Jona Weinhofen - I Killed The Prom Queen (16/09/2014)
When Adelaide metalcore five piece I Killed The Prom Queen reformed in 2011 after three years apart and with only two of their original members fans didn't know what to expect. Three years on the band are going strong. In February of this year they released their third studio album Beloved, their first in eight years.
Lead guitarist and clean vocalist Jona Weinhofen was asked how the album came about. “It's something we've been talking about for quite a while. We've been talking about writing another record since about 2010. We officially reformed in 2011 but by the time we were all in the one place to write the record it was a couple of years later.”
On the sound of the new record Jona said, “I feel like we did a good job of keeping the Prom Queen sound on Beloved. Especially with the fact that we had a couple of new members join the band. We did make quite a progression with the record. We tried to listen to different influences instead of the same metalcore bands. This is the first album that we've had a lot of synth on and we had a live real string quarter on this record which is something I've always wanted to do. That was really exciting for us to try that.”
He also talked about the new members in the band. “We were pretty keen to see how the new dynamic would work because we have Ben [Coyte] our bass player, Shane [O'Brien] our drummer and Jamie [Hope] our newish singer who joined in 2011 now. It turned out really well. Those guys were picked not only on their musical skills but also on the fact that they were close friends.”
In September the band embark on the Rise of Brotality tour, their first national tour since Soundwave Festival back in February/March. “I booked the entire tour myself. The Ghost Inside were chosen because we've known them since 2008 and we've toured with them a couple of times this year already. In Hearts Wake were chosen as the direct support for the co-headliner because they're pretty new and up and coming and they're from Byron Bay which is one of our favourite places. Bury Tomorrow, the UK band, we picked because we'd been talking with them for some time about trading tours and we're hoping they'll bring us out to the UK to support them. We really wanted to bring them out on their first Australian tour.”
Having played Soundwave with both Bleeding Through and Bring Me The Horizon previously Jona talked about what it was like playing it with Prom Queen for the first time. “It was really cool and the timing worked out perfectly because the album came out the week before Soundwave kicked off. I kind of knew what to expect but the other guys didn't and it was a really positive experience for us. It allowed us to play with some of our favourite bands. Aside from the music aspect I think the coolest thing is that we got to meet up with a huge number of bands that we were friends with or fans of. It was an exhilarating feeling.”
Having been in Bleeding Through from 2007 to 2009 and Bring Me The Horizon from 2009 to 2013 Jona spoke about the differences between being in them and Prom Queen. “Each band musically is quite a bit different and I definitely learnt a lot from joining the other two bands. Mostly about myself as a touring musician and as a songwriter. I think the biggest difference is that I Killed The Prom Queen is a band that I started right out of high school with a couple of best friends. Every member that we've had leave the band or join the band has always been my closest friends. With Bleeding Through and Bring Me The Horizon I was lucky to have joined them but I really didn't know those people all too well. I got on with them all really well but when it's a band you didn't form and you're not as invested in it doesn't have the same feeling. Prom Queen is basically my baby that I started when I was seventeen years old and everything I do with the band is driven by that passion.”
To end with he spoke about the longevity of the band and being in a band with his best friends. “I think that's the thing that holds the whole band together. The friendships and the fact that we get to share these experiences. There's plenty of bands out there that do what they do because it's a pay check or it's a job they want to do. For me it's all about travelling the world with my friends. Making money and playing awesome shows is just a sidebar to that which is a nice bonus.”
Matt Barton
Lead guitarist and clean vocalist Jona Weinhofen was asked how the album came about. “It's something we've been talking about for quite a while. We've been talking about writing another record since about 2010. We officially reformed in 2011 but by the time we were all in the one place to write the record it was a couple of years later.”
On the sound of the new record Jona said, “I feel like we did a good job of keeping the Prom Queen sound on Beloved. Especially with the fact that we had a couple of new members join the band. We did make quite a progression with the record. We tried to listen to different influences instead of the same metalcore bands. This is the first album that we've had a lot of synth on and we had a live real string quarter on this record which is something I've always wanted to do. That was really exciting for us to try that.”
He also talked about the new members in the band. “We were pretty keen to see how the new dynamic would work because we have Ben [Coyte] our bass player, Shane [O'Brien] our drummer and Jamie [Hope] our newish singer who joined in 2011 now. It turned out really well. Those guys were picked not only on their musical skills but also on the fact that they were close friends.”
In September the band embark on the Rise of Brotality tour, their first national tour since Soundwave Festival back in February/March. “I booked the entire tour myself. The Ghost Inside were chosen because we've known them since 2008 and we've toured with them a couple of times this year already. In Hearts Wake were chosen as the direct support for the co-headliner because they're pretty new and up and coming and they're from Byron Bay which is one of our favourite places. Bury Tomorrow, the UK band, we picked because we'd been talking with them for some time about trading tours and we're hoping they'll bring us out to the UK to support them. We really wanted to bring them out on their first Australian tour.”
Having played Soundwave with both Bleeding Through and Bring Me The Horizon previously Jona talked about what it was like playing it with Prom Queen for the first time. “It was really cool and the timing worked out perfectly because the album came out the week before Soundwave kicked off. I kind of knew what to expect but the other guys didn't and it was a really positive experience for us. It allowed us to play with some of our favourite bands. Aside from the music aspect I think the coolest thing is that we got to meet up with a huge number of bands that we were friends with or fans of. It was an exhilarating feeling.”
Having been in Bleeding Through from 2007 to 2009 and Bring Me The Horizon from 2009 to 2013 Jona spoke about the differences between being in them and Prom Queen. “Each band musically is quite a bit different and I definitely learnt a lot from joining the other two bands. Mostly about myself as a touring musician and as a songwriter. I think the biggest difference is that I Killed The Prom Queen is a band that I started right out of high school with a couple of best friends. Every member that we've had leave the band or join the band has always been my closest friends. With Bleeding Through and Bring Me The Horizon I was lucky to have joined them but I really didn't know those people all too well. I got on with them all really well but when it's a band you didn't form and you're not as invested in it doesn't have the same feeling. Prom Queen is basically my baby that I started when I was seventeen years old and everything I do with the band is driven by that passion.”
To end with he spoke about the longevity of the band and being in a band with his best friends. “I think that's the thing that holds the whole band together. The friendships and the fact that we get to share these experiences. There's plenty of bands out there that do what they do because it's a pay check or it's a job they want to do. For me it's all about travelling the world with my friends. Making money and playing awesome shows is just a sidebar to that which is a nice bonus.”
Matt Barton