Interview: Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows (D.R.U.G.S.)
At Warped Tour in San Diego, CA I met up with drummer Aaron Stern of the post hardcore group, D.R.U.G.S. While the group has had a crazy amount of hype and anxiousness surrounding them, (frontman Craig Owens’ ex Chiodos, Aaron Stern ex Matchbook Romance, Nick Martin ex Underminded, Matt Good ex From First To Last, and Adam Russel ex Story of the Year) Stern talked with me about being a Warped Tour veteran and the formula behind the band that is turning out to be one of 2011’s best.
So you guys are all here as Warped Tour veterans individually, how is it playing the full legnth of the tour this year together as a group?
It’s really awesome. You know, one of the reasons we started this group with the people that we did was because we all knew what we were in for by doing this. We can step on a Warped Tour stage together as a group and it’s right where we left off individually. It’s awesome to see old friends and touring, for the most part, has been really easy because I mean, we’ve all done it before.
What are some of your favorite acts this year on the tour?
I was just literally watching August Burns Red. I always love watching them. A band that’s really refreshing this year for us is Bad Rabbits.
I fucking love Bad Rabbits!
Right? They’re so good and just such a different sound. Other than that, we have a lot of friends like We Came As Romans, Asking Alexandria. There’s a great band called Lion Eyes on the tour. It’s been awesome, Warped Tour has a great lineup this year.
It’s kind of ironic how the band all kind of became friends back around 2004 when you were all playing on Warped with your previous groups. Now here you are all playing together.
Yeah! It’s funny because back in 2004 four out of the five of us were on this tour seperately. It’s cool to look back and see how we have crossed paths. Nick was on the tour in 2004 setting up one of the stages. I didn’t officially know him them, but I’m sure we crossed paths at some point. It’s funny where life can take you.
The debut album obviously had a large amount of anticipation behind it. How has the reaction and response been since the release for you guys?
I think it’s been so awesome. The reception has been great, you know, especially for all of our old fans of our old bands. Obviously there was a lot of hyphe going into what this whole project was going to be and we knew especially that it was important to really make a record that was going to stick. We wanted to make a record that just had great songs. Hype is just hype. If you have nothing backing it up then it really is nothing.
The push behind the record was a fun process. There was video teasers and even a fake sex tape to help push interest. How did all of those ideas come to life for you guys?
Well, we knew we wanted to create a vibe and a buzz. I think it’s really important these days, besides making great songs, to create a good vibe and give fans something to latch onto and really get into. I think it’s fun to really have that extra bit of flare to something and that’s what we tried to do.
What are the upcoming plans for the group after Warped Tour finishes up?
As of right now, we are going to head out to Australia and do the Soundwave Revolution Tour. After that we have a yet to be announced fall tour. It’s full of really awesome bands that I can’t mention because it hasn’t been announced (laughs). Keep your ears open for it and we’ll be announcing it soon.
I’d like to thank Aaron for taking his time out to speak with RulDope.com. Be sure to check out D.R.U.G.S. debut album and catch them on tour near you.
-rook
Interview: Eyes Set To Kill
Recently, I met up Alexia and Anissa Rodriguez, the sisters that make up half of the metalcore group Eyes Set To Kill. With today being the release of their new album “White Lotus,” the girls discussed the new material with me as well as recent and future touring.
You guys just joined Warped for the last leg of the tour correct?
(Alexia): Yeah, the last nine days I believe.
(Anissa): We just jumped on in umm.. Denver.
How’s the tour treated you ladies so far?
(both): Awesome!
(Alexia): It’s been really great. It’s nice weather today too.
(Anissa): Yeah, it’s not that hot. I’m happy about that.
What’s your favorite and least favorite part about Warped Tour?
(Anissa): Favorite part of course would be playing and getting to meet fans.
(Alexia): It’s fun hanging out with our friends in other bands too.
(Anissa): Worst part..
(Alexia): Playing in Arizona (laughs)
Your hometown?
(Alexia): Just because it’s too hot!
(Anissa): Yeah, playing in the middle of the day can be hard because that’s when it’s the hottest. Today we play at four so hopefully it isn’t too bad.
So White Lotus just dropped today. How excited are you guys?
(Alexia): We are so excited about it.
(Anissa): Very excited!
Have you heard any feedback yet? I know it’s still really early in the day.
(Anissa): Not really yet. We haven’t been over to the merch table or anything yet though.
(Alexia): Well on Twitter and stuff we got some really good feedback. People are telling me they really like it. We’ve been playing like three new songs on Warped Tour and the kids really seem to enjoy the new stuff.
What would you say is the biggest transition with this new album as opposed to previous work?
(Anissa): Well, one huge deal would probably be our newest member Cisko. He has only played live with us so he’s never been on any actual recordings until now.
(Alexia): It’s also the first time I am writing all the guitar parts so that is pretty cool. I’m excited about it.
You guys were on tour in Indonesia for awhile. How was that experience?
(Both): Insane!
(Alexia): We didn’t know what to expect and then we got there and one of our shows was full with 1500 kids. It was just so awesome and insane.
(Anissa): And then there was another show, we were on our way to the airport and we saw like five billboards of us. We were like, “Wow!”
What does Eyes Set To Kill have coming up after Warped? Are you going to be out touring in support of the new album?
(Alexia): We might set up a little headliner on the west coast. It is not for sure but it’s something we are talking about right now.
(Anissa): A show we have coming up next is this festival in Las Vegas. It’s called the 48 hour festival and it is a show on the strip. It’s with Avenged Sevenfold and Korn and like twenty other bands.
Vegas! That will be a lot of fun.
(Anissa): I know, I am really excited for that. It’s on the strip so obviously it’s going to be great.
I’d like to thank the ladies of Eyes Set To Kill for taking the time to speak with RulDope.com. Go pick up their brand new album out today, “White Lotus!”
-rook
Interview: Go Radio
Hailing from Florida comes rock gems Go Radio. Making a name for themselves immediately on the rock scene, frontman Jason Lancaster (ex Mayday Parade) took a few minutes to speak with me about the debut album and being on the Warped Tour.
How has the tour been so far? I know it’s your first time playing the entire length of the tour.
It’s been really awesome. It’s something that we were all looking forward to. It really couldn’t have been better for us. We come out everyday and you know, with Warped Tour, you come out everyday and you already know what to expect type of thing but we keep getting caught off guard by the reaction people are having to us and this record. We are really excited about it.
What are some of your personal favorite acts on the tour this year?
Lucero, we’ve been big fans of them for awhile, they continue to come out and blow our minds everyday. Jack’s Mannequin was here for a few dates and it was awesome. They were so so good.
I can’t wait for that new record!
Me either. A few bands that don’t seem to get the attention that they deserve are The Dangerous Summer and Moving Mountains. They’re two ridiculously amazing bands and they’re on the same stage as us so we get to watch them a lot. It’s been awesome.
So “Lucky Street” has been out for awhile with a large amount of praise. Have you guys got the reaction you were hoping for with this record.
