Interview by Kris Peters
Seldom do instrumental bands have either the longevity of success that Washington heavy outfit Animals As Leaders have managed.
While many instrumental bands start off with a bang their fans generally drift in and out of the fold with many finding it increasingly difficult to fully relate to a band without a vocalist.
Despite the obvious musical talent and precision needed to sustain a career in this field the simple fact remains that everyone secretly wants to be a lead singer and once they are denied that opportunity to live vicariously through whoever their chosen one becomes, then the interest wanes at an almost rapid pace.
Animals As Leaders have bucked that trend, recently celebrating their fifth studio album Parrhesia without even a hint of falling from the publics grace.
Their enthusiasm and musical excellence has been enough to carry the burden (according to some) of being without one main focal point on stage, and, if anything, have thrived because of it.
With the band also announcing an Australian run of dates to support the album, HEAVY decided it was time to pick the brains of guitarist Javier Reyes and find out what they have in store for Aussie fans and how they prepare mentally for a run of dates so far away from home.
"It's just phone keys and wallet," he laughed, tapping his pockets one at a time as he ran through the checklist. "And passport, that's about it. Make sure you have enough strings and enough guitars and hope the turbulence isn't too bad."
Providing the turbulence doesn't have a lingering effect on their health, we press Javier on what we can expect from the live shows.
"There's a bunch of new music that we'll be playing," he offered. "That will probably be the highlight. Other than that we just look older (smiles). I probably have more white hair than the last time I was there. It's not like we have any pyrotechnics, unfortunately, so the highlight will be the new material. Maybe we'll head bang a little harder..."
In the full interview, Javier talks about the response to Parrhesia, the constantly evolving sonic landscape with each album, structuring a cohesive setlist with so experimental tracks, pushing the boundaries of music and how they know where to draw their line, their broad appeal across many genres and personalities and how that is achieved, creating emotion through music and more.

Leading The Pack With JAVIER REYES From ANIMALS AS LEADERS

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