I became familiar with Ray and the band Tribe through out mutual friends at J.A.A.P. Radio. I knew right away that Ray was a good guy and has enough humor to put up with some of the questions I tend to throw out there to bands I interview.
I can also recommend that everyone check out Tribe at the site I'll link after the interview.
Enjoy...
D-Day: Thanks for speaking with The Revenge! Could you start by giving us your own description of your overall sound for the interested fans out there?
Ray/tribe: i had to put some serious thought into this one ....i would have to say that tribe is truly alternative...you see there is a little something in tribe music for everyone....if you like heavy,groove,ballads,happy music,dark music yet still left on center ....we are definately your everything band!
D-Day: Do you currently have any plans for an album or ep at this time?
Ray/tribe: yes as a matter of fact we have enough music in the "vault" to do 2 full cd's and working on enough new songs that we could possibly fill up 3....so as soon as we rerecord enough music with our new drummer we will have a cd available for release...alot of big things are heading your way!...you name it..cd's, a video, t shirts...etc ...just keep your eyes peeled and your ears open ...
D-Day: How about shows? Anything on the horizen you can tell us about?
Ray/Tribe: at the moment im gearing up to book some shows. we were in full swing when we parted ways with our previous drummer due to musical differences, so we had to take a break while we searched for fresh blood...now that we have our new member we are gearing up to put on some spectacular shows!
D-Day: Are you currently shopping around for labels? And if so, what size label would you prefer?
Ray/Tribe: we are always looking for avenues to gain greater recognition and popularity....we would like to get picked up by sony/universal, warner bros, hell anyone ...lol...who am i kidding ... but if we dont we will be doing it ourselves...who knows ..we have talked about starting our own label...so you never know ...we'll see what the future holds!
D-Day: How long has Tribe been together?
Ray/Tribe: i formed tribe around the beginning of 2006
D-Day: Is there a main songwriter in the band or has there been input from numerous members?
Ray/Tribe: yes ,the answer to your question is both...you see i write all the songs either at home and bring them to practice or write them on the fly while at rehearsal....so you could say i am the writer in the group.....although i give total creative freedom to the other members as far as input goes and they have total say on their instruments they play and what they play on the tracks! so in essence...its kinda both ...because i couldnt do it without them!
D-Day: What has been the craziest thing to happen so far while together as a band? Has there been some sort of zany fan moment, a Spinal Tap moment, someone shit their pants onstage, wardrobe malfunction..... you get the idea.
Ray/Tribe: oh geez....where do i start...this list could go on forever!....we've had a couple obsessed fans ...who have booked/cancelled shows that we were not aware of while portraying to be our mgt, which they were not!...we have many drunken incidents that i could tell you more about...hell one night after we played a show ...the bar owner refused to let us leave until we went in and did karaoke with the other half the bar to get people rowled up!...it was hilarious!...this is just the beginning...i'll save the real juicy ones until another interview.... ;)
D-Day: Let's try a multiple choice question.....
Tribe has been sent back in time to the 1960's. You are in your minibus cruising the circuit. What is your main objective?
a) Get booked to play with Hendrix
b) Party with Jim Morrison
c) See Elvis while he is thin
d) Make bets on who can fuck Janis Joplin
Ray/Tribe: hmmmmmm....i would say B, if i could choose only one otherwise it would be A and B
D-Day: If you had the power to choose 3 other bands to hit the road with on a worldwide jaunt... who would they be and why?
Ray/tribe: well i would say sevendust,dramagods, and alice in chains of course.....they are great bands and very talented musicians...primarily the same style/vein of music we are in ourselves
D-Day: You're obviously trying to get your music out to the masses. On that topic... what are your feelings about music downloading and sharing? Is there a point to where you would feel the need to not share so much?
Ray/tribe: i do not believe in downloading other peoples music for free....that may dissappoint a many people,however people have to realize that music although is our passion is also a job ...just like working in a factory or dept. store,.....if allowed to or illegally downloaded ...you may lose the music altogether that you so desparately are trying to save a few bucks on ....no one likes to work for free ....and if not controlled in the future downloading/sharing music could cripple the industry or any chance of making a living at it ...thus meaning if your favorite musicians cant see the reward of it.....why do it! i believe the only downloading/sharing of music allowed should be at the sole discretion of the band or artist!
D-Day: What is your main goal for Tribe?
Ray/Tribe: my main goal for tribe is to acheive the highest level of music/performance that we can reach....anything is possible with faith,loyal fans,and hard work!...we are already successful because we do what we love.....success isnt always about money!
D-Day: Thank you for taking the time with us! Do you have any final words for the fans?
Ray/Tribe:thank you for your time and interest in interviewing us...as far as final words go.....i want to thank each and everyone of our fans!...we truly do have the best fans ...and we look forward to hearing from all of you....you are the reason we do what we do....so please spread the word about tribe!...if you havent seen us in a bit or would like to share us with your friends etc ...please go to www.myspace.com/tribemusicgroup we would love to hear from you..please leave us a comment or friend request...i personally answer every email that comes to our site!.....with that being said ....rock on! and God Bless!...Ray(Lead singer/guitarist of Tribe)
Be sure to learn more about Tribe and check out some music here: TRIBE