It’s been better! We were hoping for anything shy of an uproar by our fans. It is like totally, content wise, different from our EP. We didn’t really know what to expect. We were thinking people were going to get it and hate it. We were like man, people aren’t going to get it, we are going to lose all our fans, get dropped from our label, have to get day jobs, I’m going to cry (laughs). It hasn’t been that at all though, everyone who liked the EP loves “Lucky Street.” They come out and tell us and I see tattoos of my lyrics on people’s bodies and that is just amazing to me. It feels so good because it’s touching people the way we wanted it to. We felt like there was so much to say and “Lucky Street” was the outlet to do it. People are receptive of it and it has been amazing.
With “Lucky Street,” it’s a lot more complex. It’s not your typical love album with songs about girls. There’s deep stuff, songs involving life, death, and religion. Do you think that is a product of you growing older and maturing as a person?
I think that is part of it. I also think that the average listener is ready to hear stuff like that now. I feel like if you go to any producer they may think that the content is kind of steep. You don’t want to be one of those bands that has your cult following of thirty people a night and nothing more yeah know? Producers will actually try to get you away from stuff like that. We went in with Tim O’Heir and he is just such a great guy. He was like, “Go in and do what you want, make a record.”
You guys had a lot of freedom with it obviously
Yeah, it was amazing. I felt like we wrote that record because we wanted to but also because it felt like our fans were ready for it.
Any upcoming plans for after Warped Tour?
We were going to go to Australia but unfortunately, that just got canceled. So I’m pretty bummed about that. After that we are still going to be touring a lot next year. We have something coming up in the fall but I can’t really say what it is yet (laughs). It’s going to be amazing, I’m really excited about it.
Seems like you guys always tour with a variety of artists
Yes, exactly. That’s the point too. Play with a lot of different genres and play to as many audiences as you can.
I’d like to thank Jason Lancaster for taking the time to speak with RulDope.com, be sure to go pick up Go Radio’s “Lucky Street.”
-rook
Interview: The Cab
I met up with Alex DeLeon and Alex Marshall of The Cab recently in Sparks, Nevada. The boys talked with me about the new album “Symphony Soldier,” lineup changes, no longer being on Fueled By Ramen Records, and touring with All Time Low.
The Cab has been on a small tour recently, you guys finish up tomorrow in Washington. How’s it been treating you so far?
(Alex D.): We started tour like a week ago, we really just wanted to do some warm up shows before the All Time Low tour. We’ve just done a few small shows in some cities we haven’t played in awhile and then the big one starts.
You guys excited to be on the bill with All Time Low?
(Alex M): I’m very excited. It’s going to be awesome.
(Alex D): We already know all the bands, we are friends with all of them already so it’s just going to be a big fun time really.
“Symphony Solider” has been a long process in the making. What are you most excited about with this new record about to drop?
(Alex D): Just people to hear new songs.
(Alex M): Yeah, we get to finally bring the fans some new music (laughs)
(Alex D): It’s true, I mean, just to be able to tour and sing new songs. For our fans to get new music and see us play.
With this album the group shedded the Fueled By Ramen label, you really had the freedom to actually be musicians and make the music that you wanted to. Besides being without a label and having more free reign, what do you think is the biggest transition fans will see with the new album?
(Alex M): I think the music has changed a little bit, but we are still us, yeah know what I mean?
(Alex D): It was really the label more telling us who to be. They were basically telling us to change kind of. We are just The Cab, yeah know? We got to just be ourselves and write the songs that we wanted to write and not have to think about the pressures of failing in a label’s eyes. It’s a lot more fun too. We put ourselves really in this, we payed for all the recording with our own money so it’s so much more fulfilling as well.
John Feldman (The Used, Anthony Green, Panic At The Disco, D.R.U.G.S.) produced the album, what was it like working with him?
(Alex D): He’s just crazy, he’s like a mad scientist (laughs)
(Alex M): Yeah, that is the best way to say it (laughs)
(Alex D): He’s like, super super ADD, super vegan and super nuts. He’s so nice and the best hearted dude I’ve ever met and he believed in us when a lot of people didn’t. We have a lot of respect for him and really look up to him for that. He didn’t have to take a chance on a bunch of guys who just got dropped from their record label yeah know what I mean? But he did, he’s just an all around great guy.
(Alex M): We are very happy with how the record came out.
So not only did you guys part ways with the label but you also parted ways with drummer Alex Johnson. Is there almost a sense of relief and less distraction for the group now? Things can just be strictly business?
(Alex D): Yeah, you know, we are super happy with where we are at right now. It’s hard sometimes when you’re in a band. Like me and Marshall are totally different people but underneath it all we are very similar and we are good friends. There’s times though when you have people in a band, not saying Alex Johnson necessarily, and you’re constantly butting heads. It can just make everything so much more stressful. You’re on tour and you’re just stressed out instead of having fun and playing music. This is one of the first times that we’ve just had so much fun and we all are like best friends. We mesh well with each other and there’s no stress despite personalities or bad moods. It’s been great.
A lot of groups are finding success without the help of a label. Do you think in the future you guys will go back to a major label or stay on the path of doing things your own way and putting the music out on your own?
(Alex M): It really would just depend on the contract that was put forth. Um, a lot of labels will put forth contracts that represent them, not who they’re signing. It really just depends on the deal. We aren’t opposed to it but we want to be sure that it’s going to benefit us and not just them.
Be right for you guys
(Alex M): Yes, exactly. Be what we feels right for us.
So the album drops soon and the big tour with All Time Low is coming up, anything else you would like to let your fans know about?
(Alex D): The album is out August 23rd and we just want everyone to go pick it up. We worked really hard on it, it’s our hearts and souls so just give it a listen. Whether you like it or not, we just appreciate people taking the time to listen to our music.
I’d like to thank Alex DeLeon and Alex Marshal, along with the rest of The Cab for taking the time to speak with RulDope.com. Be sure to pick up their album “Symphony Soldier” when it drops August 23rd. 
-rook
Interview with Uh Huh Her
Recently, I was able to sit down with Camila Grey and Leisha Hailey of the electronic indie rock group, Uh Huh Her. While playing a show in Sparks, NV, the ladies talked with me about the new album Nocturnes, being without a label, and Leisha Hailey shedding the “L Word” persona and being recognized for her musicianship.
*C: Camila, L: Leisha. Bold writing: RulDope 
(Uh Huh Her live in Sparks, NV at The Alley. Photo by Sara Rooker. Rights to RulDope.com)
For the record, state your names and roles in the band
I’m Camila and I’m the lead singer. I play keys and guitar.. and sometimes bass.
I heard you guys swap instruments sometimes
(both laugh) yes, we do.
I’m Leisha Hailey and I play bass, mostly, and sometimes keys. I also sing backup.
You guys have been on the road for awhile now, correct?
L: Cam’s been on the road for like a year and a half with other bands.
C: We did a two month tour and we took a break. This is a ten show tour and then we are going to take another tiny break. We’ve been on and off so it’s been good, it hasn’t been too solid.
You were on the SXSW tour a few months ago?
C: Yeah, we did the South by South West tour back in March.. June. It was really cool, it was in my hometown and it was awesome.
(Interview takes a break while Cam and Leisha wipe eye lashes off each other’s cheek. Leisha makes Cam make a wish, she wishes out loud that she will be able to hear herself tonight during the show)
I’ve heard a rumor that UHH will be making an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel?
L: Yes! That’s true. Their shows dark right now, which means they are all on vacation and stuff so once they come back we are going to book it and hopefully it will be around the release of the record.
