Your Memorial | An Introduction
Written By: Jeremy Seick

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here is not always a lot to say about some of these up and coming bands, but instead only let fate and the crowds decide what will come of them. New to Facedown Records Your Memorial are out to make a name for themselves in this scene with a new release, out as of late November titled Atonement, which shows that this band has more conviction than most on the road these days.

So you dudes are Your Memorial, new to Facedown Records, and about to release your debut album on that label at the end of this month. Is there anything else right out of the gate that you feel like we should know about you guys?

Your Memorial: We’re just four guys doing what we love and glad we’re very blessed to have an awesome label like Facedown supporting us. Oh and 3 out of the 4 of us just tried In ‘N Out for the first time. It was awesome!

(Laughs) It is incredible isn’t it. Alright so walk me through the early days of this band. How did you come together, and why did you all want to start it?

YM: It all started with Tom (drums) and myself (Willy, guitar). In our early teen years just trying to start bands with friends. The other bands came and went, but we refused to stop writing together. We wanted to write music that came naturally to us, and that could span across multiple genres. Your Memorial began in mid 2006 and we’ve been doing just that ever since.

Facedown obviously believes strongly in you guys. What do you feel sets you apart from the crowd of bands looking to be signed to a label such as Facedown?

YM: Right now it seems like a lot of upcoming bands are trying to find their sound, and it’s become very easy to get lost in the sea of talent out there. We feel like we play the music we’d want to listen to and that comes naturally to us. In the end we feel doing so will yield the best end result.

Facedown seems to be moving more the direction of bands like yourselves, A Hope for Home and My Epic. Do you see a general shift toward music like yours rather than the heavier metal side of the label?

YM: We feel like Facedown signs bands that they believe in and can stand behind, regardless of the genre they may be associated with.

Tell us about your late November release Atonement…

“…over 70 percent of our chocolate is made by children sold into slavery to cocoa farmers off the Ivory Coast so we can have cheap chocolate. I was so impacted by everything I’ve learned it was the inspiration behind one of the songs on the album new album. The track is titled “Unseen”. If you’d like to learn more about it and what you can do to help check out Not For Sale Campaign.”YM: The record is a collection of songs we have been writing for the past two years. We feel like we did some good things with our previous record, but we feel that the song structure could be more elaborate and interesting. We brought in Karl Schubach (Misery Signals) to co-produce the record alongside us. We felt he understood the sound we were trying to go for, and could bring some new ideas to the table. The record was tracked in Kansas city with engineer Josh Barber at Ashland and Covenant studios. We feel that we accomplished our goals we had set for the record, and ran into a few good surprises along the way. The record will be in stores November 23rd on Facedown records.

What are your main musical influences?

YM: We listen to and are influenced by a wide variety of bands and genres. We all love Meshuggah, ambient bands like This Will Destroy You, the Glorious Unseen, or even John Mayer. Way too many to list right now.

No doubt Your Memorial is a faith-based band. If there is one thing that you feel is heavy on your heart right now and you want people to know, what would that be?

YM: Over the past year my eyes have been opened to something that I was ignorant to think was dead and gone, slavery and human trafficking. Over 30 million people are enslaved today. More than at the height of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade. Also, over 70 percent of our chocolate is made by children sold into slavery to cocoa farmers off the Ivory Coast so we can have cheap chocolate. I was so impacted by everything I’ve learned it was the inspiration behind one of the songs on the album new album. The track is titled “Unseen”. If you’d like to learn more about it and what you can do to help check out www.notforsalecampaign.org.

That is really awesome! You guys are heading out on the “Mosh PotaTOUR” with A Plea For Purging this month correct? Tell us more about that tour, and what you are most stoked about for that tour…

YM: Yes that’s correct. We’ll be out with PLEA, Within the Ruins, and the Plot In You from December 1-15 on the east coast. We’ve been friends with the PLEA dudes for awhile and are so stoked to just get to hang out with them everyday, meet the other bands, and see the east coast for the first time.

Any final thoughts you would like to drop on the readers?

YM: Thanks for taking the time to check out this interview. Check out our tour dates on facedownrecords.com and come hang out if we’re going to be in your area. And of course, please go pick up our Facedown Records debut Atonement in stores November 23rd!