Band Interview: The Fill Ins

The Fill Ins are 4 piece rock N roll band based in America. Their latest release, 5th Time’s the Charm was released in 2015. Vocalist & rhythm guitarist Alex Stiff took the time to answer a few of our questions.

1. How did you get started as a band?

ALEX: The band has been through numerous lineup changes throughout the years, even relocating from VA to NC, but everyone has had the same goal in mind; create the best rock n roll band possible. We always try to be the band we want to see live, and I think I’d be a fan of The Fill Ins if I wasn’t already in it! Haha. The lineup today consists of Mikey Black on lead guitar, James “Captain” Nunn on bass, new comer Adam Patterson on the drums, and myself (Alex Stiff) on rhythm guitar and vocals.

2. How would you describe your sound?

ALEX: Punch you in the face, high octane rock n roll. That could span from rock, punk, metal; anything that has a good beat and a good melody to it, The Fill Ins will play it. We pride ourselves in providing the best rock n roll music and live show possible. We don’t just stand there and play, we are up moving around and give you a little something to watch in conjunction with the music; stage presence is just as important to us as being tight musically.

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

ALEX: Any and all classic punk and rock bands. Some that have had a heavier hand would be Ramones, Supersuckers, KISS, and the classic rock bands of old like Thin Lizzy and AC/DC.

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

ALEX: Like anything “new”, it has the good and the bad and you just have to take it all in stride. The music platform as a whole is going to constantly evolve, so you have no choice but to evolve or die. I think it’s a big help for bands like us that do not have a multi-million marketing campaign to get the music out there for people to hear, but the downside is poor sales for the music, but all bands are facing this right now. We choose to embrace platforms like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, etc since it’s the best way to connect and reach out to our fans. We’re very approachable and hope to always stay that way.

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

ALEX: If I’m not out playing music with the boys; I’m usually at home watching TV, writing new riff ideas, researching resources for the band, spending time with my fiancé, and playing my retro video games. A lot of times, I have to treat The Fill Ins like a job and tell myself that starting at a specific time during the day, I just don’t answer any more emails or do anything else, as I love my “alone time”.

6. What are your future plans musically? Tours?

ALEX: Every band says they have big plans for the upcoming year, but I feel pretty confident that 2017 is going to be the year The Fill Ins need. We are currently booking a lot of out-of-state dates for the start of the year (maybe eventually turning into a mini tour later into 2017), we’ve got a bunch of new songs ready to record for a release sometime in the fall of 2017, and we have a 7inch vinyl single of our latest digital release; Hit The Gas, due early Spring 2017.

We’d like to thank Alex & The Fill Ins for taking the time for this interview & Stencil PR for arranging it. You can find out more about The Fill Ins over on their website as well as pick up some of their music & merch. You can check out the band over on their Facebook page, on Twitter, on Instagram, on YouTube & on Tumblr. You can check out their music over on Spotify & on Apple Music. Also if you’re looking to see when The Fills In might be coming to a town near you make sure you follow them on Bands In Town!