Interviews

Armor For Sleep

Interview with Ben on Jan 20, 2005 by Archive Bot

It's four o' clock in the afternoon. As scheduled, I pick up my phone and give Ben, vocalist and guitarist of Armor for Sleep, a call. I seem to have caught him at a bad time. He's on his way to Starbucks, but assures me he can do the interview. The caffeine can wait. Admist the smell of freshly brewed coffee and an assortment of delicatessans, Ben discusses the latest release from Armor for Sleep, titled "What to Do when You're Dead," touches upon their upcoming tour, his feelings on touring in general, and a few side topics. Armor for Sleep will be out on tour with Something Corporate the first few weeks of February, and will be picking up the rest of the month with Recover. Be sure to check out their new record, out on Equal Vision Records, on February 22nd.
 
 
Nina: I suppose a good place to start is with the new record. The release date is set for February 22nd, and is entitled “What to Do When You're Dead.” Upon first glance, this seems to be a bit on the morbid side. Now, granted I'm pretty interested in this sort of stuff, so I was hoping you could elaborate on where the title came from, and how you think it relates to the rest of the record.
 
Ben: Well, I guess it is sort of morbid if you think about it. But, remember, we're not some weird, Gothic band or anything. We tried writing the album from the perspective of someone who has died, and has tried to reconnect with the people from their life but can't seem to do so, no matter how hard they try. We wanted the album to be more than just twelve random songs that we threw together to release a new record. We always try to work under having an umbrella of ideas. I think we really accomplished that with “Dream to Make Believe,” and hope to do so with this record, as well. It's sort of a strange concept I guess, but it's really just about someone who has passed away, who is determined to get in touch with those who were most important to him during his lifetime.
 
Nina: And what about the artwork? Is there a certain concept? I know “Dream to Make Believe” related more to the feeling of being alone, and empty, wishing other people were by your side, hence the empty rooms, empty chairs...You want to carry out the mood through the artwork, so how do you plan on doing so with this record?
 
Ben: The artwork, to me, always has to act as a story, setting the emotions into place. We tried to make all of the artwork closely related to the lyrics. Almost so the two act together, and really make the album. We chose pictures we thought represented certain feelings, hoping it will make the listener feel the same way. This artwork is a lot more straightforward than “Dream to Make Believe.” I hope people can see the consistency in the mood, and find something in the artwork that really brings about certain feelings.
 
Nina: What, in your opinion, is one of the most exciting aspects about the new record?
 
Ben: The producer we worked with was really cool. He allowed us to experiment on a bunch of stuff. We threw in a bunch of weird sounds, worked with a variety of drum loops, and even added some weird, spooky sounds to the mix. He really let us take a lot of chances, and I'm thankful enough for that. You don't come across that very often. A lot of producers just want you to go in, record, produce all the hits, and that's that. To them, if it doesn't sound like it can be on the radio, then it's not worth doing. But, our producer was really cool, and worked with us on all the experiments we had in mind. He gave us some advice, and really helped us find a way to put our plans into action. So, I think I'm most excited about just seeing everyone else's reaction to all of these little additions.
 
Nina: You also have yourselves lined up for some pretty decent tours...First, with Something Corporate, Straylight Run, and the Academy Is. Then, you'll be heading out with Recover,  Say Anything, and Chase Pagan. How do you feel these crowds are going to differ?
 
Ben: Well, we already know that when we're out on the Something Corporate tour it's just going to be oceans and oceans of kids. I don't think very many Something Corporate fans like us just yet, but maybe once they hear some of our new material, they'll change their minds. That tour is pretty short though, so we're just going to make the most of it while we're there. I'm probably looking more forward to the Recover tour though, just because we basically cover the same fan base. I've been friends with those guys for awhile, so I think it will be a lot of fun. I think we have more of a chance of reaching out to their audience than Something Corporate's but hey, you never know what may happen. We're definitely excited about both tours though.
 
Nina: From being out on the road, what is one of the things you've come to realize? I'm sure driving to and from a venue almost every night leaves you ample time to sit and think about things. Unless, of course, you're too tired to do so. Do you think it's made you a stronger person at all? It's difficult to maintain friendships with people back home, I'm sure.
 
Ben: Once you start touring, it's almost as if you become a part of a loop of some sort. It's hard at first to get used to being in a new city every night, staying in a different hotel room, only to sleep for a few hours before you head over to the show, then you go home for two months, and you don't really know what to do. You call up some of your friends, ask them to hang out, and it's like “Dude, I haven't seen you in two months!” We've been home for just a few weeks now, and already we can't wait to go back out. Honestly, our life is on tour. That's where all of our friends are.
 
