Interview

Ronnie O`Briant of ECHO7

1. Tell me how you guys got together, when and
where?

Dave and I started writing music together in 94 in
Myrtle Beach SC. In early 95 we started our first
band which eventually evolved into Echo 7. We've gone
under the name Echo 7 since, I think, 96.

2. How long have you guys been playing together?

I was actually in a band with our bass player, Frank,
back in high school. He joined us in Echo 7 around 5
years ago. I also knew Dave in high school but didn't
start playing together til he moved to Myrtle Beach in
94. Jason, our drummer, joined us a little over 3
years ago.

3. Tell me how you got started in music and what you
all did prior to getting signed? Jobs?

We have all been playing in bands since high school
and have always had the same goals in mind. We got
started by just playing wherever and whenever we could
and trying to record some demos in order to promote
our music. Of course, we all had full time jobs too.
We've done a little of everything. Retail,
restaurants, motels, movie theaters. Frank and I even
did telemarketing for awhile.

4. Who are the primary writers in the band and take
me thru the ECHO7 songwriting process?

Usually Dave and myself, either independantly or
together will come up with the basis for most of the
music and write the lyrics. We take our ideas into a
rehearsal situation with the other guys and that's
where they become Echo 7 songs. Everybody gets to
contribute their ideas until we're all happy with it.

5, Who influenced you as an individual and also as
the band?

Personally, I wanted to play guitar ever since the day
I first saw Eddie Van Halen. Vocally, I've always
been very inspired by Maynard James Keenan of Tool and
A Perfect Circle. As a band our influences range from
Zeppelin and Sabbath to Tool, Alice In Chains and Foo
Fighters.

6. You just finished the QR tour. Was that you
first national tour? If so, then how was it? What
things really surprised you out there?

We actually toured most of '03. We started out with 3
Doors Down for a bit and also toured with Finger
Eleven for a large part of the summer before doing
some random shows in August and hooking up with QR in
September. There's always something to take you by
suprise in this business but I think one of the things
that suprised us the most was finding out that we were
going to go out with QR. We've all been big fans for
years and it was a pretty sureal experience.

7. What do you think you learned from being on your
first tour?

You really learn so much and you never stop learning.
I think one of the most important things we had to
learn was how to stay healthy on the road. When
you're going from climate to climate and sleeping and
eating patterns are totally different from what you're
used to, you really have to adjust to a completely
different life. You're always learning new and better
ways to take care of yourself. Nothing sucks more
than being sick in the midst of a tour so, you do
everything to prevent that.

8. Tell me about the last night of the tour....Any
hijinks? I am sure they (QR) had to pull some pranks
on the new guys. Did u retaliate?

Yeah, they got us good. We knew something was going
to go down but we didn't know what exactly to expect.
We came out to play the show and they had plastered
the stage with tape so, our feet and cables were
sticking to the floor and we could barely move. The
more we tried, the worse we made things on ourselves.
It was like being in a spider web. They put tape all
over the drum kit and poured honey on Jason's sticks,
they tuned Frank's bass to the key of shit, they threw
tape balls at us throughout the entire show and with a
couple songs left, turned off our monitors. It was
pretty brutal. At the end of the night, when everyone
was loading out, we tosses condoms filled with water
out of the 2nd and 3rd story windows and got a couple
of them pretty good, but there was no way we were
going to outdo what they had already done. It was all
a lot of fun, though. We became really close with
everyone involved on that tour and we had a great
time.

9. For most people who have not had a chance to live
the lifestyle of a pro musician, can you tell me if
all the crazy stories from the road are really true.

They can be if you want them to be. We've seen some
crazy shit out there and the more you play into some
of those crazy situations the wilder things become.
You pretty much have everything you need for a night
of debochery at your disposal every night. For the
most part you're in control of how insane things get,
but there are those nights when shit just happens and
you just stand back and say to yourself, 'Is this
really happening?'.

10. Sex, Drugs or ROCK AND ROLL....as the saying
goes....which is it for ECHO7? Put them in order
perhaps?

I think if we were asked that question a few years ago
the answer might be different but right now, I would
have to say rock and roll because being a new band
trying to break into this business, especially right
now, is extremely tough and you really have to get
your priorities straight and focus on what's
important. We live to be the best band we can be and
sometimes that means less of the extracurricular
activities in order to stay focused. Not to say we
don't do our fair share of partying, but we want to be
around for as long as we can.

11. You are taking some time off right now between
tours, any idea what is next on the horizon for
ECHO7?

You can expect us to be back on the road and a new
single in the next couple months.

