How did your band (The Bleeding Forks) begin?

Originally, I wanted a full band. I wanted a bassist, a lead guitarist, a rhythm guitarist, a drummer, and even a singer (I cringe when I hear my own voice J). Most of the people that auditioned for me were honestly turned off by the idea that I wanted to write a handful of Twilight songs. I came to the conclusion that I would just play the guitar, bass, and percussion parts on my own, and do my own thing, and not let myself be held back. I knew the songs were good enough, and I probably should have approached the project like this in the first place, instead of wasting so much time.


How would you describe your music?

I would say that these 3 songs are heavily grunge, acoustic, and British pop oriented. Each song combines a sense of darkness, with an underlying humorous tone, much like Twilight operates. They aren’t complicated songs to play, and certainly weren’t complex to write, but that’s when music is at its most pure and most potent. The concept of this album was to take each character from the respective novels and mold songs reflective of their distinct personalities. Edward would be refined, while cutting to the chase (The verse goes right into the chorus). Alice is a bubbly, cordial, dance and praise-worthy character, so I tried to shape the song into something resembling those character traits.


You are a Twilight-inspired band. So, how did you first come across Twilight?

About 3 years ago, I decided to take a Vampire Lit class at Hofstra (I was 19). My professor made us read Twilight, even before it was an all encompassing pop-culture juggernaut. My Professor didn’t even make us read Bram Stoker’s Dracula, but she had us read Twilight! Talk about a new standard…

The reason it stuck with me, is because I always believed in the notion of chivalry, and I remember thinking it was awesome to have a character like Edward being written back into American Literature (Because a character so powerful has been missing for quite sometime, and we’re not better off as a society without him).


You have songs about Bella, Alice, and Edward. Do you have a particular character that you are currently writing a song about?

Yes. Right now I’m recording songs for Rosalie, Jasper, and a song characterizing Midnight Sun. I figure that releasing the songs in 3’s, allows me to give each one a good amount of allotted attention, so that in the end they don’t suck, to be completely blunt with you. The chords are all done, but the real time consuming part is the production of songs, which some bands can spend years on completing. I might just go all acoustic and let the music stand on its own two figurative feet.


How can people buy/listen to your songs?

If people want to give these tunes a test drive, they can visit http://www.myspace.com/thebleedingforks

If they like what they hear and want to rock out in their cars, kitchen, sock-hop, or foxtrot, they can purchase them at http://www.itunes.com/thebleedingforks


Which character from the Saga was your favorite to write a song about?

As far as the characters go, I would say Alice was the most fun to make. I wrote the chords and melody to that when I was 16, it was actually the first song I ever wrote, and I had not a clue what to do with it. Eventually, I knew that it fit Alice’s character perfectly, wrote words and gave it a new home, thanks to Stephenie Meyer.


Which is your favorite book in the Twilight Saga?

New Moon has this real honesty to it. It shows how happiness sometimes has to be sacrificed for the greater good, especially when you really love someone. It’s unfortunate, but that’s how the real world works.


So, we have to ask, haha...Team Edward, Team Jacob, or Team Switzerland?

That’s an easy one for me. Edward will impact this generation much more so than Jacob will, even though Jacob is a wonderful character, as well. I felt this way reading the book also, but on the big screen, I think Rob gives Edward this great vulnerability that not many other actors could have pulled off, which definitely helped Edward’s cause. I hope Rob’s career will parallel Leo’s.


What are some bands/music you like to listen to?

I love the Beatles so much, that it hurts sometimes J. Pink Floyd, Velvet Underground, Smashing Pumpkins, Billy Joel, Oasis, Radiohead, Collective Soul, The Postal Service/Death Cab for Cutie, The Arcade Fire, The Bravery, The Clash…

I could really go on forever, but I’d also like to say that I’ve heard like 4 songs from Bobby Long, and think he has a fantastic vibe for melody.


We first heard of your band from the Official Twilight convention. Does that mean there's a possibility of you performing at any of their upcoming conventions?

I wish, but I can’t really think about that yet. I mean, I’m working two jobs right now, and can’t afford to give up either for a weekend. Rent, and food pretty much clean me out, but I’m sure at some point I’ll get there. I was in Jersey when they had a show there, so I picked up a day pass and checked it out for literally 15 minutes. It was fantastic, and I’m really lucky that they’ve been such vocal supporters of my music.



Thank you to The Bleeding Forks for the wonderful interview & taking the time to answer our questions!
Be sure to check out The Bleeding Forks' MySpace!
And also be sure to follow them on their twitter-- @TheBleedingFork