When Good Charlotte’s Joel Madden wants to start up a label to sign your band, that’s propably a sign that you’ve got a good thing going.
Strata’s drummer Adrian Robison ran into Madden at a mall in their hometown of San Jose, California and passed him a demo. Singer Eric Victorino says Madden’s enthusiasm helped them figure out what they wanted accomplish as musicians.
“He basically inspired us a little bit because he taught us how to act because of how respectful he was. He was actually considering starting a label so he could sign us,” Victorino says.
Madden wasn’t quick enough with the paperwork, though, because they were signed to Wind Up after one of the members of Damage Plan championed their demo. Their self-titled debut CD is now on shelves across North America. Their latest single “Never There” is getting radio play and they’re the opening act on the Snocore tour featuring Helmet and Chevelle.
The band are lucky to even be touring in the first place. Last September, during a tour with Nonpoint, Victorino completely lost his voice, resulting in throat surgery, treatment and lengthy downtime off the road.
“The following couple of weeks, while I was getting doctors to look at it was probably the scariest time of my life. You work so hard for over half of your lifetime for something and to think that it might be taken away is so scary,” Victorino says.
Luckily for all of them he fully recovered and says his voice is now 10 times better than it was before. He does have to be careful though. The singer monitors what he eats and has to take daily medication to ensure his pipes stay sharp. He maintains this rigorous routine because of the people who count on him.
“There’s about 50 to 200 people who come specifically for us every night, my three best friends and all of our crew that I’m letting down if I neglect myself. So I have a lot of motivation not to mess up,” he says.
You can check out Strata at Snocore in Toronto on February 19, on their new CD or on the Elektra soundtrack. If you happen to be at one of their shows, look Strata in the crowd. They’ve been circulating through the audience after their sets selling their new CD for $5.
