SCALE THE SUMMIT
Interview With Chris Letchford (Guitarist)
By Kimberly Brown
Whoever said that age isn’t anything but a number must have had SCALE THE SUMMIT in mind. Carried by progressive riffs and a storybook flow, SCALE THE SUMMIT’s new album, The Collective, hits you so hard you might not even notice they don’t have a vocalist. Why does SCALE THE SUMMIT describe there sound as “Adventure Metal”? Read on and find out.
What are the major challenges of being so young in a genre with a lot of metal veterans still on the scene?
I don’t think there are really any challenges for us anymore. When we first started I think it took a little time for us to be taken seriously. We have already toured with one of our own idols, DREAM THEATER. Those guys are the veterans in the progressive metal scene, and have been for 25 plus years, so it was amazing to be able to share the stage with them every night as well as have them compliment our band and our own individual playing. It really meant a lot to us all.
What album, growing up, made you want to be in a metal band or just play music in general?
I have been playing music since I was five years old, but I would say PANTERA was the main band that made me want to play metal and actually attempt to have a career with it; Cowboys From Hell is obviously one of my top favorite albums from them. I have mentioned this to people in the past, how much I loved PANTERA in my teens, and they never understood as our music and my playing really doesn’t sound anything like Dimebag. It was inspiration to take guitar more seriously, not the sound I was looking to attempt in re-creating.
How was living in Los Angeles for a short period of time? Anything you particularly liked and disliked about the city or the city’s music scene?
Los Angeles was great. I enjoyed being out in L.A. simply for the amazing weather and the ocean – big fan of the beaches. I think the local music scene there has simply too many bands to where the competition just to get shows is insane. I have heard stories of bands having to sell 60+ tickets just to open for a national act, at 7PM, right when doors open and not see a dollar out of the tickets they sold. That really doesn’t exist in that many other cities but I guess since venues know how many bands there are in L.A. and how many would kill to be on the show it’s easier to take advantage of them. It’s a real bummer and I find that very uninspiring. We made sure to never take part in that, we got all of our shows there simply by making connections and doing the grunt work outside of having to just sell tickets. I just didn’t think it was right, plus in our genre there really weren’t to many bands to compete with thankfully.
I love that you call your music “adventure metal.” How did that term actually come about?
A buddy of ours at Musicians Institute was sitting in on one of our rehearsals when we were still in the writing phase, probably only had about three songs written at the time, no CD release and no shows under our belt. He just simply said at the end of practice that our music “took him on an adventure.” It made sense as that was really what we were going for, so it stuck with us ever since.
Why did you pick Prosthetic Records to sign with? What made the label stand out to SCALE THE SUMMIT?
We sent out many press kits when our self-released album, Monument, was released and were starting the “shopping” process. We had already been fans of and knew a few bands on the label. Actually at the time one of our good buddies, me, and my roommate in college, Travis, were interning at the label so we got to know the PR guy there. I remember way before we had even finished our first demo, let alone a full record, we had asked him if he thought they would ever sign an all instrumental band. The answer was of course “no way.” Once we released our first full length, we figured we should at least give it a shot and send them one anyway, even though I think we all knew it wasn’t going to happen. The few bands that we knew on Prosthetic had all told us that they were a great label and really did a lot for them, a sort of “what you put in, they’ll put in.” We have always been a very hard working band, especially myself. I dedicate hours every day and have done so for the past six years to help us get to where we are now, so hearing that this label will match all the work we put in sounded great. After we had a few phone conferences and got to talk about what they could bring to the table everything sounded good and we went for it. So far things have been great. We are now starting our second album cycle with them and couldn’t be happier.
How did SCALE THE SUMMIT decide not to have a vocalist? Was this something that was planned or came about after the band was formed?
Travis and I originally played in a normal technical metal band in Houston before we moved to L.A. When we moved we still had the same mindset of what we wanted to play, metal. Little did we know that when we started writing again, everything was so different. We both agreed that what we were writing at the time sounded full and unique on its own, adding a vocalist wouldn’t add anything other than the stereotypical ideal that “every band needs a singer.” It just wasn’t for us and wasn’t meant for this band. It’s been a great decision, especially once we cut our first demo years back. Being able to sit back and really listen to the music while not playing, we all agreed that instrumental was the way for us to go.
What is the strangest or most outrageous thing a fan has done towards the band?
I wouldn’t say this it totally crazy, but it was very new for us so it was a little shocking. When we finished our set in Canada, I think they were French Canadian, the guys there during our meet-and-greet kissed us on the neck. Not that its a bad thing, it was just random and I don’t think we were expecting it. Every single Canada show we have played has been amazing. They are so into progressive music and they made sure we knew. Montreal has been my all time favorite city we have played thus far.
What does SCALE THE SUMMIT like to do to unwind besides make music?
I actually work out at the gym six days a week lifting and I play about two hours of basketball everyday. It really helps me burn off a lot of frustration and stress. Other than that, me and the rest of the guys watch a lot of NBA games.
What has been your biggest “WOW” moment as a band?
I would say hands down being able to tour with DREAM THEATER and ZAPPA PLAYS ZAPPA. We’re talking all-star players and our top goal as far as the main band that we all really wanted to tour with. That, and being able to play at the Bell Centre Arena in Montreal. It was a true accomplishment and a very “I cannot believe this is happening” moment for me to be able to be in an instrumental band and play in an arena. Every show on that tour was of course huge, but this was an arena. I’ll never forget it.
What is in the near and distant future for SCALE THE SUMMIT?
Our new full length just came out via Prosthetic Records and we just started a full U.S. tour with FAIR TO MIDLAND and PERIPHERY in support of that record. We’ll be touring full time now that the record’s out, so lots and lots of touring! I would like to encourage all of our fans and new fan converts to make sure and get a copy of our new album The Collective, and to make sure to come see us while we are out on tour this year! We appreciate all your guys’ support!
