Interview by Rachel Jablonski
With the pleasure of seeing Socialburn live Waterloo, IA just a few days prior, I spoke with vocalist/guitarist Neil Alday while he waited for the show in Hartford that evening with Sevendust.
Rachel: You’re currently on tour with Sevendust, Nonpoint, Wicked Wisdom, and One. How is the tour going? What have been the highlights so far?
Neil: The tour has been going fantastic. We’ve been having a blast playing in front of big crowds that are pretty well responsive to what we do. We’ve just been having fun drinking and partying and everything.
Rachel: I saw you in Waterloo, IA last Saturday. Good show! What did you think of the venue? I wasn’t too impressed, first time I’d been there.
Neil: The venue in Waterloo? It was sufficient for what we were doing, I guess. It got a lot of people in there and that was half the battle, half the plan. But I would have much rather had a smaller venue because I like smaller venues.
Rachel: The Beauty of Letting Go is the newest album you’re on tour in support of. What is the main concept behind the album?
Neil: The concept is basically about just that, the beauty of letting go. We got dropped from our label and started working on the second record, doing the sophomore thing, trying to do it all on our own. It’s basically getting back to where we started, getting back to the roots, and just letting go of what the industry had presented us. It all basically runs in the same family as relationships in that you depend on somebody, rely on somebody, and then you find out you can’t depend on them. The Beauty of Letting Go is about relying on yourself first.
Rachel: How are things going on your new label?
Neil: Well if you can call it a label. It’s not really a label, it’s a distribution company. But I guess it’s going alright. The CD is in stores and it’s out there for people to get and that’s the main goal.
Rachel: “Down” was a single off your previous album, Where You Are, and it seems to still get a lot of radio play. How does it feel (pun intended) to still be known for that song perhaps more so than songs on the new album?
Neil: That’s pretty cool to have a recurrent song. When you release your first single you have to wonder if it’s going to stick around or if people are going to remember that first song you put out. Apparently a few stations still play it and a few people still remember it so that’s cool.
Rachel: They play it here in Cedar Rapids, IA a lot.
Neil: Yeah we get pretty good airplay with it, but I’d rather have them start playing the new stuff. But we don’t have a label out there pushing it so it’s kind of hard to do.
Rachel: Is there a single out there?
Neil: We released a song for radio to play if they want to play it. There’s nothing really forcing them to.
Rachel: Which song?
Neil: “Touch the Sky” and “Cold Night” is the new one they’re working on.
Rachel: What do you think the most influential song on your newest album is? Why?
Neil: I think “Cold Night” is an amazing song. I think it says a lot about what the album represents and the way people should live their lives.
Rachel: You grew up in small town, Florida. What’s your favorite big city to play?
Neil: Hmmmm. It’s hard to say because my favorite place to play is The Machine Shop in Flint, Michigan. It’s a fun place to play, a small venue. Not much to do there, but it’s a good time. Big city… I don’t know that’s hard to say. I’m not a big city type of guy.
Rachel: What is your connection with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)?
Neil: I did an interview with them and I believe in the ethical treatment of animals. I’m not hardcore involved with them, talking to them on the phone every day or anything like that. If I can put up a link on our website or something like that I’ll do that, but I’m not a hardcore flag waver, ya know. I never will be… on any issue.
Rachel: You play guitar and sing, tough to do. Have you ever considered hiring another guitar player so you can move around on stage more freely?
Neil: No, I wouldn’t feel comfortable without a guitar. I’m comfortable playing the rhythm parts. Thinking about a guy coming in and doing some other stuff, having a third guitar, that might be cool, but I haven’t found the right guy to say ‘oh wow we really can’t do anything else without this guy.’ So I haven’t really thought that hard about it.
Rachel: What’s your favorite metal song?
Neil: Favorite metal song? Huh, I don’t really listen to metal. I don’t know. I don’t have a favorite metal song. I basically just like Tom Petty and some of the older school… I like rock n’ roll.
Rachel: What are your plans after the Sevendust tour?
Neil: We’re going to try to continue on another tour, I can’t really disclose who we’re going to be touring with yet. We’re going to be going back out, still writing a few songs here and there, and if we get the right producer we may go in after this tour and start recording another album.
Rachel: Good luck to you and thank you for your time!
Neil: Thank you.