Exposed Vocals just sat down to an interview with Rampancy at Midnight (RaM)
Rampancy at Midnight (RaM) is a conceptual project based in Lexington, KY that intertwines and defies genre while blending personal experiences with thought provoking story telling. Composed of one member, RaM just released it’s second 6 track EP entitled “In Which This” on April 28th, 2017. Rampancy at Midnight is one of those rare bands that will have a bigger impact on musicians and indie listeners than the mainstream crowd; the best way to thrive in the music world and the best way to leave it – more appreciation, more dedication, and more intimacy with the fans.
Exposed Vocals: So tell us your story. Where did you grow up? What made you decide to become an artist?
RaM: Originally from Virginia Beach, VA, I moved around a lot as a kid. We went from VA, to North Carolina, then just outside of Elizabethtown Kentucky, until we finally made it to the Grayson County area of Kentucky. I spent all of my teenage years in Grayson County, really using music as a was to just get by and understand the environment around me. GC encompasses Clarkson and Leitchfield, both of which are incredibly small and dull towns! A friend of mine in my freshman year of high school needed a bassist, so I decided to learn how this contraption worked! I played with them for years before moving on my own, bringing in the occasional cohort for my passion project, Rampancy at Midnight.
Exposed Vocals: Since everyone was a start-up once, can you give any smaller or local bands or artists looking to get gigs and airplay some tips?
RaM: Tips? The worst thing you can do is hide your music, or put it out too soon. Confusing, right? It’s about working on your craft as much as possible and really timing your releases. I find that www.SubmitHub.com is an excellent resource for the up and coming recording artist. As for gigs, just pay attention to where your local bands are playing already. Are they in city? Out of town? Go see the shows, go get to know the people. Get out of the studio!
Exposed Vocals: Do you ever make mistakes during performances? How do you handle that?
RaM: For the most part, no, I don’t make a ton of mistakes. When I do I definitely try to just stay in time with the music rather than repeat. You of course want to avoid making mistakes, but learning how to cover em up and recover from them? That’s an incredibly valuable skill. Back in the day I’d just try my best to keep moving, even if it meant stopping for a half second to pick up.
Exposed Vocals: Do you tour? Anything interesting happen on tour that you think our readers would enjoy hearing about?
RaM: At the moment I do not tour. Lacking a full line up, I’ve had to put this on the back burner unfortunately. I will be updating the Twitter, Facebook, and Bandcamp Fans list with tour updates.
Exposed Vocals: Any planned studio upgrades? What are you working with now?
RaM: Oh gosh, upgrades would be heaven sent! I use a slightly unconventional setup for my genre. I use FLStudio (Fruity Loops) as my DAW, recording the guitars direct through a simple DI Box into a small 4 port Behringer mixer, then through Guitar Rig (an amazing plugin by the way) or occasionally I’ll run through my Boss or Mad Professor pedals if I already have a definite tone in mind. Vocals are done through a Shure SM-57, and I use some amazing plugins from Soundtoys that really bring everything up a notch. Drums are all done through Superior Drummer. For upgrades I’d love something for the vocals that is meant for them purely, like a Blue. Otherwise, a more powerful mixer and powered DI would be my only immediate wants.
Exposed Vocals: How do you find ways to promote your music? What works best for you?
RaM: I promote through Twitter and Facebook with a variety of updates and posts. Instagram is a really fun way to promote! I love just recording an acoustic chorus and leaving that little teaser up there. Fiverr has offered me some unique chances to promote, but that most effective tool has been Soundcloud and music forums. Just getting out there on Twitter and finding other musicians in your same position that you like and support makes them do the same. The indie community should be as close knit as people think it is, and sadly we fail in this.
Exposed Vocals: If you could perform anywhere and with any artists (Dead or Alive) where and who would it be with? Why?
RaM: This one is tough. I don’t have a “where” so much as a who. Say Billie Joe of Green Day? Hell, I’d be tickled to death to paly with David Duchovny, loved that album.
Exposed Vocals: So, what’s next? Any new upcoming projects that you want to talk about?
RaM: ALWAYS more things coming up! I have no shortage of new material. My biggest problem is I can’t stop writing. I write when I’m at work, when I’m at home, in the shower, I’m always humming a new hook out. In particular, I have 1-2 Eps planned out for the rest of the year, followed by a full album release in 2018. The length and the option of a physical release depends on what happens these next few months.
Exposed Vocals: If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing?
RaM: Probably producing music. I find that producing music, especially someone else’s, is just incredibly calming.
Exposed Vocals: What should fans look forward to in the next year or so?
RaM: 2 new Eps, a full album, a lot of videos, and definitely some sort of small “tour” although I’m really barely justifying the word.
