Our 10th Podcast is now up for your listening pleasure.
Subscribe to our podcast in iTunes here or listen below.
Music by:
Asia Minor – “Showdown In Tokyo 3”
The Starrs – “Whatever It Takes”
The Morning Of – “A Barrel Tapped At Both Ends”
Archives for 2006
The Radio Fix – Of Hyacinth and Jasmine
Artist: The Radio Fix
Album: Of Hyacinth and Jasmine
Label: None
Purchase: Interpunk
Released: December 10, 2005
Overall: 9.0
Lyrics: 8.5
Music: 8.9
Production: 9.2
The Radio Fix are a five piece rock outfit from Dayton, TN. You’d never know it. I love finding bands that break the Tennessee stereotype. You know..country artists? Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but I love hearing good rock music from Tennessee. It goes to show that we’re all not a bunch of hicks obsessed with our tractors, how sexy they are, and a sunny day on the farm ending with a dip in the mudhole. With that being said, let’s hop to it.
The Radio Fix play emo tinged rock much in the vein of Anberlin. It’s got “that sound” but isn’t cliche “oh baby baby, you broke my heart, I want you back” stuff. The opening track on this EP, “Curse Me When You Leave” is a pretty good way to start things off. The song showcases vocalist Craig Biddy’s varied range. I would love to hear this guy live and will probably make the effort to do so within the next month.
“Put You Out to Sea” sounds like a radio ready song that should be kicking crap like Crossfade off the airwaves.
“Sun and Sea Become An End” is an upbeat tune that again capitalizes on the superb vocals. The drums will keep your head bobbing around, and once you learn the words to this song, you will be singing along.
I didn’t like “Save Yourself” until I heard the “whoahs” during the chorus. I like pretty much any song with “whoahs” in it, and the ones here are awesome. Plus, the song picked up a bit after the first chorus.
“The Sweetest Air” closes the EP with a strong song that makes you want more. This is probably my favorite track on here. I hate to repeat myself, but the vocals here are just beautiful. To be cliche, they’re soaring.
Overall, this is an impressive debut from former members of Rifles at Recess and Across Five Aprils. Keep an eye on this band, because they should have labels chasing after them soon enough.
Track Listing
1. Curse Me When You Leave
2. Put You Out To Sea
3. The Sun and Sea Become An End
4. Save Yourself
5. The Sweetest Air
Armor For Sleep Interview February 2nd 2006
I got to sit down with Ben Jorgensen from Armor For Sleep in Nashville, TN.
Trevor: What’s the tour been like so far?
Ben: It’s been awesome, man. Every show has been sold out so far, so we can’t complain. It’s been really good.
Trevor: Are all the kids reacting well to every band on the tour?
Ben: Yeah, it’s like a package tour. We call it “The Invisible Sideshow” and not the “Armor For Sleep Headlining Tour” for a reason. We knew it’s about all the bands. Every band has their own thing going on and it’s more about the power of all the bands together than it is the power of just us.
Trevor: Are there any crazy stories from this tour yet? Has anything really random happened yet?
Ben: We played a show in New York City. It was the biggest show we ever headlined in New York before, and our management got us a stretch limo. We had an afterparty at this super hipster place. It’s strange. We got out of the limo at the club and everyone like, moved away and there was a red carpet for us to go on. I was like, “What the fuck?”
(Laughter)
Trevor: Speaking of crazy stories, there are plenty of them on the DVD that just came out. Now, why did you guys go ahead and decide to release a DVD?
Ben: Because, we’re kind of sick of bands being bands and there’s always a barrier between them and their fans. The fans think they know them based on their songs, but every band is full of five or six real people. We just wanted to show everyone who we really are. We’re just four normal dudes from New Jersey who just happen to be in a band that plays music. We wanted all our fans to know we’re real people, and we wanted to film ourselves being idiots.
Trevor: Do you prefer to play the old songs or the newer songs? Do you even have a preference?
