“My dear, there are always people who are just a little faster, more brilliant, and more aggressive."
--Imelda Marcos
The goal of making music for SFI’s parallels the statement of the former First Lady: Communicate emotion through aggressive composition while maintaining a contrast between creative vision and sensibility.
Drawing from the explosive drive of hardcore and punk coupled with an indie rock approach to writing and arrangement; SFl's sonic blueprint formed in Lynnwood, Washington - the Seattle suburb where its members derived from.
"Bands from the suburbs typically are constrained by one type of music," explained James,†not only do we grasp what other bands in [our] town are doing, but we look to be more creative and open in our songwriting."
The current line up of SFI began in 2003 when the group added Brian and Jose to fill spots in a band that was playing together two years prior. The band continued creating music by piecing their individual influences together: A combination of hardcore, punk and metal alongside moments of beautiful melody and pop set to math-rock inspired beats.
During the summer of 2002, SFI went full time, playing shows at every opportunity and recorded material with Kip Beelman (Default, Kinski) for their first self-financed EP entitled, "Telephrend." The album eventually gained regular airplay on college and internet based radio stations.
In the winter of the following year the band began working on their second independent Demo engineered by Steven Tracy and Jeremy Edwardson (Ironwood/Studio Sonorous) and mastered by Ed Brooks (Death Cab For Cutie, Botch). “We’ve been fortunate to be able to work with individuals who are respected for their work in developing such popular bands,†mentioned James.
Logging only a total of 16 hours at Ironwood/Studio Sonorous in Seattle, they were able to showcase a deliberately darker tone and a uniquely developed sound. “When you hear the record you definitely notice the aggressiveness of the band,†said Jathan, “but somewhere in each song that aggression lets up to reveal a melodic, almost pop-like aesthetic.â€
SFI understands that success isn’t guaranteed through hard work alone—many bands at this point in their career have yet to work with people like the list stated above. The relationship the band has with people in the business is evidence that people in the music industry believe that SFI has unbelievable promise.
