Cascade is not just a band, they are more than just a bunch of guys playing together. They are an inspiration to many people within the music field. The first time we heard about this band the whole office was taken by Cascade fever. Their infectious melodies mixed with heavy riffs and great videos have made sure we spent a week glued to their youtube page. As a result, we all did basically fuck-all during working hours. The ultimate result was to convince the art director in the company that we were "working". Well, it did go well for us (and for them) because the band has been shortlisted for the international compilation album after pressure from the office staff.

HELLO CASCADE, CONGRATULATIONS ON MAKING THE FINAL LAST MONTH. IT'S BEEN A FEW WEEKS NOW AND CHRISTMAS IN BETWEEN BUT WHAT SORT OF MEMORIES DO YOU HAVE ABOUT PLAYING THE WORLD FAMOUS METRO?
Walking onto the stage and starting to play was incredible. The sound was perfect on stage and the crowd was going mental. The room was electric! It is a memory that will stay with us forever.

YOU ARE THE ONLY AUSTRALIAN BAND TO BE SHORTLISTED FOR THE INTERNATIONAL COMPILATION. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS?
We are so honoured to be given the chance to represent Australia with our music. It definitely makes us feel like we can expand into the international market. Our vision and goal is to tour the world and have all nations sing along to our music. This compilation CD will definitely help that vision become a reality.

WHAT WAS IT LIKE SHARING THE STAGE AND BACKSTAGE WITH SO MANY GOOD UNSIGNED MUSICIANS FOM AROUND THE COUNTRY? HAVE YOU MADE SOME FRIENDS OR WERE ALL MUSICIANS TOO NERVOUS TO CHAT?
We had the opportunity to talk to a few of the other bands in the main area while the music was playing. We got to talk to a few other musicians backstage who had already played and they described their enjoyment of the experience. We have definitely made friends with a few of the bands we interacted with.

MANY SAID, YOUR BAND WAS REALLY BRILLIANT AND THE FACT THAT YOU GOT HIGH MARKS ON TECHNICAL SKILLS PROVES IT. DO YOU THINK THE LEVEL OF MUSICIANSHIP WAS HIGH AT THE NATIONAL FINAL IN GENERAL?
There were a few bands which definitely stood out as being technically gifted. Our style of music is prog rock which means we experiment a lot with different time signatures and locking syncopation. The calibre of bands at the final was definitely excellent.

APART FROM THE FUN AND GAMES, WHAT ELSE DID YOU GET FROM DOING THE EMERGENZA FESTIVAL? DO YOU THINK YOU DEVELOPED AS A BAND?
This competition forced us to adapt quickly to a situation. There are 3 things that make you grow as a musician, practice, performance and pressure (I just made that up haha). Emergenza definitely added the pressure of having to perform and play at our best. We were not allowing ourselves to make any mistakes so we practiced our setlist for Emergenza for a full 2 months before the finals. We also added arrangements and technical challenges in the music we had already released to make it more interesting for the people that had come to see us a few times. I can honestly say we played our best, it was the most technical and best arranged set we have done to date (in order to capture the attention of the judges) but now we need to figure out how to take it up a notch.

YOU DID WELL ON YOUR PROMOTION THROUGH THE SEASON BEFORE GOING TO THE NATIONAL FINAL, DO YOU THINK YOU'VE IMPROVED ON YOUR PROMOTIONAL SKILLS? DID WE, BY TEACHING YOU TO PROMOTE HARDER, HAVE A POSITIVE EFFECT ON YOU?
Definitely, it taught us to push and follow up. People are ok with ignoring the message but it's the bands job to make it bloody hard for them to ignore the call.

..AND FINALLY, THE QUESTION WE ASK ALL BANDS...WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR NEW UP-COMING BANDS THAT ARE THINKING ABOUT DOING THE EMERGENZA FESTIVAL?
There is some incredible talent out there, you have to be willing to work extremely hard in regards to music, promotion and showmanship wise. I recommend it if music is boiling in your blood and you need the "pressure" to take your band to the next level. You will grow from the experience and you will get to play in some of Australia's best venue's.