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Poison The Well Interview – February 25, 2007

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Poison The Well

This Poison The Well interview was conducted in the band’s van in Richmond, VA on February 25, 2007. I would like to thank Ryan for doing the interview and being such a nice guy. Make sure to pick up their new record, Versions, on April 3rd, 2007. The record is unlike anything you have heard before and it’s one of the best records of 2007. Make sure to pick it up and support PTW.

– State your name and position in the band.

Hi, Iâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢m Ryan and I play guitar.

– Give a brief history of the band and the origin of the name.

We started in 1998, I think. Itâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s so long ago I kind of forget. Yeah, like â┚¬Ã‹Å“98 or something like that. Itâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s was five dudes that thought it would be fun to make a bunch of racket. It worked out really cool for us. Iâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢ve been really happy with the outcome of almost everything that has happened.

And the origin of the name?

Itâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s a literary fallacy. Itâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s a debate and forensic term. Means â┚¬Ã‹Å“to create a biased in an argumentâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢. It seems kind of ironic compared to the community that we all came up in.

– What are your feelings on this tour and the bands on it?

We are four days in and it has been really really awesome. Itâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s a cool tour because none of the bands sound the same, everybody kind of brings something different. And I think thatâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s really cool, so make sure that when people go see a show, they get, not four bands that sound exactly the same, but they get a bunch of cool bands that have their own sound and personal things they are speaking about.

– What elements do you bring to each show and what goals do you walk on stage with?

The goals I walk on stage with is to have fun and play well. I hope I make people feel something positive, instead ofâ┚¬Ã‚¦..I donâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t want to make people angry. I kind of want to make people realize that music is supposed to lift your spirits and itâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s supposed to be inclusive, for everybody.

– What do you remember about your first show and how have the shows evolved?

In this band or any band period?

Haha, both.

The first thing I remember about the first show I ever played in the history of me playing guitar was that it was probably the worst experience of my life.

Why?

Ah man, it was just a train wreck. So I think itâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s a train wreck for anybodyâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s first show. It was super fun but looking back on it, itâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s like â┚¬Ã…”Wow, we were probably so terrible.â┚¬? We sounded like was like a really shitty version of Rush. Itâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s pretty cool. And than the first show for this band, the thing I remember wasâ┚¬Ã‚¦in the late â┚¬Ã‹Å“90s, nobody wore shoes when they played and I can remember stepping on a thumbtack while we were playing. It was pretty painful.

– How did recording the new record in Sweden have an effect on the overall sound as opposed to recording in the U.S?

I think that because we went to Sweden and where in Sweden we went, it was really really isolated, and we recorded in a barn. I think it added a really cool, and the fact that the sun was only up for four hours a day. Like I think it added this really, you know, cool element of kind of kind of being a little bit crazy, mentally and emotionally. Sort of like loosing your grip on just normal things that you take for granted. I think that added a lot of cool stuff to the record. It made us want to be even more dangerous about the choices we made with sounds and thinks like that, and the way we put things across. We took even more risks, I guess.

– In your opinion, what is going to be the biggest surprise to the fans with the new record?

The horns.

Yeah, I read there was going to be a lot of new instruments used.

Yeah, there are horns, banjo, mandolin. Itâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s tough to say.

– In the beginning, what did you envision the band to become? Do you think it has stayed accurate or changed throughout the years?

In the beginning, I justâ┚¬Ã‚¦the only goal I ever had as far as a level of success for the band was to play shows outside of our town and have someone sing along, even if it was just one person. Over the years that hasnâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t really changed very much, none of us are really, have these really lofty apparitions of being famous or something like that. Actually we really hate to be like in the public eye or something like that, in the way that a lot of bands that are bigger have to be. Ah, I donâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t know. I think that over the years we all just sort of maintained the idea that we just like playing shows. Whatever that might be, itâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s cool. As long as we still have fun playing, and we still do so we still play.

– If a fan could only listen to one Poison The Well record for the rest of their life, which one would you hope they choose? Why?

I would hope they choose the one we havenâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t written yet. I mean, I donâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t think that I can could choose one record that I think people should be more into than others. I think that itâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s personal preference. If you like one, whichever one you like, thatâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s awesome. And if you donâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t like one, whichever ones you donâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t like, thatâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s awesome too. You know, I never sort of had this idea that I should try and sell people on to what the cool thing to listen to is. If you like it than you like, and thatâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s awesome. But if you donâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t, thatâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s awesome too. You can always just, you know, be honest with yourself. If you donâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t like something, than donâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t listen to it. If you do, than do.

– If the band had to promote one central message in the lyrics, what would that message be? Why?

Being honest with yourself about not being chicken about sharing parts of yourself that are maybe embarrassing or frustrating. I think it would just be to like, sort of promote the idea that weâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢re all very flawed and that that should be ok. The main reason why most people end up in the punk rock or hardcore scene is because, you know, they just kind of feel like they donâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t fit in anywhere else. It should be a place where people feel they can be themselves and thatâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s ok. As long as that doesnâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t infringe on anybody elseâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s right to be themselves, that cool.

– A hundred years from now, how much do you think music would progress and do you think a new genre would emerge? If so, predict the new genre.

Yeah man, I think that in the next ten years there are going to be new genres that are going to pop up.

What do you think that new genre is going to be?

Uhâ┚¬Ã‚¦I have no idea. Iâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢m so bad with genre specification. Whatâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s the hip thing now? Like pop metal?

I donâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t even pay attention to genres anymore, I just listen to whatever appeals to me.

Yeah, all those names that they give bands like you know, death prog horror rock and whatever. All that stuff is just a marketing tool for labels to sell more records.

Yeah, because I was thinking about how like in different generations and different times, there is one time of music that has emerged that is something new. I just think about what is going to be the next genre and what itâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s going to have in it thatâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s different than anything else.

Yeah, Iâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢m excited to see that too. I just have no idea how to predict that.

– In your opinion, what is the leading cause for the current state of the music scene and industry?

I guess peopleâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s complacency. I donâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t know, I feel that things are extremely homogenized and that there are a lot of the same thing going on, over and over again. I think that, we all fail as people, including myself, for being too lazy to challenge ourselves to listen to new things. I suffer through that on a weekly basis. Just being in a band with people and than being like, â┚¬Ã…”You gotta hear this band, itâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s awesome.â┚¬? and being like â┚¬Ã…”Meh, whatever.â┚¬? I can listen to the regular record over and over again and be fine. Thatâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s really a bad way to live with music. But I have been working on it though, Iâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢ve been getting better over the years.

– If the band was chosen to write the soundtrack for a movie, which movie would it be and why?

I donâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t know, probably nothing too serious. I donâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t know, itâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢ll be scary because you can come off being very pretentious very quickly. I donâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t know, I would probably say, due to everybodyâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s particular taste in things like that, possibly an animated movie. Not like, The Land Before Time, but something that would have deeper meaning than just cartoons jokes, but nothing that would beâ┚¬Ã‚¦.I donâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t fancy us for writing a soundtrack to Apocalypse Now. It could never be something that deep, even though thinking about changing the soundtrack to previous movies would be a bit risky, because a lot of moviesâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢ soundtrack completely enhance the movie.

– If you had to play one last show, what bands would you want to play with you and what would you do to make it memorable?

Can I pick bands past and present?

Yeah, any bands.

Us, Bad Brains, Black Sabbath, and, just so there is some sort of element of different sound, probably like something really really fun, like Prince.

Haha, that would be interesting.

Yeah, but something so everyone can feel like itâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s not all about yelling and all that stuff. Itâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s about fun.

– Where do you see the band going in 2007 and what things are you most excited about?

Iâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢m just really excited about being on tour and doing what we normally do. You know, whatever happens, happens.

Are you guys on tour most of the year?

Shaping up that way already, which is cool and Iâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢m really excited. Itâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s been too long since weâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢ve really been touring super actively.

You guys are going to be on Warped Tour, right?

For some of it, yeah.

Is it the beginning half or end?

Second half.

Usually the shows around here, in VA Beach and Washington D.C., are like in August. But I saw the dates and they are going to be at the end of July and Iâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢m going to be in Europe.

Ah, bummer man.

Yeah, it really sucks.

Yeah, but youâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢ll be in Europe so it will be cool and fun.

Yeah, hopefully I can go to some shows over there and see how the scene is.

