Meet LA-based duo MY WORLD DOWN: two high school mates – Jhon Vento (guitar) and Alex Walker (vocals/guitar). The duo have a brand new track called Burn So Slow taken from their upcoming album. Walker and Vento recently had a chat with Amnplify’s Maggie about all things music – check it out below!

How and when did the band form?

Alex: We have been working together since high school. Jhon and I have been in and out of many different musical projects together for the last 9 years. After high school we started to learn to produce and record properly, this took a while but enabled us to broaden our musical horizon a bit.  MY WORLD DOWN was born in 2015 as one of those projects.

 Who or what inspired you to pursue a career in music?

Jhon: I have always been surrounded by music and have always found inspiration in it. There was nothing else I could see myself doing. I eat it, drink it and sleep it.

Alex: When I was 13, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with life. I saw a lot of my friends in school start to choose   things they were interested in, but I really didn’t have much interest in anything at the time. I had just moved to America from Germany, so the switch of scenery was pretty drastic. My parents bought me a Linkin Park album (Meteora) which a few of my German friends recommended I get. After hearing that album, I knew what I wanted to do with my life.

How would you best describe My World Down?

Alex: MY WORLD DOWN is a mixture of every influence we have. We love all kinds of music and I think we let it show in our music. We have chosen to go for a heavier sound on this upcoming album, but we are still influenced by lots of different music; including electronic, funk, alternative and much more.

Who are your main musical influences?

Alex: I have very many from all sorts of genres. I started off playing guitar learning the classics such as Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, AC/DC, etc. I also found great love for electronic music such as Daft Punk, Boom Boom Satellites and more. Of course my love for modern rock was always there as well. I love Breaking Benjamin, Linking Park, Papa Roach and a lot of the current heavy hitters in the rock scene.

Jhon: My main musical influences are mainly classic hard rock musicians such as Led Zeppelin, Slash, but I also love a lot of different genres and artists such as Nine Inch Nails for Trent’s creativity in songs and arrangement. I also have a lot of influences from artist outside of western culture but many may not have heard of.

What is the inspiration behind Burn So Slow?

Alex: Burn So Slow is a song about a relationship (either romantic or non romantic) that you know is toxic for you, but at the same time you know letting go of that person will hurt you as well. It’s something not only I have dealt with, but I think a lot of people can relate to. Sometimes doing what’s best for you comes with a price of pain.

What can you reveal about the upcoming full length album?

Alex: We are super excited to share this upcoming album with the world. We have worked on this album so hard and believe it’s our best work so far. We have captured the sound that’s been in our heads for a while. The songs all have a personal meaning to us and we think it shows.

How does the new music differ to what you’ve released in the past?

Alex: Our first EP was more on the softer side of things and a bit more alternative even (a side of us that is not lost by any means) the upcoming full length will be a lot bigger production wise as well as song wise. Our first EP was more stripped down than this album. We are very proud of both of our CDs but they are quite different from each other.

What has been your most memorable career highlight to date?

Jhon: The upgrade in quality, both song-wise as well as production wise. It really shows how much we have grown over the years. Having a better understanding of what exactly makes the sound we are after. It’s been a lot of years of learning different software and gear.

Alex: My personal career highlight so far has been playing the Motreux Jazz Festival in 2013. It wasn’t with this current band, but playing in front of that many people really is a whole different experience. I agree with Jhon as well though, but it’s been a huge joy to have music sound the way it does in your head and seeing all the hard work start to pay off.

What is something you would like to achieve career-wise that you haven’t done yet?

Jhon: Touring the world while creating experiences on the road and continuing to grow and learn in the process.

Alex:  I would be absolutely massive to meet some of my idols like Dave Grohl, Angus Young, Jimmy Page, etc. I have a lot of goals, but I realised that a lot of them are going to be answered in question 10, haha.

If you could play any venue in the world where would it be and why?

Alex: Ok so I have ALWAYS wanted to play ROCK AM RING, maybe it’s because I have spent half of my life in Germany and have such a love for Europe or maybe it’s just because the energy I see from the videos online is incredible. It would also be amazing to play Wembley and Madison Square Garden.

Jhon: I would love to play the Staples Center. I have never had the chance to go to a event there, so it would be amazing if the first time there would be for a MY WORLD DOWN concert. So many of my idols have played that stage, it would beyond awesome to play that stage as well.