By: Joshua de Leon
In this internet age, going DIY( doit-yourself) and entrepreneurship on the most independent of levels is no uncommon thing. This platform of communication puts promotion and management directly into the hands of the provider.
This mode of entrepreneurship goes especially for music. Bands can now distribute their own music, book their own shows, promote their own releases and show dates and continually stay in contact with their fanbase giving them up-to-theminute news of said releases and show dates.
Pensacola-area hardcore-metal band Scream Out Loud is no exception.
The band, whose five-person line-up consists of Joseph Kirkland( vocals), Hunter Moore( guitar), Forrest Turner( guitar), Micah Peck( bass) and Keith Tallman( drums), is one that is undoubtedly very familiar with the facets of internet self-promotion and the like. However, being in a signed, touring band isn’ t all glitz and glamour, as many could possibly think. Behind the scenes, there are drops of blood, buckets of sweat, a few tears shed and a metric ton of passion and dedication that have to be dumped into such a project to keep it moving.
Scream Out Loud is ears-deep in it and here’ s their story …
FIVE: How did Scream Out Loud come together?
Hunter Moore: Me and Keith were in a band before this called Among Them that we were together for like four years. It was pretty much the same stuff, but more like hard-rock metal. Then I quit for a year, came back in, and the singer and bassist both quit within a month of me coming back in and so we were left with me, Keith and Tony, which is the original guitarist of Scream Out Loud. After that we decided to do something brand new and come out fresh. Came up with the new name and searched forever for a new singer. We went through four or five people then got the hot tip on this one guy( Joseph Kirkland). He called me one day, came and tried out and threw down harder than you would imagine someone throwing down during tryouts for a band. He didn’ t have the perfect voice then because he wasn’ t a singer originally. So, he came, tried out and just impressed us.
FIVE( To Kirkland): Was it because you just had that desire, having the opportunity to something that you always wanted to do?
Joseph Kirkland: Well, I’ ve always been about it, but I have just never really been a vocalist. Singingwise, when I was younger I sang in church. And that’ s pretty much it. I would sing along with what was on the radio trying to imitate whoever was singing. Mainly Incubus. I’ ve always just been interested in playing music. It’ s always been my feel. It started with my brother playing guitar and so I picked up drums and did that for a few years.
FIVE: As far as the sound goes, is it a completely different direction or are there still a few traces of Among Them?
HM: Well, two songs we didn’ t practice on tonight were actually Among Them songs. They’ re on the Scream Out Loud CD but we revamped them, rewrote the lyrics so at the roots it’ s Among Them, but it’ s Scream Out Loud. Among Them was cool at the time, but we never branched out more than locally. We did a small tour once, but overall, there was no huge ambition involved
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