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Michael Zapruder Interview – March 27th, 2009

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Michael Zapruder’s latest album Dragon Chinese Cocktail Horoscope is a masterfully fabricated journey in artistry and experimentation for a solo artist. Already becoming an artist with quite the legacy, he was able to take some questions from Driven Far Off about his album and his career (past, present and future).

Purchase his latest album on iTunes and at the Sidecho Records Store.

Also check out his latest video for “Ad’s For Feeling’s” here.

 

How did the 52 songs project benefit you? did it help you become a better lyricist having to write a new song each week?
 
I hope so. 52 Songs was a learning experience for me all around. I spent lots of time in the studio, for example, and I learned to be pretty comfy in that environment. There were lots of specific things like that that I got just from the amount of work I was doing. But the main benefits were really all fundamental. Basically I got to indulge in a lot of ideas that I was curious about but which ultimately were probably trivial. I got to get all my juvenilia out of my system. I got my ya-yas out, and that helped me to approach things more simply and directly, which is a good thing for music and lyrics both.

 What was the intended message on Dragon Chinese Cocktail Horoscope you wanted to convey?
 
 I went in to the project with some goals for myself and the record, but it was a method I wanted to use, rather than a message. I wanted to do a wide, diverse group of songs so that the larger group of songs might spin off interesting and unexpected kinds of associations on their own. At one point I conceptualized it as a kind of psychological cubism or something like that – different, unresolved simultaneous things that are still somehow unified. I believe that most of us experience the world that way, and I wanted to try to be true to that when I wrote and made this record. I didn’t want to oversee myself that much. As for what the record conveys, I hope there’s a mysterious and durable thread at the center of the record which people want to keep grabbing for.
 
During the writing process was there ever a song that ended up making Dragon Chinese Cocktail Horoscope that you immediately knew was going to be there?
 
 There were songs that I felt sure would make one of my records, because I knew I would want to make sure to put them out; but I wasn’t attached to a particular song. Ultimately, I tried to just be realistic about which recordings seemed to be working, and to build the record from those. Of course, if we hadn’t ended up with enough usable songs after the initial session, I’m sure I would have gone back into the studio to keep trying. 
 
 How do you feel the idea of a constant stream of music in the industry today has evolved and how something like the 52 song project has moved from an outlandish experiment to a smart career move?
 
I may be wrong about this, but I think that quality, and not quantity, is what matters. Back when I did 52 Songs I was thinking that if I wrote a song a week for the rest of my life, it would only add up to ten thousand songs or something, and I figured that if I wrote that many, I’d have a good chance of really connecting with something special on a few dozen of them. So it was quantity as a method to get quality. I think as an artist, that’s totally valid, but as a career move, I suspect that the people who move deliberately and who focus on their strengths and who avoid certain creative detours tend to be more successful. Also, I think doing a 52 songs thing as a writing project is great, but adding in the necessity of turning those songs into full-on recordings is probably not the smartest thing. It’s really good to take your time with recording I think. If things happen fast, cool, but if they don’t, it’s good to keep at it until you have a version that really works. 
 
 Do you believe there is any artist/group in mainstream music today trying to redefine what they are doing and how people perceive “pop music”? or is it all disingenuous?
 
 Yes, I think many people making records, whether they are mainstream records or indie records (although isn’t indie mainstream now?), are trying to do that. The thing is, at the highest levels, pop music really is just about what people like to listen to. So Prince’s recent forays into conceptual long form funk and jazz, or Wilco’s most recent record with its rather unassuming kind of excellence, may lose their place at the top of the heap the more they deviate from what people expect. In any case, I don’t think it’s all disingenuous at all. 
 
 Which song on Dragon Chinese Cocktail Horoscope was the hardest to finish? and why?
 
 Writing-wise, “Can’t We Bring You Home” was hard to finish. I had a bunch of different sets of lyrics for it, and the song form, which is experimental, was hard to decide on. I wanted it to be really unusual without sounding that way, and it took a long time to figure that out. For recording, we worked a lot on “Ads for Feelings” and “Bang on a Drum.” 
 
Listening to your album it’s ambient nature surfaces throughout, do you think more ambient music is overlooked in an industry that values an in-your-face sound?
 
 Well, I’m glad you picked up on that part of the record. Scott Solter and I wanted to use sort of ambient landscapes to make the songs seem finished even if the instrumentation was pretty light. As for whether ambient music is overlooked, I think it’s more that it’s designed to be peripheral. When Eno was in the hospital dreaming it up, the idea was, I’m pretty sure, to make music that would accompany people in their activities without demanding their full attention. So yes I think ambient music is overlooked, but I don’t think it’s the industry’s fault. I think we can all blame Brian Eno for that….
 
 Where would you like to take your music in future releases? Where do you see yourself going artistically?
 
 I’m working on some experimental pop free verse songs that I wrote using as lyrics poems by twenty published mid-career American poets. I love these pieces and expect that to come out sometime within the next year. I’m halfway through recording them. The next record of my own songs is probably going to be more oriented towards directness and energy and a band sound, but no matter what it will be more focused on content than formal experiments. I’ve even considered setting a limit for myself to make a record where none of the songs is slower than 120 bpm. We’ll see about that. In any case, I’d like to make a record that is playable in a live setting, and that is invigorating and cathartic for one and all. And, since I grew up listening to my dad play finger-picking guitar and singing songs, and since I’ve been listening to a lot of Sybll Baier lately, I want to try to record some really mellow stuff like that too. 
 
Is there a certain lyric or a certain song that is especially important or sentimental for you on Dragon Chinese Cocktail Horoscope?
 
 I do like the lyrics on the record a lot. I worked on them for a long time. I’d say the line about staggering out in a horrible speedo always feels somehow relevant to me when I perform it. I also like parts of “Black Wine” a lot. “Harbor Saints” also feels pretty honest and interesting to me. I hope it does for other people too.
 
In your own opinion what is more important: variety or consistency? Is the risk of alienating fans or failing worth the pursuit of a higher level of art? 
 
 I think it’s a balance, and one that I probably don’t really do too well. Ultimately, consistency builds careers, but variety sustains artists, so having a good mix of both seems like the best thing. As for the second question, I’m not sure what a higher level of art is, but I think I do know what its pursuit is like, and yes, I absolutely think it’s worth the risk of alienating fans or failing or whatever else. Perhaps there is a reason why people call creativity a gift (it’s one that I believe we all have, by the way). There is something incredibly fortunate and great about people working, searching for a song or painting or film or anything else, looking for new ways to articulate what it feels like to be alive, what’s important, what should be important, and stuff like that. If you have that in your work, you really have the real thing. The reaction, whether you’re collecting roses thrown on the stage or raking up tumbleweeds on an apocalyptic wasteland, comes after the fact.

Thanks to Michael and Noel from SideCho for helping put this interview together.

Listen to “Ads For Feelings”

1090 Club Interview – March 16th, 2009

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Small town bands have seldom looked so promising. Planted and grown in Billings, Montana, 1090 Club manages not only to shine against the crowd of “main scene” bands, but also effortlessly take a lead. The band answered Driven Far Off’s questions with thoughtful–and funny!–responses on their flourishing lives in the industry.

Check out the band’s recommended song, “ITSON”, by streaming it right here.

– Please state your name and your roll in the band.

Sean: I play guitar, and sing.

Megan: violinist/vocalist

Mike: I play piano and sing.

Steve: drums and vocals.

– What is the history behind 1090 Club?

Sean: 1090 Club started as a pet project for a local band compilation, and originally was never intended as a working band… I wrote a song and got together some friends to help me play it. Upon request, we started playing regionally, and as it goes, people really started to like the 1090 club sound. Over the years we have toured the US countless times, and fine-tuned it to the sound we have now. While in the midst of touring, we did some send outs to labels, and Sidecho liked what they heard. We played a few shows in So-Cal that they came to, and now we’re here. This is our second record for them.

Megan: The band started with Sean and Mike about eight years ago after they both moved back to Billings from living in Portland. They were writing a song for a local compilation that Sean was putting out. I met them at the restaurant Sean owned, they found out I played violin a while later and asked if I would try playing with them. Steve played one of the first songs written but he didn’t become a member until a few years later and after we had gone through numerous member changes. In the beginning of 2005 we started writing our first record. The four of us, plus some different bass players played on the record, which we recorded at Sean’s studio and had mixed by Steve Fisk. We started working on the second record shortly after the first came out. With this record we decided to record as a four-piece and we worked with Steve Fisk again, having him record and mix it for us. We recorded it in February of last year and all of us are really excited for it to be released.

Mike: Sean and I had been friends for a while and were messing around with a song for an upcoming comp. Megan started working at Sean’s restaurant and we all started jamming together. We thought, violin? That’d be crazy. So we tried it and it worked so well. We went through a few line-up changes, having a revolving bass player at every turn. Our drummer quit to get married and we needed a new one. We all knew Steve from the music scene and from different circles of friends. He was playing in a series metal band, but we thought he’d be into trying some music with us. We all jammed one time and it was set. His hard ass style fits so well. He beats the shit out of the drums. We played with a few more bass players and realized we didn’t need one. Dropped it and added more singing and here we are today.

