Worldwide Takeover Zine:
For a direct link to the interview, click HERE.

Sunday, April 15, 2007

My Turn To Win interview with Dave and Jess Vocalist and Guitarist of the band
Category: Music

 http://www.myspace.com/myturntowin

http://www.myturntowin.com

First off i want to Thank both Dave and Jess for taking the time out to do this interview

1: how long has the band been together:

(Jess:) Since the summer of 2004.
(Dave:) mttw formed in july of 2004.
2: what do you base your lyrics on when writing new material:
(Jess:) Ask Dave, he writes all the lyrics.
(Dave:) a variety of things. we focus on positive things and inspiration from everyday life and friendships.

3: is this the original lineup and if not what is the current lineup:
(Jess:) We've had a shaky lineup at times, but I'm fucking stoked on the lineup we have right now . It's solid.
(Dave:) this is not the original lineup. Jess and myself are original, Justin T joined on drums december 2004.  Justin S joined in january and Len joined in march.

4: how did the band come to be known as My Turn To Win:
(Jess:) My Turn to Win is the name of a Turning Point song.  Basically, it was Dave's idea, though.
(Dave:) It's a turning point song. Turning point rules.  Plus they are from new jersey too.
5: when the band is on tour in the van what is normally playing in the cd player:  (Jess:) It's a broad range of things.  Always different.  But we can't ever go wrong with H2O, Gorilla Biscuits, or Blink 182.
(Dave:) we don't have a cd player in the van. we have am/fm. we just browse all the fm channels until we find "banging hip hop and r and b".
6: who are some of the bands main musical influences:
(Jess:) Suicide File, H2O, Kill Your Idols, Turning Point, Sick of it All.... a lot.
(Dave:) for myself its bands like kill your idols and gorilla biscuits. A lot of older new york bands.

7: how many cds eps 7 inches split cds and demos has the band currently released:
(Jess:) We have 1 demo that we put out sometime in 2004.  Other than that, we've put out 1 EP, "Whatever It Takes" (last year), and plan on recording a full length asap.
(Dave:) demo 2004, demo 2005 and "Whatever it Takes" our ep on Awake/Strong.  We're putting a split 7" out this summer. We're also on "Down for the Core 2" on Back ta Basics and soon "Music by People like Us" featuring bands such as h2o, madball and blacklisted.
8: Are any of the members in side projects other than MTTW:
(Jess:) Justin Troster aka Booey (drums) is doing some acoustic john mayer type thing with Maurice Davis, Len (guitar) plays in Batter Up and Diehard, and Justin Shepp (bass) plays in The Procedure.
(Dave:)Len is in Diehard and Batter Up.  Justin S is in The Procedure.  Justin T plays drums for a singer named Maurice Davis, from Texas.  It's pop-rock stuff along the lines of John Mayer or Dave Matthews.
9: where do you see the band in 2 years from now:
(Jess:)  Hopefully touring full time.  I would really like to tour somewhere overseas.  I think with the solid lineup we have now it's time to set high standards/goals for ourselves.  I want to work hard to get there.
(Dave:)Honestly I don't know.  I just want to record a full length.
10: How can the readers outside the USA contact you about ordering merchandise.:
(Jess:)  Anyone can shoot us an e-mail at MyTurntoWin@gmail.com.  We'll be more than happy to send someone some merch.
(Dave:)Interpunk, RevHQ, Very and other online outlets carry the ep.  Other merch through us directly or Awake/Strong.
11: What is your most memorable show and why.:
(Jess:)  Definitely the show in January at the Stone Pony that we played with H2O.  H2O has been my favorite band since I was 13 years old.  I'll be 22 in June.  I can't even begin to describe how happy I was to be able to play with them.  One of the best nights of my life.
(Dave:)While not the best show, over the summer we went on tour from maine back to NJ with our friends in Cash In.  We drove all the way to Ellsworth Maine to play a show where all the bands ended up bailing and no one showed up.  It was run by this super nice dude from the YMCA.  Anyway we played to maybe 6 kids and Cash In.  Because the show went so poorly, the dude payed us out of pocket and one of the kids there's parents owned a chinese food restaurant.  So for like 1 dollar each we had this huge feast with this handful of kids from maine and us and cash in.  It was great that they tried so hard to make it up to us that the show sucked and were extraordinarily nice and supportive.  Or our ep release with H2O and District 9.
12: Is there a large and thriving scene in the Philly South jersey area where you are from.
(Jess:)  I would say there is.  Not so much in South Jersey, but in Philly there definitely is.
(Dave:)Yes.  It's an amazing area to be from and great to be a part of it, in our own small way.
13: the term hardcore has become so overused that any band putting a breakdown into a song is considered hardcore but explain to the readers what hardcore means to you.
:(Jess:)  I don't even know where to start.  A tasteful breakdown here and there is awesome.... however, it starts to get extremely boring when you listen to a CD and every song sounds EXACTLY the same, with a "CHUG, CHUG, CHUG" breakdown every 5 seconds.  Unfortunately, it seems like a lot of bands are trying to do what seems cool right now, rather than what they feel in their hearts.  Hardcore is really a way of life, it's so much more than music.  It shouldn't be about "who's who" or "what's cool", it's about heart.... emotion.... I know it's cheesy, but I'll say this time and time again:  Hardcore has given me my closest friends, the best memories... it keeps my head on my shoulders and it's always there for me to fall back on.  I could go on forever, I can't really sum it up in a few sentences.
(Dave:)I wouldn't know where to begin. It's a community.
14: how were you first exposed to the scene and what made you say i want to be in an band.
:(Jess:)  Well, H2O was the first band that really got me into hardcore.  When I was younger I was curious so I just checked out every band I could.... from going to a bunch of shows all the time I met some really awesome people.... and met some more people....  picked up a guitar, taught myself how to play.... met my best friend, then started MTTW.
(Dave:)Green Day and Rancid when i was in middle school. I wanted to make music with my friends.

