The Sky Above and Earth Below is an imaginative band, with lyrics, and a name, full of imagery to set your mind at ease or break your heart. What was once a one piece, became a two piece, and on their next record will be a three piece! Read and listen, and be sure to stay tuned for the new stuff this band is putting out it is sure to melt your brain.
1. Where did the name The Sky Above And Earth Below come from?
It didn't come as a reference to anything, and wasn't really inspired by anything specific. I just liked the imagery it created for me. It just has to do with where we are, as humans, physically, of course. Very literal.
2. How long has the band been together? When did it start up, and who doe's it consist of?
Well sometime in 2008 a band that I was in called A Ghost's Face Two Inches From Your Own Face was coming to an end and I had several songs I had written that we did not finish together. Edward (the other guitarist in that band) and I have played music together pretty much constantly since then but it was never as aggressive as our previous endeavors, so I sat on those songs for a couple of years and finally recorded them track by track, by myself, in 2010. That was the Quest's Timescape ep. I had been in another band last year called Grandfather which featured the best fucking drummer I have ever had the pleasure of playing with, Sam Pape, and I worked up the gall to ask him to play drums with me so that I could play shows with TSAAEB. We started playing as a two piece in late 2011 I think, and sometime a few months ago our friend Reid Stubblefield of Pardee Shorts joined us on bass.
3. So did the dynamic change after he started playing drums? By that I mean does he help write the songs now, or is it still a Miller life when it comes to the songs?
Well we are about to record a full length, and somewhere near the end of writing that we began integrating the whole band into the writing process, rather than me writing songs and showing them to Sam and Reid. I'm excited to see where it goes after we put this record out because they are both very creative and, I feel, can bring an awful lot to the table.
4. Do you think the new songs with them are better? Or that having the in the band definitely makes the band fuller?
Most of the new stuff is still stuff that I wrote and brought to them. That being said, the songs are different, but I try not to get the idea that what I'm doing now is better than what I was doing two or four years ago. It's just different, and it should be; we all need to progress when we write music.
5. What was the first show you played with Sam playing the drums? And what as well has been the best played show yet?
We play a lot of shows at this bookstore in Portland, mainly because there are not many other places to book all ages, DIY shows in the city right now. Our first show was there, I believe with Cower, and I think we covered Ghoul's Night Out by the Misfits... My favorite shows are when we get to play with good bands from out of town that I've never heard of. Last month we played with a band called Sinatra from DC and they were crazy good. Very mid-2000's sounding post hardcore. I'm a sucker for it.
Also, we've finally played enough shows as a band to get locked in and not sound like poop. Tonally, I think we sound better every show.
6. Well lyrically how are your songs put together? From past experiences, or do you use hit points in your music to know where to write something?
Sam and I have actually been writing most of the lyrics together. We enjoy writing about love, not specifically romantic love but the love we have for our friends, family, and those we've lost. Our upcoming album has a lyrical concept that we put quite a bit of effort into.
7. Care to divulge a little on this concept? Or would you rather wait until it releases?
Not at all, it's about a young kid losing his best friend. The lyrics are written from both the perspective of the kid who dies and the kid who is alive, they deal with a child's understanding of love and death and coming to terms with mortality, as well as discovering what it means to be dead (which is expressed lyrically through confusion, not knowing where one is or what it happening). It is hard not to be pretentious when talking about death but we tried.
8. Do you think this will make people fall in love with your music more? What was the reasoning behind deciding on this lyrical path for the new album?
Hah, I'm not sure but I'm betting it will at least be taken more seriously not having anything to do with Zelda. That is one reason why I wanted to have a strong concept on this album, to set it straight that we are not a Zelda-themed band, although the songs on the ep are about Zelda. I think I wrote about Zelda to make the songs less personal, so I could share it without really spilling my heart out. At this point in my life, I think spilling your heart out is one of the most important things to do with your art.
9. Is there anything you want to say to people who want to start their own music, or that your music inspires them to want to do something?
Please do it, even if you live in a shitty town or don't have anyone to play music with or your family doesn't understand what you feel passionate about, struggle to make music. It's worth it, even just for yourself.
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