Real talk from Protest the Hero
Krank’d Up Festival used to be the new kid of the block on the festival scene but with every year they have set the bar even higher than the previous year, a sure fire sign that the festival is headed in the right direction.
This year, the festival, which takes place on September 27, will feature headlining acts Canadian metal band Protest the Hero and Boston residents Unearth. Protest The Hero have toured extensively and will be heading down to South Africa for the festival. The Canadian metal heads have shared the stage with the likes of Bullet for My Valentine, Underoath, Parkway Drive and Avenged Sevenfold, and released the critically-acclaimed albums Kezia, Fortress, Scurrilous and Volition. But they do not see that as their biggest achievements so far.
Guitarist Tim MacMiller says a sustainable career is much more important to him: “To me the biggest achievement is that we are still a band and going strong. We want to have a sustainable career, and it seems in this day and age people come and go so quickly,” he says.
“The only way to get a fan base and grow as a band is to develop a reputation and continue to put out albums and we hope to be around a lot longer.”
It takes a lot more than resilience to make in the music industry these days and MacMiller calls for a much thicker skin when dealing with people in the industry. ”I would say keep your guard up when working with people. A lot of people are there to help you along your ride but you have to make sure they are who they say you are and make them earn your trust,” he says.
“Don’t get someone to do a job you can do yourself and if you are having people work with you, keep the communication open and everyone on the same page. It’s your band and your life so it’s important you are able to extract what you want out of it.”
The guitarist also said one of the best things about touring with the band is being able to see the world. “The highlight for me is being able to see parts of the world you’d never get to see if you didn’t do this. We’ve travelled a lot and though you don’t get to be a tourist everyday, over the years I’ve got to see a lot of cool places and meet a lot of great people from these places. It’s something I don’t take for granted and I definitely use the band as an excuse to travel and try to find new and exciting places to go, as you can see with us making our first trip to South Africa,” he says.
The band have quite a show in store for their local fans, “We try to play our tunes to the best of our ability but also have some fun at the same time. We try to keep the show entertaining and light hearted. In between songs, our singer Rody does what some people think is a stand up comedy routine but usually just says funny shit off the top of his head,” says MacMiller.
The band seem to draw a lot from creative forces outside of their metal genre. MacMiller says it keeps things fresh and interesting for them. “It’s important to look outside your genre to find musical inspiration. If I find a different style of playing that’s foreign to me, it inspires me to learn quicker than if I feel pigeon holed with the same old stuff. It also important to look for role models in and outside of music to keep you motivated to continue to improve and grow as an individual but also as a band,” he says.
They’ve thrived at being able to connect with their fanbases all over the world, including South Africa. MacMiller attributes this to a genuine interest that the band has to get to know their fans. “I always try to be accessible at shows. I like to meet people before and after the show when possible and staying connected in that way is the best way to stay close with fans. I always find it interesting about how people discovered us, where they came from to see this show, how many times they’ve seen us before and anything else they want to tell me about why they are a fan of the band. It keeps you humble and keeps you in tune with what’s going on. Without all of these people, we wouldn’t be playing shows so I’m grateful to have them.”
And this is why some of their greatest tour moments have come from their interaction with fans. The band once recorded an apology video for their fans when they couldn’t make a gig in Salt Lake City. “This was a while ago, but we had bad luck with our van always breaking down on our way to Salt Lake City in the US. Instead of sitting on the side of the road for hours waiting for a tow truck, we decided to make a video as an apology for the missed show. You can have a look and have a laugh here if you want to see what we did,”
I’m sure they will be no need to do one for their South African fans as the anticipation is already building on their social media
Tickets for the festival are R275 and are on sale nationwide through Computicket, as well as at Computicket outlets and Checkers stores.
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