It Lies Within

Getting Real with It Lies Within
by Anne Schultz

Everyone wants to be somebody. In the beginning, everyone is excited, motivated and hungry. They’re all so determined to get “out there” and “make it.” As fans, we love nothing more than to watch bands blow up on the scene and cross state lines as they make the transition from being a “local” band to becoming a national one. Somehow, we manage to glaze over the time spent in between the phase where they work their asses off harder than they ever have before. Crazy schedules. Lots of time on the road. Determination and dedication are what drives It Lies Within forward. Detroit Live caught up with the band’s lead singer, Zachary Scott, at Dirtfest last month, and he talked about the realities of what the band has experienced and what they are doing to keep their dream alive.

High energy. Passionate. Melodic. These are the words that It Lies Within used to describe their music when asked to do so without using genre labels. Maybe it’s not the combination you’d typically associate with a nu-metal/hardcore band, but you’d be surprised what you can find when you can look past the categorization of things. Although It Lies Within was founded by Zach Scott and guitarist Matt Groshart back in 2008, the two have known each other since they were in high school. “We both always had bands in school. We just were never in the same one. Matt was always in the better band. I wanted to be in his band,” laughed Zach. “So I started one because they wouldn’t let me in theirs. ” The two would later form their previous band Forethought. The band had its run and eventually the members parted ways. For a short time in between, the Northwood University alumni went and tried out a “suit and tie” job. About a year after that, Zach knew it wasn’t what he wanted to do. “I just wasn’t waking up with a smile on my face. So I ended up getting a hold of my old bandmates.”

Like Detroit, Flint also experiences tremendous negative exposure in the media. So what did the band have to say about that? “We’re proud of where we’re from. Flint Proud,” said Zach. “There are bands that are rising on the scene and have more negativity. I think we kind of got thrown into that mix and that’s not what we’re about. Our message is positive and we try to shine a different light on the metal scene.” While it’s easy to think that metal is about zombies and eating babies that isn’t the case here. “So many people think that it’s negative or satanic. If people gave it a chance, they’d see that a lot of metal bands are Christian and positive and at the opposite end of the spectrum.”

As a band that has toured for the last three years, It Lies Within feels blessed to be able to meet so many different great artists and new people in general. It isn’t unusual for the band to be touring six months out of the year. “The road is long and bumpy. People think just because you’re touring that it’s such as lavish, rockstar lifestyle and [at this point] couldn’t be further from the truth. There are bands that are more successful than us that are still sleeping in their vans.” Aside from the number of fans, promoters, and people that reach out to the band to help, one of the more immediate ways for the band to gauge their “success” is what Zach refers to as the “Walmart scale.” This translates into how many nights are they sleeping in their van in a parking lot somewhere. He added, “Only twice last year ; we’re making progress!”

Just playing shows isn’t enough. Just sitting on social media all day still isn’t enough. There seems to be some misconception among people because they think that if you do these things that that break you’ve been waiting for is just going to happen. “You don’t wait for your break to happen. I’m working for my break,” said Zach. “There’s no waiting around. There’s no hope or luck. When you make it to one level, it doesn’t mean that you made it. Things don’t get easier; they get harder. You have to be prepared. This industry will eat you up and swallow you so quickly.” Learning how to work together as a team and the diehard fans have proven to play an important role in the band’s success. “We are very in tune with our fans. At the end of the day, it’s your fans that can make or break you.” Since the release of Chrysalis in 2012, two new members have joined the band, Alex Maggard (guitar) and Erik McKay (bass/vocals). “What Erik brings to the table is definitely, to us, a step up,” says Zach. As for the music itself, the band is pushing the electronics in the music a lot more and trying to stay true to what they want to play rather than what the “machine” expects.

The band just wrapped up its Music Over Matter Tour with Virginia based band, Curses and is currently on their True Vision Tour which takes them through to early October. The band’s Detroit show will be at Rocky’s on October 11 and their new album is slated to be out at the end of the year. For more information about It Lies Within, visit http://www.itlieswithin.com.