The Rocturnals aim to take audience on musical journey

What do The Rocturnals sound like?

“Everywhere we go, most people compare us to the likes of Linkin Park, but urban. However, we’ve also heard B.o.B, Outkast, Asher Roth, LMFAO, Gym Class Heroes and a few others, which is great for us, because that means our music would appeal to a broad audience, giving us staying power. All of those groups and/or bands have made a huge impact in the entertainment world; they’ve sold millions of records; and have won a ton of awards, which is what validates you.”

Various artists have been merging rock and hip-hop for some time now. What do you guys try and do differently with that synthesis?

“What makes us different is that we are an actual band and our merger incorporates a few other genres such as R&B, funk and pop. We have a really great singer and a really great rapper. With our live show, we can literally cater to the audience without compromising our style.

“For instance, we were one of the opening acts for Bone Thugs N’ Harmony at the House Of Blues. At first, you would think the combination wouldn’t fit being that we are a live urban rock band and everyone else was either rap or pop that went off of prerecorded tracks. When we took the stage before Bone and the curtains opened, the crowd didn’t know what to expect and was kind of in shock by our rock gear and our guitarist, who wears a white mask. By the end of our set the audience was shouting for an encore. Why? Because we took them on a musical journey.”

Your debut, “The Life,” revolves around the lifestyle of being in a full-time, working band. How is that lifestyle different than you may have imagined it to be?

“Before ‘The Life,’ all you can think about is getting there, you know, driving the hottest cars, hanging out with the hottest chicks, staying at the best luxury hotels, receiving VIP to any and everything around the town, and before you know it, you’re experiencing ‘The Life.’

“You get caught up in the hype, people that you’ve seen on TV you’re now friends with — or at least that’s the general perception. You’re invited here and there because you’re on top and you’re the one that everyone wants to be associated with. Well, that’s until your record is no longer a hit. The invites stop coming, your new friends either don’t answer or they’re now ‘very’ busy when before they would pick up regardless. So the lifestyle has its ultimate high and some dreadful lows, but in the end, it’s all about leaving your mark.”

You guys have contributed music to soundtracks like “Crash,” “Mr. And Mrs. Smith” and “Kickin’ It Old School,” among others. Does the tenor of the film in question affect the type of material you decide to contribute?  

“Yes and no. The way we write songs is pretty much mood based (with the exception of ‘Crash’). The soundtrack company tells us what they are looking for, we go to our catalog and pick out a few (songs) that we think might work, they come in, listen and pick the ones that fit the movie’s story line. With ‘Crash,’ we actually watched it after it was done and scored already, so we couldn’t get the song in the movie, but the ‘Inspired By Soundtrack’ wasn’t completed, so the soundtrack company said if we could come up with a song on the spot, we could actually make the playlist. Our song was the last song added to the soundtrack, but was placed in the number one spot and became the single as well.

“So in deciding what to contribute, our preference for any movie soundtrack is to see the movie first and then cater material for it, although with the types of songs we write, any of them, we feel, are suitable songs for soundtracks right now.”

Check out The Rocturnals at www.TheRocturnals.com

Contact reporter Jason Bracelin at jbracelin@
reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0476.