Every Time I Die's music eclectic

Every Time I Die is a band with a knack for flying under the radar, according to guitarist Andrew Williams.

"We just make music we feel we need to make," Williams said by phone from Atlanta, Ga., "and (we) don't try to make music that fits in with what's popular at the time.

"We play aggressive music, but if we want to put a ska riff in a song, we will. If we want to put a Southern rock lick in, we do. We are playing music and don't want to get stuck with an identity crisis."

In addition to Williams, the band includes vocalist Keith Buckley, guitarist Jordan Buckley, drummer Michael "Ratboy" Novak Jr. and bassist Keller Harbin, and they have agreed on that philosophy throughout the band's nine-year career. And in doing so, they've played a mix of shows with the Vans Warped Tour, Slayer and Ozzfest.

"My musical influences run all over the place," said Williams. "Black Flag, Black Sabbath and classic rock, such as the Beatles and the Beach Boys, have been huge influences in my life. In fact, I still try to write our songs in the Beach Boys style, but they always seem to end up different."

Williams said that Every Time I Die's love for music goes beyond the marketing and image that seems to snag so many bands today. "It's not about drugs and girls. It's not about looking cute and wearing black. It's about writing songs you believe and giving at least 100 percent of yourself when you play live.

"I don't want to sound lame, but when you see us live, you will see at least 110 percent, maybe even 120 percent, but never less than 100 percent."

He added that being in a band is most satisfying on a personal level. "I'm happy I'm able to wake up every morning knowing that I'll play my guitar that day. In this band I've met every one of my personal goals. We've been to Australia, Japan and Sweden. We've made albums. We've written songs. It's amazing.

"I do have a goal that I'd like to see happen, but it's not like it's pressing or important. I would like to see one of our albums sell 100,000 copies. It's not about the money, but I think it would be cool to say, 'We sold 100,000 copies of this album."'

The band has also released a DVD, which has a word in its title that can't be repeated in a family newspaper. "We started working on this DVD three years ago, and it's like what the title says, it's about our life as a band. We did know, however, that we didn't want to make a DVD that is mainly a concert video. We wanted to make a DVD that was about life on the road. All the real and weird stuff that happens on the road is in this DVD.