Yeah, that would be cool. Where are you going?

Iâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢m going to be going to France, Switzerland, Italy, and Greece.

Thatâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s going to be much fun.
Yeah, itâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s going to be for like three weeks.

Ah man, youâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢re going to have such a great time.

I went to U.K. France, and Spain in the summer of â┚¬Ã‹Å“05.

Thatâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s awesome, Spain is one of my places ever.

Yeah and Iâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢m fluent in Spanish so walking around felt like I was at home.

Yeah, that all works out, even though their Spanish is kind of different there. A couple of us, not me, but a couple of the dudes in the band are fluent in Spanish as well, I guess itâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s a byproduct of being from Miami. Itâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s just funny because they speak the same language, but there was major communication difficulties.

Yeah, people always ask me what things mean and sometimes I donâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t know. They usually teach the Mexican dialect of Spanish in schools. Itâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s like us and Britain, there are different words that mean different things completely.

Yeah man, in Miami, there is so much slang, that you are like â┚¬Ã…”What does that mean?â┚¬?, and than they are like â┚¬Ã…”It really doesnâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t mean anythingâ┚¬Ã‚¦but it means this.â┚¬? And than you are like, â┚¬Ã…”Well alrightâ┚¬Ã‚¦.â┚¬? The words donâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t really mean anything.

Yeah and when we were in London, we were told that there were bombs going on in the city, it just kind of ruined it.

Yeah, I can only imagine, that has to be kind of scary.

– Well the last question is, is there anything else you want the readers to know?

I donâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t know, I guess to have fun in life. Life really isnâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t that serious and if you end up taking everything seriously, youâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢ll end up being really bummed out in your life. Just stay calm, take things as they come. Thatâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s about it.

Bayside Interview – March 10th, 2007

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bayside

I was able to sit down with Anthony (second from the left) of Bayside at their sold out show in Pomona, CA. He gave me inside look at what’s going on in Bayside and what’s to come of the Victory Records four-piece.

Please introduce yourself however you’d like.
I’m Anthony, I play in Bayside. So far…this is pretty easy.

Yes, you = Anthony, me = Michael. Now that it’s settled…
Nearly every show has sold out on this tour, how does it feel to be on the road again?
It’s incredible. This is probably one of the most fun tours we’ve ever been on.

You guys were on Conan O’Brian a couple weeks ago, what was that experience like for you?
It was a trip, it was really surreal. When it came time to actually play, we weren’t as nervous as we thought. He’s awesome, we were a lot more nervous when we got there and were setting up but when it came time to actually film we were pretty comfortable.

Walking Wounded, was released about a month ago, What’s the response been?
It’s been an amazing response. It’s really exciting as a band, and something every band goes through is trying to force their new music onto their old fans. That whole battle has been really easy, the fans have been taking to it.

Lyrically, the songs on Walking Wounded are honest and bold, in head on a plate, the lyrics read, “I’m pouring out my soul, I find the right words to express myself instead of fitting round pegs in round holes.” What fueled these words?
Something I’ve never done because I feel like it’s bad for my health is reading reviews and reading press. It gets me so angry and stresses me out, so I’ve kept away from it. Lately, I have been reading it all. It drives me insane. We’ve never really touched on it before but on “Head On A Plate” and “Popular Science” we’re starting to take jabs at the music industry and other bands we think are a joke. After a day of reading reviews and gossip online and people who think they know everything about music and shit like that I just wanted to call everyone out on that. That line, specifically, is what I feel like a lot of bands are doing.

I also read one of your blogs from this tour where you quoted different message board posts and music reviews, all being quite distasteful and shallow, what keeps you going when you read such ruthless things?
Honestly, I was feeling this thing where I got really pissed off at these people on message boards and who run websites, who have the right to criticize something they don’t do. It pissed me off that they have this platform to criticize music and bands. I decided that I’m at a point where our band is pretty big and we have a lot of fans so I have a platform, too. I’m going to start calling out all of those people. If they feel like they can criticize music then I’m going to start writing reviews about websites and magazines.

Your band’s history contains tragedy, and triumph since, do you feel like within your band you embrace the events of the past, or are they more things you’d like to keep personal and separate?
I think we definitely embrace it and we want to bring what we’ve been through into our music but not so much in an obvious way. What happened to us, happened to us. We took some time to be together and be friends and help each other through everything. Through that we became different people, we became stronger- Optimistic, more powerful people. Rather than the depression that came with it, we wanted to put that in our music.

Does any of that history have to do with your record’s title, the Walking Wounded?
Walking Wounded- a lot of people ask, and call it a morbid title. It’s not, it’s just kind of what we feel like we are. We’re wounded but we’re on our feet.

Next week you’re showcasing for your label at South By Southwest, how do you feel at a label with quite a diverse roster of artists, Victory Records?
It’s awesome. I think we are on the best label. We love all of the people that work there, we love all of the bands. It’s really a sense of community that a lot of other labels don’t have. All of the bands are friends.

What was it like doing Bayside acoustic?
It was really therapeutic. We didn’t want to bring all of the sadness into walking wounded, so that was our therapeutic record. We really enjoy playing acoustic so we do tons of in-stores. We do two every week on this whole tour.

What are your plans for after this tour?
After this tour, we’re going to Europe for a couple weeks, then Canada for a couple weeks, then we’re doing the whole Warped Tour this summer. Then we’re headlining a Victory tour in the fall.

Any last comments?
I think people really need to check out our record because we wanted to make a record, and I think we succeeded in this, for the casual music listener. Something to put on in the background, while you’re driving and something that’s catchy but we also wanted it to be something under that. We wanted to make something that if you want to read deeper, it’s there.

Well, thank you so much.
Thank you!

Anberlin Interview – March 2007

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Anberlin On March 10th, I was able to sit down with Stephen Christian, lead singer of the band Anberlin, right before they performed for a sold-out crowd at The Glasshouse in Pomona, CA. He was kind enough to take some time out of their insane 2007 schedule and discuss what’s going on in the Anberlin camp!

First things first, introduce yourself however you please!
My name is Stephen Christian, and I am the ruler of the free world…I am the singer of Anberlin as well, It’s my day job.

You’re out on a headlining tour right now, tell me a bit about what that’s been like for you?
The first headlining tour for us, it’s been amazing and it’s been humbling in the fact that all but one show has sold out. It’s my favorite tour of all time because all of the guys get along. Even better, all the bands are not only great musicians and bands that we love but they’re really cool people. It’s definitely the best tour we’ve been on.

Your support is quite diverse musically, who picked the lineup?
We all pitched in and gave our own ideas. Jonezetta is our favorite band on Tooth & Nail right now as far as the new bands coming up, we really wanted to take them under our wing. Meg & Dia we wanted to a chance because their music is solid and we want to see them succeed because we don’t feel like there are enough girls in rock right now. Bayside have been good friends with us for like two and a half years and they just had a record come out so we thought it was perfect.

You made your ‘television debut’ on Craig Ferguson, how comfortable were you guys performing straight in front of the camera?
No way, we were dead nervous! Everybody was just sweating and I was shaking. We actually did a take and a half because my vocal mic was off. Half way through the first take I forgot some of the words. I remembered them at the last second, but I was freaking out cause I was so nervous. Second take was a lot better.

You’re supporting your third full-length album, Cities, how has the response been to the newer material?
It’s really picked up steam as far as people singing along because obviously when you go out on tour the day your CD comes out, a lot of people don’t know the new songs. Each and every night we see more response to the new songs. It’s been awesome, we try and play half old songs and half new songs.
The sales have been great, people seem to love it. The reviews on iTunes seem to be pretty positive for the most part. It’s been really cool.

With Cities you decided to go back with Aaron Sprinkle, what was different this time around?
We didn’t initially want to go with Aaron Sprinkle because we didn’t want to make a Never Take Friendship Pt. II. We started to look around at different producers and really didn’t feel comfortable with any of them. We started to talk to Aaron and think of what we could do differently on this record. He suggested we could get a new engineer, a new studio- we went to this place called London Bridge where they did Pearl Jam’s ‘Ten’, Alice in Chains, and Nirvana. We got a new person to mix the record, Chris Shipley, he did Andrew WK’s I Get Wet. We just made it a lot bigger. We made it everything Anberlin was but we made it a lot bigger and a lot fuller. We kind of wanted everything as far as conceptual stuff like the artwork to match the CD, we wanted it to correlate instead of everything pieced together. We had an overall vision of what we wanted the record to look like.

