Interview with Mike Hranica

First of all, how did you all meet?
I knew Dan from his old pop punk band, Chris from drivers ed, and James from his old screamo-type band. i had always been close friends with Dan and then Chris and i started getting along more the more we hung out.

When was it agreed that you would start The Devil Wears Prada?
haha I don’t even know. there was an old vocalist, Evan, and bassist, Syrup, before i joined. i don’t really even know exact dates for the name of the band or the first practice.

When it first began, did you guys just want to have fun and play the music you loved, or did you start with the hopes of reaching out to a lost generation?
the original intention was to have some fun and write tunes. once i joined the band, we decided that we had potential to glorify God, so as we praised Him more and more, the closer all of our relationships have become to Him.

What, personally, are some of your influences for writing?
life, tragedy, love, Edgar Allan Poe, Oscar Wilde, art, music, books. that’s pretty broad, but i like my writings and lyrics to be very metamorphical so the listener can decide for themself what it means, so they can relate easier to the lyrics.

What city do you guys love playing in the most and why?
we love playing anywhere where there is a large crowd that has fun, sings, and talks to us. I would have to say Cincinnati, OH, though, because it is the location of our video shoot, CD release, etc.

So what do you guys do for fun outside of the band?
eat Chipotle, i run a clothing company Shipshape, some of us go to school, some of us go to work, i do both, and we all like to spend time with our friends and girlfriends and family. oh and andy plays video games and watches weird Japanese cartoons and Jeremy never does anything but be ADHD.

I know that 2 of you are still in high school. How does that work out?
many, many people do not possess the knowledge that Chris and I are still in high school. most figure that we tour full time. the fact is that we play mostly weekend shows, anywhere within our range of getting there and back. Lord willing, we will begin touring full time when Chris and i complete our senior year in high school (summer of 07).

There is a huge change on the outro (Salvation) song from the EP to the cd. And now features Cole Wallace from Gwen Stacy. Can you tell us how you know these dudes?
we first played with them within the first couple months of playing shows. they were nice guys, and we looked up to the fact that they were signed and very talented and such. then we played a show with them in greenville, OH, and we became quite close friends. we planned to tour together, and from then on they became complete family. personally, they are the closest brothers this band possesses.

Mike, I talked to you at a show back up in Michigan and you seemed pretty chilled out. You guys took the stage and you completely changed. Jumping off of chairs, rolling around on the ground, screaming your lungs out. What’s up with that?
a lot of people that know me from school say the same thing. to put it in the utmost of simplicity, i’m passionate of what we do, so i display all of my energy to create a powerful performance. i will completely despise myself if i perform a show with little energy.

What can we expect on the new album? How is The Devil Wears Prada changing?
hopefully a little more singing, more vocal range and vocal creativity, overall better songwriting, better lyrics. if this past album was a 7 vocally, i’m working to make the next a 20. most of our songs were not written with the mindset that we would become signed and have a widely-distributed record. the stakes are higher now, and i believe our new stuff can match expectations. for us to use a part, we must all LOVE the part, nothing with half efforts. this is a painstakingly long process, but it’s all worthwhile.

Can we look forward to a headlining tour this summer?
haha i’m not sure about that. i’d like to say any tour with lots of kids would be fantastic. that’s all i really care about, honestly.

When I went to your show, you started off by saying the whitty rhyme “Chili cheese enchilada, we are The Devil Wears Prada.” Does this have anything to do with your love for Chipotle?
ohhh we all love Chipotle very much haha, five of us had it earlier today. the whole hakuna matada and chili cheese enchilada things came from my teacher a couple years back. out of no where, he would simply state, “Hakuna Matada, chilli cheese enchalada.” one day i realized our band name rhymed with both of those, so i started using it.

When will xGumbyx be starting back up?
first of all, xGUMBYx will never meet its demise. secondly, i think andy (drummer) hates all of us now.

Haha, anything else to say?
“Jesus Christ made the blackness white” (-underoath), i’m here to meet and speak with new individuals, and texas is south, baby. praise Jesus for all of His gifts.

Interview by Jesse Speelman in association with
High End Media and The Devil Wears Prada Street Team

© Tdwp.net 2007-2008. Powered by Wordpress 2.6.