Nightmare of Who?

Nightmare of You, fronted by Brandon Reilly – former Movielifer – is a refreshing twist to the music recently found on the scene. The band was established in Long Island; the name, hailing from the first few lines of The Cure’s “Kyoto Song”, evokes thoughts of a screamo band, but the album itself is melodic and captivating.  The songwriting is poetic, the music is dazzling, and the vocals are stunning. Produced by Jason Lader, this debut album is certainly something of which Nightmare of You should be proud.

SM: How did Nightmare of You form?
BR: January of 2004...it was Joe (McCaffrey) and myself and he was recording me, I was doing songs. And I met Ryan (Heil) later on.  I was friends with Sammy (Sieger) before that.  It wasn’t hard – things just kind of fell into place.

SM: Was the transition from the Movielife to Nightmare of You challenging?
BR: Not really.  It was only challenging in the sense of not being the guitar player and taking on lead vocals.

SM: Who/what are your major influences?
BR: Musically? I’d say: Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Squeeze...bands like that. There are a million of bands that influence me.

SM: Is it a coincidence the band's name is some of the first words sung in the Cure's "Kyoto Song"?
BR: No, I like the Cure…so…it’s kind of like – I thought it was a cool phrase. I didn’t want to name the band after a Cure song. It took forever to think of a good name and I couldn’t think of a name for the band - I liked how it sounded…I like the word nightmare – it wasn’t a coincidence.

SM: What was it like working with Jason Lader on the new album?
BR: It was great – he’s an amazing musician. He’s one of the best bassists I’ve ever seen, one of the best guitar players.  He had the band member mentality. He knew how we wanted to sound and that was one of the most rewarding parts of the experience.

SM: What are your feelings about Nightmare of You’s debut album?
BR: I love it – I really love the record that we made. I’m beyond happy with the record.

SM: What was the inspiration behind the song “I Want to Be Buried In Your Backyard”?
BR: Just kind of like about being obsessive, not dangerously obsessive…just being obsessed with someone and admiring them from afar…and them not feeling the same way as you feel about them…being close to them even if it means being dead and buried in their backyard.

SM: What did you really mean by “Dear Scene, I Wish You Were Deaf?” Is it as straightforward as it seems or is there more to it?
BR: It’s pretty straightforward…the cliché bands…they aren’t really saying anything. They’re just wailing away on their guitars and polka dancing...not singing anything that’s relatable to anybody. It’s terrible and that’s how I feel about 90% of the bands I see on TV. Music is supposed to have a message…and their message is shit.

SM: Are you looking forward to the upcoming tour?
BR: You mean with Honorary Title? I’m really looking forward to it – I love Jared. And I think that it will be a very worthwhile tour.

SM: What is your favorite aspect of touring? Least favorite?
BR: This is going to be very cliché, but probably just playing. Because everything else that comes along with it is such a hassle – being at an event for hours, being in a hotel room, being in a new city every night – not being around your friends. I enjoy the company of my band mates…but the only thing that makes it worth it is playing.

SM: Could you describe your songwriting process?
BR: I will write a chord progression on guitar and I will then put a vocal melody to it. Then that’s where I start getting some lyrics – whatever the song is really asking for. It just happens. Then I take the song to the rest of my band mates and we al collectively make it better and like Joe will put guitar leads and we’ll restructure.

SM: What would you consider to be your greatest musical achievement, thus far?
BR: Just making a record that the entire band loves and I am able to listen to and enjoy – I feel like that’s the most important aspect of being in a band…it’s hypocritical to be in a band that you can’t even listen to or that you don’t even like.

SM: What is your biggest regret?
BR: I don’t have any…musically.

SM: Any other comments?
BR: I don’t know…yeah. Thank you!