Just out of curiosity, have you been to all of the cities on the online City Pass?
I haven’t been to Hong Kong, I think there was a couple we haven’t. I haven’t been to South Africa, but one of the guys has. I think all but two or three.

After the success of Never Take Friendship Personal, I’m sure you had the option to go major, what made you want to stay with Tooth & Nail?
We haven’t gone back to Tooth & Nail, we’re deciding right now between major and going back. Both have pulls, there’s the security in Tooth & Nail and also the passion and friendship. On the other hand, they have the money, backing, the power and the push. We’re weighing out our options right now, it’s been on our minds the last couple of weeks.

A Full US headlining tour & brand new album is usually a full schedule for bands in three calendar months, but you also headed up a recent trip to India, can you tell me about that?
In May of 2006, we took a whole bunch of our friends, Seth our tour manager and Nate, our drummer to Haiti. We got to work on some humanitarian projects and I realized that it was an experience I wanted to share with as many bands as possible. I approached Tooth & Nail and said, ‘Can I have some bands and some money to help fund this trip to Calcutta?’ Tooth & Nail pitched in thirty percent of everybody’s way there which was awesome. Some bands off of Tooth & Nail came with us, and the same things happened when we got there, I just felt like I wanted to do this again with any bands that want to go. We’re heading up a trip to Nairobi, Kenya this December. We’re just starting to get the project rolling and it’s looking like it’s going to happen!

What was your purpose for going? What did you do while you were there?
We really worked with this organization called Apne Aap (the US go-between is the TEN organization) which is anti-human trafficking for the next generation. Taking girls that might be out on the streets and putting them into a safe environment with education, great leadership, practical skills and some useful tools (Including developing an item to sell here). We thought it was just amazing and something I want to do again. I think we made a definite impression but in the long run we’re still going to support these girls to make sure they have an education for the future.
(Photos from the trip)
I’ve read in interviews, where you ask yourself the question, “what are you going to use your celebrity for?”…it’s obvious that you chose to make an impact where one is very much needed, what was the catalyst to make that choice?
I think it’s a lot of different things. My uncle spent a lot of time in Singapore doing humanitarian work and aid and even at five years old I wanted to do that. At twelve years old my parents brought me to Mexico City to work in the dumps to hand out rice, beans and bananas to as many kids as we could. Little things like that made such a lasting impression on my life. At seventeen, I read Ghandi’s autobiography and in there he said all of these great things and also my faith. My religion says that, ‘pure religion is this, to love the widows and orphans’ and that’s something I connect with. I think everything in life is interwoven, I think it all comes together to serve a greater purpose. It’s just something I want to continue.

Jamie of To Write Love On Her Arms went with you to India and is out with you on tour, how did you first connect with the organization, and what motivated you to bring them with you on tour?
Jamie and I have been friends for years. He tried to steal my girlfriend when I was 20 years old. He buddied up with me cause he really like her and after a couple weeks I was kind of tired of her so I was like, ‘you can have her, it’s no big deal.’ She was as boring as a brick wall. They never ended up hooking up but we became friends through that where years later we reconnected and laughed about the whole thing and then started talking. He worked at a surf brand called Hurley, we’d call each other at least once every other week and just talk. I told Jamie he really needed to get out of here and that this wasn’t what he was called to do, to be working for a surf company. I said, ‘you need to just quit and get out.’ A couple months later, here comes a situation where he gets a chance to write the story. it’s awesome to watch it develop. Ever since the beginning I’ve been a fan of Jamie and whatever he was going to do. I don’t care if it was be homeless or hang out at Hurley for the rest of his life, it just didn’t matter to me. It was something I wanted to get behind. When we saw he was really getting involved in this, Anberlin was the first to sign up. We’ve been a fan of To Write Love and of Jamie’s because he’s such a stellar guy.

Being socially conscious and active has almost become trendy now with the popular movements of organizations like Invisible Children, ONE, and To Write Love On Her Arms, what advice would you give to someone who feels they’re doing their part by giving monetarily, but wants to do more?
The least of it is monetary! America is so good at just casting money at people and saying go solve your own problems. It’s all about volunteer. That’s sad that it’s trendy, I really hope it lasts forever. I hope its a reciprocal process that will never end. There’s organizations you can get involved with like DoSomething.org is a website you can type in your zip code and it will give you a list of things that you can get involved with and volunteer at. There’s great stuff like Habitat For Humanity and World Vision. There’s soup kitchens and orphanages that are great places to start and you don’t have to go overseas to make a difference. It starts in your own community. Definitely get involved. It’s not about the money it’s about making a difference in your community.

Transitioning back a little bit, how are things working out with Christian?
AMAZING. Christian is working out so great, I cannot wait to get him in the band. We’re kind of still feeling him out because we’ve had so many rhythm guitarists in the past. We’re just so stoked cause he adds so much live in his guitar playing but he can sing and his attitude and the whole nine yards. He’s the complete package.

Anchor & Braille is a new musical venture for you, what was the motivation to do that? Can we expect anything else from it?
The motivation is strictly out the fact that I hate sitting around during off time. So Aaron Marsh from Copeland and I decided to work on my project. I had written a lot of songs that I knew weren’t going to be for Anberlin and so I took the next step and asked Aaron to produce. The end of January we put out a vinyl with just two songs on Wood-Water which is a label I started to put my stuff out, I’ve always wanted to run a label. There’s going to be more, we’re going to keep recording more and hopefully around Christmas time next year we’ll have more!

Any last comments?
No, I think that’s it. Thank you very much for the time and thanks for making sure people get involved! I appreciate it.

A huge thank you to Libby Henry and MSO PR for setting up the interview!
Photo by Michael Schneider

Love Arcade Interview

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LA

Here’s an email interview with the lead man from the band Love Arcade

1. Who are we talking with and what’s your role in Love Arcade?

I am snowhite and I do everything in Love Arcade [Write, produce, arrange, play all the instruments on record, etc.]

2. What are some things you want to get accomplished in 2007?

I want to get to the point where we’re on the radio and headlining our own tour for 2007.

3. Are you happy with how your major label release turned out?

I am extremely happy with how the album turned out, and I’m lookin’ forward to working it!

4. What’s your stance on a growing number of kids downloading yours or others bands music for free?

Well, the way I do it is I download the songs and if I like them I’ll buy the record and I think that’s how it should be cause if it’s not a good record you really shouldn’t buy it.

5. What is the biggest issue you see facing the music industry?

It’s probably is the fact that every thing’s in and out like the wind and not as many people buy albums because of that. We want to be something that’s real, not just a fad.

6. Who would you love to tour with, and why?

I’d like to tour with Gnarls Barkley cause that seems like itâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s the perfect fit for what we are.

7. What is one album that you would suggest as required listening for everyone?

Pussy Cat Dolls- PCD

Meg and Dia INTERVIEW – Feb. 22, 2007

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INTERVIEW WITH DIA (L) AND NICK (R).
FEB. 22, 2007
NORFOLK, VIRGINIA.
THE NORVA.

Q â┚¬Ã¢â‚¬Å“ WHAT ARE YOUR BIRTH NAMES AND HOW ARE YOU PART OF THE BAND MEG AND DIA?

DIA- MY NAMES DIA LEIS FRAMPTON, MY MIDDLE NAME IS SPELT “L-E-I-S”, UM, I SING I’M IN THE BAND BECAUSE, HIM AND I STARTED IT?

NICK- HIM AN I? YOU AND I?

DIA – MY SISTER, NICK AND I STARTED IT AND UM, IS THAT THE CORRECT ANSWER?

NICK- (laughs)

DIA – IS THAT WHAT YOU WERE ASKING FOR?

NICK- (laughs)

ME â┚¬Ã¢â‚¬Å“ YEAHHHHâ┚¬Ã‚¦

NICK – I’M NICOLAS WAYNE PRICE, AND I PLAY DRUMS AND THE STORY IS MEG WAS
LIVING IN SALT LAKE CITY AND WAS GOING TO COLLEGE, SHE WRECKED HER CAR AND BROUGHT IT TO MY BODY SHOP, WHICH MY FAMILY OWNS, TO HAVE IT FIXED AND THATS HOW MEG, DIA AND I STARTED THE BAND.

Q – ITS BEEN RECENTLY REPORTED ONLINE THAT MEG& DIA SIGNED TO WARNER BROS RECORDS..IS THAT TRUE?

