Interviews

Strung Out

Interview with Jake on Nov 23, 2004 by Archive Bot

After being together for 11 years, you'd think these guys would be exhausted by now. With their latest release, "Exile in Oblivion," Strung Out have proved they still have what it takes to make an impression. Punkbands.com recently got to speak with Jake, guitarist for Strung Out, about the band's latest release, the recording process, their current tours, and the independence and loyalty of Fat Wreck. With "Exile in Oblivion" having only been released on Nov. 2nd, the album already proves to be promising. Just finishing a tour with Saosin and Love is Red, Strung Out will be on tour through January supporting the album with the likes of Only Crime, A Wilhelm Scream, and Haste the Day.
 
Nina: On Nov. 2nd, “Exile in Oblivion” was released in stores, and due to the overwhelming success of the pre-order CDs that was set up on your website, it's fair to make a good assessment on how successful this CD may turn out to be. First of all, what do you feel makes this album one of the best records Strung Out has released, to date? What do you feel are some of the most important elements on the album that we can see incorporated for perhaps the first time?
 
Jake: This is by far, the hardest we have ever worked while recording an album. A lot of little parts that we had normally just let slip through in the past, that we had just let slide by, we tried to incorporate this time around. I personally think this is one of our most mature albums. There is a lot of depth in every aspect...the lyrics, the music, everything. We really pushed the heavier parts. A lot of people say we have become heavier as the years have progressed, and this time, we've introduced even more of that into our songs. We also tried to focus more on our melodies, paying attention to little details, and taking everything into consideration. We also put a lot of work into our harmonies, trying to perfect each note. It's a lot more intense than our older stuff, that's for sure. We're all really excited about it. It's definitely one of our best works yet.
 
Nina: You had enabled your fans to pre-order autographed copies of your new CD, “Exile in Oblivion” on your website, at first only making 1000 available. Within a week, all copies of the CD had been ordered, without any promotion on the Fat Wreck site. Were you expecting there to be such a high demand on the album? Granted you never want to sell yourself short, but I'm sure everyone had to have been a little surprised at the turn out
 
Jake: Oh yeah, we couldn't believe it! We had originally released 1,000 autographed copies of the album, thinking they would all be ordered by the time of the official release date, but instead, they were almost immediately sold out. At that point, we just sort of sat down and said: “Okay! Let's do some more!” I think we wound up signing somewhere around 2,700 copies of the CD. Our hands were definitely exhausted after that, but it was such a great feeling. And to think these are all pre-orders. No one had even heard the album yet! They were all just taking a chance, and putting faith in our music. Words can't even begin to explain it all. It just blew me away.
 
Nina: As you mentioned earlier, throughout the band's career, you seem to have moved towards a more aggressive style of music. Does this change mostly come from the personal tastes of the band members, or does it have to do with what's become popular in today's time? Perhaps the two are intertwined, but it seems as if you have been pushing your sound at a steady pace to become heavier as the years have progressed.
 
Jake: I think it does come from both. We've always listened to a lot of heavier music like the Misfits, but we've also done our fair share of listening to the Descendants. We just wanted to make our music heavier, and we've slowly introduced it over the years. The way I see it, is that pop punk has just been done over, and over again. None of it is new anymore. It's all been done before. So, why would we want to tread on those grounds? As our music becomes heavier, I also think it becomes more creative and more technical, so no matter what, I'd like to think we're winning and doing something beneficial.
 
Nina: I have a couple of questions in regards to recording and producing records. Does the band have a tendency to work with the same team of engineers and producers each time an album is recorded, or do you tend to diversify who you work with each time you go into the studio? What do you think are some of the benefits and drawbacks of doing so? I would imagine that forming a relationship with a good team comes in handy for future records, but I have seen bands switch back and forth between producers numerous times in the past. How many days does it usually take you to record a full length, and how ridiculous can the hours get? (Do you ever run 8 AM to 8 PM, for instance).
 
