Tour buses from all directions have been hauling ass to one destination: the Stone Pony Summer Stage in Asbury Park, New Jersey for the opening date of the Carnival of Madness Tour which starts today! One bus holds the immensely talented traveling troubadours of In This Moment, as they embark on yet another round of relentless summer concert dates in artistic ITM style, which includes a little decorating help from lead singer, Maria Brink.
We chatted with Maria right before she hit the road with her fellow band mates Chris Howorth (Co-Founder/Lead Guitar), Travis Johnson (Bass), Randy Weitzel (Guitar), and Tom Hane (Drums) about Carnival of Madness and what it’s like to be the only girl on the bus…
In This Moment seems to be a band that really knows how to stay in front of that forward momentum and you have done a ton of touring and festivals so far this year. You’re about to embark on Carnival of Madness, which kicks off on August 11, 2013 in Asbury Park, New Jersey. What’s it like to be on a tour bus with In This Moment? Do you have any traveling rituals?
One big happy family!We’ve been touring for a really long time together. We went from the van – you know with all of us squished in a little tiny van, to a broken down RV, to finally being in buses! So, now I have a bus where I actually have my own bathroom, shower, and bedroom. It is glorious, I tell you! Boys, for some reason find it not odd at all to urinate on the bathroom walls or all over the toilet seat, so having my own area is wonderful! But the guys in my band and my crew are my brothers. We really try to make touring fun; go do fun things and make the best of it. I decorate the whole back lounge and bring a suitcase full of my own blankets and curtains. I have fabric that I hang so it’s kind of like my home away from home.
At Carnival of Madness, will we hear a little from past albums or are you focused on the most recent release (Blood)?
For Carnival of Madness, yea I think like everything else, it’s about evolving and trying to find your sound. And for us, I really believe everything was always a struggle up until then. I truly don’t believe we found this magical ‘something’ until 
Blood and it just really clicked for us on the Blood album. It was like I personally let go of all my fears and we freed ourselves. It was like we finally got it! We, and me personally, had been striving for so long, and don’t get me wrong, nothing’s perfect and I know we have to evolve and change from here and make it better, but something definitely happened on Blood. So it’s definitely our favorite right now. We can’t help but play a lot of the Blood tracks. But we will play a song or two that’s not on the Blood album at Carnival of Madness for sure.
You have been on just about every major festival this year, with a ton of headlining dates as well. How do you keep up the momentum while at the same time make things interesting for both the band and your fans new and old?
We are so grateful to be where we are right now and we really are at the peak of our careers. We’re where we always wanted to be but we want to go further and we have so many more levels that we really want to climb; especially with the live shows – we want it to get bigger and bigger and bigger! We’re getting ready to bring out a live show that no one’s ever seen from us at Carnival of Madness! I’m going to have performers with me now. The Blood girls that people have seen in the “Adrenalize” and “Blood” music videos are actually going to be on stage with me now performing. We’re adding a new element that we’ve never had before and I’m really excited to see everyone’s reactions.
Watch “Adrenalize”
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The impact that you make collectively as a band on stage and being such a powerful female vocalist along with your presence and your demeanor are so impressive. You’re an inspiration to so many people who follow your path and admire everything you’ve overcome and have done. From one blonde “Beautiful Tragedy” to another, I can’t wait to be back in your crowd at the opening show for Carnival of Madness.
Awe, thank you so much. You’re so sweet! We’re so excited to come play and we’re very excited for this tour. 
You know when you say I inspire people; it’s actually the crowd that inspires me. I like to tell the crowd that and thank them because I kind of get lost in the anxiety of my everyday life. I have OCD, and I’m really all over the place. But when I get on stage, it’s almost like the crowd is the cure. They calm me. It’s like everything slows down. Everything is okay, and everything is perfect in that moment. So I like to say “thank you” to the crowd because I’m just as inspired by them.
Thank you so much for taking the time to talk about Carnival Of Madness and we wish you and all of the bands a great tour.
Thank you for your kind words! I’m really excited to get out there!
Check out all dates and get your tickets to Carnival of Madness HERE!
CONNECT WITH IN THIS MOMENT:
By: Stina Marie Harris, Senior Journalist
Check out the September/October 2013 RockRevolt®Magazine with In This Moment on our cover. Read the digital magazine online here or for the 1st time, you can buy it in PRINT on September 1, 2013 around the world!
