Links to the Band:
https://linktr.ee/shanghaimetrotemple
https://shanghaimetrotemple.com/
Shanghai Metro Temple is a modern rock band from Denver, CO. Incorporating a diverse variety of musical influences, the band has derived a unique, yet familiar, sound that is quickly adored by rock n roll fans worldwide! From groovy rhythms to powerful guitar solos and anthemic choruses, Shanghai Metro Temple delivers a dynamic musical experience audiences remember!
After releasing their debut, self-titled, album, “Shanghai Metro Temple” in 2022; the band is growing rapidly and becoming a high-demand performer in Denver and the Rocky Mountain Region. Shanghai Metro Temple continues to break barriers and achieve milestones, allowing the group to bring their music to new audiences.
So great to have you interview with us Shanghai Metro Temple! What have you been up to?
Hi!! Thank you for having us! We’ve recently been focused on performing as much as possible. The new album is doing extremely well and we love performing and bringing the music to life. We get such a positive response during our shows and it really fuels us! We love interacting with our fans! We’ve also been working on some new material as well, which I think we’ll talk about later.
Any creative risks you have taken lately that have paid off?
I think being creative in itself is a risk! But one thing that stands out to me is curating our live performances with specific cover songs such as Safari Song by Greta Van Fleet. It’s difficult to tell how an audience will react when you perform a cover song. There’s so much energy in this song, in particular, and so many musical details that are difficult to replicate; but the response we get from fans when we perform this one is ALWAYS amazing! You’re always taking a risk when you cover another band’s song and choosing this one for our live set has definitely paid off.
What would you like to master when it comes to your music?
Everyone in SMT wants to master their own craft and be as great of a team of musicians as we can be. Whether it’s guitar, drums, vocals, piano, or whatever; we really want our capabilities to be limitless. There’s no rule or expectation about what Shanghai Metro Temple needs to sound like and having that freedom makes the creative process so much more fun for us. We’ve all been musicians pretty much all of our lives and have had the opportunity to see some of our heroes perform. Having a seemingly endless dose of inspiration, we want to master our own musical abilities individually so we can continue to grow the band and produce music that people want to experience live and on record.
Can you take us into the music making of your new music?
We really only had a few guitar ideas that we laid down to play around with, Devyn had a story in mind he wanted to tell, and we just let the creative juices start flowing. With maybe a minimal scratch track, Justin laid that heavy, driving groove and Pat really killed it with multiple guitar parts; and that SCREAMIN solo. Kal and Kevin really compliment the tune with their tasteful bass and keyboard parts that give the music its full body sound, and as always Devyn slayed the vocals and lyrics with another super catchy melody and meaningful story. I mean the guy’s a melody genius.
Less is more or more is more when it comes to your music?
This definitely depends on the song, but again, we don’t really like having any rules or expectations when we write a song. Every song is a different story and the music, as a whole, is our way of telling it. Some songs call for a lot of detail and pizzazz in their story and end up being a little faster. Some songs might draw certain feelings by being simpler in nature. Ultimately it’s all about what draws that feeling out of the listener. At its roots we’re all listeners when writing a song so we always just let the song speak to us and curate the story in the way the music wants to tell it.
Any hidden meanings in your music you'd like to share?
Beast is definitely the one that jumps out at me. Beast is about our experience in the Covid 19 pandemic. It’s an epic piece of music that, from our perspective, highlights the crash and craziness of our society, and how this event affected us all. Not only does the song make you want to listen more because it’s so powerful, it also makes you stop to think.
Any predictions about your career for next year?
Next year’s going to be a huge year for us. The band has grown so much over the past year or so and with everyone being relatively new to the scene we’re learning so much so fast. Everyone in the group is an extremely smart individual who contributes in so many ways. We’ve learned a lot really fast and although we’re still learning so much everyday we’ve started to see great traction and have established a strong foundation to continue building and scaling our success. From recording, to performing, to promoting, etc. we're starting to really find our groove and can feel the accomplishments.
Is there a dream goal you are daydreaming about?
We daydream of the world tour. We love creating music together, performing, hanging out, partying, traveling, everything. Shanghai Metro Temple is a very special group of guys that deeply loves one another, what we do, and what we’ve created. We continue to receive such positive responses and we absolutely feed off of that energy. There’s no limit as to what a rock band can accomplish and that’s the type of attitude you need to be successful in this scene. I think if we stay true to ourselves, continue to create, and be authentic that’s the key to success. To be honest, we all have already accomplished our dreams of playing in a badass rock band so at this point we want to see where the band takes us beyond our wildest dreams.