So young, and yet signed to one of the biggest labels in the Hardcore Genre; Crown The Empire have obviously be doing something right over the last few years or so; we grab a chance to chat with guitarist Brandon Hoover to find out just what this New Post-Hardcore band have been up to recently, what future plans lie ahead of them, and Brandon kindly drops a few hints as to what's in store for us and fans with their new release, out this Autumn.
R13:WOW... you guys are so young; and you're signed to one of the biggest Record Labels out there; what's it like being signed to Rise Records?
BH: It's pretty crazy! There are a lot of huge things happening this year that we can't wait to tell you guys about.
R13:Your EP Limitless was released earlier this year; it seems to have gained a lot of public eye, were you expecting this much positive response?
BH: When we were coming up with the marketing plan for the release, we knew we had a positive message to spread with this EP. We can't thank our fans enough for picking it up and spreading the word.
R13:You recently released a music video for Voices which has had over 800,000 views; was this what you expected when you chose to release it?
BH: We did not expect for the video to get so many views that fast! But again thanks to our amazing fans for spreading the word, the views keep going up!
BH: The location was quite creepy and fit the mood for the story behind the song.
R13:So, you're based in Texas, what's the music scene like over there?
BH: Texas has such an amazing music scene! All the fans are so supportive here and every show gets bigger and bigger.
R13:You played Never Say Never Festival in March this year; what can you tell us about the experience?
BH: Never Say Never was amazing! Would be awesome to play it again next year.
R13:You then recently played three shows on the Sumerianos Season 2 Tour; how did that go, and which out of the three shows, would you say was the best night?
BH: The 3 day run was great! We were touring with three WAY heavier bands than us, but the crowds were still great surprisingly. The best show was definitely Houston!
R13:What have been your best and worst touring moments?
BH: On our first tour back in August of 2011, we toured through the northeast. The dates kept getting cancelled and we basically lost more than we gained. We are very thankful to now have a huge team behind us so that won't be happening again!
R13:You played with a lot of well known bands; are there any you would love to tour with but have not yet had the chance to?
BH: Honestly we love touring with any band, and are SO stoked for tours we have ahead of us.
R13:You have been compared to the likes of Enter Shikari; would you agree or would you say you gather inspiration from other reputable veteran acts?
BH: Enter Shikari was an inspiration to us back when we first started the band in 2010. We are going in a new direction that you will see in our full-length album coming out this fall with influences like Panic of the Disco and The Used!
R13:Is song-writing something you all take part in or is it usually done by one person?
BH: We all have our input in the song writing process. But the man who has helped us from the beginning and is the BIGGEST part of Crown The Empire's song writing process is Brendan Barone. He's pretty much our "8th" member!
R13:As a band what has been your proudest moment?
BH: Our proudest moment was getting signed to Rise Records. It was the step we needed to make our dreams a career rather than a hobby.
R13:You've obviously developed a unique sound; would you ever consider changing that or exploring another Genre?
BH: We will always keep the sound we have, but it will definitely keep maturing as we write and release our new albums.
R13:How do you feel about programmes such as American Idol and X-Factor?
BH: I think it is so awesome that shows like that give everyone an opportunity to fulfil their dreams!
R13:>What's next for Crown The Empire, have you guys got any album plans or tours across Europe for us lot and fans to look forward to?
BH: Our full-length album will be out THIS FALL! We go into the studio with producer Joey Sturgis this summer so be on the lookout for updates on that. As far as European tours go, we will be over there hopefully in the next year or so!