Formed in Las Vegas in 2005, post-hardcore band Escape the Fate is on the top of its game. The band has hit the road all over the United States with Falling in Reverse for their acclaimed Bury the Hatchet Tour. Read below to see what bassist Max Green has to say about their music, and make sure not to miss their show at the House of Blues on January 26.
What makes this tour different than other tours the band has done in the past?
Well, I mean just the tour package in general. You know we’ve got Chelsea Grin out here, a band called Survive This! and Falling in Reverse. What’s really cool is that it’s the Bury the Hatchet Tour, and it’s Ronnie [Radke]’s band and our band, Escape the Fate and Falling in Reverse, doing our thing together. After Falling in Reverse’s set, we go out and give a little encore together playing songs off the first ETF album, give a little surprise to the fans and stuff like that…All that kind of transfers the energy and stuff to the fans, and we’re stoked to be here and be onstage. This tour is something that kids and people have talked about for years now, and it’s actually happening. I think it’s monumental, and I think it kind of sets the tone for tours in 2014.
What kind of atmosphere do you aim to create during a live show?
You know, we really just want to go out there and give the kids something that they go home saying, “Oh my God, that was a great show.” We want them to go home and have something to tell their friends that didn’t come out to the show, and create some emotion for them.
You obviously have a huge fanbase, to what extent would you say your fans impact decisions that the band makes?
Well actually, before we headed out on this tour we were putting our setlist together, and we were at a decision on what songs we were going to put on the setlist for this tour. We were like, “Let’s all post tweets and have the fans decide what song we add to the setlist.” We try to get really involved with the fans. The fans are the lifeblood of a band. They’re what keeps the band alive and going. So just even something little like that, giving them the opportunity to pick a song on our setlist, is awesome for them and us.
What prompted your interest in music?
Honestly…..I moved from Ohio to Las Vegas, and I didn’t have many—well, I didn’t have any friends. So I would spend my days going from school to home, and I would just kind of sit there with my radio listening to music, and there was just something about it. Every time I was in the car, a song would come on, and I’d be singing along to the song….Songs can bring up a certain memory or emotion, and that’s something that just [resonated] with me. I just knew at an early age that that’s what I wanted to do more than anything in the world.
Do you have any idols or inspirations that you aspire to be like?
I don’t know if I want to be like anyone, but I definitely aspire to be one of those musicians, just one of those dudes, that’s been around forever. One of those guys where it’s just like, “I have so much respect for that guy just because he’s been doing it for so long.” Through the ups and the downs and the hits and the misses. Just keep grinding. And bands like that go down in history. You know, it ranges from like Motley Crue-type stuff to even a band like Green Day. They came out a long time ago, they hit it big on their album Dookie, and then they released a bunch of albums that really didn’t hit for them. But they kept going, and they kept grinding at it, and then all of the sudden they show up with American Idiot, and boom. I just want to be one of those bands that keeps on going no matter what. I want to be with those guys.
If you were explaining the band to someone who had never heard your music, how would you describe the sound of the band?
That’s a tough question. I’d probably just describe it as rock-based music that…you know, I really don’t know! Oh my gosh! I don’t know how I would describe it to someone. When someone asks, I just tell them to look it up. So I’d probably just tell them to look it up.
The success of Ungrateful has grown a lot, how does that feel as a member of the band?
It’s rad. It’s really cool. The album is good quality, it’s got a lot of rad songs on it, and it’s fun to see an album come out that you put out and then as the tour goes on, it’s fun to see it grow. It’s fun to see the reaction of kids. It’s fun to see as each tour goes on how many more kids you see singing along to certain songs and stuff like that…It’s fun to see that.