OOC: With Infinite about to disband, I figured I'd have a little collection of interviews, live shows, and reviews documenting their story. I initially wanted to go for a 'Behind the Music' type of thing, but in the end I wanted to go for something a little more unique. Here's the first part; enjoy!
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Indie bands are a dime a dozen these days. Guitar ballads, piano instrumentals, and falsetto singing are all the necessary tent-poles to fit into this musical genre. Infinite have them all. With only one of them, bassist Matt Roberts, even old enough to drink, it’s entirely possible that the three of them will one day disband and go to college. If anything, this would be the greatest going-away party a teenager could have.

Because of this, it’s impossible not to feel slightly skeptical about the band’s longevity. That’s why, while sitting across from the obviously fake-sounding Eric Quillington (frontman of the band), it’s easy to forget that I’m supposed to be taking this interview seriously. With his way of speech, it’s nearly impossible to tell whether he’s high or simply a lunatic. In many ways, he hardly even seems like a man capable of functioning in normal society. When I asked him if he was holding down a part-time job to support the band, he simply laughed as if I’d made a good joke. Oh, and he dyes his hair a new color every week. This week, it’s blue, all to commemorate the bug he, in his own words, ‘stepped on a couple days ago. It’s guts looked slightly blue. I figured that’d be an interesting shade for a hair follicle.’

No, seriously.

“Well, y’know, it’s not really a gimmick,” Quillington says, explaining himself, “Black is just such a boring color. Millions of people have that. There aren’t many blue-haired singers these days, are there?”

It’s not as though stunts like these are used to distract others from attention, however. Infinite has recently signed a one-album deal with up-and-coming ‘Seagull Records’.

“Oh, it’s great, man,” he rambles, in a nervous and speedy style of talking that’s difficult to decipher, “We walk in the building, fully realizing that we’re not going to get much of a chance. But, what else am I going to do on a Saturday? At least I got to break out my tuxedo. So, we play him a demo of our song ‘Styx’, and BOOM; Record deal. Pretty amazing, I still don’t know how it happened. But, I read somewhere that pyromania is actually a good way to release emotions in a positive fashion. Well, the positivity is all relevant to the viewer, but I still decided to set my tuxedo on fire afterwards.”

Getting off-topic like this frequently happens with the nutjob. Ignoring the eccentric ramblings of Quillington, my focus turns to the other two members of the band. Drummer Greg Oldson and bassist Matt Roberts both seem like perfectly average Joes, setting up a striking contrast with their singer. While Quillington bounces off the wall and pisses on the audience during shows (he defends himself by saying that ‘it gets hot in those little clubs, and moisture typically cools people off’), it's left up to Oldson and Roberts to ground the show into something even slightly watchable.

To say that there has been hype around this band for their debut single is something of an understatement, specifically for the small but dedicated group of fans already beginning to surround the band. For them, the release of 'Styx' can't come quick enough.

“It was actually recorded when we just got out of high school,” Oldson explains with a calm and reasonable voice that serves as a refreshing break after dealing with Quillington for an extended period of time, “I've always liked it, even though Matt and I don't really play anything spectacular on there, it's mostly just Quillington banging away on his piano. It's become something of a fan-favorite, though, so we thought it'd be a goo-"

“It’s a nice little piano number,” Quillington interrupts, while his unfortunate drummer is forced to release his anger with a silent glare, “Different than some of the other stuff released by bands. Just piano rock, but with that subtle hint of unease in the atmosphere. More like Radiohead than Coldplay, I suppose.”

Does it bother you to be perhaps the least known band on this label?

“Not really, no. Just gives us a chance to prove ourselves.” Oldson says rather modestly.

“We’ve got Axiom and Mind as label-mates, so of course we aren’t going to be the most well-known. I haven’t exactly written something like ‘The Juggernaut’ yet. Though, in all honesty, have you seen Jason Smith’s hair? It’s fuckin’ ridiculous. And you call MINE a gimmick? God, if I ever met that scruffy bastard, I’d punch him in the face for hogging up so much of the Earth’s atmosphere with hair molecules…”

So, there you have it. A new indie band, fronted by a singer who dyes his hair a new color each week and sets tuxedos on fire. Will their music be any good? Well, if not, at least they know how to put on a scene.

Edited by user 15 June 2011 21:50:19(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

OOC: That's two pretty great things right there, I love the detail you go into and the personality you've created for Eric Quillington is superb, it's on a similar level to Ryan Ross Hernandez in terms of the detail you've put into Eric's personality. I'd say he's in the Top 5 characters I've seen, since I've been here.

