For our new introducing feature, Highwire Magazine spoke to Salt Lake City’s Cinders who are just about to release their second studio album, Looking Forward to Looking Back.
So, who are you?
Cinders is Jordan Zabriskie, Montana Smith, Adrian De La Cruz, Chelsey Powell, Austin Harris, and Brad Bennett. Formed in 2015, they are attaining success across the United States, as well as continuously growing success internationally.
How long have you been together?
We have played in and out of bands together but Cinders itself has been around for really three years. Next month we will be breaking out the birthday candles to celebrate. They grow up so fast…
How long have you been playing music?
Each one of us has been playing music since we were kids. Whether we did piano lessons, or jazz band, or just write terrible songs about middle school girlfriends, we have all been involved in music our whole life.
Why should people listen to your band?
The number one reason would be the music. With the new album Looking Forward to Looking Back, Cinders puts a fresh take on the pop and rock genre. Not only that but our music can be jammed to in the craziest or chillest setting. Though with that being said, we definitely wouldn’t ever tell someone why they should listen to us, but we do invite everyone to give it a try.
What is your ideal touring line-up?
I think the most common answers would involve great bands that are widely known and fit well together. As long as there are three awesome bands, we don’t care what the genre is. We want to see Reel Big Fish, Dave Matthews Band, and Blind Pilot all share the stage together. Their tour could be called the “Clearly We Gave Up On Continuity Tour”…
What does music mean to you?
Along with that we feel very strongly about our new record. We are so stoked for you to hear Looking Forward to Looking Back. Everything personal that we feel and all of the feelings our fans and friends have expressed to us are put into this record.
What was the first record you bought when you were younger?
Jordan: I worked at Chuck E. Cheese for a summer when I was 15 so that I could buy CDs whenever I wanted. One of the first albums I remember buying was A New Kind Of Army by Anti-Flag. I remember listening to that in the van heading home. Almost immediately after pulling into our house, I had my brother drive me back and I bought the rest of the Anti-Flag albums!
What artists first inspired you to start playing music?
For a lot of us it was our family members. Whether it was an older brother who loved listening music, or a sibling that played music before us, they kind of sparked our initial interest. They were also the ones that encouraged us to practice the most.
What’s the most aesthetically pleasing album cover that you have in your collection?
It would probably be Ars Moriendi by The Collection. The amount of work that went into the flowers and the face paint must have been nuts. The music fits in with the art incredibly as well.
Avengers: Infinity War (Part 2)!!! It really wouldn’t fit at all, but Cinders will not stop until one of our songs has been featured in a Marvel film.
Recommend us a record, a book, and a movie…
If you haven’t seen Midnight in Paris you definitely should. From start to finish that movie is intriguing and awesome. Great film about art too.
Any last words for the readers of Highwire Magazine?
Highwire Magazine 