Ben: There’s gratification in playing both. On this tour, we’re bringing back a couple of old songs that we haven’t really gotten to play, and that’s cool because I know people might want to hear those songs. At the same time, we’re playing a couple of new songs that we never got to play from this album that I know people are going to be stoked about. I’m excited for both. We’re never going to be one of those bands that justs forgets about our old songs.
Trevor: Why did you decide to do a more developed concept album this time around.
Ben: I think that’s just the way we write. I think an album, the albums that I like, kind of tell a story or a piece of history. They’re more than just a collection of songs. They’re a state of mind. I don’t think it was any different than the way we did “Dream to Make Believe.” Maybe it’s a little more story-oriented, but it just has common threads running through it. I think at the time, that’s the kind of album we wanted to make. I’m not saying we’re always going to make concept albums, but that’s what felt right.
Trevor: Even though it’s been out for almost a year, do you think the new album is still gaining momentum?
Ben: Yeah, I mean if anything, I know we’re selling more records now than we ever have on this record cycle. Shit’s kind of picking up for us on the more mainstream front, so it’s not dead by any means. Things kind of take a while for an album sometimes.
Trevor: Are you writing any new material yet?
Ben: We actually have our whole next album written. We’re going to go record it as soon as this tour is over.
Trevor: Well that takes care of the next question. (Laughter) Is there anything that you have to bring on tour. Is there anything that you HAVE to have while you’re on the road?
Ben: My iPod. Now that we have a bus, my X-Box. It’s my second life. We brought our recording studio out here with us. This is where we’re going to be making demos of our whole album. We’re a pretty high tech band. We all have Sidekicks and iPods. We keep up with the times and we try and utilize 2006 for whatever it can bring us. We all have laptops, and we update our Myspace pages. You know what I mean? Everything that a normal person has nowadays, we have.
Trevor: If you could set up a dream tour with any bands you could play with, who would it be?
Ben: Probably Nirvana and Radiohead..Say Anything.
Trevor: Oh man, yeah. If they ever get back on the road..
Ben: They will. Max is a good friend of mine. They’re going to kick ass this year.
Trevor: Yeah, they’ve got the re-release of the album coming out and with the right push, they could be huge.
Ben: They will be, man. They’re one of the few bands that we get to tour with that I think really change the landscape of music. Max is one of my good friends, and it’s really weird, because when I talk to him I’m a really huge fan of his songs; but at the same time I’m still his good friend, so it’s cool.
Trevor: Finally, what are your plans for the summer?
Ben: Warped Tour. Full Warped Tour.
Trevor: Are you guys playing Main Stage?
Ben: A little bit. We’ll dabble in the main stage and see how it feels.
(Laughter)
Trevor: All right. Thank you for sitting down with me.
Ben: Oh, no problem man.
Time and Distance – The Way It Should Be
Artist: Time and Distance
Album: The Way It Should Be
Label: None
Purchase: Smart Punk
Release Date: August 15, 2006
Overall: 7.6
Lyrics: 6.5
Music: 8.0
Production: 8.0
It’s been a couple years since I was introduced to this once “solo acoustic-rock” project from Charleston, WV. Since then, this four-piece has toured the country relentlessly with bands like Taking Back Sunday, Midtown, Daphne Loves Derby, and hundreds more. To say the least, this is one of the hardest working bands in the music scene. “The Way It Should Be” was recorded last spring and due to personal decisions was not released on their current home I-Surrender Records. The release date and label is still undetermined.
The dueling vocals provided by Greg McGowan and Derek Reese are unusually crisp for a two-singer combo. Aaron Squared’s bass and Ryan Ware’s drumming create a well-rounded rhythm section. What you might notice after a few listens is that there is very little extra instrumentation done on this record. Besides a track guest produced by Heath Sacreno of Midtown, almost all of what you hear, you will hear in the live show.
The first track titled Up-Out & Over it begins with a frustrated attack on a former romantic interest saying, “I can’t wait for this to end.” Wouldn’t it be fitting if that were the theme of the whole record? Fortunately, it’s not. This track is a very catchy, ready-for-the-radio song that has become quite addicting.
Moving forward to “Miss New York,” my favorite track on this record; As far as musicianship goes, it quite a simple song. What I am most impressed with is the caliber of back up vocalist Derek Reese. He handles most of the bridge, with vocals that I wish were seen in a lot more of the music in this genre. His melody is high, yet powerful and full, a great complement to Greg’s vocals.
This record is filled with other great tracks like Remember and Until it’s Over, and the do-it-yourself recording of Addicted. With traditional chord progressions, and catchy melodies, this is not a breakthrough record by any means. The truth is that they’re a very solid band that’s ready for the mainstream. This record has potential to be every one’s guilty pleasure, & maybe land them on one of the many major labels that have been following them since their first national tour.
Track Listing
1. Up Out & Over It
2. Lost In Me
3. Four To Go
4. I Miss New York
5. Remember
6. Until It’s Over
7. Say Anything
8. A Promise
9. Coast To Coast
10. Three Days Late
11. Addicted
Standout Tracks
“I Miss New York”, “Up Out & Over It”, “Lost In Me”
Green Carnation Interview January 15th 2006
Given the time differences between the US and Norway, guitarist Tchort of Green Carnation e-mailed me answers to a few questions.
Were there any member changes since the last GC release? If so, who’s gone and who’s new? Did these new members affect GC’s decision to create an all-acoustic album or had this been a goal of the band from long ago?
Anders Kobro (drums) was replaced with Tommy Jackson after the recording of The Quiet Offspring. You could say that was because of “musical differences”, but all in all, it was a decision made to keep up the quality of future recordings. Kobro had been in the band since the year 2000, and during this period, he got more bands, got more kids, full job, etc. so it was hard for him to find the time we required of him. Tommy is a long time friend of the band and knew most of our material by heart already, so the change was a smooth one.
Regarding the decision on making an acoustic album, that came from the fact that Green Carnation had its 15th anniversary in 2005, and we wanted to do something special for the fans. Since we already had released a full length album earlier the same year, we decided on doing an acoustic album, which would be a new thing for us as well as the fans.
The strings on Acoustic Verses are beautiful. Did you bring special guests or is there a member of the band who was talented enough to write and record those string parts? Have you ever considered adding a strings instrument (violin, viola, or otherwise) to your line-up and/or touring show?
The string arrangements were written by the band members, but performed by friends of ours who own and play the violin and viola. Due to our strict deadline during the recording of the string section, we had to use a sample for the chello, but its hard to tell, when its mixed with the violin and viola. Adding a string trio to our live shows, would be great, but we have a hard time as it is already, just to have the promoters to accept the 8 people that we are (6 band members + 2 technicians) hehe However, we are planning on doing something special in the summer…
On your upcoming tour of North America, will you be playing your usual metal live-show or will you be busting out the acoustic instruments and toning it down with some tracks off of this new album?
We dont know yet, but i imagine that we will do both, but how its going to be specifically, we dont know yet.
Given the characteristic thrashing guitars of metal, how do you think the tranquility of Acoustic Verses will go over with your fanbase? Were you thinking of the fans when you wrote this album? Do you have a different target audience for this album or are you trying to diversify the music of your established metal fanbase?
We have been blessed with a open minded fan base (but i guess you have to be open minded if you want to be a green carnation fan) and they have been very acceptive of all our albums and our changes. The acoustic album is a lot different – again – but on the other hand, i believe it captures the essence of Green Carnation; atmosphere, Progressive and melodies. Maybe in even more now than on the other albums. Its sometimes easier to bring forward the essence when you only have an acoustic guitar and vocals. Its easy to drown stuff when you have 26 drum tracks, 8 guitars, 6 different keyboards, pads, etc.
we have done some acoustic versions of our old songs, that were used as bonus material on the DVD we released 2 years ago, and we got some really good feedback from the fans on those songs, so i not only think, i am sure that they will enjoy this album as well 
I’ve never been a fan of metal ï¿Â½ heavy, death, or otherwise ï¿Â½ but after listening to your acoustic album, I decided to check out some of your older stuff. To my surprise I wasn’t cowering in the corner, covering my ears and wishing I could reach the stop button on my computer. In fact, I’ve found a pop element in your songs on the internet that I quite enjoyed. Do you think your acoustic album will be a crossover that will help introduce people who were previously afraid of anything termed “metal” to your music?
Much possible, if they get the chance to hear the album, that is. Metal people are usually very open minded when it comes to music, but “normal” people are not so open-minded when it comes to metal music. I think the album can appeal to both sides of the “fence”, at least thats what we`ve been told by media and those who have listened to the album already. To us, its an album that we approached in a different way, but put just as much effort and time into, as we have done with any other album. I believe that we managed to capture the soul and heart of Green Carnation with this album.
Can you remember first album that you ever got (purchased or received as a gift)? Do you still listen to the band or music like it?
I cant remember exactly, but i am guessing it was a Kiss album (cassette). I later collected all they released up to Crazy nights. I still listen and i still like Kiss a lot!
What would you say is the one album that has most influenced or inspired you to create music?
holy cr**… Thats a hard one! I think maybe i would have to say Deicide / Deicide. I got a real kick from it, and i wrote a lot of music after hearing it. It opened a new world to me. Anyways, its not an album that could see in connection with what I am doing in Green Carnation today hehe
Action Action – An Army of Shapes Between Wars
Artist: Action Action
Album: An Army of Shapes Between Wars
Label: Victory
Purchase: Smart Punk
Release Date: January 24, 2006
Overall: 7.9
Lyrics: 7.7
Music: 9.0
Production: 8.8
I loved The Reunion Show. “The Motion” remains one of my favorite EPs to date. I loved Count the Stars. “Never Be Taken Alive” is the soundtrack to a summer for me. I was devasted when both bands broke up. Then again, I was ecstatic when I heard remains of these bands would be forming a new band. “Don’t Cut Your Fabric to This Year’s Fashion” had some good songs on it, but let me down. There was a lot of boring stuff on that album. I can’t say the same for “An Army…”
Holy synth-lines abound, Batman! This album’s packing heat in the form of keys and beats. The opening track, “Smoke and Mirrors” is heavy with synth and Mark’s voice fits the mood perfectly.
Let’s hop forward a couple of songs to “Sleep Paralysis.” This is an ubeat number telling “everyone to wake up.” Head his words. This song will have you dancing about. Not to mention the outtro to the song will have you scratching your head while it’s still bobbing up and down. If you took a recorder(like the ones you had to practice with in Jr. High for band) and screwed around with it in fruity loops, you’d have this sound.
The album’s first single, “The Game,” is reminiscent of retro-rock such as Rooney. For real. I’m not kidding. Aside from Mark’s voice, I could see this being on a Rooney disc. The big difference is; I like Rooney. I don’t like this song. There’s no synth here, and honestly, when it’s present, that’s this band at their finest.
“Paper Cliche” picks things back up. It sounds like Shiny Toy Guns minus female vocals. I dig this song pretty well and would add it to rotation at a club. It rocks out allowing you to thrash and groove at the same time.
“120 Ways to Kill You: An Illustrated Children’s Book” has a very “80s feel” to it. This song is one of my favorites on the album.
Unless you want to go to sleep, skip “What Temperature Does Air Freeze At?” This song tries to be artsy and fails. It’s pretty boring.
Aside from the last two tracks on the disc, the rest are synth-driven pop that will make you want to go listen to Joy Division. That’s where this band are at their finest. Stop making slow music, because frankly, we’re listening to you for the novelty that you’re a synth-pop band. We want dancy, upbeat stuff. Take out the few sleepy songs next time around, and I’ll be 100% happy.
If you liked the first album, definitely pick this one up, because it’s way better. If you didn’t like the first album, give this one a spin and see what you think.
