Boy Scouts of the Valley

An Interview with Resistance 13

By: George Archibald:

It’s a noble thing to want to help your fellow man, and West Virginia’s Resistance 13 are proving that a band can make a difference. With several benefits on their backlog of shows, the band likes to represent the values of integrity and perseverance, while trying to make a difference in their community. Coming off a crowd funded recording session, the band is gearing up to release their debut EP, entitled The Ocular Truth, due out on September 10th. I got speak with several of the bands’ members to find more out about Resistance 13.

Hey guys let’s start off with where are you guys based out of, and how did the band come together?

JEREMY- We are based out of Wheeling West Virginia, and claim to be part of The Ohio Valley Music Scene. We basically live on the border between Ohio and West Virginia, within a small group of river towns along the Ohio River, nicknamed “The Valley”. Wheeling is the hub for all of it, and we pride ourselves in stating that it is our home.

We often state that our band was born out of tragedy. That is basically how our band started. Long story short we had a good friend who believed in us a lot, who was very encouraging, that had passed in a car accident. It was a huge hit for us, especially for me.  It was the catalyst that projected us forward. Our guitar player jokingly put a post on social media stating, “Who wants to give us money to go to the studio?” Our friends and family came out of the woodwork. They put together a social media account in secret, and raised the entire amount that we needed, then surprised us.  $1500 and we were off to Cleveland to record our first demo. Soon after we found Meeks our bass player, who just recently has celebrated 5 years with us. Meeks found Louie our drummer, actually Louie found him. He chased Meeks down in a college parking lot stating… “I’m your guy, I’m your guy.” At the time he was not, exactly, “our guy” but if it makes any sense he has been “Our guy” ever since.  Joe and Tommy (Lead and Rhythm guitars) are the newest additions to the band. Joe has been a lifelong friend of Louie’s, and Tommy was suggested to me by my good friend Jesse from Defy the Tide. We are so happy to have them on board with us. Overall it’s been a process with a lot of twists, turns and obstacles, but we have come out on top through all of it.  2010 is the original birth of the band, but I’d say it really didn’t get moving until about 2012. and here we are in 2016 ready to do big things!

Does the name Resistance 13 have a significant meaning?

JEREMY- Absolutely! This is probably the most frequently asked question we receive.  First off, the message is the core foundation to what we do.

The 13 has a dual meaning. On one side of the spectrum, it plays a significant role in representing the listener. It’s the number for the underdog and for those facing hard times. It also serves as a reminder for us where we come from, and the lives that we have lived.  When you witness firsthand the struggle of others it hurts. The second part of the meaning has to do with the 13 original colonies when we were established as a nation. There were 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence. Those people that signed their names did so knowingly that the penalty for treason was death. All 13 colonies and their people were willing to give their lives to see to it that their children could live better than they did. The motto, ‘we keep for ourselves’ was a statement made by a writer name T.S.Eliot. He Stated.

“We fight for lost causes because we know that our defeat and dismay may be the preface to our successors victory, though that victory itself may be only temporary we fight rather to keep something alive than in the expectation that anything will triumph.”

This has been our motto since the beginning. The term Resistance refers not to a militia, but an internal battle within. The entity that we are resisting is self-doubt, selfishness, a lack of compassion and a hateful, materialistic world. This is why Positivity, Love, and Integrity lie at the core of our foundation.

From talking with you, I learned a bit about what you guys stand for. Integrity being one of the staples of the band, are there any other messages you are trying to send to your crowd?

JEREMY- Don’t wait for life to come to you. If you want something in your life pursue it relentlessly. It’s your life and your time to do it isn’t tomorrow or the next day, it’s RIGHT NOW! Also we want people to know that they matter. Second chances are possible, and there is a beautiful world full of awesome people out there waiting to be discovered. Life really is what you make of it, and how you perceive it. In darkness there is always light to be found, and as long as we are still breathing, there is still a chance and love. Love is so much more important and powerful than we realize.

MEEKS-  Dream big. Set your goals high, and don’t let anything (big or little) get in the way of what you’re trying to accomplish.  Everyone has different struggles in their lives, but one thing that all struggle has in common is that one day it will come to an end. The memories remain, but we can learn from the struggles.  It all start with us.

JOE-We stand for family, blood or not. We stand for love amongst all man. We stand together with the community, and any new friends we meet throughout our ventures. I’ve personally never felt more accepted by people in my life, ever since meeting the guys in our band.

TOMMY- Positivity. I hope when people look at us they see more than 5 guys in a band, I’d like to think they see the good we’re trying to do, and the message we’re trying to portray.

I see you have a video for the song Little Sister, what was the vision behind the video, and where did you shoot it at?

MEEKS- The vision for the music video was purely emotional.  The song itself was derived from emotions that couldn’t really be explained.  Anger, sadness, etc.  We were able to talk about what we wanted out of it, and ultimately write lyrics that could grab the listener; give them the ability to connect with those emotions.  We decided the video should do the same thing.  The location was where it needed to start.  We recorded at the Mount Wood Overlook, in Wheeling WV at sunset.  The aerial shots also gave a different perspective of “The Valley”.  Overall we wanted to shoot a great professional video, and find a way to represent our hometown.

