Last Chance to Reason Have Mixed Feelings About ‘Guitar Hero’

"It can be discouraging to see that 'Guitar Hero' videos get more hits on Youtube than people actually playing guitar, but then again videos of kittens at play probably get way more hits than 'Guitar Hero,'" Last Chance to Reason drummer Evan Sammons told Noisecreep. "However, I've heard that musical instrument sales have gone up since these games came out and I can see how it'd be a great stepping stone to playing an instrument."

Sammons and the rest of the Maine progressive metal act have a special insight into the game besides being musicians themselves: they are creating their own video game to go along with their new album, 'Level 2.'

"[Games like 'Guitar Hero'] encourage people to hear the instruments separately and see how they work together where the average listener just focuses on the vocal or the entire wall of sound," Sammons continued. "In addition, they've become a way for artists to reach new fans and make some money from their music."

In addition to video games taking up the band's spare time, the members are involved in other areas. "[Vocalist] Mike [Lassard] is really into MMA so he spends a lot of time training," Sammons said. "Sometimes he drags [guitarist] A.J. [Harvey] along with him, which is a pretty funny image. I also write for a blog called Games Meet Metal, which I hope to contribute to a lot more once we're on the road.

"We do play a fair amount of games, but I'd say being from Maine gives us a fairly uncommon appreciation of nature. We're always finding cool quarries and swimming holes to explore."

Last Chance to Reason will be touring the U.S. in August.