It’s common to see MTV superstar musicians living the dream life. Fancy cars, big homes, lots of bling, are what most people picture when they see famous people in the pop music industry. These things may be great and surely everyone would love to have a piece of what those superstars have, but for the metalcore band Unearth the bright fancy life of the pop music industry is far from their dreams. Unearth have been around since 1998 and hail from Massachusetts. They have been playing in the underground seen for years and have done everything from touring on Ozzfest to now playing along side Slipknot. Though they may seem successful there are no fancy cars, no mansions and no bling in their lives. Unearth’s front man Trevor Phipps took the time to talk about what life is like for an underground hardcore band.
The Temple News: Who would you say has had the biggest influence on your music?
Trevor Phipps: Pantera and Testament. I also grew up with bands like Earth Crisis and Sick of it All. It influenced my music a lot and also my father was into classic rock and that was what really got me into music in the first place.
TTN: Can you describe the style of music you guys create?
TP: I would say it is hardcore influences or metal I guess, or whatever you want to call it.
TTN: You guys have a new record coming out on Nov. 15 and it is a compilation album called Our Days of Eulogy. What should fans expect from this record?
TP: We want to consolidate our releases. We have our first EP Above the Fall of Man which came out in 1999 and our Endless EP came out in 2002. We just want them all on one CD. We don’t want kids paying $10 for four songs, we’d rather them spend $10 for 13 or 14 songs.
TTN: Your live performances have been highly talked about. What is it about your live show that makes you guys stand out from a lot of other bands?
TP: I think that we feel it more. I think some bands are really great live bands and people are just really into that. We just love music and we just go off. If you don’t love music than what’s the point?
TTN: What goes in to the process of making and Unearth album?
TP: We just start with a guitar riff or two. Then we build around that with some beats and new ideas for vocals. We actually come up with 10 songs each and then we piece together the best parts and then create a 10-song record.
TTN: What do you think of Philadelphia fans?
TP: Love Philly. We have been playing here since 1999 and we love it here. We have played here [Electric Factory] a couple of times, the Theater of Living Arts and the Trocadero. We have played the Troc more than any other place.
TTN: Which place do you like the best?
TP: The TLA and Electric Factory are my favorites. The Troc is great but the stage is just so high. I personally like to get down into the crowd and sing and crowd surf with the kids and you can’t really do that there because the stage is so high.
TTN: When fans listen to your music what do you want them to get out of it?
TP: Whatever they want to get out of it. It’s all about having a good time with us. If they want to pay attention to the lyrical content they can, but I’m not going preach my beliefs and opinions. I’m going to sing about what I want to sing about, but I just want the kids to have a good time.
TTN: Where do you look to be in a few years down the road? What are your goals?
TP: Our goal is to keep on doing this. We are fortunate enough where we can actually call this a job. We are not going to get rich off it because you can’t really get rich off of metal and hardcore unless you write a couple of pop songs. It is definitely our job now and we tour eight to nine months a year. We get to see the world for free. So I just want to keep on doing this.
Dan Cappello can be reached at dancaps@temple.edu.
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