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How is it that you started playing music?

Dan: When I was 12 I had the urge to go into a music shop and book a guitar lesson, I don’t why… I just did it. No one in my family is music, well no one in my family play an instrument that I am aware of.

Henrik: My mother insisted I take piano lessons.

Did: My memory doesn’t go back that far.

What are your names? / Who plays what?

Henrik – Lead vocals and rhythm guitar

Did – Lead guitar

Dan – Bass

Jack - Drums

Did you make music even when you were young?Henrik: Yes, I started playing piano around the age of 5 and whilst I never progressed above grade 3, and that took years, I was way more interested in playing my music than anything I was meant to learn. I started writing music more seriously in terms of putting parts and instruments together from the age of 13 or 14.

Where are you from?Dan: We are all from the Northamptonshire and Milton Keynes area of the UK, aside from Jack who is from Birmingham.

What year did the band form?In its present form this is who we consider to be Empyre, so from that perspective we formed this year (2016) in September. We have had the name Empyre since late 2014, but for the majority of the time in between the band was just Henrik and Did.

What's your style of genre? Did: We are firmly rooted in the rock genre but we collectively draw on a range of influences with nods to Blues, Country, instrumental music and acoustic based styles.

What inspires you?

Dan: Everything and anything but mainly other musician, especially live.

Henrik: The darker side of life and the human condition, the things that pain us but we perhaps don’t want to dwell on, talk about or even admit to.

Are you looking for a label, and what are your thoughts around that?

Dan: I think that’s the ultimate goal when it comes to getting exposure, being signed will obviously give the band a huge boost financially and socially but at the end of the day it’s about the music and playing.

Did: I think generating an interest from a professional label or management can open up certain opportunities that might otherwise be challenging if they weren't there. With social media, YouTube and all the other professional networks available online it is hard to decipher if going it on your own is a better approach to adopt. Labels can have fantastic reputations and work brilliantly for bands but the opposite can also be applied here.

Henrik: For me a label is only of interest if they align to the goals of the band and are people with a similar approach, belief and work ethic. That applies to a label, a manager, a promoter or anyone else that wants to get involved with Empyre, we’re only interested in people that believe in the band as much as we do. We’ve had some offers of support over the last year but none have been right so we’ve turned them down, but that has been solely down to them not having the right focus, connections, and experience.

What made you decide to make this music? Did: Music is the number 1 passion in my life and Empyre emerged naturally from a musical partnership of 2 guys playing in a rock covers band. We had the need to write our own songs.

What are your songs about?Henrik: So far they have ranged from depression, introspection, cars, the journey through life, verbally annihilating someone, the deception of religion, Rust from the True Detective series, the monotony of doing the same thing every day and bad relationships.

Do you start with the music or the lyrics?

Did: Either. An idea for a song can come from an interesting phrase, observation or watching a stand up comedian. Similarly a riff can inspire the lyrics and subject matter. 

Henrik: It depends when I’m writing, what I’m writing about and whether I have access to a guitar at the time.

Do you compose in a certain environment?

Dan: Personally wherever I am, the environment may change the style and how I play a song but I don’t pick a certain location when writing my parts or writing my own music

Henrik: I often have ideas before I go to sleep and then have to get out of bed to grab a guitar or record something vocally on my phone. I’ve written quite a few lyrics in the shower and on planes.

Have you had to cancel a gig?All: NOPE

Where do you plan to gig the coming year?Henrik: We have gigs that we will be announcing in Milton Keynes, Northamptonshire and Birmingham. Those are the areas we’ll be focussing on in early 2017.

Do you have any role models or idols?

Dan: John Entwistle and Ben Kenney are probably my main influences 

Did: The mirror in my house. Rust Cohle from True Detective, fictitious but influential nonetheless.

Henrik: I wouldn’t quite describe them as role models or idols but I do look up to them in terms of what they have done musically, vocal style and ability, my top three are Eddie Vedder, Myles Kennedy and George Michael.

Is it easier to find inspiration from older bands, or bands that are more active today?

Did: Commercial music is totally shit on critically today but personally I enjoy a lot of it. I will always have a space in my heart for Zeppelin, Hendrix, Elvis, Satriani, and Dave Matthews...but I also equally enjoy Taylor swift's latest material! So inspiration can come from brand new music too.

Dan: I take inspiration from either really

Henrik: I wouldn’t say either is ‘easier’ each is a different sort of inspiration, the older bands have been successful and some still are and that is inspirational, the newer bands have broken through and are building good fanbases and playing great gigs, that is also inspirational. I want to emulate both.

What have been your biggest obstacles? Did: Securing the right Bassist and Drummer. We (Henrik and I) have believed in Empyre from the start, this was then reinforced with people's feedback and interest in the band and the music we were making. Finding suitable members of the right standard, commitment and drive has been a serious obstacle. It didn't prevent us or hold us back from developing other areas of Empyre such as the acoustic side, social media following and song writing. But it certainly has prevented us from playing the gigs we want to which ultimately is where we intend to showcase what Empyre really is about.

How do you get psyched for a gig?

Dan: I don’t, I just get up there and play, I rarely even get nervous and I know people say that getting nervous is good and shows you still care, but I just enjoy doing it and I don’t think I care less because of it… then again I might change my answer if I get to play infront of 20,000 people.

Henrik: I don’t think I’ve ever had to get psyched for a gig. Jack may have his own techniques though…Jack?

Do you have any new material? Did: We’re currently in the process of finalising four new tracks, adding the Bass and Drums and then taking them into the studio to complete the 3rd EP. We will then look to writing an album's worth of new material.

What are your web sites?

Dan: The place to head for is always www.empyre.co.uk you can also find us on all the relevant social media websites.

Henrik: Come to the website and download both the EPs for free. Yep free.

How can people reach you?Dan: With their hands. If they can’t reach with those they can use their fingers to get to the website and contact us via that.

What are your plans for the future?Henrik: I have always believed that as a minimum we are good enough to get decent billing at some of the biggest and best European festivals. That is my personal goal and I intend to keep writing and practicing and performing until we do that. In the more immediate future it’s gig, gigs and a few more gigs, starting locally and moving outwards from there, building our live fanbase. Then it’s EP3, followed by more writing and more gigs. We also expect to get invited to do a few gigs in Pyongyang.

Do you have something to add?

Dan: 1+3 = 4

Henrik: I have a calculator. It can subtract as well.

Did: Where is Jack?