Steve: I was the last addition to the band. So I’m sure there was a point in time when they sucked but I wouldn’t know. But really I recorded a song with them about a year before I joined the band. The song is called “little known fact” which is funny to me cause no one remembers the name, but the song ended up on a split disk with the brother egg, and I’ve been rocking with them ever since.

– From where did the name 1090 Club originate?

Sean: Always the question… Ha! 1090 Club is kind of name that has just stuck with us. Our very first drummer came up with it about 6 years ago, and we’ve had it ever since. It’s another term for a mullet, but that doesn’t necessarily translate with our music, so we downplay that a bit.

Megan: I started playing with the band after they had the name so I’m not totally sure why it was called that but it’s a synonym for the mullet hairstyle (10% front, 90% back)

Mike: The name comes from a hairstyle the mullet. It is 10% in the front, 90% in the back. It seems to be multiplying here in Montana. It started as a bit of a joke name, because it is huge here in small towns, but then things got rolling and we had a lot of notoriety with that name so we really couldn’t change it. We like it though. It ends up taking on a lot of different meanings as well. We start to notice that there are many things with the same 1090 in them. Road signs and stuff like that.

Steve: A joke… I really wish I had something clever to say here. But our name is just a lame joke. However I have sworn to keep it a secret. I hope the others stay true to their oath. Or else they get the hose again.

– How does having the band’s roots in Montana help it flourish and have a beneficial impact on the individual members?

Sean: I think living in Montana has allowed us to write music that is truly ours, without any outside “scene” influence. With there being so few bands here you can really grow into your own thing without worry of unsetting the status quo…

Megan: I think living in Billings has a positive impact for me to write music because I’m not constantly bombarded by it. I cherish all the stuff I listen to because I’ve had to personally seek it out or I’ll hear about band from my friends. We do have a descent, supportive music scene here but the chance that you get to see touring bands is less frequent. Because of this, I think people appreciate shows and get really excited for them.

Mike: I believe we are isolated from having to be a part of some scene and live up to its standards. Having to “play the game” is tiring so we benefit from having the freedom from that and the ability to concentrate more on music than wearing the right pants or hairstyle. Montana has taught us to be self-sufficient and to take on great tasks. If you want something here you must work 10 times as hard because most of the time you have to create it out of thin air. Many people are very driven here and that work ethic has influenced all of us throughout our lives. The solace Montana provides can’t be explained. I have lived all over the place. From giant city to tiniest town and there is no place better than Montana. It has the power to renew your energy in all ways.

Steve: Wow…. I guess being far from the bustle of big cities keeps me from wandering off. “I’m prone to that” but we have a fairly central location for home base and a pretty low cost of living.

– You guys are due to release your first album, Natural Selection, at the end of March, throughout which you worked with legendary producer Steve Fisk (Nirvana, Soundgarden). Has the level of professionalism during the recording of Natural Selection impacted or changed your music at all?

Sean: Definitely. Steve is great… he is the type of producer that gets the best take of you being yourself… he’s not into changing things just for the sake of doing it, or for the sake of the mainstream radio etc… Steve liked the songs when we sent demos to him. As far as recording, we did 3 days at Avast! in Seattle (Legendary Studio), and then the rest at Steve’s home studio. That was really our pace there. We’ve done a lot of house recordings before so it was comfortable.

Megan: Our first record was recorded over the course of a whole year at Sean’s studio so we had a lot of time to experiment with our sound. With the second, we got everything well practiced and planned out before we went to track because we only had two weeks to record. After the first record we had more of an idea of how were worked together as a whole and what kind of sound we wanted so it was easier to be prepared for the second. I think it’s really cool that we’ve gotten to experience recording in two very different settings? I’ve definitely learned a lot and Steve was very fun and laid-back and open to different ideas. It was nice being able to experiment on the first but I think our songs on the second flow better.

Mike: Well, if we are talking about from the last record to this one, yes the level has changed quite a bit, yet stayed very relaxed. We recorded the first record in Sean’s house over the course of 2 years. It was very relaxed and productive. While recording with Fisk we had to really have our shit together BEFORE we walked into the studio so we spent tons of time in pre-production with rehearsals and learning parts. Although he was laid back and the feel of the time with him was mellow, he required a lot out of us and we worked 11-15 hour days straight. He wanted the best he could get from us. It was nice to have someone outside of the band there to kick us into gear. He offered us many great ideas and ways to think about the recording process. He really was an amazing guy. He really became our friend through this.
The more serious aspect of trying to really “step-up” our new record hopefully comes across as more mature as well. It influenced the music in a much darker way than I thought it would. I originally wanted to call the record, “this was supposed to be happier.” As a joke. But it kind of captures what happened. What we set out to do and what we ended up with was two different things, yet exactly the way we wanted it.

Steve: Of course, but how, I couldn’t say. We had the vast majority of the natural selection written before we went to Seattle, however Steve Fisk is an infectious character and I’m sure the fun we all had together will show it’s self to the listener.

– What song from Natural Selection would you recommend new listeners of 1090 Club listen to first?

Sean: I would recommend ITSON (the first track on the album) and Happiness. I think these 2 songs kind of sum up what we’re all about as a band. Lots of vocals, some intricate interwoven instrument lines and upbeat tempos… We have different types of songs, but it’s a good intro.

Megan: I seem to change which song I like all the time. I think ITSON and Happiness seem to encompass the basic sound of the band. So those are the ones I’d probably recommend but I really like Hearts as of late.

Mike: ITSON, Off my Mind. Happiness. They seem to capture what we’re about in a general way that can lead to the weirder stuff.

Steve: Oh boy… I think “happiness” effectively shows the many shades of the 1090.

– How is Natural Selection unique from the hundreds of other albums of the same genre?

Sean: What genre are you taking about? Ha 🙂 we get so many different comparisons, I think we have a lot of options as far as fans. Hopefully they will all take a listen at something a little different out there. The music biz is filled with so many carbon copy bands (same hair, same clothes, same everything) that it reminds me of the dark ages of the 1980s butt metal scene… there were thousands of Poisions and Motley Crews, and none were good… People are looking for something new…desperately..right now. And we as a band seem to translate to a bunch of folks out there. We were compared to Irish/Scottish music the other day, in a good way. None of us really listen to anything like that, but people seem to relate on a different level with us.

Megan: I’d like to think that the instrumentation is sort-of unique. All four of us sing lead parts, we don’t have a bass player, and although there are other bands with string instruments, I think that a lot of times they’re not used as lead instruments like the violin is in our band.

Mike: We have a different orchestration, and really aren’t tryin to capture the newest trend in music. You can’t put your finger on what we are, and we love that. We have just happened upon this great opportunity that people actually want to hear our silly songs.

Steve: I don’t even know where we fit as far as genre goes.

– What mood do you hope the album evokes from its listeners?

Sean: I think the record can evoke a bunch of different emotions. It all depends on the listener and how they read certain things. It’s a record about the interaction between humans, good or bad. Everyone sometime in their life has good and bad times.

Megan: I personally like music that has a sort-of dark edge to it. Something that you want to listen to in headphones so you can hear all the intricacies, but I also like music that is kind-of upbeat and I feel our record has some of all of these qualities.

Mike: I hope it is kind of a dark joy. I want them to be calmed, but a little uneasy feeling.

Steve: Confidence.

– How does it feel to have previously shared the stage with bands like Bright Eyes and Minus the Bear? Does it arouse any emotions of intimidation or reverence?

Sean: It’s a really great honor to of played with such great artists. Both Bright Eyes and Minus the Bear are great people too. They are all inspirational for me, not intimidation… It really makes you want to work even harder, and appreciate every fan you have out there. Those guys are all at the top of the game, and some of the nicest I’ve met.

Megan: Playing with bands like that totally blows my mind. We played with Minus the Bear way before they were super huge so they didn’t have that big of a production but I still loved their band so it was really exciting playing with them. Bright Eyes, on the other hand, was in a pretty large venue and it was one of the bigger shows we’ve played so I was definitely nervous. One of my favorite parts of being in a band is meeting people so it’s really cool when you get to meet artists that you have tons of respect for.

Mike: Both really, Minus the Bear are smaller so they were not as intimidating to meet. Bright Eyes was a little different. Meeting Conner from Bright Eyes was intense. I had some misconceptions about it all; I mean, “Hi, you’ve sold how many records? And you’re playing with us?” But it was so much easier and more relaxed than I could have imagined. I can truly say Conner is one of the nicest dudes I’ve met in this industry in a long time. Omaha and Montana have a lot in common. We tend to really get a long with people from there. It was also amazing to watch first hand the band Bright Eyes doing their thing as professionals. Getting to see the “behind the scenes” transformation from a bunch of dudes hanging out into Bright Eyes was pretty amazing. To be a part of that show gave us a glimpse of the next level we’d like to achieve.