We've met some great friends while out on tour, and the only time we ever see them is when we're touring. Sure, we have our friends at home, but we also have friends on tour. Touring really teaches you how to stand on your own two feet. You've gotta be strong in order to last. And like I said, it's hard at first, but you get used to it, and no matter how much you complain, as soon as you get home, you're going to want to go back out again. It's one of those things you don't quite understand, but maybe you aren't supposed to. You really get adjusted to that sort of life though, and it does take time, but eventually, you'll never want to come home.
 
Nina: This may seem like a strange question, but are you at all into reading philosophy? A lot of your work seems to combine conscious and unconscious thoughts, so I thought perhaps you were into studying these topics.
 
Ben: Oh, absolutely! If I was in school right now, I would probably be studying English or Philosophy. I really love reading about that sort of stuff. It really forces you to think abstractly, and question so many things. I love challenging myself. It's great to read philosophy. It's definitely something I'm interested in.
 
Nina: How important do you feel it is to have a personal connection with a band's music? Sure, it's one thing to simply enjoy what they're doing, but the songs instantly become better once you feel as if you can relate to what the lyrics are saying, as if they're speaking to you personally. Are there any bands you feel this way about?
 
Ben: Well, the reason why we started this band was because we wanted to create something that allowed people to relate to us. I think you pretty much summed up the feelings in your question. Whenever you listen to a band, in my opinion, the songs are so much better if you can actually relate to what they're saying. You feel more connected to the band that way. We grew up listening to bands like Saves The Day and Lifetime, and to me, those were bands I felt I could really relate to. I mean, we were just 16 year old kids then. As we got older, our connections grew deeper. We wanted to start a band where people could relate to what we were talking about, and could sit down, listen to our songs, and be reminded of certain situations, whether they be good or bad. I mean, of course we created the band because we love music, but you should always reach for something deeper, something more than that. Whenever we're writing music, we try to express our feelings in a way that everyone else will be able to relate to what we're saying. Whether or not we're actually accomplishing this, I don't know, but I can only hope.
 
Nina: Now, I noticed a section on your site called Time Travel...Did you ever read the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy?
 
Ben: Yes! That's actually one of my favorite books. I can't wait for the movie to come out. I've read a few articles about it, and from what I hear, it's going to be amazing. I've seen a bunch of short previews of it, but I'm already bored with those because I've watched them so many times. I'm pretty sure Radiohead named their album “OK Computer” off of the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. Also that song, “Paranoid Android,” that's named after the book as well. There are a bunch of other references to it, but of course I can't think of very many right now. Yeah, I'm definitely looking forward to that movie though.
 
Nina: You're all still all at a fairly young age...Is there any way you can describe what it feels like to see this much response to your music? You see people who are much older than you, struggling to be in your position. So, are you ever like “I'm only 21 years old...I can't believe I'm doing this!” It all must seem surreal at times.
 
Ben: The funny thing, is that we never feel young. If anything, I think we feel really old. Obviously, I've been in Armor for Sleep since the beginning and it's been a very long path to get us to where we are today. Yes, we're only in our very early twenties, but we've been working with this band since we were like fourteen years old. So, everything we're experiencing now is sort of an extension off everything we've been working on for the past six years. Even with all of our hard work, at times I feel as if we don't deserve this. I think it involves luck more so than anything else. We're not some great, extraordinary band.
 
We all know we're not. I feel guilty because a lot of my friends are 25 years  old, or even older than that, and are in bands who are trying to make it. Whenever we play in town, they try to get onto our shows, they want to book shows with us, and so on and so forth. Sometimes, I just want to say “Well, we can switch places if you want!” It's funny. We love where we are, but it really makes us feel a lot older. And that's not such a bad thing. Maybe it's made us more mature, I don't know. It is a bit surreal, but at the same time, it's not. We've worked so hard to get here, and the fact that I'm only 21 has nothing to do with it anymore. I've been given the chance to live out so much of my life already. It's a great feeling.
 
Nina: That about wraps it up...If there's anything you'd like to throw in feel free to do so.
 
Ben: Thank you, Nina! Everyone be sure to check out our album, “What to do When You're Dead,” released on February 22nd. And if we're in your town, come down, stop by and say hi. I think that's about it. Thank you again!