NICK- (laughs) YEAH.

ME – THATS AWESOME, ARE YOU GUYS GOING TO STAY WITH DOGHOUSE AND DO THE WHOLE DOUBLE RECORD DEAL?

NICK- YEAH, ITS AN UPSTREAM DEAL THRU DOGHOUSE, SO DOGHOUSE IS STILL VERY INVOLVED.

DIA – (TO NICK) YOU LOVE DOGHOUSE.

Q – SO ITS BEEN SIX MONTHS SINCE YOUR LAST ALBUM, “SOMETHING REAL” CAME OUT, WHENԚ IS THE BANDԚ GOING TO START WORKING ON A NEW ALBUM?

DIA – JANUARY 2008.

NICK – YEAH, PROBABLY NOT FOR ANOTHER, WHAT IS THAT? 10 MONTHS?

DIA â┚¬Ã¢â‚¬Å“ MM-HMM

Q – IS THERE ANYONE SPECIFIC YOU WANT TO WORK WITH?

NICK – TO PRODUCE IT?

ME â┚¬Ã¢â‚¬Å“ YEAH.

DIA â┚¬Ã¢â‚¬Å“ TIM Oâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢HEIR.

NICK – I DON’T EVEN KNOW WHO THAT IS…DID HE DO THE REJECTS?

DIA – HE DID THE SAY ANYTHING RECORD

NICK – I’D BE DOWN WITH CHRIS WALLER, HE’S UH…

DIA – DAN NELSON!

DIA – I’D PEE MY PANTS IF WE GOT DAN NELSON, I WOULD PAY HIM BY DOING TOURS
EVERY DAY.

NICK – RICK RUBEN.

Q -IS THEREԚ GOING TOԚ BE ANOTHER “TEASER ALBUM”?

NICK – WELL, I MEAN MAYBE…I DON’T KNOW…THINGS HAVE KIND OF CHANGED A LITTLE BIT NOW..

DIA – A TEASER ALBUM?

NICK – YEAH, LIKE THE EP.

DIA – OH, THAT WAS PARTLY FOR WARPED TOUR BECAUSE OUR RECORD DIDN’T COME OUT UNTIL 3 DAYS AFTER WARPED TOUR ENDED..SO WE REALIZED THAT WE WERE GOING TO DO A FEW MONTHS OF REALLY INTENSE TOURING WITH NOTHING, MUSIC-WISE, SO WE JUST MADE THAT EP DIRECTLY FOR WARPED TOUR.

Q – DO YOU GUYS HAVE A VIDEO FOR “ROSES” YET?

DIA – WE’RE ACTUALLY DOING THAT IN APRIL, BUT THAT IS DEFINITELY OUR NEXT VIDEO.

Q – SO WHATS THE DEAL WITH THE WHOLE BAND MEMBERS SITUATION? MEMBERS SEEM TO COME AND GO.

NICK – ITS KINDA LIKE WE’RE SPINAL TAP…

DIA – YEAH, ITS A HARD PROCESS TO GET MEMBERS THAT TAKE IT FIRSTLY, CAUSE NOT ONLY DO WE HAVE FUN, PLAYING GOOD MUSIC, THERES SO MUCH POLITICS INVOLVED,AND WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN GET ALONG WITH THEM IN A VAN FOR 24 HOURS A DAY, WHICH IS THE HARDEST THING EVER. AND ALSO IF THEY HAVE THE RIGHT KIND OF VIEW, MUSICALLY, LIKE YOU DO WITH YOUR BAND

NICK – THERES A LOT OF PEOPLE DOING IT OUT THERE FOR THE WRONG REASONS, YOU KNOW?

DIA – YEAHâ┚¬Ã‚¦WE ACTUALLY WANT TO FIND SOMEONE THAT CAN UNDERSTAND OUR VISION AND WANT WHAT WE WANT TO DO AND YOU KNOW, I MEAN WE DONâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢T HAVE THE RIGHT VISION IN MUSIC BUT IT IS OUR OWN AND WE WANT TO MAKE SURE PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THAT……ITS BEEN HARD…BUT THESE NEW MEMBERS HAVE BEEN REALLY COOL, WE HAVEN’T ACTUALLY SOLIDIFIED THEIR POSITIONS YET, BUT ..

NICK – THEY’RE WORKING OUT REALLY WELL.

DIA – YEAH, WE DECIDED TO NOT BE NAIVE AND MAKE SURE THAT WE TOUR WITH THEM FOR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME, GET TO KNOW THEM, BEFORE WE SAY “HEY YOU’RE PART OF THE BAND”

NICK – WE’VE MADE THATԚ  MISTAKE A COUPLE OF TIMES LIKE “OH YEAH YOU ARE PART OF OUR BAND” WITH OUT KNOWNING THE PERSONԚ  AND THEN ITS LIKE , “OH WAIT, YOU’RE NOT GOING TO BE PART OF THE BAND ANYMORE”

Q -Ԛ ANY BIG “SECRET” CONFIRMED TOURS COMING UP SOON? TOURING OVERSEAS?

NICK – WE DO HAVE A SECRET LARGE TOUR COMING UP, BUT ITS JUST U.S. THERES TALK OF MAYBE GOING TO ENGLAND..

DIA – YEAH, BUT ONLY FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS, LIKE ITS A FESTIVAL, ITS PROBABLY NOT GOING TO HAPPEN, BUT THEY’RE STILL WORKING ON IT. IT DEPENDS ON WEATHER THEY CAN GET OUR ALBUM RELEASED OVER THERE IN TIME.

Q – I READ THAT MEG AND DIA ARE SUPPOSED TO HAVE MATERIAL IN THE REVOLUTION ON CANVAS 2..BOOK, IS THAT TRUE?

DIA – UM, OH YEAH, I WROTE A SHORT STORY FOR THAT, ITS ACTUALLY REALLY AMAZING, IF I DON’T SAY SO MYSELF.

NICK – (laughs)

DIA – I’M JUST KIDDING, BUT YEAH I WROTE A SHORT STORY, I ACTUALLY WROTE IT ON WARPED TOUR AND I HOPE IT GETS IN IT THERE.

ME – I THINK THEY’RE ADVERTISING IT AS YOU GUYS HAVING CONTENT IN THE BOOK.

DIA – REALLY?

NICK – THATS WHAT I’VE BEEN SEEINGâ┚¬Ã‚¦

DIA – THAT WOULD BE AWESOME! I’VE ALWAYS WANTED TO HAVE A SHORT STORY, IF I WEREN’T A MUSIC SINGER I WOULD BE AN ENGLISH MAJOR FOR SURE AND I WOULD BE A NOVELIST .

Q – WITH THAT SAID, WHERE WOULD YOU TWO BE, IF MEG AND DIA DIDN’T TAKE OFF LIKE IT DID?

DIA – I’D BE A NOVELIST. .

NICK – I’D BE PRACTICING DRUMS IN MY BASEMENT AND WORKING AT MY FAMILY’S AUTO BODY SHOP AND GOING TO COLLEGE.

DIA – AND GETTING MARRIED

NICK – I WOULDN’T GET MARRIED.

Q – WHAT WOULD YOU SAY IS YOUR GREATEST ACCOMPLISHMENT THUS FAR?

DIA – LEARNING TO PLAY WELL, TOGETHER…WHICH WE HAVEN’T ACCOMPLISHED YET, BUT WE GO SHOW BY SHOW, DAY BY DAY LEARNING HOW TO PLAY WELL WITH EACH OTHER, LIKE LISTENING TO EACH OTHER. LEARNING HOW TO PLAY TOGETHER IS SO DIFFICULT THAT ON THE DAYS THAT YOU DO PLAY TOGETHER IT FEELS REALLY NICE BECAUSE THE CHEMISTRY IS THERE AND I FINALLY FEEL LIKE I’M PLAYING MUSIC WITH MY FRIENDS AND THE MUSIC COMES ACROSS THE WAY I WANT IT TO.

NICK – YEAH, I AGREE WITH THE MUSIC COMING ACROSS LIKE HOW WE WANT IT TO BE COMING ACROSS AND THE FAN BASE WE HAVE WOULD BE ANOTHER ACCOMPLISHMENT, WHICHԚ  I WOULDN’T SAY IS NESSISARILY “BUILT” THEY JUST KIND OF CAME TO US BECAUSE WHAT WE’RE DOING IS LIKE THE REAL THING..THERE ARE A LOT OF BANDS AND MUSICIANS OUT THERE, LIKE I SAID EARLIER,Ԛ  WHO ARE DOING IT ALL FOR THE WRONG REASONS…WE JUST TRY TO STAY POSITIVE AND PLAY MUSIC BECAUSE WE LOVE TO DO IT AND BECAUSE ITS FUN TO DO.