Steve: The majority of big bands that we have gotten to play with have been some of the nicest people I’ve ever met. I don’t feel intimidated by them at all.

– Where does the band (individually or collectively) draw its inspiration from?

Sean: Wow, that’s a tough one. We all have been trained musicians at some point in our lives, and our music collection is really vast and all over the place. So, that being said, there are numerous factors in ourselves, as well as between members. We’re music lovers, what can I say…

Megan: For me personally, I draw inspiration from all the bands I listen to. The anniversary was one of the first indie-type records I listened to, and Cursive’s Ugly Organ changed how I viewed string instruments in music. Just all the things you listen to and think… I wish I could write something that awesome.

Mike: All sorts of things, Books, Philosophy, Nature, Other music. I am really into ancient writings right now. Mystery school stuff. Hidden messages in the paintings of Michelangelo.

Steve: Collectively. It seems we write in pairs. Several of the songs on N.S. started with Mikey and I jamming some drum and keys at the start of practice and they went from there. Others are songs that we all individually brought to the table and “1090ed” them as a group like “conversations”

– What is your process for writing lyrics and how long does it take you? Where do you feel the emotion comes from within you?Sean: Really depends on the song for me. Mike does a lot of the lyric writing. I’ll usually have an idea and go to him and we make a little more sense of it. A lot of times it’s words that I ended up singing while writing it, and they stick to the end…

Mike: I write about 90% of the lyrics. My process changes from month to month. For a while I could only write sitting at my desk surround with very little light and lots of loud music. Other times inspiration just strikes and I have to jot down whatever lines or words have appeared in my brain. This happens a lot while I drive. I came up with almost all of happiness while on a road trip by myself. I also have been a writer for a while and so this affords me a vast collection of tiny notes, one-liners, strange words, and rhymes to harvest from if I get stuck. At times I will be reading through old notebooks and find that one line that will work with what I am trying to do.
I really can’t say where it comes from. But it is in some essence easy to be struck with the feeling or moment you want to portray. When I space out and open up to the thoughts running through my head. The light is lit, the muse just speaks if you take the time to listen. It is constantly happening to me. I keep notes upon notes with me at all times. The hardest part is the capturing that “A-ha!” moment and wrestling it into actual words on a page.
Some of the songs have almost written themselves lyrically. The music will sometimes just click something on in my brain and the words just flow. This is how don’t tell me and hearts came to be. Occasionally they process is fast. But most of the time I am crafting, editing, changing, re-writing, and re-organizing lyrics until the very last minute of production and recording. So it takes some time.
Most of the songs are directed to a general “you”, not really about anyone specific. But there are a few songs such as Things Inside, Happiness, and Conversations that are about specific people. Past relationships of course, and other interactions. Mostly things that grew out of anger with others, but turned into something better than that.
I set out to write a happier record lyrically than the one I ended up with. I still feel even thought he darker imagery there is still hope in the words, at least that’s what I want to portray.

Steve: Most of my lyrics come from experiences with people and are usually cut directly from conversations I’ve had with them. Or they are what I would like to say to those peeps. This can take a long time to put together a song.

– Many bands take a stance against becoming “sell outs” and changing their music to hit “mainstream”. How do you feel about this issue? Would you ever consider altering your music if it were to launch you to that “mainstream” fame?

Sean: I would never change my music just for the sake of fans. That being said, I would never refuse anyone the chance to listen to 1090 Club. That’s the most important thing here.. The fans.

Megan: I never thought when joining the band we would even get this far. I hoped it became something, but I’ve never been too interested in fame. I play in the band because I like what we write, so altering that doesn’t really seem like an option.

Mike: I would love to make a living from my music at whatever level I can. I laugh at any band that has a label deal or a song on any media that talks about “not having sold out.” Umm..How’d you get here then?
Most bands I know don’t think of it as selling out or not selling out. They think of it as making a living at what they love. Who doesn’t want to do that? I think the terminology to “sell out” is part of the problem. It gives those who don’t understand that music is a business the wrong idea about why they may have that CD in their hand. I have more problems being called a “sell-out” by a fucking 15 year old that works at taco bell and is dressed up in the newest trendy clothing line sucking down his coke and smoking his cigarette. Yeah, right, I’m the “sell-out.” I do what I love for a living and I’m the sell out?” That’s fucking great.

Steve: To a certain extent, and anyone who says otherwise is lying to their self. But there are fundamental things about my music that I could never change; however if someone would like to tell me what drumbeat could make me a millionaire. I would gladly fit it into a song. I got kids to feed and bills to pay… I’m broke!!!

– How do you plan to stand out in the current music scene?

Sean: We’re hoping that our music stands on its own. I believe people are looking for a change in the current listening environment. I believe 1090 can stand out among a lot of bands right now…Thanks for the interview. This helps a lot as well!

Megan: I think we have a somewhat unique sound especially compared to a lot of the music that’s popular at the moment. I think lots of people are looking for something new and I hope that our record will stand out because of it.

Mike: Our orchestration and isolation tends to help us be different and sounding different from most all other bands. Once you have seen us live, it is hard to forget the 1090 Club.

Steve: With our hands on our hips and our pants at our ankles!!

The Color Fred Interview – March 7th, 2009

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fredmascherinoFred Mascherino is almost too good to be true with the following attributes: a dedicated vegan, a gifted guitarist, a beautiful vocalist, and a passion for the environment equaling a love for his fans. Known for his time with Taking Back Sunday, he now shines on his own through The Color Fred. After tracking down the extremely down to earth and extremely busy Fred, I was able to speak with him at his March 7th show at the Pipeline Cafe (HI) about his solo journey so far.

A tremendous thanks to Gary Strack of Reybee Inc. for helping me set up the interview and pursue Fred.

– Can you tell us what The Color Fred is all about?

Fred: It’s pretty much a solo project I started called The Color Fred. It’s mostly me and I have different musicians play live with me.

– You used to be co-vocalist and guitarist of Taking Back Sunday. What made you want to branch out and leave the band?

F: I always wanted to sing a little bit more and we were actually heading in the other direction in Taking Back Sunday. We started out as a double vocals thing and it became more of a front man thing, so I wanted to front my own band.

– What were the pros and cons of leaving the band?

F: Well, in a lot of ways it was like starting over again because I had to let everyone know, “hey I’ve got this new record out, it’s new music,” and since I can’t immediately pump it to radio or anything, it’s more work. It’s also a solo project, so I can’t like blame the other members of the band if things don’t get done. But the positive part is that I’m doing what I love and it feels more rewarding when it works out.

– Were there any times when you wanted to quit The Color Fred and return to Taking Back Sunday?

F: Well, it’s been amazing because I’ve gotten to spend the last year on the road and getting to experience new things like coming to Hawaii has just been a dream come true. So it’s never gotten that bad. It’s always been great actually. So I guess the answer is no!

– So you’ve released one album, Bend to Break (2007), about a year and a half ago. Are you happy with the response you have received from it?

F: Yeah, we’ve definitely been building up our little army and I’m really proud of what we’ve done so far. I just went in and recorded an acoustic EP that comes out in April. In general, the reaction has been amazing. Just the fact that this is my first time coming to Hawaii and there were kids singing along last night is just amazing. It was one of the loudest crowds I’ve ever played for.

– What was the main theme or mood you tried to portray in your album?

F: The funny thing is I’ll think of the mood I want to portray but it always comes out how I’m feeling that month or year. So I can’t put on some phony teen angst. I definitely do have some inner struggles like every other person, so I try to write about that. It’s kind of my way of dealing with it, like counseling myself and not losing my mind.

– What is your favorite song on the album?

F: On Bend to Break it would be “Hate to See You Go.” It’s a song that came together well; it’s special to me. There’s also another song, “Don’t Pretend,” which is the last song on the record. It just moves me in the way I wanted it to.

– You are currently working on a new EP. How does it differ from Bend to Break?

F: It’s a lot different. Bend to Breakis something that I spent a long time writing and a long time recording, and with this [EP] I kind of just wanted to do something new and different. We are actually releasing it on Record Store Day, which is when they promote the idea of going to stores and buying CDs. It encourages people to support their local record store, which is definitely a dying breed.

– Were there any complications during the recording the new EP?

F: Yeah, I was actually sick. I had flown out to Chicago for a Myspace show, then I got back into Philly and I hadn’t slept at all, and my friend then picked me up and I went straight to the studio. We went back and redid some of the vocals, but some of them came out more real because of me being sick, and most of the tracks were done in one taping. The EP is supposed to capture how it would be if you were sitting in my living room and I was playing.

– Does it feel strange to have gone from playing with the extremely well known Taking Back Sunday, who has headlined Warped Tour, to playing as an opener for other famed bands like The All American Rejects?

F: Nah, it’s kind of like going back to my roots again. For a person who always wanted to play music, the fact that I’m still doing it makes me feel lucky. Of course, I’ve always played the same way whether I’m playing in front of 5 people or 5,000. I just love what I do and there’s nothing that weird about it. I still get to do what I love and it’s not for the fame. Actually, it’s even better because it’s my own stuff.

