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Interview with Ben Hoagland of Extortionist

Thanks for taking some time to be interviewed by us. Would you like to introduce your self and the rest of the band for our readers?

Hey! My name is Ben Hoagland (vocals) and the rest of the members are Joel Omans (Guitar, also in Rings of Saturn) Schyler Colins (guitar) Riker Morrow (Bass) Dylan Chandler (drums)

When and how did your new band start? Where you guys in other bands worth mentioning before Extortionist came to be?

Well me and dylan thought about this band in late June (2013). We grabbed our friend Adam Prince who is the original vocalist and our friend Schyler and asked them if they would like to join. Then shortly after that our friend Aj Nussbaum tried out on bass and then he joined us. We booked a show in september before we had any songs. So we wrote a setlist in a matter of 3 weeks.

We have been playing shows since the beginning of September. Our first show was our wildest set so far believe it or not. There were alot of people there and alot of people moving in the pitt. We played with Kingmaker, A midnight drive and alot more great bands. We all come from different bands. Before Extortionist i was in a heavy band called Verbera. I played guitar and did backing vocals. Schyler played in a melodic hardcore band called Deviance. Our Bass player Riker had played in a band that were somewhat local legends called A pyrrhic victory. Dylan came from a beatdown band called Outlier.

So i hear you guys have just signed to We Are Triumphant Records! How stoked are you?

We are pretty stoked to have joined the herd with We are Triumphant. We debated it for a while just because it was our first contract ever offered to any of us. But yeah to say the least we are really excited to see what happens with We are Triumphant.

Are there any individuals or organizations that played an important role in helping you guys get to where you are now?

Yes, our manager / friend Andrew Backlin of EDEN Management Group has helped us a ton actually. He does alot of work for us and we appreciate everything that he does. We wouldnt be where we are right now if it werent for Andrew. We love you Andrew!

Extortionist is set to record Black Sheep in a week or so? What can we expect from this new release?

Yes we are recording December 28th / 29th

Well, You can expect some really sweet guest vocalists, aggressive tunes, and some real emotion that i put into this record.

I put alot of thought and meaning behind this EP so i really hope people enjoy it. It will be released 2.25.14

When you guys are jamming out, what is the writing process like?

The writing process is actually really smooth, we have yet to clash and get frustrated with each other. We all like the same styles of music. But we all have different preferences. I personally like really raw and aggressive sounding music because i grew up listening to punk music. Schyler enjoys playing beatdown music or melodic music. Dylan just adores deathcore. and Riker prefers really heavy music as well and our newest member Joel Omans (of Rings of Saturn) is Into Technical Death metal or "Aliencore" (Just listen to Rings of Saturn if you dont know what that is)

What is your dream tour? What bands would do you want to see extortionist tour with?

Oh man, Dream tour? that is a very good question.. Well me personally i would like to tour with Kublai Khan, Kingmaker, The Misfits, For the fallen dreams (old stuff) Suicidal Tendencies, Harm's Way, and many more. I know that line up sounds weird but oh well haha

I know Riker's dream tour would be with The Acacia Strain, Schyler's would probably be The Ghost Inside, Misery Signals, It Prevails and Immoralist. Dylan's would probably be with Thy art is Murder, Whitechapel, The Black Dahlia murder and upon a burning body. And Joel has done tours such as summer slaughter so he has toured with alot of huge bands. But these are just our dreams as musicians i know they probably wont happen.

Ive been a fan of your graphic design work for a wile now. What got you into design?

Hey thanks man! Well when i was younger i always wondered how to make Logos and Band album artwork. So a few years ago i got ahold of a photoshop program and started learning the program and teaching myself. It is a long process and i am no where near designers such as Dan Mumford, Mason Starkey, McBride or D-dub. But i try my best. i still have ALOT to learn but i am happy with the clients that i have gotten so far.

How can someone contact you for your services?

You can contact me via Email (BHdesign12@gmail.com) or message me on my facebook page or personal account!