Brandon is close, close friend of mine, and he inspires more than a few people. I interviewed him here http://http://nothingsense.blogspot.com/2006/02/brandon-mcgrath-not-til-daylight.html and it seems that since then things have changed a bit for him. Here is the interview in full, conducted in April.
1. Hi. Two years has passed since I interviewed you. What gives since then?
Got a new band going called 1618 that i am stoked on. Everything else is pretty much the same just hustlin to make money and finish up with some school stuff.
2. Nat Geo - Reputable news reporting or reckless journalism?
Absolutely reckless journalism. They have an agenda with everything it seems. Lately i have chalked it up to all media and government is completely corrupt and it will take nothing short of a coup or revolution to change things in this sinking ship of a nation.
3. Barack or Hillary?
Obama all the way. He is passionate and forthright also he is not your typical career politician. Hillary is wacked out and needs to just let go. For god sakes the woman started NAFTA which was one of the worst and most corrupt acts to ever be set forth in out government.
4. Why do people not respect other people? And what can we do to maybe heighten consciousness to their lack of respect?
First and foremost we need to stop letting people get away with disrespect. Whether racially or socially, it shouldn't be tolerated or shrugged off anymore.
5. You have a new band since we last interviewed. How is this one different from the last one. Haven't you realized that hardcore is dead? People want shitty metal, how do you counteract that line of thinking?
My new band is called 1618 and it is alot different than my last project both musically and stylistically. We gave up on metal because everyone has a shitty metalcore band now, that whines about girls, and has cookie cutter song structure. We have gone with a new and original feel that mixes it up, we have been compared to poison the well, snapcase, and the refused, but our newest stuff even has a biohazard/rage against the machine feel. We are basically just having fun and coming as original as possible.
6. The greens want Ethanol and alternative fuels which use up farm land faster than you can shit out your corn tortilla. The good 'ol boys want us to drill, effectively doing the same to untrampled land - WTF is the answer?
The answer is all the stuff the conglomerates are not throwing money into like hydrogen, nuclear, solar, geothermal and wind. The true right thing to do is to have a balanced infrastructure of all of these and it would take a fraction of the cost it takes to use oil to implement all of this on a national level... then i say we drill Alaska and sell it to the Chinese to pay off the bullshit war debt we have accumulated thanks to oil.
7. Reno? Or somewhere else? And why? Reno ain't so bad, is it?
I love reno. So much great stuff to do both in and out of town. I also dont mind San diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Boston, and a bunch of other cities. I think reno; no matter what town i eventually settle down in, will always feel like home to me.
8. Books or movies?
Movies all the way.. I am all about popcorn, laziness, and visual stimulus.
9. Organized religion has been high on my lists of HATE lately? What is your take? And are you atheist or agnostic? Or does you loves some Jesus?
I would classify myself as a spiritual/agnostic. Using the term agnostic in the sense that i don't believe in organized religion at all. I feel that the bible is a fictional story, and just that, nothing more or less. Religion is a cancer to free thinking and self-worth. if you don't have faith in yourself why would you waste all your time worshiping something completely intangible, and why would you put your faith in a story that has been obscured, misinterpreted, and exploited from the day the dead sea scrolls were found.
10. Is your future clear to you yet? I asked you this before, and now it is two years later. Any other ideas?
Well i know what i want and i know how to get it. I know where i want to be, so yeah i would say my future is much more clear than it was. i used to never plan for the future but now all i can think about is what i need to do to make life more fun and worthwhile down the road.
11. Finally, give shout outs......who supported you?
Well of course The Family and my friends who are also family. My girl Valerie for being supportive when i need it most. And personally i have to give it up for CK1 the Cliffy Kumpster, Jess Brown, Jose Galvan, Adam Krause, Matty B, and my bandmates for helping keep me grounded the past couple of years, and for being the best friends/family a guy can have.
