“You can’t set the sun. You have no control over it. That’s basically what it feels like we’re doing. We’re trying to make a career out of our music and it feels like we’re trying to accomplish the impossible.” -Willpowerless

DarkMedia Interviews Jordan Panfil of Willpowerless:

With all the controversy in the music industry today surrounding technology like Auto-Tune and other music enhancing software, a band like Willpowerless is a welcome sight.  Not only does their talent hold up during a live show, this is a group of guys who sincerely loves their fans, and is consistently dedicated to making the best music they can.

DarkMedia had the pleasure of sitting down with Willpowerless bassist Jordan Panfil, to talk about getting back together, the meaning of their name, and their latest album, “Found Their Way Home”.

Having been a band for ten years, what’s kept you together?  Is there anything specific you’d like to credit for your longevity?

Well… it’s a combination of being life-long friends and our love for the music we create together. We actually had a split for several years where we went in different directions. Jacob helped launch “Us, From Outside” (Tragic Hero Records) and the remaining three of us continued on with WILLPOWERLESS.

The bottom line is that things didn’t feel right when the four of us weren’t writing music together. We’ve regrouped and since had a blast writing and touring. The name of our latest album “Found Their Way Home” sums up how we all felt about the split and getting back together.

How did you choose the name of your band?  What does it mean?

WILLPOWERLESS. It’s a word that perfectly describes the vast majority of humans. For the most part, we all tend to choose what feels good over what we know is actually the right decision.

A lot of bands today have decided to work without a manager.  Why have you made that decision, and how has it worked for you?

We’re actually currently looking for management. For the first seven years of us playing together we were very young. It wasn’t really until July of 2009 that our project could be taken seriously. Prior to that, everyone was in college and we were really only working the Philadelphia area.

Since then, we’ve toured the east coast and mid-west several times and have learned an abundance of stuff we never would have without that experience. With the release of our latest album we finally feel as a band that we’re ready for representation. Although it’s been rewarding making things happen ourselves, the goals we’re trying to accomplish with this band are just too much to handle all alone.

When Jacob left the band, was it difficult to continue playing?

Absolutely. It was really tough. It’s never easy when you loose something or someone that’s a huge part of what you do. BUT . . . it’s just another thing that has made us stronger as a band. The people who have never believed in us must be pretty upset that we just refuse to stop trucking through all the difficult things that are thrown our way.

How long is the tour with The Pink Spiders? Any other tour plans after that?

Well! Speaking of difficult things . . . lol. This was just another instance of the obstacles we’ve been hurdling. We were actually on our way out to our first show of the tour at the Chameleon Club in Lancaster, PA when we see a post on our Facebook wall saying that we’re no longer on the show but that the show would continue. How about a phone call? No??? This was a show that our band, the promoters, the venue, and the other bands had been promoting for months!

So, needless to say we didn’t know what to think. Turns out the majority of the tour was canceled and we just cruised from Walmart parking lot to Walmart parking lot partying, playing ladder ball, and living off of cheese balls! We did get to play several shows with The Frantic on the dates that weren’t canceled. The whole trip actually turned out to be a blast and we made great friends with the guys in The Frantic.

It’s important that you make meatballs when life hands you a bunch of meat… does that make any sense?

Ryan and Jordan are brothers, and all of you are reported to be best friends. Is it difficult to stick together in this business where one or more of you may have a different direction?

Sure. There’s four of us. So for each one of us it’s like trying to keep three girlfriends happy at the same time. For the most part we’re all on the same page with the writing process and the ideas that are brought to the table. We all have very similar influences and we’ve been friends forever. But yeah, of course it gets tough. There will always be disagreements.

Can you give DMC some insight on your new album? What was the recording and writing process like?

Like we said earlier in the interview, this album really meant a lot us. It was the first time we were able to collaborate on music since 2008. Everything really came together and we flew through the writing process. We’re actually about halfway done the next album as well. We’re shooting for another July release.

We also had a really great time recording with Evan Myers. He’s a prodigy and is going to be a big player in the music industry. We can’t wait to get back in the studio and cut the new tracks. Maybe we’ll even release a single early… hint hint.

Bands today seem to have to sacrifice a lot more than older bands, even as recently as a decade ago, didn’t have to. How hard is it to sacrifice your personal life and more to make your dreams come true?

It’s incredibly tough. Especially since it’s so hard to decipher which bands have talent and which bands don’t. It’s easy to get lost in the mix of hundreds of thousands of bands that have the same dreams.

When we were in high school, if you went to the studio you left with a product that sounded like you — however good or bad you were. Today… there’s no such thing. With all the technology that’s available, even the horribly untalented sound amazing. It’s definitely a rough game.

“Set The Sun” is the title of your EP. Who came up with the name and what does it mean?

Ryan came up with name. The idea behind Set the Sun, is that it’s impossible. You can’t set the sun. You have no control over it. That’s basically what it feels like we’re doing. We’re trying to make a career out of our music and it feels like we’re trying to accomplish the impossible.

In the future, what bands would you like to tour with?

It’s always been a dream of ours to tour with the Deftones. But realistically we just want to be out on the road sharing our music. It doesn’t really matter to us who we’re touring with.

Your sound ranges from heavy to songs with melody, and you cover a large spectrum of genres. Is that a conscience effort not to be labeled, or do you just enjoy all genres of music?

No. We just enjoy a lot of different styles of music. Guess it shows in what we write. If you ask us, we feel like we’re hard rock / alternative rock.

Since DMC is a “dark” site, what are your favorite horror movies?

SCREAM! The first one was actually pretty good. But no, you gotta love all the Jason movies, and Halloween flicks. Chucky is stupid… we hate Chucky. How about the TV show, American Horror Story? That’s pretty good. We’re more of a comedy bunch.

Are there any songs that you would like to cover?

We’ve covered some Chevelle, 311, and Deftones tracks. But no, not really. We enjoy writing our own music more than covering others. Although, we do enjoy learning songs so we can pick up some new tricks from the best.

Right now, people can go to the Roadrunner Records site and vote for you to get signed.  We wish you the best of luck with that!  Can you give us three reasons our readers should stop by and vote for you?

Because Roadrunner Records is one badass label . . . add WILLPOWERLESS to that artist roster and shit! Really though, we’d rather have you out at a show or interacting with us on Facebook or Twitter. Speaking of Facebook, you can actually download our entire new album for free right now. The only thing we’re asking is that you share it with your friends!

Willpowerless is currently featured on  DarkMediaCity, a free social network for those who like it Dark.  Whether it be literature or film, music or art, horror or sci-fi, paranormal romance or paranormal investigation, we’ve got something for you.  www.DarkMediaCity.com

Exclusive Giveaway from DarkMedia! From now until January 15, 2011, RSVP “yes” here and you could win a SIGNED copy of Willpowerless’ latest album, “Found Their Way Home”.

Many thanks to our contributing music interviewers, Annie & Kelly.

(All interviews are the exclusive property of DarkMedia, and may not be reproduced or shared without permission, excepting links to the interview.)

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