Interviews

Hot Rod Circuit

Interview with Andy on Nov 30, 1999 by Archive Bot

Thanks to Chad at Universal and Chris Bernhard for trying to help, but mainly thanks to myself for being resourceful and hooking this up on my own when it seemed almost impossible and almost not worth it. But I rule and it was worth it to get to talk to Andy, so thanks to him for being nice enough to take the time to talk with me. This interview happened at the Kool Haus in Toronto on October 17th. For more information on HRC visit www.hotrod-circuit.com and if you like good music listen to their latest release "Sorry About Tomorrow".

PB: What are the characteristics of a good or successful relationship because almost all your songs deal with some type of relationship?
ANDY: Yes. To be honest with each other.

PB: How do you maintain your relationships being on the road all the time, I know you're married...
ANDY: It's really easy. Me and Casey are married and Mike has a steady girlfriend, they might as well be married. Jay is the only guy that is single. We're just all down-to-earth dudes.

PB: You're rockstars, but you're not.
ANDY: Right, we are but we don't treat ourselves that way. We smoke a little pot and have a good time, you know? But we have families and this is our job.

PB: So that's the way you treat it?
ANDY: Yeah.

PB: If you had to personally relate a specific theme to your album what would it be?
ANDY: SORRY ABOUT TOMORROW means to me, it sounds conceited the way I say it but, when I leave my home and when I leave my family I am apologizing for the aftermath. The feelings that are left when I'm gone for two or three months.

PB: So you're sorry for not being able to pick up and finish whatever it is you have to deal with until you get home?
ANDY: Yeah. When you're on the road it's like...we're in Toronto. We're playing a show, the same set. There is nothing to say. We pull into a building and we're here all night. I didn't see Toronto at all. There is nothing to talk about. It gets stressful. There are little five minute conversations and then you hang up. The more you talk the worse it gets.

PB: Well, I was going to ask what the significance of the title has and I guess what you're saying is that you're not going to be there tomorrow and you're apologizing for that.
ANDY: Yes. I mean, it can mean other things but that's what for me, it personally means.

PB: And what significance does the album cover have to the album title?
ANDY: Just, well, we had a different picture all together but that fell through and it was kind of a last minute thing. When we saw it, our friend sent it to us, we thought it tied in, that it gave a good representation of someone being lonely.

PB: So there is no symbolism in the bathroom or anything like that?
ANDY: No. Originally we shot some pictures for the record where we were in suits and we were all in a bathtub, soaking wet. But the label thought they looked too good or something like that. Those were their words, that it looked too good and not punk rock enough for our band. They though it would represent our band in the wrong way.

PB: Okay...
ANDY: So, we didn't use the pictures and then our friend said he took these pictures of this girl and asked whether we wanted to take a look at them. And a couple of them caught our eye...

PB: Well the entire cd and the art and layout are absolutely amazing. It is a beautifully designed cd. Really. Even the actual disc itself.
ANDY: Thank you. We worked really hard on it. I came up with the vellum idea. We did it all. I mean our friend at Vagrant helped us put it together but we gave him all the direction and ideas.

PB: Is having that creative control something that is important to you?
ANDY: Yes. Yes. It never was before but we spent time making this record and we had the money and budget to make the record that we wanted to.

PB: Why do you think, thus far, you have remained outside of the mainstream?
ANDY: Because we aren't a regular pop-punk band or an emo band, we're just a rock band and we have something a little bit different that confuses people about us. It takes them a little longer to get into, one of the things being our guitar playing style. And then once you realize what we're doing with that and other things...

PB: Okay, because it's this whole thing that I'm realizing more and more is that the music will be upbeat and melodic and then the lyrics will be extremely intense. Like there is something that you will completely miss unless you read the lyrics and understand them.
ANDY: Well, I don't want to sing about nothing. Everything is from life experience there is, Safely is a song about...someone sent me an email about how our band changed his life and how he was basically going to kill himself until he heard our record and it changed his life. That is what that song is about. The effect our music had on someone. We're just a small band but that one thing changed my life and made me want to write lyrics that meant more instead of just throwing things together.

PB: Well your songs seem to be about how you've learnt from mistakes and do you think it's interesting that maybe by that you're helping others from making the same mistakes you may have made?
ANDY: Yeah, I hope I help them from making some of the same mistakes. I don't really sit there and when I write a song I want it to mean something I don't just throw it together. Um, in general, yes most of the time I sit down with a pen and paper and going at it and figuring out what I'm feeling and thinking at the time.

PB: Okay, and this is what someone wrote in one of your reviews, "not only does this band sound good but it looks good too".
ANDY: [Laughs] ...that we look good too.

PB: And something about how mothers should lock up their daughters when you come to town.
ANDY: [Laughs] That's pretty funny. We used to joke around and have a tour that was called the "Where Is Your Daughter?" tour. We always joke around about that it's kinda funny. [Laughs]

PB: Well, obviously mother's need not lock up their daughters. But just tell us what kind of people Hot Rod Circuit are.
ANDY: We have a , oh god I better not say that...our drummer is just a down-to-earth dude who talks on the phone too much and never done drugs in his entire life. Me and Jay and Casey are just stoners and down-to-earth guys. We have families and friends and tour around the world and play rock'n'roll.

PB: So what's next for Hot Rod Circuit...
ANDY: Detroit tomorrow. [Laughs]