‘Love Story’s End’ is Only the Beginning
We met Clint Hagler of Love Story’s End in an unconventional way and have Jayson Kretzer of Wannabe Heroes and Panama City’s Creative Con to thank for the introduction.
At 2015’s Pensacon I spotted Jayson on artist’s row with a booth full of goodies. As we chatted a bit, he grabbed the artist at the neighboring booth proclaiming that I was a fan of heavy music. After introductions, it turns out Clint and I already followed each other on twitter, and he handed me a CD, asking me to give it a spin.
You never know what will happen when you’re handed music. I do my best to listen to everything that is handed my way and hold my breath in the process.
Turns out that was unnecessary for ‘Love Story’s End’.
So to find out more about Clint’s vision and what genre he prefers the project to slide under – we sent the following interview questions his way.
As I understand it, Love Story’s End started out as studio project and has transitioned into a full band. Can you talk about that transition and any impact it has on the songwriting process?
I intended for it to be a full band, but people would always come and go. By the time I was recording the second album, I was tracking almost everything myself except the drums. So, I gave up on the full band idea.
My song writing process is very solitary, and you can’t expect a revolving door of live players to stick around for the long haul when they have no personal investment in the songs they perform. That’s why it works best as a solo project.
With the exception of “As Angels Turn To Thee” on “Death Doesn’t Deserve Me,” I don’t think I’ve collaborated with anyone on an original Love Story’s End song in the past 9 years. I worked with Mark Black to produce my last 13 recordings, and I’m hoping to do more with him in the future. He has gone the extra mile to help me get the tones and sounds I’m looking for.
The latest upgrade to the live lineup is my pal Mitchell Gruich on bass. I had the privilege of touring in two of his past bands playing guitar and bass. That was probably the most fun I’ve had playing music ever. So it’s a pretty kick ass time to rock out with your friends.
LSE doesn’t belong to a clear cut music genre – do you have a label a prefer to use? How do you explain the band to someone who hasn’t heard you before?
I say “punky metal” – I think that’s the most accurate description. Some people use sub-genre terms like post-hardcore, metalcore, and screamo. Those all seem like a stretch when you compare to actual bands in those genres.
I’m just making some sloppy, punked up, metal-ish, rock tunes. Jimmie’s Chicken Shack used to describe themselves as “mutt-rock” for not fitting in just one category. That term probably works for Love Story’s End too.
How far would you like to see the band go – what would be the mark of ‘making it’?
I don’t know what “making it” would be for me. I’ll just go as far as my legs will take me, and then I’ll crawl…. I’m very stubborn.
Beyond the band, you are the artist behind War Tribe Comics – can you tell use how you fell in love with the medium?
Comics are just a great form of story telling and expression. You can channel your imagination into a series of pictures and visually share that thought or idea with almost anyone. I’ve liked comics since I was a kid. All the different characters and backstories were a draw. All you need is pencil and paper. Can’t beat that.
And you often tie the two together – the comics and the songs – can you explain how that process works for you? What part of the concept comes first?
I did the graphic design and photos with the help of some friends for the “Death Doesn’t Deserve Me” CD packaging. It came out pretty sweet and just seemed like good material for a comic or short film. It was a concept album where the track listing formed a poem that lent itself to dark themes. Any lyric references I can work into the comic is a plus. I’m hoping to develop a bigger story. I have about a dozen comic and music ideas I’d like to follow through with in the near future.
Keep up with Love Story’s End:
Official: http://www.LoveStorysEnd.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/LoveStorysEnd
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/LoveStorysEnd
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/LoveStorysEnd
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/LoveStorysEnd
Reverbnation: http://www.reverbnation.com/LoveStorysEnd
Music on iTunes / Amazon / CDbaby
850 Music & Entertainment 