I’ve never been into punk rock or anything revolving around this genre. In fact, I have all but sprayed repellent to keep it away. However, my opinion was swayed the first time I heard “Welcome to the Black Parade” by My Chemical Romance because they made incredible use of lyricism, chord progressions, key changes and time signatures. Since then, I put the repellent away and instead accepted the punk rock genre as something of substance. Most recently, I’ve listened to the new EP Perception by up and comers, Divided Minds, a band that originated in 2014. The guys have been busy since their formation and were kind enough to take some time and chat with me about what the summer has in store, their dedication to charity and DIY!

Hey guys how’s it going?

All: It’s going great Amanda!!

Q: It looks like you have been quite busy this past April! Your album Perception was released on April 29, correct?

All: Yes, we have been very busy.

Josh: We are so excited and happy that our EP is out now and everyone can hear it. On March 25, 2016, we also released on You Tube our first video, for “Time Goes On” which is on “Perception.”

Q: I listened to your EP. Wow! You guys are on your way to becoming the next Fallout Boy or Green Day. However, please educate me about “DIY Punk”. I’ve never heard this term before. I’m picturing Pinterest users pinning it to try on the weekend.

All: To be honest, we have never heard of this term before also.

Josh: But [we] can relate to DIY. When we first started in 2014 we did everything on our own. We recorded our EP Perception and got our t-shirts printed from small local businesses. We printed our own flyers and booked our own shows. Now, we have help with our label ARK Studios Media Group.

Q: I want to direct this one to Ethan. There is a certain element to punk bass riffs that isn’t heard in rock. It’s very prominent and edgy. How do you achieve this style?

Ethan: The instrument I learned to play was the guitar. I just transferred my technique to the bass.

Q: You guys have done some touring and opened for several artists in recent years. I’ll be honest, I’ve never heard of any of them. I don’t follow the alternative pop/punk scene. Are the bands for which you’ve opened familiar in that genre?

Josh: Most of the bands we play with are in multiple genres. Like metal, pop, and sometimes techno. We try to play as often as we can and we don’t mind who is watching.

Q: Divided Minds has played performances for various cancer organizations. How did you guys take the initiative to get involved with cancer charities?

Sean: Josh had cancer when he was younger and got into music because of it. Now we want to give back to the community. It’s a great cause.

Q: Are you hitting the road this summer?

All: Yes.

Josh: We have plans to go to Utah and shoot a new music video. We don’t know yet for which song. While we are there we are also going to play a couple of shows. We also have a few shows planned in Scottsdale, AZ and Mesa, AZ in late June.

Q: I was listening to your EP and in the song “Missing Pages”, the line ‘don’t read me like a book at all; all you’ll find are missing pages’ struck me. Nice line, by the way. Is Josh the main songwriter or do all of you have a hand in it?

Sean: We all have a hand in writing, but Josh is the main songwriter.

Josh: I bring to the group melodies and the chorus. But after that it becomes a group song. We all contribute to lyrics and then with everyone’s input it becomes a song.

Q: The band New Found Glory did a cover of Go West’s 1990 hit “King of Wishful Thinking”. What covers, if any, have you considered.

All: We have covers. We perform “The Hills” by The Weeknd, “Here Comes the Sun” by the Beatles, and “All Signs Point to Lauderdale” by A Day to Remember. We always tweak the cover songs to make them our own. 

Q: Sean, tell me about some of your musical influences.

Sean: My influences are mainly from Adam Gontier from Three Days Grace, and Maynard James Keenan from Tool. I really like them and they’re good dynamic singers.

Q: Guys, thank you so much for your time! I want to wish you the best for the summer in your endeavors! Is there anything else you would like to add?

All: We have new songs written and cannot wait to record them and get them out. Please follow us on our social media pages which are on our website www.dividedmindsband.com. This was fun! Thanks Amanda!

You can also connect with Divided Minds on Facebook and Twitter

Writer: Amanda Knight

All Photo Credit:  Divided Minds