So the anticipation for the upcoming album, Nocturnes, is extremely high. The release date has kind of been up in the air for awhile, is there a set date yet?
C: It’s so obnoxious, but yeah, we are planning a big tour for around October for a charity. We haven’t announced it yet so we can’t really say much about it, but that’s when it’s all happening. It will all be around the same time.
A major difference with the upcoming release and the previous album, Common Reaction, is that you guys are doing Nocturnes without a label. Does it feel better doing this album your way and at your own resources?
C: Yes.
L: Absolutely, yes.
And you’re funding everything on your own?
C: Yes. And you’re learning a lot, it’s kind of hand and mouth. You’re also making so much more money that way. It’s amazing how when you own everything and own your own product, like not giving it away like when you’re on a label. It’s just so much better for the artist.
L: It’s also a lot more gratifying for the artist. You’re actually dealing with promoters and distribution directly, you learn so much.
C: You’re really in the know. When you’re with a label, you know nothing. Everything is always a little bit over your head.
L: It really keeps your mind going too. I’m finding that when you’re on tour and everything is being done for you, you kind of go numb and just feel blah. This really just keeps you on your toes.
The EP Black and Blue is phenomenal. It’s dark, raw, edgy, and pretty impressive for something you put together quickly just to tide over fans. What would you say is the biggest transition from Black and Blue to the upcoming release?
C: I would say that Black and Blue was very electronic based, it was electronic influenced and made within a week and a half, two weeks. It was very like stream of consciousness while Nocturnes is very thought out, planned, and done in a studio. It’s fancy but also done very organically while Black and Blue was just very electronic.
L: Yeah, like the sound of Nocturnes I totally owe to Cam. She produced it and like worked her ass off the whole time to make that a finished product.
I read that you wanted to make more dance songs. Can fans expect the new release to be more uptempo?
C: You know, I said that after we made the EP. We recorded Nocturnes before we released Black and Blue, the EP was released first and we kind of wanted to go in that direction but we already recorded Nocturnes. You’re going to get something not as dance driven.
L: It’s not dance driven at all.
C: It’s so epic rock, the infinite sadness vibe.
L: It’s extremely layered.
I hate to ask this question (both Cam and Leisha start to laugh), but are you starting to see less association with the group and your acting career, especially the L Word, and more people being drawn in for the music?
L: Yes, yes, yes. It feels amazing. In fact, we just played Vegas for four nights and we had some of our own fans there but the most refreshing part of it for me,
it was so relaxing because it was like total strangers. It was like playing a subway system and the audience would change within the hour.
C: It wasn’t what we are used to.
L: On a personal level, I felt like I could just be a musician in my band that I love.
And not your L Word character..
L: Exactly, what gets hard for me, we were playing this show in Florida for example, and there were these two fans that were there obviously as fans of the L Word. They were screaming, like actually harrassing me, they were yelling, “Alice! Smile Alice! Why aren’t you smiling and being funny Alice?” I was just like umm.. I’m not my character. It is those kind of things that can get really really annoying.
My friends in the production office putting on the show were so excited for Uh Huh Her to be playing tonight, they had no clue about your acting career.
L: See! That’s awesome! That’s the thing, I really believe that at some point we are to hit the right opportunity. It may be a song like in a movie or something that is going to bring people to our band for the music. I believe in our music and I know that one day it is really going to shine through.
Aren’t you guys on the soundtrack for the movie The Kids Are Alright? How’d that come about?
L: Well, Wendy Melvoin co-produced Nocturnes with Cam and her girlfriend was on the movie. We were in the middle of recording and they approached us and asked if we would write a song for the movie and it all just kind of came together.
C: Yeah, they gave us a really good plug.
Any up coming tour plans? I know this is a short stint and you guys are planning on taking a break.
C: Yeah, we just wanted to do some southern and northern California dates and then come to Nevada. We’re shooting a music video in Canada for about ten days for a song off the EP. Then we will rest in September and go out in November.
L: And vacation in September!
Where’s vacation?
L: We don’t know (laughs), somewhere fun! I really want to go to Spain.
C: Yeah, it will probably be Spain. We have some crazy shit happening, potentionally going far away like Dubai or Afghanistan.
That’d be awesome! What a cool experience.
L: I know, right?
C: I don’t like the heat. I like the cold so it’s going to be hell for me but it’s going to be such a great opportunity.
Fans are very anxious for the Nocturnes release. Anything else you want to let people know about?
L: We just want to send out our apologies to everyone for pushing and pushing back the album (laughs).
C: That’s why we released the EP! We were just like, we have to do something musically. It’s been so long!
L: It’s only because we’ve been doing it ourselves. That’s why it’s taken so long.
C: In fact, I could probably release another EP before the damn record even comes out (laughs). We’ve been pushing it so who knows, that could be in the cards.
I’d like to thank the ladies of Uh Huh Her for taking their time to chat with RulDope. An amazing duo of women creating some phenomenal music. Be sure to check them out, pick up their album and EP as well as the upcoming release, “Nocturnes,” due out soon.
-rook
Interview: Sarah Saturday from Gardening, Not Architecture
When I first discovered the one woman project known as Gardening, Not Architecture, it was at the Vans Warped Tour in northern California. I was completely taken and captivated by the live performance, and I was seriously intrigued with the unique style of music I was hearing. After I left Warped Tour that day I was left with tons of footage, interviews, and materials. However, nothing stuck with me more than my experience with Gardening, Not Architecture. I quickly became not only a huge fan of this music, but I also realized I was completely in awe and total admiration of the woman behind it all. Sarah Saturday is well known for her musicianship, previous punk rock projects, her work on the other end of the music industry, and her project Earn It Yourself. She even has the knowledge and balls to create an online storm of angry anarchist and shoot down all their criticisms and school them in their own views on politics and punk rock. However, it is her passion and drive that continues to push forward her success while being a role model and inspiration to anyone who has a dream and is willing to work for it. Sarah recently spoke with Ruldope and allowed me to pick her brain!
For the record, can you state your name and tell us about your music
My name is Sarah Saturday. My solo project is Gardening, Not Architecture.
What inspired you to start Gardening, Not Architecture?
It’s a project I started in 2003/2004 when my old band (Saving Face) was coming to an end in Wisconsin, right before I moved to Los Angeles to take a job working for Kevin Lyman and the Warped Tour. At the time, I was writing pop punk songs for my band, but I had these little dinky piano/acoustic/electronic songs that I was also writing and recording on the side that I couldn’t use for Saving Face, so I decided to do something with them for fun. I recorded some demos with my friend Beau in Madison in 2004 right before I left for LA. I created a Purevolume page for them under the name We The Living. (Fun fact: my brother ended up taking that name and using it for his own band a year later.) I continued to record for fun after I moved to Los Angeles, with my friend Wyatt, for the next couple years. After my brother took the band name, Wyatt and I changed the project name to Alma, and planned to just put up whatever songs we were working on. We recorded five or six songs, three of which were “If You Only Knew”, “Jabberwocky”, and “The Great Unraveling”. In 2007, I returned to Wisconsin to help my parents move out of the house I grew up in, and while I was there I recorded an EP with Beau at Smart Studios in Madison. I changed the name of the project to Gardening, Not Architecture after one of the cards in the Oblique Strategies, and released the EP for free download on gardeningnotarchtiecture.com in 2007. The first website was designed on an old typewriter. It was just one big fun art project to share with my friends and family.
