Q & A with Jared Russell

Jared Russell is the lead singer of the band, Head Injuries, based out of Fort Collins, Colo. He has been playing music for years and has dedicated his life to the world of music. I got the oppurtunity to chat with Jared over Facebook and pick his brain about music, social media, and how the two intertwine.

Q: Tell me about Head Injuries, where did it originate?

A: We started this project in 2012, I have been playing with my guitarist for 11 years and we found what we want out of music with HI.

Q: What type of music do you play and who are a few inspirations?

A: Head Injuries is a Pop/Punk band. We take both sides of the genres literally and try to display that. We are comparable to bands like Sum 41, Blink 182, Minor Threat, and Taylor Swift.

Q: What are you guys up to today?

A: We put out or Sophomore album ‘Bail’ early this summer and have been touring since. Today, we are playing Spokane, WA and about to wrap up the Head Injuries Goes West Tour.

Q: What social media accounts do you have?

A: HI is on most digital platforms and social sites, from Instagram, Tumblr, Facebook, Twitter, to Spotify, iTunes, and our own website.

Q: How do you use social media to promote HI?

A: Well, I figure the more places you are, the more chances you have of people hearing you. So in that sense, we post to all account once or twice daily. Whether it’s promoting where we are playing that night, or just a funny picture it keeps people up on what we’re doing. Keeps people interested.

Q: Do you think social media has helped your music flourish?

A: Well, Social Media has made being in a band an easier thing to obtain, and to reach out to people around the world. But, it has made it near impossible to become a succesfull band because of over-saturation. You have to do something drastic (on the internet) to stand out nowadays, it takes value out of the music and back into your phone or computer screen. This is all my biased opinion, but going against the grain does nothing for artists these days, so we use these platforms as tools to move our band forward and connect with fans.

Q: Where do you see the future of HI going? What are some aspirations of yours?

A: Everyday is something different for us. Hopefully not sleeping in walmart parking lot every night like we are right now, and making music that means something to people.