Recently, I was really excited to have the chance to interview, Marina Heath and Jacob Ommaya, from Echoheart, a rock band from Rockville, Maryland. The band has been making huge waves since the debut of their latest rock-powerhouse single, “Canade,” and the release of their new EP on March 3, 2018 titled, The Way We Were Made. If you haven’t already, YOU NEED to check out The Way We Were Made and get ready to be impressed. It is safe to say this band is well on their way to new heights in the local music scene and beyond, as they are certainly a force to be reckoned with. With that all being said, here is my interview with, Echoheart!
1.) First things first, I just wanted to personally say congratulations to you guys on your new EP, The Way We Were Made! It sounds absolutely incredible. Personally, I really loved it. How has the response been to it so far?
Thank you so much!! The response has been overwhelming. We’ve been a band for over two years now and it feels like we’ve finally hit a point where we’ve pinpointed our style and who we are as a band and people are really responding to it! We’ve been doing this for a couple of years now so all of our fans that have been following us since we started and had no idea what we were doing are particularly stoked about the project. We’re just glad we could make them proud.
2.) Where did you guys record the EP and who did you record with? What was that process like?
We recorded it with our friends Nick Sloane and Aaron Sorge from the VA based band Better Homes. Nick reached out to us shortly after we released our last single and the rest is history. It was a lot of home recording but it came out fabulously. Working with people that were equally passionate about the record was a totally new experience for us and we’re really glad with the way it all worked out. It was super fun and experimental!
3.) While you guys were in the studio, did you have any moments where you all fell in love with a song you were recording immediately?
Recording “Canade” and playing with the guitar tones. When we heard the way that bridge exploded we all got really excited. And piling gang vocals at the end of “Feel Better” was amazing!!
4.) Were there any major music influences behind the sound of this EP? If so, who?
Marina: My Chemical Romance and 2009 era Paramore! The big rock sound with powerful vocals was something we all knew we wanted from the beginning.
Jacob: Some of the guitar tones are in the style of queens of the stone age with all of the fuzz and such.
5.) One of my personal favorites off of, The Way We Were Made, was definitely the track that opened the whole EP, “Canade.” I also just recently watched the music video for it and that looked amazing too! Why did you guys chose to do a music for that song? What made you all pick it as your lead single off of this EP?
Marina: I think we were leaning towards using “Feel Better” first because it’s just so catchy. “Canade” was the first song we wrote for the record and we actually played it on tour all last year. It was a really simple and straightforward rock song. But as we watched the song grow, we realized it became much more than we thought it would and it was just the obvious choice.
6.) If you could make another music video for another song off of, The Way We Were Made, which song would you pick?
Marina: Probably, “Feel Better” because it’s just such a bop. Or maybe “The Fade” because it represents the project so well.
Jacob: Probably “Feel Better” or “The Fade” because I feel like it would be cool to do a more low key video.
7.) What would you guys say, is the most meaningful song off of your new EP? Why?
Marina: I’d say “The Fade.” It was the first song that I started and brought to the band and it literally took a year to finish writing. The concept of “The Fade” is kind of what I based the entire record around, and that’s why we decided to name the EP after a line from it.
Jacob: “The Fade” because it’s the title track, but for me personally, “Feel Better” because the lyrics mean a lot to me.
8.) So now that the EP is released, what is the next step?
TOUR TOUR TOUR! We are so excited to play as many shows as we possibly can!! We finally have a record out that we’ve busted our backs to release and we’re beyond excited to perform it.
9.) What are some of Echoheart’s goals for 2018?
We generally want to play as many shows as possible and meet as many fans in person as we can. Later this year we’ll probably get back to writing and we hope for our next project to be a full length album.
10.) Would guys like to make any shoutouts to any other local bands in the scene right now who have supported you guys?
Obviously, Better Homes. We couldn’t have done this without Nick and Aaron and we’re so glad that we were able to work with them. It’s impossible to list every band we’re thankful for, but really any band that’s played a show with us has brought us a step closer to finishing this record. The other bands at our shows inspire us constantly.
11.) Where can everyone find, The Way We Were Made?
It’s available now everywhere! iTunes, Apple Music, Spotify, Bandcamp, Google Play, Amazon and our website: echoheartmusic.com
Come out to a show and get a hard copy of the record from us!
Also, be sure to hit Echoheart up with a “like” or “follow” on their Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages!
Myze Music 