Band Interview: Black It Out

Games, Brrraaains & A Head-Banging Life are pleased to bring you an interview with pop-punk/post-hardcore/alt-rock band, Black It Out.

1. How did you get started as a band?

I (Shaun) met Bryan through a mutual friend while in the Sacramento scene. Both my friend and Bryan were in that band together. I would go to their shows and hang out with them. I got to know the band pretty well. So well, that when their bassist’s amp didn’t work, I let them use mine. Later, that bassist moved, and I joined the band as their bassist. Their drummer wanted their old bassist even though he moved away, so he made things difficult, ultimately destroying that band. Bryan and I continued to jam until the other members joined. We were called Scarlet’s Sonata at the time, and we started as a Hardcore band. In 2009, we changed our name to Black It Out. We went on an 8-year hiatus, played in other bands, and now, we’re back as an internet band. We’re an E-band that focuses on studio recordings. Our sound has changed a lot over the years.

2. How would you describe your sound?

I would say we’re a blend of several musical genres. We’re a mix of Pop-Punk, Easycore, Post-Hardcore, and Emo. Our song “Live, Laugh, Love” featuring Anndy Negative is coming May 2nd, 2022. I would say it sums up our sound perfectly. It has breakdowns, Pop-Punk and Emo vocals, and Easycore riffs.

3. What bands/artists would you say have influenced your style of music?

In the beginning, it was Atreyu and Trivium. Now, we’re more Pop-Punk and Emo-focused. We’ve been influenced by Blink-182, Sum 41, A Day to Remember, and Senses Fail a lot more these days.

4. Has the rise of YouTube & music streaming helped or hindered you as a band?

As an E-band, this has been our bread and butter! Streaming has been great since Bryan, and I send our stems to each other via email. Bryan mixes and masters our songs and puts them online. If we didn’t have streaming services, we wouldn’t have a place to show our music! We also use Spotify and Instagram to find artists we feature on our singles. YouTube has also been fun too! We’ve made some fun music videos!

5. What do you enjoy doing when you’re not making music?

During my free time, I could be watching YouTube videos, reading, hanging out with friends and family, and sometimes playing video games. I also have a YouTube channel. I spend a whole lot of time on music, though. So, most of my free time is spent with friends and family. I want to get back into working out. I enjoyed lifting weights during the lockdown of 2020, but it’s been hard to find time for that these days.

6. What are your future plans musically? Tours?

Sadly, we have no plans to tour since Bryan and I live far from each other and don’t have a regular drummer. We plan on promoting our new track “Live, Laugh, Love,” featuring Anndy Negative. It’s about Karens. Karens are people who get pissed wherever they go and ask for the manager. “Live, Laugh, Love” featuring Anndy Negative comes out May 2nd, 2022. Be sure to check it out on Spotify! It’ll be available wherever music is streamed or sold. We also plan to record more music and rerelease some of our tracks from our comeback album, Resurgence, with an updated sound. We already did that with “Reflections,” featuring Promise Game. We also plan on changing the way we write music. So, in the future, we hope to have even better songs!

Links

Spotify | Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube