A Sound Heart

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      A Sound Heart, the hardcore band from Johnsburg, IL is one of the few remaining bands who still strongly believes in morality. " It seems a lot of the structures people model themselves after take away from the heart of any action: happinness. It's just ethics. The soul purpose for anyone to do anything is to be rewarded with some sort of positive emotion. Unfortunately, things like addiction, vanity, and greed can distort your definition of happiness. But, to truly grasp the concept of contentment and live a healthy, fulfilling life, you have to be the best person you can be. It can be difficult. Sometimes, you're forced to choose between that often strenuous path of doing what's right, or taking the easy way out and doing whatever you like, even if it harms others."
      The band also believes than in order to make a real, positive impact, one must use their head and their heart. "You need to be of sound heart. As we've grown up, we've had to face things we've only ever seen in movies. We've watched old friends become monsters and people we know ruin each other without giving it a second thought. It's scary and it's had a huge impact on all of us in one way or another. It's a bit dramatic, but that's the general idea of the name and the meaning behind our songs."

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      Since the band's formation just a few months ago in mid-May 2011, they have recieved great support from the local scene in Johnsburg. "We've been lucky enough to have played with and for some really amazing people early in our time together."
      When the band first came together, they were only interested in playing shows casually. Once the band realized that they really enjoyed what they were doing, they decided to takes things a bit more serious.
      Over the years, the different members had played in different bands together. After a conversation last year between Josh Blackburn (drums), Jeff Leber (vocals) and Reid Bright (guitar) which consisted of a lot of nostalgia and reminiscing that quickly turned into a jam session once Reid moved back into town. "We kept the songs simple and just wrote the kind of music we all love without over thinking anything and something clicked. It seemed so organic." Says Josh.
      Colton Smiricky joined the band a few weeks later as the bassist. As an old friend and former bandmate, the band felt it was only right to bring him on.

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      The first month as a band was difficult for the group. "Being in a band when we were sixteen was a whole different experience than playing now when we're three years graduated living in a tiny town where most of our support has moved out of state. We had to fight for our first slight bit of recognition. We had to scream in the faces of potential fans in those first few weeks to get their attention because they weren't all friends or people we knew."
      The band describes themselves as an accumulation of all the agressive music and goofy trends that have influenced them in the past five years. "Whether it was when our older friends introduced us to 'Son, I Loved You At Your Darkest' by As Cities Burn, we first heard Misery Signals in high school, when Defeater released 'Travels' or Have Heart passed through Chicago on their last tour, some moments have taken us through different phases of listening and songwriting. But now, we have finally reached a point where we've stopped trying to over complicate things. We've started writing organically and letting those moments that have influenced us and the music we love to present itself naturally in our songs." Says the band.

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      When it comes to playing shows, the band enjoys playing anywhere. From youth centers to clubs, bar to festivals, and even basements. "When we play, we try our hardest to engage the crowd and make them feel so incredibly uncomfortable that they can't help but drop their guard and become a part of the band."
      Since the band's decision to take things more seriously, they've come to an agreement which states that when classes start back up in the coming weeks, they're going to start booking about 1 show a month, but continue staying busy with writing and recording. When the band has time off from school, they hope to try and book as many venues as possible. "We hope to keep this band together and maintain momentum so that one day we can tour and grow uncomfortably close with people miles from home."

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      The band's friend, Logan, who dabbles in graphic design and photography, is filming many of the band's sets in HD and hopes to piece it all together into a live music video for the band. So look forward to that.
      Also, the band hopes to continue releasing new music within the coming months. "We will still sound like emotionally distressed suburban kids, but we've certainly developed a better understanding of our place in the music scene and the message we would like to convey. That being said, our newer material maintains the same intensity as previous songs but has a new less generic edge."