soudvsystem x eva

Out of Washington’s tri-cities area, alternative metal band Eva looks to make contact on their debut album OPIA. The band is Austin “Auzzie” Schmitt (vocals, rhythm guitar), Moises “Moi” Richardson (guitar), Ethan Strobel (bass) and Jeff Gonzales (drums). “OPIA captures the intense, vulnerable feeling of looking into someone’s eyes and the raw connection that comes with it,” the band explains. Sonically, Eva fuses genres including shoegaze, post-grunge and nu metal.

Read our Q&A with the band and see the songs that influenced and inspired Eva as they worked on their full-length record.

---

Congrats on OPIA! What has the response been like so far? How did you celebrate the release?

Auzzie: To be honest we didn’t really celebrate its release. I take music very seriously, so we don’t really take breaks. I’m always working. Whether it’s promoting one of our songs, trying to talk to magazines, labels, it never stops. As soon as we finished the album and put it out we were like, ‘Okay, let’s start on the next album.’ And that’s what we are doing now. 

What is one object that each of you can’t live without when it comes to your artistic practice and why?

Auzzie: Music. To not hear new music specifically. Without hearing music, I feel you can’t create new ideas, or draw inspiration.

Moi: In the most literal sense, my guitar. I also need my Carbon Fiber Jazz III pick. I guess the music I’m listening to at the moment gets my creative juices flowing–inspiring and influencing my writing as well. 

Ethan: I’d say the most important part for me is just having communication and constructive criticism from everyone I am writing with. Best thing for creativity is just feeling comfortable to share new ideas and trusting the people you are creating with to tell you when they like or don’t like something.

Jeff: I would say my pedals since they are dialed into my specific feel. I, more recently, started using a direct drive type of pedal. It feels very different than a chain drive pedal, so just something I am more used to now.

You guys worked with producer Dave Pettey on OPIA. Tell us about something unexpected that happened during those recording sessions.

Auzzie: When we came in we didn’t really have a formula. We were making all the songs as we were going. I think the only one that was ready before we started recording was ‘Skin.’ I think it actually helped us a lot though, because there are parts in the album that wouldn’t have happened if it was all planned. For instance, on the break for ‘Whispers’, the little screech noises after we stop, were totally by accident. It was Dave’s baritone guitar feedback-ing. We decided to keep it because it just made the track so much better.

How do you translate your recorded music to the stage? Do you prefer to stick to the song as it appears on the record (tone, song structure, etc) or do you see playing live as an opportunity to explore the songs further?

Auzzie: We one hundred percent play the songs in a different way live than the original track–and it’s on purpose. I want to give the listeners something fresh, but familiar. Trying out a scream here and there–on parts where it’s not on the original track–and changing some words, I think adds to the experience. I don’t want anyone to be bored at our shows. At the end of the day, you want your music to leave a lasting impact on the people that hear it. I always try to find ways to make that happen, whether it’s by jumping in the crowd or catching people off guard with how different a song sounds from the original.

---

Korn - “Lies”

“When coming up with ‘Bump,’ I wanted it to be a bouncy and groovy song. Similar to ‘Lies,’ I wanted listeners to feel the music—feel it in their body. I wanted to give the listeners the impulse to slam dance anywhere, anytime, the same way ‘Lies’ makes me go primal.”
- Moi

My Chemical Romance - “The Ghost Of You”

“When we were first making ‘Marching,’ I knew I wanted something very dark sounding. ‘The Ghost Of You’ just captured that kind of eerie ballad vibe. I wanted something along those lines. The song—or at least the video—speaks of a soldier going into war and all the horrors around the event. ’Marching’ is my attempt at making something from the outside seem so dark and bleak that you may not come out of whatever you’re going through. Towards the end of the song, there’s a glimmer of hope that you can reach onto and pull yourself out. [It is a way] to show that the listener, or anyone, can get through whatever they are going through. They just have to keep their head up.”
- Auzzie

Wisp - “Your Face”

“‘Paradigm’ was my attempt at writing shoegaze. I haven't really listened to shoegaze before or anything else like it. My fiancée would play it on drives to band practice and Austin had made me a playlist to study—had a lot of Deftones. I would really let the music sink in and inspire new ways for me to write the melodies in our music.”
- Moi

Deftones - “Around The Fur”

“With the title track we wanted something very easy and accessible to someone who may have not heard our music before. Deftones’ ‘Around The Fur,’ in my opinion, is the perfect title track for their album. It captures what the whole album is about in one song. ‘Opia’ has all the unique elements that we put into the record combined into one. You’ve got the rapping, heavy breaks, creepy melodies. It’s all there. All while still being a fairly calmer song than a lot of the others on the record, so it makes for an easy listening experience.”
- Austin

Akira Yamaoka - “The Day Of Night”

“I had the Silent Hill 2 soundtrack in mind when helping write ‘Whispers In The Fog.’ The ttitle is actually a play on Silent Hill. That sort of vibe just fits with the music and ‘Whispers in The Fog’ just fits with that sort of vibe. The feeling of wandering some place without any signs of life. Alone. With a cigarette between your lips, following distant echos in the mist. Not really sure what you're looking for or even hoping to find. Real af.”
- Moi

---

OPIA is out now. Go listen.