Interview with Colors in the Air

Translating colors into music: Colors in the Air – by Mel in Toronto

It requires outstanding talent to translate colors into music. Hauntingly beautiful songs will take you on an emotional journey through life. Colors in the Air's lead singer Brian explains: "the word ‘colors' represents the variety of feelings and sounds we wish to display in our music." These heart-warming beautiful sound scapes will make you feel comfortable and at home.

This band, formed in August 2005, hails from Buffalo, New York, and is comprised of Brian Miller (vocals, guitar, piano), Pat Williams (drums), Ryan Cullinane (bass) and Justin Walker (guitar). Despite their young age - they are only in their early twenties - each band member has a long history of playing music, and together they create magic.

Seeing Colors in the Air live in concert really shows the band's talents. The exceptional instrumentation and enchanting arrangements are accompanied with significant lyrics: "Our songs are about the world, and our experiences in life: from love to hate and everything in between." Colors in the Air had their Canadian live debut in May 2006, at Toronto's Reverb, followed by another show in Burlington in June 2007. Their performances not only captivate with melodic, beautifully arranged rock music, but also with their honest live performance, which is engaging, powerful and true to their fans. Both shows were very well received by the Canadian audience.

In May 2007, Colors in the Air released their first full length album ‘On the Inside'. The cover art shows a cocoon in a glass jar and the band explains: "On The Inside refers to what is being created inside the cocoon. Whether it be an idea, emotion, or an actual thing. What is on the inside of the cocoon is for the listener to interpret. If you look at the back of the CD you see how the cocoon is plugged in and this represents our work of music that is being put into the cocoon. Love, life, and experience are what we put into the entire idea which encompasses our album. The cocoon has not hatched yet which means our work is not yet done."

The ten-song album is great to listen to from front to back. The very catchy song MAYBE TONIGHT is about "government, the world and how the actions of democracy are failing." An outstanding song through its dynamic and its musical scale is WESTBOUND, which "is a band manifest for something bigger and greater." Before releasing 'On the Inside', the band released an EP, which was recorded in Toronto. "A friend that we went to school with was attending a recording school in Toronto and needed someone to record for his final project. We had five hours to track five tracks and ended up having to record the vocals in my friend's kitchen at his apartment," the band explains. The song JUST TO KNOW YOU is off this EP and is a "very love oriented song. It relates to relationships that we've had in the past and still have today," the band says.

Colors in the Air have a strong connection to their families, friends and fans. The band gives an insight to their inspiration: "the fact that people believe in us is enough to fuel the fire. Without our family, friends, and fans believing in us, we would feel like all of our hard work wouldn't be worth anything." With such a great attitude and tremendous talent, Colors in the Air are here to stay and will keep exploring and writing music about life's colors in their uniquely beautiful way.

Since June 2007, Colors in the Air are on a summer-long tour through the United States and are currently taking the road by storm. If you are not able to go and see them live, here is your chance: Out of numerous bands, Colors in the Air has been selected to be featured on xanga's groupie, which means that their adventures, life on the road and shows are filmed by a webcam and can be seen on http://www.colorsintheair.tv.

"In your own words" – ONE on ONE with Mel and Colors in the Air

Mel: What does it mean to you to be an indie artist?

Brian: To be an indie artist simply means to be independent. You (the band) decide what music you wish to play, what clothes you wear, and how you want to be represented as people. It's refusing to abide by the typical sounding music and deciding to start something new. It's nearly impossible to create something completely original because we are all human and all have the same feelings, but it's really about being true to yourself, because if you're not, you will never be what you could have become.

Ryan: Brian summed it up, basically to be musically unbiased.

Mel: What would you like to achieve with your music?

Justin: I want to capture our imagination, experiences, and feelings to make a difference and to continue to grow and make great music.

Ryan: I want to be respected as a musician and not a bassist in general. Playing with CITA has allowed me to explore my creativity and push my music to the next level. I love making music that lets me express myself to the world.

Mel: Which opportunities do you see with indieSolo?

Colors in the Air: IndieSolo will give us the opportunity to branch out and reach people who love music. We will be able to use the site in order to contact and keep communication with fans and other bands.

Mel: Who are your influences?

Colors in the Air: Our families and friends have influenced us so much. Bands who have influenced us are; Radiohead, Dave Matthews Band, Incubus, Blink 182, Green Day, Our Lady Peace, Oasis, Muse, The Beatles, Tom Petty, Coldplay, Dream Theater.

Mel: Which artist would you like to record a song with and why?

Pat: I would love to record a song with John Lennon. He had the most amazing progressions in his music and in his lyrics. His messages were always fresh and he is overall a brilliant artist.

Ryan: I would like to record with Mike Portnoy, the drummer from Dream Theater. His style of drumming influenced me directly as a drummer, and his work as a producer of his band inspires me to be creative. Either him, John Lennon, or Paul McCartney would be amazing.

-end

[ back to top ]

Colors in the Air Tickets may be available from TicketScene