Track Listing
1. Smoke and Mirrors
2. Chemical Frustration
3. A Tornado; An Owl
4. Sleep Paralysis
5. The Game
6. Paper Cliche
7. 120 Ways to Kill You: An Illustrated Children’s Book
8. What Temperature Does Air Freeze?
9. The Other 90% of the Iceberg
10. Analogue Logic
11. Don’t Shoot the Messenger(Not My Idea)
12. Attached to the Fifth Story
13. The Blanket Truth
Podcast Episode #9
Our 9th Podcast is now up for your listening pleasure.
Subscribe to our podcast in iTunes here or listen below.
Music by:
The Prize Fight – “The Apartment”
I Voted For Kodos – “Never Go Home”
Welton – “The Part of Me That Starts With You”
Spitalfield Interview December 14th 2005
I sat down with Mark from Spitalfield a long time ago..well..back in December. I’ve tried several times to get this interview up, but every time, something has gone wrong. Here it is, finally! Sorry it took so long, guys!!
Trevor: So how’s the tour going so far?(theAudition, Dropping Daylight, Plain White Ts)
Mark: The tour has been awesome, actually. Even the weeknights have been awesome. Every stop so far has been pretty good in some way. We’re really having fun with theAudition and the T’s. It’s some Chicago love. Dropping Daylight were on the tour until two nights ago and they were pretty cool, too. It’s a pretty good vibe going into the holidays. Everyone knows that when this tour is done, we have a little time off for Christmas and New Year’s. It’s a very optimistic tour.
Trevor: I’m sure that it helps being with friends so close to the holidays.
Mark: Oh, definitely. Yeah, things are good.
Trevor: You went overseas a couple of months ago. Do you have any stories from that? Any crazy things happen to you?
Mark: Well, it was our second time there. We did the UK last February with Fall Out Boy and we just went back with Hawthorne Heights, Silverstein, and Bayside. I mean, there’s a lot of crazy stories because you have two bands to a bus. They’re like double-decker busses. I mean, we’re all like, real tight friends. All the Victory bands; we’ve all toured together before. I mean, we had a lot of fun, no doubt about it. Individual crazy stories? Our bus driver’s name was Norm Crapper. That was actually his name and he rocked. We brought him out on stage one night in place of me. He’s a super huge guy and was wearing our “Snakebit” t-shirt with a red-rocker wig. He came out and was like, “Hello Birmingham!” and no one knew who he was. We had security come and take him off the stage, and then I came out instead. So it was pretty good.
Trevor: There was a drastic change in sound between your last album “Remember Right Now” and your new one “Stop Doing Bad Things.” Do you attribute that to anything?
Mark: Not really. We’re the same band, but it was just two years of being on the road and maturing, so we wanted a slightly different sounding record. We went with a different producer and the material itself was a little more rock-and-roll, a little more raw. That’s what we were going for. I don’t think I can blame it on anything except being on the road. The first record we wrote, we had toured before, but had never toured like this. It wasn’t until we spent the greater part of two years on the road that we started writing the way we’ve been writing.
Trevor: Since the album dropped, you guys have been on tour supporting it for pretty much the whole year. Is that paying off for you?
Mark: Yeah, overall I’d say so. The whole point of being on tour all the time is to be hitting markets again and again. We’ve been on a range of tours, ranging from headlining like right now to support spots. I mean, hopefully we can press on as the same band. We’re going to have some time off and start demoing for our next record before we go back out in February with Silverstein. We stay busy, but I’d say the hard work pays off. We’re definitely the tightest as we’ve ever been right now. Our fanbase is probably the highest it’s been.
Trevor: TJ left. He had some family troubles. Now how has that affected you guys live?
Mark: Of course at first, you know having someone else on stage is a different feeling. We’d been playing on stage with TJ for almost three years. I don’t know. It was different at first and it took a little getting used to, but we try to be professional and deal with what we have. Since then, I think we’ve really come together with “new TJ.” I think that we’re actually doing quite well. We’re definitely moving past the change.
Trevor: How does the touring affect you guys during the holidays, being away from home and everything?
