Interviews

Shades Apart

Interview with ... on Nov 30, 1999 by Archive Bot

PB: The new album "Sonic Boom" has a somewhat spacey feeling to it, and when I saw you at The Skate/Surf Fest you were wearing a NASA space suit. What's behind the the feeling of the new album, and do you have a hidden desire to become an astronaut?
Actually, the space suit became a part of our stage gear a few years back. Kevin’s wife Christina had received NASA Space Camp coveralls via a hook up through her job. She was kind enough to donate it to me, and I wore it at one of our shows. Almost everyone at the gig let me know how much they liked it, so the suit slowly became my regular thing. Over the years I’ve gotten quite a collection together. If I wasn’t doing the band as a full time career, I think being an astronaut would be first on my list of top 10 alternate occupations. As for Sonic Boom, I think the space vibe is a continuation of an idea started on our last CD. One of the first songs written for the Eyewitness record was “Sputnik”, obviously one of the more spacey tracks. A lot of times the first few songs you come up with can lead the songwriting down a certain path toward a finished project. This time “Rebel Teenager from Mars” was the starting point. It has a heavy 50’s feel, and I think Sonic Boom took shape with that song as the catalyst.

PB: I've gotten shot down many times especially most recently so I can relate to the song "Got Shot Down" off of the new record. Who is that song about and how do you overcome getting shot down?
That song is for you and every person who has ever gone through that dismal experience. Ed wrote the lyrics, but every time we play that song it reminds me of a certain girl I went to High School with. Apparently, Mark V. wasn’t her “type”. Well Miss Popularity, if by some strange act of fate you are reading these words, I’ve never been happier with my life and I hope you choke.

PB: Do you remember the first show the band ever played? Please give some memories of it and if you think it was a successful one, or if it was a disaster.
One of the first “shows” we played was at a place called the Court Tavern in New Brunswick, NJ. It was actually an open mic night at the bar. We were all underage at the time, but somehow we managed to sneak in play about 5 songs. I suppose it was a success in some way because we were booked later that month.

PB: You guys have played with the likes of Goldfinger, Three Doors Down, The Promise Ring, and a bunch of shows with Sum 41 coming up. What's it like to play with bands that may not exactly fit into the same genre as you, and do you learn anything from playing with such a variety of bands?
I think we benefit from playing with a variety of bands, especially some of the great bands we have had the chance to play with. It’s cool to see what kind of reaction we get from a new audience.

PB: "Sonic Boom" is your seventh album and I was wondering if there in one you are more proud of? Some bands are proud of the first and some are proud of their most recent. How do you think "Sonic Boom" measures up to "Eyewitness" and "Seeing Things"?
Since Sonic Boom just came out, I’m psyched about it. But I’m not more proud of one than the others. It’s just cool to have people pick any of these 7 CD’s as their favorite. I think Sonic Boom has a sound somewhere between Eyewitness and Seeing Things.

PB: One of the most interesting things about the band is the pop-punk sound you guys produce intermingled with punk rock leanings. Is there a certain sound you are trying to achieve and what would that be?
I think the pop and the punk came naturally to us. I was pretty much an 80’s new wave kid, and heard punk for the first time in the form of Social Distortion, the Clash, and Husker Du. Whatever we’ve evolved into happened sort of by accident. 

PB: I read about how the band recorded their new album in a very unique way by recording one song at a time until it was completed. How do you think that added to the quality of the album, and do you plan on doing that in the future?
I’m not sure if it is a unique process, but it was the first time we tracked a record this way. It seems like a lot of rock records are done like this: The band sets up and plays the tunes. Drums are recorded for all the songs, and the drummer’s job is done after, say, the first week. Then, bass parts are added, and the bass player is finished over the next few days. Then guitars, and finally vocals at the end of the project. This time we finished a song each day and kept everyone involved playing throughout the entire time in the studio. It definitely kept the energy level up, and I think we will record this way again.

PB: Many people say even though your albums are great, you just don't put the same energy you have on stage into your records. How hard is it to take the energy a band has on stage and incorporate it into an album?
To those people, I say go piss up a rope. Every rock band should come across better live than recorded. If it’s the other way around then something is wrong. Seems like a lot of the live energy you feel from a recording comes off the vocals. So I try to keep the vocal performance raw and not to polished up.

PB: What's your favorite 80's song and why? Would you consider doing a cover of it?
80's pop? "Message in a Bottle", the Police. Why? It marks one of the turning points in my musical tastes. (prog rock to metal to new wave). Actually, we have played the song. Kevin does a mean Sting imitation.

PB: If you won the lottery today.... what would you do? What aspects of your life would remain the same?
You mean like 12 mill? Buy a nice little house off in the woods somewhere, maybe a few cars or houses for family members, and put my daughter through med. school. Hell, maybe I would go back to College, too (are you listening kids?). I would probably still buy a lot of my clothes at Wal-Mart, but I would definitely go out to dinner way more than I do now.

PB: If you could be invisible for a day how would you spend your time besides looking up hotties skirts?
Drive around, see a couple of movies for free, and generally freak people out making objects appear to float like on that TV show “Bewitched”.

PB: Lastly, as I said you guys have a bunch of shows coming up with Sum 41. What else can we look forward to with Shades Apart this summer and for the rest of the year. Do you guys have any big tour plans?
After Sum 41, we have a tour set up with Our Lady Peace that runs from June 18th to July 19th. I know we’re playing somewhere with Joan Jett this summer, too. Please check out the website for all the summer tour dates: www.Shadesaparthq.com