Interview with the Band Illusions of Grandeur (2023)
By Mick Michaels
The Cosmick View: Hello, and welcome back to The Cosmick View/MBM Ten Pounder! Thanks for taking some time to chat with us!
CV: Describe your definition of the band’s sound and style and how does that definition uniquely describe the music?
I.O.G.: Illusions of Grandeur “I.O.G.”, is a Theatrical Hard Rock/Fantasy Metal band based in York, PA. I.O.G. has been touring in both the United States as well as across the UK, Germany, France, and the Ukraine since 2016.
I.O.G. 's Live show The Siren Saga is a story of the journeys, perils, and triumphs of the Siren and her warriors. The story mixes facts and fiction combining Greek and Norse Mythology, Sirens, Gods, Archangels.
Illusions of Grandeur’s influences come from many genres of course starting with metal; like Korn, In This Moment, Metallica, Avatar and Evanescence. Each member draws off their individual influences as well which are varied from The Siren’s love of Classic rock like Janis Joplin and heart to CM’s love of The Smiths, Supertramp, Soundgarden. IOG feels this just adds to the sound and allows the band to explore a lot of themes in their music.
The idea of Illusions of Grandeur is to create a world and tell the story of “The Siren” and her journeys. IOG’s love of both history and Greek/Norse Mythology felt that this was the best medium way to create a world for “The Siren Saga.” IOG feels that when listening to music or seeing a live show you should be able to immerse yourself in that moment and take a journey of your own with the band.
I.O.G. have made appearances at various festivals including Sav Fest, Dewey Beach Music Festival and Witney Music Festival. I.O.G. has shared the stage with artists as varied as DOPE, Motograter, September Mourning, New Year’s Day, Puddle of Mudd, Stryper, República, Stitched up Heart and Otep.
Illusions of Grandeur’s fierce and energetic live show has gained them a legion of fans dubbed “The Siren Nation” who follow them worldwide, at live shows, and on social media.
CV: Today, everyone talks about artist and audience
connection. Is such a level of connection actually achievable for an artist and
if so, how have you made the connection to your fans?
I.O.G.: Touring and
connecting with our fans and meeting new people worldwide, traveling is the
best experience I feel you can have. During Illusions of I.O.G.: Grandeur’s
“The Songs of The Siren Tour 2019” the band played a few weeks in the Ukraine.
One of those shows was in a small town called Smila in the Cherkasy Raion, Cherkasy Oblast of Ukraine. What we thought was a festival we were playing on, turned out to be a small festival built around IOG headlining. It was pretty crazy they turned the central park of the town into a festival ground with a large stage and it seemed like the whole town came out for the day. It was an amazing experience.
CV: Is fan interaction an important part of the band’s inner culture?
I.O.G.: We find that while we have a lot of interaction on social media platforms, nothing replaces going out and performing live and meeting fans.We still have great friends and fans from all over the world, a mix of social platform friends and people we met from touring. Music is still an amazing connector!
CV: Can a band truly interact with its fans and still maintain a level of personal privacy without crossing the line and giving up their “personal space” in your opinion?
I.O.G.: That is a tricky question, our answer is “yes” we share news from the bands page of tours, recording and items that we feel the fans will love. But we do maintain a level of distance between our personal lives and what the band does.CV: Is music, and its value, viewed differently around the world in your opinion? If so, what do you see as the biggest difference in such multiple views among various cultures?
I.O.G.: The difference we see around the world can be drastic. Some countries; UK, Germany, Ukraine for example, we have fans who live and breathe music, following us on an entire tour. In the United States you still see that, but not at the level we experience overseas. That could just be our band experience, in the States it takes a little longer for some markets to warm to the band and gain a following, we didn’t find that in Europe as it was pretty immediate our acceptanceCV: How would you describe the difference between an artist who follows trends and one who sets them?
I.O.G.: Illusions mindset is pretty simple on the subject or “Trends.” Illusions of Grandeur tends to just “do what we do” following a trend or chasing another bands sound, to us, pretty much means we are following and not leading. We have a sound we created, and it may not be what the current trend is, but it’s our sound and I’d rather fail playing out music our way than chasing after something we will just never find.CV: What can fans expect to see coming next from you?
I.O.G.: Illusions of Grandeur will be releasing the 3rd part of "The Siren Sag” in 2024; "The Siren Rises pt1 The Raven Witch." The 2024-2025 tour to follow will feature a lot of new material and a revamped show. Stay tuned!
CV:
Thanks again for taking some time and talking. It is greatly appreciated.
Check out Illusions of Grandeur at:
New Single “Midnight”: https://songwhip.com/illusionsofgrandeur/midnight
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IllusionsOG
Band camp: https://illusionsofgrandeur.bandcamp.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iogmusic/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/iogband
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@illusionsog
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