OOC: Great RP man

him thin, or maybe he’s simply tired of the usual frat-boy shenanigans. But, for once, it’s easy to get him to talk about one subject at a time. For once, he seems like a human. Of course, that doesn’t make him any less of a peculiar person. The conversation tonight eventually dips from the usual promotion of his band’s upcoming debut album to extraterrestrials. Like all lunatics, Quillington is terrified of aliens.

“They aren’t going to abduct me, I don’t believe that,” Infinite’s frontman explains, “At least, I do during the day-time. That’s when the logical part of me is dominant, so I can think of the futility of it all; would a highly intelligent species really travel a billion light-years just to stick an anal probe up my ass? But, then it turns to night, then I’m alone in bed. And that’s when every creak and rustle is an Xenomorph on my roof.”

Because of this, it’s no major shock that he decides to write the majority of his lyrics at night. His nocturnal fears are the primary theme to Infinite’s debut album, entitled ‘Blue Nebula’. But it’s not just fears of aliens, as this is far too complex an album to be so one-dimensional. Revolutions gone bad, drug-addictions, unfixable regrets, and stalkers are all found here. A predictable affair, this is not.

who is perhaps the only completely sane member in the band, is having a nice sirloin steak. Roberts, who barely said two words to me but still made it clear just how badly he wants my face beaten into a pulp with nothing but a look in his eye, quietly downs his fish and chips with cold beer. And Quillington, obviously, is eating the chicken fingers and curly fries from the kid’s menu. Aside from Oldson having to literally drag Quillington back into his seat after the singer gets the urge to start a food-fight with the waiter, all is normal in the world of Infinite. Of course, normal is relative.

“Before our debut single’s release, interviews were such an embarrassing thing,” Oldson, the group’s drummer, remembers, “There was a very condescending attitude towards us. None of the questions were about the group’s music, because it was all geared towards how much of a bizarre nut Quillington is. We were a gimmick in their eyes.”

Those awkward encounters have long since been a memory of the past. These days, there's a sense of 'business as usual' when talking to the three men. In the space of around six months, they seem to have become accustomed to being interviewed. This transition from quirky indie kids to collected and (occasionally) thoughtful young men mirrors the way people view Infinite these days; once a gimmick best known for their on-stage rants and performances, the trio are now heralded by their fans as the most promising new band around. With the upcoming release of their first major work, that palpable excitement could turn into something genuine.

And yet, despite the exciting prospect of the future, the frontman's words seem to be undercut by a current of fear. “All our cards are on the table,” Quillington says nervously as our interview draws to a conclusion, “It’s only a one-album contract with our label, and I keep reminding myself that every day. If Blue Nebula flops, I’ll have to become a garbage man.

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As the opening song ‘Fusion Paranoia’ plays, one can’t help but wonder if Infinite are a few decades too late. The band’s singer, Eric Quillington, screams against pointless revolutions in a song ripped straight from the book of John Lennon. When following song, ‘Occam’s Razor’, continues this trend, it becomes increasingly difficult to suppress the smug hipster sneer. For a band touted as being one of the most unique underground acts around, their music sure is underwhelming. Then, from the song ‘Styx’ and onward, something amazing happens; Infinite create a dense collogue of sound unlike anything heard before.

With Greg Oldson and Matt Roberts serving as both the backing band and voices of reason, Quillington dives headfirst into a world of the unknown. Murky guitars and distorted basslines give off a menacing air, as the singer’s unpredictable voice ranges from schizophrenic mumblings (‘No Remorse’), to despairing falsetto (‘Styx’). All assumptions of this band fading away after their flamboyant stage performances become tiresome are finally put to rest.

After hearing all the hullaballoo surrounding how the band was inspired by aliens during the entirety of this record, it’s surprising just how ordinary, and downright relatable, the lyrics to some of the songs are. This certainly isn’t a bad thing, as nobody wants to hear a band ramble on about the cosmos on their debut album. Most of the time, we just want to wait until the fourth or fifth time around for the band to start indulging itself in storylines of robots and E.T. There are the lyrics of Greek mythology and alien abduction, to be sure, but more common are the themes of day-to-day life. A constant struggle emotional struggle is present on this album, one we all face; cold, calculating pessimism against the blind faith that everything will be okay. Take, for example, the closing song ‘Supernova’:

“Fall through the endless stream, into the Supernova
It’s all in our mind, it’s all in our mind
Apathy pulls me through, right to the other side
It’s all in our mind, it’s all in our mind”

If there are any excerpts of lyrics that can sum up ‘Blue Nebula’, this is it. For all the tiresome amounts of drama and anguish this album conveys, there are still moments of optimism; a perfect amount of light set against the shadows. The nebula of Infinite has blossomed into a star.

8.5 out of 10

Edited by user 15 June 2011 21:58:38(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

OOC: basically, you are probably the best role-player here in my opinion. I just think it is amazing how you have developed your character so thoroughly - it'll be a shame to see the end of infinite :(