Mark: It can be tough. We’ll be home for Christmas, which is good. We’ve never really had to miss Christmas before. This past Thanksgiving, we were also able to stop home and have a few days off. It’s tough because you see everyone and you want to be home for a little bit and see your friends and family. You don’t want to just say, “Hey, how’s it going?” You want to be able to hang out. You want to be able to be around and sleep in your own bed, go see movies, and sleep in. But we chose this lifestyle and we love it, so it’s okay.
Trevor: Do you guys have any new videos in the works?
Mark: Nothing really. We might want to do a live video next, but no planned videos for this record. We probably won’t be shooting another real video until our next record.
Trevor: Do you have a target date to start writing for your new album?
Mark: We’ve been writing. We’re going to do some demoing in January. Hopefully we’ll be in the studio by late Spring, and then over the Summer have samplers for it, and have it in stores late Fall. Hopefully next September or October.
Trevor: Are you guys going to try and play Warped Tour this year?
Mark: Always. We always want to play Warped Tour, but we’ve never done it. Fingers crossed, we’ll get something this year.
Trevor: Any other tours lined up for the new year?
Mark: The only thing we really have scheduled besides some college shows here and there, you know to keep busy during our time off because we want to focus on writing; The next tour we have lined up is Silverstein, us, Stretch Armstrong, and theAudition. That’s in late February.
Trevor: Great. Thank you for sitting down with me.
Mark: Oh, no problem man. Anytime.
Hawthorne Heights – If Only You Were Lonely
Artist: Hawthorne Heights
Album: If Only You Were Lonely
Label: Victory
Purchase: Smart Punk
Release Date: February 28, 2006
Overall: 9.3
Music: 9.4
Lyrics: 9.4
Production: 9.2
Hawthorne Heights burst onto the music scene two years ago with their release of “The Silence in Black and White”. With a similar sound to such bands as Taking Back Sunday, Senses Fail, and My Chemical Romance the guys cashed in on the screamcore scene that was forming. With the huge success of their single, “Ohio is For Lovers” not to mention all the nonstop touring with everyone from Spitalfield to Fall Out Boy and appearances on Warped Tour everyone now knows the melodic band from Ohio. This sophomore album is the product of all the hardwork and aspiration the guys put into playing music they are passionate about.
The new album opens with the track, “This is Who We Are”. It opens with a pounding guitar solo before giving way to the soft vocals of JT Woodruff. I have always enjoyed Hawthorne Heights because of the balance between the higher pitched soft vocals of JT and the background screams and this track highlights that superb balance. The next track, “We Are So Last Year” is by far my favorite. The verse is upbeat and the chorus has the most unforgettable lyrics on the album. Woodruff sings, “I just wanted you to know/ I think about you every night/ when I fall asleep/ you were in my dreams/ just like in a movie/ the one you want to see/ with the happy ending.” I also loved the softer sung chorus in the bridge of this one because it drives the lyrical aspects of the song home. The next track, “Language Lessons (5 words or less)” demonstrates Hawthorne Height’s ability to layer its music. With the dual guitar work you can hear the delicate stability between the two. They also work with the background vocals having JT sing the main as well as softer background instead of using the screams. They also have that typical HH sound in the real soft slower bridges. The track “Saying Sorry” was selected as the first single and the video can already be seen on various webpages (AOL music). In the video the guys are wearing white and playing in the clouds as a version of heaven. It’s a pretty trippy rocking video and an excellent pick as the first single. Once again the way the guys turn it from hardrock to soft vocals and the vocal delivery in the chorus makes this song a standout. Woodruff sings, “Saying goodbye/ this time/ the same old story/ seeing you cry/ makes me feel like saying sorry”. They also have the background screams accent the perfect lines to drive home the message. In “Breathing Sequence” the song opens with that all too familiar dark intro before giving way to the dual guitar action and Woodruff’s soothing vocals accenting the verses. The vocal deliver changes so much from the soft first verse to the driving chorus to the fast paced delivery seen in the second verse it constantly kept me on the edge. There is also a very sinister undertone to the whole song that keeps it interesting. Another musical highlight of this record is the song, “Light Sleeper” which opens with that slow moving guitar riff and Woodruff’s comforting vocals before cranking it up and rocking it out. The chorus grabbed my attention and hooked itself in with a great melody and a sensational beat. The song then closes the same way it started very gentle and relaxing. The album closes with the song, “Decembers” which features, believe it or not, a piano and some acoustic guitars. This closing song demonstrates once again how far HH have come since “Silence in Black and White”. Woodruff sings, “You don’t have to speak because/ I can hear your heartbeat/ fluttering like a butterfly/ searching for a drink”. Unquestionably a song like this didn’t appear on the last album and it shows how the guys have made that attempt to grow musically and lyrically.
