Photo Credit: Penelope Martinez. Courtesy of Marina CityWho are you and what is your role in the band?
My name is Ryan Argast and I’m the lead vocalist!
How did the band get started?
I was a signed solo act and the original members of Marina City were my backing band. I wanted to start over and I asked if the guys wanted to become a new band. Everyone agreed but a few months later we replaced our original bassist with Aaron Heiy and then a couple years later Todor Birindjiev joined as our lead guitarist.
Who are your influences and how do they play a role in your sound?
We don’t have a specific influence. In fact most of us don’t even listen to the same music. Where most bands find that as a weakness we find that as a strength. Some of the bandmembers favorite artists are Justin Timberlake, Metallica, Nine Inch Nails, A Day To Remember, Blink 182, and Sam Smith. We are able to put all of our influences in a song and create something we believe is unique.
What has been your most meaningful experience being in this band so far?
Probably when we won the grand prize of the Ernie Ball Battle Of The Bands because it validated what we were doing. You probably won’t find a person with more self-doubt than a musician or anyone in the arts. We felt like we were moving our career in the right direction but because we saw other bands doing the same cool things, we were doing in less amount a time, we felt that maybe we were doing something wrong. Then we got the call that we won a battle of the bands against 10,000 bands across the country and we felt validated. We can make this dream a reality.
Favorite memory from a show you’ve played or a place you’ve travelled?
Our first ever Warped Tour date in Chicago! It was one of our biggest dreams growing up and we were able to accomplish that by being completely independent. However when we played The Rave that was a really cool experience. The place has tons of awesome history.
What do you hope to accomplish with your music?
We hope this band is a big and successful thing in our lives for decades to come. We hope we can do what we love for the rest of our lives.
Something about you that no one knows?
More people used to know this about me growing up but I don’t think anyone who follows my life now does….In 5th grade I was a Michael Jackson impersonator for a choir performance. Then in middle school I acted like a nerd called Melvin Macaroni and performed before every half time of the girls home basketball games. Needless to say if I wasn’t doing music I’d probably be some minor league teams mascot.
What is next for the band?
Well, Craig Owens (Chiodos/D.R.U.G.S) just became our manager. So we are working on some behind the scenes things right now. Everything revolves around us writing our new record! Expect new music, tours, and other fun things happening in 2017!
Anything else you want to add?
Check out our live reimagine EP “Lost Doesn’t Mean Alone” we released in the fall of 2016. Craig actually worked as our producer on that record. We recorded 5 songs in 5 different studios across 5 states in front of a different live studio audience. You can watch all the videos on YouTube.
