From Feb. 14 through Feb. 16, the Ink Life Tour took place at the Amarillo Civic Center’s North Hall. Along with many renowned tattoo artists from around the country, the Ink Life Tour was highlighted by music acts, such as Wayne Static – formerly of Static-X, Guttermouth, Authority Zero and Pop Evil. Included is the post-grunge rock band, Smile Empty Soul.

Smile Empty Soul is a rock band that started in 1998. The band has three members: Sean Danielsen, Ryan Martin and Jake Kilmer. Kilmer is the most recent addition to the band, having joined the band in 2006.

The band is currently based out of Los Angeles, Calif. Over the years, they have released six albums: Smile Empty Soul in 2003, Anxiety in 2005, Vultures in 2006, Consciousness in 2009, 3’s in 2012. Their most recent album, Chemicals, was released in Oct. 2013.

The Prairie interviewed Smile Empty Soul’s bassist, Ryan Martin.

The Prairie: How much has your music changed over the years?

Martin: We have all changed, done a lot of living. Now we are very different people. Our first record, we were very inexperienced. Our new album, Chemicals, we co-produced.

The Prairie: How has your fan base reacted to the change in your music?

Martin: So far all of the feedback that we have had has been great.

The Prairie: How often does Smile Empty Soul tour?

Martin: We have been doing a fair amount of touring recently. We toured most of 2013 but it is still a lot of fun.

The Prairie: Is the band working on anything currently?

Martin: We are still touring and promoting Chemicals at the moment. We haven’t had a lot of downtime to work on anything else.

The Prairie: Who writes most of the lyrics? Or is it a group effort?

Martin: Sean, the lead vocalist, writes most of the lyrics.

The Prairie: Who writes most of the instrumentation?

Martin: He does the instrumentation also. Then we all get together and tweak it.

The Prairie: How are things for the band on tour? Stressful? Exciting?

Martin: It is a little bit of both. Lots of driving and not a lot of sleeping.

The Prairie: How do you all handle the stress?

Martin: We are all different in how we handle stress. Some drink, some smoke. We all have to find our quiet time. On the longer runs, when we are out on the road, that’s when the stress starts to kick in.

The Prairie: Is there anything else that you would like for people to know about the band?

Martin: We are out here working really hard to promote the music that we make and produce on our own. We have to be away from friends and family for a long time. But we love playing music and meeting our fans. This is why we do what we do.