Beau Sorenson of Saosin is the producer on this project which I think catches a lot of people’s attention at first. How did he get involved?
This is actually a misconception that has come up a lot over the years: he actually ISN’T the same Beau as the Saosin Beau! I haven’t really minded that people think that, because like you said it does catch people’s attention. But no, the Beau who worked on the EP and the first album is an engineer/producer I met through my good friend in Madison. It worked out that he was in recording school looking for projects when I was looking for someone who knew about electronic music to record the first demos.
Do you like this project better by yourself, as opposed to being in a full band? It seems like you really have control over what you want to do and how you want to go about things.
As far as the organization, implementation, scheduling, booking, management, and financial aspects of band stuff goes: yes I love doing this project by myself. I was in bands for eight years — the last two years being full-time DIY years where I didn’t have a job or do anything else but work on the band. So I know how complicated and expensive it can get when there are a bunch of people involved. And the songwriting part is fun just because it’s just supposed to be a project that’s an outlet for this very specific type of song that I like to write, that I’ve been writing since I can remember but had never had an outlet before, in my old bands. The purpose for the project was always to just write whatever I wanted, not worrying about if it was going to be a hit single or whether or not anyone would like it, so keeping it a solo project has helped me to stay committed to the project’s purpose. However, after two years of touring and working to get the G,NA music out to the world, the project is in that sensitive place now where I feel the pressure to take it to another level, and record a new album, and figure out how to make it better. So there is some pressure now, both external and internal, that I’m trying to sort out. Like, do I want to try to put a band together? Do I want to bring in another songwriter to help me develop the songs for the next album? Do I want to start touring with a band? Do I want to try a new sound and move away from the electronic stuff? Do I want to add a singer? Should I keep doing the lights? Should I write more upbeat stuff or more mellow stuff? What do I want to ultimately achieve with the next album? Am I even any good? Etc. This is when being a solo project gets tough: when you have to trust your own instincts and judgment.
With Gardening, Not Architecture, you do things in a very honest and ‘organic’ way. You even sew the EP labels yourself! Does that make the process and your achievements that much more meaningful?
Absolutely. The more time, energy, thought, and physical effort that I put in to anything I do, the greater the pay-off when the project succeeds in any tiny way. And when something big hits, it’s the best feeling in the world. Like a huge sigh of relief, like “Yes! It was all worth it!” It’s a high that I want to keep experiencing again and again, making me want to work harder and try even crazier ideas the next time. There is no other way to get that feeling. I can’t buy that feeling or borrow that feeling. I can’t even experience it when someone else does the work for me — although that is still a great feeling! But I can only get that “high” when I have done the work myself.
Your live performances are very unique. How has the response been so far with just you and a laptop or ipod up on stage?
Well, on Warped Tour I could only pull off the iPod thing because of time/weather/location/stage constraints. I tried to make it seem creative by using an oscilloscope as the carrying case for all my cables and pedals and stuff. But usually my live show is much more involved, with an LED “light wall” made from shower curtains, duct tape, and a garment rack — and it’s synched to the music through a program on my laptop, which is also playing my backing tracks, and I play in the dark so you can’t even see me. Very different from Warped Tour, haha! I feel better about the club show because I make up for not having a band by having this other crazy complicated stuff going on, and it becomes more like an art installation or a performance than just me standing there hitting play on an iPod. I always felt guilty about that when I was playing Warped — but just I reminded myself that I was there to get the music out to people, first and foremost.
For those who don’t know, you were in the band Saving Face. Did you do things a lot differently with that band compared to what you are doing now with Gardening, Not Architecture?
Not really, actually. The lessons I learned from running that band and being involved in my local DIY/punk scene are still totally being applied with G,NA. The only difference is my perspective on reality, I guess. When I was in Saving Face, I was in my early 20s and had a somewhat naive perspective on the reality of the music industry. Also, I think people are just naturally more self-absorbed when they are younger, and I definitely had that “I’m special, I’m going to be a rockstar someday” outlook about myself and the band. At the same time, I think I was too hard on myself and the band — and that might be the same today with G,NA. My obsession with doing everything myself, never asking for favors, never piggy-backing on other people’s success or trying to force-feed my music to anyone has probably actually worked against me. I have turned down opportunities that I thought were shady, that probably could have resulted in getting shows, tours, managers, record labels, etc. But I didn’t want to pay to play, pay to get signed, pay to get on the radio, or pay sleazy people to do shady stuff to get that stuff for me. Unfortunately, bands do these things every day in order to get famous. And it works, but only for a short while before the band disappears into obscurity and debt, hanging on to the memory of their glory days and still dressing like they are 25 until they are in their 50s (we’ve all seen these guys; it’s depressing). That isn’t to say that it’s one or the other: you don’t have to do shady stuff to succeed in a band. You can totally succeed on a million different levels, especially if you are a truly good band, creating unique music that people haven’t necessarily heard before. I think when I was younger, I didn’t focus so much on whether or not I was writing the types of songs that could actually break new ground. I was writing decent pop songs and then backing them up with a lot of hard work and really great live shows. But, looking back, I think I ran myself into the ground trying to work on the band and didn’t conserve any energy for cultivating the art that my band was producing. Now, I probably care way more about trying to do something that is interesting, new, and different. I care more about contributing something of value to the art world — not just doing what I have to do to qualify, so that I can hurry up and try to “make it.” I’m still too hard on myself when it comes to accepting and asking for help — but I’m trying to get better about that.
I’ve read that with your previous projects you felt like you were “trying to be famous,” and if nothing huge ever came from Gardening, Not Architecture you would still be satisfied. Do you hold any expectations or goals as far as this project goes?
This sort of goes along with what I was saying before, about questioning my goals and the next steps I want to take with G,NA. I’m definitely at a crossroads. I want to get some kind of return on the investment I’ve put in, of course, because I’ve spent thousands of dollars and totally overturned my life to do G,NA these past couple years. And I still owe people money for G,NA stuff that I need to pay back! But more than that, I feel a sense of responsibility to all the people who have invested in me and G,NA since I started touring. So many people have given me so much — money, time, love, food, help, energy — that I care more about giving THEM a return on THEIR investment than I do about making my money back or any of that. I feel like I owe it to all the people who believe in me, to do something great and make G,NA a success. Personally, I could quit right now and be totally happy with what I was able to create and build with this project. But there are so many people involved in it now, who tell me all the time that they see big things for G,NA, who are pushing me to keep going and keep making music. I know I would be letting them down if I stopped. I don’t really know what my ultimate goals or expectations are, but I don’t think all these people would be stepping in to help push me along if there wasn’t something worth pursuing with G,NA. So my only goal is to make those people proud, I guess.
You started working for Kevin Lyman and the Vans Warped Tour years ago, what was that experience like when you began?
