INTERVIEW:
PHOTO CREDIT: Kyle Hines
Unparalleled Height
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THERE is enough grit and raw power…
in the arsenal of Unparalleled Height to power a nuclear power station! The Pittsburgh band talk about their music and what they have planned for the future. I ask why they covered Zedd and Alessia Cara’s song, Stay, and what we can expect from their forthcoming album.
The guys talk about influences and the scene in Pittsburgh; whether they are coming to the U.K. this year; what they hope to achieve before the end of the year; how they spend time away from music – they end the interview with some awesome songs!
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Hi, guys. How are you? How has your week been?
I am doing well! This week has been very exciting in terms of releasing our new single, Stay. It has been great to see the reaction from our fans and new listeners!
For those new to your music; can you introduce yourselves, please?
We are Unparalleled Height; a Metal band from Pittsburgh, PA in the United States. We started the band in 2011 when we were seniors in high-school. We started out, originally, playing shows where we covered songs by bands like Avenged Sevenfold, Bullet for My Valentine etc.
Those bands became our biggest influences as we started writing our own music. Over the course of the last seven years, we have evolved quite a bit. We believe that our newest single, Stay, shows the process of that evolution taking place.
What was the reason behind covering Zedd and Alessia Cara's single, Stay?! Was there something in the song that stood out?
This, truly, began as an idea when had a total shift in the way we began looking at releasing music. We want to keep our fans interested by releasing music between our E.P. and album releases. So, we decided to do a Pop-goes-Punk-esque cover. We wanted to challenge ourselves by covering a Pop song. We really enjoy taking songs and making them our own. It is fun and a totally different process than writing original music.
The reason behind doing Stay is that our vocalist, Dave, is actually a fan of Alessia Cara. We took a look at a few different Pop songs that were rather popular and decided that Stay was a great choice for many reasons.
Was it quite hard transforming the song and producing the version you have out?!
Truthfully; it came together much faster than we anticipated. This song came together rather naturally.
How long did it take to get the song together? Were there quite a few different takes?
The outline of the song came together in a little over a week.
We had a pretty good vision of what we wanted the song to be like and then we executed it rather fast! The guitar solos and other production elements took some additional time to piece together. Even with this, the actual writing of the song did not too long!
Is there going to be more material coming soon? What are you working out?
The first volume of Resurgence, a two-E.P. feature, was released back in September 2017. That is available worldwide on all platforms: iTunes, Spotify; Apple Music, etc. Resurgence, Vol. 2 will be released in the near-future. We are very excited about it. It has a somewhat different feel and vibe than Volume 1. There has not been a definitive release date set for it yet, but that will be coming very shortly.
How did Unparalleled Height get together? How did you all find out another?
CJ (Lead Guitar), Justin (Drums) and I actually all went to school together as far back as middle-school. Some of the other original members were in the same boat as well. We played in concert band together back then. As we grew older, we all developed a very similar taste in Rock and Metal.
One summer, before our senior year of high-school, CJ, Justin and I got together and jammed. The rest is pretty much history after that! We met our bassist, Marshall, in college. Things naturally clicked!
What sort of music did you all grow up around?
Each one of us would have a different answer here - and I can only speak for myself. I grew up around many different kinds. My mom is very into Classic-Rock and other great artists such as Elton John and Stevie Wonder. I grew up around a lot of Classic-Rock and artists like that!
Pittsburgh is where you are based. Is there quite a big and active scene there?
That really would depend on who you talk to, I guess. For us, we really aren't a part of the Pittsburgh music scene. Our following began to grow in a national and global way ever since we started releasing music. So, for us, we are in a little bit of a different situation. I do have many friends that are a part of the Pittsburgh music scene...
I want nothing but the best for it!
Do you have any gigs lined up? Where are you heading?
As of right now, we have been focusing, primarily, on getting music out online and trying to get our fans excited as well as attract new listeners. We don't have any gigs lined up at the moment, however; we have been discussing some possible tours.
Will we see you come over to the U.K.?
I believe it is only a matter of time for that. We have a rather large U.K. following - in proportion to our total following, that is. A lot of our page ‘likes’, followers; streams, etc. come from the U.K. and mainland Europe. Hopefully, we can get over there A.S.A.P. We've had a lot of fans waiting for quite some time.
What do you hope to achieve in 2018?
Stay was a big focus for 2018. The release of Resurgence, Vol. 2 is next up! After that, we have something else, cover-wise, up of our sleeve that we are incredibly excited about. I think people are going to be caught by total surprise in terms of the song. We are looking into some other things at the moment as well that I cannot speak about quite yet! They are quite exciting - and I can't wait until we can share them.
Have you each got a favourite memory from your time in music – the one that sticks in the mind?
I would have to say watching our song, Embrace the Storm, played on NBC Sports during World Series of Fighting would be up there for me, personally. That was awesome to see.
What advice would you give to new artists coming through?
That is a tough question....
There are so many details I could go on about. I think the most important thing is to truly develop a strong mindset and resilience. I think, if artists can do that, it will solve 95% of their problems that they will meet along the way. If you stay in the game long enough and work hard at it, success will eventually find you if you make great music. That is the most important thing: make great music.
Are there any new artists you recommend we check out?
Personally, I have been very into a lot of different stuff. There are so many great artists out there; it would be hard for me to name only a few!
Do you get much time to chill away from music? How do you unwind?
I really enjoy working out. It is a great way for me to release a lot of stress and emotion in a positive way.
Finally, and for being good sports; you can choose a song and I'll play it here (not any of your music - I will do that).
Polaris - Consume
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