Jake: Well first of all, we've always diversified our engineers and producers. We always try to work with different people and see what they can offer. We like to space it out a bit. We've always tried to find someone who could be experimental with us, and not make us sound like everyone else out there. We don't want our mix to sound exactly like some other band's mix. We never really found anyone we were completely satisfied with. Matt Hyde, who was the producer of Exile in Oblivion really did some great work on our album though. I think this may be the first time we're thinking about working with the same producer in the future. Perhaps he can break this trend we seem to have formed. He's done work with Slayer and Pulley, so he's pretty well known. We also worked with him when recording a song for the Rock Against Bush compilation, so we really liked how he handled the whole process. Being in the studio can get crazy. The thing is, in most studios, there are never any windows, so you completely lose track of the time. It will feel like it's only two in the afternoon when really, it's like 8:30 at night. You'll go in to record at noon, and not leave until midnight, and it will only feel as if you've been there for a couple of hours. You're so focused on everything that's going on you don't even realize how much time has gone by. We did do a lot of 12 hour shifts. We spent about four weeks recording this album, but it was all worth it.
 
Nina: So pretty soon you guys are going to be out on the road with Saosin and Love is Red, shortly after joining Only Crime and A Wilhelm Scream up into the new year. Both legs of the tour seem to attract kids from different crowds. Whereas Love is Red is more hardcore, Only Crime is more punk. Where do you see Strung Out fitting in better amongst the two audiences, and what do you feel makes the band capable of touring with different genres, to these diverse crowds? I've also heard you may be doing some dates with The Explosion, who I've been hearing about constantly these days.
 
Jake: We really like to have a mixed up line-up. I think it's great that we're able to do so. We've always seen it as a good idea to go out with different bands, because then you're opening up your audiences. Of course there will always be the kids that show up to see one band and then just leave afterwards, but there are also a good number of kids who stay for the entire show. By touring with diverse bands, you get to play to much bigger crowds, and you could really gain some great things out of doing so. Regardless of who shows up, you're still playing to kids who maybe would have never checked you out before. I'm excited to go out with Only Crime, because I've always been a fan of the Descendants. I've heard a lot of great things about them as well. And from what I remember, Bill Stevenson actually produced the A Wilhelm Scream album, who I've also heard a lot about, so it's cool to be able to tour with both of those bands. I'm really looking forward to it.
 
Nina: Seeing as how Strung Out has been a part of the Fat Wreck community since the beginning, how do you think the label has grown over the years? How has it diversified its label mates over the course of its career?
 
Jake: Fat Wreck has always stuck to their original ethics. We've always had a very sincere, honest relationship with them. They have never been swayed by mainstream publicity, and have always stuck to their roots. That's pretty rare in the industry today, so we're honored to be a part of their family. I've heard numerous nightmare stories from friends who are on labels and have been a part of some pretty bad situations. There just seems to be a lack of loyalty. A lot of labels are strictly based off of trends, but Fat Wreck has never been that way. I think they're one of the only true independent labels left. A lot of the other independent labels are being bought out by majors, or are constantly switching between trends. Vagrant and Victory used to be two of the biggest independent labels, but now they're both associated with majors. Fat is still truly independent, and that's what we love about them.
 
Nina: How does Strung Out operate? Are you more of a business type of band, where everyone has their own group of friends, but manages to get together for practice and work with the band, or does everyone hang out both inside and outside of the rehearsal space, see one another constantly...etc?
 
Jake: You know, we've been a band for 11 years, and I don't think we would still be together if we didn't handle it with a business approach. We're not best friends, but we are very good friends. It would be overkill if we came home from touring for two months, and then continued to see one another constantly afterwards. It just wouldn't be healthy. Outside of the band we have our own lives, and everyone understands that. The band is an escape from that. You see a lot of bands today who are all rock star this, and rock star that, but that's not what it's about. You really need to love what you're doing in order to make it successful. The band takes us away from our personal lives for awhile, and allows us to have fun while doing something we love – making music. So, the business approach seems to have worked out better for us. After all, it's kept us together for all these years, so we must be doing something right.
 
Nina: Are there any bands out there right now that you feel deserve more recognition than they may be receiving? There are always bands out there who are getting undermined, so I'm always interested in hearing what people have to say on this subject.
 
Jake: Most of the bands out there right now don't deserve the recognition they're getting. That's all it comes down to. I really enjoy bands like Death by Stereo, and Rise Against who write about what they believe in. And this is what they truly believe in, not what they're believing in to be accepted. I hate to say this, but I've been listening to punk rock for awhile now, and I remember what it used to be like. Punk rock was always about angst, and not being cool, and over the years, it's become exactly what it's always been against. Being punk has become more of a trend than anything else. It hurts to see it happen. I think that eventually punk will no longer be mainstream though, and perhaps then the scene will return to the way it used to be. All of the people who are in it to be cool will slowly disappear, and I hope everyone who was there in the past will still remain. I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens.