An Interview With The Seattle Band, BRINE!

On December 2nd, Seattle’s Brine released their debut album “Killl The Ill” via Inverted Kite Records.

Brine’s singer and bassist, Daniel Keating says, “We’re really excited about the release of our debut album and are very happy to share this record with you. Since forming in 2014, we’ve experimented with some different styles and singers before we found the right feel, resulting in Kill The Ill. We hope this album will resonate with people and can’t wait for you to hear it!”

Learn more about Brine in the following All Access interview:

Thanks for your time! Now that 2016 is over, what are some words you would use to describe the year for the band? What have been some of the highlights for you all and your music? What are you most excited about for 2017? Did you make any resolutions for the new year?

It’s great to speak with you! 2016 was a good year for Brine, a couple words to describe the year would be busy and successful. We put a lot of effort into making the “Kill The Ill” record, and especially as it is our first album, it was definitely the highlight of the year. For 2017, we’re looking forward to cutting new demos for the songs that will comprise the follow-up album. We have a lot of material already written for it. Resolutions? Just all the usual ones that we intend to break.

Growing up, did you all always want to be musicians? Can you talk about this group first formed and how you came up with your name?

Definitely, music has always been the thing. As far as this band, I was trying to get this power metal band going but we really sucked and the band mercifully imploded. We were sharing our rehearsal space with this other band (who Joe, Chris and Travis played with) and at the same time, coincidentally, their singer quit and their band called it quits. I’d previously played music with Joe and Chris for several years, so we decided to consolidate and form a new band. I came in on bass (and eventually vocals), Travis moved from bass to guitar, and we began writing. Names are always hard. Funny ones are easy, but not “normal” ones so much. I wanted to have a one-syllable name and being that one of my favorite things is the smell of the salt water on a foggy morning, Brine kind of emerged.

You’ve all been in other bands before so I am curious as to how they compare with the dynamics of sound of Brine?

I don’t think any of our previous bands compare with Brine’s sound, honestly. Earlier bands were more on the hard rock or metal side of things (as with our former band, Schudge). Travis brought a new element to the mix with his more atmospheric playing, and since Brine is a band with me having a go as main songwriter, my own influences and tastes are coming through more than in previous bands.

How do you think Brine has been influenced by being from Seattle?

We love the music from the “heyday” of Seattle, though we were young when it was happening. We’ll still listen to a lot of that stuff…it’s classic (Alice in Chains, Coffin Break, Nirvana, The Wipers from Portland). Musically, I don’t know that Brine shares a lot of similar sounds, but it’s hard not to be inspired by this town’s legacy and ghosts.

The band recently released your debut album. How long had you worked on it? What did it feel like to finally put “Kill The Ill” out into the world?

The writing for the album took place during the first two years of our existence, since forming in 2014. As far as production, we recorded it in six days but then worked on the mixing, a bit sporadically, during the following six months. We didn’t have a large budget for the album, which affected our post production efficiency, and there was a degree of stress in this process for sure. So once the thing was complete and sent out to press, it felt pretty nice.

Can you talk about this debut collection discusses mental illness? How did it all come together exactly?

If I start out trying to write lyrics about a specific story I run into a wall. When I pull words from snippets of my past experiences, especially the more depressing stuff, they tend to flow more freely. I had a serious substance abuse problem for many years, which lead me to some pretty low places and insane head spaces. Eventually I needed to get sober, start over, and deal with some issues. This lead me to me meet some wonderful people and helped me to learn a lot about myself and some of the mental problems that people are trying to get through and get over. This stuff, and experiences with family members with their own demons and insanity combine for pretty fertile subject matter. But it wasn’t really deliberate, it just happened that it seemed to be a running current through many (but not all) of the songs.

I’ve read that over the years, you’ve experimented with all kinds of styles. Can you elaborate on how you got to your current sound?

A lot has to deal with that Joe, Chris and I have been playing together for quite a while. So we have developed some kind of style and a comfort level between us. Sound-wise, I know that the stuff I write tends to be rooted in the styles which were most important to me growing up (new wave and punk).

What if anything has surprised you about the music industry? What do you think has been your biggest challenge? And what do you think has come really naturally to you?

It’s tough to get your music heard/noticed on your own, that’s for sure. As far as challenges go, I suppose it would be that. I think the songs themselves come pretty naturally for the band, we’ve been able to write a good amount of material in a relatively short time.

Who are some of your favorite artists and what bands continue to inspire you and your music? Who would you still love to work with in the future?

I don’t know, I’ve always just played music with friends. It would be odd to play with someone else! Some of my favorite bands are The Chameleons, The Sound, Comsat Angels, Psychedelic Furs, The Smiths, Madness, Pink Turns Blue, The Smoking Popes and Oingo Boingo. And we recently lost the greatest one of all, David Bowie.

When you aren’t performing, working in the studio, what do you like to do for fun? How do you unwind from it all?

We all have jobs and wives, so working at music is the unwinding.

What do you hope is the message of your music? What do you hope listeners take away from your songs?

That’s a tough one, I think the lyrics are somewhat incoherent…so if there is a message to be found, I’d love to know what it is!