9.35 Questions with Divide the Fall; We Want to Help Inspire People in a Dark Place

I've been roaming around Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois for a while now hanging out at smaller shows and venues and I've been fortunate enough to meet some incredible newer bands that are just now getting to go out and showcase their stuff to the masses.  Minneapolis band Divide the Fall is one such band.  I most recently saw them at Skylark in Rock Island on December 11th when they opened for Five AM along with House of Animals and The Forty Twos.  I was also able to chat with the band and asked bassist Matt DeMar if he wouldn't mind answering 9.35 Questions for our I-Rock listeners.  If you're new to the format, its 9 standard questions and .35 of a question just to round things out.

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Question 1.  I first saw you guys in September at Wildwood Saloon when you were on tour with Cold.  Can you tell me a little about what it was like sharing the stage with a band that has been around for so many years?

"The tour with Cold was super fun!  They were very humble people (both the band and crew) and we learned a lot from them.  It's awesome that they have been around for so long and still have such a strong following.  Their fans were very welcoming to us."

Question 2. I'm really digging your song "Fake Love" right now.  Is there any specific meaning behind the song?

"Fake Love" definitely seems to be a fan favorite and it's our favorite song to play live.  It's sort of written from the perspective of coming to the realization that you are in a toxic relationship and coming to terms with needing to move on from that."

Question 3. Who would win in a fight: Barney the purple dinosaur, or Big Bird?

"Barney would destroy Big Bird!"

Question 4. Being from Minnesota, what's one thing you've noticed that might be different about fans in the northern United States rather than the southern United States?

"Music Fans in the Midwest are some of the most passionate when it comes to live shows it seems, and I think that's probably because there's not a whole lot to do around here lol. Minneapolis has a very tight knit music scene that we are honored to call home."

Question 5. How would you describe your "rock sound" to someone who might not be familiar with your band?

"I think the easiest way to describe it would be Metalcore influenced Hard Rock.  We try to blend the sound of modern rock music with heavy breakdowns that you would typically hear in heavier hardcore music."

Question 6. Do you have any "pre-show rituals"?

"At this stage in our career we don't have a very large crew that comes out on the road with us so a lot of the "pre-show" time is spent setting up and loading in equipment, sound check, setting up merch, etc.  We typically always come together right before we go on stage and fist bump though."

Question 7. What TV show could you watch on a loop for the rest of your life and why that particular show?

"I think its different for all of us.  Personally, I have been really into the Netflix series "Outer Banks".  Ethan would probably say his go-to show is "Community".  Jake's would be "Bojack Horseman." I'm really not sure what Jack would choose for a TV show, or if he even watches TV much."

Question 8. What was it that made you want to become a musician?

"I think each of us fell in love with music at a young age and through writing our own songs we wanted to help inspire people in a dark place.  Connecting with people in that way is what means the most to us."

Question 9. What's in store for Divide the Fall in 2022?

"We are working on new music that we can't wait for people to hear!  After playing the same songs for so long it's refreshing to be working on something new.  We've been dabbling with a lot of influences that we haven't tried before but I'm stoked on how some of the song ideas we have are turning out.  Aside from that we are hoping to be able to tour a lot more next year and have our eyes set on playing a few festivals.  Be sure to stay tuned for that!"

Question .35 For my next trick I'm going to....

"...release the best music we've created."

You can find out more about the band at their website, or check out the video for their song "Fake Love" below.