Rather than subjecting themselves to falling into the typical musical industry traps of only performing ‘catchy’ music with no substance, The Greater The Risk prides themselves on standing out from the rest of the music world. Although, their music is most definitely catchy, the band is more than just another face in the crowd or just another band whose choruses you only know. They’ve been compared to the likes of Boys Like Girls and Cartel, but the band is known for having a variety of influences, which contribute to their unique sound. The Greater The Risk not only prides themselves on standing out from the rest, but also prides themselves on hard work and dedication. When a band is this passionate and hard working about music and produces high quality jams; they’re a force to be reckoned with.

We spoke with The Greater The Risk about all things concerning them; Halloween plans, the makings of their music, who is the ‘ginger’ of the band, amongst more. Read on to view our exclusive with The Greater The Risk. 

ALM PROMO: Hi! Thanks for taking the time out to do this. Could you begin by introducing yourselves? 

 Dan Castillo – vocals

 Ashley Drewes – guitar

 Blake Gillespie – guitar/vocals

 Nate Wilson – bass

 Derek Ames – drums

ALM PROMO: Let’s start off with the basics. How did the band come about?  

“The band started with Ashley and original drummer David Landrum. They played together in a band previously and decided to work on a new project when the old one disbanded. After a few months of casual jamming and just experimenting with song ideas, they decided to take it a step further and put together a lineup through a combination of mutual friends and Craig’s List. Over the course of the last 18 months, there were a few lineup changes, but we’re stoked now to have our permanent lineup set.”

ALM PROMO: For those who haven’t checked out your music yet, how would you describe your music? With so many bands out there in the industry, why do you believe people should check out The Greater The Risk? 

“Our music could be simply described as catchy, upbeat, pop rock. You might put us in with bands like Mae, Cartel, and Boys Like Girls, but we have a unique sound from our wide array of influences. There are indeed a ton of bands out there, but we definitely pride ourselves on standing out. The way we sound, the way we look, even our name…they’re not so easily classified and we feel great about that.”

ALM PROMO: You’re heading out on tour with We Are The New Year! soon! How psyched are you for that your? What’re you looking most forward to about heading out on the road? 

“SO STOKED!!! We’ve done mini-tours here and there for months, but nothing like this. Eleven days, eight states…PUMPED. There are so many things to be psyched about, but we all agree that the best part of being on the road is just the experience of new places and faces. Most of us have never been to several of the states we’re hitting on this tour, so this is a total escape from the familiar for us. Every city has its own special charm and great people, so it’s just a humbling experience being able to travel while doing what we love.”

ALM PROMO: What are your touring ‘essentials’? Any items you wouldn’t be caught dead without while on tour? 

“The stereo in our van is busted, so iPods are a must. Even a ten-minute drive across town sucks without music. Imagine being on the road for days on end without it!”

ALM PROMO: Say What You Never Said is due out October 25th. Tell us about the recording process behind the release. 

“This project took a ton more time and work than our first EP, with recording spanning over two weeks in December and January. Whereas our Self-Titled EP was recorded in one long weekend, we took almost that much time for pre-production alone! Even though there were a lot of late nights and countless hours spent on this EP, working with Bryan Russell was amazing! He’s really knowledgeable and pushes you hard to reach your full potential. We had our finished product back several months ago but with our original vocalist leaving the band due to personal reasons, we were forced to push back the release from the summer to October 25.”

ALM PROMO: Off the entire release, what track would you say you’re most proud of? What song has the most meaning for you personally? 

“Count Me Out” is a special song to all of us, especially to Ashley and Nate who have been in the band from the very beginning. When we were in our earliest stages as a band, we had six songs sans lyrics and titles – they were simply songs 1-6. “Count Me Out” was Song 1.  Obviously, it didn’t end up getting recorded on our debut EP, so it felt really good when Bryan Russell was so enthusiastically in favor of recording it.

ALM PROMO: Now for some less serious questions! If you could invent any Iphone app, what would the app do and why? 

Hmmm…how about an app that protects Blake from the sun’s harmful rays? (If you didn’t know, he’s the ginger in the band)

ALM PROMO: If you could trade places with one band member for an entire day, who would it be and why? 

Probably Nate so I could be taller than everyone else!

ALM PROMO: Let’s say you’re stranded on a deserted island and can only bring one band member and one album to listen to who and what album would you bring? 

“I’d have to say Through Being Cool by Saves the Day, and I’d bring Derek because he’s good at fixing things. Although he does snore a lot, so it would have to be a pretty big island!”

ALM PROMO: You’re going to be on tour when it’s Halloween! Any plans to celebrate on the road? Perhaps all of you appear in consume while on stage? 

“We’ve definitely got some costume ideas in the works. We’ll be certain to get some video footage for everyone because they’re sure to be absolutely ridiculous!”

ALM PROMO: What do you have planned for the remainder of the year? 

“We’re really aiming to push hard for the remainder of the year. Changing vocalists this summer put us a little behind so we’re really pumped for the release of our sophomore EP on Oct 25 and the ensuing tour. We’ll definitely be filling out our schedules with tons of weekend dates as well through the rest of the calendar year and into the next. Some new song ideas are getting started as well, so we’re hoping to get back into the studio not too far from now as well.”

 

ALM PROMO: Thanks for doing this! Where can everyone check out your music and do you have anything you would like to say to the fans?

“We’re all over social media so you can check us out on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, etc. You can find our Self-Titled EP on iTunes, and look out for the release of our long-awaited Say What You Never Said EP available on iTunes on Oct 25!”