Your name:
Mark Ryan.
Where are you from?
Los Angeles,California, USA.
Name of band:
The Fifth Fire.
Who else is in your band?
I am presently the only full time member.
How would you describe yourselves?
We consider ourselves an alternative band. We're very committed to conveying and exploring our eclecticism. We've never really described ourselves as a "rock" band, as we honestly feel that label is a tad restricting. Our musical influences range from punk to folk to pop, so calling ourselves a rock group is a misleading statement.
Who are your main influences musically?
Our influences are always changing, as we evolve as people and musicians, our tastes and resonance is continuously shifting. From our inception, groups like The Doors, who we feel represented freedom in all forms were a major influence on us. We were also influenced by groups like Nirvana, REM, Radiohead, and Cake, groups we felt were always willing to take risks, for the sake of their audience. Presently, we are finding ourselves moved by artists such as Joy Division, Leonard Cohen, The Cure, David Bowie, Bob Dylan, Interpol, The Ramones, George Michael, and Air Supply just to name a few.
What do you hope to achieve in music?
We hope to advocate change in whatever form we can. We have a penchant to question everything, how we feel, what we see, what we are, why we are, the overall "status quo" and cultural zeitgeist. Very existential, I suppose. We want to make great music, that people resonate with and enjoy, as we attempt to make sense of our collective frailties and confusion, as well as our splendor and our benevolence as human beings. From a more material standpoint, we would like to have a productive and prolific career. We enjoy touring, and would absolutely revel in the opportunity to perform across the globe!
What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why?
To this point, I would have to say our first tour was a true highlight, as we thoroughly enjoyed that aspect of what we do, and it really seemed to confirm we had chosen the right profession. On an equal scale, in just a few weeks, we'll be reaching our three year anniversary. To have kept going this long, it's something we couldn't have imagined when we began.
And what’s the moment you want to forget?
We like to turn inward, when it comes to difficulties, and learn from our experiences. If one thing stands out though, it would be having to cancel what would have been our biggest tour to that date, due to line-up issues. We had put much effort and anticipation into the planning, and to see it eluding us, was demoralizing to say the least. It actually lead to another door opening though, so, as difficult as it may be sometimes, we do our best to find the positives out of all of our experiences.
If you had to choose just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why?
It can naturally be difficult to choose just one. From a lyrical standpoint, "In The Pursuit Of Glory", would probably be one of our most defining to date. If we had to pick one though, as a first and determining impression, we would likely go with "Hearts' Insane", off of our debut EP, "Generation I". It feels like the quintessential Fifth Fire song, from so many standpoints, and really exemplifies us musically.
Where can we listen to it?
Where can we find out more about your music?
www.facebook.com/thefifthfire- Facebook
www.souncloud.com/thefifthfire
https://www.youtube.com/
Anything else you’d like to say about your band that I forgot to ask?
Oh wow, we're not sure. We could maybe add, as we consider it to be reflective of who we are, that we are primarily a "straight edge" band, which basically means we are drug and alcohol free. Aside from being a personal choice, we feel as if we've seen so many artists we admire, have had their lives and creativity subordinated and in some cases irrevocably compromised, that by choosing to live our lives this way, and doing it openly, that we can be a small part of dispelling the myth that the music business facilitates drug and alcohol use, and vice versa. One of the things that excites us about modern society, is that drug use in most recreational forms, is seemingly taking on a less fashionable stigma, that it's no longer "cool", or "hip", to get high, or for that matter, social protocol. Other than this, we feel as if we've rambled on for too long anyway:). We want to sincerely thank you for your time, and your interest in The Fifth Fire, and our music!!
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