Interview With Josiah Lyle Of Mouth Of The South
Absolutely!
Thanks for having us! My name is Josiah Lyle and I do vocals for Mouth
of the South. The rest of our band consists of Tanner Allen (guitar),
Mike Butler (guitar), Colton Bartholet (bass), and Garrett Metzger
(drums)
When did you guy's start "Mouth Of The South"?
Mouth
of the South started in 2007 with a completely different lineup. When
the band started to get more serious in the summer of 2008 I decided to
join the family. I originally played guitar and then after a couple
years transitioned to vocals. We've been through quite a few members
over the years for sure but we wouldn't be where we are today without
each and everyone's contribution. Mike and Colton joined the band in May
of 2011, Tanner joined in July of 2013 and Garrett recently joined in
December of 2013.
How did you guys come up with the name? It's very creative and catchy.
Some
of the original members saw the name on an energy drink can which
belonged to Jimmy Hart (The Mouth of the South) so they thought it'd be a
great name for a southern metal band. Our music doesn't fit the
southern genre at all any more but we figure whether people love the
name or hate it most likely they'll remember it!
Were any of you guy's in other band's before MOTS?
I
was in another small local band called The Victorian before I joined
MOTS, Colton was in a band from Oklahoma called Challenger, Mike was in a
few local bands from his hometown in Chicago, Tanner used to be in the
band Seeker (Victory Records), and this is Garrett's first actual band.
So you guy's are releasing a full length this summer. What can we expect?
Well
so far the new stuff we've been working on has been way more matured
than anything we've done in the past. We have 2 new members since the
last album so that has added a few different influences into the mix.
But just expect it to be heavier, groovier, and more melodic all thrown
together.
Is the songwriting process a group effort, or do some of you do more than others?
It's
split pretty evenly throughout Tanner, Mike and myself. The 3 of us
seem to have found a pretty consistent groove in writing together.
Sometimes we'll write whole songs individually and other times we'll
collaborate and come up with something awesome. This whole process has
definitely been more fun and skill pushing than we've had in the past.
You guy's are playing festival after festival. what's it like being on the road and traveling a lot?
We
love being on the road! Getting to play new places and meet new people
every night is the absolute best! Now that doesn't mean that it's the
easiest thing to do. A few of us have serious relationships that we
leave behind every time we head out on tour and it takes a lot of hard
work to keep it going, even in friendships its hard to have something
lasting when you're not providing much (if any) stability on your own.
But with all of that said it is 100% worth it and we wouldn't trade
touring for just about anything else.
What's it like working with facedown records?
It's
been awesome getting to work with Jason Dunn and everyone else involved
at the Facedown Records Family. Once we go into the studio and start
getting ready to release our CD then I think it start feeling a little
more real haha! It's honestly still blowing our minds that we get to be a
part of a record label that produced so many bands that affected our
lives in such incredible ways!
What are some of your main musical influences? Who got you into wanting to start a band?
Personally
I've always been a huge The Chariot and As Cities Burn fan. The first
group of bands I started listening to were Norma Jean, As I lay Dying,
The Agony Scene, Haste the Day, Underoath, The Chariot, As Cities Burn,
and Zao. It was those bands that really put the idea into my head of
wanting to be in a band. The biggest influence, however, I'd have to say
is For Today. My first show I played with MOTS we got to share the
stage with For Today around the time that their album Ekklesia had come
out. At the time I loved their music but what they said on stage was the
first time I had ever heard the gospel presented in a real tangible way
and I could feel the presence of God in that venue in Burleson, TX. It
was awesome to see their passion for the Lord and I remember thinking to
myself about how deeply I wanted that kind of passion in my life and
how I wanted to reach out to people like For Today has.
What would you say is the most fulfilling, exciting part about being a musician?
For
me it's when kids tell me how impacted they have been by our songs. I
know I've had multiple times in my life where the Lord used a song to
speak into exactly what I needed to hear and I know how much that
impacted me, so to hear stories of what our songs have done for other
people is absolutely mind blowing to me. Especially with the lyrics. I
never set out to write something that people could relate to and
honestly I didn't know if anybody would even be able to. I just set out
to be completely honest and open with my walk and use music to get out
some pent up frustrations or whatever else I was holding onto. So, I
thank God for given us the opportunity of being able to speak into the
lives of others. I don't wish my pain or frustration on anyone else but
if they've experienced anything like what I have then at least we can
grow together through it all and find a little comfort in knowing that
we're not alone.
what would be your dream tour? what band's would you like to have Mouth Of The South play with?
Dream
tour would be to have a bunch of bands do a reunion so I could play
with them all. It'd be awesome to go out with Underoath, The Chariot and
As Cities Burn! Also, Norma Jean would be an incredible experience with
how much their music has impacted me!
Make sure to check them out over at https://www.facebook.com/mouthofthesouthtx and http://www.motsfamily.com/
Labels: Mouth Of The South , Hardcore
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