This week we got to sit down and talk with Naveed Stone lead singer of In Loving Memory. Here’s our full interview!

Ryan: This is a question I do not like to ask, however I feel like it’s needed. Who is the bands name in memory of?

Naveed: The band name isn’t actually in reference to any particular person or entity! The name In Loving Memory just represents the idea of embracing your past and acknowledging it, while pushing yourself to a better future. “Think forward” is an idea we always push.

Ryan: At what age did you realize this is what you wanted to do?

Naveed: All of us in the band started playing instruments either as kids or very early into our teenage years. We probably felt that intrinsic desire to play music and make it our lives since those young ages.

Ryan: Has the journey to get to where you are been what you expected?

Naveed: Honestly, yes. And I think we can say that because the way we’ve gone about building our fanbase has always been very personable and transparent. We’re always at shows promoting to people on lines, at the shows themselves, and supporting our fellow bands in our local scene. We try to be active within our ecosystem and put love into our music community, so it makes sense that people have appreciated that and reciprocated. Even when we’re promoting online, we moreso have the goal of making friends rather than just having someone buy our CD and forget about them. That’s why even though we obviously are still a small band and a young band with only 2 EPs, we’ve had people from all over the world talk to us on social media and support us for the majority of our 3 year career. The work we put in has directly correlated to how far we’ve come, and we expect that to always hold true. Seeing those results of our efforts is what motivates us to keep working harder and push for more success.

Ryan: What seems to be the most enjoyable, putting together an album or touring?

Naveed: As of now, our band has only done one tour and it was a very enjoyable experience. We definitely can’t wait to tour more often and 2018 is the year that finally gets to happen. All of us in the band have been part of previous projects and have therefore done a lot more recording and releasing of music than touring. Going through the creative process is definitely what we live for. Even though we’ve only recorded 2 EPs, we’ve gotten a sense of our “formula” that works for the 4 of us in creating music.

Ryan: Knowing what it’s like for people with dreams and also the feeling of limitations to achieve those dreams, what’s your advice to them?

Naveed: In short, I’d say to embrace being the underdog. We very much still live in a world that causes people to internalize that they are going to have to fight twice as hard to achieve their dreams because of factors like race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, etc. When I was younger, I would spend a lot of time and energy complaining and making excuses about being in that disadvantage. The best thing to do is to reach a level of maturity where you accept it and own the fact that you are the underdog. Yes you will have to fight harder to achieve great things, but that is what will make your eventual success that much sweeter.

Ryan: Does the band have any pre show rituals? (things you always do before hitting stage)

Naveed: We don’t really have anything other than individually slipping away to warm up with our instruments before hitting the stage. Obviously staying hydrated, stretching, and not being loaded up on junk food is important too. Gotta stay healthy

Ryan: 2018 is a whole new year with tons to achieve, what’s the plan for this year for In Loving Memory?

Naveed: Our EP “Introspective” came out in summer of 2017, and we plan to spend a lot of 2018 still promoting that album and releasing new content from it. This means more music videos, instrumental play-throughs, alternate versions of songs (acoustics, remixes, whatever we feel like doing), etc. But most importantly, 2018 is the year we plan on starting touring and finally meeting people around the country who have been waiting a long time to see us. We finally are at a place as a band where we are ready to branch out, so we’re very excited to do that this year. No matter where in the US you live, start telling all your friends about us and share our music with them! We’ll be partying with you all very soon no doubt.

Ryan: If you were to record a cover for your next album of any artist, what song would you pick and why?

Naveed: We probably would cover something by Drake because we are all sad boys.

Thank you guys for your time and we all here at Music Matters Magazine wish you all the absolute best!