As We Climb (Cambridge, UK) have created their own unique dose of 'Heavy Pop' - a sublime blend of chugging guitars and harmony-infused melodies. The punchy drums, powerful vocals, and tight, steady guitar work come together perfectly for the band's aggressive style. Today AWC guitarist Ben shares the secrets of his sound along with details on the band's past, present, and future.

BoyBand 625:What guitars are you personally fond of?

Ben: My main guitar is a 2007 Gibson Les Paul Standard in Heritage Cherry Sunburst. I also own a Peavey EVH Wolfgang, Fender Strat and a Yamaha acoustic.

BoyBand 625:What effects and amplification do you use to get your sound?

Ben: I use a Marshall JCM 2000 (100w DSL model) with a Marshall 1960A 4x12 angled cab. I use this for my main guitar sound as you can't beat the natural valve distortion of a Marshall. The only pedals I use are Marshall footswitchs, a Korg tuner and a Custom Audio Electronics boost switch (for solos)

BoyBand 625:What pushed you in the direction of using any effects you use?

Ben: I don't use any extra effects as I just love the sound you get out of a Marshall stack.

BoyBand 625:What were some of the guitar effects used on your latest recordings?

Ben: Apart from the Marshall we use some outboard gear in the studio for clean sections such as Chorus, Phasers and Flangers.

BoyBand 625:How does your live setup differ from your studio gear?

Ben: It doesn't really as I love the live sound of a Marshall stack cranked up really loud so I just use my live set up.

BoyBand 625:What attracted you to the Marshall stack you're using?

Ben: I always wanted a Marshall stack as I just loved the sound you can get out of them. I used an old valvestate Marshall for a while but my other guitarist in my band had a JCM 2000 which sounded awesome. Once I had enough money I went out and bought a brand new JCM 2000 of my own and I couldn't see myself using a different amp as it's so amazing.

BoyBand 625:If you were sent to a desert island (that somehow had electricity) with one guitar and one effect, which would they be?

Ben: I would definably have a Gibson Les Paul Standard and probably a Pod Pro so I could use many effects and amp sounds all in one!

BoyBand 625:What can you recall about the first time you played guitar through distortion?

Ben: I'd never heard anything sound so good and I fell in love with the distorted electric guitar.

BoyBand 625:What is your philosophy on distortion?

Ben: I believe the best distorted guitar sounds comes from a valve amp's drive channels, cranked up really loud! I've never been a fan of stomp box distortion as I just don't think it sounds as good as the real thing.

BoyBand 625:Where does your distortion come from primarily?

Ben: Marshall JCM 2000, drive channel one, then cranked up really loud!

BoyBand 625:When you're composing, do you do it exclusively on guitar?

Ben: Yep I always write with a guitar in my hand usually an electric but I do some writing on my acoustic too.

BoyBand 625:Is the guitar always your first choice or did you try another instrument before switching to the guitar?

Ben: My first instrument was the drums then I got a bass for Christmas one year as my friends at school needed a bassist for their band. I took my bass to a local guitar teacher who advised me to start learning guitar as you can apply what you learn to the bass. I fell in love with playing guitar as it was more fun than the bass and ended up making the switch completely a year or so later.

BoyBand 625:In your opinion what makes the guitar stand out compared to other instruments?

Ben: It's just so versatile; you can make so many different sounds with the guitar and use it for almost any genre of music.

BoyBand 625:What is your advice for those learning to play the guitar?

Ben: Stick at it! Don't get disheartened if you don't pick it up straight away. Guitar playing can be so rewarding so keep at it and practice, practice, practice!

BoyBand 625:How did you get started on guitar, and who were your influences?

Ben: As I said earlier I started learning bass to join a friend's band which I ended up playing some guitar in too. We were mainly an Oasis cover band so I started out learning Oasis songs. After a while a friend introduced me to Metallica and heavier music which I fell in love with. It completely changed my outlook on music and I developed a hunger to find more new bands myself. My two biggest early influences on guitar were Metallica and Jimi Hendrix. Jamming along to Metallica CD's helped develop my rhythm and riffing skills and studying Hendrix helped me with my lead work and improvisation. Later on I was introduced to early 90's Punk Rock and started listening to bands like NOFX, No Use For A Name and Pennywise. This then lead onto bands such as New Found Glory, The Ataris and Midtown who helped shape the kind of music I play now.

BoyBand 625:Did you take any formal lessons on the guitar?

Ben: Yes I took guitar lessons for a few years when I started out until I started developing on my own.

BoyBand 625:What's the history of AWC?

Ben: Me and James (other guitarist) have been in a couple of different bands together for the last 6 years or so but when our last band ran its course we wanted to start something new. We met our drummer TF a while ago as we played some shows with his old band. He was the singer in that band but we knew he also played the drums so asked him if he wanted to jam and it went from there. We needed a bass player to complete the band and auditioned a few until we met B-Ry who was a perfect fit and then As We Climb was born.

BoyBand 625:How would you describe your music?

Ben: 'Heavy Pop' - a sublime blend of chugging guitars and harmony-infused melodies.

BoyBand 625:Give us your perspective on the local music scene in Cambridge?

Ben: Hmm well our local scene used to be awesome we had lots of cool venues and bands but over the last few years the best ones have closed down. There are only a few venues left in Cambridge and bands overplay them. The scene is defiantly not as strong as it once was.

BoyBand 625:What process do you go through to compose and record your original music?

Ben: When it comes to composing our other guitarist James usually brings a bare bones structure of a new song then we work on it as a band and add ideas and play with it until we are happy with it. The song will undergo various changes until the final version is created.

BoyBand 625:Where does the band's name come from?

Ben: The band name is in homage to our favourite UK pop punk band Fastlane who split up a couple of years ago. They were a huge influence on James and me, we always looked up to them when we started out. The name ?As We Climb' is a song by them and we thought it was a fitting name for our new band.

BoyBand 625:Do you record together live or take a more track-by-track approach?

Ben: When demoing we have recorded together in a 'live' set up but when it comes to recording a song for real we always multitrack as it gets the best results.

BoyBand 625:What can fans expect to see at a gig?

Ben: Four very attractive young men! Haha! Seriously, you can expect an explosive, energetic live show with killer songs!

BoyBand 625:Are there any other artists out there with whom you would like to collaborate someday?

Ben: Jon Bon Jovi would kick arse!

BoyBand 625:In this day and age, how do you get your music/band noticed?

Ben: These days the Internet is a great place to get your music out there. MySpace, Facebook etc our the main sites we use. But nothing works better then getting out there and playing shows.

BoyBand 625:What are some of the upcoming projects you'll be involved with?

Ben: We have just finished recording our debut EP which we are looking to release very soon..... Keep checking our MySpace for details.

BoyBand 625:Any upcoming tour info you'd like to share?

Ben: In the works..........

BoyBand 625:What about upcoming albums?

Ben: Next year we will hopefully record an album at some point.

You can check out the latest from the As We Climb on their MySpace at http://www.myspace.com/asweclimb, http://www.facebook.com/asweclimb, and http://www.asweclimb.com.