Interview: We Are The Fallen’s Bassist Marty O’Brien Excited About New Band and New Life

Jeremy Singer — Thu, 13 May 2010 19:45:36 +0000

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For a 12-year seasoned veteran free-lance bassist, Marty O’Brien is all of a sudden experiencing things for the first time now.

The Rhode Island native’s got his first real band We Are The Fallen, ergo, his first real debut album Tear The World Down, and above his first real consistent gig for the future.

He laughs when thinking this was all thanks to an unanswered e-mail he sent in 2002, to tryout for guitarist Ben Moody’s new band at the time, Evanescence.

“Funny story,” says O’Brien who’s been on three different Ozzfest tours as a free-lancer, and has rocked with A-list people like Tommy Lee, Disturbed, Kelly Clarkson and Celine Dion.

“About a year-and-a-half after I didn’t get a reply back from him, I ran into Ben (Moody) outside the Viper Room on Sunset Blvd -after Evanescence had become really popular- and I introduced myself, asking him about that e-mail. He freaked out, and was like ‘dude, are you serious!? At that time, I was living in my grandmother’s basement! When I saw your credentials, I thought that it was like a joke that a few friends were playing on me or something!’”

Not to worry though, because from that encounter stemmed a building friendship between O’Brien and Moody for years to come, where Moody would leave Evanescence in 2003, and have O’Brien play bass on all his solo-projects.

It was only a matter of time that after Evanescence members John LeCompt (Rhythm Guitar), and Rocky Gray (Drums) also left the band in 2007, that Moody would decide to bring them together along with O’Brien, grab a talented former American Idol top ten finalist Carly Smithson (Vocals), and form new talented alternative rock/metal band We Are The Fallen in 2009.

“I tell everyone,” says O’Brien, “even though the band has only been together for a year, it feels like I’ve known some of these guys for a lot longer- for like years now.”

O’Brien admits that this new experience is definitely a contrast to his days free-lancing as a bassist for party rock n’ roll tours.

“There’s a difference for sure,” he says. “With Tommy Lee, you try to go back into the bus to chill out, but wait, you can’t because there’s a huge after party on the bus. Here everyone’s married, has kids, very mellowed out. We watch movies, everyone’s in their PJ’s after the show. It’s funny.”

And although the band’s concentrated ex-Evanescence core has brought a bit of criticism that they sound like Evanescence, O’Brien says that it can’t be avoided.

“It makes me laugh,” he says. “You have to realize, these guys pretty much created Evanescence. It’s like if Led Zeppelin broke up and created a new band…obviously it’s going to sound a bit alike. How do you not sound like yourself?

“But we’re just way too happy right now to be fixed-out about it.”

Keeping them high on life is their debut album Tear The World Down -which was released by Universal Republic on May 11- and is led by their hit single Bury Me Alive, which has climbed the charts and was also used in the promo of the season one finale of CTV’s The Vampire Diaries. Also pushing the record strong are singles like Don’t Leave Me Behind, and Sleep Well, My Angel.

Originally the group was supposed to release a song every eight weeks by MySpace to build a compilation, but after the band underestimated the amount of material that they had actually written, it was agreed that they had to put it together into an album.

“When we formed, we didn’t have one song,” says O’Brien. “So you can imagine how much writing we’ve done over the last year, but we all just had a lot to say on our minds in the beginning, so we had more than enough material to write about.

“We would even all record and submit our own musical ideas form our designated instruments. It was a really creative open brainstorm.”

But surprisingly, writing wasn’t even the first issue on the agenda when the band formed. It was actually figuring out how they were gonna look on-stage.

“Ben was the first to speak to Carly,” says O’Brien, “and they clicked on their vision of what this band should look like, to the album cover, to the performance, to what they wanted to do on-stage. We have all these crazy ideas that we’re working on now.

“I can’t say anything yet, but you’ll be seeing them soon…”

The group hopes to reveal those ideas and their potential while on their current massive 28-city tour in the U.S. with Finish rock-band H.I.M, and then a 14-city solo-tour in the U.S. and Europe.

“We plan on staying on the road for a year-and-a-half, probably 18 months,” says O’Brian. “We’re determined to work this album for a long time. But we have to take this step-by-step, that’s the way to do it to reach longevity.

“We want to prove ourselves. It’s one sitting at a time, to show people what we have. But it’s a great feeling to finally have that album out.”

Michael Jackson’s Life Remembered in Variety of Films

Emma Renda — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 21:47:19 +0000

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After parties aren’t hard to come by in the entertainment world, which is why it was no surprise Michael Jackson’s burial was followed by a high-profile soiree at Villa Sorriso Ristorante in Pasadena.

It’s even less-surprising that the footage could be turned into a special screening for A&E. A DVD, with footage of the burial, is also rumoured to be in the works.

The funeral was indeed a star-studded affair, with guests including Elizabeth Taylor, Barry Bonds, Macaulay Culkin, Mila Kunis, Chris Tucker, Al Sharpton and the entire Jackson family (although they arrived nearly an hour and a half late.)

Following the ceremony at the Forest Lawn cemetary in Glendale, some of the Jackson family and other mourners went to the restaurant where Rat Pack music played throughout the night and Casablanca was screened on the walls, according to TMZ. On the way out, Corey Feldman busted out his fedora and best MJ dance move to the resounding cheers of crowds outside the restaurant.

Now with Jackson laid to rest, fans and friends will be able to remember him via the silver screen. Michael Jackson: THIS IS IT will hit theatres worldwide for an exclusive two-week engagement starting Oct. 28 thanks to Sony Entertainment. The film bears the same name as Jackson’s world tour, and will be directed by Kenny Ortega who was Jackson’s creative partner for the tour.

Footage of Jackson preparing for the tour that would have kicked off in London this summer will be included in the film, featuring rehearsals, studio time and candid backstage moments.

“This film is a gift to Michael’s fans. As we began assembling the footage for the motion picture we realized we captured something extraordinary, unique and very special. It’s a very private, exclusive look into a creative genius’s world. For the first time ever, fans will see Michael as they have never seen him before – this great artist at work,” Ortega said in a press release on Jackson’s website.

“I’m proud of the many years of friendship and creative association I shared with Michael and I’m happy that people will get a chance to see his spirit and drive in action. THIS IS IT may go down as the greatest concert that no one got a chance to see, but with this film, we get a rare portrait of Michael as he prepares for his final curtain call and what I believe was going to be his master work.”

Tickets will go on sale Sept. 27 in most cities. No details about a DVD have been released.

andPOP » World Tour

Interview: We Are The Fallen’s Bassist Marty O’Brien Excited About New Band and New Life

Michael Jackson’s Life Remembered in Variety of Films