Interviews

Scars Of Tomorrow

Interview with Mike on May 11, 2004 by Archive Bot

Nina: So in 2003, Scars of Tomorrow were signed to Victory Records. Had you received any other offers from companies, or was Victory the first to step out on the limb and confront the band? Do you remember what your lives were like a week or two after being signed? Was it all of a sudden one thing happening after the next, or was there a period where you had time to regain your composure before your lives were completely changed?
 
Mike: We were interested in looking into Victory. We kept jumping around trying to find the best offers. We had a list of labels in mind, but out of all of them, we really thought that Victory would be the one to take us to the next level since that was what we were ultimately trying to get towards. We respect Victory a lot more than most of the labels out there too, and not just because they picked us up, but because we’ve heard of them helping bands out so much in the past that we decided to give it a shot. Things didn’t set in until a month after we got signed though. Then we slowly began to realize that we didn’t have to work 9-5 anymore, and that we didn’t have to go to school on a regular basis anymore. We all started to form a completely different mentality about our lives. It was a big change for everyone. No one really knew how to handle it at first. I mean no more school. That alone is a big change.
 
Nina: “Rope Tied to the Trigger” was produced with the help of Kurt Ballou from Converge. Could you possibly explain what it was like not just working with him, but recording at God City Studios, which is a popular recording spot for artists like Cave In and the Hope Conspiracy. Did Kurt help the band achieve everything you guys wanted the album to sound like. And what did you learn from working with him? I’m sure he really boosted everyone’s confidence and maybe even eased the tension a little bit.
 
Mike: We chose Kurt because we love all of the albums that he’s worked on. We knew that he had a very good reputation, and there’s no reason why he shouldn’t. He tends to produce a very clean and natural sound on each record he works on. Like, the sounds of his albums are fresh, and you can tell that they are. They never sound over produced or under-produced even. We wanted the album to sound similar to how we sound live. The album doesn’t have as much ear candy as some other albums out there, but we think Kurt did an awesome job.
 
Nina: Looking a bit far into the future, but is there anyone that you could think of that you would like to work with as far as recording goes? Who do you think you would be able to learn the most fun, or who would you consider being a great opportunity to work with, as if Kurt wasn’t good enough.
 
Mike: We haven’t put much thought into this yet since right now we’re really trying to focus on putting “Rope Tied to the Trigger” out there. We want to make a name for ourselves and not just that we come from Orange County, California. We’re definitely going to keep Kurt in mind and hopefully he would be willing to work with us again since he did a great job producing this album. Overtime maybe we’ll find other producers that we would like to work with and see what they have to offer, but we were all so content with what Kurt had to offer that I couldn’t think of working with anyone else right now to be honest with you. He would be our first choice.
 
Nina: Since Scars of Tomorrow is relatively new to the music world, I have a question to ask about the band’s local environment in California. You guys are from So Cal, and I was just wondering if you were familiar with The Kinison, who is also from So Cal, and are also just beginning to hit the scenes. Were you familiar with them at all while the band was getting started?
 
Mike: You know, I’ve heard their name before. I’ve actually heard their name a lot. I know they’re from our area, but I’ve never seen them myself. I’ve never even heard the band. But they must be doing something right, because their name certainly gets around a lot. I mean I know of the band, and I know what label their on, but that’s it. I can’t even remember how I heard of them. But, they’re on the right track it seems. Kids know them, and of them. I should check them out though.
 
Nina: Did you ever find it hard to follow in the footsteps of Bleeding Through, Atreyu, or Throwdown? So Cal is a pretty popular place for hardcore bands it seems, so in a way you knew what you were running up against.
 
Mike: Orange County, CA is full of a TON of different genres of bands. We started around the same time as Bleeding Through and Throwdown, actually, but at the time we never thought about taking it to the next level, whereas they obviously did. People automatically compare us to them since we’re from the same area, but we try to get around that association. We want to stand out as our own band, not who our neighbors were. We may all have the same direct influences, but at the same time, we’re all so different. We just want to create a new sound, in order to sound original from the other bands that come out of So Cal, and hopefully we’ll be known without having to be compared.
 
