Fixed fate Drives With a Clear Passion on Their Latest Enjoyable Rock Album “Icarus”

Following the release of their brand new album “Icarus”, our team had the opportunity to share a short conversation with the band to find out more about their journey music. Here are a few excerpts from the interview:

We are happy to have you today. Tell us about your 2021 so far! What have you guys been up to?

Back playing live shows promoting the release of our latest album Icarus as of right now. Things have been good, the crowds are getting bigger and the songs are doing well. I’ve also been doing a lot of writing in preparation for a third and forth album along with a piano EP I’ve been wanting to put out for a couple years now. I’m always writing, so there’s a good chance if you ask me what’s next for the band I’ll be plugging some form of new music. A lot of the shows I play end up being testing grounds for new songs being written so you never really know what you’re going to get with a Fixed fate setlist.

Can you share more with our readers about your latest release “Icarus”?  What inspired the album?

The theme of the record follows the Greek tragedy of the flight of Icarus. The lyrics on the record sing mostly about conflict in twos. So while the opening songs on the record follow conflict amongst two adversaries, the middle part speaks to conflict in love and then the closing songs cover conflict within oneself. The energy of the tracks also follows a flight pattern similar to the story so the album opens heavy to represent the beginning of the flight and continuously gets softer as Icarus swoops downwards towards the water. The album ends by progressively getting heavier again as Icarus flies up in a panic towards the sun until ultimately ending with the chaos of Pennies, the closing track. Most of my songs in some form are me singing about experiences I’ve been through so it was fun to use my personal style of writing and fuse it with a little bit of metaphor to something familiar in the culture. There’s a lot of that in the lyrics, going back and rereading them that’s one of the things I’m very proud of with these songs; the lyrics are deeply personal with a lot of little easter eggs in the words that point toward the aforementioned theme.

How did the band first get started?

When I started calling what I do a band. I’m half kidding. I am the primary creative force in the band as well as the primary instrumentalist so the music really is just an extension of me. Back in high school I had a drummer and rhythm guitarist in the band, but once we graduated we went separate ways as they didn’t want to be in the group anymore. Outside of having a rhythm section the band today is essentially the same as it was when we started and just goes wherever I bring my guitar and voice.

How did you all decide on the band name Fixed fate?

Well, it all started one day when I had an epiphany in the desert. I walked for three days in the Sahara with no food or water until I came upon an oasis. I was thrilled, saved even. I ran to the water to quench my insatiable thirst, but just as I leaned down, a coconut fell on my head and nearly killed me. Another three days passed before I awoke. When I finally came to, a camel named Chrysanthemum was licking my forehead and speaking in tongues. At first I was afraid, but something deep within me reassured me Chrysanthemum would do me no harm. The strangest part was I could understand everything she was saying. After a heated debate about the merits of 1 vs 2 hump camels finally subsided, she gave me directions back into town as well as supplied me with three bags of beef jerky and a concubine to escort me there. Wow. I thought. Fixed fate would be a great name for a band. And the rest is history.

How would you describe your sound to someone who just listened to your music for the first time?

Wide ranging. I usually just call it “Rock” for the fact that it’s all just guitar driven music. Sometimes that can be chords on an acoustic guitar with a soft melody over the top and other times it might be something fast and heavy on an electric guitar with a more aggressive approach to the vocals layered on. I just try to write stuff I like and that typically sounds like classic rock with a darker edge. There’s definitely an experimental side to our sound too. If you listen closely to the songs on Icarus you’ll find that there’s a ton of layered guitars and vocal harmonies across the music and in the background, I often included noises and sounds that I felt fit the music. The intro to The Tar Pit alone has a beer can opening, a plane flying over the studio, ankles cracking, a Theremin making demonic sounds…there’s just a lot going on in these songs, but every sound on this new record was intentional.

How has these past few months of quarantine affected you all creatively?

I’m always writing. The world around me doesn’t change that.

What advice do you have for anyone interested in starting their own band?

Be careful how you define success. If you don’t think about what goals you want to accomplish in your career you’ll spend your whole life chasing an invisible end without finding satisfaction in the progress you make along the way. Also, write for yourself. Don’t put a song out there you don’t like just because you think it might be a hit. Times change, taste fades and all that remains is good music.

Biggest lesson learned in your career so far?

Practice. Just because you’re good doesn’t mean you can just be on cruise control with the talent you’re trying to promote. Work at it everyday and be better than everyone else at it because that’s the reason people are coming to see you. They want to hear songs that were uniquely crafted and instrumentals that are played tight and well.

How do you get pumped up before a big event?

I usually try to steal at least one guys girlfriend right before the show starts to make sure there’s sufficient drama and adrenaline around getting up in front of the crowd and yelling into a microphone about broken hearts. Besides that it’s the usual party backstage; a nice reading circle and a spirited discussion on the merits of capitalism typically gives me just enough pep to go out there and deliver the goods.

Thank you for speaking with us! For our final question, is there anything else you would like to add?

Hi Mom! I guess I’d say you can find us on all major streaming platforms and keep an eye out for new music, it’s always in the works! Thanks for bringing me on I love talking about myself and acting like I have answers to things.

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