Maddie interviews Vlad from Born Cages

Interviewed by @MaddieBirkett

Born Cages is the fresh escape from anything you’ve ever heard and that’s what’s great! Their indie-alternative rock music is incredibly addictive and engaging, once you listen, you won’t be able to stop.

Thanks so much Vlad, for taking the time to answer these questions for us!

“When Vlad Holiday chose the name Born Cages, it was meant as a statement on his view of human nature. Drawing on the experiences of his youth into being an aspiring New York musician, it appeared that from the outset, people are trapped, boxed in, restrained. If we’re to believe William S. Burroughs, the mind itself is a ghetto. But Holiday has never been one for fashionable punk cynicism. Rather, Born Cages is a Socratic statement that asks more probing questions – which cages are yours? Are you judged by your ethnicity, your genre of music, your tastes? Social class? Do you hold the key to these cages or do you trust them to someone else?”

Vlad, you stated that the name Born Cages came from his view that everyone is born being trapped and boxed in. How do you think Born Cages has broken free?

We’ve faced a lot of challenges as a band over the past three and a half years. Just being able to survive in a band that long is an accomplishment in itself.

Your debut album ‘I’m Glad I’m Not Me’ is set to be released in June! How’d you come up with the name for the album?

It’s a line from a Bob Dylan documentary. Sort of represents the overlying theme of the record.

What inspired the songs on the album?

The songs were inspired by wanting more out of life than I currently had.

What can the fans expect from the album?

The songs from our EP (The Sidelines EP) were a little taste of what’s to come. We’ve also since released two songs that will be on the full-length. Rolling Down the Hill and I Just Want the Truth, Baby.

 What was the writing/recording process like for IGINM? Do you have any funny/interesting stories to share?

I wrote the album in my room when I was living with my parents. I love them, but I needed to get out of there. That’s probably why most of the songs are about that. Also, the boiler room in the apartment had a broken ventilation system, so every now and then my room would fill up with dangerously high levels of carbon monoxide. I was sleepy for months and had constant headaches.

What was it like working with Jon Kaplan (Cage The Elephant, Walk The Moon) and Oliver Straus (Arctic Monkeys, Metric, Matt & Kim)?

They’re both great people. We were lucky to have borrowed their skills for this album.

What is ‘I Just Want The Truth Baby’ about? The fans seem to love it, as do I!

That song’s about sex. I wanted to capture a more simple and basic subject for this one. It actually took years to finish. I had the beat and riffs in an old Pro Tools session for a while, but no vocal ideas would come to me. I finally opened it up again though. This was the first song I worked on when I moved into my new apartment, so I guess I was eager to get creative and find something Born Cages hasn’t done before.

Who are your musical influences?

All of ‘em.

You guys were lucky enough to be hand-picked by Guns N Roses to open two of their shows, which is a massive compliment! What was that like, and did you learn anything from them?

It was cool. We learned a few things, like what it’s like to play to 2000 people. It’s fun.

You’re playing Warped Tour this year, which is epic! Are you guys excited to be a part of such a big tour? How does it feel to start out playing a show with the capabilities of 550 people, to playing a renown festival with capabilities of thousands of people?

We’re very excited for the tour. Will be our biggest yet.

You guys already look like you’ve been busy performing a lot lately! What’s been your favourite show to date?

There isn’t a show that comes to mind specifically, but we love playing in our home town, regardless of where it is.

How do you prepare for a show, do you have any pre-show rituals?

Nah, we just hang out. Hardest part of the day is killing time until the set.

What’s your biggest accomplishment so far as Born Cages?

I guess we’ve done some cool stuff as a band, but I’m really proud that we’ve made it onto a tour bus this summer. It’s been a goal of mine for 10 years now.

Where do you hope Born Cages are in 5 years time?

I hope we’re on our 3^rd album by then, and that we’re on the whole festival circuit with our name in a decent font size on the flyers.

Do you have any advice for aspiring musicians?

My advice is play as much as you can. Love what you do, and I mean really love it. It’s not worth it any other way. And if you want it hard enough, it’ll happen. Just stay at it, be smart, and keep your head high.

Thanks again to Vlad from Born Cages. Expect to see these guys headlining huge festivals some time soon!