Seraphim Explain Why They Tour So Much

Mississippi sludge slingers Seraphim don't have a lot of places to play in their in home state, so it's fitting that the trio takes its show on the road. "Our hometown of Tupelo is not very promising because the lack of venues," vocalist/guitarist Brian told Noisecreep. "We have a pretty strong following but haven't been able to find a solid venue, so that's one reason we tour a lot. I believe there are a lot of kids who want to go to shows but are forced to go out of state because [there are] no DIY venues."

Since there's nowhere to play at home, Seraphim will head out on a five-week tour with friends and fellow statesmen Conspirator. The band will spend April writing, followed by an East Coast jaunt. Then they'll head to Baltimore to record an EP. More touring is planned for summer, along with a fall run with Blacklisted and Ruiner. The band also hopes for a full-length to be ready before 2011.

Seraphim initially formed as a four-piece but parted ways with their vocalist last April. Brian took over vocals, the original drummer and bassist scholarships and decided to attend college instead of tour. Brian said, "I recruited two of my best friends to join the band. We then started writing for an LP and touring." The band recorded music in August, but Brian didn't finish lyrics, and a September/October tour was creeping up. So the band picked the best three songs from the recording session to make a demo.

Since Seraphim spend so much time on the open road, Brian recounted some tour fun. "Once, we were staying with a friend in Austin, Texas," he said. "We keep canned food in a Rubbermaid tub in the trailer. I walked out to the truck and saw a silhouette of what I thought was a stray dog. I got a closer look and saw antlers. It was a massive, white-tailed buck! It started trotting slowly through the parking lot, and I followed it. I wanted to get a picture, but it was too dark. The deer eventually leapt over a seven-foot-tall fence."

When the band hit Virginia Beach, they met with lots of miscommunication. "If the Virginia Beach hardcore scene sees this, there will probably be beef," Brian laughed. "We were playing a show in Hampton, [Va.] with Outrage and Maintain. It was a cool garage, and we were stoked because there were so many kids. It was the night after the A389 anniversary show, and a lot of kids there that saw us the night before. The lineup was supposed to be two locals, then the three touring bands and two other locals. The first two locals played, then the last two locals were sharing equipment with the first two and without us knowing, they decided to play before the touring bands.

"We were chilling in the house, trying to stay warm before we played, and kids are coming inside with blood all over them. I thought it was a joke, but they started telling us that there were two crews there, and they were breaking s--- in the garage -- like fluorescent lightbulbs. We go outside to set up, and we can't find the mic amongst all the trash. All the locals played before us, and then everyone left."