Say Anything, with Aaron Gillespie and Backwards Dancer
January 22, 2018
7:15 PM
Doors Open: 6:15 PM
Doors Open: 6:15 PM
“As sad as it is, part of rock ’n’ roll is the glory of self-destruction,” explains Say Anything braintrust Max Bemis from his home in Tyler, Texas. He’s currently enjoying the last weeks of domestic solitude before embarking on a national tour to promote the band’s upcoming sixth studio album, Hebrews, out June 10 on Equal Vision Records. “You have to write about the joy of misery.”
Over the years of Say Anything, Bemis has become both a devout and mythic character in the alt-rock scene. He’s always strived to find a balance between truth and fantasy. Though, when he starts to lean too far to one side, the band’s ethos always brings him back to center: Do better. Be better. Or at least have the hope that better exists for you. “It’s a cycle of rebirth, renewal and destruction,” Max says about his life, musically and personally. “I do believe in hope and I do believe, at the core of everything, there’s a truth and a hope to our existence. At the same time, we’re only human. We’re animals and we’re going to constantly try to re-evaluate.”
Hebrews is a collection of songs that examine, analyze and test that truth — and all without picking up a single guitar. Yes, all 12 songs trade traditional rock-band instrumentation for more refined and orchestral stringed arrangements. But that doesn’t mean it sacrifices any spit or spirit. The album’s mission statement is set from the opening notes of “John McLane,” which is drenched with analog-sounding keyboards and Bemis’ dramatic vocals, welcoming the listener into his head and his heart, singing there’s “no need for ambivalent music.”
“I think there’s a journey every human being goes on and if you can tap into that, you can speak to personal experiences,” Max says about his outlook on songwriting. “That’s what fables are, tapping into the shared experience. I’ve been through a lot in the past couple years and, although the record can be dense and specific, I tried to speak of the cyclical journey we all go on to better understand ourselves.”
Say Anything Website
Say Anything Facebook
Over the years of Say Anything, Bemis has become both a devout and mythic character in the alt-rock scene. He’s always strived to find a balance between truth and fantasy. Though, when he starts to lean too far to one side, the band’s ethos always brings him back to center: Do better. Be better. Or at least have the hope that better exists for you. “It’s a cycle of rebirth, renewal and destruction,” Max says about his life, musically and personally. “I do believe in hope and I do believe, at the core of everything, there’s a truth and a hope to our existence. At the same time, we’re only human. We’re animals and we’re going to constantly try to re-evaluate.”
Hebrews is a collection of songs that examine, analyze and test that truth — and all without picking up a single guitar. Yes, all 12 songs trade traditional rock-band instrumentation for more refined and orchestral stringed arrangements. But that doesn’t mean it sacrifices any spit or spirit. The album’s mission statement is set from the opening notes of “John McLane,” which is drenched with analog-sounding keyboards and Bemis’ dramatic vocals, welcoming the listener into his head and his heart, singing there’s “no need for ambivalent music.”
“I think there’s a journey every human being goes on and if you can tap into that, you can speak to personal experiences,” Max says about his outlook on songwriting. “That’s what fables are, tapping into the shared experience. I’ve been through a lot in the past couple years and, although the record can be dense and specific, I tried to speak of the cyclical journey we all go on to better understand ourselves.”
Say Anything Website
Say Anything Facebook
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