Interview — Chronic Remorse

Skratch Magazine

Chronic Remorse is hard at work on a new album that showcases their dark and heavy metal melodies.
Rob Remorse (lead vocals/guitar), Billy Chronic (lead guitar/vocals, Crystal Diamond (bass/vocals) and Rick Steed (drums/ vocals) of the San Fernando Valley classify their sound as musically and artistically well rounded. Chronic Remorse has been making brutally honest music for 4 years and with the afore mentioned album in the works and several shows booked for the summer, this band has nothing to be remorseful about.

Skratch: What influences your band and stirs up your creativity?:

BC: Life… Things that we’ve gone through on our own as individuals and things that we’ve gone through together.
CD: The love I have for the music and my band members being my best friends
RS: Our creativity is more of a collective effect. We all seem to feed off of each other’s energy and motivation. It’s like a domino effect within the group; then we just play what we feel from that.
RR: I get most of my musical influences from other musicians and artists from all genres. Metal, Country, Hip Hop, R&B, Bluegrass etc... You name it and I most likely listen to it, every once in a while at least. The bulk of my lyrical content is extremely influenced by the books I read and the many podcasts I listen to, the majority of them being of the sci-fi genre. My 2 favorite authors are Richard Matheson (I am Legend) and Scott Sigler (Infected). But as a band it is difficult to narrow our influences into a neat little paragraph. When one of us comes to the band with new music,
a riff or a melody or even just an idea, we then work and discuss on that piece until it just begins to build itself. If it doesn't, then we'll usually leave that particular piece alone until a new idea is sparked that we feel will go with it.

Skratch: Tell me about your favorite two songs and what they mean to you?:

BC: My two favorite songs are “Fade” because I feel like the lyrics can relate to anyone. Loss is a part of life and everyone can understand that. And “Beauty Must Die” because this was one of the most difficult songs to write. Roberts lyrics are so dark and we wanted the music to have the same effect. It’s also one of the most fun songs to play live. It has a lot of time changes and a lot of leads. Maybe I’m being selfish but it’s just absolutely brutal!!!

CD: “Think What They Will” means strength and embracing who you are in life. “Fade” gives me the feeling of once falling but then picking yourself back up and rising above.
RS: “Your memory” is my first favorite song. It’s a true story about two people who passed away, and it is great to know that they will always be remembered through a song. “Beauty Must Die” is my second favorite song. That song is just as intense as it is mellow and I feel that it is a perfect blend where you get the best of both worlds.
RR: I guess my two favorite songs that we’ve written are “Fade” and “Beauty Must Die”. “Fade” because it's the first successful creation of Chronic Remorse in the musical style that we currently play. It defines the band very well and “Beauty Must Die” because it is a song that came out exactly how I envisioned it. Even though it doesn't follow any verse, chorus, verse, bridge etc., within a songwriting structure, it also doesn't sound confusing or really lack anything that the other songs we've written have. It’s a very personal and emotional piece, exactly what I wanted it to be.

Skratch: There are many struggles being an unsigned band. Tell me what keeps the boat afloat?:

BC: It’s hard to explain… I just have an itch. Every day the first thing I want to do is play.
CD: We have worked so hard for this dream that we have all had for years and the dream we’ve had together to make this music come to life.
RS: The struggles that come with being an unsigned band will always be there, the question is will the band always be there to keep pushing until the end? That’s what sets many bands apart. The thought of knowing that we’re almost there keeps us on our toes and ready for anything.
RR: What keeps this band afloat is difficult to say. Friendship, Determination, the love for each other and the music come to mind first. Who knows?
Chronic Remorse is the baby and the burden of our dreams. It just is and will be for as long as we choose to make music together. Personally I can not play or create music in one form or another. So why not create it with those I personally know can produce the best music possible. Chronic Remorse brings out the best in me most of the time, but sometimes the worst in me. I've played and quit other bands without a second thought. I don't see myself ever quitting on Chronic Remorse.

Skratch: Where do you see the band in five years? What are your goals?:

BC: In five years I see us having put out a few records and touring the world. My main goal is to be able to pay the bills with my guitar.
CD: I see the band moving forth with several albums out. Not only being heard through radio but also on television.
RS: I see us doing exactly what we do now in, five years. Except in five years we’ll be doing it for a living. My goals, well, I have none. I am never satisfied; I will always expect more and will never have enough. My goals are endless.
RR: The band’s ultimate goal, I feel, is a successful life in music. But for now it is exposure. The music and work ethic are there. It is just difficult to break through as a band in L.A. when you lack the proper financial support. Either an independent or signed band, in 5 years I see Chronic Remorse still making music, even if it’s just for us or a handful of people.

