TomsAngels.com has secured an exclusive Interview with Ryan Sinn about Angels and Airwaves and it is frigging incredible.
read on..

TomsAngels.com: Thank you for taking time out of your schedule to answer some questions for us at tomsangels.com.

Ryan Sinn: No problem at all, like I said, thanks for making a fan site, it means a lot

TomsAngels.com: There has been a tremendous amount of hype building over the past months about Angels and Airwaves. How do you feel everyone is going to react to the music when the album is released?

Ryan Sinn: I really think people will be amazed, I can say that it sounds nothing like anyone expects. Of course there will be little complimentaries of blink and box car, that is what Tom is known for, but it is very far beyond what he did in those bands. I'm not dissing either of those bands. I think it's just the next progression musically, especially for Tom.

If you woke up tomorrow and thought, from now on, i want to be happy everyday, i want everyday to be the best day of my life, this is the music that would accompany that thought.

TomsAngels.com: How is Angels and Airwaves different from the other bands you've participated in?

Ryan Sinn: Well The Distillers was really the only other band that I was part of for a length of time. I have two other bands I'm in, but they're more of recording projects that I do when I have time. One is The Dead Life, which is just me recording stuff at home, and the other is The Shithouse Rats, which is me and my friend Dave from The Creepy Creeps...it's mostly angry garage punk...

www.myspace.com/thedeadlife
www.myspace.com/theshithouserats

plug - plug - plug

the only thing I can compare AVA to is The Distillers, cause that's the only other big band I've been in. The main difference I think is that I'm happier in AVA. I don't want to get into why and and all that, for the most part I loved being in The Distillers, Just AVA is a much much healthier environment for me. And Tom, David, and Atom are some of the nicest people I've ever met. Here there are genuine friendships developing, and respect for one another. To me, that is very important.

TomsAngels.com: Do you think the music you guys are putting together with this band will be influential to the music industry and to other bands and sort of shape the near term of rock music?

Ryan Sinn: Well I think for anyone to set that aopn themselves is either way to full of themselves, or not affraid to say it like it is. I believe in this music, and I want this to be the biggest band in the world, if not in the history of music. I'm not saying that factually it will be, but I'm not going to say I don't think we have a shot at it. What propels bands to huge status is affected by so many variables as to what the current social climate is. I think we've made a very revelant album to lift the spirits of a dissatisfied culture. Look at a lot of the bands that are going right now. well look more at the music that is going around right now. it's so hard to find really good bands that are reaching a large audience. There's very few bands, or artists that make me want to go out and change something. I miss that. I miss turning on the radio and hearing good music. I miss being motivated to do something by music. maybe we can make a difference with that. I hope we can. Someone's been needing to make that difference for a long time. I find meaning and purpose with our music, so I'm not affraid to say that maybe we will make a difference. I believe we can.

TomsAngels.com: How did you become involved in Angels and Airwaves? Did you know any of the members before joining?

Ryan Sinn: I met David and Tom when The Distillers played a christmas festival type show with Box Car Racer in Washington DC . Andy (ex-drummer for the distillers) knew David and introduced us. We both lived in San Diego . I ran into David a few times here and there....when he heard that The Distillers broke up, he called me and asked if I was interested in working with him and Tom. I left after a few weeks to try to keep The Distillers together, obviously that didn't work out so well....and thankfully David and Tom asked me to come back a few months later.

TomsAngels.com: Who or what has been the most influential to your music and what inspired you to start playing bass?

Ryan Sinn: I started playing bass when Andy (distillers) asked if I could play bass, as they were in need of a bass player. I had played guitar before that, and was trying to get a black metal band together when I joined the distillers....as for influences, there are many...

once I started taking the bass seriously, I started paying a lot of attention to other players. mostly in the bands I like. Duff Mckagen and Krist Novaselic are huge influences. There are so many I couldn't really even start to list them.....I'll have to at some point and I'll wait until I absolutely have to.....

as for bands, Guns N Roses was a huge to me when I was young. Nirvana, Bauhaus, Joy Division, The Cure, AFI, At The Gates, Cradle of Filth, Emperor....there are so many bands.

