Shadows Lie

Band:

Shadows Lie

Members: Kira Leigh, vocals; C.T. Tamura, guitar; Frank Grullon, guitar; Eric McNeil, drums

Who we talked to: Leigh, 23

How did you guys get together? Myself and my bass player, C.T. Tamura, met through Craigslist actually a few years ago. We both sort of just needed to work with someone new. We met up, and we just started writing songs together, and it just clicked. We just had amazing chemistry musically. We ended up getting a production deal. At the end of it, it was a great experience but nothing . . . that groundbreaking came from it. Me and C.T. decided to sort of, like, really do the band thing. We found our guitarist, and we found our drummer.

Where did the name come from? The way we came up with Shadows Lie is kind of interesting. I wrote a song called "Shadows," which is on our debut album "Echoes." In the song . . . there was a phrase "sometimes shadows lie." When we were looking for names . . . that phrase sort of popped into (C.T.'s) head.

Your drummer is from the York area, right? Our current drummer is from the York area. Initially, our drummer was another New York City drummer. We still play with him occasionally. But for the most part we've been playing with our drummer from York, (McNeil). He's also in the band Worlds End . . . a modern rock cover band from York. That's kind of how we started our fan base there.

So you guys are more of a regional group? We spent the past year and some change playing (about 160 shows) up and down the East Coast. We're definitely looking to branch out and go national this year.

Describe your sound and style. Our sound is kind of a mixture of hard and soft. Some of the songs . . . are on the heavier side. It's kind of just a darker vibe. The other side of the album is, like, kind of a softer, sweeter, acoustic . . . quality. We tend to have a little bit of a spectrum.

Who are your influences? I can definitely say for myself, two of my biggest influences as a kid were Tori Amos and Alice in Chains. I think we're all greatly influenced by Korn . . . Sevendust . . . Incubus . . . (and) a little Portishead.

Like any pop performers? I can really appreciate . . . the artistry of production in a lot of pop songs. I happen to really like Katy Perry a lot. I think her music is fun, and it's well made.

You resemble Hayley Williams, the lead singer of Paramore. Do you get that a lot? I get that all the time. We were both blondes at one point I think, and then, we both dyed our hair red. I went and chopped my hair off really short. I think she's a wonderful singer, but I don't want to be a carbon copy of anybody else.

You spend a lot of time on the road. What is that like? It's pretty crazy. You have, like, these four people together in a little van for long . . . periods of time. One time . . . we played a show in D.C. The next day, we had to turn around and drive nine hours to Massachusetts to play a show. You get really close, and you have your fights and tiffs, and you have the drama.

What helps you keep your sanity while on tour? The things that probably would have helped me keep my sanity are the things that I probably didn't do. When we go again now in February . . . I'm going to try not to eat tons of fast food. I'm going to try not to party a lot at every show we play, (and) try to sleep a little more and be a little healthier.

Where are you touring in February? We're playing the Millennium Music Conference . . . this year on (Feb. 13). My bass player and (another) drummer . . . created a showcase called Gotham Rocks. It's all originally modern rock bands. We do it four times a year. Most of them we do in New York City.

New York City must have an awesome music scene. Are you friends with any other bands up there? It's an amazing city . . . and there's definitely a music scene here. There's a little bit more of an indie rock scene in New York City. That's one of the reasons why we're doing Gotham Rocks is to kind of build up the modern rock scene in Manhattan. Pennsylvania is really our favorite . . . state to play right now. I just find that the people really come out to see music, and they're really enthusiastic and stuff, which is really refreshing.

- ERIN McCRACKEN, FLIPSIDE STAFF

If you go

Shadows Lie performs during the Millennium Music Conference at 10:30 p.m. Feb. 13 at Rumors, 251 N. Enola Road in Enola.

For details, visit www.myspace.com/wheretheshadowslie. For details about the Millennium Music Conference, visit www.musicconference.net.

To listen to the interview, visit www.flipsidepa.com.