Robex Lundgren virkblogg.

Have any of you played in other bands? Yes, we all have. genres ranging from rock, punk, to other metal bands.

How is it that you started playing music? Poorly at first. Guitarist and drummer started jamming. Picked up our bassist. Found our vocalist. Then soon after found our second guitarist and have gone from there.

What are your names?/ Who playes what?/ How old are you?

Justin Shadows - Vocals - 37 years

Ben Bushido - Guitar - 28 years

Steven McGillivray - Bass - 27

Josiah Dyck - Guitar - 26

Sean Higgins - Drums - 24

Have you had any other previous members? We had a previous guitarist who didn't work out. This was before the band officailly formed

Did you make music even when you were young? Yes. We all started in our teenage years and formed our sound and style from there.

What year did the band form? 2010

What is your style of genre? Grove metal, with a melodic twist. It's honestly hard to say with the numerous different genres currently in the metal scene.

What inspires you? Watching other bands who have become successfull, and being able to expess ourselves by drawing on our own likes and emotions.

How often and where do you rehearse? Two of us live together and the jam space is in the house. We rehearse right before shows, and when new material is fresh in our minds.  

How have you developed since you started with the music? Growing in complexity, and we are becoming more framilar with each others style. Writing new music seems to become easier and flows in a smoother fashion.

Do you have other interests of work outside the band? Justin Shadows runs a production company, (Shadows Productions), and runs a record store in our home town. The rest of us work our own jobs to get through the day to day life.

Are you looking for a booking agency, and what are your thoughts around that? We run our shows thought Shadows Productions. It's bassically how he started doing that line of work.

Are you looking for a lable, and what are your thoughts on that? A distribution deal would be excellent. Being signed to a label allows you to reach more people, and helps the band create a supporting network of potentian  fans.

What made you decide to make music? Music is a truly unique outlet. It wasn't a conscience decision. Music has been an important part of all our lives. It has opened a world of opportunities for each of us. We've been exposed to people and places we would have never seen otherwise. It's an extremely powerful creative release. 

What are your songs about? The darker side of existance. 

Who does the composing and writes the lyrics? Musicians compose the music. Justins writes the lyrics. 

Do you start with the music or the lyrics? Stringed instruments first. Drums second. The skeleton of the song is recorded and lyrics are writen last.

Do you compose in a certain environment? There isn't a set environment or controlled space for writing. We present cool ideas and build from there. 

Have you done any covers live?

Vigil  Lamb of  God

Bite The Pain - Death

Romance is Dead - Parkway Drive

Elder Misanthropy - Black Dahlia Murder

What are the least and the most people to attend one of your gigs? Eight paid through the door to almost 300.

What ages are most of your concert attendants? Most shows range from 18 - 30, although we have played numerous underage shows. 

Do you always play the same songs live, or do you vary? We've built a repetoire of songs that allows us to wing it everytime.

Do you have a regular place you play live often? The Vat. A local bar that has a history for supporting live music.

What was your first gig like? Our first full band show was our EP release at The Vat. Josiah just joined and recored our first set of songs with a fractured wrist. We played with Wesy Of Hell and Unleached The Archers from western Canada.  

What was your latest gig? We played a sold out show in Calgery, Alberta. Promoted by Calgary Beer Core. 

Have you had to cancel a gig? Due to Canadian winter. We've cancelled one so far. Which surprises us. We've always tried our best to be where we've promised to be and will always do our best to be there.

Where have you played live this year? Central Alberta so far. Edmonton, Red Deer, Calgary. Although, later this year we are attending our fifth year at Loud As Hell in Drumheller, Alberta. Which has seen many amazing Western Canadian bands and a wealth of talent which we are thankful to take part in.

Where do you plan to gig the coming year? Hopefully Armstrong Metalfest, and Loud As Hell 2018. As well as Days of the Dead, which is a creation of our own Justin Shadows.

When did you start to sell merchandise, and what do you have for sale? Our first EP release we sold t-shirts with the album design. We've had three designs since then. We've done stickers, buttons, and cd's. We are currently at the end of our album cycle and looking to restock for our next album.

Where can you buy merchandise? At the moment, you can download our albums for free from Bandcamp (leavetheliving.bandcamp.com)

What do you think about people downloading music instead of buying records now a days? In the digital age age we live in, it is awesome for exposure. We do hope that those who become fans will come to see us in person. We love meeting new fans.

How do you think the music industry has changed because of this? It's a lot harder for bands to get label support. Labels can't invest money and time into every upcoming band that rears its ugly head. As musicans and bands, we have to work to create a sufficiant fan base and make a name of ourselves. 

Do you have any role models or idols? Muthafuckin Prince yo.

Why do you think they exist? Unfortunatley he doesn't anymore. RIP Prince.

Is it easier to find inspiration from older bands, or bands that are more active today? We try to take inspriation from all time periods of music. Man has created music from our beginning. It's hard to discount any form of music based on when it was created.  

What have been your biggest obstacles? Liquor and whores.  

What advise would you give other bands or artists? Practise setup and teardown. Promoters will love you. Play with your heart and soul like it's your last show. Drink after your set, trust us. You will get into arguments and disagreements with your bandmates. Move past it. Do it. 

How do you get psyched for a gig? You will always get that nervous butterflies in your stomach feeling. Once you hit that first note, it all falls into place, then you give it everything. 

Do you have any new material? We have four new songs and a revival from LTL's past. A couple in the works as well. We are excited to debut them on the stage for our fans.

What are your websites? www.leavetheliving.bandcamp.com www.facebook.com/leavetheliving

How can people reach you? Reach us on facebook or email us at [email protected]

Do you have something to add? Thanks for the opportunity to answer your questions. This is the link to our