RockWatch:Article

FACECAGE

FACECAGE

FACECAGE

A talk about the band with a number of questions here answered by the singer Matt Nyberg and the drummer Mike Miklus. Which was put together in Feb. of 2004. PK is short for Philip Kramer and FC is short for FACECAGE. Here they provide a number of insights on the band and the music scene as they look forward to playing the Twin Cities and other regions. FACECAGE from Iowa Forging ahead with the year 2004.

PK : The band name seems to capture the sound and energy that arises with the music. Can you elaborate on how the name FACECAGE came about?
FC : The name FACECAGE was a concept that we came up with together. At the time the name was chosen, Matt (our singer) was doing a haunted house and with our writing style back then, and the atmosphere we are surrounded in every day it just fit.

PK : Was it a struggle to shape your style of metal? What genre or description do you find best fits the FACECAGE sound?
FC : Facecage really does not fit just in to one "sub" category of metal. We take metal and twist many different styles of it to create what is Facecage. We all come from way different backgrounds musically, so I think that plays a huge role in our sound.

PK : How are the shows at The Reverb in Cedar Falls, Iowa and Hairy Marys in Des Moines?
FC : The Reverb is pretty cool. For those bands who have never played there, be prepared to walk up three flights of stairs that are relentless on the knees. Cody is a great guy to deal with, and the people in Cedar Falls really like new original metal and indie rock bands. Hairy Mary's in Des Moines is kind of like the CBGB's of the midwest. Dirty, loud, and a ton of fun. The shows at Mary's are out of control, crowd response is unreal. Another Des Moines club that has outstanding sound, great location, and has a huge turnout to every show we have played is House of Bricks. They have a huge big screen tv that will air bands videos before they go on, the crowd is very responsive, and the sound is the best in Des Moines.

PK : Are there some particular wild good time shows you like to comment on? What are some of the bands you enjoyed playing with?
FC : Wildtimes. Ahhh. Many of those. We played SxSW last March and decided to tour all the way down to Austin. I made the mistake of booking St. Louis on a Saturday night, and New Orleans on a Sunday. 15 hour drive, most of which was in the fog through Mississippi, and still made load in on time. Played one of the best shows to date that night, and made the journey on to SxSW. We have played with tons of bands, regional, and national. Some of the most enojoyable shows took place in 2003. Stigma, A:POD, 40 Below Summer, Nonpoint, Hed PE, Lo Pro, Static X, Black Label Society, 13 Days, Narcotic Self, Bar Phyte, Marcato, and a ton of other bands I am sure I am forgetting. For the most part, playing with bands from other areas really is fun for us. It gives us an inside look at what is going on in other parts of the country.

PK : Is FACECAGE gearing up to tour outside Iowa more often to Minnesota, Wisconsin and other areas that are receptive to the metal scene?
FC : Facecage toured quite a bit in 2003, and will continue going strong in 2004. 2004 for us is going to mean lots of studio time, and when we are not in the studio, we will be playing out in the south and mid west. Our plan is to make Minneapolis and Kansas City our 2nd homes. Both cities have treated us very well in the past, and we want to acknowledge that by keeping those cities on a regular 8 to 10 week rotation.

All Photos Provided by Facecage

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PK : The nine song self titled CD makes for a great example of your work. What are some of your favoride songs?
Are there additional CD plans in the works?
FC : Relive/Reverse seems to be a band fav.. That song seems to capture so much of what our mood was in the studio. We locked ourselves away from cell phones, parties, family, friends, and all of that, for days. Our producer, Tom Tatman ran up the stairs to the band room when Matt finished recording his vocals for the song. Almost in tears, he told us to come downstairs to listen to it in the console room. The only thing I remember after hearing that song is the sound of silence and everyone was just blown away. Playing that song live is very personal to all of us, and I think you see that in the way that we deliver it. Currently we are in pre production mode for the new cd. I am anticipating a late 2004 release, but it will contain 12 to 13 new tracks. We have something else in the works for a May release to tide everyone over. Although it is not a cd, it will show you what is going on in the studio, some live stuff, and some candid shots of us on the road just being us.

PK : Has it been tough to get radio play?
It would seem that your new single "Taken Apart" should go over well.
Do you have new songs ready for possible radio play?
FC : XM Liquid Metal radio has been very responsive to us. If you subscribe to that, you can hear the entire first cd on heavy rotation there.
Conventional radio play has been ok with college stations, our stations here in Iowa (105.1 channel Q and Lazer), and some other stations down south. It is a little difficult sometimes to get play on the radio when you are a heavier band. I have noticed that regular commercial stations that advertise as "metal", really tend to stick to the rules of the game and play it safe with Godsmack and Staind. It has become very obvious that if you are a fan of In Flames that you should listen to more college radio. - They have been very receptive to our genre.

PK : The "Taken Apart" video brings forth a solid look at FACECAGE in action. Are their plans for a DVD that fans can look forward to?
FC : The DVD will be released in May. DVD release events will be scheduled for Minneapolis, Omaha, Kansas City, Cedar Falls, and Des Moines. The DVD will contain 4 videos (2 old songs, 2 new ones that will appear on the upcoming cd), and some candid stuff. There should be about 35 minutes of video on there, and the plan is to keep it cheap. We are contacting indie record stores to work out a deal so kids do not have to pay more than $5 for the DVD.

PK : What do you think of the metal scene in general? In what ways do you think 2004 will be good for metal and FACECAGE?
FC : Metal has changed so much since I was a kid. Remember Prong, Testament, Overkill, Death Angel, Powerman (yes, I said Powerman from Minneapolis, those guys RULED!), Flotsam and Jetsam, or Exodus? The metal scene now is made up of sub genres. It is cool in a way, but counter productive in another way. I think one of the things we are trying to accomplish in this project is to really re unite the metal scene in the mid west. Right now there is a clear division, and those walls need to be broken so we can get more real metal on the radio and tv.

There are much anticiapted releases coming out in 2004 (or should be) that will determine if metal will rule again, or if it will go back to the underground for another 5 years. I am looking for releases from American Headcharge, Killswitch Engage, and Slipknot to be the three most important releases for metal in 2004. As for Facecage? We have a lot on our plate to get accomplished. A DVD, a full length cd, and shows during the tour season in the south and midwest. It will definately be a full year for us, and I am looking forward to kicking ass in Minneapolis again.

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Note : A short time later Jim Stockham replaced Bruce Swink on guitar.