Featured Rock the Vote Artist

Song Name	Artist	Album	Genre	Time
1. Hit and Run	Abused Romance	Shine	Rock	3:26
2. Overcome	Abused Romance	Shine	Rock	3:30
3. Sound of Violence	Abused Romance	The Sound of Violence - EP	Rock	3:04

Abused Romance

Answers below are from Abused Romance frontman Meir Yaniv:

Tell us about your first concert experience:
My first show ever was when I was 14 years old. We did a show at the mail office of our little town. Everyone thought we are nice kids playing some tunes and we came in blasting Metallica and Slayer covers. No one liked it but us.

If you couldn’t be a musician, what would you be doing instead?
Ice cream truck driver. Lead that pack!

If you could collaborate with one artist, living or dead, who would it be and why?
I would have loved to work with Michael Jackson. Would love to see how he writes songs and melodies. I also think he came up with some of the best bass and drums idea ever. Seeing Michael do the moon dance to an Abused Romance tune? Priceless.

If you became President, what is the first action you would take?
Make watching "Sex and the City" illegal. Those girls gotta be stopped! Ah, and paint the white house with pictures of all my favorite guitar players - Dimebag, Slash, Nuno Bettencourt and James Hetfield

What social cause is closest to your heart?
Child abuse.

What does the right to vote mean to you?
It means we are a free nation.

What bands or artists did you listen to when you were in high school?  And which bands or artists influenced your style the most?
In high school I was very much into heavy music. I listened to Metallica, Sepaltura, Pantera, Slayer, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Dream Theater and Sevendust. Around the age of 17 I found Incubus, Limp Bizkit, Korn and the whole Nu Metal era. It blew me away! My biggest influences today are Incubus, Metallica, Underoath, Blindside, Egypt Central and Elvis.

What activity or group were you involved with in high school that might surprise people today?
In high school I was very much into music and bands but what would probably surprise people is that I served in the Israeli army for 2 years.

What's the biggest obstacle that you had to overcome in high school?  (could be personal or academic)
I think the toughest part for me was getting along with my parents. We didn't see eye to eye on most things and it was very difficult to be true to myself under what they thought is best for me. I wanted my freedom too early.

Do you do any volunteer or community work when you're not on tour?
Does giving our music away for free via our website count?

What change would you like to see in our society in the next year?
I'd like to see less homeless people in the streets. We live in Los Angeles and many areas are flooded with homeless people and it's just sad there is no solution. I would also want to see a health care plan for every American at a fixed low cost.