Q – DO YOU THINK THAT EXPOSURE TO MAJOR STREAMING IS GOING TO HELP YOU IN THE RIGHT WAY?

NICK – THERES A LOT OF RADIO/MTV BANDS FOR PEOPLE TO WATCH AND LISTEN TO THAT ARE KIND OF LIKE HERE TODAY, GONE TOMORROW..THOSE PEOPLE JUST LIKE WHATEVER’S POPULAR AT THE TIME ANNNNND THERES BANDS OUT THERE THAT HAVE THAT ONE HIT ON THE RADIO THAT YOU HEAR ONE DAY AND THEY GET HUGE AND THE NEXT DAY EVERYONES FORGOT ABOUT THEM CAUSE THEY’RE LISTENING TO WHATEVERS POPULAR THEN, AND WE DON’T WANT TO COME ACROSS AS ONE OF THOSE BANDS, WE WANT TO STICK AROUND AND HAVE SOME LONGEVITY AND DO THIS FOR AS LONG AS WE CAN.

Q â┚¬Ã¢â‚¬Å“ OH YEAH, HOW WAS THAT ACOUSTIC IN-STORE TODAY?

NICK – IT WAS AWESOME, WE WEREN’T EXPECTING THE RESPONSE FROM THAT KIND OF CROWD BECAUSE WHEN WE DO THE IN-STORES ITS USUALLY LIKE 10-15 PEOPLE AND ITS USUALLY COMPLETELY ACOUSTIC..WE SHOWED UP TO THIS ONE AND IT WAS LIKE A PACKED HOUSE AND THEY HAD A PA FOR US AND EVERYTHING AND IT WAS REALLY COOL.

Q – DIA…NONE OF THE SONGS YOU FULLY WROTE (WITH OUT THE BAND) WERE PUT ON “SOMETHING REAL”, DID YOU CONSIDER DISPLAYING THOSE SONGS YOU HAVE WRITTEN OR PLAN TO WRITE ON SAY A SEPERATE MYSPACE?

DIA – I HAVE A MYSPACE WHICH IS ON OUR TOP 8, ITS CALLED “DIA AND IAN”, WHICH IS BASICALLY MYSELF AND MY FRIEND IAN WHO ADDS MUSIC TO IT. BUT AS FAR AS ME WRITING MORE SONGS, IF I DO, ITS PROBABLY NOT GOING TO BE BROUGHT TO ANOTHER PERSONAL PAGE, ITS GOING TO BE BROUGHT TO THE BAND TO BE PLAYED WITH MEG AND DIA.

ME – WELL I GUESS THATS ALL I REALLY HAVE FOR YOU GUYS..

NICK – COOL.

DIA – WELL THANKS FOR HAVING US.

ME – THANKS FOR DOING THE INTERVIEW AND THIS INTERVIEW IS FOR DRIVENFAROFF.COM.

The Fall of Troy Interview(2) – February 2nd, 2007

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The Fall of Troy

This Fall of Troy interview was conducted on February 2nd, 2007 at Alley Katz after the show. I would like to thank Andrew for sitting down with me again to do a follow up interview and being one of the nicest dudes I’ve met. Make sure to pick up their new record in May and attend one of their shows, which will end up being the craziest show you’ve been to.

– State your name and position in the band.

I am Andrew, drummer extraordinaire in The Fall of Troy.

– How would you compare the shows and bands on this tour to other tours?

I think this tour has probably one of the most solid lineups, out of any tour we’ve ever done. I’m not saying that other tours suck, but this one, I watch every band, all night, every night. It’s been a real pleasure, and we got to pick Portugal and Tera Melos. We really didn’t know Dameria, like we haven’t heard them. But they just got signed to Equal Vision, so we’re like “Yeah, we’ll take them out.” And they are the most pleasant surprise at all, because they’re killer. I like them a lot. So yeah, I love this tour.

– What upcoming tours are you looking forward to the most?

I can’t really talk about anything, but there is some big shit in the works.

What are you guys doing after this tour?

We’re going to go home for maybe a month, maybe less. Than we’re going to be back out, hopefully in a month and half. We want to, we’re going to be touring pretty much for the next year. We might do Warped Tour this year, I’m not entirely sure. We might be going out with a pretty big band, that I really respect. Just keep your ears open. I’ll tell you later man, I just can’t leak that shit.

– What has been the most shocking thing you have seen during a show?

Um, trying to think. I mean, I’ve never seen it, but kids have gotten arrested in the middle of our shows. One kid broke his leg, one time. I know it happens, but I’m so far in the back, so I don’t really get to see it all. I’m sure Thomas has seen some fucking crazy stuff.

– How did the recording for the new record go and what new and old elements can be seen on it?

I had probably the best time recording this one. Matt Bayles is probably one of my favorite producers, and than it turned out that he is one of the coolest guys I’ve ever met. And he’s really strict and he pushed us a lot, it was a really good experience for us. As far as how it sounds, I’ll say more of the same, not more of the same, but us, just like bigger. There is a lot more melody I’ll say, there is a little bit more singing than in the past. There are still typical crazy Fall of Troy parts, but than there is a song that only Thomas plays. He played that song tonight, kind of like old Weezer, and than the blues song that we played tonight. I mean, I’ll just say that it’s a pretty diverse album. I hope people aren’t “Aw, they are trying new things”.

– You guys are known for getting song titles from various resources, what are some song titles from the upcoming record and where did they come from?

One of them is “Cut Down All The Trees And Name The Streets After Them.” Actually, it’s a bumper sticker that we saw, and the whole title is “Urban Sprawl – Cut Down All The Trees And Name The Streets After Them” and we just thought it was cool. I mean, there are a lot of songs on this record that are pretty serious titles, like “Semi-Fiction”, that’s one of them and “Caught Up.” We definitely have some like, “Shhh… If You’re Quiet, I’ll Show You a Dinosaur”, that are kind of funny. I’m not saying that we are never going to have long, funny titles again, but on this record, we came up with shorter ones.

– Has the artwork for the new record been chosen? If so, who is doing it and what can we expect?

It hasn’t been chosen yet, but there are a couple of people working on it right now. Tim is working on some stuff, Brandon from Fear Before is working on some stuff, John Gourley from Portugal The Man, the singer, is working on some stuff. They’re all coming up with completely different things, I’m not exactly sure what they are doing. I don’t know, I’m sorry dude, haha.

– What is the idea behind “Manipulator” and “Phantom of the Horizon”, and how are they different from each other?

“Manipulator” is more of a collection of songs, there isn’t one underlying theme. “Phantom of the Horizon” is a story that we thought about when we were younger that we have just been sitting on for a bit. It’s a context record.

Is it going to have stuff from the Ghostship Demos?

Yeah, I mean we are going to rerecord all those songs, probably with some new stuff here and there, so people aren’t like “Ah, it’s exactly the same.”

I was on the message board today to get some ideas for questions and everyone kept talking about what is going to happen to those demos.

Yeah, it’s going to be all rerecorded. We are going to have, I think there are two or three songs that never officially came out, and than we are going to write three more. But there will be a lot of new stuff you haven’t heard on it.

Is that coming out this year?

No, that will be probably next year or like super super early ’09, but I doubt it will be that long. Hopefully we’re shooting for end of ’08 or third quarter of it.

– How would you sum up 2006 and what are you wishing to accomplish in 2007?

2006 was turbulent and awesome. And than 2007, I just want to continue doing what we are doing and keep our integrity, and hopefully get bigger. Getting new fans, I mean, tonight was awesome, like 400 plus kids going nuts. It was really fun. I just want to keep on keeping on.

– If the band was nominated for an award, what award would you want it to be and why?

Oh man, “Best Picture” for an awesome movie that we did, but I doubt that will ever happen, haha.

– What is your opinion on the current state of shows and the things people decide to do at them?

I mean, it’s always good to see kids going crazy and losing it, but at the same time you have to respect that there are people around you, they might not want to have your foot in their face. I mean, if everyone is into it and everyone is crowd surfing, which I don’t think I’ve ever seen happen, but there is always some kid that does it. I like it when kids lose it, but I never liked getting kicked in the face.

