For Better Endings: Youth angst

The four guys and one girl who make For Better Endings are amazing at sounding angry beyond consolation. Consisting of singer Linus, bass player Auji, drummer Shaun and guitarists Damian and Alex, For Better Endings recently released a recording called Variations, showcasing their ability to meld heavy parts with soothing melodic passages. Here, though, be prepared to find out what happens to the band’s hygiene after a performance.

Damn, your music is heavy and intense. How are you guys in person?
Auji We are actually pretty laidback and really, really short in person–except for Linus. We are just like other teenagers and we are only serious when it comes to our music. The reason why our music is so heavy and intense is because we use this band as an output for all our frustrations.

You can get really sweaty and grimey after shows with all the hot lights and moving around. What's the best thing to do after a show?
Auji Best thing to do is get out of the venue for awhile for fresh air, get a drink, cool down and go back in for the next band.

Do you guys have any special hair tips?
Alex Never bother doing your hair up for the show ‘cause in the end, everything will get messed up anyway. But if you do want to do your hair, just make sure that you're comfortable and never let it get in the way of your playing.

Do you think CDs will get wiped out soon?
Damian Well, even with many people ripping off music from the internet and buying music off iTunes, there will always be the bunch of people that will still follow the CD buying culture.
Shaun Vinyl and LPs have gotten wiped out almost completely, but people still buy them ‘til today.
Alex Besides, you can't get the cool artwork and packaging from the songs off the internet.

What's it like coming up with songs in For Better Endings?
Damian It's really a long process because we are perfectionists when it comes to writing songs, and we have to be satisfied with every single riff that is in the song. So if any one of us does not like a particular riff, we would rewrite it to suit everyone.
Auji To add to that, we constantly change the way we write our riffs and structures of our songs. That's the only way to keep a fresh sound and set ourselves apart from any other local band.

Describe what each member is like.
Damian Linus is an amazing singing giant that's just really down to earth as hell.
Alex Shaun is just a straight out awesome dude that has the energy of a squirrel on coke.
Auji Damian is the most hardcore metrosexual out there, and he doesn't even know it but he's one of the most open-minded and open-hearted people around.
Linus Auji is basically a circle headbanging sex bomb, and he always plays his heart out onstage.
Shaun Alex is definitely the diva of the band and she's not afraid to be herself.

What are some of the special talents different members of the band have?
Alex Auji and Damian can be scarily comfortable being naked in public and they just own in headshots on CounterStrike.
Damian Shaun can dance shockingly well like Danny Zuko. Alex has a head of steel, which she uses to head butt various objects and a stomach that can never be full.
Shaun Linus really knows his mushrooms and he can play a mean guitar.

WORDS ADLIN PHOTOS RUEVEN
www.myspace.com/fbecore

* Taken from Junk's November 2008 issue