Wearing a plaid shirt in his promo photos.
Citing Kurt Cobain and Eddie Vedder as influences.
This story will have a predictable ending to it, right?
Wrong!
Everything one might expect from an artist with the above characteristics is quickly and emphatically proven wrong with one listen to Aurora, the new EP from fast-rising Pacific Northwesterner, Cole Childers. The six songs that make up Aurora are a diverse blend of thoughtful and thought provoking pieces of art, with enough overdrive to win over the hearts of today's most discriminating metal lovers without alienating the mainstream.
Helping Hands Rock Reviews recently had the opportunity to pick Childers' brain about the new EP and what lies ahead for the Jet City songwriter.
Helping Hands Rock Reviews: One of the first things I noticed about your songs were that
they hit on a variety of story lines.
What are some of your favorite lyrics on the album, are they based on
real life or fiction, and how do you come up with the topics?
Cole Childers: The Aurora EP is compiled with
songs portraying emotions that I have felt through various situations and
experiences, either personally or someone I know. My personal favorite would be “Run
Away.” This song describes the
relationship between a father and daughter in a torn marriage and the lengths
the father would go to in protecting his daughter. I personally love my daughter very much and
would go to the ends of the Earth for her.
HHRR: Your video for “Fall With Me” shows some pretty intense and
emotion-grabbing military imagery. How
was the concept developed for that video?
CC: The concept for “Fall With Me” was
developed by [Director/Producer] Scott Hansen and myself. I had written this song a few years back and
put it on the side burner until I decided to move forward with the Aurora
EP. Scott Hansen and I had discussed
the concept for the video around the time the song was written and waited for
the right opportunity to film it. We
wanted to portray the very real sacrifices made by military members and their
families on a daily basis.
HHRR: Aurora has some heavy material as well as some stuff on the
lighter side of the rock spectrum. Do
you consider yourself more of a metal guy with a soft side or a
singer-songwriter who can crank it up?
CC: [Laughs]. I obviously wear my heart on my
sleeve and show it in this EP. When I
originally started writing I was a big fan of Rob Thomas, Kurt Cobain, and
Eddie Vedder as singer/songwriters - I know, complete opposites! I tend to show these influences when I write,
dynamically speaking. I consider myself
a rock guy, from metal to acoustic. I enjoy writing everything in between!
HHRR: You’re currently based out of Seattle and came from Virginia. What are the music scenes like in
those regions?
CC: The music scene in Virginia Beach is very consistent and loyal. There are a handful of very talented
musicians there and a great way to connect with them is through Soul Haven
Studios, Virginia Beach. Soul Haven has
a knack for finding raw talent and they have been very instrumental in getting
me where I am today. Seattle is very
different and it’s hard to pinpoint the music scene here. The new sound I would call “eclectic,” hitting all sorts of genres and fusing them
together.
HHRR: What are your plans once the public gets a hold of Aurora?
CC: Hopefully to hold on for dear
life [laughs]! But, seriously, the plan is to
support the music and all regional demands.
We are trying to get Aurora to as many outlets as possible.
Aurora will be released on June 10, 2014 on major music download and streaming outlets such as iTunes, Amazon MP3, and more.
# of Facebook page "Likes" for Cole Childers at the time of this writing: 4,397.
Helping Hands Rock Reviews prides itself on discovering great bands just before they break. We record the number of Facebook Likes to watch our favorite artists grow and to track how far we are ahead of the curve.