I got into a lot of finnish bands a few years back, and it has definetaly re-energised my enthusiasm for music. bands like The 69 Eyes, Negative, HIM, Amorphis, the new Rasmus album is really good, much better than previous efforts! Angtoria is a band coming out soon that are amazing. I was very close to working with them, and absolutely love their demos. go check them out, if you like melodic metal. Sarah, who sang with Cradle of Filth, has one of the best voices ever....www.angtoria.com

TomsAngels.com: Who or what has been the most influential to your life outside of music?

Ryan Sinn: I just read an interview with Bernie Mac in a playboy I found lying around some studio....and it has to be one of the most influential things I've read. I would love to shake that man's hand and thank him for that interview. You'll have to track it down and read it, it'll make you want to push yourself to be the best person you can be...unless you're a heartless bastard. it definitely helped me to put my priorities straight, and stay true to what really matters in life.

My muses mostly lie in nature. things like a star filled night, my neighbors house lights through the fog, the ocean, space, and of course love, loss, religion, politics, and death....

my parents are a big influence, just knowing what they went through in their lives and what they have now because of it makes me really appreciate the things I have, and the things I'm not afraid to lose.

Is there a lot of latitude in Angels and Airwaves between each of the members to add their own style to the music or is it somewhat more controlled and predefined what is expected for the music to sound like?

I think the best way to put it is to say we all compliment the songs with our own touch of what needs to be done. Tom has a vision, and I think we all help him to see it a little bit more clearly. We work off each other until everyone is completely happy and satisfied with every part.

I wrote this bass part for one song that I really liked, but wasn't sure if it was the best thing for that song, so we all sat and went through it, changing it around until it fit perfectly. I think that best sums up how we work. we bring our ideas in to the song, and shave off and polish it until it's absolutely perfect.

TomsAngels.com: Have plans been made as far as a tour? If so, when and where can we expect to see you guys first?

Ryan Sinn: we're playing the hard rock cafe in vegas on february 2nd so go get your tickets right now just kidding, we don't have anything confirmed yet, but I'm sure we'll go just about everywhere. I want to go to the places I've never been, or where most bands don't go. I want to really see the world, hopefully we'll get the chance to do that with AVA. Like I said, I want this to be the biggest band ever, and the biggest band ever is going to have to play everywhere.

TomsAngels.com: Do you have a favorite song on the album or one that you can identify with more than the others?

Ryan Sinn: I don't have a favorite, they're all my favorite.

The songs I like playing the most live are usually depicted by the reaction of the audience. at home listening to the album, it's really hard to pick a favorite. It Hurts really gets me going. My Dad teared up when he heard it. That says a lot. He's not one to get real emotional, and that song got to him. It made me really happy to see him that proud. he's a high school football coach, has been for 20 some odd years.

For something to move him like that, it has to be really good. I think because of his reaction, it may be my favorite.

But I hate picking favorites. I read an interview with Willem Defoe where he talks about favorites and why he won't ever pick one. Once something is your favorite, then later, you like something more than your favorite, it's like you lied to yourself.

if you lie to yourself, you can never be honest with anyone else. I'm a strong believer in fairness and honesty, so I don't really like to pick favorites...

TomsAngels.com: Has the work you've done with Tom, Atom, and Dave in any way changed your outlook on music or being in a band?

Ryan Sinn: Most definitely. After The Distillers, I wasn't really sure if I wanted to do music anymore. It was really hard on me, not knowing what to do. Music was, and is my life. 2005 was a very very hard year for me.

But I'm glad it was, I learned a lot, a lot about myself, a lot about people, a lot about life and losing and not being afraid of things. I think, no I know these are the people I need in my life. As far as music, we all have such drastically different tastes, we're like a tape trading club. I share the bands I love with them, and vise versa, so we're exploring new music all the time. As far as the band and how that works....hmmm ok here's an analogy of it, before - I was in pearl harbor leading up to Dec 7th....craziness all around, surprises that you never expect, or ever want to happen, not knowing what the fuck is going on, just madness all around and never feeling copletely comfortable...now - I'm fucking sitting on a beach in Fiji, sipping a Singapore sling, listening to the waves crash, on vacation with my family and friends, loving and enjoying my life....

I hope you can see past all the grammar errors, and that you all have a great day today Thanks to everyone who has already taken such a strong interest in our band, and everyone who's done what they can to help. You will not be disappointed, I promise

Ryan Sinn

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