Lock And Keyīs debut "no fate" will hit the stores in a few days. The Band has been signed to Deep Elm and listening to this EP with songs full of energy and passion, itīs clear to me that Lock And Key are heading towards a bright future. Reason enough for me to have an interview with Ryan (vocals / guitar) to get some information about this hopeful, young band.

SJM: Would you please introduce yourself and tell us which function you have in the band.

Ryan/LAK: My name is Ryan, I play guitar and sing in Lock and Key.

SJM: What is important to know about the history of the band? I think there was a life before 'no fate'. What about this?

Ryan/LAK: We've all played in bands before. Trash (drums) and I played in a fast hardcore band called Fastlane. Josh (bass) played in a Indie band called This is Waking Up before he moved to Boston, and Mike (guitar) played bass in a punk band called Treatment Bound. As Lock and Key we released a short run of handmade CDR demos before we recorded "No Fate".

SJM: How did you get in touch with the guys from Deep Elm. How did this relationship develop?

Ryan/LAK: We sent them a copy our CD EP "No Fate." They responded through email saying they liked it and we kept in contact with them until we had a chance to play live for them in Charlotte, NC the city they are based out of.

SJM: Well, I think one could say that your music is comparable to the style bands like Hot Water Music and Steel Rules Die prefer to play. Isn't that a little bit dangerous for a band in these days?

Ryan/LAK: I've never heard of Steel Rules Die, maybe the other guys have... Hot Water Music is definitely a huge inspiration of ours.

SJM: I think this is not the first time your style has been compared to that of Bands like Hot Water Music. Do some people 'accuse' the band of plagiarizing. If so, what would you retort to that?

Ryan/LAK: We've never thought of our band as a HWM sound-alike but many reviews have noticed the similarities. People told me to listen to Small Brown Bike because they sound like HWM also. While I love both bands I honestly don't think SBB sounds like HWM. Unfortunately what seems to have happened to them has happened to us. Musically, I think there are a lot of differences but most people listen to the vocals first so I can understand where they are coming from. We are pretty confident that our newest material is more of our own sound, and that the comparisons to HWM will taper off.

SJM: You're about to release your debut 'no fate' in early April. For the people who do not know Lock And Key so far: What can these people expect with 'no fate' and how would you describe the style of the band in your own words?

Ryan/LAK: No Fate is a hard hitting 7 song EP. I'd say thereīs a general theme in the lyrics about self discovery and overcoming real problems that everyone has been through. Not really anything new, but something someone out might identify with, and that's important to me. Musically there's seems to be a driving force behind the band always pushing forward.

SJM: Is there a deeper meaning behind the title īno fateī? What is the underlying personal idea the band had choosing this title?

Ryan/LAK: "No Fate" was lifted from the expression "No fate but what we make" in the film, Terminator 2. It's not really a reference to the film, it's more of a comment on the idea of controlling your own future. Taking charge of your own life, without relying on anyone or anything to do it for you.

SJM: While the title of the record and the lyrics ("Is it too late?", "Now I'm dealing with guilt.","My heart is weak like an overrun horse.") are quite depressing while the music is powerful and seems to take the offensive. Would you see that as a contradiction? What do you think about that?

Ryan/LAK: Taken out of context there seems to be a contradiction there. A lot of my lyrics are detailed descriptions of the shit that goes through my head. I think most of them describe the negative and the positive though. A lot of them describe a desperate situation, but many of them resolve.

SJM: What does music in general mean to you as music consumers and as musicians on the other hand side?

Ryan/LAK: All of us live for music. We all still buy a lot of music and go to see a lot of live acts when they come through town. It's really cool to see your CD along side CD's you know and respect in a record store and even better to share a stage with them.

SJM: What kind of music do you listen personally to. What bands are your favourites. Do these bands have an influence on Lock And Key? If yes, in how far?

Ryan/LAK: I can't speak for the whole band but I personally listen to a lot of different stuff. Lately I've been listening to a lot of Cursive, Leatherface, Lucero, and Jimmy Eat World. There's always influence on our newer stuff from whatever we are currently listening to. If you know us well enough you can pick out which parts of new songs have been influenced.

SJM: What does the band do besides playing in Lock And Key? How do your personal lifes look like?

Ryan/LAK: Josh and I are finishing up school. We graduate this May. We all work jobs as well. Mike just started working as an engineer at a great recording studio here in Boston called New Alliance Studios. I work at a hotel and we practice in the basement. Trash works at a chain record store, and Josh just got fired from a restaurant.

SJM: What can we expect of Lock And Key in the foreseeable future? Any further plans besides the release. Will we see Lock And Key on German stages in 2004?

Ryan/LAK: After we graduate we are recording a full length record and touring as much as we possibly can. Deep Elm just added our full US tour to the site, and there will be many more to come. We'd love to make it to Europe as soon as possible. I don't know if we'll be in Germany this year, but if there's a will, there's a way.

I really hope so and I canīt think of a better statement than this. Watch out for these guys and the debut-EP. Itīs a blast!

(Dennis Grenzel)