I met Kevin when I was touring for a short time with a band from LA, filling in on bass. They knew him and that’s how I met him. I was 22 and in LA with nothing to do between rehearsals with that band, so I asked if I could come into his office for a few days to volunteer. It’s so crazy because in those two days I unknowingly started working on what would become my biggest pet project with the Warped Tour (the Kevin Says Stage), and I met people who would end up becoming some of my best friends. I kept in touch with Kevin after I went back to Wisconsin to my own band, and when things started to get rocky with Saving Face, I turned to Kevin for advice and he offered me a job. When I first started working for him I was wide-eyed and naive. I must have seemed like a lost puppy those first couple years. But, just like when I first got into my local punk scene, Kevin and everyone in his office and the Warped Tour family took me under their wing and showed me the ropes of the industry. I am really grateful to them for teaching me so much in the two years I was working full time in his office. Kevin encouraged me to start my own consulting company in 2005, and was my first client with Taste Of Chaos. He also let me continue to work on the Kevin Says Stage with him, and continued to mentor me and offer me the chance to try out my ideas. Getting the job in Kevin’s office was one of those breaks that you get when you put yourself out there and remain open to everything — I was working so hard all those years thinking my break would come in the form of a record label deal or something, but as it turned out I was also leaving a good enough impression on the people I met that when I met the right person at the right time, I got my big break — and it wasn’t at all what I thought it was going to be.
Besides being a musician, you run something called Earn It Yourself. Can you give us a description of what that is all about and how people can get involved?
Earn It Yourself is a philosophy that I started developing when I was in Saving Face. It’s based on the Do It Yourself movement from the early 80s, but is a little bit more open-ended and applies to a wider range of musical styles and people — not just punk music, not just bands. It started out as a print zine where I would interview my friends who were doing cool stuff in music, working their way up, starting their own companies, and applying the DIY method in their approach. I would review bands and include mix CDs with each issue of really good unsigned bands that I had discovered through touring or submissions for the Warped Tour. In 2006 I teamed up with a couple friends to build a website that offered tools, resources, and advice to unsigned, DIY bands like show-trading, how-to articles, and zip code specific networking. The site went through a lot of upgrades and additions and changes over the years, but eventually got to be way too big of a project for us to be able to focus in any tangible way. But all the while, I was traveling around talking to people and bands about this idea of earning your success, working your way to your goals by a hands-on DIY approach, and taking pleasure in the journey rather than focusing so much on the destination. So I was getting the word out about the philosophy and it was resonating with a lot of people. The website became a place for bands to find other like-minded people to team up with on projects and shows. I started re-evaluating the purpose of the website while I was on the road in 2010, especially after conducting the Scene Meet-Ups on Warped Tour all summer, and then doing a solo two-month tour at the end of 2010 for G,NA where I really got a feel for the state of the underground music community and network in North America. At the end of 2010 I finally figured out how the EIY philosophy and website fit in to the changing music industry, and how people could get involved in a tangible way — how they could start applying the EIY philosophy in their own daily lives. I want people to be able to hear about the EIY philosophy and then go online to start working with other like-minded people on rebuilding their local music scenes. The new website which is slowly being rolled out is going to focus on staying local, getting really involved in your own community, throwing shows, learning about proper show and scene etiquette, being proud of all the bands in your scene, working together instead of competing with each other, and putting your city or your region on the map so we can create a strong network of venues, promoters, bands, and music supporters around the world, and not have to rely on the mainstream music industry to make it possible for good artists to have a career. None of these ideas or new — this is exactly what the punk bands in the early 80s were doing. They started it! I just think the torch got dropped somewhere along the line, and it’s time for today’s bands to pick the torch back up and continue passing it on.
-rooka
I Dont Wan’t To Talk
Brandan Smith - Hello World
Brandan Smith hails from Sacramento, CA where he may be known mostly for his skills as a basketball player and coach. However, as I’ve discovered, there are many shades to Smith and his musical genius are just one of them. Upbeat, smooth and fun R&B/hip hop with some guest rap appearances make “Mr. Hello World” one to keep your eyes and ears open for. With his debut mix tape album on the way, I was able to catch up with Brandan Smith to show the world just a little bit of what “Mr. Hello” is all about.
When did you start getting serious about your music and wanting to share it with people?
I started really getting serious about music and don’t laugh but i started really getting serious about this thing 5months ago. My first real recording came in 2005 on an independent recording artist name Doey Rock the album was titled Soul on Fire. But I’ve always done music i started when i was a kid singing in my grandfathers church. The first time that i put my music out for people to hear was around a year and a half ago.
When people hear Brandon Smith, they think “Hello World,” where did the “Hello World” slogan come from?
Yeah the moniker Hello World came from me just being silly at first. but it was my way of saying im ready to attack. I’m ready to claim what is rightfully mine. I am going to use all of my God given talents to live on this earth the way that i want to live. Society will not box me in. So in all of those thoughts i came to the conclusion that it was time for me to show up and show out and once i made the final decision for my life i said HELLO WORLD and the rest was history.
You have said that the talking you do on some of your tracks is the most important part. What did you mean by that?
Yeah in my debut mix tape Hello World vol 1 (plug) i do a lot of talking on the records but what people don’t understand is if they listen to what I’m saying i tell my story, i tell my motivations, i share my thoughts. The music is just my way to express thoughts that i have i just do it to the beat. The main message and point that i want to get across is don’t be afraid to dream. Dreaming saved my life, you get one life to live and I’ve made the decision to live it up.
What or who has been your greatest motivation musically?
My own life story has been my greatest musical motivation. The outlet to create it is a form of therapy for me. I grew up on R&b music so to have been an avid fan of the genre and to now have the opportunity to create it myself I’m like a kid in a candy store having the time of my life.
When can fans hear new material?
YES YES i will be dropping my debut Mix tape Album Hello World vol 1 the introduction of Brandan Smith to the World. The album is produced by myself and my Biggest Fan my Father. This tape is a raw pure display of perseverance, talent, and a whole bunch of fun. i cant wait for the people to hear it.
We want people to be able to get in touch with you and get their hands on your music as well as reach out to you. What is the best way for fans to do so?
I can be reached at my little sanctuary. My twitter page LOL. This is where you can get all up to date information about my music my day to day events and some time my minute to minute events. twitter.com/HWorldTheEmpire
As we wrap up, what are some things you would like people to know about you?
The main thing i want people to know about Mr. Hello World is that i will stay true to myself which in return i will always provide art for the everyday Dreamer, Hustlers, and anybody tryna do something with this one life that we’ve been granted. I want to Be your Friend. Your Best Friend. Mr Hello World Rocks!!!!
- rook
Q. Dash tells Nfresh about the ins and outs of the self titled album NLS
Hey yall its Nfresh what it do? I am here right now sitting with the one and only Q-dash from NLS giving all of you an exclusive, never before released interview…. Your Welcome
Nfresh: So tell us what NLS stands for?
Q. dash: NLS is Notorious Life Style, We came up with that because the name of our Label is Next Level, and when we say Next Level we mean uh, one step ahead of the music industry. NLS didn’t always mean notorious lifestyle, it was next level squad because we had a bigger crew. But after 3 of the members dropped we didn’t want to be called squad anymore.. that’s when it became a group. So we go by Notorious lifestlye because to us notorious doesn’t mean a bunch of money it means that we have gone through struggles and still kept grindin, even after the death of two of the members parents.
Nfresh: So tell me about the members of NLS the group?
Q. dash: We have LP the CEO of Next Level, J. Sound our producer, and myself Q. Dash together we are NLS.
Nfresh: Tell us alittle bit about your music.
