Photo-Gordie Ball‏

by Deb Rao

The Alternative Press recently named The Devil Wears Prada band of the year. Now you can see what the buzz is all about surrounding the breakthrough band of the year as The Devil Wears Prada get ready to embark on an upcoming Winter Tour with New England’s Killswitch Engage. the tour is slated to kick off on February 4th at the House Of Blues in Boston, MA.

Vocalist Mike Hranica  of TDWP checks in with RockMusicStar.com for this exclusive interview revealing Exclusive details surrounding the tour and discusses TDWP latest release.

RockMusicStar.com: Mike, Thank you for checking in with Rockmusicstar.com. The Devil Wears Prada is getting ready to embark on a Winter Tour with Killswitch Engage that kicks off in Boston at the House Of Blues on February 4th. Tell us a little bit about the upcoming tour.

MIKE: We never met Killswitch. We played a show with them once a couple of years ago, but never got the chance to meet them. Killswitch is a huge renowned name within metal core. We are definitely excited to be about of. I have heard from other bands that the guys in the band are really nice. Killswitch is awesome. We are just excited to play some metal shows with a big U.S. Tour.

Rockmusicstar.com: Tell us a little bit about the set list and what the fans can expect to hear on the Winter Tour?

MIKE: it is going to be a lot of new songs. Because we don't like displaying our old songs so much.  We are most proud and most content with the new stuff. That is why we are playing mostly new stuff. At the same time, we want to make it really heavy on this tour. We are going to play songs that we would consider our most metal. Kind of just work with that and make it to wear it is dark.  I know Killswitch has a lot of traditional metal fans, which is why we want to do something that those fans would most appreciate.

Rockmusicstar.com:  Let's discuss TDWP latest release With Roots Above And Branches Below. How did you come up with the title and tell us about the writing process for the album?

MIKE: The title was inspired by a verse out of Jeremiah. It basically meant to get back to your morals and simplicity as compared to the complexity in life. It kind of just works out of that. We wrote most of it through December of 2009 and into the beginning of January. Then we recorded through January and into February before heading out on tour with A Day To Remember.

Rockmusicstar.com: Actually, the band had been on the road prior to the recording. How did touring play a major role in the writing and recording of this album?

MIKE: Touring helps in writing because you get to tour with bands and see how other bands do it. You become inspired by it. That is how it is for us. We were touring with White Chapel earlier in the year. Touring with all sorts of different bands plays a role and just makes you inspired. It helps the writing process. It kind of has a say in what you come up with.

Rockmusicstar.com: Would you say this album is heavier than your previous releases?

MIKE:  Yes, I would definitely would. We were shooting for that. I think especially from everything to song writing to structure to the recording I think it is the heaviest stuff that we ever done. We tuned down for a number of the songs. It helps to make it heavier and harder.

Rockmusicstar.com: The new video is out Dance:Wildman.. I know it is live performance. Where was it shot and tell us about the concept for this video.

MIKE: It was shot out in Pomona, California. We flew out there. The idea has a female ghost throughout the video. It is not to extreme of a story line. It just kinds of goes with that imagery and the haunting girl. 

Rockmusicstar.com: How did you come up with the name of the band The Devil Wears Prada? Was it from the novel?

MIKE: Yes, it was from the book before it became a movie and a best seller. It was just kind of like a joke thing. When we were starting we weren’t expecting to do anything. We just wanted to have fun. The idea was thrown out there even though we don't really enjoy the book or anything. The book became more successful and we became more successful. So it makes it weird I guess.

Rockmusicstar.com:  Are you still performing at the Soundwave Festival?

MIKE: No, we actually had to cancel. We were book to do it but with the offer of the Killswitch Tour. It was something that we really couldn't turn down. It sucks that we had to cancel. I know the fans are upset. But we are really excited to be going to Australia when it does actually happen. Hopefully, it will happen sooner than later. 

Rockmusicstar.com: The band has spent a lot of time performing in Europe? Are there any differences between the U.S. and European metal fans?

Mike: Really it is pretty similar. I don't think there is much change. The music scene is more different there as far as what more people listen to. There is much more of a dance rave scene like a club scene as compared to over here, which is weird. Especially in England. As far as the crowds and the fan bases it is pretty much the same for Europe and the U.S.

Rockmusicstar.com: As a singer who inspired you to get started in the business?