Skratch: Name one flaw of each band member.:

BC: Overly passive about band business, Focuses too much on things other than the music, Can be unfocused during the writing process.
CD: Each band member has their flaws, but we all share one…and that is not being able to write music together everyday.
RS: Well Robert can often be pessimistic. Crystal expects more from situations, which wouldn’t be bad if the circumstance wouldn’t give such a let down sometimes. Bill can just misinterpret what I say a lot, but that’s both of our faults.
RR: I am too negative about everything. Crystal is way too positive about everything. Rick is too fucking good for his own good. And Billy... Billy who??? You can't talk to Billy about anything without a fucking guitar in his hands.

Skratch: What animal best represents the band and why? :

BC: A whale, because it is very majestic in it’s ways but can be absolutely violent at the same time.
CD: Lion- because we can be placed to play in any situation and take control of the shows audience
RS: A rhino, because although it is peaceful, at any minute it can strike and just demolish all you know.
RR: I suppose an animal like the Mongoose best represents the band. It is small and appears very docile and innocent, but the second the superior-looking King Cobra snake underestimates it, he's Fucked!

Skratch: If the band agreed on one thing, what comes to mind?:

BC: Drop everything for the band. (I.e. touring, recording, writing, etc.)
CD: The love we have for Chronic Remorse.
RS: Perfectionism.
RR: That we want to be successful in life by making music.

Skratch: Tell me it's more than sex, drugs, and rock n roll! No?:

BC: Absolutely… like I said before, there is an itch to play all the time. I can’t deny that.
CD: It’s actually just Rock n Roll, we play together to be heard and let our musical souls out to play.
RS: It definitely is. I think that statement has been overrated for a long time now. People love music and although some bands live off of that, most bands, at least from what I know, do it for the music; but it can be a nice addition.
RR: It's way more than just sex, drugs, and rock and roll… (especially when you’re still independent, by the way). But seriously, as cliché as it is to say it, it's all about the music.

Skratch: What are your thoughts on the current political elections?:

BC: It’s an exciting time. I can’t say that the world is ready for change but I sure am.
CD: Right now people are just looking to be lead to prosperity, not caring what color you are.
RS: I choose to reserve judgment on any sort of political affairs, just because I don’t look into it. If you want to be heard you should really know your stuff.
RR: We've come a long way in the last century but not nearly enough. Call our new president what you will but he marks a new and very important start towards a more tolerant future.

Skratch: What bands would you love to share a stage with? What bands would you not?:

BC: I’ve always imagined us opening for Bruce Springsteen or something like that because traveling the world and playing for millions of people is where I want to be. Not to mention the contrast in musical styles. I think that would be fun. There aren’t really any bands that I wouldn’t want to share a stage with. I’m up for anything.
CD: I would love to share a stage with Thrice, Avenged Sevenfold, Hawthorne Heights.
RS: I would love to one day share the stage with bands like, Avenged Sevenfold, Kill Switch Engage, and Atreyu. I really don’t care who we share a stage with, I love all genres of music.
RR: I would love to share the stage with so many bands and artists that I could never narrow it down to a list for this interview. Chronic Remorse is plenty for now.

Skratch: Are you all good friends or more bandmates only? Tell me about your relationships.:

BC: We are brothers/sister. I love them with all my heart. I think that is what makes us so tight musically, because we are so tight socially as well.
CD: We have all known each other for more than 5 years, our relationship is more like brothers and sister.
RS: I think overall we’re more like brothers, and sister (ha-ha), we get along real well and of course we may fight but at the end of the day, we all care about each other very much.
RR: At times I honestly wish we could be just band mates, but I always take it back. Yeah we fight and argue sometimes but what friends that have worked together for so long don't? If you’re just band mates I don't see how you’re going to make it on the road 24/7 together without trying to kill each other. I am glad to say that we are more than friends in this band. We are family.

Last words/final thoughts/Anything you would like readers to know about you?:

BC:I feel like there are a lot of sharks out there and when you find people you can truly trust don’t leave their side.
CD: Chronic Remorse is my favorite band and I believe that our music will open many doors for us to expand our future. Not only are we best friends, but we believe that our music will impact many and has the power to change lives. I give motivation to all girls that have been told they can not dream or do not believe in themselves. Being able to perform and play the bass has and will open possibilities for all.
RS: First of all I would like to give a shout out and thank all our fans, supporters, people we’ve worked with, people we will work with, and readers for all the support and motivation they give us. I would also like to make it known to everyone, that you will definitely be seeing more of us in both the current time being and the near future. Keep your eyes and ears open there is much more to come………………
RR: To everyone reading this, thank you for taking the time to get to know Chronic Remorse a little better. We really appreciate it and hope we get to see you live and in person sometime soon. Take care and whatever you choose to do with or be in your life, just be happy doing it!
Thanks!

For more on Chronic Remorse you can visit www.myspace.com/chronicremorse.

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