Change Brings Opportunity to Grow:
Interview with Echo 2 Locate
By: Declan Roberts
DR: Will the sound you have established so far with the release of your last EP be continued? Offer insight.
Rhiannon Neagle: Kind of. The album we are writing has some similar aspects to it but it’s definitely different. We are always looking to expand on our sound and we feel that the album we are currently writing hits home with us and is truly the new sound of Echo 2 Locate.
DR: This past year found some major changes for the band didn’t it?
Mike Pritchett: It did. We learned so much and got to experience so much that will really help us in the long run. We finally released a single and an EP while playing more shows than we ever have before. We even got to go on tour. Our fan base grew very quickly last year and we plan to build it even more this year. Everything from last year had truly prepared us for everything we are going to do this year.
DR: You all have obligations and day jobs. How does a band go about finding the balance between all of it?
Rhiannon Neagle: We all work full time jobs during weekdays. However, weekends are dedicated to the band and the band always comes first. Whenever we have to take time off from our day jobs for the band, we do so instantly. We don’t even think about it. The way we go about is that if we want this to be our full time career, then it has to be the top priority in our lives.
DR: Each day brings many new inspirations. Where is your go-to spot for finding those moments?
Will Servary : Band practice.
DR: Talk to us about this single, and EP. Give us a track by track image.
Rhiannon Neagle: This ep was truly a test for us to see what our fans would react to most and to just see how we will further develop our sound through the album. “Calling Out” is probably one of the more punk oriented songs off of the ep that is really good for crowd interaction. We love to open our shows with it. “Faster” contradicts its’ own name but shows a different side to our music. It was actually one the first song off the ep to be written. “Everything From Nothing” was a track that I actually wasn’t sure how it would turn out. I ended up loving the end result. The song kind of has this electric groove that isn’t actually in the tracks but it’s more of a feeling that it gives off. “Wastelands” is always a riot to play and it’s also very punk oriented song. I feel there’s a lot of different ways that people can relate this ep based on how you want to interpret it. We are very happy with the final product and it set a great foundation for us to move forward for our first album.
DR: Was the single “High” about someone you know or a personal insight?
Rhiannon Neagle: High is about anything you would like to interpret it as. However, since I write all lyrics straight from emotion, to me it’s not about anybody. It actually deals with a lot of self reflection on myself. A lot of my lyrics may come across as if they are about somebody else but in truth, they are not.
DR: Each band member: Do you have a particular track you are most fond of from this EP?
Rhiannon Neagle: Calling Out
Mike Pritchett: Calling Out
Will Servary: Calling Out
Clarke Hildreth: Faster
DR: How important is it to you as a band to maintain a certain amount of technical control over the whole process from beginning to end?
Clarke Hildreth: We aim to be as authentic as possible. We try not to let anybody tell us how we should be or how we should sound. We do, however, recognize the importance of outside opinions, and we are always open to the feedback and guidance that comes our way. We’ve gotten a lot of positive and helpful feedback, and we can’t be any more appreciative of that. At the end of the day, however, the decisions are ultimately ran through us.
DR: How about the business end of the band? Who do you find to be taking the lead and how important is it today to have one band member at least understand and develop the business side?
Clarke Hildreth: We all treat this as a business as well as a band, and we recognize the importance of doing so. To bands starting out, we can’t stress how important it is to have a business side of things. You will be more successful, and people outside of the band will like working with you much better. All four of us make decisions together, and oftentimes, there will be moments where we recognize somebody is particularly good at handling a specific task.
DR: Where can we find you playing next and where can new ears hear your music?
Will Servary: There’s a bunch of shows for us coming up.We will be opening up for the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus and Alesana april 7th in Baltimore and we will also be playing the LAUNCH Music Conference this year in Lancaster, PA. You can find all of our other upcoming shows and events on our facebook or our website : www.echo2locate.com. You can also find all our music on spotify, itunes, apple music, google play and youtube. Really any popular platform is where you can find us.
DR: Any time/dates for the next single/video to be released?
Rhiannon Neagle : Nothing officially set that we can announce yet but there will be!
DR: Since many are just getting to know you what would be one thing you could share about the band that you all feel is equally important?
Mike Pritchett: It is very important to all of us that our band is our chosen family and that we make our fans always feel accepted into our family.
