Canadian rock band Art of Dying was formed in 2004, signed to Intoxication Records in 2009, and released their first major label debut CD Vices And Virtues in May 2011. Heather Fitzpatrick not only captured the band rocking out on stage when the Uproar Festival played at White River Amphitheatre, she also took on the role of interviewer, chatting it up on a tour bus with their guitarist, Tavis Stanley.
Your band has stated that you are known for being the last people out of a venue at the end of a concert because you are so busy talking to the fans. You’re now starting to play larger shows such as Uproar, are you finding it less or more difficult to connect with your fans after every show?
Tavis Stanley: It’s never really difficult, because we enjoy it. There’s just more people to meet. We get more & more people coming up to us saying how this song or that song got them through a particular situation, and we’re getting more of that. It gives us more energy, and we love it. We want to meet everybody and connect with as many people that we can. That’s why we’re out here. We’re all in this together and we couldn’t do it without the fans. I see it as one big family.
If you could play on stage with any other musician, living or deceased, who would it be & why?
Tavis Stanley: Oh, I’d have to get up and jam with Jimmy Page one day. He’s still alive, so it could happen. We’re all pretty big Zeppelin fans in this band. He’s the one guy that if I could get up and play some riffs with him, that would be amazing.
When not playing music, what other things do you guys like to do?
Tavis Stanley: We like to play poker. . . a lot. On our days off, we usually set up the table right here (on the tour bus) and everyone sits around, we have a few beers and play a bunch of cards. We also like to hit the Casinos here and there. But yeah, we love to gamble and play poker, and that’s kind of our thing. That’s a fun thing we all do.
What has been your most memorable show or venue and why?
Tavis Stanley: That’s a tough call. There are so many good ones. You know what? Earlier this year we played Rock On The Range in Columbus, and that was a pretty big turning point, I think. We noticed our single, “Die Trying” was in the TOP TEN and for the first time when we played in Columbus the crowd just sang every word so loudly. It’s when we kind of all went like, “Holy Cow”, we’re getting played. People are noticing the song. It was a pretty cool moment.
Who were your biggest musical influences growing up?
Tavis Stanley: Well, Led Zeppelin honestly. Mostly the classic rock stuff, is what I was weaned on. You know, Aerosmith, The Doors, The Beatles, Hendrix, and I got into a lot of the old “Blues” guys like Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolfe, B.B. King. Right through to you know, the grunge stuff. We’re all big STP (Stone Temple Pilots) fans. . . Alice in Chains.
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