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I realize that Caity is usually our MySpace queen when it comes to finding new bands, but you know, sometimes they add us and I can get to the awesome bands before she has a chance to. This jus happened to be the case with North Caldwell, New Jersey band, She Screams Scandal. I'm a bit of a pop-punk queen around here, and they immediately caught my attention with their song Days Like These. When I found myself nodding my head along with their other songs as well, and leaving their MySpace open just to keep listening, I knew I had to talk to them! So everyone, She Screams Scandal!

“In my opinion music is used however you want it to.”
- Nick: She Screams Scandal.

For our readers who don’t know who you are, could you please introduce yourself and what you do for the band?

Ike: Vocals & Piano

Nick: Lead Guitar

Chris: Rhythm Guitar

Joe: Bass

Jordan: Drums

How did She Screams Scandal come to be, and where did the name come from?

Basically the name is pretty much a play on words something I thought of when we were just hanging out and thought it sounded good. Hooray for Alliteration! The band itself formed about 6 months ago with myself (Nick) and Chris. I had just left my old band and wanted to do something poppy and Chris didn't have a band and was a friend of mine so we decided to play together. Ike came to us a few weeks later and originally just wanted to do synth, but after hearing him sing we decided his skills were better suited as a frontman for the band. Jordan and Joe are best friends so they came a few months later as a package deal and thats the current lineup for S.S.S.

You're from Jersey, what's the music scene like there, and what's it like trying to break into the scene there? Are the kids receptive to your music?

The music scene here is pretty big. Theres shows nearly every weekend around here so theres a good scene. Breaking into it is fairly difficult because theres groups of people who like one style of music and groups who like another so you have to kind of cater to your audience. So far we've got a lot of great feedback for our songs and have been developing a solid following.

How would you describe your live show for those of us who haven't had the chance to see you play? Do you guys have a favourite song to play live, and is there a song that gets the best reaction from the crowd?

Our live show is pretty much us having a good time on stage enjoying ourselves. We like the crowd to do that as well, if theres a song you want to dance to, dance to it, if you want to sit down and chill and listen to the songs you can do that too. We're not picky. Theres two songs that get a great reaction one being "Days Like These" which is our single and the other is "4th & Long" which is Ike's solo song. We feel however that our next batch of songs will get an even bigger reaction than these.

What is the writing process like for you guys, and what is it that inspires your lyrics?

Basically myself, chris, and Ike will sit down in our practice studio and chill for a few hours and come up with a few ideas of riffs and then from there we decide where we want the song to go direction wise. Ike will put his vocal melodies later once the music is finished. It's also interesting to note that We never hear Ike's vocals until his lyrics are 100% finished. He's very picky like that and is constantly tweaking melodies to create his own unique singing style. If you listen to the songs closely you can tell.

Your EP, "Days Like These", has been released and will be on iTunes soon, so how was the recording process for you? Did you go in knowing what songs you wanted to use, or are there some that had to be cut in the end?

We basically had an idea of the songs we wanted to record. We had a band meeting about a week before we went to record deciding how we wanted to produce the album and some changes were made for recording purposes to make the EP sound better. I know we intended on re-recording our demo song "Kim" which is a fan favorite and never got around to it. 'Rollercoaster talk' was written about a week before we went into studio so changes have been made to the song even after we recorded it...all for the better we feel.

What kind of message do you want to get across with your music?

In my opinion music is used however you want it to. We feel that we have songs that relate to anyone in any situation.

What's been your biggest moment as a band? What's been the biggest challenge?

I like to think our biggest moment has yet to happen. We feel that with every show we're getting better and better and gaining a bigger fanbase so we hope our biggest moment is still to come. The biggest challenge is getting people to notice you. Theres thousands of bands out there trying to do the same thing we are and make it big and its not easy.

What is it that fuels your passion for what you do? The music industry is more than a little difficult to break into, so what is it that keeps you pushing forward?

Just the hope that people are listening whether it be record executives, fans... anyone just to know that we're making a difference and helping people.

What can we expect from She Screams Scandal in the future?

Big things, better songs, a new EP in '09 which will include tracks never heard before. Tours, more shows. Basically everything you can expect from a band and more. We are working our asses off to get our music out there and heard. This is only the beginning.

Here at the Sound Faction we are five of the most random people you will ever meet, so we like to end our interviews on a less serious note with five random questions. Are you up for that?

Sure!

If you were a scented candle, what would you smell like?

Vanilla

What girls fashion trend confuses you most?

buying ripped jeans...why not just rip them yourself????

Who would you want to win a date with?

Natalie Portman...SOOOOO HOT!

What's your favourite dinosaur?

Barney???

Name one guilty pleasure anything!

Watching Charm School.

And here's your shameless self-promo spot: anything you'd like to add about yourselves, the music, or anything else?

www.myspace.com/shescreamsscandal we respond to all comments.

We would like to thank the guys in She Screams Scandal (specifically Nick, haha!) for taking the time to talk to us. Definitely check out their music on their MySpace, and if you get the chance, go check them out live!