Q. Dash: Our music is THE TRUTH… Im gonna tell you why I say that. Musical artists today, rap and sing about what they think will sell. They sing about the life they think people want them to have. We sing about The Truth, everything we rap about we been through are living and know about. The records we put out have meaning not just to us but everyone listening to them. Its about the daily struggles, what we all have to go through.
Nfresh: So what Genre does it fall under?
Q. Dash: Its definetly hip hop, but given the fact that music has taken a turn, hip hop has taken a turn as well and opened us up to other genres Like Rock, reggae, electronica, even dance.
Nfresh: So you guys have gone through a bunch of drama, lost members, and still your together, how long have you done this and how do you stay sane through all the mess?
Q. Dash: Umm through prayer and believing in our common goal together, and by trusting each other. I like that question… alot actually…All of our lives we have used music in order to cope with the hard times. LP and I are brothers we have been doing music since our early teen years. We worked with DJ Munari back in New York Shout out to him. When we came out here to California we hooked up with J.Sound who grew up doing gospel from a young age, he was a perfect fit. But to us family is so important, after loosing our mom and dad we took our dream and just ran with it full force, it’s knowing where we have been and where we want to go that keeps us going and sane.
Nfresh: What about the ladies in your lives are you all taken or still playin the field?
Q. Dash: Lp and J. Sound those two cupcakin-asses ha ha ha…. But as for me dealing with music as a profession and as a career, I have had girlfriends, but non of them can understand the amount of pressure… Oh man she callin {His lady friend literally called during the interview Bhahahahah} so yeah dealing with the pressure, they don’t understand as a performer, there is always gonna be fans and females, so I had to let um go so yeah im on the market… but Im not looking, Im taking this time to focus on my career to get where I need to be.
Nfresh: Ok now you keep talking about this album, can you tell us something about it?… ha ha Gimmie the juice!
Q. Dash: The album is finished, we are fixin to release it in late December, early January. There isn’t a definite due date but if you all follow us on Facebook, Youtube and were working on a twitter (the username will be on facebook asap.) You can check out some videos, behind the scene stuff, and clips from the album… But honestly its definitely something that everyone will love. It’s a 20 track album that ranges from the struggle and the grind… and when I say grind I mean the hard work ethic… to relationships good times and tough times… the extent that a person will go to show that they love there significant other…. {he then played me the song suicidal…he did a few bars and I just wish you all could see the way he speaks about song and raps with such realness… honestly it is the truth… wow} Suicidal is my favorite song on the album… I mean I think a lot of people can relate to it because we have all been there and if you haven’t when you do Love that hard you will experience the feeling, and regardless of that it’s just a great song to listen to… But um it also touches on topics of good times and being very grateful for what we have, it’s a really well rounded album. There’s something for everybody
Nfresh: So we now know the men behind the music, we know about the album and I know once everybody hears it, that will be a wrap it’s a must have. But what do you want to leave us with?
Q. Dash: With everything that we have been through, I want you guys to understand that this album that’s gonna be released has taken years, but with time everything gets better.. Like wine everything gets better! I feel that we have progressed tremendously from sitting in a room for countless sleepless nights writing raps and doing songs, to doing performances, to buidling our own and staying focused, and keeping the most important things first… family and god… This album signifies everything we have been up to, to this point,. There are too many people to give thank you’s.. but everyone that has kept believing in us and given us the time of day to listen to us.. We greatly appreciate it… This album is definitely dedicated to our parents and the people who have been lost though the struggles.
Well everybody you heard it first NLS is coming out with an album that cant be missed. This is Nfresh signing out yall already know that’s RuuuuuuulDOPE!
Interview with reggae rockers Echo Movement
A few months back we featured a reggae rock band from New Jersey by the name of Echo Movement. They instantly caught my attention with their style and honest lyrics. After catching a live performance recently this summer on the Vans Warped Tour, I was even more impressed with this group. The atmosphere during their live set was incredible and completely convinced me that this band has nothing but good things ahead of them. I highly suggest looking into this group and picking up their latest album, “In The Ocean”. For now, check out this interview with Echo Movement’s members Stephen and Dave!
Last time I caught up with the group you guys were wrapping up the Vans Warped Tour. How was that experience?
STEPHEN: It was our second Vans Warped Tour run and we had a blast once again.
DAVE: Warped is always a memorable experience. I remember going when I was younger, and it was madness in all directions. Now, seeing it from the other side of the gate, it’s as edgy as ever. It has morphed a bit from brute transgression to teen angst. I don’t mean this in a bad way, but it has taken a different direction as far as the music goes.
Would you say it’s harder on Warped for a band like yourselves, coming from a reggae/rock genre as opposed to the typical pop/rock/punk acts that make up the majority of the tour?
STEPHEN: It is funny because Warped Tour was founded on bands like Sublime…one of the first and biggest reggae/rock bands. You would think a band like us would fit right in, but like you said these days pop/rock/punk bands make up the majority. One advantage of this is that because we stand out at Warped Tour it is easier to make a memorable impression. We also go over well with those who still come for its punk/reggae/ska roots. I think that crowd especially likes our honest performance and that we are less theatrical than a lot of the screamo/emo bands on Warped. Sometimes I feel like an atheist in church, but that is nothing new.
The huge disadvantage we have is that the majority of bands playing are outside our genre… therefore so are the majority of fans that go to Warped. We bring a significant amount of fans that come only to see us, but it is after we distribute 1,000 handouts that we get the great crowds we usually do. Finding and reaching out to the reggae fans is an all-day activity for us, so it is a good thing we like to socialize.
Any big tours coming up for you guys?
STEPHEN: We have some big things in the works for 2011, but we can’t give out any details because things are still in the works :)
Something I find really awesome and interesting about the group that fans may not know, is how involved all of you are with communities and foundations. I read that a percent of sales from the latest release, In The Ocean, go to SurfAid International. How did you come across this organization and get involved?
DAVE: Oh yeah, communicative technologies have redefined the shape and character of a community. Echo Movement basks in this, and we fully embrace the opportunities it affords us. If nothing else, it expedited the friendships and connections we have made. This ultimately enables us to contribute more, increase our involvement and support the organizations in which we believe.
We met surf artist Jay Alders a few years ago, after my brother received an email for an art show featuring Jay’s paintings. When we met Jay, it was instant friendship, no water needed. It was Jay who introduced us to SurfAid. We already knew about them, but didn’t actually know them. Once we found out what they do for the people of Indonesia and read through their mission statement, we immediately knew we wanted to contribute. So we decided to give them a cut of the album proceeds. We wish it was more, and perhaps one day it will be.
Echo Movement also randomly contributes to anti-prohibition campaigns. We just sent in some money for Proposition 19. We’re not from California, but we know they have the opportunity to forge a business infrastructure in the cannabis industry from which other states can learn and mold.
Some of your songs have been labeled ‘controversial,’ like the track ‘I Think God Smokes Weed’ for example. While I think a lot of fans love how outspoken Echo Movement is, has there been any negative experiences regarding the groups’ personal opinion on topics like the legalization of marijuana?
STEPHEN: Because we are still an independent band playing to a mostly underground audience we currently lay under the radar of mainstream conservatism. So, the majority of feedback that reaches us is very positive. Their have been a couple negative things said online, but entirely by people that are clearly ignorant on the topic.