15: Who are some of the bands that you enjoy touring with?
:(Jess:)  We did a week last year up to Maine with Cash In.... it was such a fun time.  I'd really like to go on tour with The Homefront or Petition in the near future.  Having a real job sucks..... I wish the people in my band could be in the position to be able to take off from work or just up and quit to tour right now, but money is tight.  We're planning to tour for a while next summer.
(Dave:)We've only toured with Cash In.  We did a couple dates here and there in the North East with The Homefront from Mass.  Both of those bands are outstanding dudes and we had a great time.

16: Where else other than myspace can the readers go to find out about upcoming shows and other band related information?
(Jess:) We have a website:  http://www.myturntowin.com  or, if they have any specific questions, anyone can feel free to e-mail us about whatever.
(Dave:) myturntowin.com
awakestrong.com

17: What advice can you give to some of the newer bands starting out that maybe having a tough time and thinking about giving up?
:(Jess:)  EVERY band goes through tough times.  If you really want to do something, then do it.  Don't let anything stand in your way.  Giving up isn't a good solution, it just makes you feel shitty.
(Dave:)There are 10,000 hardcore bands.  Probably more.  It's gotten real competitive at times.  It's hard to get shows, or you'll play a show where the promoter or kid running the show has 6 of his friends bands and after they play, they all leave cause they were there for their friends, not to see a show.  These things are discouraging.  We have a lot of trouble with lineup changes, and it's challenging at times having a girl in the band.  But we've found it's really about doing it for yourself.  If we gave up everytime it got annoying or hard we wouldn't have made it past the second practice when our first drummer quit.  And don't expect to "make it" because theres nothing to really make.  Have fun and be respectful of other bands and kids and be grateful for every person who stands there and watches you or buys your merch.
18: Do you have any upcoming shows that you would like to tell the readers about?
:(Jess:)  We have a show April 28th at the First Unitarian Church in Philly with Kill Your Idols (Last Philly show ever), and Go! For the Throat.  Other than that, we're playing This is Hardcore this year in August (17, 18, 19), and we're really looking forward to it.
(Dave:)Kill Your Idol's last philadelphia show with Go! for the Throat,  Cash In and Dear Tonight.  April 28th and the First Unitarian Church.  And This is Hardcore 2007.
19: In only one sentence describe your bands sound to someone who has never heard you before.
(Jess:)  I'm really bad at doing this.... I'm going to leave it up to somebody else in the band to describe us.
(Dave:)Hardcore.