– What are a few things u can’t live without on tour?

F:  I’m a vegan and vegetarian, so I’m always looking for good things to eat, not just broccoli. I want a good veggie burger or things that are hard to find. I’m finding a lot of it here though!

– Have you ever been “star struck” after idolizing a band for so long and then meeting them?

F: It’s usually for me like, the old classic rock guys who freak me out. I’d sound like a geek if I told you, but I grew up listening to, like, led zeppelin and those guys, but I was also around for the metal years. So there is this guitarist called Steve Vai, and I met him once and was totally weird to him. He looked at me like, “you’re a freak,” but I didn’t want to say anything because it’s weird to be in that position where you can’t explain why you feel that way. You want to say that, “you changed my life,” but it always sounds strange. Most of the ’80’s people aren’t like the guys now, so I always freak out when I see them.

– Has anything completely crazy or strange happened at a show?

F: I was helping a merch guy cut a rope recently that was tied to a pole, so I got out a knife and when the rope broke I accidentally stabbed myself in my leg, 2 inches deep. I tied up my leg and played the show and later that night I went to the hospital. It was very painful…but I made it and I have a big scar. It looks tough.

– Are there any causes or movements you are particularly passionate about?

F: Yeah, I mentioned I’m a vegetarian, and one of the main reasons for that is we are pretty passionate about preserving the environment as a band. I buy carbon offsets when we go on tour and my packaging for Bend to Break is one of the greenest packaging that I could find. It’s like all biodegradable and recycled material—except the CD, of course. I just hope that other bands can take notice of that. I just didn’t feel right putting all these plastic cases out in the world with my name on it. You have to take responsibility for those things.

– Do you have advice for anyone who is trying to pursue the musical path you’ve taken?

F: I think it’s just a matter of putting your words into action. Like, I meet a lot of people that say, “all I want to do is play in a band and play music,” and I’m like, “well what have you done today to make it happen?” Like you need to do something every single day. You need to get out of the basement and get the word out. That’s usually who gets to do it in the end.

Sarah Saturday Interview- March 12, 2009

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To say that Sarah Saturday is a work-a-holic is the understatement of the year. She is the founder of www.earnityourself.com, runs The Kevin Says Stage on Warped Tour, has her own design company, gives out advice over at Buzznet.com AND has her own band. What have you done today?

Can you please introduce yourself and describe your various roles within the music industry (warped tour, earn it yourself, etc)?

So, my name is Sarah Saturday and I run a consulting company called Sarah Saturday Consulting Inc. and under that I run a design firm called The
Weekend Group and we do websites and online marketing for tasteofchaos.com, mayhemfest.com, kevinsaystage.com and we build sites for little bands and labels and whatever. That’s my main day job. For the Kevin Says Stage on Warped Tour, I do all of the online marketing and promotion. For the last 5 years, I’ve been running the application process for that stage with Kevin picking unsigned bands to play the stage and building the stage up. This year, it is the first year we have 98% signed bands. So, what I did, because I only really care about the unsigned bands, is I am sponsoring the stage with my website, earnityourself.com, and so through earnityourself.com, I will be booking one band per day on the Kevin Says Stage to represent the unsigned bands. So, that is my involvement with Warped Tour and The Kevin Says Stage. Earn It Yourself is the website I started, I guess we launched in 2006, and my partners are Ernst Schoen-Rene from Book Your Own Fucking Life and Wyatt Glodell who is my partner from the Weekend Group. We’ve just been rolling that out the past couple of years.

Okay..I gotta ask this question before we start. Where did the name “Sarah Saturday” come from?

(laughs) Okay, well I am originally a musician and still a musician just not full time but I got into the music industry because I started playing music when I was 14 and eventually dropped out of college, quit my job, and did the whole DIY, you know, in the band thing for a few years before I moved out to California. So playing in bands you play around with stage names and you don’t really want to use your real last name so I always had stage names and stuff. Then my band, Saving Face in Wisconsin was on hiatus, and I was going on the road with this band from Los Angeles called The Start and I wanted to have a more serious stage name. So I was asking my mom to help me, and she had a friend whose daughter whose name was Sarah and her middle name was Saturday and it was from Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood and so we were like “Sarah Saturday would be rad.” So I took that name, started touring with this band, met Kevin Lyman and everybody out here as Sarah Saturday so when I moved out here that is all anybody knew me as. So long story short, my first summer on Warped Tour I met the Bouncing Souls, loved those guys, got along great with them and they loved the name Sarah Saturday and Brian said he was going to write a song with my name in it. So a year or two later he said he wrote the song, it’s gonna be on the new album, it’s called Sarah Saturday and I was like “no way!” So I legally changed my name, I was always planning on changing it, but when I heard the song was coming out I filed the papers. I wanted to be like “yeah, there it is. That really is my name.”

What is the story behind earnityourself.com? How did it get started? Has it been successful?

The Earn It Yourself thing came from me being in all these bands, dropping out of college, I was managing my band full-time and booking and I loved it. I loved the whole ethos of doing it yourself and going out and making it happen and not waiting around for anyone to help you out. But in the back of my mind I assumed you should just work really hard and do things yourself until the point where you can’t do them anymore and then you might need to hire people. I always kind of thought that was okay but the more I got into the DIY scene, at least where I was from, I kind of started realizing it put a cap on what you were with the length you were supposed to go with your band. As my band got bigger and bigger because I was working my ass off, booking all this stuff and doing everything DIY style, we kind of started to get some negative feedback from other people in the DIY scene like calling us sell outs and “we were in it just to get famous” or “just for money” or whatever and it was just kind of upsetting and I thought I was doing it right and doing a good job. On one of the last tours that I had booked with Saving Face we had kind of been called “sell outs” because we opened for Good Charlotte and Something Corporate. We just signed to a real DIY label and we started to get endorsements and I was really bummed at the people that were turning their backs on us and I’m in the band thinking, “How can there be a philosphy that incorporated the DIY ethos and the work ethic and the mentallity and the approach but allowed a band to name their own goal and decide “hey this is far as I want to go” and as long as I’m doing it the right way it should be okay that I go that far. That was 2003 and I started talking to people about DIY and EIY and then I moved out here and made a printzine, EIY zine- I only made two issues but I interviewed Matt from Taking Back Sunday for one of the issues and my friend Chris who runs a booking agency and it was really fun and cool. People were ordering it online and stuff but I needed this to go to the next level. I really wanted to push this philosophy and promote it and I also wanted to offer bands booking help and networking tools and things like that. 2005 or 2006 I called Book Your Own Fucking Life and I was like, “You don’t know me but I think your site would be a great sister site for this thing I’m trying to launch and we could get together and dominate the DIY underground world.” So I brought Wyatt on board and what is now earnityourself.com and it was been a huge undertaking. Way bigger than we thought it would be and the three of us all work for free so that’s hard because it is easily a $100,000 site just with programming and no funding, no backing, no one helping out. People are starting to help out but it has been a DIY project, literally. We are hoping to form a strong network of bands that have the DIY philosophy and are working really hard, bringing out kids to shows and be self sufficient and help keep each other true to their values. I really want it to be a “family” who need that emotional or inspirational boost who are working hard and they see these crappy bands by pass them at 100 MPH. I just want them to know they are doing it the right way and these bands will be gone in 6 months.

Can you tell me some information about your music consulting and and design company, The Weekend Group?

Yeah um, it is actually Sarah Saturday Consulting is the name of the actually company and that I just started because I can do a lot with that. I would like to start consulting bands and helping bands just with business plans. Companies will ask me to sit with them for a few hours and figure out a marketing plan or a strategy for online promotion. This is stuff that I figured out just doing online marketing with my own band. Everything that I know I learned from my hands-on, DIY approach in my band. It’s just teaching bands and companies the best way to get their name out there. But The Weekend Group does website design and I have a bunch of really rad programmers and designers who build amazing websites. We build the sites and then help manage them and do online marketing. Right now, we are working on the Taste of Chaos tour. We have the tour, contests, street teams and e-mail list and all kinds of stuff going on with that. We just launched Mayhem Festival mini website plus the kevingsaysstage.com and also MacBeth shows is really fun for us. It’s a clothing line with cool shoes and cool people and a really good scene in Orange County. Part of what I wanted to do with this company was offer cheap website design to bands because I think it’s really important for bands to control their own data and control their own website and not just rely on MySpace or whatever to get information out to their fans. They should have their own e-mail list, their own place on the internet where people can find them.


On top of running earnityourself.com and The Weekend Group, you are also the booking manager for the Kevin Says Stage on Warped Tour. How did that all come together?

