What are your names?
We are Greg (guitar/vocals), Titouan (guitar/vocals), Tom (bass/vocals) and Jérôme (drums).
What is the bands name?
We play under the name « Bare Teeth »
How did you come up with the bands name?
Well, we were looking for a name for some weeks and Titouan came with Bare Teeth. We all agreed on this one, as it has several meanings to us. It’s all about being angry, or aggressive, or show that you are not the one to be messed with. Funny !
Describe eachother in one word.
Titouan : talented
Jérôme : fast
Tom : wingman
What is your genre of music?
We play punk/rock music with some pop and thrash influence, so we sometimes say we play thrash/pop. We don’t give much a fuck about music styles.
Give us a little bio about you as a band and individuals.
Well, Titouan and I met in September 2014 as he had just arrived in Lille for his studies. One of my friend told Titouan about me, as I was looking to start a new band. I played in the past in some bands, including Fast Motion and I toured a lot across Europe, UK and Japan with this band.
After several tries with different drummers, Jérôme eventually joined, as well as JayJay, who played the bass in one of my former bands, Icons Down!. Jérôme also plays in a metal/hardcore band called Netfastcore.
JayJay left the band to focus on his other projects, and as he broke his thumb after one of our shows, he wasn’t even able to record for us. We found Tom some months later, and he had to learn all the songs on a short time so he could record with us.
Are you a signed?
Not really, but our latest record has been co-released by 13 labels worldwide. We work with Lockjaw Records (UK), Less Talk More Records (Belgium), Morning Wood Records (Netherlands), No Reason Records (Italy), Melodic Punk Style (Poland), Sirkel Pit (Switzerland), Street Machine Records and Don’t Trust The Hype (France), Pro Rawk Records (USA), 59SRS (Russia), Far Channel Records (Japan) and Realize Records (South Korea).
You’re back with a brand new EP ‘First The Town,Then the World, tell us more about that.
The record took almost one year to get finished. We had several issues because our former bass player left the band and he had a broken thumb, so he could even help us with the recordings. Our record has also been mixed by Trevor Reilly of A Wilhelm Scream, which is a big influence for us. Trevor is a very nice guy, but he tours also a lot with A Wilhelm Scream, so mixing our record took a little longer than expected.
What message are you trying to tell your fans?
Everything is possible. The name of the record, « First the town, then the world » can sound a but ambitious, but this is how we feel. We know we are a small band, but we’ve started touring in different countries to show our motivation and hope to get more and more fans.
Who did you work on the EP with?
Recordings were done with Romain Pouly and Olive T’Servrancx. Olive and I used to play in a band called Fast Motion, and he also played in a famous French punk/rock band called Carving, as well as some other bands as a guitarist or a drummer.
Mixing was done by Trevor Reilly of A Wilhelm Scream, and mastering was done by Trevor’s dad, Joe Reilly.
Describe each track in two words.
First the town, then the world : state (of) mind
Behind the wall : sharing (is) caring
Parted ways : lost friendship
Always rain : depression, sadness
Down : suicide, selfshness
Tomorrow starts today : party, fun
These towns need guns : Fuck Trump !
what was the writing process like for the EP?
I wrote most of the songs before the band was created. They come from former bands or are songs I had in mind for a long time. I also wrote all the lyrics. For the next record, things are going to be a little different, as Titouan (guitar) and Tom (bass) also writes songs and lyrics.
What was the Recording process like for the EP?
Normal stuff, I guess. We started in March 2016 with the drum recordings. One or two months later, we recorded the guitar. Tom joined the band during summer 2016, so he learned all the songs and recorded the bass parts as I did the vocals around the same time.
Do you have any gigs or festivals coming up?
Sure ! From late August, we have several shows coming up in France and Belgium and we joined the Funtime Festival line-up, so we will play with bands like Adhesive, Venerea, FOD, …
We also have to tour in Italy in November and do 4 shows there.
What made you go in to music?
I guess that like every kid who listened to rock music, I once had enough motivation to learn how to play an instrument. I don’t know how are feeling kids nowadays, but rock music was very cool back in the early 90’s, haha !
I used to listen to the bands that were played on the radio, like Nirvana and once Nirvana was over, punk/rock bands like Green Day and The Offspring made a great impression on me and I wanted to learn guitar to play their songs.
Do you play any instruments?
I also play the bass, the drums, the double bass and the harmonica. I love learning how to play different instruments.
Who are your influences?
We love bands like NOFX, Blink182, A Wilhelm Scream, Propagandhi, Everytime I Die, …
How do you get inspiration to write songs?
I mostly write from personal situations and feelings, or things that could have happened to me.
Where do you see yourself now in 5 Years?
Bigger, faster, stronger !!! Haha !
I hope we can play some better show and have released one or two albums and already toured in many countries.
When you’re not doing music, what do you do?
Daily grind. I work as a freelance in IT and Tom works in IT too. Titouan has just finished his studies, so I guess he will be looking for some job soon. Jérôme works in logistics. Apart from our jobs, the bands and our girlfriends or families, we don’t have much time left.
If you could collaborate with one UK Artist or band who would it be and why?
There are many cool bands or artists in the UK, so it’s not easy to pick only one. I really like what Sonic Boom Six did on their album « City of thieves », even if I don’t like much the newest ones.
if you could collaborate with one US artist or band who would it be?
Hard choice too. If we could do some tours with A Wilhelm Scream, that would be awesome. These guys are really nice.
What was the song you listened to most that influenced you to go more in to the music scene?
When I was a kid, I spent entire days playing the guitar over the Green Day’s Dookie album … maybe 8 hours a day or more. You can imagine what « Basket case » did on me then !
What’s the best advice you have ever been given?
« Make it happen », and that’s our motto with Bare Teeth.
What advice would you give to aspiring musicians not about the industry and just as an artist?
The same advice I’ve been given. If you have dreams, just follow them and don’t get told it’s impossible. You will also have to face other’s people feedback, but if you are good at what you do and work hard, nothing will be impossible.
What quote or saying do you always stick by?
Quite the same or « Nothing is impossible ». Only hard-working bands or artists deserve to be known.
When you are at a gig, what are 5 things you cannot forget?
Be humble and treat all the people well
Give the best of you when you perform
Smile, be kind and people will remember about you
Don’t be a dick with other bands when you headline a show, because you’ve been the opening band once
Keep your ears and eyes open so you can always learn
Do you have social media accounts so your fans can follow you?
Sure !
