One thing I love about the metal scene is that it's small enough to form social contacts.  One meets interesting new people from all over the world and the exchange of music, information and ideas is one of the things I like about the metal scene.  Through a new acquaintance from Australia, and subsequent messages exchanged via Facebook, I "discovered" this new metalcore band from Sydney, Australia.  Young, new, and full of energy and focus, Alice Through the Windshield Glass surprised me as being more than just another band on the scene.  I was impressed enough to review their self-released debut EP, and after contacting the bass player of the band, I got the following answers to my questions:

I think the question most prominent on most people’s minds, up here in Europe at least, is where and how did you decide on the band’s name?
-The name actually originated from a quote in a segment by Troy McClure in “The Simpsons”. A slight modification left us with a name that complemented our writing style, our aggression, and one that people wouldn't forget in a hurry.

It is understood from the band bio that you have been around since 2007.  Are you with the same line-up now as when you started?  How long have you all known each other?
-We still consist of the original line-up, Tim and Dave have been friends for a long time, as have Adrian and Grant. Rob, Dave and Adrian all met at different times through work. That's when the band idea started to form.

The graphic design and band logo of your self-released EP is interesting….who designed it?
-The logo was designed by Sebastian Morales, he operates "Professional Brutalitÿ" down in Melbourne. We went overseas for the EP artwork which was done by Spina Studios. Martin, the artist has worked with bands such as Aborted and A Traitor Like Judas.

How do you compose most of your music/lyrics?  Is there one or two composers in the band composing everything, or is this a group effort with all members contributing?
-Dave writes the lyrics, and Grant writes the music with contributions from Adrian, Tim and Rob.

Did the band also handle all the production/mixing/mastering work in the studio (for the EP)?
-The EP was self - recorded along with some mixing which was done by Grant. The Brain Studios in Sydney did the mixing/mastering.

You used a lot of voice samples in your EP.  For example, the Bruce Willis voice sample in “Try Hard…With a Vengeance” and the voice sample from “The Dark Knight” on “Lacunar Amnesia”.  Do you have plans to include more voice samples of this nature on any future releases?
-We do have plans to keep using voice samples, but to what extent we aren't entirely sure.

Do you tour often?  Have you only toured in Australia, or have you ever toured outside your homeland?
-We've only really had one tour at the start of 2010, most of our shows are usually stand - alone gigs with different bands. With our new album we do hope to get over to Europe and the US.

What is touring like for bands in Australia?  For example, here in Europe, a headlining band will go on tour with two or three support acts for about two to four weeks, playing a gig every night and travelling from one show to the next on a tour bus with a tour manager, etc.  How does it work in Australia?  Are there many bands doing actual tours in Australia?
-Touring in Australia for any band, whether international or local can be difficult. International bands will generally have a tour manager and similar arrangements, generally playing capital cities, often choosing one national support band and a band or two from each of the cities they visit.  Most of these shows occur on weekends, as the distance and time spent travelling between capital cities in Australia can be significant and quite costly. Occasionally international bands only play selected cities due to time constraints.  For local bands, most touring is done entirely out of the band's pocket, including equipment hire, vehicle hire and accommodation.  The higher profile bands down here will tour as regularly as they can manage.

Do you work with a record distributor (who will distribute your work for sale and do promotions)?  *This is often different from a record LABEL, which actually signs the bands.
-At present we don't work with a distributor or a label. Our EP was completely self financed and is promoted through us ourselves.

It is understood that you are close to releasing a new track.  Do you have any plans to re-enter the studio to record a follow-up to your EP?
-We have a number of new songs close to being ready for recording, after this batch of shows we will spend time fine tuning these tracks and formulating the plan for the album. We will have started pre - production on new tracks by the end of 2010. We still have new songs to write, and as we finish them, we will release specific tracks as demos to give to fans, labels and promoters.

What are your plans in the coming year or two for ATTWG?
-Our main priority in the coming year is to have our debut full length album complete and released. We will tour off the back of that, and in that tour we hope to incorporate an overseas trip.

Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions; we wish you much success!

Cheers

Interview is done by Miss Dark