Interview: Nick Dewar, Lions Among Us

Interview: Nick Dewar, Lions Among Us

Hello. So I conducted an email interview with vocalist Nick Dewar, from the Christian Post-Hardcore band Lions Among Us. I asked him about his music and his influences, and here is what he said.

1. How did you get your start in music?

Nick: Well, I started playing music in 4th grade. My mom is a musician and a music teacher so it has always been around. I played in the school band and all of that as well. Then, I started taking lessons along with teaching myself. I started playing in bands when I was 15 or 16 and haven’t really stopped since.

2. What influences the music you make?

Nick: Literally everything influences us. We take inspiration from everything. My biggest inspiration is actually the pain I see around me. I know this might sound a little weird but let me explain. I have seen some very dark places in life. I never want to go back to feeling that way. And I see so many other people hurting and dying. They are the reason that I do this. It is my mission to help them get out of those situations. We are a band to show people that there is hope and there is love in the world. They are my biggest influence and reason that I do this.

3. How did you all meet, and how did the formation of the band occur? Nick: I was in a band before this one. We ended up breaking up for numerous reasons. So, I went into the studio and the engineer and I wrote and recorded the first EP. I then started putting together the right guys to fill the spots in the rest of the band. I met Nick (guitar) on craigslist actually. And through mutual other friends in bands or other bands that had broken up etc., the rest of us joined up.

4. Who are your inspirations, music-wise?

Nick: Musically, we all listen to very many different groups, everything ranging from Jazz and orchestral to pop and punk to hardcore and metal. So we bring a lot to the table honestly. We pull inspiration from many different kinds of music so it is hard to nail down just a few.

5. Have you experienced any difficulties or obstacles in your music career? If so, could you name some?

Nick: Yes. The music industry is FULL of difficulties and obstacles that most people don’t realize or know. There are the obstacles that you face from the musical band standpoint. The biggest one being money. Just to record a solid record costs thousands and thousands of dollars not to mention the hundreds of hours that are put into writing and perfecting it. Then after all is said and done, you only make a few dollars per record sold. Sometimes, you never even break even let alone make money on a release. Especially with how easily one can download music for free, many bands never make money on music alone. That also doesn’t count the cost of printing merchandise etc. as well. Which to make quality merch, is expensive. Then you think about the difficulties while on the road. Many of those include money issues as well. Van payments/repairs, insurance, food and other travel costs (which many bands members live on $10 a day for food or less). There are also the issues that many bands are on the road for 300 days a year. This means that they are away from home for birthdays, holidays weddings, not to mention deaths, funerals, hospital visits. I was 600 miles away when I got the call that my mom was diagnosed with cancer. Then there are the internal struggles like fights among band members or even finding the perfect band members to fit the band. You will be trapped in a van with them for hours and hours a day for 300 days a year; tensions will rise. It is not the glamorous life that many think it is. It is a very hard life. But there is nothing I would rather do.

6. Do you have any interesting encounters or stories of experiences that you have had while on the road?

Nick:There are so many crazy things that have happened on tour. Honestly though, the most amazing encounters we have on the road are with our fans. I know it might sound cliche or something but it is the truth. The fans are the reason we do this and it is awesome to meet them, talk with them and hang out. It truly is.

7. What are your plans for the future, music-wise? Do you have any particular direction that you plan to take your music?

Nick: The future honestly looks very bright. We have a ton of plans and really cool things in the works. We are writing a new record as we speak and hopefully that will be out this summer. The direction will be a mix of what we have done in the past and more. Our first record was quite electronic and pop like then our second record was much heavier and did not have much of an electronic element. This next record is going to be a mix of both and more. We will be releasing more information about all of this very soon!