Interview: Solstice Rider (Written)

Games, Brrraaains & A Head-Banging Life being you an interview with JB (keyboard player/clean vocals) of melodic death metal band, Solstice Rider.

Hello! Thank you for taking the time to chat to us. First things first, tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got started.

Hi! My name is Jeremy (known as JB) and I am the founder as well as the keyboard player/clean vocals of Solstice Rider. Solstice Rider was a concept as far back as 2017 but we really got started in 2020.

Someone comes to you and asks you to sum up what kind of music you play – what do you tell them?

I typically tell them we play metal or more specifically melodic death metal. Our genre is actually rather hard to define since we touch on so many different sub-genres.

What’s currently going on in your camp? New releases? Tours? Etc.

This year (2023), we are planning two releases. One being an EP called “The Renewal of Broken Blades”. The other being an LP which will be released in the Autumn.

What has been the most positive experience of making music to date for you?

Probably collaborating with other people to create beautiful songs. It has always been something I wanted to do and it seems now it’s all coming together.

Likewise, what has been some of the more challenging aspects and how have you overcome them?

The most challenging aspects have been doing all of it on our own. We’ve gotten some record deal offers but none with terms that favor us and the label equally. Also, I don’t think a lot of people understand how difficult it is being an independent artist. Selling our product is difficult in the age of streaming.

How do you handle the modern expectations of being in a band? Always online, having to put out content constantly, your success measured in likes and follows?

At this point I’m still trying to form expectations since we’ve only been around for a couple years. Success is not so much measured in likes and follows as much as it’s in the fanbase’s dedication to the music. I would take 1000 fans who buy cds and shirts than 100,000 fans who listen to us on Youtube and Spotify and don’t support us financially at all. Regardless, I’m grateful for the fans we have. Courtney LaPlante from Spiritbox said it best: 700,000 Monthly Spotify Listeners is ‘Not Paying Anyone’s Bills’. So to reiterate, success to me is us being able to quit our day jobs, do this full time and not starve. Likes and follows do not measure that very well at all.

What’s something that really ‘grinds your gears’ about the industry/business these days and what would you propose is done to combat it?

The artist is typically given unfair terms by the label, and streaming has further gutted the pockets of the artists. Metal survives by passion alone, it is not a lucrative career for most that’s for sure. To combat it (since the genie is already out of the bottle), Spotify should compensate artists better, and fans should know that most of their favorite bands are not doing as well as they could be. Bringing awareness to these issues will go a long way.

Speaking directly to listeners – what would you ask they do to help support your music?

Buy our albums off Bandcamp! Buy merch off Shopify or Spring!

Outside of the music, what’s do you do to relax?

Outside of music I hang with friends and family or I play video games/watch movies.

Where can people find you?

Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube