how would you describe at a loss to someone who hasn't heard your music?

At A Loss plays rock music with jazz and metallic highlights. Our songwriting is rarely chemically induced but our shows tend to be.

so how did the band get started?

Our band started in 1998 while we were in high school covering Metallica, NOFX, Black Sabbath, and Screeching Weasel songs in my mother's attic. We played the entire "Kill 'Em All" record on a near daily basis until we decided to write some of our own music. We started doing the band full-time after graduating college, although I am not sure if any of us actually graduated in the ecumenical sense of the term.

you guys seem to mix up between a lot of different genres instead of just sticking to one - is this something you set out to do at the very start, or something that's just happened naturally?

The scatterbrained aspect of our band was unintentional and is something we're trying to cuss out. We have all been exposed to lots of great music and that is undoubtedly a basis for our friendship. Creating something cohesive we are all happy with has proven to be a fun but very challenging endeavor. Hopefully that mindset will reflect more on our next full-length.

who would you say are your main influences musically?

Nirvana, Black Sabbath, Snapcase, Fugazi, Dinosaur Jr., Herbie Hancock, Miles Davis, Jaco, At the Drive In, At the Gates, Beatles, Radiohead, and Green Day are all artists we appreciate who are known for their live performances. Our band is also influenced by bands we don't want to sound anything like: Joy Division, The Smiths, My Bloody Valentine, etc…

blackout records/temple recordings have recently released your debut album "a falling away from" - how happy are you with how it turned out? anything you'd change looking back?

A Falling Away From was a blast to record and a great learning experience. We had a great producer, worked in a great studio, and were afforded the opportunity to have it all mixed by John Agnello who has worked on some of our personal favorites like The Pixies and Dinosaur Jr. The record is more like a collection of seven inches and less like a full length, though. We're trying to nail it the next time around.

whats the meaning behind the title?

In all of the press we've received one solitary statement throughout is "this record is impossible to categorize." The idea of the record was to distance our band or "fall away" from genres and pigeonholing. In that regard, the record has been successful.

what are the main themes behind your lyrics?

Thematically, the album deals with relationships. No song was written about romance and its' subsequent failures, although I've noticed some people have applied that to their interpretation. A Falling Away From is about understanding yourself in the time and society in which you live. As the lyricist, I have a track record of idiocy and doubt, so those feelings seem to have crept their way into the overall feel of the words.

have you got a favourite song off the new record?

"Without a Name" or "Look Away" I like and experience viscerally at shows.

so whats next for the band?

At A Loss have been playing twelve shows a month throughout the Northeast since the records release in February and are still supporting it. We made a video for the song "Cut Before the Death Scene" which is currently being edited and should be complete in early July. I'll definitely e-mail you a link when we receive the finished product. We are also currently writing material for our next full-length which we are excited about. It's going to be more chaotic and satisfying on a whole.

what are your live shows like? why should people come see at a loss?

At A Loss shows are, to a degree, cathartic and always loud. I like to think that we offer the intensity of a hardcore band without tempting the mosh. We grew up going to punk rock, hardcore, and metal shows, but that type of behavior doesn't seem palatable in regards to our songs, although sometimes people seem to think so. I go to shows to have fun, and our band plays shows to have fun, but we don't have a shtick or a gimmick like eyeliner or guitar choreography; we simply react to our environment. We try to communicate with the audience not only as best we can but also as much as they will allow.

who would you most like to tour with (past or present)?

At the Drive In. I would tattoo Killthenoise.net on my forehead to have seen that band every night for a few months. Touring with bands like Avail or Snapcase, bands that spent 15 or so months on the road behind records would be amazing, too, for the shows and the learning experience. Currently, touring with Cave In, Sparta, Q and not U, Les Savy Fav or the Mars Volta would be incredible.

whats the music scene like in hoboken? how has it treated you guys?

We're actually from New York City and all live in the Bronx; our record label is located in Hoboken, though. NYC is a tough place to play and gain attention, although we've played some amazing shows here. It has its ups and downs, especially with the majority of clubs closing their doors to All Ages shows (which we are in great support of). Kids always to seem to find a way to make things happen here because there are so many of us; it's a constant source of inspiration.

any good bands in your area that deserve a mention?

O'reilly, Espenshade, The Commercials, Crime in Stereo, Allison Hill, Blue Velvet, Twofold Truth, General Miggs, The Electric Shadows, Con Amore, Millsted, Afflitus, and As Tall As Lions are all awesome!

favourite records at the moment?

Q and Not U's Different Damage is on my record player, Johnny Cash' Live at Folsom Prison is in my Walkman, Mars Volta's De-loused in the Comatorium is in my Discman, and Coltrane's Giant Steps is in my CD player.

anything you want to add?

Check out www.ataloss.com and www.myspace.com/ataloss so we can be friends. Read Law of Inertia Magazine and support Killthenoise.net (especially Matt)!

Thanks goes out to Stephen and At A Loss, and Angie at Cover That Mouth for setting up the inteview. At A Loss' debut record, "A Falling Away From," is out now on Blackout Records / Temple Recordings. Check it out!

"A Falling Away From" cd review

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