There are always some people on the side that end up getting kicked in the face.

Yeah man. I mean, it’s a bummer to go to a show and come out with an injury. It’s one thing to go to a show and crowd surfing and someone dropping you, that’s fucking your fault. If you get kicked in the head and you pass out because of someone else, that’s not cool. Above all us, treat people like you want to be treated. That’s what I think.

– What are some rumors about the band that are you tired of hearing and want to clear up?

Um, I don’t know. I think sometimes kids think we are really well off and have a lot of money, that’s totally the opposite. We’re poor, that’s all. I don’t really worry about them too much, I know what the true story is.

– What are some broken-up bands you wish would get back together and play a reunion show?

Bear vs. Shark and Botch, those are probably my top two.

Didn’t the guy that produce your record produce Botch?

Yeah, he is like best friends with the main guitar player from Botch. But yeah, he’s awesome. It’s cool to talk about old stories about them.

– If you had to choose a group of bands to play the same tour for the rest of your life, what bands would you choose and why?

Probably Fear Before The March of Flames, Tera Melos, and like, I’m just going to go ahead and say Portugal because they are freaking awesome. I mean, those are all really good bands and I think we would have a good time.

If the band was chosen to make a new government and set of laws for the United States, what would some of the laws be?

Everyone has to at least try playing an instrument, haha. You can’t hate music. And everyone be nice. That’s my personal one.

– Has the idea of adding another member come up and what are some of the reasons why you would or wouldn’t do it?

I mean, we’ve had other members in the past, like a keyboard player. We would do it just to fill out the sound a little bit more, making it a little bit crazier. I mean, I really like the fact that we are a three piece and there is not a whole lot of other three pieces out there doing stuff exactly like what we are doing.

Yeah, and sounding so technical and so filled.

Yeah man, I mean Tera Melos is doing a great job as well, they are fucking huge sounding. Yeah, I’ll say that, those are my reasons.

– Anything else you want the readers to know?

Keep on coming out to shows if you have been and if you haven’t come out to see us because I guarantee that you’ll have a good time. Check out the new album, it’s coming out May 1st called “Manipulator” on Equal Vision and it’s the best thing we’ve ever done.

Mike Sapone – Industry Interview

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A couple of months ago I did an interview with producer/engineer/industry extraordinare, Mike Sapone, and after having some issues I am finally posting it. Thank you very much to Mike for taking them time to do the interview, and thank you to everyone who doesn’t mind the fact that there is no picture/graphic to go with it!

-For those that don’t know, please introduce yourself and describe what it is you do.
My name is Mike Sapone. my current occupation is Music producer and/or recording engineer/mixer/programmer. I live in New York-USA. On my latest project i had the pleasure of working with Brand New on The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me.


-Describe some of the typical duties a producer is responsible for. What is your average day like?
Generally a producer can help with song arrangements/structures, suggest sounds/tones to fit a song or idea, help inspire an artist to create and complete their vision.
Depending on the project: a day or week can consist of a variety of activities: recording music, mixing music, editing music, mapping out click tracks, microphone shoot outs, listening to demos for possible changes or keepers etc…


-What is the difference between pre-production and production?
Pre-production is preparation for the final recordings, to see what works and what does not, whether it be live rehearsal or elaborate recordings, this is the first time decisions are made towards arrangement and song structure. In some cases if you really love something on pre production recordings you fly it into the album version if possible.


-When did you realize this was what you wanted to do for the rest of your life? Did any aspects of your childhood lead to this career choice?
I listened to a lot of radio growing up; I started playing drums at 13, 4-track cassette recorder around 16, later on the tascam 16 track reel-to-reel and mixing console etc.

-What do you think is currently the biggest flaw in the music industry? How can it be fixed?
It’s no secret there have been flaws in the industry for decades, and in recent years technology has made things even more complicated. It seems there are two sides to the music-downloading dilemma; I am undecided. We are in a long transition where the end may or may not be close.

-Do you think it is easier or more difficult to get a job in the music business nowadays than it was 10 or 20 years ago? (Easier because there are more labels out there; harder because of the amount of competition?)
There’s just more options now, the internet has helped create new opportunities for many new music industry entrepreneurs to reach the public in a way that was not possible 20 years ago. My answer is easier!


-What do you think is the most common myth surrounding the music industry?
MYTH? Maybe it’s not the answer your looking for but I like this one:

In the late nineteen sixties, Doors’ singer Jim Morrison founded a publishing company named Zeppelin Publishing Company with the help of the legal department of Warner Brothers Pictures and Atlantic Records. According to promotions for Zeppelin, “Jim wanted to get his hands on the trademark ‘Zeppelin’ before Led Zeppelin did. He did this while everyone in America knew who the Doors were, but before the other rock group was well known…” Zeppelin Publishing Company was chartered and put into hibernation for later resurrection.


-Describe your favorite memory you’ve experienced while working in the industry.
Studio occasions when the energy or vibe of the song coming out of the speakers just hits you a certain way, no matter how many times you replay it in the session, it seems to sound stronger and more exciting; those moments are my favorite.

-What do you consider to be the greatest accomplishment of your career and why?
I feel lucky to have worked with so many talented people it’s tough to single out one. I can say the Public Enemy remix was a good time for me; I absolutely loved making that remix and have always enjoyed Public Enemy’s music and considered Chuck D a true icon.

-You’ve worked as a producer, mixer, engineer and programmer. Of those different jobs do you like best and why?
I enjoy all of these but if I had to pick, I guess programmer. I’ve been sequencing music since high school; it’s become a second nature for me to compose music on a computer with a sequencer/DAW. I’m a huge fan of both new and old school gear in creating music.

-If I’m correct, the first album you worked on was Stuttering John’s. How do you think you’ve evolved as a producer/engineer/mixer/etc since then?
For years I have worked and talked with other engineers, learning new ideas and methods is an endless road for me; I can only hope to evolve in a positive direction in the years to come.


-What is going on with Moleman? Will there be any more mixes in the future?
The latest effort was Men Women & Children’s Dance In My Blood (moleman remix); this is available on iTunes. There will be new moleman mixes in the future; people can visit saponetrax.com now and then for new info.

-What advice would you give to someone pursuing a career as a producer or even just a general industry job?
Reading gear magazines and ezines (eqmag.com, emusician.com) on a constant basis helped me out a lot. New products and technologies just move so fast, if you are in a control room for long periods of time you need to somehow keep up with what’s going on outside and stay current.

-Starting out, what was your one ultimate goal and do you think you’ve accomplished it yet?
I just wanted to keep making music. So far so good.

Scary Kids Scaring Kids Interview – February 7th, 2007

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Scary Kids Scaring Kids
SW: Please introduce yourselves.
Chad: I am Chad
DJ: I am DJ
Pouyan: I am Pouyan
Steve: And I am STEEEEEVE!!

SW: So I know that You guys already have an EP and an album, The City Sleeps In Flames, out, Will you be releasing any new material soon?
Pouyan: Yes.Yes. After this tour we go into the studio to write, I mean, to record it, a new CD. Itâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s pretty damn good to go if you ask me. Weâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢ve got a few more songs that need some work and here and there weâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢re gonna change some parts around but essentially itâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s all ready to go and weâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢re gonna have it out mid summer and to get a taste of it weâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢re dropping a couple new tracks on this tour live so people can check it out when they come out for the take action tour. So see what weâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢re all about you know? Come feel the freshness baby! Thatâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s what weâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢re down with.
Chad: Come check it out dude, like a book.
Pouyan: Like a book.
Chad: You know what I mean?
Pouyan: Check it out.
Chad: At your local library!
Chad & Pouyan: Come! Check it check it check it out!

SW: So do you guys prefer to tour close to home, near Arizona, or all over the country?
Pouyan: All around the world I would have to s-
Steve: JAPAAAAN!!
Pouyan: would be amazing! We would much, much rather just tour everywhere in the world.

SW: Have you been out of the states before?
Pouyan: Yea! Weâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢ve been to the UK, and then Canada, but that doesnâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t really count becauseâ┚¬Ã‚¦where is fuckin? Fuckinâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢ bitch? Where is she? A friend of ours, she asked us to call her that, thatâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s actually her nickname. Yea but sheâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s from Canada and I was gonna talk a lot of shit on Canada, but itâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s actually a really cool place, so it doesnâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t make sense to talk shit if sheâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s not around.
DJ: Yea I like Canada
Pouyan: I love Canada! Itâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s beautiful, fun to make fun of though.
Chad: Yeah!
Pouyan: So funâ┚¬Ã‚¦ So amazing!
SW: And-
Pouyan: Nothing!
SW: So You-
Pouyan: Just Great!

