Smashing Satellites’ Salvatore Costa tackled “The Five Question Challenge” and talked about the band’s debut EP: “SonicAluzion A-Side” (Photo courtesy of Aluzion Records)
By: Jacob Elyachar, jakes-take.com
It is a pleasure to welcome Smashing Satellites’ lead singer Salvatore Costa to Jake’s Take!
Before he joined this band, Salvatore was the lead guitarist and a vocalist for rock band My Darkest Days. After releasing two successful albums with My Darkest Days, Salvatore left the band and worked on a brand new sound with his newfound band mates Devon Loughheed, Mick Valentyne and Mykey Thomas.
As the group prepared to release their debut EP: SonicAluzion A-Side (which drops September 30), Salvatore took time out of his schedule to tackle The Five Question Challenge!
For this edition, he talked about the group’s recording process and what their fans should expect from the band for the rest of 2014!
Jacob Elyachar: Could you please share Smashing Satellites’ origin story to my readers?
Salvatore Costa: I have been working on Smashing Satellites my entire life, but I just did not know it. I had been in a few different projects over my musical career, some major label and some indie, but in all of these projects I never felt I was able to give birth to the Smashing Satellites sound. There was always some type of barrier standing in the way. Whether it was band members, or specifically the band I was in at the time, I was never able to follow through on my true songwriting and creativity.
I write quirky, out of the box songs with multiple different feels and almost genres if you will. Sometimes bands are so worried about chasing trends that their songs end up sounding contrived. The truth always sets you free. If you do not follow your truth, you’ll never reach that internal feeling of success or accomplishment. I needed to finally follow my truth and just write the way I do… which is kind of all over the place. In January 2013, I left my last project to pursue this idea of Smashing Satellites (although it did not have a name at the time, or band members). I think I just needed to be by myself so there was not anything influencing me to be something other than myself.
JE: How long does it take the group to create a track from conception to release?
SC: That is really hard to answer actually. There are some songs on the record that I spent over a month recording. ‘Like A Feather’ was one of those tracks. I wanted it to sound exactly like I heard it in my head, so it was a lot of trial and error on different instruments. Then there are songs like ‘Hounds‘ that was literally partially written in a dream I had, and then the following day finished the majority of writing and recording of it. It all depends on how quickly I dial in the sounds I hear in my head, so it varies. But, whether it takes forever or just moments, I don’t stop until it feels the way I want it to.
JE: What were the challenges that Smashing Satellites faced while recording your debut EP: “SonicAluzion A-Side”? How did you overcome them?
SC: For the first time in my life there were not many challenges creating a record and I attribute that to the fact that I did this on my own. It started off as almost a solo record if you will. There was nobody to argue with or tell me “no.” I got to just sit back, find inspiration and then create. There wasn’t even a deadline to finish this record, so I never felt pressure to finish something quickly, and this is something I’m really proud of. This record is through and through ME. Whether people love it or hate it, I can sleep at night knowing that my voice was heard throughout every step of this record.
JE: What are the group’s plans for the remainder of 2014?
SC: To recreate this body of music for a live audience. We are already starting to play one-off shows and will be hitting the road in the near future. We’re excited to finally just play live – especially myself as I have been in the studio writing and recording for quite a while now.
JE: If you had the chance to meet with aspiring bands that want a career in the music industry, what advice would you share with them?
SC: PRACTICE! It never makes perfect, but it always makes better. A wise man once told me “you’re never as bad as they say you are, but you’re never as good as they say you are either.” These are words I try to live by.
To learn more about Smashing Satellites, visit their website: http://smashingsatellites.com/
You can also connect with Salvatore and the band on social media, by visiting their Facebook, Instagram, Twitter & YouTube pages!
