Hard-core band Misery Signals has had its share of, well, misery.
Just when things were looking up, the band toured with another band, Six Feet Under. The bands didn't get along and, by September of last year, had to cancel the last three dates of the tour.
Even before Misery Signals was formed, guitarist Ryan Morgan and bassist Kyle Johnson were left in the cold when their band 7 Angels 7 Plagues called it quits in 2002.
"We have definitely seen some bad times," Morgan said by phone from Staten Island, N.Y. "Things are finally looking better for us."
Misery Signals — composed of Morgan, Johnson, drummer Brandon Morgan, guitarist Stuart Ross and vocalist Jesse Zaraska — has made it a point to find melody in hard-core music since the band's inception in the latter part of 2002.
"That's something we liked about the bands we grew up listening to," said Ryan Morgan, who cited Metallica as his No. 1 influence. "But we didn't sit down and say, that's what Misery Signals should do. It just happened that way. We play whatever we like and whatever sounds good to us. Our idea is just let the music happen."
While touring is a major way to get music to people who might not have heard of Misery Signals, it is a double-edged sword, said Morgan. "All of us are trying to maintain relationships and it's hard being away from home. We've been on the road since Jan. 2 and won't be back until May."
Still, Morgan said the band is learning a lot about the politics of touring and playing to audiences. "We're learning how to operate as a band. The other problem is, we don't have a lot of time to lock ourselves up to write new songs. At home, it's easy to set up a station and just write. But here, forget it."
The hard work and sacrifices are paying off, however, said Morgan, who actually started his music training on the piano before switching to guitar in his teens. "We just saw our video (for 'The Year the Summer Ended in June') on MTV. That was surreal. It was amazing. We grew up with MTV, and now we're on it."
The band will embark on a European tour in March. "Things are looking up for us," said Morgan. "And we taking it one day at a time. We want to make sure we can keep it up. And we are itching to write some new material."
REMEMBERING NEVER, another band on this leg of the tour, agrees. The band takes writing new songs quite seriously.
"We don't rush writing songs," said vocalist "Mean" Pete Kowalksy. "It has to be spontaneous and real. We just write what feels good to us. That's what we did on our latest album 'Women and Children Die First.' And we don't cram.
"We would rather write an album over a course of years than in a matter of hours. It's like writing a 20-page paper for a college class. It's better if you write it over time, rather than wait until 2 a.m. the day it's due."
Remembering Never — with Kowalksy, bassist Aldo Spaulding, drummer Danny Burger, and guitarists Grease Leonard and Nom Dave Murray — has seven or eight songs solidified and will schedule a recording session soon, said McLirath. "We have five done. And we need to write at least two or three more.
"But we're not rushing it."
If you go . . .
What: Misery Signals, Eighteen Visions, Emery, Remembering Never
Where: Wagstaff Theatre
When: Monday, 7 p.m.
How much: $10
E-mail: scott@desnews.com