On a day in 2003, Ian Fike received a phone call that changed his life: his Portland-based band Ever We Fall landed a deal with Rise Records. At the time a sophomore in high school, Fike found himself in the studio recording what would become the band’s debut EP, Endura; a release that put the 15-year-old on two extensive U.S. tours, opening sold out shows for bands like Gatsby’s American Dream at New York City’s Knitting Factory.
But somewhere along the line, Fike had a change of heart, and quit Ever We Fall in 2004. “I always wanted to be in a hardcore band,” he admits, professing his love for bands like Shai Hulud and Strongarm. “I said, I’m gonna start playing the music I want to play. Then we started It Prevails.”
As we sit down for a few beers at Bonnerhaus, the Ryan’s Rock Show headquarters in North Hollywood, Fike and his bandmates tell the story of It Prevails — a group that in 2011 alone has toured relentlessly with acts like The World We Knew and No Bragging Rights, supporting their latest album (and third full-length) Stroma, released in August through Mediaskare.
With a number of lineup adjustments over the band’s seven-year history, the group discusses the growing pains of an up-and-coming touring band, the evolution of the music scene, and a topic concerning many of those in the music community: the increasing amount of violence at hardcore shows.
A few notes about the interview: It Prevails recently completed a lengthy U.S. run dubbed The Beautiful & Spineless tour with No Bragging Rights and Onward to Olympas. Though no touring plans are set for the immediate future, the band is confirmed to play the Unsilent Night Festival in Dallas, TX on December 10th. That festival will also feature the highly anticipated As Cities Burn reunion show — a 2008 Ryan’s Rock Show audio interview with them can be found at the bottom of the page here. And to conclude with some nuggets of knowledge: Remember a band called Kaddisfly? Ian Fike’s brother-in-law played in the group, who eventually reincarnated as Water & Bodies. Fike also made a guest appearance on their b-side track “Flowers” in 2007. Not too long after the song was released, Kaddisfly vocalist Christopher Ruff did a Ryan’s Rock Show interview, located here.
In the video, from left to right: guitarist Nic Toten, guitarist Chris Tsanjoures (who enters the interview later), and vocalist Ian Fike.
The interview begins with the band discussing changes in the hardcore scene over the past decade.
Front page and article photos by Dorothy Gilbert