It's sometimes hard to get an answer from the five members of the Olds-based band Tattered as they sit around a kitchen table in singer Brad Rempel's home.They know each other so well that they speak over one another, finish each other's sentences and break out in gut-busting laughter almost continuously at inside jokes.That level of comfort translates into their music as, crammed into their rehearsal space in Rempel's basement, each member can almost instinctively read and anticipate the movements of their band mates.This cohesion that has grown within the band throughout its four years of existence has paid off as Tattered is about to embark on a major, 23-date U.S. tour with acts that have sold millions of records and that can frequently be heard on mainstream rock radio stations.Rempel said when the band learned it had a spot on the Rockstar Energy Drink Uproar Festival tour and would play alongside the likes of Godsmack, Buckcherry and Seether, it wasn't the surprise it would be for most bands.“When we found out, it was very exciting but something we've worked so hard towards; it was expected in my mind,” he said. “It's about time. We've worked so hard to go towards this. I can say that I don't know any other band that would put in the amount of hours and time that we have to do this. Not just on the practising front, but business-wise, social media, reaching out to the media.”No band likes to pigeonhole their sound, but Rempel and Tattered's other members— lead guitarist Tim Daigle, rhythm guitarist Ben Braun, drummer Clayton Braun and bassist Jeremy Balogh—throw out terms such as “progressive metal,” “post-hardcore” and “hard rock” when asked to describe the genre in which Tattered falls.Rempel said he formed the band four years ago and it has taken a number of lineup changes to achieve Tattered's current roster.Clayton is the only other original member in the band.While each member has a passion and talent for playing music, Rempel said he knew he had to take the band in a certain direction in order to achieve success.“I've always focused the band as a business, not so much as just being a musician, but trying to make it as a career,” he said, adding he wanted the band to find success at an international level, not just in their backyard.“I never focused on playing tonnes of shows in our area and just swamping the scene with hearing our name, Tattered. It was more being on social media and trying to tell people, hey, here we are.”Such an approach has worked.Last year, the band was signed to Blackstream Records out of Vancouver and Calgary after one of the owners of the record label, who also plays in the band These Raven Skies, saw them perform.Blackstream is a sponsor of the Uproar tour and Tattered found itself on the bill thanks to the signing.With supreme confidence, Rempel said landing a spot on the Uproar tour is a sure sign the band has made it.“It wasn't until the past year that it's actually even really looked like a very viable career. Since this band started I told everybody, I said in five years we're quitting our jobs because we're going to do this for a living.”He added the band is also receiving radio play in the United Kingdom, where Tattered is sponsored by clothing label Fable Label and also has a clothing line through the label.The band acknowledges it has put in long hours to get to where it is now, rehearsing two to three times a week together and daily on an individual basis.Rempel said on top of that, he devotes six hours a day to promoting the band online using social media.“It's very difficult. It's a lot of personal sacrifice,” he said, adding all members of the band are either married—some with children— engaged or have a girlfriend.And every member also has a full-time job.Daigle said the married members have “understanding wives.”Tattered departs for the tour on Aug. 9 with the first show taking place on Aug. 15 in Detroit.From there the tour will take them to the New York State Fair, Florida, California, Texas and more than a dozen other states in between.Rempel said he anticipates playing in front of thousands of people during the tour as well as “scouts” from other tours that could recruit Tattered for shows, festivals and tours down the road.Daigle said more than anything, the tour allows the band to build its exposure and fan base.“There's a chance to get our music in front of people that might like it and if they do, we get to keep doing this,” he said.But no member of Tattered is looking to get rich from the tour as Rempel, who said he has personally put “tens of thousands of dollars” into the band over the years, expects the band to face about $15,000 in expenses from the tour.Daigle said that kind of financial commitment is really a means to an end.“The economics of music is you don't sell your record to say, good job, we sold this record. It's for the next record. It's for the next tour. It's for the next opportunity to share your music.”To help with the financial demands of the tour, the band is selling pre-purchase packages for its CD, which is due out early next month.The band's new single, Waging War, is also now available on iTunes and more information about the band can be found at [email protected]
