In Cycles In Circles – On the state of the music scene and more!

In Cycles In Circles
Photo Credit: Faye Fetters

In Cycles In Circles are a Dallas based metal band that I was fortunate enough to meet about 3 years ago. It started when I met their guitar player, Zalen at a Listener show and he seemed like a hamster on speed, just running around and going crazy. On stage? He’s the exact same way. You never know where he’s going to be or what he’s going to do. This is balanced out by the calm nature of their bass player and their drummer, Johnathan and Brandon respectively. Mitchell, their vocalist falls somewhere in the middle of this spectrum. Despite having a broad array of personalities they work incredibly well together and embody the DIY spirit very strongly. I was fortunate enough to be able to sit down and interview them during their practice. For more information on the band visit their Facebook page and their Bandcamp.

How did you guys become a band and what are some of the challenges you’ve faced since some of you live together?

Zalen: The band started just like a something out of a dream. A random craigslist ad recruited Brandon, and I was on the porcelain throne trying to void Jack In The Box out of my system when Mitchell did a vocal take that sealed his place in our band. Living can be the most annoying thing of all time, but having all the creative tools you can possibly need in one place is also vital to the way we work.

What influences you (other bands/artists/nature/etc)?

Mitchell: I enjoy stories, and parable-esque things. I like to showcase some facet of life coming across, and those tend to help me create.

Johnathan: Limp Bizkit. If you don’t baw wit da baw du bang du bang diggy diggy, I don’t fuck with you.

Zalen: Literally everything. I could get a good order at Taco Bell and immediately want to write an album.

What has been the coolest thing that you guys have gotten to do so far?

Spend a wonderful amount of time at that Buc-cee’s between Austin and Dallas. That place is MAGICAL.

How do you view yourselves as a band and what are some things you’re wanting to do to push yourselves?

We tend to make a very very serious product with the music. We want to push the boundaries of what we can write in terms of “metal”, but as people, we don’t take ourselves very seriously at all.

What do you feel is the current state of music?

We feel like the industry is changing rapidly towards newer and more interesting ways to get your product across. Streaming is a dominating force, but vinyl sales have practically doubled in the past two years. In order to survive, we feel that you have to be vigilant, and this has to be treated like a business.

What have you learned from other bands?

A lot of bands can show you what NOT to do, especially in any local scene, however, on the other hand, there are a lot of people that surround us that show us how to be good people, which is fucking awesome.

How do you juggle working “normal” jobs and the band?

We’ve fortunately positioned ourselves to where we can utilize our work schedules to make time for practice and shows.

What’s the funniest/most frustrating thing that’s happened so far?

Funniest: Our lives are pain.

Frustrating: See above.

Anything else you’d like to add?

We’re trying to cultivate something that people can stand behind, even if they don’t necessarily like the music. We just want to be the best versions of ourselves that we can be. That being said, buy some shit mother fuckers. Capitalism.

Post Author: Faye Fetters

Faye Fetters started shooting local bar shows at the age of 16 in Dallas and has only progressed from there. Shooting bands such as White Snake, Slayer, Fall Out Boy, and Major Lazer have been just a few of her accomplishments over the years. When she's not writing about music or photographing shows she enjoys spending time with her dog, Jamie.

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