides your own music, what genres and bands do you listen to? We like to think that we’re open-minded so we have very diverse influences from many different styles!

What would be your greatest fears for the future? Failure maybe or an apocalypse with zombies??

Have you been part of any other projects? Most of the members took part in other projects and acts throughout the years.

What do you work with outside of the band and the music? Our drummer is also a software engineer but the rest are full-time musicians.

How important are your fans? Our fans are the most vital part of what we do and their support is priceless.

What's the funniest/most memorable thing a fan has done for you? Before a couple of years a fan made a couple of t-shirts with our logo and shared them with other fans and they all came to our show wearing them. It was a surprise back then because we didn’t have any official merchandise available.

How often do you rehearse? We usually rehearse a lot before a series of shows but we try to rehearse as much as we can.

Where do you rehearse? It depends if we are back in Greece or in London.

Name 2 of your own songs you like at the moment? Anthem to Creation & My Own Blood.

What drives a band that isn't all that famous and renowned to try to make a living on their music and to keep playing? Passion and love for the music.

Do you have any webpages? Our official website is www.untilrain.com

Any pearls of wisdom for all other bands out there? Not really cause we’re new to the music industry.

Describe your show, visually and musically

That’s a secret that you’ll have to discover on your own coming to a concert of ours!!

How do you view the music industry of today? It’s corrupted some times and very vicious towards new acts in general but if you believe in your material, work hard and have a little luck you can succeed.

What advice would you like to give other bands? Stay true to your beliefs no matter what comes in your way.

What are the biggest obstacles for a band? Usually money but also the relationship between the members can sometimes be tricky.

Tell us about upcoming gigs and why we should be at them? By being there you support us and you will witness our new songs in a live situation

How would you describe your sound in one sentence Heavy & melodic at the same time.

What was one of the most quarrelsome times for you in the band? Maybe a couple of years ago when some members departed from the band.

Whats your Pre-show ritual? Nothing in particural.

Would you like to add anything else? Thanx for the support and for interviewing us!

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