Hey guys, here is FOR I AM a nice punk rock melodic from Belgium and we had the chance to talk a bit about their new album and some interesting facts. Enjoy.
Hey guys, this is MirceONE from mptyzine, how are you?
Hi MirceONE! We’re doing great! Hope you are too!
For those who don’t know you, please tell us a short bio of the band
We are For I Am, a 5 piece melodic punk rock band from Belgium. We’ve been around for about 10 years now (wow!) and we’ve released 1 EP and 3 full albums, the latest of which – The Righteous & The Wicked – was released on April 19! We’ve been lucky to have been able to tour internationally quite a few times (EU, Japan, UK) and play shows with some of our heroes such as Frenzal Rhomb, A Wilhelm Scream, Propagandhi, Lagwagon etc. We love playing catchy tunes, spreading positive messages all over the world and we are a tight-knit framily unit! So, hi! That’s us!
Congrats for the new album The Righteous & The Wicked, that is released by SBAM, tell me more
The Righteous & The Wicked was indeed released on SBÄM, as well as on Double Helix Records (US), Pee Records (AUS) and Bearded Punk Records (BE) and it’s already been a wonderful collab with all of them! The album to us feels like another step on the punk rock ladder, as we’ve combined the catchy uplifting vibes we’re commonly known for with some darker tunes and with this record, even more so than in the past we’re trying to speak out against injustices in today’s world. We’re really happy with the way it turned out and we’re hoping punk rock listeners out there will agree!
You guys have been on festivals like Groezrock, Brakrock or Punk Rock Holiday, where you feel that you connect with the public? what you prefer a small venue or a festival?
Difficult one, haha! Like all punk bands, we started out in the smaller venues and we’ve always loved playing them and still do today. When you play a smaller venue, it kind of feels like people are really there specifically for you and your music, so you can just feel the love. Though at festivals you definitely get that love too, in a different form. It’s just the best when people after a festival show come up to you at the merch table and tell you they’d never heard of you before, but really loved the music. So, different experiences, both amazing in their own ways!
You have been all over Europe in UK and Japan, what are the next steps and plans to promote the new album?
We’re definitely planning on getting out there as much as we can! Talks are ongoing about doing another international and maybe even inter-continental tour, so hopefully we’ll be able to tell you more about that soon. We’ve got a couple of cool release shows lined up in Belgium, The Netherlands, France and Germany, so if you’re around, feel free to drop in on one of ‘em!
Tell me about your influences and lyrics
So, as I’ve said before, the lyrics on the new album speak out against injustices in today’s world and mainly the message we’re continually trying to convey is one of trying to understand each other’s perceptions. Everyone grows up in their own environment and we’re all different. Instead of going to war or trying to hurt each other, we should try to get a better understanding of why we view the world in our own ways. That doesn’t mean it’s all political though, some songs just talk about the joys of life like travelling (Shoestring Sailors) and wanting to live your life making a difference, even if it’s just for one other person (Bonnie). Basically, positive messages overall. Lyrics wise we weren’t really influenced by any bands in particular, I’d say when it comes to instruments, you can here those influences more clearly. Bands we were influenced by are No Use For A Name and New Found Glory to just name a few.
As we are talking about influences, please make me a top10 of your favorite bands
Oooooh, that’s super difficult, haha! But I (Hanne) will try. So, bear in mind this is my personal top 10. Cannot speak for the guys, of course, haha.
In random order, I’d say:
No Use For A Name, Less Than Jake, Bad Religion, The Menzingers, New Found Glory, Alkaline Trio, Yellowcard, Blink 182, Jimmy Eat World, Frenzal Rhomb
You have been opening for names such as Satanic Surfers, Propagandhi, Lagwagon or Frenzal Rhomb, if you have to choose a band to make a split EP what band will be (old or new)
Off the top of my head I think it would be very cool to do a split EP with our buddies in Melonball and CF98, as we’ve become close friends. Even though we don’t see each other more than 3 or 4 times a year, we always hit it off immediately as we’re kind of in the same boat, women supporting women! So, a girl power EP would be cool!
Please tell me a few words about the scene in Belgium
Well, to be honest, it was more alive before covid came around, so the smaller shows seem to have become rarities. Bigger festivals and club shows are still thriving, so people are definitely still interested, but I feel like the Belgian government makes it quite hard for small show promoters to put up shows, as there’s little to no funding available for it. That’s part of the reason why we play in Germany way more often than we do in Belgium nowadays. On the other hand, our friends in punk have been super supportive and are always ready to dance whenever we’re playing locally. And we love them for it, big time!
Without Google, what do you know about the punk scene in Romania
Oooh, unfortunately not that much really! Sorry! Do you have a lively punk rock scene? Would be very interested to listen to some Romanian punk rock bands! Hopefully we will get to play together with some of them someday!
Where can people can listen and connect with you? i see that you are everywhere on social media:)
Yes, the socials are definitely a place where you can reach us easily. Just type in “foriamofficial” on insta or Facebook and you’ll find us. We also have a new website with all kinds of info and a link to our webshop. The address is www.foriamofficial.com. And of course you can listen to our music via all streaming platforms, such as Spotify and Apple Music, etc!
Guys, thank you so much for your time, please if you have something else to add please feel free.
Thanks so much for taking an interest in our lil’ old band, we appreciate it very much!
A short message for our few readers.
Hopefully we’ll be able to come to Romania one day and play some shows over there, would be great! We’re all for supporting the local scene! Please feel free to give our new tunes a spin and let us know what you think! All the love!
Get social with the band: FB / IG – Thanks to Nick and For I Am.
MirceONE vs For I Am – April 2024.
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