MWN: Hey Guys! Please introduce yourselves!
Naveed: What’s up! Naveed here, vocalist for the band.
Tom: I’m Tom, instrumentalist and producer for the band.
MWN: What defines In Loving Memory, and what separates you from the rest of the local scene here in New York City?
Naveed: What defines In Loving Memory is the ethos “Strive For Excellence”, which we aim to live by and apply to every aspect of the band and our lives in general. We believe that you should strive to be your best and be an authority in your field, whatever it may be. We’ve both been playing music, writing songs, and producing since we were kids. That dedication to our craft of music making has always been there. We also recognize that a band is much more than just an entity that makes music. We treat In Loving Memory as a brand in all aspects. As a fully independent two-piece band, everything you see and hear is made by us. We produce our own music, design, market, and ship our own apparel, make tons of video/graphic content on our own. We even handle all the “not sexy” stuff, such as managing our finances, building our own websites and online advertisements. Because we’re at the forefront of every aspect of our brand, people experience In Loving Memory in the most authentic way possible.
What separates us from the rest of the local scene in New York City? I won’t even answer that question from a musical perspective, because that’s a more subjective angle anyway. However, I do think what separates us from the rest of our peers is that we don’t just care about having as many fans as possible, but we care more about who they are. Any aspiring artist imagines themselves performing to thousands of people and being loved for their work by many. We take the extra step. We don’t just imagine ourselves playing to thousands. We imagine what they look like, how old they are, what values they have, what careers they have, what other artists they enjoy, what they like to do for fun. In other words, we are very cognizant of the culture that we want to cultivate around the In Loving Memory brand. That’s what led us to move in a wildly different direction with our newest release “Diamonds Under Pressure”. We were among the bigger bands in the rock/metal scene around here but we realized that’s no longer where our heart lies, nor are we reaching the people we want to impact with our music. We had the audacity to stray from what was expected of us and start carving our own lane, and it’s already starting to pay off for us.
MWN: Who (Or what) are your biggest inspirations?
Naveed: I’m mainly inspired by all kinds of creatives at the forefront of culture right now. I think we’re in an amazing time where, because of a lot of political and social unrest (at least in America), a lot of people are fighting to have their voices heard. Much of my life, I never had role models in music, movies, TV, sports, etc who made me feel represented as a first-generation South Asian American. So it’s amazing for me to be older now and see people like Hasan Minhaj and Mohammed Amer make waves in mainstream comedy, seeing much more diversity on the big screen and even the controversial conversations surrounding that. The #1 charting single of all time now belongs to a gay black man. I feel like only in 2019 is that possible. These are just a few examples, but I’m blessed to be an aspiring artist in this time period where culture seems to be more open-minded than it ever has been. It encourages us to stay ourselves and authentic as a band, and trust that that’s all we need to be in order to make a profound impact with what we have to say.
Tom: Some of my biggest inspirations at the moment are the artists at the top of the music game that are using their artistic platform to diversify the musical pallet of the public. In other words, pop artists creating songs that are outside of the genre or mix genres. Ed Sheeran’s rock song with Bruno Mars and Chris Stapleton, Lil Nas X making country-trap top the charts, and Post Malone collaborating with Ozzy Osbourne are just a few examples that demonstrate the amazing musical age we’re all currently experiencing. It’s so fun as an aspiring musician to witness and it inspires me every day to push myself out of the boxes I set up for myself.
MWN: Any Aspirations or Goals for the Band?
Naveed: I would love nothing more than to be able to raise a family of my own someday and take care of my parents through my passion for music. Taking care of those you love dong what you love is the ultimate victory for anyone I feel. On a grander scale, I would love to be that role model for the next generation that I lacked when I was growing up. I want In Loving Memory’s success to be testament to young South Asian kids that we can do much more than just be doctors and engineers like our families and the world around us made us think. If my story can achieve that, while also being a new perspective to remind people of all walks of life that they can actualize their dreams regardless of their identities or circumstances, then I am grateful.