As I compare “If Only You Were Lonely” to “Silence in Black and White” the immediate thought that comes to mind is that they’ve definitely stuck to their hard rocking roots. In my opinion, however, this album is above and beyond the last album. I found “Silence in Black and White” a little too rough on the ear drums at times. It seemed as if they were just using the throaty screams to add that dimension to their music. On “IOYWL” the screams were only used to accent the message and bring in that added dimension of emotion and angst. Midway through the last album it also seemed like all the songs sort of started to blend into each other while on this album each song stands alone. Hawthorne Heights have definitely progressed musically and lyrically and this album is going to be one of the hardest rocking emotionally driven albums of the year.
Track Listing
1. This is Who We Are
2. We Are So Last Year
3. Language Lessons (5 words or less)
4. Pens and Needles
5. Saying Sorry
6. Dead in the Water
7. I Am on Your Side
8. Breathing in Sequence
9. Light Sleeper
10. Cross Me Off Your List
11. Where Can I Stab Myself in the Ears
12. Decembers
Standout Tracks
“Light Sleeper”, “We Are So Last Year”, “Saying Sorry”
Christopher Gutierrez – Industry Interview
As part of our decision to try and expand our content a bit, I’ve interviewed Christopher Gutierrez. He has a new book called “On the Upswing of Life, Love, and Regret.” Trust me, this one’s worth reading.
Trevor: For those who don’t know who you are, could you please tell us a little about yourself?
Chris: My name is Christopher Gutierrez, I recently self-published a book called, “On the Upswing of Life, Love and Regret”. Most people know me as the dude “Hey Chris” from the Falloutboy song ‘Grenade Jumper’.
Trevor: You got your own website this year, AskHeyChris.com. What inspired you to do so?
Chris: Years ago, FOB had a contest that I judged. My internet contact info was posted for thousands of 14 year old shut-ins to abuse. My instant messenger often froze my computer so I started my livejournal as a tongue-in-cheek response to their questions. I would paste the link in the IM window and ridiculousness ensued. Over the years I managed to fool thousands of people into thinking I know what I’m talking about. The website is merely an extension of the LJ.
Trevor:This past year, you completed the Chicago Marathon, crossing something off your list of life goals. What else is on that list?
Chris: Haha. Every year I add more goals to the list than I scratch off. Its my “list of stuff to do before I die”. There’s everything from learning how to play the piano to doing the running of the bulls to watching the entire Star Wars trilogy in one day. Learning how to do that breakdancing move the helicopter is definitely at the top.
Trevor:What was the process of getting your book into the form that we can see it in now?
Chris:First you have to have a rabid fan base of bored teenagers assault you with requests for a book. Then you come up with story ideas. Then you make your life sound as cool as you possibly can without lying. Then you sit back and marvel at all the time you just expended dredging up those emotions and you hope that its enough. Then you find 2 amazingly intelligent people who will work for damn near next to nothing named Adam, who is a honors english creative writing teacher and Sara, who is a copyright editor of text books proof read and edit your 3rd grade chicken scratch. Then you spend twice as long editing the stories as you did on writing them. Then you get an wonderful girl named Lindsey to take a bunch of sensitive artist pictures of you in a shady alley. Then you find an out of work graphic designer named John do the book layout for you because he feels sorry for your broke ass, you pay him in pizza and Thai food. Then you find a printer online who will print your self-absorbed little stories into a little book at a cost of thousands of dollars you don’t have. Then you convince a few people into believing in your crappy dream of publishing your own book and you borrow more money than you’ve ever had in your bank account at one time. Then you send out all the files to said printer and wait for your proof to be sent back to you. Then you approve the proof and pay an extra $400 for rush shipping so hundreds of grubby little lurkers can get their paws on it by christmas. Then because you can’t trust your neighbors in your apartment building you have 1000 books shipped to your work. Then when they arrive you frantically tear open a box, grab the book, hold it up in front of your face and let out the longest sigh ever.