I will say that marijuana is becoming less and less taboo of a topic. Every show we play we are greeted by fans that love our involvement on the issue. We have been following California’s Proposition 19 and I think it could prove to be the most popular issue on the ballot. Proudly including our own garden state of New Jersey, there are now 14 states that have changed their laws towards marijuana. It is about time.
DAVE: Echo Movement is mostly comprised of agnostics and free thinkers. We weren’t sure how literally people would take the song, and, even though we call out the Catholic dogma pretty hard, we never identify a specific deity. But like Steve said, most feedback we get against marijuana is unfounded. We dont even humor pro-religion feedback.
When can fans expect new Echo Movement material?
DAVE: You can expect to see something this Spring, but we’re not saying what quite yet. And a new album is being written now. All I can say, for now, is it’s out of this world.
The Higher Interview 6/9/10
With many fans of the Las Vegas natives The Higher, I have been a skeptic and hesitant when it comes to their new material. Part of me wants to jump for joy and twirl around like I did when I first learned the words to every track on Histrionics. The other part of me stops twirling and experiences a total buzz kill because I know that with the loss of a founding member and a total new direction in mind, The Higher will never be the band that produced Histrionics or those handful of tracks from their second full length, On Fire. With that said, after my night spent enjoying this band live and spending time with lead singer Seth Trotter, my mindset shifted. I respect The Higher for their decisions and transition musically. This is an awesome and caring group of guys that are just going with what feels right to them at the time. They are extremely proud of each album they put out and even if there latest album (It’s Only Natural) isn’t my favorite record, I can still hold a special place in my heart for these guys. They rocked the shit out of their set and proved that they are still The Higher, a rock n’ roll band.
Rooka (RD): Your third full length album ‘It’s Only Natural’ has been out for awhile now, how’s the overall response been recently to the new material?
Seth (Higher): You know, we have had it out for a year and unfortunately not a lot of people have heard it. But everyone who has heard it has given us a really positive response about it. We’ve had a lot of people that have been like you know, this is your best record ever.. and then you know, we had people who just didn’t who it was out there. It’s unfortunate but eventually they will find out it’s out there and once they hear it there’s no turning back. They’ll love it. We’re just happy to play for as many kids as we can and have a good time. Our new record is sick so get it.
Rooka (RD): You guys have said this album contains songs for everyone.. girls, the old fans, fans of material like “Insurance,” were you trying to create a variety of material with this album or did the transition from ‘Histrionics’-to ’On Fire’- to ‘It’s Only Natural’ just kind of happen?
Seth (Higher): It’s kind of just grown with us as we’ve grown. You know, Histrionics was very pop punk, very at the time. Pop punk was big at the time, we were doing a good job of doing the pop punk and you know what I mean, we had a good time then. Once On Fire came out we started doing a little more of the R&B style and mixing that in and I just feel like we’ve done a little bit more of that on this record. We haven’t tried to let go of all the old fans and we are still a rock band. We’re still playing that pop punk stuff. Our live performances show the rock side of us. We just wanted to make the best songs possible and when we wrote this record we didn’t think about what should it sound like, we just thought lets just make the best songs and whatever comes out, comes out.
Rooka (RD): What caused the departure of Tom Oakes and how did that affect the direction The Higher was going at that time?
Seth (Higher): Me and Tom personally, just me and Tom, I’ve known Tom since third grade. We have been best friends for longer than any of us have ever wanted to be in a band. Me and him were rivals that wanted to play in the NBA and we’re both just white boys that are no good at basketball. So unfortunately, reality struck and when we made this band we had a great time doing it and all the songs that we wrote together were amazing. Tom wanted to venture out and sing his own songs. As a singer, I can respect that and as his best friend I can respect that. Me and Tom are still best friends. Nothing has gone sour, it wasn’t like, “Tom quit the band. Fuck Tom,” Tom left the band to pursue something he wanted to pursue even when he was in our band. Unfortunately in The Higher, he wasn’t going to be able to showcase his voice with my voice still in it. So it was one of those things that he was ready to move on and so were we. It didn’t really affect The Higher, it just affected him. We were glad that he told us what he wanted to do and he did just that. His new band More Amor is amazing and you should check them out and he would tell you the same about The Higher obviously, he was in the band for five years and I’ve been his friend forever.
Rooka (RD): So since you’re such a basketball fan, Lakers or Celtics?
Seth (Higher): Fuck that. I’m a Cavs fan. Fuck them both. If you had to ask me, unfortunately I would have to go with the Celtics. I am not a Lakers fan. Tom is a Lakers fan so if I could say ’fuck Tom’ for anything, it’s fuck Kobe Bryant.
Rooka (RD): The Runaway (Artist) is a song you wrote on piano when you were 15. What’s it like to see that come to life now and be a track on your album?
Seth (Higher): You know it’s just crazy cause uhm.. I wrote that song on the piano and it turned into a full band song that doesn’t have any piano in it. Which is just kind of weird for me because I played that song on piano for ten years. So it was one of those things that it was cool to see it take shape into what it is now. I love the song. I knew it was a good song when I wrote it then and that’s why we put it on the record. It’s a damn good song and it shouldn’t go to waste.
Rooka (RD): I’ve heard your fans of the television series Lost, how’d you feel about the finale?
Seth (Higher): Jesus, I’d have to give it a B+. I love Lost. I love Lost, if you ask me what my favorite television show is, it’s still Lost. You know, they ended it the right way but they ended out a few things I wanted to know. They just didn’t tell me everything I wanted to know.
Rooka (RD): What is your favorite song to play live?
Seth (Higher): (long pause)…fuck. Well, my favorite song to play live would have to be one of our new songs called ‘Undertaker’. I say that because it is in the vein of music that I listen to, which is more R&B. The last four or five years I have stopped listening to music that is in our genre and it’s not purposely cause I don’t want to sound like other bands, it’s because R&B is what makes me thrive. When I hear R&B I love it and ‘Undertaker’ was a song that I wrote completely thinking R&B in my mind. We have a new single on are up and coming record that’s going to be called ‘Operation Sexy Rescue,’ OSR. It’s a song about saving a girl that is in a situation basically where a guy is hitting on her and she needs out of that situation. Any girl that has ever been to a bar and hit on by a guy knows what I’m talking about. It’s going to be my favorite song to play. I’m just excited to play more songs.
Rooka (RD): Lastly, our website held a little contest where a fan got to come up with any question they wanted to ask you. My mom was actually the lucky winner.
Seth (Higher): I love your mom.
Rooka (RD): haha, well her question was, in the song Histrionics.. the lyric..
Seth (Higher): She wants to know what ‘I’ve been dying to get it into you somehow’ means?
Rooka (RD): Haha, yes. She takes it sexually. I personally think she just wants it to be sexual.
Seth (Higher): That’s funny. Well, everyone seems to think that it’s a very sexual song. I think that’s what your mom wants to hear. I like to tell people what they want to hear when it comes to songs we write because our lyrics, I have to admit, are so.. so open to interpretation that you just don’t know what you’re getting. The song Histrionics was actually a song that Tom wrote when he was in the band. He wrote it about me and a situation that I was in with a girl. It was a situation where the same things were happening over and over again. He had been dying to let me know what he was thinking and that’s what ‘dying to get it into you’ means. Somehow it has turned sexual. If she finds it sexual and likes it, then I like her and she should keep it that way.
