Resistance 13 Has Something to Say…

The band Resistance 13 isn’t exactly from the 850 area, but they bring you a mixture of rock and metal from Saint Clairsville, Ohio. Although, when asked, “What genre do you consider yourself?”, the band has yet to come up with a definitive answer. They have been influenced by many including All That Remains, Trivium, and Killswitch Engage. Front man and vocalist Jeremy Wright, replied to the the question by saying, “We’re just Resistance 13.”

In addition to Jeremy, the band consists Bryan Schneider (lead guitar & problem solver), Ryan Husek (lead guitar & quiet one), Bryan Meeks (bass guitar – who goes by ‘Meeks’), and Louie Balk (drums & the social one). Jeremy states that he is told that he is “the opposite of Ryan.”

Bryan S. and Jeremy started the project in 2009, but didn’t find the right sound until about 2011. The band of five has been together for almost two years, and feel they are “just getting started.”

Touring could be a future possibility, but it’s not their main goal. According to Jeremy, “The area we live in is struggling. Every time we succeed, a portion of the people who believe in us succeed. People need hope right now and they need to know that some of us are still fighting. We want to take care of our area. This is our main goal right now.”

Which leads into the next question for the band, where did the name “Resistance 13” originate from. I was surprised at how passionate Jeremy’s answer sounded; I do not want to take any meaning away from it, so here it is verbatim:

“We didn’t just want a cool name, we wanted something with strength and meaning. The word ‘Resistance’ has nothing to do with an army or militia, it’s a mindset to RESIST the temptations of a materialistic, greedy, corrupt, and hateful world. Our perspective was: Why are we waiting for things to change?

Somewhere there was this idea that things will never change and that they are out of our hands, or that success is out of reach. This is where the ‘RESISTANCE’ comes in. That mindset is non-existent in us.

The number 13 is symbolic on so many levels. As a band we’ve faced hard times. We’ve lost people we loved, we’ve been victims of unfair circumstances and hard times much like our listeners. We wanted to take what we have learned in our life and make something positive out of it. The truth is… We made it and so can they.

So what does the name stand for? How do we solve the problems I have listed? You would expect for me to say Rebel, RESIST, fight the man and whatnot, but the truth is the solution is much easier. We learn to love again, we give hope to those who are hurting, we share our stories, we educate ourselves on the world, we speak out against what is wrong and we take the time to have compassion for each other. When people see that R13 symbol this is what we want to be identified for.

Our country was founded on common people who believed in this concept and somewhere along the way we’ve forgotten. There were 13 colonies willing to stand up and fight for their lives even if it meant that death was an option.”

The band recently opened for Smile Empty Soul at The Agora Ballroom in Cleveland. “It was a great experience for us.” This is the third national act they have opened for,the other two being Project 86 and Pop Evil. These acts help Resistance 13 in their quest for exposure, and building their fan base.

They aim to provide fans with music and lyrics that will “lift you up, and give you hope” with their recently released full album entitled “Surviving The Fall”. According to Jeremy, they have sold over 300 copies in less than 2 months, and reached fans as far as South Carolina and Philadelphia. A sweeping success for a DIY band without a label’s backing.

You can tell by their lyrics that the band writes for their listeners, to give back, and to make and impact the way they know how – through their music.

So, for the readers….. Who does Resistance 13 sound like? I don’t like to categorize bands too much either, so I leave you with this:

If Jeremy could cover any one song/band, he would choose any Rage Against the Machine song. He admits that he is huge Zack de la Rocha fan and believes that most of the band would be down for it.  Makes me wonder which band member wouldn’t be down for it…?

Learn more about Resistance 13 at:
http://www.facebook.com/resistance13
http://www.reverbnation.com/resistance13
http://www.twitter.com/resistance13

Interview & Article by Suzi G – who you now can follow on twitter here: https://twitter.com/brokennluckk