Vacant Skies is a Harbinger feature this month. What a great name for a group. Their genre is punk. These guys move on stage, fast and furious. You will get to hear their music in this interview. Vacant Skies is a working road band of troubadours. Let’s find out about them.
Thank you all for doing this interview with us. The first question is what are the names of the members and their instruments?
Larry Reynolds – Lead Vocals; Jason Smith – Guitar; Jade Lloyd – Drums; Eric R. Corum – Bass
Where were you all born and how did you get together?
Larry and Jade were born in Flagstaff, Arizona. Jason was born in London, Ontario, Canada. And Eric was born in Auburn, California. Larry and Jade have known each other since high school and have played in bands together in the past. Eric joined the band after hearing about their need for a basis through a mutual friend. In late 2023 Jason was initially going to be an additional guitarist to the band. However, after we lost our original guitarist, Jason quickly stepped up to the challenge and filled the position with ease.
How long has this group been in existence?
Since June 2021, almost 4 years.
What inspired the name Vacant Skies?
Well, we have all played in different bands in the past and have experienced both the good and especially the bad. So, we wanted a name that reflected a fresh start and unstifled creativity. After considering several possible names, we landed on Vacant Skies because it really spoke upon new beginnings and endless possibilities, as vast as a vacant sky.
You have a nice line up of original songs on your Bandcamp, who wrote them?
We all play a role in writing our individual parts. Our old guitarist structurally wrote everything on “Circa 18”, “Panic Theory” and “En Memoire EP”, and we each rewrote out parts to make them our own. Nowadays, we still each rework and write our own parts, but our songs are are now structurally written by Jason Smith and Eric Corum. This includes out two most recent releases, “Black Flash” and “Silent End,” respectively.
We understand you have an in-house studio where you can create. Would you tell us about it?
The studio is a collaborative effort between Jade and Eric. The facility and recording space were created by Jade while Eric provides recording equipment and recording experince. Each of us have had terrible experiences in the past with paying a lot of money for a private studio/producer to record an album or EP just to be disappointed with the end product. Having the studio gives us the ability to record our own music in a comfortable environment with great acoustics and maintain complete control of every aspect without having to worry about rushing the song out because of an hourly rate.
What are some groups you admire?
Larry: AFI, Fleshwater, Modern Color, Glass Jaw, Deftones, Depeche Mode, The Cure, Scowl, Backtrack, Turnstile
Jason: Saosin, Chon, Superheaven, Among The Sleep, Ichika Nito, Fleshwater, Thursday, Allan Holdsworth, Bulb, Rings of Saturn, Vein.fm, Title Fight, Monoral, Polyphia
Jade: Killswitch Engaged, Authority Zero, Gideon, Misfits, Reel Big Fish, Raised Fist, August Burns Red, Ensiferum, Saosin, Parkway Drive, Dreamwake, HELLYEAH
Eric: Coheed and Cambria, Beastie Boys, Wage War, Primus, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Kublai Khan TX, Sade, Turnstile, Bullet for My Valentine, Brooks and Dunn, Gideon, Like Moths To Flames, Chon
What are your plans for the future?
We plan to finish our next major release, hopefully by early fall. After that, our next plan is to hit the road and head east!
Is there anything else you would like to say to our readers?
In all you do, do it with passion and integrity. Always come from an honest place. “Work hard and become your best self. Live a fulfilling life and leave this world better than it was when you inevitably leave.”
Thank you!
-David Anthony
Hear more from Vacant Skies at Vacantskiesaz.com, Bandcamp, Spotify, Facebook, and Instagram.
Dave Bixby 