From The Horse's Mouth: Raz Klinghoffer (EarlyRise) on Colors

EarlyRise

EarlyRise


EarlyRise exceed at crafting multi-layered rock anthems injected with dynamic, melodic hooks. It’s a sound that’s taken to new heights with the group’s sophomore effort, Colors, which was released on March 20.
The L.A.-based group recently unleashed a video for the album’s first single, “Safer In Here” juxtaposing acclaimed Japanese director Takuya Okada’s haunting animation with the song’s emotionally powered lyrics. The video can be seen and shared here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhTZuy8KWuw
EarlyRise was co-founded by Orly Lari (vocals/piano) and Raz Klinghoffer (guitars/producer) and started gaining momentum after releasing their debut effort What If… in 2011. Their steady rise led to EarlyRise becoming the only unsigned artist included in-game in the play-guitar-like-a-pro Rocksmith 2014, as well as performances at international festivals like Rockstar Energy Uproar Fest and Singapore’s Music Matters. A testament to its strong DIY ethos, EarlyRise’s dedicated fanbase contributed over $18,000 via Kickstarter to pre-order Colors.
Ghettoblaster recently spoke with Klinghoffer, who had much to say about the album.
When did you begin writing the material for Colors?  
We started writing Colors two and a half years ago, after our fans generously funded our Kickstarter campaign. We were thrilled to see how much support our fans provided us and wanted to deliver the best album we could.
What was the most difficult song to take from the initial writing stage through recording and mixing?  Why was it so troublesome?
The two songs I had an unusually hard time mixing were “This Ending” and “Chaos,” and I honestly don’t know why. When I mix a full album, there are always songs that are easier to mix than others.
Which of the songs on the record is most different from your original concept for the song?
Most of our songs were an instrumental-produced concept we already had, so I would say that most of them stayed pretty much stayed close to the original idea throughout the writing and recording process.
Who produced the record?  What input did that person have that changed the face of the record?
We self-produced the album. This time around, we had quite a few people involved in the process. We wrote around 70 demos before we narrowed them down to the final 14; we enlisted the help of a group of trusted musicians and friends, about 10 people, to help us decide what stood out, what was good, and what wasn’t throughout the whole process.
Is there an overarching concept behind your new album that ties the record together?
No, it’s actually the other way around, each and every song on the album has its own unique vibe, that’s why we called it Colors. We wanted to show our fans as many sides of ourselves as we could.
Have you begun playing these songs live and which songs have elicited the strongest reaction from your fans?
We are currently working on a live set and tour for the new album. Hopefully we can hit the road soon, especially now that we call Los Angeles home.
(Visit EarlyRise here:
www.earlyrisemusic.com/
www.facebook.com/EarlyRise
www.twitter.com/EarlyRiseBand)