20: Who are some of the up coming bands from the Philly and South Jersey area that we should be on the lookout for?
(Jess:)  Braindead, Reign Supreme, and Shutout.
(Dave:)Shutout, Cash In, Braindead, Petition, Recollect, Lighten Up!, Reign Supreme, Near Dark, Black Spoon Brigade, Passion and others im sure im forgetting.
21: Is there anything else that you would like to add that i may have forgotten to ask that the readers should know about?
(Jess:) Yeah, hopefully the Flyers will have a (much) better season next year.  hahahaha
(Dave:)I don't think so.  We'd love for everyone to give our ep a listen.
Dave:-Thanks a lot for your interest in my turn to win.
Hey, thank you so much.for asking us to do this interview.
-Jess Goldey
http://www.myspace.com/myturntowin
http://www.myturntowin.com

I again want to thank Dave and Jess from My Turn To Win for taking the time out to do this interview

SICZINE.COM
Click HERE for the direct link to the actual interview.

October 28th, 2007
Interview with Jess:

Who makes up the band and what do they do?

David Rosney - He's the obnoxious jacked dude with the microphone and also my best friend.
Jess Goldey - I play guitar. Dave and I are the original members.
Justin Shepp - He plays bass.
Len Carmichael - He plays guitar.
Ryan Bennett - He plays drums. He's our newest member and we tease him a lot for being from Delaware.

How and when did the band get started?

A few months after Dave and I had met, early in the summer of 2004, Dave suggested the idea of doing a band while we were in the parking lot of the last Zen House show in New Brunswick. He had already come up with the name, "My Turn to Win" after a Turning Point song. He originally asked this kid Mackenzie to play guitar, but that kind of fell through I guess because it never happened. Anyway, I told Dave I could play guitar (somewhat.... at this point I had only played for a few months) and he was like, "Okay, let's be in a band together". This was the start of My Turn to Win.... July of 2004, I think.

It seems like there have been a few lineup changes, how many exactly?

Luckily, I have a list handy I made up on Wikicore.org I can refer to right now. Currently, we have 9 former members. I've been telling people who ask this question that we're just competing with Shai Hulud for the most ex-band members, haha. But we're all really happy with the lineup we have now. We all work well together.

Give it a few more years and it seems like there will be more bands around then there are people to listen to them, do you feel like hardcore is just going to become watered down and generic with each passing year?

No matter what, there's always going to be "good hardcore bands" and "bad hardcore bands". There's already probably more bands than there are people to listen to them, but who cares. That just means that if you're in a band, bust your ass and write good shit so people actually want to listen to your band. Don't ever hold back or think that you're too good for constantly raising the bar and giving yourself more and more goals to accomplish. Along with this, hardcore should never be watered down to the people who are actually in it for the right reasons. What I mean is.... hardcore is way more than just a type of music.... it's something that means more than just whatever you listen to. It's something you feel. If people in hardcore bands feel this way, then the result by default shouldn't be watered down. But anyway, there is always going to be good new music out there. It's just that sometimes it takes a bit of extra energy to find it. Just imagine what it would be like without the internet..... Would you even know half of the bands you listen to now existed?

When did you start playing the guitar? Any other talents people may not know about?

I started playing sometime in 2004, so I've been playing for a little over 3 years. I never took a lesson ever, I just taught myself. As for other talents.... I dunno. I used to be pretty good at ice hockey, but I haven't played in over a year because it's way too expensive. What a bummer.

How has your life changed since playing with My Turn To Win?