SW: So I know this isnâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t your first tour, I know you have been on Warped Tour before. How does this tour compare with others you have been on?
Pouyan: Nothing compares to Warped Tour, good and bad, but this tour has been the total bro-down showdown. They sayâ┚¬Ã‚¦
Chad: Welcome to the Brodeo
Pouyan: Itâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s like we allâ┚¬Ã‚¦well basically the planning for the tour was basically the booking agents saying â┚¬Ã…”get ready to meet at dusk.â┚¬? You know what I mean? And then all the bands came together with their pistols ready and then had an intense bro-down. With our guns laid down. You know what I mean? Thatâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s a metaphorâ┚¬Ã‚¦
SW: I got it, I got it.
Pouyan: I mean agents didnâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t really, thatâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s not really how tours are set up but itâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s kind of a metaphor.
Chad: That really happened though!
Pouyan: It really totally actually did happen that way.

SW: Are you guys going to be on Warped Tour 07â┚¬Ã¢”ž¢ this year?
Pouyan: Yea, we plan on it. I think we actually have it set for the first month of Warped tour, weâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢re going out, which should be cool.

SW: I know Halo and other video games are pretty popular with other bands, but what do you guys do to keep yourselves occupied and out of trouble?
Pouyan: Uno.
DJ: Guitar Hero!
Pouyan: When did play Guitar Hero on this tour?
DJ: waitâ┚¬Ã‚¦did you mean on this tour?
SW: Yea, while youâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢re on tour.
DJ: oh okâ┚¬Ã‚¦yeaâ┚¬Ã‚¦wellâ┚¬Ã‚¦
Pouyan: We played a lot of Uno. A lot of Uno, Iâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢m not even joking actually after we eat weâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢re gonna go play more Uno. We play it for money, big money. I think thereâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s a fifteen dollar pot goinâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢ on.
Chad: You totally ruined it for acid burn.
Pouyan: Acid burn is down!
SW: Five dollar buy in right?
Pouyan: Five dollar buy in, no! Three dollar buy in, but acid burn boned out so heâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s gonna have to do another three dollar buy in if he wants to get back in and another three dollars to buy Fist of Cuffs points. So itâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s pretty cool
SW: Pretty complex game of Uno huh?
Pouyan: No. You really havenâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t even begun to read the rules, but yea itâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s actually really cool and everyoneâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s down on it. So, hey let me show you, check this out, itâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s a cool thing we got goinâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢ on here (pulls out his keys to show off a dog tag). If you can read that it says â┚¬Ã…”Coolyan. The Uno Elite.Take Action Tour.â┚¬? The people with medallions are true players and pretty much established that you have to ask them before you play every game to ensure that their positions are secured within every game.

SW: So Uno is your favorite part of touring?
Pouyan: Umm..no
DJ: Pretty closeâ┚¬Ã‚¦
Pouyan: yea close. I think the bands and everyone in the bands and all the people coming out are the favorite part about touring. And then Uno is a close second, very close second.

SW: Who are some artists that you draw inspiration from?
Chad: I find it from within myself, and I try and let it out in the form of music.
DJ: Or Michael Jackson.
SW: First Michael Jackson Iâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢ve ever gotten.
Pouyan: Undoubtedly.

SW: Before the bandâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s career really took off, you guys were ready to go to college. Do you ever regret not going to school?
DJ: No!
Pouyan: Fat Chance!
Chad: Fuck school, school sucks.
Pouyan: Itâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s for losers manâ┚¬Ã‚¦Is this a school paper?
SW: Haha, no!
Pouyan: Ok good! I mean schoolâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s a great part but I think if youâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢re really gonna follow your dream you gotta do it while you can, while youâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢re bloodâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s pumping, while you donâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t have a family.
Chad: You can go back to school.
Pouyan: Anytime! Anytime! No one regrets following their dreams.

SW: Well said. What would you like to accomplish as a band?
Pouyan: Go to Japan ultimately. Go to Japan number one. And then on top of that-
Chad: And get a Japan tattoo when weâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢re in Japan.
Pouyan: Yea when weâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢re in Japan. But ultimately I think itâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s to be, as every bandâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s dream to be, a band with longevity. You know what I mean? A band that lasts through time and make every CD better than the last, to keep making music that you like. You know that doesnâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t necessarily follow whatâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s awesome but just something that you want to hear. So I think we can all agree on that.
Chad: Except for DJ might not.
Pouyan: This guy? I donâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t give a fuck about this guy dude I donâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t give a shit if he likes it.

SW: Are there any shows you guys are looking forward to this year?
Pouyan: Tonightâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s show for sure!
Steve: Bamboozle
Pouyan: Oh Bamboozle!
DJ: Fucking amazing.
Pouyan: Bamboozle! Kelly Clarkson,
DJ: Every amazing bandâ┚¬Ã‚¦
Steve: I think, Weird Al is playing on our date.
Pouyan: SHUT UP!
Steve: Heâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s playing our date.
Pouyan: SHUT UP!
DJ: Yea manâ┚¬Ã‚¦
Pouyan: oh wow! Weird Alâ┚¬Ã‚¦
Chad: Sweet as hell.
Pouyan: Dude that was the first dude I ever really bought all his CDs. Yea like Iâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢m not joking.
DJ: Weirdâ┚¬Ã‚¦
Pouyan: I really loved Weird Al.
DJ: It was all about him.
Pouyan: I couldnâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t get enough of him! Got his new shit.
DJ: straight out of lindwood, new album, I got it.
Pouyan: Itâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s way good.

SW: Do you guys have any crazy fan stories? Or I should say whatâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s your favorite crazy fan story?
Steve: I like when we ran those girls off the road and made them spin out on the freeway.
Chad: Ohhhh shit!
Pouyan: Oh yea! That was good.
SW: You guys ran someone off the road?
Pouyan: Hell yea we did!
DJ: They ran themselves off the road!
Chad: Yea, yea, theyâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢re girls! Girls donâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t know how to drive.
Pouyan: Not well unfortunately.
SW: Hey! Hey! Girl!
Chad: Sorry, most girls donâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t know how to drive.
DJ: yes most, most.
Steve: Nah, all man.
Pouyan: We were having a battle with the cars throwing stuff back and forth at each other and they freaked out over a milkshake or a soda.
Steve: Yea we threw a huge fuckinâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢ soda at them.
Pouyan: And they over-corrected themselves and they started spinning in circles and went off into the gutter. And then we all high-fived and kept driving!
SW: So thatâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s how Scary Kids Scaring Kids does it on the road?
Pouyan: Thatâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s how we do!

SW: What advice would you give to a band trying to make it in this industry, trying to get a record deal, trying to make it?
Pouyan: Just have a great time, know what I mean? Try to really appreciate it and donâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t take yourself too seriously. Definitely donâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t disrespect anyone along the way. Just make sure, I mean if youâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢re a dick itâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s never gonna work. If you think youâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢re better than anybody, itâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s not gonna work, just with life.
Chad: If youâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢re in a band just to make a record, to get a record deal, youâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢re not gonna make it. You better just cash in and give it up.

SW: What do you find unique or stands out about Scary Kids Scaring Kids opposed to all the other bands out there.
Pouyan: Man I donâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t know.
Chad: You man.
DJ: This kid right here.
Pouyan: I guess itâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s just me, just me. Iâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢m unique.
SW: Youâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢re the unique part of the band?
Pouyan: Musically, with unbaisedness you canâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t really judge yourself and explain what makes you more unique in those terms. Just like you canâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t tell people what kind of music you are with complete certainty because you try to be original but how it comes off and how you can really describe that to people is really different. In terms of having a good time, we take our music seriously, but we donâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t take ourselves seriously at all. We just have a great time on stage, we just want to have a good time. There are bands out there that want to give off this intimidating image and weâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢re not those dudes. You know, weâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢re there to have a great time and weâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢re really serious about our music like I said, but when weâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢re on stage we donâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t give a fuck! We just have a good time, I think thatâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s what makes us unique.

