Better Days. An interview with Clinton Cunanan from Another Lost Year.

Charlotte, North Carolina is known more for it’s fast cars, than it is it’s rock scene. Having said that, Another Lost Year wants to change that. Equipped with all the right tools in the old musical toolbelt, Another Lost Year is currently on tour with Wayland, and taking the States by storm. 2011’s Best Band Of The Carolina’s was an honor bestowed upon the band, and they are looking to build upon that honor. Another Lost Year’s single War On The Inside is doing quite well at radio, and we’re proud to feature them on our Unsung Artists series. Be sure and pick up your copy of Better Days.

Today, I’m joined by Clinton Cunanan. Clinton is the vocalist of Another Lost Year. First off, thanks for taking the time to speak with us today, and welcome to the Unsung Melody family!

We’ll jump right in and start talking a bit about your debut album, Better Days. How long did you guys work on this record?

We spent about two months with pre-production and recording. We took the time off of touring to record at CrossTrax in Memphis with Justin Rimer.

The first single is War On the Inside. It seems to be a tale of overcoming an internal battle. The video is about addiction. Is the song written from the perspective of a personal struggle, or someone close to you?

The video only tells one aspect of what it can be, but yes the song comes from personal struggle. I was at a point where I had to decide to go “left or right.” This song was mostly therapy for me, a means to an end. I was sitting on my couch and I had the line “War On the Inside.” After a few minutes of thinking what all was going on and who was actually to blame, I had realized this could be percieved many different ways. The video was pitched and that was the end product. Every song, not just War, are written from personal perspective; Moments in time of my life captured in those few minutes. Each one tells a different story.

You worked with Justin Rimer on the album. How was the experience working with him?

J-Rims, haha, that guy was amazing. He has worked on 3 Doors Down albums, 12 Stones albums and several others. He just finished an acoustic album with Zack Myers from Shinedown. He’s becoming a really sought after producer. Definitely a learning experience. He has an amazing crew over there as well that have worked on some really big name albums. The album became a living thing on its on. It was truly magical. He exceeded our expectations by a long shot.

Give us a little background on the band. Where you’re from, the formation of the band; that type of info.

We are from Charlotte, NC, rather, based out of Charlotte. We are just cresting 18 months old, so we’re infants on the scene. We all came from several other bands. I had been working on a solo album and decided with my producer at the time that I wanted to change direction and make it a full band effort.

What are the tour plans shaping up to look like?

We have been on the road since December 27th of last year. I think collectively we’ve been home for around three weeks total this year. We just started a new tour on September 12th and this one runs through December 22nd. I think “we’ll go home for the holidays and then head right back out” was the last plan that I heard. We’re out with Wayland on the Hang Em’ High tour, sponsored by Jesse James American Outlaw Bourbon.

You guys signed with Thermal Entertainment, which is distributed by Megaforce Records. What did they offer that no one else did? What led to your decision to sign on with them?

Thermal is a small label and management company that is at the ground level. They have been super supportive since even before we talked about any kind of business. They are just as hungry as us, and that’s an attractive selling point.

Most times, a band can be its own worst enemy. With Another Lost Year being a band trying to rise above the regional area, what has been your biggest obstacle so far?

Winning our hometown. We can travel 1500 miles and have tremendous support. Back home, it took us some time to get the premiere venues on our side. Charlotte is just a tough town on rock music, BUT, they came around, and Charlotte is and always be one of if not the best stops we do.

Building a fanbase is the single most important thing to a band, outside of the music. What are some of the creative ways you like to connect with your fans?

Instagram, Facebook, Youtube; you know all the social media. We do some cheesy tour videos of what van life really is, things to keep people informed with what we are up to.

Alright, I always end on a random question. So, here goes yours; I’ll go cartoons on this one: Which show was more your style; Animaniacs or The Tick, and why?

I never watched either. I was a Darkwing Duck kind of guy. Duck by day, duck with a cape by…well whenever he was needed.

Clinton, I thank you so much for taking the time to speak with us. The site and myself, we wish you guys nothing but the best. Hopefully, we can catch a show soon.

Another Lost Year members:
Dave Whitaker
Clinton Cunanan
Adam Hall
Lee Norris
Andrew Allender

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Check out the video to War On The Inside by Another Lost Year below: