While in college, you have many different opportunities to go to different concerts and parties. Me personally, I will pick a concert over a party every time. Especially when a friend is performing in the band. On November 11th in the year 2016, I went to The Nearly Dead’s perform live. I had wanted to see them for years. And while I was there I met a great band called For The Fire. I got the opportunity to interview the lead singer named Addison on December 7, 2016. I was happy that she had agreed to interview with me for this article. For The Fire played a live show just recently at Rhino’s All Age Club in Bloomington on November 11. The show was awesome and the energy coming off of the bands that performed was amazing. Just to see how proud everyone was and to see all the hard work accumulate into one amazing show was awesome.
What is your name? “My name is Addison Rider.”
What band are you in? “For The Fire.”
How old are you? “I am 18 years old”
When did you get your first guitar? “I got my very first guitar probably when I was 5 or 6 years old. I only played it for about a year though before I stopped. And then when I was fourteen, I played a role in a play that required me to play guitar, so I started taking it more seriously and picked it up again.”
When did you realize your dream was to work with music? “Definitely. Around that time when I was 14. Once I picked it up again, I knew that I clicked with it. I started combining it with some poetry I had been writing at the time and I've been hooked ever since.”
How much time do you dedicate to playing your music? “I would say, all of it. I'm almost doing something music related all of the time, whether it be writing, playing, recording, managing, and booking. I dedicate almost all of my time to this band because it's so important to me.”
When did you start playing in front of other people? “I've always loved performing. As a kid, I was involved in plays and musicals all the time just because I've always had a heart for entertainment. When it comes to being in a band, in my early years of high school I would play guitar and some of my songs for my friends at school. However, I could never seem to get any actual gigs until I moved to Indiana and started doing solo music at coffee shops and such. And then I met Tyler, and I joined his band at the time (Tragic Paradise) as their bassist and I started playing rock shows with them!”
What is it like playing in concerts? “It depends, honestly. I will always love playing live music and the release it allows for me. However, I tend to be a bit of a perfectionist so if things don't always go as smoothly as planned, I get really hard on myself. When a show goes well, though, it's one of my favorite things in the world. Having the opportunity to play for so many different people and being able to bond through the common ground that is music is something that is very important to me. There's no better feeling than playing an awesome show and being able to think, "Wow, I worked for this, and here it is."”
Who is your most favorite musical Idol? “Oh, I'm not exactly sure. I try to refrain from being too invested in any specific musicians nowadays because I don't want to be all too influenced by one specific person, since I want to be as original as possible. However, I look up a ton to various women in female fronted bands before us. Lacey Sturm is one of the coolest people ever. I started listening to Flyleaf when I was about seven years old so they've always been an influence. I totally went through a phase when I was fifteen where I wanted to be just like Amy Lee. Hayley Williams is someone I've always found to be really, really cool and respectable. Paramore's been one of my favorite bands for years now. Ariel Bloomer from Icon For Hire is also really cool. We got to play with them earlier this year, and we got to meet Ariel, and it was just the neatest thing. Also, my parents also inspired me a ton. Neither one of them was ever super musical, but they always had incredible music tastes they would share with me from a very young age, take me to rock concerts and stuff, so they probably aided most in me becoming the musician I am today.”
Who are your other musical idols? (Top 3) “It changes all the time, but as of right now I dig Flyleaf, A Day To Remember, and Paramore a bunch.”
What is your favorite musical genre? “I'm definitely sort of an alternative/ punk/ post hardcore kind of gal. Don't get me wrong, I love SO many types of music. But like, 2005 Warped Tour sort of stuff really gets me.”
What genre of music do you play? “We like to consider For The Fire a post-hardcore/alternative rock band.”
What are the names of bands that you have performed in? “When I was seventeen, I started talking to Tyler (our lead guitarist) and I joined his band at the time which was called Tragic Paradise. And then after a while, I met Justin, (our drummer) and we formed For The Fire, so just those two. I also used to gig as a solo artist under the title of EMOCEANS”
What do you see yourself doing in 5 years? “Hopefully, touring the world, creating music that I love and making a living off of it, and having the opportunity to meet as many people that listen to us as possible and have some sort of positive impact on them.”
What do you see yourself doing in 10 years? “Hopefully the same thing, but on an even bigger scale.”
Do you see yourself working with or in music for the rest of your life? “I do! Music is the only thing I've ever really connected with on such a deep level. I couldn't ever see myself living a life without it. I'm definitely going to be involved in music related endeavors for my whole life, no matter what the circumstances are.”
Is being in music your dream? “Absolutely! 100%”
Are you happy to be following your dream? “Honestly, it's the most stressful and risky thing I have ever been a part of, but in the end, there's nothing else I would rather be doing. So yes.”
Has there been a lot of heartache along this road to be following your dream? “Oh, absolutely. Being a musician is much harder than you would think. I've been dealing with so many negative feelings and self-doubt for a very long time, and thankfully music has provided an escape from that, but it happens. There's always that lingering fear that says, "There's a good chance that you'll never make it and no one will ever remember you, and that this will all be for nothing". And yet, I keep on working anyways, because that's what I'm here for. I spent a good three years writing songs alone in my basement, sort of hating myself for never having any musical opportunities, never thinking I was good enough. And then For The Fire came along and changed that for me. I'm so grateful.”
Have you had to make a lot of sacrifice to follow this dream? “Definitely. I don't want to complain at all, but I've been so hooked on music that I haven't quite lived a normal life like all of my friends. Parties, friend groups, normal teenager things, I gave all of those aspects of life up because of how bent I am on music. Not to mention all the constant money and time music consistently requires. Music in its entirety is just one big sacrifice. But it's a sacrifice I'm willing to take.”
Do you have any words for anyone who wants to pursue music but is too afraid to? “I would tell them, it's okay to be afraid. Pursuing a career in the music industry can and SHOULD be scary for anyone. However, it's important you utilize that fear and let it fuel your determination rather than allow for it to become an obstacle. Don't let your worries stop you from being successful. Instead, take those worries and promise yourself that you're going to prove them wrong. If your dream is something you really, really care about and are willing to pursue full force, then never let anything stop you. Keep on moving, despite the fear, the self-doubt, and the negativity, because in the end, it just might be worth it.”
Have you been injured while performing in a concert? “Nothing too serious, yet. We've been gigging for less than a year so no one has ever really had anything all too terrible happen to them. But I have lost my voice a few times mid set, which is always terrible. Sometimes I slip, but that's just flat out funny. I also tend to move a whole lot during our sets so sometimes I get sore and feel strained, but that's about as far as it goes for me injury wise so far.”