Trevor:You’ve been informed by “Borders Books” that they will be carrying your book in their stores. Did you ever picture something like that happening?
Chris:I sent the book in to Borders on a whim. I figured the book would go straight into the trash, that was until I received a phone call at work from a representative telling me they actually liked my book about stupid boy pee pee antics. Currently i am whoring myself out to distributors, asking them to carry my book as Borders will not purchase books from individuals.
Trevor:You’re doing readings at schools now and are looking to do more. What all will these sessions be consisting of?
Chris:The readings at the schools will consist of me nervously standing in front of small groups of people desperately trying to entertain them with childhood tales of mayhem. I’ll read a couple of stories from the book, a couple from the upcoming book, and a handful of journal entries. Then I will stand back and pray that no one throws anything at my face.
Trevor:What are some of your favorite stories from the book?
Chris:Well April, 1983 was cathartic for me because as my fingers were moving and I was staring at the screen I could believe what I was writing. A lot of suppressed memories came out and at times was a bit difficult to get through. While Young, Poor and Snotty is my least favorite story I love reading it because it takes me back to amazing and desperate times fueled by sex and general anarchy. It’s written like shit and there is absolutely no continuity, but as I get older and those nights begin to fade, I’m just glad I managed to put it all down before its all lost to alzheimers.
Trevor:How did music affect the way you looked at life?
Chris:Music not only affected the way I looked at life, it changed, altered, and strengthened my views on damn near everything I was ever taught. from the Sex Pistols to the Dead Kennedys to Los Crudos to Propagandhi to Youth of Today, there are songs by these bands that I hold as pure gospel. I’ve learned more from some records than from entire religions. Although the music is merely the vessel for the message, the message of this philosophy is one of pure fucking heart and if you dont see that, then you dont fucking get it.
Trevor:If you could have any three defunct bands(dead or alive) tour together, who would it be?
Chris:Minor Threat. Black Flag. Van-Halen with David Lee Roth. But not together. I would lose my shit.
Trevor:What is your opinion on the state of the music industry today, such as the RIAA lawsuits?
Chris:Eh, thats tricky. I can only assume your question is directed at file sharing. From one stand point I understand how as a band you put so much blood, sweat and tears into creating music and something you love and you would hope to get paid for it and to not have people “steal” it. But it is “art” I suppose and how do you put a price tag on that? There are small bands who may get hurt from this, but as a positive, sharing files is just that, sharing, which is also promotion. Personally, I think fuck big bands. to me its ludicrous that people make millions from playing music, just as I see it ridiculous that sports players make millions, but thats another rant altogether. So when Metallica bitches about someone downloading ‘Battery’ I say fuck you, fuck you in your fucking mansion, driving your ferraris and living in the top 1% of people in this world. how dare you look at struggling college kids who actually LIKE and support your band and sue them? what these greedy bastards dont realize is that for every song someone steals, that stolen song is an advertisement for at least a handful more people and can potentially turn more people into fans.
Trevor:What do you have planned for the coming year as far as the website and a new book go?
Chris:The website is difficult for me to update as much as I would like. But as far as other projects; by the summer I would like to have my new book out. It will be similar to the first book as far as content and style only longer, beefier with better stories and written better. The release date is the beginning of warped tour. After that I will be putting out an audio book so you can hear my juvenile ass tell my childish stories. A 3rd book is already in the works and is completely different than anything else but keep that on the downlow.