Interview with This Is Breathing!!!!

Here are the members of the band and a way to connect with them:

Bands twitter page:
http://twitter.com/#!/thisisbreathing

Dan Rudd-Guitar/Vocals
(@thedanrudd)

Phillip Berg-Guitar
(@pheelipberg)

Alex Bock-Bass
(@thisisitalex)

Sten Nisswandt-Drums
(@stennisswandt)
Below are their individual responses:

1. What inspired you guys to play music?

Dan: “Music inspired me to write music!” (lol)

Phillip: “My friends started playing instruments in middle school and I thought it was the coolest thing ever, so I picked up a guitar and started playing piano. The rest is history :). Of course my friends, family, and everyone in our lives. We want to give people: an escape from the world, something to relate to, and be their favorite band one day.”

Alex: “I grew up around music all my life and so it grew on me from there!”

2. How has music changed your life?

Alex: “It has changed my life by giving me something to go to. During high school, I was never really someone who was super popular or anything like that and music got me through it all. Everyone else always worked hard to get really good grades and go to the college of their dreams, but for me, I was always working on music because I decided that is what I wanted to do with my life!”

Dan: “It has given me an outlet to go to when things happen in my life!”

Phillip: “Music changed my life basically by giving me a life that is constantly on the move. Music has become my life! I can't imagine doing something else or going to school. It also gives me a chance to travel, which is my life goal to travel as much of the world as possible.”

3. What bands do you guys listen to and how have they shaped your music?

Dan: “Yellowcard and Fall Out Boy were the big ones that started to shape my music writing!”

Alex: “I was listening to bands like green day, sum 41, blink 182, cartel etc... all these bands have somewhat of a similar style. Each one has their own different edge. We don’t want to be them, we just want to give our music a different edge that could separate us from the rest.
 A breath of fresh air :)."

Phillip: “We pretty much all share a liking for the bands mentioned. You could also throw in All Time Low for me personally. As odd as it may seem, Metallica, Taylor Swift, A Day to Remember, Eminem, Maroon 5, One Republic on top of the mentioned pop rock bands. They really help shape music that I write and contribute as far as structure, the musicianship as opposed to the actual sound!”

4. What advice do you guys have for others that want to pursue in music as their career?

All: “GO BIG OR GO HOME! Put it all on the table, if it is your dream and passion go after it. Give it a shot and put everything into it. Also, have fun and experience your music. It is a lot of work, work, work, and more work. Be prepared to have it consume your life and hopefully it will pay off!”

5. Where did you guys get the idea for the name of your band?

Phillip: “Well, I was learning to ride a bike a couple summers ago and I saw a really pretty girl. She took my breath away. So I started singing that Jessica Simpson song from Top Gun, “Take my Breath Away” (breaks out into the chorus…)

Dan and Alex: ….

Phillip: “…and from there, one thing lead to another and I was like... whoa… breathing… this is breathing. The concept of breathing and was totally stoked as if I made a great discovery”

Conversation continues (lol):

Alex: “I don’t think that is actually how we got the name..” (lol)

Phillip: “Hey… you left this to me to answer..”

Dan: “ Alex, we’ll just got with it.” (lol)

6. What do you guys want your fans to know about you that they might not know already?

Alex: “That our fans are the most important thing, without you guys we would not be able to do any of this. We are all just normal guys working everyday to put something together for all of you to enjoy!!

Dan: “Our lives are work and music! ”

Phillip: “Alex can’t swim. Like literally, he sinks… he needs floaties to go into the deep end” (lol)

Alex: “Shut up.. not my fault!”

7. What are you thinking when you guys are on stage?

Dan: “Oh crap, I shouldn't have ate right before we played..”

Alex: “How can we put on the best show..”

Phillip: “How can I make Dan mess up.”  I am generally in la la land while playing to be honest!

The story of how they got their name is so sweet, you should just read this interview because of that. On a serious note, they really helped me connect with my love for music again after hearing them play. So listen to This Is Breathing and like their page because they might make your heart stop a beat :)