12. How are you spending the days off the tour?
Hobbies? Living in the Carolinas, are any of you
into surfing or anything? (OH, and jamming is no
longer a hobby!!!!!!!)

We're just enjoying relaxation and being able to spend
time with our friends and families. We're all movie
and video game junkies so we're also trying to catch
up on some of the movies and games we missed while we
were away.

13. Was going on the road with QR the type of tour
that you guys wanted to do. By that I mean how do you
think the crowds reacted each night and do you think
you won over a lot of folks?

We've all been fans of QR for years so, it was an
awesome experience for us to be able to go on the road
with them. We didn't know how the crowds would react
to us, since we're totally different, musically, than
they are, but we were pleasantly suprised. Every
night we got a great response and people consistantly
went out of their way to let us know how much they
enjoyed our show. It was a really good feeling.

14. Who would you ideally like to or think would be
best to tour with?

We'd love to have the opportunity to be able to play
some shows with Foo. We did a festival show with them
earlier in '03 and it was killer. We felt our music
complimented theirs well plus we're big fans of their
records.

15. So you are on IN DE GOOT records. Tell me how
that came about .......and what the hell is a
GOOT?????

I heard somewhere that In De Goot means 'in the
gutter' in another language. It came about as we were
showcasing for labels and we were working with Bill
McGathy of Indegoot Entertainment (manages 3 Doors
Down, Puddle of Mud, Chevelle and others) under his
artist development company, Rockstar2k. He had been
considering starting his own label and when that
became a reality he offered us a deal. We accepted
because we already had a good relationship with him
and those who work for him and we knew that they
believed in us and our music.

16. How was the music down there in the Carolinas for
you guyst trying to make it?

There's not a great music scene here, but that's not
to say that there aren't any talented bands. There
are some great bands around here but it takes more
than that to create a good music scene. You really
have to get out of town and tour and that's what we
did.

17. Your drummer Jason is from IRELAND so I know he
must be a drinker. Do the rest of you go out with
him on St. Pattys Day and get totally hammered?
Would you say that you four are the best of friends?

That's a funny question because, suprisingly enough,
Jason doesn't drink. Neither do I but sometimes the
other guys drink enough to make up for both of us.
You realy have to be great friends, in my opinion, to
be able to do what we do. When you have to live with 3
other guys for months at a time under the conditions
of a touring environment, it's a lot easier to have a
solid personal relationship with them.

18. Which songs do you feel should be heard first off
of the 'ONE STEP AWAY' cd?

All of them. Now, you knew I was going to say that
didn't you? I guess if I was playing someone the cd
for the first time, I would have them listen to One
Step Away, Masquerade, Uninvited, Once Before and The
After. That's just my personal opinion and it changes
every time I'm asked that question.

19. Which ones carry over best in a live setting?

Tough one. We have a lot of fun with all of them but
sometimes a live setting brings a new or different
life to a particular song and I think that's the case
with songs like Beneath The Surface, The After and
Once Before. Again, it's a matter of opinion and
that's just mine.

20. Where do you draw inspiration from when writing
your lyrics. What is your favorite subject to write
about?

All of our songs are inspired by events or emotions
experienced in our day to day lives or the lives of
people close to us, for the most part. I don't know
if we really have favorite subjects. We just write
about whatever we feel strongly about or whatever
inspires us at the time. It could be positive or
negative but either way, if the emotion is strong
enough to compell us to pick up a guitar or a pen and
paper then, those are the things that you'll hear
about in our songs.

21. You guys are currently not signed to a management
deal???? (Or was it the label, I am trying to
remember) What happened and what is the status now?

We recently parted ways with our management company.
I can't go into those details but we're currently
talking to potential managers.

22. To all the potential managers out there, please
tell them why the should sign ECHO7 and what they
would gain from that?

Well, obviously they're going to gain their
contractual percentage. How much that accumulates to
will depend, for the most part, on how hard they work
for us. We want someone who believes in us and our
music enough to work as hard as we do and who brings
with them some honesty and can offer us a trustworthy
relationship.

23. Now you have a quick minute to tell everyone why
they should run out and get your cd and why they need
to come and witness ECHO7 live?

We feel like there's a little something for everyone
in our music and we feel like a lot of people will
relate to our songs and the emotion within them. Live,
we try to bring an energetic atmosphere while taking
you on an emotional roller coaster. We wnat you to
feel every song. Give us a listen, you just might
like what you here.

4/8/2004