I think I was just in the right place at the right time or destiny or whatever it is..I just met Kevin in the one month I was in LA. Because I wasn’t doing anything I was like, “Hey Kevin, I’d like to come into your office for a few days and volunteer my time cause I’m sitting around doing nothing.” I came in for two days and during those two days we got submissions from little unsigned bands that wanted to play the tour and at that time The Kevin Says Stage was just “showing up”- like “Hey Kevin said we could play.” And they didn’t know where to put these bands so they made up this stage where he said they could play. So it was kind of like a joke and just whatever. That was my first thing with Kevin. When Kevin offered me the job in 2004 and I went on the road with Warped Tour, I was working in production and I just kind of became the dumping ground for those bands that would show up. They would find their way to the production office and I started organizing them. After that summer, I talked to Kevin about really organizing these bands-lets take applications ahead of time and pick bands on a certain set of criteria-bands that are hard working and are gonna work hard to promote their shows. We started doing applications for the 2005 tour and from there just started filling dates. We started to get sponsors like Hot Topic and the stage just grew and grew. I kept working with Kevin because the stage was like “my baby.” That’s still my involvement and my focus is just bringing the unsigned bands out and get people to say, “Hey these bands kick ass!”

Were you always aware that you wanted to be involved with music somehow or did you have different plans at one point?

Well when I joined my first band at 16, it was my whole life. I hung out with the guys all day, we practiced whenever we could, and we played shows whenever we could. I loved it but I remember having to be realistic and like, you know, I wasn’t a rock star when I graduated high school so I needed to figure out college and figure out what my plan would be. I started to take creative writing and bounced around from school to school but it never really stuck with me and meanwhile, I was still consumed by the band. So I think it has always been a part of me to always want to be a part of playing music, and that’s how I got involved in the music industry. I was so passionate about playing music but I started to realize I was good at the business side, too. I really liked it. It’s always kind of been a moral dilemma for me because I’m an artist at heart but I’m also a business person. It’s kind of like it chose me I guess. I switched to the business side but I’m finally starting to get back into playing music and it’s all coming back to me. I think it’s just always been a part of my personality.

Besides being directly involved with the music industry, you are also involved in your own band Gardening Not Architecture. Can you provide some information about the band?

When my other band broke up, I was upset. I don’t want to say it was a depression, but it was a really big deal for me. So I went through a few years of not writing and I didn’t even want to think about the band. But after a few years, I started writing again and I was like, “I just want to do this for fun.” I started recording some songs and the songs were really cool. I wanted to record better versions, so in 2007 I was home and started recording with my friend Beau Sorenson who is a great engineer. We recorded 4 songs and I just loved them. Started playing for my friends and there was no pressure. It was the best feeling to just say, “I don’t want anything from you. I just want you to hear my songs.” I was excited for people to hear them and the reactions were really positive. It kept building and building and there were kids in Florida who had heard the songs and making them into ringtones. People really liked my stuff and they kept telling me that I needed to tour so in 2008 I said “screw it. I’ll just put a little band together and play some shows.” With the recession and the overall vibe of the music industry, I was in a good place. I want to focus on Earn It Yourself but I want to be living the Earn It Yourself thing as a musician. Like right now, I’m booking a west coast tour for Gardening Not Architecture. We’ve been booking it and I’ve been using EIY. The idea with Gardening Not Architecture is just to have fun, go on tour, see what happens, no pressure. I’ve got a job, I’ve got stuff that I’m doing and I don’t expect anything from it. It just feels good to be playing shows and planning things.

There is no doubt that you are involved with a lot-Warped Tour, running multiple websites, and your own band. How are you able to balance all of these careers? What does a typical day for you look like?

A typical day..(laughs). It was really crazy last year. I had way to much work and I had a couple of assisstants. I cut way back on some work but I’m still a work-a-holic and I always have been. I come into my office and I just go. I’ve been sitting here since I don’t even know what time and I’ll probably in my office until at least 11 o clock tonight. Then I’ll probably take my computer to bed and probably work on booking shows or whatever..It’s just nonstop. I’m not a big partier really. I try and go out to shows and go out to dinner with my friends. But I really just spend as much time as I can working on stuff. It’s like A.D.D. Right now, I have like ten windows open and six IM windows open and three different lists of things I want to do. It’s just kind of craziness.

With all these projects going on at once, there is no doubt that you have the motivation, the dedication and the work ethic to handle of these activities, have you always had this hard working personality?

I was always goal oriented. Like in high school I wasn’t doing drugs or whatever. I would rather be writing or painting or booking shows. I wanted to utilize my time for productive things. It was just more fun for me. It may be genetic, I don’t know. I didn’t really realize this is how I was until college and I read this book called Atlas Shrugged. It’s a really controversial book for some people because the author develops this philosophy that gets a bad rep sometimes. It was really inspiring for me cause it put into words how I felt about myself and the people around me. Basically after reading it, I went into this whole other “realm” of productive, goal oriented work. It had a huge impact on me and it made me want to be productive and do something meaningful with my life.

Among all your projects, what are you most busy with right now?

I try to split up my time equally because I do have obligations, you know? I have clients that are paying me so I try and spend most of the work day Taste of Chaos duties and other multiple websites. Put in my full 8 hours of client oritented stuff so I can pay the bills. My heart and my passion is Earn It Yourself. That is what I am most excited about. I’m also busy with my advice column on Buzznet.com and I’m launching www.sarahsaturday.com. I’m also gonna be selling artwork and clothes through that site. It’s just like an outlet for me and I’ll be able to promote everything.

What advice do you have for people who want to get into the music industry?

I actually have written a bunch of stuff on the site about this. Like for me, I wanted to do this thing and I’m gonna figure out how to do it. I don’t know if that is crappy advice to give or not, but the only thing I can say is be creative. Use what you have around you. If you want to be in a band, talk to your friends and see if they want to be in a band too. If you want to do merch or manage, start working with local bands or your local venue. Try to book a tour for a friends bands. Trial and error stuff is the fastest way to figure out what you are good at and what you want to do. My best advice is just start with short term goals. Offer to help local bands and friends and venues. Talk to everyone you know and make a plan. If the plan fails, try something else. Just keep making new plans even if it fails. I think a lot of people need to sit around and wait. The most successful people I know in the industry said, “I want to get to point A. This is the best way to do it. If it doesn’t work, I’ll try another way.” Someone once said to one of my old bands, and this is a good one, “start with your goals and work backwards.” If you want to be signed to a record label, what are they looking for? They are looking for a band with some “buzz” around them. How do you get that “buzz”? Start playing shows and promoting your band–just work backwards.


To wrap things up, do you have any last words for our readers? Any advice or comments?

The biggest overall message, for me, is just to have a philsophy in your life. People don’t really think about philosophy anymore. If I could do anything, it would be to get the message out to people to make concious decisions all day long. Think about what they are doing, why they are doing it, what it means to them, and why people believe what they do. I think the world would be a better place if we knew what our philosophy was and made concious decisions. Don’t float around waiting for someone else to come figure it out for you. You are living a meaningless life and you don’t know what you stand for. I ultimately just want people to make more concious, thoughtful decisions.

Thank you Sarah for spending a good hour on the phone answering these questions and Dean for setting up this interview.

These Green Eyes Interview- February 26, 2009

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geThese Green Eyes’ music is filled with loud, energized guitars and lyrics with hints of punk rock here and there. They have had the opportunity to share the stage with bands like New Found Glory and The Higher, and are quickly gaining recognition within the alternative music scene. Check out what Greg has to say about These Green Eyes music and their new album, Relapse To Recovery, that hits stores in March.

Thank you Greg for taking the time to answer these questions and Ben for setting up this interview.

Can you please introduce yourself and what your role is in These Green Eyes?

Hi I’m Greg and I played guitar in These Green Eyes


Where are you guys from? How did the band get started?

We’re a from madison connectitcut. Our other guitar is from albany. I played with our drummer mark all through highschool. Everyone just wanted to be in a band i guess.


So you have a new album, Relapse To Recovery, that is coming out on March 24. Overall, how do you feel about the album? What was it like working with producer Brian Mcternan?

Im very proud of Relapse To Recovery. Took allot of work as band to get that ball rolling. Brian is the man. He was like the sixth member of the band while we were there.

How is the album different from your Ghosts EP?

The ghosts EP is actually two songs from Relapse and two songs from our last full length House of Glass

What songs would you recommend new listeners check out? What songs are you most proud of and why?

Thats a tough one. I would say Words and Kick the Crutch those are easy to relate to. Im really proud of Time of Our Lives cause its a different than anything we have ever done.


Do you have any touring plans to support Relapse To Recovery?

Yeah no question about it. See you out there


Who would you say are some of your major musical influences?

Our friends and family being one. Any music that moves us.


On your MySpace it says that you have toured with bands such as New Found Glory and The Higher…I’m curious to know how playing along some of these well-known, bigger bands made you guys feel? Was it intimidating? Fun? Were they cool guys?

We have been lucky. Bigger bands have been very good to us. Its flattering when they tell you they’re into the band. The first day can be intimidating but most bigger bands have been where we are.


Do you have any funny/interesting/enlightening/entertaining stories from the studio or from the road?

