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TRAVIS BRANDON RICHTER

YO MY NAME IS TRAVIS I PLAY GUITAR AND SCREAM AND SING IN FFTL.  I ALSO SING IN THE COLOR OF VIOLENCE AND PRODUCE RIGHTEOUS BANDS WHEN TIME ALLOWS.  

I WAS BORN IN A SMALL TOWN IN GEORGIA CALLED AMERICUS, AND I LIVED IN ALBANY GEORGIA UNTIL I WAS 18.  AFTER GRADUATING HIGHSCHOOL I MOVED TO ATLANTA GEORGIA WITH MY BAND EASTDALE AND WENT TO GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY FOR A TOTAL OF 3 DAYS BEFORE I DROPPED OUT AND DECIDED TO PURSUE AN EDUCATION IN RECORDING.

FROM THERE ME AND THE TWO DUDES IN MY BAND AT THE TIME MOVED TO ORLANDO WHERE I WENT TO FULL SAIL.  THIS WAS ALL REALLY JUST SOME EXCUSE NOT TO COMPLETELY BE DISOWNED BY MY PARENTS AND UNDERSTANDING THAT ITS PROBABLY SMART TO HAVE A PLAN B SO TO SPEAK, BUT ALSO KNOWING THAT RECORDING WAS ON ITS WAY TOWARDS BEING A HOUSEHOLD RECREATION AND THE FUTURE OF THE INDUSTRY WAS UNCLEAR. 

WHILE ATTENDING FULL SAIL I PASSED WITH FLYING COLORS BUT UNFORTUNATELY FAILED MANY CLASSES DUE TO MY ATTENDANCE.  IRONICALLY ENOUGH IT WAS DUE TO THE FACT THAT I WAS TRAVELING UP TO VALDOSTA GEORGIA AND RECORDING WITH MY FRIEND LEE DYESS WHO WOULD LATER RECORD DEAR DIARY MY TEEN ANGST HAS A BODY COUNT FOR FROM FIRSTO TO LAST.  SO I MADE IT THROUGH COLLEGE THANKS TO SOME UNDERSTANDING TEACHERS AND A HEFT AMOUNT OF EXTRA CREDIT WORK, BUT AFTER GRADUATING FULL SAIL I STILL FELT LIKE I WASN'T READY TO PURSUE A JOB AND LEAVE THE IDEA OF BEING IN A BAND BEHIND.

I PICKED UP A LOCAL JOB IN ORLANDO AT THE HARD ROCK CAFE BUSSING TABLES AND BAR BACKING OCCASIONALLY AND ASSISTED THE CONCERT AREA THAT WAS ADJACENT TO THE RESTAURANT, BUT ALSO DURING THIS TIME IS WHERE I MET MATT GOOD AND STEVE AND THE BAND THEY HAD AT THE TIME "FIRST TOO LAST".  WE STARTED PLAYING SHOWS IN FLORIDA AND I BROUGHT THEM UP TO VALDOSTA TO RECORD WITH LEE AT EARTHSOUND, AND THATS WHERE WE RECORDED DAY BY DAY AND I SAW THAT MATT HAD ALOT OF GIFTS MUSICALLY AND I KINDA KNEW THEN THAT I WOULD BE WORKING WITH HIM ALOT MAKING MUSIC.

SOON AFTER I QUIT MY BAND EASTDALE AND IT DIDNT TAKE LONG BEFORE I SENT MATT AN EMAIL LETTING HIM KNOW THAT I LEFT MY BAND AND IF HE WANTED I WOULD LOVE TO PLAY GUITAR WITH HIM.  HE REPLIED BACK AND SAID OF COURSE COME DOWN TO BRANDON AND LETS PRACTICE...SO OF COURSE I DID, AND AT THE VERY FIRST PRACTICE WE WROTE FOR THE TAKING AND STARTED FINISHING ALL THE OTHER SONGS LIKE SUCH A TRAGEDY AND WHEN FLYING FEELS LIKE FALLING.  WE ALSO DECIDED TO CHANGE THE BAND NAME SINCE IT SOUNDED COMPLETELY DIFFERENT.  AT THE TIME I MATT AND I WERE SPLITTING UP THE SINGING AND I WAS ALSO DOING ALL THE SCREAMING PARTS SO A BAND NAME CHANGE MADE SENSE BUT STRAYING AWAY FROM FIRST TOO LAST SEEMED KINDA WEIRD, SO WE ALL SETTLED ON THE IDEA OF FROM FIRST TO LAST.

WE IMMEDIATELY STARTED TOURING AND WE MADE A PACT TO ALWAYS PURSUE THE BAND WITH ALL OF OUR HEARTS AND DEDICATE OUR LIVES TO BECOMING SELF SUFFICIENT MUSICIANS.  HAVING SUCH AN INTENSE FIRE MEANT THAT WE WOULD HAVE TO PART WAYS OVER THE YEARS WITH PEOPLE THAT WERE OUR FRIENDS AND WERE OUR BAND MATES.  I FEEL LIKE THE FIRST LINE UP FOR FROM FIRS TO LAST WAS GREG, JOEY, MATT AND MYSELF.  WE RECORDED SOME DEMOS AT EARTHSOUND AND DID A TOUR FOR THEM WHICH ULTIMATELY PUT US IN THE HANDS OF BOB FARLEY AND FOUR LEAF RECORDINGS.  

WE WERE SLATED TO RECORD AN EP FOR 4LEAF WHILE WE WERE LIVING IN ORLANDO, AT THE TIME GREG WAS IN COLLEGE AND WAS LIVING IN ST PETE WHILE THE REST OF US WERE IN ORLANDO LIVING AND PRACTICING, AND GETTING INTO ALOT OF TROUBLE HAHAHA.

ON OUR DOWN TIME WE STARTED HANGING WITH DEREK BLOOM AND WE CREATED A BAND AT THE TIME CALLED SKELETON SLAUGHTER VS. FETUS DESTROYER WHICH LATER ON DOWN THE ROAD WILL BE KNOWN AS THE COLOR OF VIOLENCE.  IT DIDNT TAKE LONG TO SEE THAT HE WAS A COMPLETE SHREDDER AT DRUMS AND IT REALLY SEEMED TO MESH WITH OUR CURRENT PHILOSOPHY WHICH WAS POP PUNK HEADBANGING FLORIDA BLACK METAL (HA IN NO ORDER)  SOON WE HEADED BACK TO VALDOSTA TO RECORD THE AESTHETIC EP WITH DEREK IN THE BAND AND REALLY FRESH PLAYING DRUMS FOR ANYTHING OTHER THAN A BLACK METAL OR GRIND BAND.

THE AESTHETIC EP ALSO SAW THE ENTRANCE AND EXIT OF OUR FIRST FRONT MAN PHIL REARDON.  ON THE EP MATT AND MYSELF HANDLED MOST OF THE SINGING PARTS AND PHIL LENT HIS SCREAMING AND SANG ON THE SONG MY HEART YOUR HANDS.  THE EP STARTED GETTING RECOGNITION FROM BOTH INDIE AND MAJORS AND WE WERE TALKING TO ALOT OF LABLES, BUT WE WERE ALSO TRYING TO DO SOMETHING THAT FELT COMFORTABLE AND SOMETHING THAT DIDNT FEEL LIKE WE WERE SELLING OUR SOULS TO THE DEVIL.

TO BE CONTINUED...