Exclusive Interview: Andrew Laffan of Fractured Fortune
Hayley recently met with Andrew Laffan, the lead singer of Fractured Fortune. We had the opportunity to interview Andrew before the band's performance as the opening act for Secrets at the Rec Room in Buffalo, NY on May 10th. This was a significant milestone for the band as it was their first performance outside Rochester, NY. The members of Fractured Fortune have been consistently making progress in the music industry. Let's delve into Andrew's thoughts on their upcoming show and uncover some exciting details about the band.
H: Hey Andrew it's Hayley here with Concerthopper I hope all is well with you I'm excited to hear about your upcoming show with Secrets how are you feeling about that?
A: We’re really stoked to share the stage with incredibly talented artists like Secrets, Colorblind, Glasslands, and Unwell. It will be the band’s first time out in Buffalo, so we’re hoping to put on an entertaining show to show all the beautiful people in Buffalo what we’re about.
H: I really love that this is your first time playing in Buffalo!
A: Hell Yeah! Me too!
H: I was wondering if you could tell me a little bit about the story behind your band's name.
A: I’m glad you asked. Since I joined a little bit later after the band had already put out their first EP & single, I definitely deferred back to their knowledge about the band's history and they told me that they, the first name that they had was, they were called Falling Face First and they changed the name to Fractured Fortune because it sounded cooler.
H: That’s interesting, I'm gonna jump to the next, to question four. What motivated you to choose your current career path?
A: Personally, music played a very pivotal role in my youth and it inspired me to start writing back in like seventh grade and it wasn't really until my senior year of high school that I really even attempted to do vocals and I was inspired by artists and singers like Craig Mabbitt from when he was in Blessthefall and Ronnie Winter from the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus and then I kind of quickly transitioned to learning how to scream from like influences like Alex Kohler from, he was originally in Chelsea Grin and he's now in Emiona and Oliver Sykes from Bringing the Horizon and then I later developed that I was able to use my writing therapeutically and have the ability to release them in a live setting and that really solidified the newly developed place that music has become as part of my lifestyle.
H: That honestly is kind of inspiring for me too since I love listening to Blessthefall and Red Jumpsuit Apparatus personally who's helped me gotten into even taking pictures myself of bands that I love, I just took pictures of Movements a couple of weeks ago and yeah, I feel you on the motivation side of this.
H: That brings me to my next question. Your music is unique and deserves a description that captures you guys as a band. So tell me how would you describe that?
A: We consider ourselves to be metalcore with deathcore tendencies. We don't really confine ourselves to like trying to fit a specific type of genre, you know, so as you said, it's like it's pretty unique and we'd like to keep it that way, you know, we'll kind of just write whatever we feel.
H: Right, you could see a lot of shift with bands nowadays just kind of switching up completely like Bring Me the Horizon's a perfect example, like kind of that techno rap mixed with the screamo.
A: Oh yeah, they've done whatever they wanted, really. They've really expressed themselves through music.
H: Even like Knocked Loose, did you guys listen to that new song with Poppy?
A: Oh, it's so fucking good. It's so good.
H: I was shocked because I did not like her live performance, but hearing that song was like, what?
A: Yeah, it really showed that more diverse side.
H: I'm curious, are you guys gonna be releasing a full-length album anytime soon?
A: We're currently finishing up recording some stuff with Ryan Wirth from Aphasia and we're very stoked to be sharing some of that come like the summer and fall. I can't say too much about it, but I have no doubts about it being in your daily rotation.
H: So do you think you might surprise us on the show and play something new?
A: Oh, we're definitely playing a new song on Monday at the Secret Show for sure. Yeah. It's gonna be great.
H: Tell me how you would prepare before performing to bring high energy to the stage.
A: I mean as a band we like to like bring it in and you know start the right before the set and like set it off right with some positivity, you know kind of encouragement and stuff and like realizing that we all notice the mistakes that we make as a band, but the crowd rarely ever does and that It helps me give the most genuine performance which is really my therapeutic release, you know, I rarely get stage fright and being on stage has a very natural feel for me.
H: That's good to hear so I can't wait for that. yeah, what would you do if anybody in the crowd appeared tired or bored and didn't seem too interested?
A: Uh, luckily my band has my back when it comes to being on stage and hyping up the crowd typically the music that we write and perform has a very Drivey feeling to it and at least had everyone's moving their head I Mean, I'm definitely not afraid to like get in the crowd as well and start moving people myself.
