We recently talked with Watertown, NY rock band The NorthmeN as they discuss their new song "Forevermore" as well as the best advice they received from other musicians and MORE! READ IT HERE

Taking the Classic Sounds of Hard Rock/Metal and Bringing it to The NorthmeN
with Bob Rogers 

Bob Rogers: Did each of you have a musical mentor? If so, who was it and how did they influence you? 
Matthew Gregory: We all have music background in our families. We all taught ourselves with no lessons. Alix has influence from his uncle but mostly taught himself. Brendan first learned from his grandfather but then taught himself. I had some influence from my father And sister but Jeremy mainly show me the art of metal. Jeremy's mother bought him his first guitar and he taught himself at a young age. When we all met Jeremy in our teens we were just blown away by how far ahead of us he was. So I naturally wanted to learn all the things Jeremy could teach.


Bob Rogers: Where do you draw inspiration from when writing? 
The NorthmeN: Whatever really comes to mind. The brain works in mysterious ways. At any given time you could feel something or hear something in your head.  


Bob Rogers: Is there a time/place that you all find the best writing comes from? 
The NorthmeN: There isn’t a best time or place but when we are all together we come up with a lot of ideas. Sometimes the smallest riff could turn into a whole song. 

Bob Rogers: What is the story behind the song "Forevermore"? 
Jeremy Lawlor: "Forevermore" is really the genesis of our prominent writing process. It was kind of the first time we discovered our identity as songwriters. With other songs before- it was kind of like feeling our way in the dark. We had riffs. We had some really vague and general concepts. We experimented with different techniques for completing half-written songs- but this was the first time we really broke it down to what it is today. It was like, we had the main rhythm and our own signature style of riffing all ready to go, and we just took a moment and thought about how we could make it the best version of itself. We didn’t want to ruin it or over complicate it. It was the first time that we really put a song through the gauntlet of criticism. The crucible. 
The band is also a “pseudo-council”, and every idea gets tried and tested, and then judged accordingly - “is it best for the song as a whole???” Whatever the answer- it goes from there. "Forevermore" had the potential to be a wild array of colorful melodies, dueling guitar solos, and just an outright overindulgent outro. But, in the end, we knew we didn’t want all the colors to mix together to be brown. We thought we had a deeply, emotionally melodic song that could grab any audience while upholding the integrity of our style simultaneously. 

Bob Rogers: As the band created the structure of the song what components went into the song that made you all feel this is strong?
The NorthmeN: Jeremy’s lyrics were naturally strong for the song. It had a catchy chorus and we wanted to finish the song strong. We love our guitar harmonies. The end of the song has a beautiful dual guitar lead break that has a ton of emotion. 
 
Bob Rogers: Is that kick to classic rock/metal something The Northmen naturally feel when creating music?
The NorthmeN: We play whatever we feel. Yes, we naturally have a classic rock/metal feel but that’s not all we create. It’s a feeling you get. Sometimes we all write completely different styles but find a way to work it into a NorthmeN sound.  

Bob Rogers: What’s the best advice you have ever gotten from another musician?
The NorthmeN: Staying humble and work as hard as you possibly can. Network with as many people as you can. 

Bob Rogers: What has been your biggest struggle so far?
The NorthmeN: Juggling full-time jobs with constant practice and playing. We have a good routine down now but it took a bit of communication and altering our own personal time. 

Bob Rogers: What has been your biggest success?
The NorthmeN: Our biggest success has to be our fans