“We’ve been together for 10 years now, and you start to realize that it’s the real bands that are able to span the test of time,” said Every Time I Die guitarist Andy Williams in regards to his band’s die-hard work ethic and dedication to the road.
Buffalo, New York’s favorite sons of southern metal have spent the better part of the last ten years on tour, giving it their all day-in and day-out. The band’s dedication and hard work has made them one of the top acts in the metal industry, headlining tours and fests alongside genre giants Shadows Fall and Lamb of God. After taking a few months off to write a new record, Every Time I Die is back out on the road in support of The Big Dirty.
“There’s just a lack of real bands out there now,” said guitarist Andy Williams before a show in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The bands Williams refers to are the ones that believe they’re going to hit it big right out the gate, but rarely succeed. If you want respect as a band, you do it the hard way: Buy a van and get on the road. That’s the way ETID started and looking around the industry today, most newer groups have no idea what it takes to be a “real band.”
“Our first tour we did in two Nissan Altimas,” said Williams. “There are guys that start out in buses, and they don’t have ups and downs. One little thing goes wrong and they fall apart and quit. It’s always the bigger bands that will just give up.”
Every Time I Die hit one of the ‘downs’ in January 2006, when en route to a show in Salt Lake City, its van hit a patch of black ice, skidded out of control and flipped over. The van was totaled, but no one was hurt.
“We missed three shows, spent all our money, bought a new van and just kept going,” Williams said of the incident. “It’s never been about what’s in our pockets.”
Touring is a huge part of how Every Time I Die became what it is, but the band has also had to navigate through the rough waters of the music industry, where everyone else thinks they know what’s best. “When managers and labels start to come down with ideas, it’s almost too much pressure. They start telling you what’s going to better your career, and a lot of times, they’re just wrong.”
ETID has opened arena tours for the likes of My Chemical Romance and has been a part of huge festivals, but these career milestones have not always proved beneficial. “Warped Tour is awesome, because it’s an open minded tour,” said Williams. “Ozzfest was awful. You pay $75,000 to be on the tour and they still charge thirty bucks a ticket. It’s just a rip off.” (Note: This past summer Ozzfest stopped charging for tickets and made every show free. The bands still pay to play, though.)
Every Time I Die is a band built on integrity and hard work. When asked what the biggest influence was in recording The Big Dirty, Williams replied, “So we could get back out on tour. We aim to stay on the road. And the kids that come out, I know it sounds a little clich but it’s true, they make it all worth it.”
Every Time I Die plays at Salt Lake’s In The Venue on Oct. 12 with Underoath.