Many. Its tough to decide. Its pretty awesome being able to see the countrys landscape and how different everywhere is. While we were in Baltimore recording we went to a bar with our guy at the label. so we kept buying one shot of patron and five shots of water. Kept giving him the tequila and we just kept taking them down till he couldn’t move. they have good beer down there to!


What has been the hardest part about being in a band? What about the most rewarding?

Its hard to keep your head on straight. Touring is a completely different lifestyle. Its amazing when you roll into this beat suburb and kids are there and excited to see you. It gets me excited.


What are your future plans for These Green Eyes?

TOUR. We are doing bamboozle which will be a ton of fun. We got some dates on the warped tour this year which we are all excited about.


Any last words for our readers at Driven Far Off?

Check the record out let us know what you think, and thanks for your time

Be sure to check out These Green Eyes on MySpace and pick up their new album Relapse To Recovery on March 24.

Flatline Interview-February 24, 2009

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flatline

I recently had the chance to talk to guitarist Randy Weitzel of the band Flatline. Check out what he has to say about the band, the new record, and their upcoming plans.

Thank you Randy for taking the time to answer these questions and Jerry Grahm for setting up this interview.

Can you please state your name and what your role is in Flatline?

Hey guys, this is Randy, I’m one of the guitarists in the band.

So, what is the story behind the band? How did you all meet?

We were summoned by the Gods of Metal to fill a void with pummeling shred. We are Tim Hassemer on drums, Hector Gonzalez is Bass, Paulo Guerra & I on guitar, and Travis Johnson vocals. Stand and Deliver Records is helping us to achieve world domination.

Your newest album, Pave The Way, was released a few months ago. Overall, how do you feel about the album? What has been the general response from fans?

I think it turned out pretty bad-ass. We were in total control of the music and didn’t have anybody nagging us to dumb our shit down or to attach a “core” to it to sell some records. We are pretty much naturally just a straight up metal band. We basically said “you know, we don’t have to reinvent this. Let’s just make it kick ass!” and that’s exactly what we did. I’ve been in speed and thrash bands since the beginning, so my personal goal, and that of the band, is to strip away the years of shit that has been added to Metal and simply try to write some heavy fucking songs – Simple, crack-you-in-the-ribs Metal. The guys in the band are all different ages and have many different influences, so you’ll surely hear some different flavors, but basically our main goal is to help pave the way back to real Metal. The fans get it. Some of the record critics don’t but, that’s ok. You know what they say in this business, “Just spell my name right!””¦that’s “F-L-A-T-L-I-N-E” bitches!”

What songs would you say you are most proud from Pave The Way and why?

Blessed by Death, Nefarious, I love all of ’em. I think the breakdown in Generations Fall is personally my favorite piece. The way the acoustic lead comes in and then builds and builds with heavy guitar harmonies and layers. I really like what Travis put over the top of the music there, heavy vocals, with a hint of melody behind it.

Do you have any touring plans to support Pave The Way this year? What about any festivals?

We are heading out with Straight Line Stitch in a few days and we have some killer shit in the works for summer. Stay tuned to our Myspace page. (www.myspace.com/flatlinemetal)

What have been some of your favorite bands to tour with and why?

Recently we did some dates with In this Moment in New Mexico. That was a blast because we all started out together here in LA a few years back. It was good to see them all again and I congratulate them on all of their success. Plus New Mexico is fucking so awesome I can’t even tell you. The kids there are fucking Metal Heads through and through. We loved it. Also, 36 Crazyfists equals a good fuckin time!

I can imagine Flatline putting on a show that is just fucking crazy. Do you think this is true for your shows?

We just provide the crunch, but you guys are the show”¦ Get in the pit and prepare for a brutal case of whiplash.

Do you have any interesting or funny stories to share from touring or recording?

Going back to that breakdown part in Generations Fall, when we record vocals Travis always clears his pipes by singing his heavy vocal parts in a really funny 80’s voice before the real heavy take. It seems to warm him up somehow and it’s funny as hell”¦ When we demoed Generations and he did that 80’s voice for the line, “why do we?” I said, “dude, let’s record that under the heavy vocal and see what it sounds like”. He said “no fucking way” but somehow we just tried it. We doubled it, I mixed it in low with some hall reverb and it made the entire piece shine. We ended up doing it with Logan (Mader/Machinehead) in the studio for the record. We used that formula in Worn Thin too.

What are some of your musical influences?

Like I said earlier, we all have a ton but mine started out with KISS!

How did you get involved with music? Did you always know you wanted to be a musician or did you have other plans at one point?

KISS was everything to me in the 70’s and I never had any other plans than to be in a band, ever. I have had careers in the kitchen but only because I had to. Ace made me want to grow my hair long and play guitar. Then James and Kirk made me want to play fast.

What goals do you have for Flatline?

We just want to play like crazy and create more metal jams. We are damn lucky to be doing this. There was a time in heavy music when all my lead guitar skills were rendered useless but we are fighting the good fight and we will do our part to keep this style of Metal alive and relevant. There is a younger generation of metalheads out there that haven’t experienced ‘old-school’ metal with no frills attached. We want to bring our balls out approach to them and show them our roots”¦ school them on the way metal should be. And for fans who grew up in an era of trendsetting metal – We won’t let you down.

Lastly, do you have any last words for our readers at drivenfaroff.com?

Thank you to everyone who has supported us, messaged us every day, bought the cds and shirts and all that. We are your fans!!!

Thank you Randy for taking the time to answer these questions and Jerry Grahm for setting up this interview.

The New Regime Interview-January 10, 2009

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Ilan Rubin has been very busy in the past few years. Not only is he involved with The Lostprophets, he began a side project entitled The New Regime in which he was involved in every musical aspect of the album. At the same time, Rubin will enter as the drummer for Nine Inch Nails. I recently had the chance to talk with Rubin about his new record “Coup” from side project The New Regime and his career as a musician.

Thank you to Ilan Rubin for taking the time to answer these questions

Can you please introduce yourself and what your role is in The New
Regime?

I’m Ilan Rubin and I write, play, and sing everything you hear in The
New Regime.

Your album “Coup” was just recently released. Overall, how do you feel
about the album? Would you change anything about it?

I’m extremely happy with the way it turned out and there is nothing
I’d like to change about it.

How did you get started playing the drums? How did that grow into playing
guitar, keyboards, singing, etc?

I started playing drums at about 7-8 years old. My dad used to play,
so drums were set up in the garage and my brothers were learning. I
suppose one day I got up and tried to recreate some of the things I
had heard and took it from there. As my brothers moved on to bass and
guitar, I learned how to play those with age. At about 15 years old I
suddenly became interested in classical music and wanted to learn how
to play the piano, so I did. Singing had come from always wanting to
make music entirely by myself. It was the only thing that stood in my
way, so in my mind it was inevitable that I would finally get the
balls to just do it.

For the most part, did you enjoy doing all the instruments and vocals by yourself?

I absolutely loved it. Playing and singing everything gives me the
freedom to do things exactly as I want.

How long have you been working on songs for The New Regime? Have you always wanted to do a solo thing?

I’ve definitely always wanted to write my own music. Up to now, The
New Regime has been around for about a year, but the writing and
recording of the material only took a few months.

You were recently just announced as the new drummer for Nine Inch Nails. How do you feel about this? Excited? Nervous? Ready?

I am excited, ready, and anxious. I’ve been rehearsing for a while
now and really want to get to it. Playing these songs is tons of fun
and I can’t wait to do it on stage.

In your opinion, what was the best part of 2008 for you? What are you looking forward to in 2009?

Headlining Download festival with lostprophets was definitely the
highlight for 2008. 2009 is going to be all about NIN and the second
TNR release.

What are your biggest musical influences and why?

Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Queen, Bach, and Beethoven would have to be
my biggest influences. They all do what they do better than anybody
else and you can constantly learn from them.

What do you want for Christmas Channukka?!

Not much. I’ll take an accordion for chanukka though.

Do you plan on touring with The New Regime in the future? Do you have a band lined-up to take care of drum parts and other instruments?

I’ve played 5 shows as The New Regime so far. Live I play guitar,
piano, and sing and I have three guys taking care of the rest. I
would love to tour though as soon as I have the proper time to devote
to it.

What is your favorite song off of “Coup” and why?

I think if I had to pick, Order Restored would be my favorite because
of its interesting structure, intricacy, and catchiness.

To wrap things up, do you have any words for our readers at
drivenfaroff.com?

Download ‘Coup’ from where ever you’d like. There’s something on the
album for everyone and I’m extremely proud of it.

Mayday Parade Interview – November 4, 2008

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On November 4, 2008, I had the chance to meet up with the vocalist of Mayday Parade, Derek Sanders to talk about what it’s like to be on the road and a few of his favorite things. This interview was conducted outside of the Regency Grand Ballroom in San Francisco, while the band was on the Compromising of Integrity, Morality, & Principles in exchange for Money tour. A big thanks goes out to Allison Hata from Fearless Records, Casey their tour manager, and of course Derek for taking the time out to speak with Driven Far Off.