MIKE: I listen to a lot of Underoath and The Chariot back then Dallas Taylor and Josh Scogin were big inspirations to me. What most inspired me were the small hardcore bands around Ohio like the local bands I went and saw every weekend. I just wanted to be able to play shows like that and have a good time. I always wrote so I knew I was cut out to write lyrics. It was a lot of the local bands that got me stoked to getting me to do it. It kind of just felt like what God wanted for me.

Rockmusicstar.com: How is the music scene in Ohio these days?

MIKE: Not to good.  It is much more hateful nowadays which sucks. I am not around. I live in Chicago. There are some good bands that come out of there like Dayton and Cincinnati. It sucks because there is so much hate. The older people hating the younger people. It is weird.I wish I had a better way of describing it. Other than people hating and being more hateful than what they should be. As compared to when I was younger and it seemed like more fun Christian scene. It is different now.

Rockmusicstar.com: Is there anything else that you would like to say about the new album? Do you have any favorite tunes off of it?

MIKE: I am really into "Give Me Half." We think it is one of the most mature things that we ever come up with. We feel like it is pieced together well. Production is good. There are really heavy parts on it. I would like to showcase that song and show a lot of people that song. I am pretty happy the way everything came out. I am stoked for a lot of the new album. As happy as I am with it and glad how things turned out. I am still excited to do something even newer next time around. I have some more ideas.

Rockmusicstar.com: Have you begun writing for the new album?

MIKE: It is in the works a little bit. Chris is like our primary songwriter. He kind of pieces things together coming up with parts. It is in the very early stages.

Rockmusicstar.com: TDWP has been on some fantastic tours. What was your favorite tour so far?

MIKE: It is hard to say. When we first started the Silverstein tour we did in early 2008. Now it seems like every tour is better than the one before, which is awesome. It is great getting along with all these bands and everything. We just finished the Napalm and Noise Tour with All That Remains. Everyone ended up getting along really well. The other bands you could watch and say wow they are a good band. You don't see a lot of that nowadays. You see bands that are on Warped Tour because of their look. That sucks. I know people even categorize us with that. But that is not who we are. It is more of an assumption. It is really refreshing to be touring with some older bands. That is doing it for the right reasons rather than for fame. You see a lot of it in the young music scene now. It is awesome to be able to so many tours. We are blessed to be able to Napalm And Noise. Warped Tour is great too but that is like the tour we done with many young bands. Ones that lack any sort of content or message any sort of well-being and goodness. You can go to the Warped Tour and see bands that are absolutely doing nothing good for this earth. They are not putting out a positive message. They are not helping people. It sucks. Warped Tour is awesome and I think we will be a part of it again within our career, But it is fun to do tours like Napalm where you are touring with older bands that are really talented musically and have been around awhile. That is something that we are really trying to grow into.

Rockmusicstar.com: Well this tour is going to be great with Killswitch Engage. It kicks off in Boston at the HOB on February 4th.. It is a great club. We wish you the best of luck.

MIKE: Thank you very much for the interview!  

Killswitch Engage/The Devil Wears Prada Tour Dates 

FEBRUARY
4 House of Blues, Boston, MA
5 House of Blues, Atlantic City, NJ
8 House of Blues, Orlando, FL
10 Tabernacle, Atlanta, GA
11 Amos Southend, Charlotte, NC
12 Sonar, Baltimore, MD
13 House of Blues, Cleveland, OH
15 House of Blues, Chicago, IL
18 First Avenue Loop Station, Minneapolis, MN
19 Eagles Ballroom, Milwaukee, WI
20 Royal Oak Theatre, Royal Oak, MI
21 Egyptian Room, Indianapolis, IN
23 Cain's Ballroom, Tulsa, OK
25 Warehouse Live, Houston, TX
26 Paladium Ballroom, Dallas, TX

MARCH
1 Sunshine Theatre, Albuquerque, NM
3 House of Blues, Las Vegas,NV
5 Marquee Theatre, Tempe, AZ
6 The Wiltern, Los Angeles, CA
7 Warfield Theatre, San Francisco, CA
9 Roseland Ballroom, Portland, OR
10 Showbox SoDo, Seattle, WA
12 Great Salt Air, Magna, UT
13 Fillmore Auditorium, Denver, CO
14 The Midland by AMC, Kansas City, MO
15 The Pageant, St.. Louis, MO
18 Irving Plaza, New York, NY
19 Irving Plaza, New York, NY
21 The Dome, Wallingford, CT