Rooka (RD): Well thank you for your time and being so awesome. Your set was amazing.
Seth (Higher): Thank you for being so amazing and crowd surfing during our set. Thanks for just being a fan for fucking ever.
I would like to thank Seth Trotter and The Higher for being so down to earth and allowing ruldope to get an interview as well as put on an awesome live performance. For everyone out there who has been a follower of this band and not too happy with the changes.. just remember, sometimes things are ‘Only Natural’.
-Rooka
Local Reno Round Up Interview, Hear Me Arizona
I am very excited to bring this post to life. This is what RulDope is all about, the unsigned and underground artists of our music scene. I have discussed a local Reno, NV up and comer before, this band however is on their way to winning me over entirely (along with an entire industry). Hear Me Arizona is a five piece of great friends with a front lady, Kelsey Karrasch, that has the pipes far beyond her petite size. Her supporting cast consist of drummer Ethan Lane, Kyle Daters on guitar, David Henry on bass and Jeremy Martin also on guitar. Hear Me Arizona’s live performance is an experience just as fulfilling as their recorded tracks. Pulling influences from all over, Hear Me Arizona is on the rise and at a full throttle pace with no intentions of slowing down. I was lucky enough to catch up with guitarist Kyle Daters and score an interview. Please take the time to check these guys out. If you disagree with me at all, if you are not blown away in any way.. please, I will pull a CAL and allow you to email me and voice your opinion. I will probably embarrass you and take you down but it could be worth a try.
(Rooka RD): How did the band come to life? And where did the name Hear Me Arizona come from?
(Kyle HMA): The band originally started with Jeremy Martin, David Henry, and Ethan Lane as a band called Passed Judgement after a couple years I got added on to play guitar and help write. After a small tour we went on Jeremy told us that he wasn’t having any fun being the lead singer and wanted to just focus on writing and pressence. We found Kelsey about two months later and after a few shows decided to change our name and look. The name actually came from me. My grandpa died july of last year down in arizona. My sister and i flew down to be with the rest of our family and support. One night I got away from everyone and went for a walk outside my granpas neighborhood. I was listening to some hard core music and walking. I looked up at the night sky and because my grandpa lived in the middle of no-where I could see all the stars without the city lights. Ha listening to hardcore music made me pumped up so i wanted to scream something that everyone would hear but i wanted the entire state of Arizona to hear me so I just said “Hear Me Arizona” I thought it’d be a cool name for a hard core band and planned on starting a side project with the name. When I came back to Reno we were still looking for a band name. After going through and throwing out maybe about 150 names we all settled on Hear Me Arizona.
(Rooka RD): Who would you say are some of your biggest influences when it comes to your music? And what do you think of the Reno local scene right now?
(Kyle HMA): Some of our influences consist of bands like Mayday Parade and Hit The Lights with a sprinkle of hard core bands like Bless The Fall and A Day To Remember. All of us listen to close to the same music with a few bands that are on opposite ends of each other. Living in Reno has influenced our music in a huge way because of the local scene. The local music scene here in Reno, NV is funny. The majority of the bands here “From my point of view” are mostly post-hardcore, hardcore and screamo. There are a lot of kids here who like to throw down and dance at shows. So this makes it kind of difficult for bands like my own because we are fronted by a female vocalist. We don’t write our music to try and tailor to the crowd here in Reno, we write our music because we are five kids from Reno who all enjoy moving to the occasional break down in a song. We are having fun with it and hope that other people can enjoy it too. As far as breaking out of Reno goes and broadening our horizons, Yes. We hope that we can extend into other cities and that our music finds its way onto kids computers from several states over but we want people from our home town to be able to look at us and be proud to say that this is where our band came from. We want our home town to support us and help us do those things like going on tour, recording more music, ordering more t-shirts, things that will help us reach out through more car speakers and iPods. Without a solid base in our hometown it makes it kind of hard to want to venture out to other areas where no one has ever heard of us.
(Rooka RD): When it comes to writing, does Kelsey write the majority of lyrical content or is it a combined effort?
(Kyle HMA): When it comes to writing (Instrumentally) the four of us guys lock ourselves in the band room and start working off of a guitar riff or melody or progression. We start and finish the instruments first. After that Kelsey comes in and starts writing lyrics to the new tune bouncing ideas off of us along the way. How it normally will work is she will listen to the instrument part of the song and tell us what she likes and doesnt like, we will go through and tighten it up or re work certain parts. As she writes lyrics we tell her what we like and dont like and she does the same. Jeremy normally writes his own lyrics for his back up parts (Not Always) but they are directly inspired or related to Kelsey’s lyrics.(Rooka RD): From what I’ve seen, you guys are really awesome live. Do you think just continuing to play a lot of shows is the best way of getting more and more exposure and getting your name out there?(Kyle HMA): As far as exposure goes… Being able to play live in front of people and performing seems to be the best way to get locals attention. We want to show people who we are and what we are all about. Live shows you have the benefit of showing people how hard working you are. If you can keep the audience’s attention and keep the energy flowing through-out the entire show then the audience will “Hopefully” be more likely to want to buy a cd or a t-shirt of something to remember their experience by. Cd’s alone are good but without syncronized stage moves and the energy you get watching your favorite band rock out, your music will probably be uploaded onto someones itunes and forgotten about unless you gave them a reason to remember you.
(Rooka RD): If you had the opportunity to tour with anyone in music right now, who would it be?
(Kyle HMA): Haha I’m sure that If we had the opportunity to go on tour with anyone close to our genre who was somewhat “Big” we wouldn’t be too picky. Personally if I had to choose I’d pick bands like Banner Hill from Las Vegas, NV or other bands like Mayday Parade, Hit The Lights, Valencia, I’ll throw in Taking Back Sunday why not. It’s my dream right?
(Rooka RD): You also have an EP out that is available at the shows, any future plans on a full length?
(Kyle HMA): The next step for us right now is finishing the KRZQ’s Spring Forward by Paying it Forward campaign. We’ve been working really hard, playing shows and finding ways to donate time and money to local non-profit groups around the area. Once we’ve finished this then YES we are excited to finally start working on our full length album. We just want to make sure that we don’t have anything else on our plates so that all of our focus can be put into the album.
(Rooka RD): What would you like fans to know about Hear Me Arizona and your music?
(Kyle HMA): To sum up your last question is to just basically say what I said earlier. We want fans to look at us and be proud. We want our local fans to look at us and say “Wow, these guys are great at what they do” I would personally like fans to look at us and know that we don’t expect anything to be handed to us and that we will never expect people to come to our shows… That we will work for everything that we get and that we want to work to keep our fans coming out and spending time with us. As cliche?? if that is the right word, Or maybe as corny and usual as it sounds, without the fans nothing we do could be possible. Without the support of the fans we wouldn’t have any way to grow and keep growing. We want to continue writing music and having fun and if our fans are somehow inspired by a guitar riff, or drum beat, or a slap of da bass, or a verse or line of words then we’ve done something great. If we inspire someone by doing something that we love then we want to share that with them.
I would like to take the time to thank Kyle for his interview. Add Hear Me Arizona to your list of ‘to do’s’ tomorrow. You may need a change of pants after because it’s that GOOD people.
-rooka
