Back to Mork country for today’s Band of the Day. Rain in July tell us about their influences, their music and why you should ensure that you practice your footwork before playing a live set…
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
We are all from Boulder, Colorado!
How did you meet?
We all met when we were still in high school and played music together in our school music program. Not long after, we realized that we had similar musical interests and found ourselves at the same spot wanting to start a dedicated project.
How long have you been playing as a band?
We have been playing music together for awhile, but as the collective Rain In July that we are now we have been playing for about two years.
Before you get sick of being asked… where does the band name come from?
Rain In July is originally from the Neck Deep EP of the same name. However, to us, it has so much more significance. RIJ is about the world coming down on you when it feels like everything is “fine” and picking yourself up and fighting your way back to better days.
What are your influences?
Musically, we all find common ground in a lot of early 2000s pop punk, emo, and post hardcore music. Bands like Taking Back Sunday, Fall Out Boy, Underoath, and Jimmy Eat World influence our tastes and music a ton.
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
We all take influence from different areas, which results in our sound. We consider ourselves to be a mix of emo, pop, and pop punk to come up with a different way of expressing alternative rock.
Do you have any particular lyrical themes?
A lot of our lyrics talk about dealing with hard times and getting back to a place where you’re happy. Our most recent track, “Beachside”, talks a lot about feeling “better now” after an extremely rough year, which is at the heart about what this band stands for as a whole.
What’s your live show like? How many shows have you played?
Our live show is high energy, and very sweaty. We’ve played a ton of live shows and they’re something we take a ton of pride in, rehearsing and planning out our setlist and the way that we’re performing. If you’re in the area of any Rain In July show, come out and jump with us!
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done at a live show?
Once, I (Griffin, vocals) got a bit too excited at the end of our set and tried to jump off of our drummers kit, only to catch my foot and fall on my face on the stage. Not my proudest moment, and my bandmates still make fun of me for it to this day!
What kit do you use / guitars do you play / etc.?
We use ESP guitars, Orange amps, Sennheiser microphones, and a Pearl drumkit.
What are your plans for 2018?
Just last week we released our music video for our new song “Beachside” and we have been very excited and honored by the way that it has been received. Currently, we are writing our 2nd EP, with plans to record by the end of the year. The only break that we’re taking from that in the foreseeable future is to play on one of our favorite lineups of all time at The Marquis Theater in Denver with Assuming We Survive, Rivals, Riot Child, and Tonight We Rise on October 7th. We’re very excited to continue to release new music!
If you were second on a three-band bill, which band would you love to be supporting and which band would you choose to open for you? A chance to plug someone you’ve toured with, or a mate’s band we’ve not heard of before!
That’s a great question. One of our favorite bands right now as a collective is a Colorado local by the name of Contender, they released a new EP this week and we’ve been listening to it a ton when we’re together! On our most recent headliner on July 10th they played and it was incredible to share the stage with them and see them live. It would be rad to have them opening the bill. Headlining would probably be Taking Back Sunday. That band is so influential to us and this alternative music scene as a whole, to be playing with them would be an honour.
Photos by Liv Thrush
Rain In July: facebook | twitter | instagram | youtube | bigcartel
