(Photo Credit: Chris Murphy)
Can you introduce everyone in the band and what instrument do each play?
Dominic Godsil- Vocals and Producer
Austin Korth - Drums
Ryan Sackfield - Guitar
Baily Taylor - Bass
Cole Swank - Guitar
Who inspired each of you to start playing music?
Dom: As a child, I was lucky enough to be surrounded by a family who created music. I feel fortunate enough to be the one in the family that is making my music dreams come true. The most my family has done is create songs with no real intent to release them or play them live. Further, bands such as Linkin Park and early Asking Alexandria introduced me to how beautiful live music can be and pushed me to make moves on my own.
Austin: When I was a teenager in the late 2000’s around middle school and into high school, I was discovering a lot of bands of various metal sub genres. I personally was inspired by anyone I listened to. To be able to write/record/share music and share your art with other people is a blessing. So every artist I’ve listened to has inspired me in one way or another
Ryan: For me, it goes back to Avenged Sevenfold and System of a Down
back in middle school. I remember watching the making of A7X's self titled on
Youtube and deciding there that I wanted to join a band.
Baily: There isn’t a single musician that really inspired me to start playing bass specifically, but I take a lot of inspiration and have a lot of respect for Amir Derakh and Ryan Shuck of Julien-K/Orgy. They’re good at what they do and are just great people all around.
Cole: For me personally, I was inspired by the 80’s metal and punk guys. I was a giant Iron Maiden and Misfits fan growing up and for me that was kind of the catalyst for everything. For the music we make in this band, Deftones would be my biggest inspiration. The way the band is able to incorporate not only the most crushing heavy riffs but also the most gentle, soothing melodies is something I try to capture in what we do.
Is there any secret meaning or story behind your band name?
OK so for this one, I don't think anyone who started the band really truly remembers if there was any specific thing that led to us being named what we're named. Dom, Cole (me), and Austin are all not original members. From what Ryan, Baily, and our original drummer Reese remember, they just came up with it, thought it was a dope name, and made sure nobody else was already using it before they decided to use it. Honestly, a lot of our decisions kind of just boil down to that. We just try shit and if we think it's cool we just roll with it LOL.
What is your favorite song that you’ve recorded?
Dom: Definite Infinite Uncertainty for me. That was the very first song I started working on when I joined the band. The groundwork for guitar and bass was already laid out and I kind of just went ham with orchestral type strings and double bass drums. Vocally, as Ryan mentioned, the song was a blast to work on and it’s rare you get an experience like that while working on a song.
Austin: I joined the band very recently, so for me it has to be our newest single Weeprs that is going to be released very shortly on January 27th!
Ryan: For me it's Infinite Uncertainty. It has solid riffs and I'm
pretty proud of the lead guitar in the second verse. My favorite part was the breakdown,
though. For that part, we had Brock from Empty Graves come in and lay down an amazing
take in only a single try, then we decided everyone in the band could layer in their
vocals as well. That means you're hearing the voice of every CCS member, which was a
blast to record.
Baily: Reflections for sure. I did the recording in one take and just really jive with the energy when we play it live.
Cole: I think my favorite song I’ve recorded thus far is Weeprs, our new single that’s about to come out. I’ve been really invested in Metalcore bands like Alpha Wolf that just bring the absolute most disgusting, heavy riffs imaginable and have wanted to incorporate that into the band. Writing the song was also very therapeutic, because I was able to channel all my anger and disdain towards ex-friends and an ex-employer into something that was creative. Also, playing the song live has yielded some very interesting reactions from the audience. Even though we’ve only played the song live and haven’t released it yet it has greatly changed people’s perceptions on who we are as a group.
Who’s usually the last one to arrive at a venue when you’re playing a local show?
Dom: Me, lol. I get a pass though because I live an hour away from where the rest of the band plays and lives. I always make sure to buy water bottles and cookies to make up for it though haha.
Cole: I feel like it’s usually either Dom or Baily to be the last one at the venue LMAO. Dom usually has the longest drive out of all of us to be fair.
What is the best piece of advice you could give someone who is wanting to start a career in music?
Dom: Just start and don’t stop. I pushed off starting for so long and as soon as I did, I consistently pushed out music as often as I could. It’s so easy to say you’re going to start and then push it off til the next day. and then the next day, and so on. Just start. Start today! And don’t ever stop. You’ll be horrible when you start but you’ll learn so much as you go.
Austin: Art is subjective. One thing you might find interesting might not be for everyone else, experiment, never be afraid to try new things or look at things from a different perspective. There’s no right or wrong way to do music. It’s a creative process and you should have fun doing it. Of course practicing is very important to get better. But as long as you stick at it, you’ll get better.
Ryan: Don't be afraid to try anything and everything. I'm currently playing in 3 different bands ranging from thrash metal to90's and 2000's covers, and I feel like I'm better as a musician now than I ever was. Exposing yourself to as many different types of music as possible and playing with musicians with more experience than you will only give you more knowledge. It'll also force you to practice, practice, practice.
Baily: Just pick up an instrument and do what makes you happy. If you aren’t happy you’re going to get burnt out and hate the grind. I’ll always remember the smiling faces of my friends in the various venues I’ve played for the past 3-4 years now.
Cole: One piece of advice I’d give is to have perseverance. Playing music has some very high moments, but it’s also accompanied by very low moments. Ideally, the high moments are supposed to drive you to push through the low moments, but when you take a lot of L’s back to back you can’t really rely on the feeling of a previous W to keep yourself going. You just have to be willing to work through the tough times and low parts to get to the best parts. Another piece of advice I’d give is don’t be afraid to get inspiration outside of your genre. When I was writing Infinite Uncertainty, I would constantly reference Hall and Oates songs and look at how they wrote their songs to see if I could use a similar structure. In fact, I think Maneater was the song I referenced that made me decide to make the second verse shorter than the first!
You’re stuck on an airplane for hours on end, what songs are on your playlist to make the time go by fast?
Dom: The entire album of Melancholia Hymns by the band Arcane Roots. It is the best album I have ever heard, ever, period. It’s cinematic, it’s heavy, it’ll make you cry, make you angry. It’s literally perfect.
Austin: Single song for a playlist? - If I had to pick one song for a playlist, it would be "Misplaced," by Soul Blind. That song is just a really nice blend of being harsh and melodic. That is one of my current favorite artists of the last year. For anyone reading this, if you haven’t heard of them. Go check out their latest album Feel It All Around.
Ryan: Single song for a playlist? - I've been on a power metal kick recently, so I'd probably
choose something like Blessed & Posessed by Powerwolf. It's perfect ass-kicking music,
which I could listen to for hours.
Cole: For my song to put on the playlist, I’m putting The Summoning by Sleep Token on it! Sleep Token has just continued to put out straight bangers, and this song is absolutely no exception to that rule.
Baily: I just discovered “Closer to Free” by Bodeans after hearing it at work and not knowing what the name is, so I’d say that for right now.
Where can we find you guys at? (This is where you can share any and all links!)
https://direct.me/crimsoncleansweep
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fs-AtHRtaqM&ab_channel=CrimsonCleanSweep-Topic
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