Music Existence Because of Music, We Exist
ANSON is a modern era emo band with a classic sound, that is fronted by Anson Li. Anson spent the last three years conceptualizing his brand new EP, To Be or Nothing At All, a last string of hope to make it in the music industry. While delving into the EP earlier in 2017, he realized that it was no longer about him as a solo artist but that his sound was much more elusive. He scraped the entire concept and brought in George Tello and Zack Mueller to round out the sound. The band provides a nostalgic sound incorporating sounds similar to Taking Back Sunday, Mayday Parade, Jimmy Eat World, and Paramore to blend choruses filled with deep lyrical content while bridging a refreshing and signature sound to an aged genre. Get a taste of ANSON’s sound by checking out their new music video for “Hailey,” which you can check out here:
How did ANSON first form?
ANSON first came together when Anson was putting together the first video. He hit me up to play guitar and we jammed on the songs and some of the riffs I was sitting on and we really vibed. And from there we just started getting together more and found people that wanted to be involved and decided to go with it as a full band. – Z
You obviously draw a lot of influence from the emo bands of the 00’s, who was the first band that made you say “this is what I wanna do”?
Oh man that’s a hard one. I think it was probably Taking Back Sunday when I saw them headline at the Bamboozle in 2006 in New Jersey. The place was packed and I was such a small kid back then. I remember the band was rocking out “A Decade Under the Influence” and everyone was going crazy. People were climbing parking lot poles, I had a hard time getting air to breathe so I had climb through a sea of people, and then there’s Adam from TBS swinging that mic around. Once he climbed up to the top of the stage and sang upside down, I was like wow, this is the coolest thing I’ve ever seen! -Anson
That type of music is making a big comeback now, why do you think that is?
I think it’s because people are sick and tired of what the mainstream feeds them. There are so many EDM artists and stereotypical pop punk bands these days. People don’t want to hear the same thing over and over again and this style of music disappeared for a while. I think people are finally remembering why they loved it and are falling back in love with it. -Anson
What would be your dream tour to be a part of?
My dream tour would be Blink 182 (with Tom), My Chemical Romance Fall Out Boy and us. I saw Blink and MCR back when I worked at a surf shop and Hurley hooked us up with front row tickets and it was insane. It was Tom’s last tour with them and they blew me away. And MCR has been one of my favorite bands since I first saw their video for Helena. And The Black Parade changed my life when it came out my sophomore year of high school. Fall Out Boy would just be icing on the cake for me I’ve always been a huge fan and I feel like Pete Wentz and I can be best friends. – Z
Were the songs on the EP written as a group or by ANSON and brought to the other members?
This EP was written and recorded by Anson. But I did have an active role in the visuals for the music videos. We are all coming together and working together on the next singles and EP, which we are very excited over the new material. – Z
What did you learn from working with producers and mixers such as Andrew D’Angelo and Dan Korneff?
I learned that good music takes time to make and everything is a balance. Andrew was very patient with the production process and helped me find the sound I was going for. Dan got the mix just right and showed me that to get it right it’s all a very balanced. Even a small change like 1db can make all the difference.-Anson
What was the first album you ever purchased?
When I was 10, I begged my dad to take me to the store to pick out some CDs for my birthday and I went home with Combat Rock by the Clash, Comfort Eagle by Cake and By the Way by Red Hot Chili Peppers. – Z
Do you have any touring plans coming up?
Yes! But we can’t say them quite just yet, but we are stoked to tour!-Anson
What is one goal you hope to achieve by the end of 2017?
My goal for the end of this year is to finish writing the banger we have been sitting on for a while now. I just have riff ADHD and get excited over new ideas and want to explore them immediately but I need to buckle down and finally finish the banger that we are all super excited
about. – Z
ANSON online:
► Facebook: http://facebook.com/ansonofficial
► Twitter: http://twitter.com/ansonofficial
► Instagram: http://instagram.com/ansonofficial
► Snapchat: @ansonofficial
► Fan Questionnaire – http://bit.ly/ANSONfans
