Interview to Tina Diggs of A Persuasive Reason

Interview by Luis Landeo
Hello Tina, I had the chance to listen your band and sounds great, I enjoyed much the tracks, but to start this interview let me say you, welcome to Arsenal Del Metalero, I want to know something about how start the band and why this name for the band? 
Hello Luis, thank you! I’m glad you like our music. The band began roughly 5 years ago with TJ Jones, our bassist, writer and producer. He had a heart felt desire to create a project mixing the elements of progressive, gothic and symphonic metal with a positive message to listeners. The name A Persuasive Reason comes from the idea of choices you make in life and what persuades you to make the right choices.

The band is from Florida, but before I started this interview, you told me you are from California, the guitarists are from Argentina, but how difficult is for you to play with a band from a distant state far away from your home? Do you travel much for the practices, or do you practice with them with Skype? 
That’s right, the band is based out of Florida. TJ Jones-bass, Dana Burnell-drums and Donnie John-keys, live in Florida. I live in California and have recently returned from a trip to Florida where I spent a week in the studio with TJ recording all the vocal tracks to our songs. I am planning a return trip in March to finish up a few tracks and record new ones. Playing with a band that is spread out all over the world is actually fairly easy. Yes, we use Skype and we also practice with each other’s tracks. We each have tracks with our parts removed, for example, Dana Burnell has all the parts in one track minus the drums, so he can practice it that way while listening to the rest of us in his headphones. Every time we practice, we are hearing the same thing and that helps us make it perfect each time.

The band released an EP, but in what things are focus the lyrics of your band: A Persuasive Reason? In what do you take inspiration to write it and have you in mind release a full length? 
We have not officially released the EP due to the current line up change in the band. We wanted to re-record all the songs with me, the new singer, and record new songs as well to make it a full length album. We plan to release a full length album late spring or early summer. Our inspiration in writing these songs come from the idea of making a positive impact in not only your own lives but the lives of others as well.

How goes the work in the studio for this first full length and what can we expect about it? Are you working with an important producer of the scene? 
We have an advantage when it comes to studio work. TJ owns a studio in Florida so we can work on music at anytime. One of the main benefits to owning your own studio is that it makes it easy to coordinate long distance recordings. For example, when I went to Florida to record, we had the studio to ourselves the entire time I was there. There was no pressure to be there and get things done in a matter of hours. TJ has an interesting network of prominent industry people. I’m not sure what he has planned at the moment but I do know that things are looking good. At this point he’s produced everything.

I checked the band had the chance to play in live, how was the first show with the band and have you mind a tour with your band? How difficult do you think is tour in the USA? 
The first show did not consist of the full band. It was the former singer, and our two extremely talented guitar players Alejandra Mesliuk and Demian Planiscig. It was an acoustic show for a private audience in Buenos Aires, Argentina. That show gained the band a lot of support with our fans in Argentina. We have tentative plans for touring in Europe later this year, possibly South America and we’ve been in contact with a few promoters for shows in the US. As far as difficulty touring in the US, I’d have to say it would be dealing with the band members constantly pulling pranks on each other! We are always giving each other a hard time, which actually makes it really fun to hang out with all of them. It’s really nice and rare when all the band members actually get along. I consider myself lucky to be in a band with such wonderful and talented people!

In the early years of 2000s, Goth Metal was very popular, we have to remind the first popular band in USA for that ages was Evanescence, then appear many other bands, but how do you see the future of the genre in this decade?
In the United States, Goth Metal has never really been that popular, but we’re starting to see a change in that. I’d have to say that Evanesance was an anomaly. There has been, in the last few years, a bit more activity in this genre. I see the future of this genre growing as we have seen Delain, Epica, Kamelot, Nightwish, Leaves Eyes, just to name a few, playing bigger and better venues in the last few years. Seeing these bands booking and selling out these venues just reinforces the idea that this kind of metal is starting to take off in the US.

Well to end this interview do you have a last message to Arsenal Del Metalero readers and your fans?
I’d like to thank you for inviting me to do this interview and for your interest in our band. We love our fans and would like to take this opportunity to say a huge THANK YOU to all of you! Please stop by our FaceBook page, www.facebook.com/APersuasiveReason and say HI! We absolutely love hearing from all of you! Hope to see you in Peru in 2014!

To know more about A Persuasive Reason:
https://www.facebook.com/APersuasiveReason