Well my life has changed from hardcore in general.... the things I do, the friends I hang out with, the people I've met, my goals, my morals.... everything. It sounds corny but my entire life has been dramatically influenced (in a good way) by my involvement with hardcore. As for MTTW specifically.... It's probably the only thing I've ever done in my life in which I've given 110%. Being in a band is also like being in a relationship.... WITH 4 OTHER PEOPLE. So I've learned a lot from just that aspect.... like working to keep everyone happy, patience, and how to work with everyone else's ideas and integrate them with your own even when you don't particularly like the idea someone else came up with. Also, I forgot to mention that my life has gotten significantly busier due to the band.

What is your all-time favorite album? Favorite song?

This is a really hard question for me. My favorite band is H2O, can I just leave it at that? If I had to think of one specific song or album that's my favorite, I'd want to rip my hair out trying to decide.

When you come across some free time, what do you find yourself doing?

Is this like, "alone-time" or "with friends free time".... Alone time, since that is a rarity now-a-days, I'd probably just relax and do as much nothing as possible.... and with friends I really like doing stuff outside so I'd probably find something to do outside.

How does it feel being the one the stage, putting on the show opposed to being on the opposite side?

This kind of strays away from the direct question, but I wish I could see it from both angles at the same time. I know how it feels to play in my band on stage in front of people.... but I wish I could see what it's like watching my band from the crowd's perspective. On stage, I usually only concentrate on whatever I'm playing.... I don't even notice what's going on in the crowd half the time or anything like that. I would love to know what it's like from Dave's POV, as well. Being the front man.... It's gotta feel awesome to have kids you don't even know get right up in your face, climb on top of you, and yell as loud as they can lyrics that you've written.

Where do you see yourself 10 years from now?

Who knows. The future scares me. I'm bad at planning ahead. I'm sure I'll be okay, though.

It's still early, but how about this nice start to the Flyers season?

I'm ashamed to admit this but with being so busy lately with school/band/work I've had little to no chance to keep up with watching the games. I'm disappointed in myself. All I know is that the Flyers better do better than they did last year, that's for sure.

REVOLUTION PROMOTING
November 30th, 2007

Interview with Jess:

How does your song writing process go?
It really depends. But what I can say is this.... If the song is struggling to go anywhere.... it's not going to go anywhere. A lot of times when we're trying to work on something and it's not working out, we keep pushing and pushing trying to make it work. But if the song isn't coming together quickly, then it's usually not happening in that practice session.

What kind of gear are you using?
Well, me, personally.... this is the gear I use:
Mesa Dual Rec with Svetlana el34's.
Mesa 4x12 straight cab with vintage 30's.
Guitar: ESP LTD Deluxe EC1000 VB with VB with an EMG-81 in the bridge and an EMG-60 at the neck.

Do you have any upcoming shows or releases?
We're going to be heading into the studio starting december 22nd. The full length is tentatively titled "Weight of the World." Recording duties will be at The Machine Shop (Lamb of God, Reign Supreme) by Will Putney. Should be out in the spring, god willing. We're trying to put out some vinyl, as well. As for upcoming shows.... we're playing with Ambitions, Steel Nation, and Barricade this Sunday in Doylestown at Siren Records. We're really looking forward to it. Should be a fun time.

How did the band form?
A few months after Dave and I had met, early in the summer of 2004, Dave suggested the idea of doing a band while we were in the parking lot of the last Zen House show in New Brunswick. He had already come up with the name, "My Turn to Win" after a Turning Point song. He originally asked this kid Mackenzie to play guitar, but that kind of fell through I guess because it never happened. Anyway, I told Dave I could play guitar (somewhat.... at this point I had only played for a few months) and he was like, "Okay, let's be in a band together". This was the start of My Turn to Win.... July of 2004, I think.

What are your influences?
As a band, collectively? I'm going to say Turning Point, Gorilla Biscuits, H2O, Integrity, Sick of it All, and Kill Your Idols.

What are you listening to now?
Cro-Mags - Best Wishes

What band would you like to play with most?
I would personally LOVE to play as many shows as possible with H2O. They're my favorite band as well as the band that got me into hardcore. We were lucky enough to play with them once last January, but I would love to be able do again a bunch more. Other than that, on a more realistic note, it's always a lot of fun to play with our friends in Barricade, Steel Nation, or Petition. Always a guaranteed good time.

