I am ashamed to admit that before sitting with Munir to do this interview, I actually had no idea why Slant was even called Slant. For an ace journalist, that’s pretty unacceptable. Promising to keep my embarrassing secret, Slant guitarist Munir explained it to me. “If you look up the definition, it’s to view something in a different way, in a different direction, in a different interpretation. So music is interpreted in millions of different ways. It’s basically our interpretation of music…kind of like our slant on things.”
With rock groups coming a dime a dozen in this tinsel town, being different is just about as easy as licking your elbow. But Slant has managed to overcome the daunting task of standing out and maintaining ingenuity. With bassist Ilya and drummer Andrew from Russia, and guitarist Munir and lead singer Fahim from Bangladesh, it’s no wonder where that originality and diversity in their music comes from. “Our backgrounds have a lot to do with our tone…where we come from, how we were raised. We all have something different to bring to the table.”
Influenced collectively by legends like Tool, Nirvana, Hendrix, Zepplin, and ACDC- their sound is both classic and current, tender yet rebellious, and an altruistic testament to what rock music really is. It’s a dedication to the humble beginnings of rock music, its evolution, and its ever present ability to impact billions around the world.
The release of their second album, self- titled Slant, is an intimate representation of their trials, tribulations, and triumphs. “We self- titled it Slant because we put basically all our emotions, everything we’ve been through into this album within the lyrics, emotions, music, even our playing skills. We are expressing what the band is about. It sums up who we are. We want to use this album to show the world what Slant is and move forward with it.”
[youtube SzszYMbEJ9Q nolink]And moving forward they have done.
By their second album, they have accomplished more than most bands wouldn’t even dare to dream of. They’ve traveled all over the world to countries like Germany, England, and France performing for the troops and sharing a piece of who they are with each and every fan. They’ve headlined shows at legendary venues like the Key Club and Whiskey- A- Go- Go. Although engaging and down right entertaining, a Slant show is more than just a performance. “It’s an experience. If you take any of our songs, we’re actually trying to have the audience, the listener, feel something. We write it so each individual will feel and capture and take away something or remember a moment in their life. We want everyone to feel something and take something away.”
With the new year brings new plans for the emerging group. Following the momentum of their 2009 achievements, including weekly rotations on KROQ, the group plans on touring throughout select US cities and hopefully Europe once again. Their goal is to share their music and their message with the world and anyone ready to listen. “I think we just want to get to the point where we can get it out to the mass amounts of people and play for the mass amounts of people and build this giant experience. Music keeps changing…trends keep changing. But we’re not so much changing with trends. We’re trying to just kind of do what we’re doing and have people grab onto that and grow with us.”
Written By: Keldine Hull – keldine_hull@yahoo.com