Nina: How did you guys manage to gain such a “tough” reputation for yourselves? Whenever I read something on Scars of Tomorrow, there is always a mention on how tough, and pissed off the band is. Do you have any idea how that originated? Or is it just the general attitude that the band portrays? It’s actually pretty funny if you think about it. No one looks that intimidating…
 
Mike: Hah, yeah. I don’t know, really. I think it’s mostly just the music and the lyrics. Both aspects are really aggressive, so people automatically think we’re tough or hardcore. At our shows we like to go crazy, and just go off on things, so that might also influence it. As people though, I don’t think we’re like that at all. We’re very fun-filled. Hah, the bands nickname is actually “The Party Posse” and I’m sure you can imagine where that has come from. But we’re really down with doing whatever, and making sure we have a good time doing it. We just want to make friends and gain some experiences. Being tough is just what we do on the side.
 
Nina: You’re currently on tour with Remembering Never, and in June, Love Is Red. As far as touring goes, have you seen good reaction from the crowds, or is it that some nights the audience is really into you, others are harder to win over…Has there been one particular city that really took you by surprise, and in general, how has the tour turned out thus far?
 
Mike:  It’s weird because at our shows, there’s been anywhere from like 20 to 250-300 kids showing up. It really depends on how well the show was promoted. Of course some are better than others. We’ve been getting a lot of positive feedback each night though. We’ve only been fairly well known for about a month and a half now, and already we see kids singing along to our songs and going crazy while we’re playing, so it really makes us glad to see support every once in awhile. We’ve met a lot of kids that are into our music, and have enjoyed our set. Definitely a lot of positive vibes from the audience.
 
Nina: Growing up, was there anyone that you would look up to and say “Oh I wish I could be like so and so…I wish I was as cool as him?” If not on a famous level, do you remember seeing any local bands when you were younger that you looked up to?
 
Mike: I was always listening to music, but to be honest with you, I didn’t really start going to shows until like…1998 or was it 1997? That’s when I really began to get into everything. I can remember seeing bands like The Deftones at Warped Tour, who were really amazing. There was also this one band called Eyelid from Orange County and I liked them a lot. They played this one show at a café, and there must have been 10 people at the most there, but they were still ridiculous. The band was absolutely insane. They just had this passion that I’ve never seen a band have before. They really set a big impression on me. I’m still talking about The Eyelid, here. I think that show just changed my life because they put their all into playing for ten kids, and they acted as if the room was packed. I never saw anything like it.
 
Nina: In what direction can your fans see Scars of Tomorrow heading towards? After touring, are you going to go straight back into the studio, or do you plan on taking a break to write new material and get back in the swing of composing?
 
Mike: We’re going to be touring all the way through September. We’re shooting for a solid year and a half on the road. We’ve been writing riffs here and there though whenever we get the chance. Just things that come to mind while we’re traveling. It’s a long process trying to get a name for yourself though. We would like to go to Europe as well to get ourselves known over there. I think that would be cool. After the Love is Red tour we only have about two weeks off before we’re going on tour with Caliban, and then I think we’re going on tour with Atreyu after that. We’re really packed. We’re still working on getting other tours booked, so they’ll probably be more shows after those ones. We don’t like being home anyways. When we’re home, we’re broke!
 
 
Nina: Do you think it’s important for a band to have a general sense of what direction they would like to head towards, or is it better to take each day as it comes and take whatever is given to you?
 
Mike: We try to take everything a day at a time. We really can’t even handle it that way sometimes. You just need to go with the flow and take whatever is given to you. I mean, we’re living off of the band now, and even that is hard to realize. We would like to keep our integrity, and not sell out, but sometimes that happens without you even recognizing it. We want to stay true to the music, and just stick with it. I have no idea where we’ll be two years from now, probably just getting done touring hah, but I’d like to get us known as well as we possibly can, and just make a name for ourselves and the band.
 
Nina: Okay, well I just want to thank you for taking the time to do the interview, and if you’d like to do any self promotion, be my guest.
 
Mike: Oh sure, wait, where are you from?
 
Nina: I’m actually from Orange County, NY.
 
Mike: Wow, there’s so many Orange Counties. I think we were around there the other night, if you’re familiar with Poughkeepsie that is. That was an awesome show though. But anyways, I’d like everyone to check out our album, you can pick it up at any music store, if you have any questions feel free to go to our website http://www.scarsoftomorrow.com/ and check us out, and feel free to contact us about anything. We like to hear what people think. Thanks again, Nina.