Checkout Scary Kids Scaring Kids this spring on the Take Action Tour with Red Jumpsuit Apparatus and A Static Lullaby.

Haste The Day Interview – December 19th, 2006

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Haste The Day

This Haste The Day interview was conducted at Alley Katz in Richmond, Virginia on the third floor. I’ll like to thank Jason for being such a nice guy and taking the time out to do this unscheduled interview. Make sure to pick up their new record Pressure The Hinges coming out in March.

– State your name and position in the band.

I’m Jason, I play guitar.

– Give a brief history of the band and the origin of the band name.

Well, brief history. We formed about, well it was a five piece about five years ago. And the origin of the name is from a hymn “It Is Well With My Soul”, and it’s just a line from that song.

– In your opinion, what is the entire purpose behind the band?

Our purpose as a band is pretty ministry oriented. Our faith in God is the forefront of the band and that’s what we intend to keep it as.

– If you had to sum up the band in one sentence, what would it be?

Um, rock and roll.

– How has this tour been different then other tours?

This is a really short tour, it’s only like a week and a half long. We just got out of the studio and we are doing this, like a kind of wrap-up-the-year type of thing. And we just took a few of our friends’ bands out, like Calico and Flee the Seen and stuff.

– What has been the worst tour experience of any tour?

Well, when we first started touring, we were all completely broke and sleeping in the van, and on people’s dirty floors..

other member of Haste The Day: Places like this.

Haha, yeah. Just not being able to make ends meet and playing for like ten kids a night. Just the whole getting started is pretty rough.

– What elements do you try to bring to each show?

A lot of energy and a positive attitude. A positive message as opposed to angry and negativity.

– Are there any plans to record a record? If so, will the band be taking a new direction?

Yeah, well we just got done recording the new album called Pressure the Hinges and it’s by far a step up from anything that we’ve done. It’s really heavy, it’s really melodic, it brings out all of our strong points, musically and vocally. We tried to perfect what we’re best at. And I think we accomplished that with producers that we worked with, are really smart and had the same vision as we did. We spent a lot of time writing and recording this record. It’s a lot more well thought out than any of our other albums.

– How much do you think the lineup change affected the band?

Well I think it has definitely affected us for the better. As much as we all love Jimmy, Stephen brings a lot to the table. His diversity and the way he can scream and his range in screaming and singing, he’s a talented vocalist. We were able to work a lot with that on this new record. It’s not as much just screaming every verse, singing every chorus, but we mixed it up a lot more. Our lead vocalist was involved pretty much all the time.

– What is the general idea you are trying to get across with your lyrics?

Um, with the lyrics it’s pretty much whatever happen to be weighing on us at the time, or what happens to be going on in our lives. I know a lot of bands say that but it’s true. Our lyrics are always very faith based and that’s part of what makes us feel very passionate about whatever we write. Brennan, Stephan, and Mike write most of the lyrics, so it comes straight from their heart and what they are feeling at the time. That’s all I could say.

– What has been the biggest accomplishment in the band’s history?

Um,that’s a hard question. I mean, there’s getting signed in the first place, there’s kids coming up to us after shows and asking us to pray with them, just little stuff like that. I guess that could be considered the best thing that we’ve done, serving purposes like that.

– If you could make a split record with another band, who would it be and why?

I would love to do a split record with Def Leppard. They are one of my favorite bands.

– Where do you see the band going in 2007 and what would you like to focus on?

Well we are just going to be hitting the road nonstop, focusing on pushing this new record, it comes out March 20th. So we are just going to be doing a lot of touring, doing a co-headliner and than we have stuff lined up for the summer. We’re just going to try and support as many new bands as we can. And push this album because we feel very proud of it and strong about it.

– What were some of the best and worst new bands from 2006?

Um, it’s hard to say. Our friends in Destroy The Runner, they were on our last headlining tour, their record came out this year. They are awesome guys, we love them. I’m trying to think of other bands that put out records this year. For some reason, I’m drawing a blank.

– If you had to give advice to a group of people, what would you tell them?

Stay true to what you believe in, regardless of what it is. A lot of times people start off really, you know, fired up about one thing and than through time, they kind of get either jaded towards it or they get distracted from it. I would say just don’t lose focus on what is most important to you.

– If a movie was being made about the band, who would you want to direct and star in it?

I would want Clint Eastwood to direct it and want him to play my part.

– What is the biggest misconception about the band?

Um, I don’t know. It could correlate with the fact that we are Christians and people might think that we are really close-minded and you know, not able to relate with normal people, which is quite the opposite from who we actually are. If you could look at our tour history, you’ll see that. We prefer to tour with all sorts of different bands, bands of different beliefs and non-beliefs or whatever. You know, we just love meeting new people and interacting with people and we just love people in general.

– In your opinion, what is the biggest issue society is overlooking and that needs the most attention?

Man, that is a good question. We try not to be too political with the band, you know, that isn’t one of our main focuses. There is a lot of overseas poverty, I guess would be one.

– Anything else you want the readers to know?

Just that you can expect the best, heaviest, most awesome Haste The Day record coming out this year. And the only change has been for the better.

Daphne Loves Derby Interview 1-26-07

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Spencer Daphne Loves DerbyBig thanks to Mike Cubillos of Earshot Media for the chance to interview the band, and of course, thanks to Spencer!
My questions are in bold, Spencer responses are normal type.

Please introduce yourself.
My name’s Spencer and I play lead guitar in Daphne Loves Derby

Daphne Loves Derby owes quite a bit of it’s early success to the internet, you guys recorded 3 songs with Casey Bates in a studio as well as 10-15 on your own at home, which do you think was more productive?

I think it really depends on the producer you are working with. In our case, Casey had more of a role of a really talented engineer rather than digging into our stuff and nit-picking it out. I think we are the type of band, we just wrote tons of songs at home. We probably demo-ed on garageband over 30 songs. From that’s what seeded all the songs we like, we had time to write good songs rather than writing a mediocre song and make it great. I think it’s a healthy mix of both.

Do you feel like Casey allowed your first record to get to it’s fullest potential?

At the time, it did well. We were young and didn’t totally know what we were doing yet. None of us have anything against Casey, and we don’t want to trash but I think any band feels like that CD could’ve been better.

Your first couple videos made it onto MTV, MTV2, Fuse, and other TV outlets- how influential do you feel that TV is to artist success?

I think we haven’t seen much fruit of TV because the play we have gotten is very minimal. Videos on TV reach millions of people at once- and youtube is having a huge impact but I still think TV has a dominant impact as well and it’s not going to disappear any time soon. I don’t think we’ve been able to take advantage of what cable television can do, yet.

How are things going with the label, Outlook Records?

Things are going well. Trevor’s team lost the other week. (Trevor plays for the Denver Broncos and is the president of Outlook) We just signed for two CDs so after Goodnight, Witness Light is released we’re not on them any more. So far it’s been good, they definitely believe in us and they give us a lot of freedom with the CDs and the moves on the business side.

What was Tour for the Cure (Jack’s Mannequin, Copeland) like for you guys?

Tour for the Cure was fun, it was the biggest tour as far as attendance goes, that we’ve ever done. Walking into some of those venues, our jaws would drop and our eyes would widen. It was kind of like, ‘wow, we’re playing that tonight?’ It was exciting for us to play with bands that are so tight live, you just suck it in and try to absorb everything they are doing.

Still young guys, where are you at with school?

Since we started touring we haven’t had anytime to be doing school. When we were home we were there for a couple weeks or writing for a month. We all either went from High school to touring or did community college until touring.

You guys finished your new record, Goodnight Witness Light- done with Matt Squire (Panic! at the Disco, Cute Is What We Aim For), tell me about it.

Matt Squire was a blast, we definitely connected with him musically and personality wise which made it just awesome to work with him and bounce ideas back and forth. We walked in with lots of ideas and we were stoked to be isolated. Last time we did the whole record in Seattle and there were so many distractions. At Matt’s studio, his basement is where we were living and the really big garage is the studio. You’re in this recording zone, it really allows you to focus. We were able to write at night, and do pre-production during the day. He was super fun to work with. He didn’t change our songs into something we didn’t want them to be, but he would still be critical on anything he thought was lacking. We were really thankful to be with him.

What’s the best gift a fan could give to you guys on tour?

I never mind homemade cookies, chocolate chip is my favorite. Pretty standard. Somebody bought me a lot of things for my birthday once, like headbands and target gift cards and that was pretty fun.

Any last comments?
Seahawks lost and it breaks my heart!