What are your biggest influences?

Queen and Freddie Mercury in particular.

What is the message you’re trying to convey to your fans?

We just try to be as energetic and entertaining and positive as possible. Really there’s not too much of a message, we just hope that people can relate to our songs and know that they’re not the only one going through things that we were going through.

Are there any significant events in particular that you wrote a song about?

There’s a lot of things its all different stuff you know, lot of its stuff with the stress of being on the road, having a relationship back at home, breakups, and friends.

Out of all your songs in A Lesson In Romantics what is the most meaningful to you?

Probably track 10 its called “Take This To Heart. ” That one or track 9 “I’d Hate To Be You When People Find Out What This Song Is About” that one is just about an old friend that kind of screwed us over.

What do you miss when you’re out on tour?

I mean its so much fun being on the road you know that its not bad. The only things that we all miss is our family back at home, girlfriends, friends, and you don’t really have a much a normal life, an everyday routine and I guess sometimes you kind of miss that, but all in all this is the best there is, I love it on the road.

What is your daily routine when you are on tour?

Usually we all wake up pretty late, it’s really easy to sleep in when your in the bunk and you close the curtain, its pitch black in there, and I can sleep forever. I usually sleep in pretty late till around 1:30 or so and then get up and usually find something to eat or whatever, kind of hang out, read my book, play video games, play guitar, and obviously sometimes there’s interviews and acoustic performances before the show we have to do. So it’s always kind of like you never really know until the day of what you’re going to end up doing. Then once it gets closer to the show, we get ready, and then play the show and for the rest of night it’s just hanging out with people, fans, and hanging out with the bands after that. Just having a good time.

What’s your favorite tour story?

It’s tough to say there’s so many, this tour especially it’s been so much fun every night. Its pretty much all the bands hanging out having a good time getting into trouble, lighting things on fire, stuff like that.

Do you guys ever do any contests like a hot dog eating contest or the most ridiculous tattoo?

We don’t have anything necessarily like that, we have a game we invented, well we didn’t really invent this game, we kind of extended upon this game called wizard staff and maybe I shouldn’t get into it too much, but it’s kind of a drinking game, but that’s really the only kind of contest kind of thing.

So what’s your favorite video game?

This game that I’m playing now is called Fallout 3 it just came out and it’s a really really good game, but in general me and Cabbage, our bass player his names Jeremy, but everyone calls him Cabbage, the two of us play most of the video games and we’re both really into Final Fantasy games, role playing games. We’re kind of nerds.

How did you get into music in the first place?

Really the biggest part of it was my oldest brother, he started a band whenever I was in 5th grade and I thought it was the coolest thing in the world. I really wanted to do it, so I got a guitar for Christmas in the 5th grade and I’ve done it since then.

What is your favorite part of touring?

There’s so many pluses about it especially now on the bus, its not as stressful and you’re not having to drive all night every night and be tired and everything. You get a good night sleep, get to see the world, get to see new places everyday, and meet new people everyday, and get to play shows especially now because there’s a ton of kids, it’s awesome. It’s so much fun having people there singing along and singing back at you. It’s the coolest thing in the world.

Who is your biggest role model?

My dad is probably my biggest role model, because he’s a good person, thoughtful, and unselfish.

Do you have any New Year’s resolutions yet?

I have not even thought about it at all, I’m going to have to get on that. It’s crazy that New Years is coming up, you’re right I haven’t even considered it.

To see photos from Mayday Parade’s show, please click here to go to Driven Far Off’s photos section.

Young the Giant Interview – October 13th, 2008

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    In a time where cookie-cutter Indie bands are popping up quicker than hives, Young the Giant (formerly known as The Jakes) provide the cure to long lost uniqueness. This young band somehow manages to take all necessary elements of music and spin them into a refreshing new tale through their lyrics and melodies. I was fortunate enough to chat with lead singer, Sameer Gadhia, and ask him a few questions on Young the Giant history and future.

I want to thank Jamie and, of course, Sameer for making this interview happen!

– How did The Jakes form?

S: The Jakes formed as a joke garage band in 2004 with a bunch of really good friends.

 – Is there a reason behind the band’s name?

S: Yeah, it was actually just a stupid joke. It’s an acronym for all the members of the band and it ended up working well.

 – How did you guys decide that this was the genre of music you wanted to play?

S: We come from Orange County and bands like Saosin had just come onto the scene around 2003, 2004, and post-hardcore was a big deal. We liked the sound but we were kind of looking for something else. We started listening to a lot of The Strokes, essentially, and we actually just started playing a lot of 70’s inspired dance rock, and then we just kind of got influenced later on by some people that had just started to take the stage. It wasn’t really a conscience decision more so as just kind of like a joke thing; we were going to try and play some dance music and we entered in for Battle of the Bands and we won because it was just a different sound, so we just stuck with it.

 – Where do you guys draw your inspiration from?

S: We have a wide range of inspiration. A lot of us listen to somewhat different music and in the end it kind of becomes a big mix of things we like, and it becomes a unique mix. For me, The Strokes have been one of the biggest influences ever, even when I was younger. I mean, obviously there are some solid influences recently, but that was the main fueling act for me. Coldplay was also a big deal for me, Radiohead, and the The Beatles also.

 – How do you go about writing the music and lyrics?

S: Usually someone will bring a riff or something and will bring it to practice and everyone will work on it usually together; we will all work on sound structures. It’s a pretty meticulous process. During that time, I usually just make up words and when we finish the final song, I actually look at the words I was just making up and most of the time the lyrics I write are based loosely upon the gibberish that I wrote.

 – You are living in “a land of opportunities”, and numerous legendary bands have come out of your area. Do you feel any pressure to acquire the fame that they did?

S: Not so pressure as much as motivation. We never really thought that we would get even as close to this and be able to play this much. We were always inspired by the level of musicianship in the local music scene around Los Angeles and Orange County, so there hasn’t been really any pressure, just kind of like an opportunity for us.

 – What has been your largest difficulty so far that either you have personally faced or collectively as a band have had to overcome.

S: I think our biggest problem is for the last year and a half we have all been in college, and we all go to school in different places. I actually go to school in Stanford right now, and everyone is off in their own schools. We’re thinking of maybe moving in together sometime soon and taking a break from school and doing this full time. For this last CD, Jake and I would travel down to Southern California every three weeks and we had one weekend where we had a practice in which the guys thought up a couple ideas for some songs, and we did those two songs as fast as possible. We’d play our old stuff and then we’d have a show that night and we’d play some old songs and then we’d try out the new ones that we just made during practice and that was the best way to kind of gauge and see what people liked and what people didn’t like. In the process, we threw away like 20 or 30 songs, so it was a big challenge having to do songwriting in such small spurts.

 – Is music your chosen profession or do you have any other career plans?

S: We all really want to finish our college education and we are all going to four year universities. We all have different majors besides music, except for Eric actually; I think he is planning on pursuing jazz guitar, but for all of us we all have separate academic lives and if anything, music at one point might be the thing that we are doing, but we want to have a fall back plan or something else that we aspire to be.

 – What do you hope your listeners take away from your music?

S: I hope that they can tease out all the different messages and stuff that we are trying to get across through the music that we play as well as the lyrics that we portray. We like playing somewhat catchy music but we still have a harder message that I hope people take home with them; we don’t really want to shove it down anyone’s throat.

 – Do you have a continual message then that runs throughout your lyrics?

S: There’s not so much an overwhelming theme as we try to make everything relevant. We try to take a lot of influence from world music, like Native American Powwow music, South African gospel, and Caribbean music; there has been a lot of stuff we’ve all gotten to listen to and enjoy coming into college. Our theme is that we kind of embrace all the different types of music and diversity that we can and portray it into our sound.

 – Are your families pretty supportive of your dreams?

S: Yeah, they are all pretty supportive of it. Honestly, they like the fact that we’re playing music and they know that that’s what we love to do. I think that as long as we’re happy, that’s what matters to them.

 – What advice can you give to kids in your similar situation; trying to make a name for themselves in an industry where the majority of new bands are identical sounding?

S: There is a difference between playing music and playing music that you listen to. A big thing that we just discovered recently is that you are a songwriter when you get really serious in writing, and you should just let what you naturally make come out. You shouldn’t be afraid about what other people think or how it works with all the other music that’s coming out right now. You will obviously find influence from other people, but it’s about you doing your own thing in a different way.

 – What can we expect to see from Young the Giant in the next few years?

S: Hopefully a lot. We are anticipating a big national tour sometime soon, and possibly working out some deals. We hope to still be around–I think that’s definitely what we aim for.

Underoath Interview – October 4th, 2008

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 After coming off of their world tour, Underoath had every right to be exhausted and dread more interviews. This was not the case, however, and the band willingly lent the down-to-earth Christopher Dudley, keyboardist, to Driven Far Off to answer our questions. Fans from across the country were also able to submit their questions, and Christopher graciously answered a few of them at Pipeline Cafe in Honolulu, HI.

