Tempest
SPB: What was your favorite band in high school? How do they influence your songwriting today?
c.a: There are probably only a handful of bands that Tempest as a whole can agree on enjoying. Now, take that handful and whittle it down to bands that we have been listening to for the past 15 years. There really is only one band that meets that criteria and has stood the test of time. Obviously it would be none other than Propagandhi.
To me Propagandhi are the perfect embodiment of what a band can/should be: aggressive, thoughtful, artistic, and honest. They have inspired and influenced us more as musicians and people than probably most of us would feel comfortable giving them credit for. Musically the influence might not be glaringly obvious…but it’s there underneath layers of distortion and feedback. More than the music though, it’s how they have ideologically influenced us. We have an adage that we have come back to over again during the past 8 years, and its WWPD. I like to think it’s this simple little idea that has helped us to make very few regrettable decisions as a band.
