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Artist : Lesser Known
Home : Tilbury,Canada
Status : Independent
Formed : Early 90's

Interview / Summer 2002

INDIE RAGE : What is your home town music scene like right now ?
Cory of lesser Known : Well, there has never really been a music scene in Tilbury (since the town consists of about 4200 people most of them farmers... :) and the scene in Windsor comes and goes, bands kill it themselves...
Currently the scene in Windsor seems to be not bad, there are a few new clubs opening their doors to original music these days... there was a few years that went by that with the opening of the Casino's in the downtown area, the clubs were being infested by dance music, which isn't bad if your into that kind of thing.
I think that the scene will never be a strong as it was back in the late 80's and early 90's. But who knows??? this industry changes daily.... we weren't playing in Windsor for a few years mainly concentrating playing live in the USA... but in the last few months we've gotten opportunities to play in Windsor and we took them... just over the weekend we headlined a huge outdoor gathering to about 500 people... very cool!!!!

INDIERAGE : What is it about your bands sound that makes you different from those around you ?
Cory : I think Lesser Known's sound is allot different from the bands around us... our music isn't forced, when it comes out, it comes out... we usually try and keep the message's positive and we try to have as much substance in the songs as possible. We try and write every song with that hard edge sound that people know us for as well as try and actually write structured songs that people can relate to. I write the music and I'm very picky with what I'll present to the band and to Spaz (our singer) who write's the lyrics... I work allot on the stuff that I feel is worthy in my home studio and try and get it as close to a song as I can. I focus on keeping a groove, I focus on song structure and I really focus on writing each song as an individual with it's own unique qualities.
.. our music has really evolved over the years and I think that's what sets us apart from others bands around us, most bands don't think about structure or how a song will translate in a live situation, or they write 12 songs that all sound exactly the same. I think Lesser Known's music has replay value....for example we played in Detroit a few weeks back and the owner from the legendary club Harpos' told us he gave our cd to his friend and his friend won't give it back and has been listening to it steady... and that same night a 45 year female photographer who photographs all the local bands in the Detroit area, who somehow got our cd?, said she has listened to the cd so many times she wore it out!!! we had to give her another one... replay value is the most important...

INDIERAGE : What seems to be your most popular song ? The song most requested live ?
Cory : I think right now the song most people dig... and the song that we always play live would have to be "Circle the Drain" it's off of a 3 song promo cd we released.

INDIERAGE : Do you guys work day jobs or is this your main focus right now ?
Cory : Yes... we all work day jobs... we are still independent, so all the money the band makes goes back into the band to further the bands status in the industry

INDIERAGE : Has anything come about from out side Canada ? Any parts of the world who have picked up on you ?
Cory/Lesser Known : Actually, that's funny you asked that, cuz just as I got this request to do this interview in my e-mail box I got a e-mail from 2 dj's in Australia who have been searching high and low for copies of our music, contacting all the record labels in their country that they knew to see if the distributed any of our stuff., cuz they have gotten over 28 requests from fans of their Metal radio show for Lesser Known's music ... how in Hell people in Australia have heard of us is beyond me??? but know doubt there will be a package in the mail tomorrow with cd's for the dj's.

INDIERAGE : If there is 1 thing you want your fans to know about you, what is it ?
Cory : I guess that the only thing I could say is that even though our music sounds all angry and dark and slaps you upside the head...
every last piece of music we write has came from our hearts and it's our fans who keeps us doing what we do... I've always said that if all I ever do in this band is change 1 kids life, just 1 kid listen to our songs and get what we are doing and it actually make's that kid think and go "holy shit!... I better smartin' the fuck up"... then I can leave this world a very happy man...

INDIE RAGE : Are you a supporter of Sites like MP3.com ? Do you think they are valuable or just a necessary evil. ?
Cory : Yes!!!, I love mp3.com thousands of people have gotten a chance to listen to our music through that online portal, about 31,000 listens to date...
a website like mp3.com is indispensable, it's given ways for young and old bands to get their music into places that they would never have 10 years ago... the reason I think that Mp3.com is cool is because it's the band's choice to put their music there for their fans to listen to them, not like Napster or WinMx where people are blatantly stealing the music, which might not be a bad thing either if your independent band, it's a good way to get your name out there.

INDIERAGE : What do you guys think about the Much Music Video awards ? To the world,they must think Canada has only 5 bands. What do you have to say ?
Cory : Personally I've never thought of the Much Music Video awards, cuz Lesser Known has never had enough cash to do a video properly anyways... but your right, the outside world must think Canada has like 5 bands...
I noticed the bill on this year's Edge Fest... I always thought that festival was suppose to be for Canadian bands? on July 1st Canada Day... and it should be!!!... but this year I noticed that some of the headliners were American, it's pretty sad when a festival can't get enough national talent to fill a concert bill like that... Hell we would have played!!! :)

INDIE RAGE : We have personally watch you guys grow from the days of D.N.A. , & you have become very focused. Your sound is more towards the American Metal Scene, What are the plans for the band right now ?
Cory : Right now we are just trying to keep ourselves busy playing live...our P2's visa's are valid until the end of the year which let us play in the USA without any problems.
I will be starting to work on new songs soon so that we can take the winter months and do some recording...

INDIERAGE : What seems to be the bands biggest disagreement ?
Cory : Everything!!!....

INDIERAGE : What is the one thing the whole band always agrees on ?
Cory / Lesser Known : : Always present ourselves in a professional manner when we are playing live and working with anyone outside of the band...
if we are told to be onstage at 10:00pm and that our set is to be 30:00 minutes long, then as long as the band before us is off the stage in time, we will be onstage and playing exactly when we are supposed to and our set will be exactly 29:52... (we need a few seconds to get our stuff off the stage....)
We also, always agree to never do anything if it's a half-baked idea, not to burn bridges..... and to bite our tongues if need be...

INDIERAGE : I know the money is tight & being in a band can be tough. But what are the greatest parts . (women, parting, travelling , meeting idols etc.
Cory : I think for everyone in Lesser Known it's different... actually I know it's different, but for me it's the creativity part, playing live is cool and all that rock star kind of band stuff that goes along with playing live..
but for me I love to create music... I love to take an idea and work it into something that people will embrace years to come and go holy-shit... or bang their heads and rock out too, I love to create music cuz I know that is what ultimately will be what people will still have from Lesser Known 20, 30 , 40 years from now...
most people will get a chance to see us live once, some people never will, so it's the music... the cd's we release that will still be around for people to enjoy.

Thanks to Cory for fillin us in .
Lesser Known has been bustin the scene for years now , Although I am not personally a big fan of 'Metal', Lesser Known are survivors.
I have watched countless bands in Ontario come & go, Destroyed by their own ego, pressures of life, girl friends etc. Lesser Known has never slagged in any of that.
Respect goes out to the bands that can do it & have the real heart for making music, we know who we are. My only flake with lesser known was when they dabbled with the rap/metal (Not so great year).. But experimenting is what it's all aboot. Rock On boys.
RESPECT & Hard Work