When it comes to the longevity of his band's career, Reach the Sky vocalist Ian Larrabee is ever the pragmatist. "We're not going to be the Rolling Stones and put out 25 records or anything," he states. "We're just a hardcore band and we want to make the most of it now and that means just going full tilt until nobody cares anymore. I think it will run it's course eventually."
The issue comes up when Larrabee talks about the change of direction the band takes on its second full-length release, Friends, Lies and the End of the World. RTS's 1999 debut, So Far From Home, was hailed as an instant East Coast hardcore classic. So for the Boston-based quartet to throw fans for a loop with a follow-up that was more melodic and pop-punk than hardcore was a bit of a surprise. Could it be that the band had grown tired of what it was doing after just one record? And if so, would that lead to the inevitable infighting that could tear the band apart?
No, says Larrabee, it was simply a desire to grow. "I think what's happened since the first record came out is that we found we didn't have to play traditional hardcore shows, we could do other things so we wrote a record that's a little more an extension of what we want to do," he says. "We have the confidence in ourselves to branch out and add more melody or make it a little more punk or just not as traditionally hardcore as the first record was. I still think we wrote a hardcore record, we just added things here and there. We're still the same band we've just opened up our avenues a little more. We're still a hardcore band and that's really all we've ever wanted to be. I wouldn't know how to outgrow it, maybe grow my hair longer and wear tight pants."
Reach the Sky embarks on a two-week, 12-date cross-Canada tour with Nitro hardcore practitioners, Ensign. The tour begins in Halifax on July 10 and wraps up in Vancouver on July 22 stopping in every major city along the way.
The issue comes up when Larrabee talks about the change of direction the band takes on its second full-length release, Friends, Lies and the End of the World. RTS's 1999 debut, So Far From Home, was hailed as an instant East Coast hardcore classic. So for the Boston-based quartet to throw fans for a loop with a follow-up that was more melodic and pop-punk than hardcore was a bit of a surprise. Could it be that the band had grown tired of what it was doing after just one record? And if so, would that lead to the inevitable infighting that could tear the band apart?
No, says Larrabee, it was simply a desire to grow. "I think what's happened since the first record came out is that we found we didn't have to play traditional hardcore shows, we could do other things so we wrote a record that's a little more an extension of what we want to do," he says. "We have the confidence in ourselves to branch out and add more melody or make it a little more punk or just not as traditionally hardcore as the first record was. I still think we wrote a hardcore record, we just added things here and there. We're still the same band we've just opened up our avenues a little more. We're still a hardcore band and that's really all we've ever wanted to be. I wouldn't know how to outgrow it, maybe grow my hair longer and wear tight pants."
Reach the Sky embarks on a two-week, 12-date cross-Canada tour with Nitro hardcore practitioners, Ensign. The tour begins in Halifax on July 10 and wraps up in Vancouver on July 22 stopping in every major city along the way.
