By Jordana Reim

Brad Hursch • vocals/guitar
Jeff McElyea • guitar
Vic Zientara • bass
Scott Parjani • drums

Shoutweb: You worked with David Bottrill for your forthcoming album. What was it like working with him knowing that he's worked with Tool and Godsmack? Did he intimidate you at all?

Brad: We're all fans of records that David has made, from his work with Peter Gabriel to Tool and so on. The experience was great working with someone of that caliber, the first initial meeting was a little intimidating for us but he really had a way of making us feel comfortable.

Shoutweb: How did you hook up with David? I heard it was through Mudvayne?

Brad: David got our demo from Chad when Mudvayne were making their latest record. Chad and I have known each other since grade school and have been best friends for a number of years. He knew that David was looking for bands for his new label so he passed ours along. We showcased for David and things just went from there.

Shoutweb: I heard that you used to play mostly cover songs in your hometown of Decatur, IL. How did you go about your transformation from a relatively unknown cover band into V Shape Mind?

Brad: We all had been in cover bands over the years. The transformation wasn't hard at all. It was just more difficult to find places to play. The bars in Decatur were more cover band friendly, so we had to start putting together our own shows and find bands from other areas to trade shows with. Once V Shape Mind was born, there was no question about writing songs and taking it as far as we could go.

Shoutweb: How was recording your album in Vancouver?

Brad: Vancouver was great, aside from the fact that it rained the whole first month we were there. We really dug it there, and the people that we worked with were very cool.

Shoutweb: Were you chilling with Nickelback up there?

Brad: We saw Nickelback every once in a while cause they were working next door, but we didn't chill with them.

Shoutweb: How have you been preparing for the September release of your album?

Brad: Right now we're in rehearsal mode, trying to get ready for tour plans coming up around the release of the record.

Shoutweb: You recently had a photo shoot in NYC for your album art and promotional photos. Tell us about that. Was there any concept you went with for the photos?

Brad: We did the shoot with Nitin Vadukul and he does fantastic work. We enjoyed working with him and he got some great stuff. There wasn't a concept we were going for per se, more just trying to get a complimentary visual for the music.

Shoutweb: I read that you were looking to expand to "popular" music. How were you able to do that or how do you plan to do that without conforming to cookie cutter popular music?

Brad: I think by just being ourselves and trying not to attach ourselves too much to a certain genre or fad.

Shoutweb: You have described your sound as "melodic metal." Those words could be taken as contradictory. What would you tell a critic who claims that metal couldn't be melodic?

Brad: Well I wouldn't call us a metal band, but I think there are elements of heavy music in ours. I've been a metal fan since I was a kid so I'm sure some of that has leaked into the songs. I also love melody so I think both have found their way into the music. As far as a critic is concerned, I think there have been lots of bands over the years that have been able to balance heavy and melodic music.

Shoutweb: There's a video on your website of Scott feeding seagulls. Where was that taken?

Brad: That video was done at our apartment in Vancouver. The seagulls would swoop down and catch bread that was thrown. Scott tried to see if one would take it from his hand and we got it on film.

Shoutweb: What videos can we expect to see up on your site in the future?

Brad: I'm sure the videos will be anything from serious to stupid or just anything we find entertaining.

Shoutweb: As a relatively new band, is there something you'd like your listeners to know about you before they hear your music? Is there a message you'd like them to get after they hear your music?

Brad: The only thing I would say is just to keep an open mind. Life is too short to think in limits.