While currently on tour and their debut album The Change (via Outerloop Records) coming out, scheduled to be released on June 21,2019, Vincent Torres of the band Awake At Last had a few moments to talk with Digital Beat Magazine. In our quick ten conversation, we were able to chat about the tour, the album and some of his influences. Plus the history of the band and a few other things.
Digital Beat Magazine: To begin with, I would like to say thank you for taking the time to do this interview. If you do not mind, I like to get some of the obvious questions out of the way, if I may. You probably have been asked this before, but can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Vincent Torres: Hey everyone, my name is Vincent Torres, and I’ve been the singer of Awake At Last since the very beginning of its formation. I’ve been singing in Choirs since I was around five years old and that followed me all the way through my schooling, and I even dabbled in some musical theater for a while. I’ve always stood for positivity and hope to elevate and inspire our fans and listeners by singing about the struggles I think a lot of us battle in our daily lives. I’ve suffered from Anxiety and Depression for as long as I can remember and I hope to be a living example that with endurance and positivity we can overcome the obstacles we often create for ourselves.
DBM: Who would you say are you some of your influences? This can be either musically, personally or both.
VT: For me personally I always strive to be somewhere in the Muse territory. They’ve been one of my favorites bands since I was a teenager and I’ve always admired the theatrical approach they take with their music. I also grew up listening to bands like AFI, The Used, and My Chemical Romance and I try to carry the torch for that era as I carve my own path through the industry.
DBM: How did everyone in the band meet? How did the name come about?
VT: Eric and I formed the band in 2011 after playing in multiple bands in our local music scene. When we first theorized the band we were going to call it “Alive At Last” but after being introduced to the Law of Attraction and really locking in that we wanted to pursue it as not just a Catharsis, but a way of life we changed it to “Awake At Last” because it was sort of a spiritual awakening for us to know this is what we wanted to do.
DBM: To the music listener, who may not be familiar with Awake At Last, how would you describe the band and you sound?
VT: Awake At Last, uses Heavy Instrumentation and huge drums to represent the struggles we sing about, but we also mix in theatrical cinematic elements and soaring vocals with huge choruses with positive messages and imagery to soothe the soul of our listeners. I hope that it translates well.
DBM: On the bands Facebook page, in the about section, on the section where it says Biography there it mentions the following: “Both as a band and as individuals, Awake At Last continue to stand for positivity, spirituality, self-help and making an impact every single day.” Can you tell us a bit about that statement or expand on it a bit.
VT: I spoke a bit about this earlier, but this kinda takes us back to the Law Of Attraction and how much of an impact that had on the kind of content we wanted to create. The spiritual element comes from some texts I’ve read like the Tibetan Book of the Dead, and the Tao Te Ching which really helped me through some hard health issues I went through. The albums speak often of mortality, and the life cycle and how even though humanity is a bit lost, there are still deep spiritual elements I think are important to revisit.
DBM: I would like to congratulate the band you on the new LP, The Change. How long did everyone work on this album, writing songs and putting it together? How was it doing the record? Where was it recorded?
VT: We had a blast conceiving this record. We began in Nashville, TN with some close friends in a live room, and once we had fully realized the record we took it into Greensboro, NC to work with our friends Kile Odell, and Josh Landry who helped to strengthen the message and get us the professional sound we were going for. It’s a concept album and we wrote each song in a row as if writing a story. It was really rewarding and even though there was some push and pull I think we made the best compromises for the record and I can’t wait for our Listeners to hear it.
DBM: Which one do you prefer doing, the writing/recording or touring? Why?
VT: I love them all for very different reasons. Writing is where it all begins for me and it’s very rewarding to see a vision come to life, but Touring is probably my favorite aspect. I love being out with my best friends and surviving together and playing awesome shows and connecting with our fans. It makes me feel freer than when I’m at home working my jobs and such.
DBM: Speaking of touring, I see that Awake At Last started the tour on May 10, 2019 with Famous Last Word, Dayshell and At My Mercy. Have you toured with any of these bands before? How about Eyes Set To Kill and Rivals?
VT: We’ve played a few shows with Famous Last Words, and Dayshell, but Meeting At My Mercy has been really fun because they’re a hungry young band and we’ve enjoyed experiencing certain moments through their eyes. I’m also very excited to go out with Eyes Set To Kill and Rivals because we have shared the road with them and they’re all incredible musicians, and people.
DBM: I am always curious to know what or how band members pass the time on the road. How do you pass the time, while on the road?
VT: The road seems to exist on a series of highs and lows. I try and find good books to read to focus my chaotic mind but I also enjoy the occasional veg out on my Nintendo 2DS playing some Zelda or something. I’m also a writer and whenever I find inspiration on the road I like working on my book that I hope to publish soon. Everyone has their own way to cope with the road, but we always try to take the days off and do things as a group to strengthen our team and continue to discuss strategies for what’s next.
DBM: If you don’t mind, I would like to change gear for a moment. I would like to ask you a few off the wall questions. What profession other than your own, would you like to attempt?
VT: I’m an aspiring Author, and I have a lot of entrepreneurial ideas I would love to launch once I have enough of a platform to fly from. I’m also a huge fan of Cooking and have considered that as a profession many times. I also love Fashion, Film, and would love to have my hands in a little bit of each of these one day.
DBM: What are your future plans?
VT: I’m hoping that I can eventually become successful and use my skills, knowledge, and experiences to take on younger artists and help them carve their paths. I’d also love to see my book come to fruition and do well, but that’s further down the road. I try not to daydream too much about the future because I think it’s really important to be present and do what I can in the present moment.
DBM: Is there anything else you would say that I didn’t cover in this interview?
VT: I would just like to mention that our debut full-length record “The Change” comes out June 21st [2019] and it’s available for pre-order on all the music platforms. We are very excited to see this project come to life and I also just want to thank our amazing fan base for helping us to continue to pursue our dreams by being so supportive and amazing all along the way. There are quite a few singles available from the Album and there’s no better time to get involved and join The Awakened because as we move forward we want to make sure that our core fans are taken care of as they continue the journey with us.
DBM: Thank you for your time and for doing this interview. Good luck with the tour and the new LP.