JEREMY- The video was very important to us. We had a good friend who attended our shows. The story is that she always had “her spot” when we played and for a lot of our shows that was where she stood. When she passed it was hard. For me personally, I watched as the dynamic in our people changed. You could see the hurt in their eyes. It’s something that I will never forget. I think when you have something like that, that grabs ahold of you and is stuck in your mind. You just have to pursue it. You let that love take over.  So the vision was we wanted, was to pay tribute to our friend. It was a way for us and our people, to find closure. It was also a way to relate to anyone out there that has lost someone that we understand.

I was also told you have a new EP about to be released, what is the title? When and where can people get access to it?

September 10^th, we will be releasing our newest EP entitled, The Ocular Truth. The album will feature our new single, Little Sister, as well as 3 more brand new tracks. The new EP can be found on iTunes, Spotify, CDbaby, Bandcamp and through our website, Resistance13music.com, or you could just come to a show and buy one from us personally.

Ocular Truth EP

Tell me a bit about the recording process? How did it go for you all?

MEEKS- Recording was excellent, as always.   Our producer and 6th man Mike Ofca, is very good to work with.  He gives us a type of inspiration that pushes us to be better.  One of his famous lines is, “That was good, but I don’t think it’s the one.”  Especially with my bass, sometimes I might make a riff “too busy”, and Mike will give me direction.  It feels like he truly cares about making us better musicians, and I don’t think I could say I would be where I am today without his help.  Recording is always extremely educational, a little stressful, and very fun.  I can’t wait to get back in there, and lay down the bass.

JOE- I loved the recording process, because it showed me that it was just another thing in life that I was stressing over, and had no reason to. I’ve heard about musicians getting “red light syndrome”, and that just plain didn’t happen (thank goodness!) It was just a fun exciting experience in that I can now hear my music, my voice as part of something much bigger than myself, and everyone else can hear it too.

JEREMY- It’s so weird because it’s always a mixed emotion. First off, I love working with Mike and he is so professional and helpful with everything. We trust him so much, and he does an outstanding job with all of us. (Mike Ofca Innovation Studios- Steubenville, Oh). I think the reason I have mixed emotions is, because I prefer playing live as opposed to being a studio musician. In the studio, you are under the microscope and in the past I have got my butt kicked in the studio.  However, I will say there’s a sweet spot to be found and when you find it. It makes up for everything else like one huge adrenaline rush. When you come out of the vocal booth and your shaking, heart is pumping because you were in the moment and everything was raw, genuine and real… one of the best feelings in the world.

What has been some of your favorite shows you’ve played so far, and how do you plan to expand from those shows?

MEEKS- I would say my favorite show to date would be, when we opened for Pop Evil in Canton.  The sound on stage was some of the best I’ve heard.  The band had a big crowd that was active, we played with minimal mistakes, and the energy felt in the air was indescribable.  I swung my guitar up and down like I normally do, and on the way down I cracked our guitar player in the head with the stock of my bass. At the same time, we hit an open note and the look on his face was priceless!  I still laugh and tell that story to this day.  It’s one of those moments I really wish I had a Go Pro on the end of my bass.

JEREMY- Mine is a toss-up between two shows. We opened for Project 86 at the Auricle in Canton. It was a two-hour drive to the venue, and we brought 50+ people with us. It was the first national act we have opened for, and we were so excited. Project 86 is one of my favorite bands of all time. We got to go on right before them, got to meet all of them, and the coolest part was we had a bunch of our people there with us to experience it all.  Everyone was smiling, and all our people had on their new shirts that said “We Stand United” on the back, so it was cool to see all of our people. It was like one small unified army representing us and having a good time. The other one was a benefit we played for our local homeless coalition. So many people came out, we raised so much money and it was just a good feeling. When we got done playing it was so loud in the building that I didn’t get down off the stage right away. I just stood there, and watched for about 15 minutes while all of our friends smiled and laughed. It was a really good feeling. Really the reason why I love playing music so much.

TOMMY- I loved playing the cancer research benefit show. First off, raising that much money for a good cause makes you feel really good knowing you’re doing something to help people. It’s such an awesome feeling having people come up to you, telling you how you did an awesome job, and how much fun they had.

What would the next step for Resistance 13?

JEREMY- Touring- We want to tour. Right now we are making the transition from a local band to a regional band.  We want to get our music and our message out to as many people as possible. We also want to pursue labels, and management to represent us. The other thing is… establishing new relationships, and going out and putting on as many awesome shows as we can. We want to leave a lasting impression wherever we go, and push that new EP. Go out and show people that there are 5 ordinary guys from the Ohio Valley Music Scene doing big things.

Anything you would like to add?

JEREMY- Yes! We want people to know. It is possible that one person can make a difference. We’re proof! If you feel passionately about something pursue it. The message is so important. How do we get back to where it all started?  With a little more love, compassion, empathy, understanding, extra time spent and unconditional acts of kindness and generosity. Also these are not qualities of the weak. They are qualities of leaders, honorary heroes, and men of principle.  Come see us at a show, write us on our page. Be part of what we’re doing!

Thank you for taking the time to get to know us.

JOE- I’d just like to add one thing. That being, go see live bands. That’s where the fun is. Go see all of them. Different genres. Different ages. Different outlooks. Bands cover all aspects of life, and seeing someone do what they love and being able to speak their mind in the form of song is very special.

Be sure to check out Resistance 13’s EP release show on September 10^th at the River City Ale Works, in Wheeling WV. The will be supported by NeverWake, Defy the Tide, and Chaos Killed.

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George Archibald

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