EXCLUSIVE Interview: Jordan Swickard & Amanda Stephens of Create the Affliction

0 Exclusive, Interviews,

  • CTABear Stephens

    I’m sitting here with Jordan and Amanda of newly formed post-hardcore band Create the Affliction. How are you guys doing?

  • Amanda Stephens

    I’m doing great! how are you doing?

  • Jordan Swickard

    Doing pretty good, just busy! Yourself?

  • Bear Stephens

    Pretty great! Been a very productive day if I do say so myself, haha

    So, I know a LITTLE about the story of how your band was formed. Tell me, what brought about the name change?

  • Jordan Swickard

    At first we liked The Monster Within but I thought about names that could catch the eye more, names that sounds like a famous band name. I suggest Create The Apocalypse and a few others and Amanda messaged me either yesterday or early today asking about Create The Affliction, and I fell in love and started sketching new designs!

  • Amanda Stephens

    Well, none of us was really feeling it. Plus, I discovered there was another band called that. I just came up with Create the Affliction the other day, and we all seemed to agree on it.

  • Bear Stephens

    Change can be a great thing. I agree that The Monster Within was a good name, but I am really liking Create the Affliction. The name is eye-popping and definitely something you could see on marquees

  • Amanda Stephens

    Thank you.(: hahaa

  • Bear Stephens

    So, we know that the band is going to be a post-hardcore band. But, what will the direction of the new music sound like? Have you guys planned it out yet?

  • Amanda Stephens

    Well, we haven’t really exactly planned it out, but I was kinda thinking like Of Mice and Men. But with a chick singer.. so I don’t know. we’re not really going to sound like any band that is already famous. hahaha

  • Bear Stephens

    That’s good to hear, there are far too many cookie-cutter bands around and it’s great to see bands that want to keep originality alive. Not knocking those bands because I find myself liking quite a few of the so-called “generic” bands out there.

    So, will you and Jordan be doing the majority of the writing or will it be a collective effort?

  • Amanda Stephens

    Well, I think it might be a thing that we all work on, but so far Jordan and I are the ones who have done all the music.

  • Jordan Swickard

    Pretty much I as well look up to Of Mice & Men and my vocal style I used in Stories Of Solitude a lot of people said I sound like Austin, however I’m not sure I’m going to use the same style for CTA. I want CTA to stick out, and with our catchy choruses, our brutal verses. It’ll be a lot more progressive then how I was in Stories Of Solitude. My screams are stronger sounding, and with Amanda’s angelic cleans I think we have a good thing on our hands. As for the writing part it will most likely just be me and Amanda. I’m putting myself through many classes to learn as much as I can about writing music, beats, timing, guitar, bass, mixing and mastering, all that.

  • Bear Stephens

    Sounds like something that fans will truly enjoy! I know it’s going to take some time, but the more you’re able to learn the better that things can turn out for the band. I definitely look forward to it.

    Here’s a little bit of a future type question…do you guys have any song titles or concepts planned out yet?

  • Amanda Stephens

    Well, I only have the song titles for the songs I have written.

  • Jordan Swickard

    As of now we have a few rough draft lyrics that Amanda wrote. However our debut album will be named “The Horizons Will Bring You New Hope” and for our debut song I plan to shoot a music video. I do have a slight idea for a song called “The Cure”

  • Bear Stephens

    Sounds very intriguing. Do you have any promotion plans? As in promo shoots, teaser videos, etc?

  • Jordan Swickard

    As of now not really. I mean I plan on doing what I did with Stories Of Solitude marketing wise, it worked well. We will most likely release a teaser of the music video just to gather more fans ahead of time. I also have my connections in effect so they’ll be pointing us in the right direction and helping us along the way!

  • Bear Stephens

    And of course New Transcendence will be behind you guys all the way

  • Amanda Stephens

    That’s just grand.c’:

  • Jordan Swickard

    Thanks man!

  • Bear Stephens

    Well guys, considering the band is still in infancy stage, this interview has to be a bit shorter than normal but I promise once you guys get everything in order, we will hold another one to make up for it. Is there anything you would like to say to your fans, our readers and the general public?

  • Amanda Stephens

    I love each and every single one of you, and I hope that our music can be an inspiration to you all that things will get better and to always have hope. Stay strong for me.

  • Jordan Swickard

    Yeah one thing: Never give up your dreams. You may be knocked down a few times trying to achieve it but everything happens for a reason, keep your head held high and never let anyone doubt you or who you are. You are you, go live your dream! I hope you all stick along for the ride and enjoy what we put our souls into! Create The Affliction is coming in 2014, with a vengeance

  • Amanda Stephens

    I second that^. c; hahaha

  • Bear Stephens

    Both statements are words to live by. Thanks for doing this guys and I look forward to hearing what CTA has to offer! As for the rest of you, look out for the CTA takeover coming in 2014, along with their debut album “The Horizons Will Bring You New Hope”! We will be following this band through every stage of it’s development! Also, even though they aren’t physically with this interview, I’d like to give a shout out to the other members of CTA: Drummer, Travis Stephens, Guitarists, Shane Morris and Steven Koeppel and their official photographer Shanda Shreve!

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