Tom: A personal aspiration for the band is for it to become my main means of financial income. Being able to focus on the band full time would be a huge privilege in my eyes. On a bit of a grander scale, I’d love for In Loving Memory to be an artist that helps represent our current musical landscape for years to come. There are certain bands that craft music and culture at large and create a legacy, and with our music and message I think we have a shot at that.
MWN: I’m aware that the album Diamonds Under Pressure released very recently. What are the stories behind these songs? Where/How were these songs inspired? How was the Diamonds Under Pressure Release show?
Naveed: I came up with the title “Diamonds Under Pressure” to represent the fact that every obstacle we’ve overcome has made us stronger. I find it to be a very compelling part of human nature that we’re capable of truly amazing things when we’re put in dire situations. For us, the past 2 years or so had a lot of turmoil behind the scenes that almost broke up the band. We had two of four founding members leave the band in 2018, which left Tom and I to pick up the pieces and figure out our next steps. Tom and I had always been the creative and business core in the band, but we still had to figure out what our new sound was going to be, what our image was going to be, how we were going to execute live shows, what our business strategy to grow was going to be. So much of 2018 and 2019 was us trying to figure out all those things while writing new music. There were many low points where we wanted to give up, but we hung on because we knew the songs we had on the table were truly special. Every weekend, I would go to Tom’s house and we would post up in his basement writing and recording. Pretty much the entire record was made that way. I’m so glad we stuck it through because we ended up with our strongest material to date. As soon as the record was finished, we started planning out the release/rollout while practicing with our boys filling in on guitar and bass to start doing proper shows again.
This culminated in the DUP release show that just happened in Brooklyn. This show was months in the making and was our first “full band” show in over a year. Despite all my anxieties, this show ended up being a huge success and a sold out show. It was so rewarding to finally play these new songs for our city and see them so well received. I handpicked every artist on the lineup because I wanted to reset how people perceived In Loving Memory. We were known for our heavier music, but my goal now is to build a new scene around us and the artists who align with our new artistic vision. This show was the perfect first step in that direction, and I’m so proud of all the artists who hustled hard to put on an amazing show. It was my first time doubling as a promoter and I’m confident to put together bigger and better shows in 2020. I may be planning the next one as we speak…
MWN: What was it like transitioning from a louder genre (metal/heavy rock) to a softer one? Is there anything you miss about the louder music you guys have made in the past?
Naveed: At first it was really tough. I had the vision for our new sound a little clearer in my head at first, and I remember it taking some time before Tom and I were finally on the same page. I remember we had song ideas that Tom would opt to take in a heavier direction because that’s what we were so used to doing and always worked for us. We ourselves had to break the preconceived notions of what In Loving Memory could sound like in order to create something new. Over time it became easier and it was honestly so much fun just spending weekends at a time in close quarters making music. Our creative synergy has never been better. I actually don’t miss anything about our old sound. If anything, I’m excited to bring our rock/metal energy to our new sound through live shows. The great thing about poppier music is that the compositions and arrangements are a lot more malleable and you can really make songs sound way different live, which we’ve already started doing. I think once we really cement ourselves in that space in the music industry, we’ll be able to deliver an energy to those crowds they may not have experienced. And that’s really exciting for me.
Tom: Transitioning was definitely really challenging, especially from a production standpoint. Building the songs up from scratch was really arduous, required a lot of trial and error, and was often discouraging. But I’m glad we stuck it through, because I think we’re starting to figure out where we fall in this new genre and where our sound lies.
I definitely miss the aggression and energy that our old music has. At the same time, I think we’re carrying that energy over into our newer music in different ways. Especially live, we can inject a lot of energy into the songs so they can hit a lot harder, so I still get that fulfillment from our new music. But yeah, there is something very special about the energy of rock and metal in my heart.
MWN: Lastly, where can people find you guys and your music?
In Loving Memory: You can find “Diamonds Under Pressure” on Youtube, Spotify, iTunes, Apple Music, Google Play, pretty much all the major outlets! Best places to keep in touch with us are on Instagram (@InLovingMemoryNY) and on Twitter (@ILMNewYork). We have no lives so we always respond. If you’re just finding out about us, the best way to dive in is to visit InLovingMemoryNY.com
By: Kelly Liu | Exclusively for @Music, Why Not!