H: What's your favorite track to play for your fans?
A: My personal favorite is “Malevolence” but the song “Mindless Trepidation” follows close behind.
H: Is “Malevolence” one of the singles you guys recently dropped?
A: Oh, it is definitely the most recent single we dropped back in February.
H: All right, good s***. I'll have to take another listen to it
A: Yeah, it's got Justin from Perelandra in it right at the end. He does a killer job on that feature.
H: Can you explain your creative process and how you would generate new ideas?
A: I typically like to work with the music and kind of feel out each part and how it all coincides with the feel of the song is as its own piece when I'm not working with music though, I like to take a feeling or a mindset and then dive into that perspective About a certain topic or feeling an approach from like a storytelling perspective and Just try different ways to approach a similar outcome, you know what I mean? Yeah, I try and jot down words that come to mind about something if I get stuck and like build off that.
H: Could you provide some insights and how you manage your personal life professional goals and responsibilities?
A: I have to give a lot of credit to my fiancé for having my back and supporting this aspect of my life And I mean, I've got a few kids and juggling work as well as you know, being a dad and And then implementing band practices and stuff Can certainly be difficult I'm very thankful that my kids enjoy listening to me scream and practice throughout the house makes it a little bit easier I've definitely had to prioritize music over other things that I've done in my past like soccer and martial arts. So it's it takes some prioritization if it's something that's really important, you know what I mean? You just can't say oh, it's important I want to do this and then put it on a back burner and then try and implement it sporadically and see It makes it easier if you prioritize it.
H: Yeah, I get that Honestly, I feel you coming from the same boat I work at a car dealership during the day, and then at night trying to get out early to come out to these shows can be hard but Yeah, it's worth it though.
A: Definitely Yeah, I do massage therapy by by sunlight and then by moonlight, you know, I'm on stage and You kind of have to have another job as an artist starting out as well because being an artist is expensive
H: But honestly, that's exciting to know that like you do massage therapy, too It's like two different universes mashed together
A: Definitely. It's definitely cool. I also have to thank grandparents for helping out with making this possible so that you know, I'm able to go up there and do my thing on stage.
H: Wow, that's awesome that you have a great support system to back you up.
A: Oh, yeah. Shout out to the grandparents for sure
H: Can you please tell me what project stands out the most memorable to you and what has made it memorable?
A: So one of the first bands that I was able to perform on stage with was a band called Transcendence that I started with a few of my buddies and it definitely holds a very special place in my heart I was able to work with some of my best friends and create perform very unique and personal music that helped me shape how I approached writing and fully utilize its therapeutic aspects of my life and I made some incredible friendships along the way. We were able to open for some incredible national acts like Suicide Silence Kingdom of Giants an ERRA and Upon A Burning Body, Those boys were just great.
H: What advice would you offer to someone new to your field?
A: Keep practicing. You have to always remember there's room to grow and there are always new things you can master you have to be patient with yourself and for vocals specifically don't do it if it hurts it's usually not good and then make sure you develop your own sound and keep in mind when you're going up on stage you have to become the entertainer.
H: That's honestly good advice because I feel like depending on the band a lot of times they’ll just show up there and then you know just stand there and do their thing and they don't have that energy and they don't entertain the crowd.
A: Right. It looks like they're at practice, right? But like you're up there to perform, you know, it's a stage Should always utilize that.
H: I was listening to some of your songs when I was writing a little snippet about you guys as a band for the Secrets article that I'm working on. Honestly, out of all the songs, I know you recently joined Fractured Fortune But I like “Cruella De Vil”. Out of all of the songs that you have which ones are your favorite?
A: Well since I joined the band after they released Lunar Place and the next one that was released had me on it I'm kind of biased To which one I like So I'm gonna have to say Malevolence. But I also like creatures of habit for sure that one definitely is very cool to perform live. It has a good energy about it And I'm sure this new stuff will be will just blow your socks off.
H: I'm really excited
A: Yeah, me too Ryan Wirth has done an incredible job
I'm incredibly grateful to Andrew for sparing some time to chat about his band, Fractured Fortune. Don't forget to follow ConcertHopper on our Instagram and Facebook pages for more exciting upcoming events! Keep on hopping!