Today, [UTG] James spoke briefly with Vincent from The Acacia Strain. Below you can find the interview that transpired and don’t forget to buy their new album: Continent, in stores now!

J: Hey Vincent, how are you today?

V: I’m alright. Cockpunch has a show tonight [his other band].

J: So give us a little history on The Acacia Strain. I mean you’ve been a band brimming on the edge of breaking out for awhile, so how did you get here?

V: Me and a bunch of my friends wanted to start a band and play in the area. That was our goal. Then we started getting a lot of attention and people told us to take it more seriously. We recorded an album for a local label and then an EP that Prosthetic and have been touring ever since with no signs of stopping.

J: Let’s jump right into the new album, are there any themes throughout the disc or messages you’re trying to get across?

V: The theme of the entire record is exile and trust in the human race. The whole record is about one guy who is just sick of everything and chooses to exile himself from everything. He comes back and destroys all existence on Earth and figures he’ll destroy himself while doing so. Except he lives through and makes his own permanent exile. It’s kind of my own personal goal.

J: You’re packaging has a sticker that talks about how your band if often imitated…are you trying to speak to anyone specifically or just putting the word out?

V: The label actually did that. We don’t exactly really care about it. There are some bands out there doing basically the exact same thing as us, but music is music. It was bound to happen.

J: You chose to do limited vinyl pressing with two bonus tracks. What, if anything, sets these two apart from the album [different feels, themes,etc.]?

V: No, we wrote all the songs for the record. They have the same themes and musical ideas. It just ended up that the label wanted to cut two tracks and use them later. We wrote the album as one big piece.

J: I’m sure with a new album out you have some major fall plans, care to share?

V: the entire month of October has us with Unearth, Protest The Hero, Gwen Stacy, and Whitechapel. Then we’re going to Canada I think. I’m really excited about the Unearth tour, there’s a lot of great bands on that.

J: As a band quickly rising in the scene, what do you do to stay in touch with your fan base?

V: Definitely. You can hang out with us anytime. We’re just dudes and we realize that. We try to meet anyone and everyone who gives us a chance. We’re just a couple of [guys] who got lucky.

J: I always wonder what kind of music bands in the metal/hardcore scene listen to. I mean, do you keep it strictly hardcore, or do you have some other musical interests that we might not expect?

V: I listen to metal all day with shows. I listen to a lot of ambient stuff like Earth. M.F. Doom. Portishead. A lot of really mellow, not super aggressive loud stuff. Especially when I’m driving the van or whatever, it just puts me in the wrong mood.

J: Well, I know you’re quite busy, but I wanted to ask one last question. We’re quite focused on bringing bands to the forefront that people may not have been exposed to enough. What bands would you like to see get more attention in the industry?

V: There’s a lot of hardcore bands out there that need more exposure. Shiprweck AD, Black listed, Since The Flood, Ligeia [new album out not]. There’s so many bands that it’s hard to decide who deserves what. The internet is wide open venue and I think with enough work you can find a new favorite band.

J: Well, we don’t believe in final questions, but we do offer you a free podium to make a closing statement. The only rule is that you cannot plug the album. The floor is yours,last thoughts?

V: Basically, I just want to let kids know that there are a lot of bands out there doing what they’re doing for the wrong reason. They want to have a band to get laid, have friends and be cool. That’s not why you should be in a band. Kids need to realize that’s not real. Those people don’t have a heart and these kids need to not dedicate their time to “false idols” and realize those who work hard at what they do need more credit. These are the bands who care about nothing, but playing music and being on the road and a lot of these kids don’t get that because they’re distracted by bands talking about sex and smoking pot. It’s not about looking cool, it’s about supporting real musicians. The girl…the tight jeans and girl hair [Motley Crue style hair] needs to go away. It’s not a fashion show. It’s the same ordeal from the 80’s and it’s coming back now because Motley Crue, Poison, and all those guys did it for the wrong reason as well.

J: On behalf of Under The Gun Review I just want to thank you and the guys at Prosthetic Records for taking the time to work with us and I can’t wait to see what you guys do next.

V: No problem, thank you so much.

*Written By: James Shotwell*

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James Shotwell

James Shotwell is the founder of Under The Gun Review. He loves writing about music and movies almost as much as he loves his two fat cats. He's also the co-founder of Antique Records and the Marketing Coordinator for Haulix. You should probably follow him on Twitter.

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