What influenced you to start playing?
I honestly don't really know. My senior year of high school I somehow mistakenly ended up in a "basic guitar" class, where we didn't do much or learn anything. I spent most of my time in the class trying to play Blink 182 tabs and thinking, "WHY IS DAMMIT SO HARD TO PLAY?". I had no desire to be in a band at the time. Maybe it's because I never thought that it could/would happen. After that class in high school I just took on an attachment to guitar and always wanted to play. I taught myself and here I am now.

What is your favorite thing about playing?
Playing shows? I'm going to say my favorite thing about it is the indescribable feeling I get seeing kids I've never met before (in a non-local area, especially) singing along and having a good time while we're playing. It's one of the best things ever.

What is your most memorable moment from the road?
There are definitely a lot of memorable moments, but this is one of my favorites: Meeting this random hip hop dude on the streets of CT named Vigor was pretty hilarious. He called himself, "BIG VIG", and rapped to us, Petition, Hands In, Hang Tuff and Near Defeat. He rapped about Slip Knot, he said he repped that, "bean town shit". Yeah, he was from Boston. He had us all chanting, "WE DON'T NEED NO WATER LET THIS MOTHERFUCKA BURN", and then explained to us that the term, "Rip Rock", was a combination of rap, hip hop, and rock. This went on for about an hour.

Where is the band from?
Dave and Len are from New Jersey. Justin is from Brooklyn, NY. Ryan is from DE (He's sorry about that). And I'm from PA.

What do you think about the local music scene?
This is a very broad question....A lot of things come to mind. I suppose that over-all, in general, the local music scene around here (Philly) is awesome. We're so lucky to not only have so many great bands from the area, but to have awesome bands from all over the world playing shows here consistently as well. Unfortunately, a lot of kids take it for granted here and it's a shame. I've used this same scenario before as an example: "Oh, Blacklisted is playing at the Church tonight? Eh, I'm kinda tired and I'm not in the mood to go to a show, I'll catch them playing there in like two weeks". I'm sure we've all felt that way at one time or another, but I'm just saying that people don't realize how fortunate we are to have so many great bands play here so often. I could go on and on forever about this but I'm just gunna say that in a nutshell, the scene in Philly is awesome. I'm happy I live here.

How did you come up with your name?
It was Dave's idea, but the name "My Turn to Win" comes from a Turning Point song.

Is there any meaning behind your name?
It's a Turning Point song.

What do you think it takes to be successful as a local musician?
Well, the blatantly obvious answer here is hard work and dedication. I suppose those two go without say. But other than that you just need to keep pressing on, make music that you feel happy with, and make sure that you're having fun while you're doing it or else none of it's worth it. ....Success is whatever a person wants to make of it.

What has been your biggest challenge as a band?
GETTING A VAN THAT WORKS AND IS RELIABLE.
TO HELL WITH TRANSPORTATION.
On a more serious note, though.... I would say that one of the biggest challenges as a band is to get everyone on the same page. Being in a band is also like being in a relationship with 3 or 4 other people. Imagine how rough that can get at times, haha. But at the end of the day you learn to "kiss and make up" and get over it.

What would be your national anthem if you ruled your own country?
The theme song from Coach. ...Only because that's the first song that popped in my head immediately after reading this question. I don't know why, or how, either. I haven't watched that TV show in years, let alone hear anything of it. In my country, Craig T. Nelson would be the face on the 1 dollar bills. hahahahaha. All of this is so awful that it's awesome.

Anything you want to say to your fans?
Thanks for being supportive. It really is appreciated.

What is the best cd you recently bought?
Steel Nation - Soul Swallower. Seriously, this shit rules.

What is your favorite movie? Why?
The Princess Bride is one of my favorite movies of all time. It's my complete fantasy. I wanted to be Princess Buttercup ever since I was little and have someone say, "As You Wish" frequently.

What is your favorite song to play live?
Probably Best Goalie Ever. Even though Dave writes all the lyrics, that song particularly means a lot to me because I can personally relate to what it's about.

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