Huge thanks to Chelsi Schriver and Christopher Dudley for setting up this interview!

– How did you guys find eachother and decide to start a band?

C: In a nutshell, we were all friends from being really young. We met each other at different local shows and decided we wanted to get together, but a lot of that was different guys. We’ve gone through a lot of member changes and stuff in the past…quite a few years, but that was about 10 years ago.

 – How did the band find the name Underoath?

C: Well, the guy who thought of it was a guy who was never actually on an Underoath record. He was in the band for 8 months right when we first started. I know it came from the Bible somewhere, but no clue where. He’d be the one to ask, but I don’t think anybody knows where he is–he’s off like living in the woods somewhere. He kind of went nuts [laughs].

 – How does Lost in the Sound of Separation differ from your previous records?

C: Better, and more fun. The songs are better, so in turn they are more fun to play.

– What is the underlying message of the album?

C: I don’t know if I’d say there is one message per say. A big thing with us is like, Spencer’s lyrics are really personal to him and we try as best as we can to be really honest about what we write about and not try to write a song about something just to write a song about it. Everything that is on our record is something we’ve gone through or something Spencer’s gone through, and I think the main focus of all of that is: look, we are all people and we all go through crappy times, but with us being a Christian band we are all really adamant about being like, look, this sucks, life sucks sometimes, but God is always there and no matter how bad it gets it can always be worse. Like, there is always–a cheesy saying–a light at the end of the tunnel.

 – What is the process for writing the music and lyrics?

C: It’s different for every song. Sometimes Tim will come to the table with the guitar part and then be like, “let’s try and do something along this line.” Sometimes Spencer will come and be like, “yeah, I was thinking we should have something that sounds like this,” and just kind of like mouth it. Like today when were sound-checking and we were just riffing around, just all together messing around and stuff, and every song has a different story and a different way it came about. Different songs start with different people in it, but usually by the end of it it ends with all of us in a room like riffing on it trying to make it as good as possible. It usually just ends with all of us jamming.

 – Who have been your greatest influences?

C: For us there are a few bands that we all are able to agree on that once we heard that band we knew that we weren’t going to see music the same way again. Radiohead is a really big band for us, At the Drive-In was a band that when all of us heard it we knew things had changed, and Refused. As far as all of us collectively those are probably the only few that we can agree on. It really runs the gamut as far as all of us goes. Aaron listens to Keith Urban, Tim listens to Iron and Wine, James listens to Tom Petty and Bruce Springsteen, and I listen to Imogen Heap, Guns N’ Roses and Creedence Clearwater.

 – Does Solid State control most of your music or–

C: –none. That’s probably the biggest thing why we decided to resign with them, because a lot of major labels give you a lot of money and you get a lot of stuff but at the end of the day they have control over whether they are going to put out what you write or not. There’s a certain band that I talked to who is on a major label and they wrote an entire record and were really really stoked on it, and gave it to their label and their label said, “no, go write another one.” That’s just ridiculous. Solid state has, for a really really long time, been comfortable with saying, “who do you want to record with, where do u want to record, give us the record when you are done.” Most labels, while you are recording, will be like, “send us a song, send us three songs to see where its going,” and with Tooth and Nail we will straight up be like, “no, you’re not getting anything until we are done with it,” and they are fine with that. Which is really important to us because we just really want to focus on doing what we are doing and after everything is done show it to someone.

 – For first time listeners of Underoath, what song would you suggest they listen to and why?

C: I’d have to say Returning Empty Handed; it’s a song off of Define the Great Line. There are a lot of songs I would want them to listen to more, but I think that’s the song that encompasses what we do the most. There are a lot better songs but I don’t think there are any better songs to completely sum up what we do.

 – What is the story behind Underoath’s documentaries, like Survive, Kaleidoscope?

C: Two years ago we came to our label and were like, “hey, we want to put out an actual documentary,” like we wanted to have a film crew follow our tour, and pretty much document what it’s like on tour. Tour is awesome but a lot of times its not–there are hard times and stuff–and we really wanted to have something that was shot from a 3rd party perspective of the entire tour to show what it’s really like.

 – A lot of members have come and gone in the band. Was it difficult to adjust each time someone left?

C: I think it depends on who you are talking about. We haven’t gone through a member change in almost five years now. Some guys were harder than others, some guys came out of the blue and said, “hey, I’m going to be leaving;” others were asked to leave; so with every dude it was a different story. But I think all those things led up to where we are now and I think that’s a really important thing and I think the six of us are supposed to be here. I think every person that left was supposed to leave and we feel really comfortable with that.

 – Do you think that being a Christian-based band has been an advantage or disadvantage at all?

C: If you’re talking about in the industry per say, like if it’s helped us sell records or anything, I don’t think so at all. But if your talking about just being a person, being in a band, then you know, we wouldn’t be a band if we weren’t doing it to talk to people about what we believe. So I guess in that aspect it has helped us because we are in a band where we wouldn’t be in a band any other way.

 – Do you guys have any side projects going on?

C: Aaron has a side project going on that he’s doing and they are called The Almost, and the rest of us have small things that we are doing here and there. The thing is, like, with Aaron’s side project, he’s got a record out and he plays shows and stuff, and Underoath tours a lot, and when we’re off, like when we get to go home and actually see our wives and see our families, he’s gone on tour again. So it’s one of those things where we all play music but I don’t think any of us at the moment are willing to take it to that next level of recording and putting out a record and playing shows because we take the time that we have to actually be at home. That’s a really crucial thing because we are gone so much, like we will probably be gone nine months this year, so those three months that we actually have at home, I’m going to be sitting on the couch watching TV with my wife. I’m not going to be going into the studio and recording another record. It can be difficult, but it’s one of those things where we know that this is what God has for us and we feel very confident in that, and all of our wives/girlfriends are very supportive of that.

 – Although you have had fame for a while, was it strange getting used to the media and coverage of Underoath?

C: I don’t know, we are in a band and we’ve sold records and some people know who we are, but I don’t really see us as being famous. It’s not like I can’t just go to the supermarket or mall and just can’t get away from myself, like I’m not just reading about myself in all these different places. It’s definitely different now than it used to be, because people actually come to our shows, but I don’t see it as this burden that is just horrible. People actually watch us play where before we would go on tour and nobody would be there. Granted you get some weird people and people who are kind of off, but for the most part people are cool and they like to hang out and we like to hang out, so it works out. We’re really thankful and really blessed that people enjoy what we are doing.

Fan Q&A:

 From beginning to end, how long do you spend on an average song before it sounds like it does on the CD? -Tim, IA

C: It’s different things for different songs. There is one song on our new record that we actually wrote in one practice, from beginning to end, everything except for the lyrics was done in one practice which took us about three hours. There are other songs that take a year to two years. It just depends on the song.

 What’s the best show you’ve ever played? -Danica, CA

C: Some ones that come to mind are: we played in Birmingham, Alabama in 2006 and that was an amazing show. The London show on this tour we are on now was great. One of my personal favorite shows we’ve ever played was in South Africa on this tour. The shows itself was good, but the venue was out in the middle of nowhere, just a field with like a hut and nothing else. But these kids had made this venue and there were these big bonfire things and they had random people come and selling drinks. It felt like a New Years Eve party. It was just insane; it was a great.

 How do you feel about the illegal downloading of songs? -Jessica, MA

C: It depends on who the person is I think. I don’t think there is anything wrong with downloading per say, but when downloading makes people not buy records, I don’t like that because obviously if I like a band, I’m going to want to go and buy their record. Not saying that just because I’m a band, but I’m going to want to support what they are doing. I just never really understood the “I like that band, but I’m don’t want to support them. I’d rather just take it.”

 What are your favorite movies? -John, AZ

C: Wizard of Oz, The Shining, Psycho, Vanilla Sky, One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest, Rear Window-I’m just a movie guy. I’m a fan of movies that disturb me in general.

 How has your faith helped you get to where you are now? -Stephen, IA

C: The only reason why I am here, here in the sense of being in this band and here in the sense of where my life is in general is because of God and because He has completely pulled me out of being in a completely different place. So I guess it’s kind of cheesy to say, but I completely owe credit for everything in my life up to this point to God. So it’s not like he’s helped me out or I’m a little better because of it. No, I wouldn’t be here at all.

 Which album do you think you’ve spent the most time working on? -Kate, GA

C: The last two records we’ve spent a great deal of time on. It took us about two years to do both records, so I’d say the last two records in equal amounts.

 Do they think a band should tell their fans who they support [in the election] and encourage them to vote the same way, or just emphasize the power of voting in general? -Bryce, MN

C: If you are going to emphasize anything, you should be educated. I’m not necessarily going to tell someone that they should go out and vote if they don’t believe in what they are voting for. I definitely think it’s really important to be educated and know where different candidates stand on different things.

 What are some foods that you can’t live without on tour? -Sam, CA

C: I don’t know if there are any, honestly. We go to so many places and just have to eat whatever is around. There is a lot of stuff I’d like to have constantly though.