Type 3 Media: With Daggers Drawn released Heart of the Universe a couple months ago; how has the response been so far?

Max Illidge: I haven’t gotten a bad review yet.  We put it up and a couple thousand people have downloaded it so far.

Type 3 Media: What was the biggest challenge with self-producing and doing everything yourself?

Photo by Laura Desantis-Olsson

Max Illidge: I’ve been doing it for a while.  With this band it really isn’t about self-production — I’ve been producing and engineering for a lot of years —  with this band, it’s about getting to know these guys, because I was in my other band, 40 Below Summer, for years, and I was in Black Market Hero for almost five years after that.  This band is a little more progressive and a little more technical than most bands, so it’s a more time consuming process to make sure everything is right.  The most important thing is the performance, and then it’s about how you record the performance.  As with anything else, it’s a learning experience for me as an engineer and for us as a band.  With this band it’s all about precision and accuracy and getting a feel for how each band member works — with the exception of Joey our rhythm guitar player, because he’s been in every band with me for the past fifteen years, so I know how he works.

Type 3 Media: Are people surprised when they learn you recorded all analog?

Max Illidge: Yeah, some people are definitely surprised when they hear this.  I just feel like that if you can do it, do it.  A lot of bands out there don’t live up to their albums because they can’t pull it off.  They rely too much on editing and computers to fix their mistakes.  A lot of bands will write and record parts that they can’t play and can’t pull off live.  That’s not to say every band has to sound perfect, there’s got to be a difference between live and album.  With this band, it was difficult to do this with little to almost no editing because it is a fairly complex album with fairly complex songs and parts.  It was a task.

Type 3 Media: A lot of punch-ins and retakes?

Max Illidge: Yes.  At the end of the day, it came out alright.

Type 3 Media: Why did you decide to offer Heart of the Universe as a free download?

Max Illidge: Honestly we just figured we’ll get it out there.  People who buy it are going to rip it anyway and give it to their friends, who’ll rip it and give it to their friends, so we might as well give it away for free.  This band hasn’t really done anything yet, so it wasn’t like we could really get much money for it.  Just let people take it and give it to their friends or send them to the site.  If people really dig it, you’ll have a huge fan base and you charge for the next one and make money.

Type 3 Media: Where are you playing tonight?

Max Illidge: Webster Hall in New York City.

Type 3 Media: How do you find the New York crowds compare to the New Jersey crowds?

Max Illidge: How do I answer this without offending many New York people?  New Jersey people are way better.  They go much crazier.  Don’t get me wrong.  Even with my old band, 40 Below Summer — we put out two albums, toured all over the country for many years and we had a huge loyal following — northern New Jersey to Manhattan is only 35 to 40 miles, we do a New York City show and 500 to 700 people show up, we do a New Jersey show and 1500 to 2000 people would show up.  It’s the same radio stations, so you’d think the crowds would be close to the same, but it was more than double the turn-out.  With Daggers Drawn… the jury is still out, we haven’t played all that many shows, but now that the record is out we’re hoping that when people hear the music they’ll start coming out a little bit more.

Type 3 Media: Any plans to take this project on the road?

Max Illidge: Little by little.  On January 21st we’re playing a show in Worcester, MA at The Raven Music Hall.  That should be a good show.  After that we don’t have anything currently booked, but we will be booking more shows.

Type 3 Media: I heard that 40 Below Summer has something brewing too?

Max Illidge: We’re in the works for a new album.  It is, as of yet, untitled and we’re still in the pre-production and writing stage.  We’re getting toward the home stretch of that.  We have all the material, it’s just a matter of putting the last couple of songs together and finalizing the lyrics.  Hopefully, in a month or so, we’re going to start tracking the album, then from there it’s just another month and a half to two months to make the record.  By the time we’re halfway through the tracking process I’ll book the CD release show at the Starland Ballroom in New Jersey.

Type 3 Media: It’s probably premature to ask, but is there label interest yet?

Max Illidge: No, not at all.  The last time we talked to a major label was in 2004.  I wouldn’t think there’s any interest until the album is done and it gets into certain people’s hands.  Am I banking on it?  No, I don’t really care, because to be honest 40 Below Summer can make plenty of money without a record label.  Unless a record label comes to us with an offer of yesteryear — they don’t hand out deals like that anymore — I don’t even see us wanting to sign with a label because it doesn’t make sense.  If you can get paid three to ten thousand dollars per show, and sell the album at shows — sell 300 copies, or 100 copies, or even 50 copies a night — and T-shirts as well, you’re making plenty of money.  What do you need a label for?  Your loyal fans will come to the show any buy your record.  Look at a band like Chimera.  They’re on a label, but the label is just distributing their record.  They didn’t need the label for tour support.  They went out on the road on their own and they kept all their money.  Bands can do very well on their own now.  Bands are a lot smarter than they used to be.

Type 3 Media: So much has changed over the past decade.

Max Illidge: Yeah, I’m not some 22 year-old kid who can just say “oh I’m going to go out on the road and not worry about bills because I really don’t have any,”  then go out for two or three years and make no money.  It’s not an option for me at this point.  It has to be done intelligently.  There has to be money involved.  There has to be a living.  I’m not saying that I’m greedy and I want to get rich.  I can’t end up on the street from touring, or not have a car to drive, or a phone to do interviews on. [laughs]  The bottom line is that I love making music, but it is a business too and I have to make a living.

Type 3 Media: And you’ll be busy making music for the next several months to come.

Max Illidge: With Daggers Drawn is about halfway through another EP which we’re hoping to have come out during late summer or early fall 2012, if not sooner.  This was only our first record, and the band definitely has more music in it.  Everybody should stay tuned because we’re not going to wait a year-and-a half to two years to put out another album.

Type 3 Media: Any closing thoughts?

Max Illidge: Everybody out there, please check out With Daggers Drawn and download Heart of the Universe for free.  Believe me, you will be pleasantly surprised.  For all you 40 Below Summer fans, sit tight, the album will probably be out in 2012.

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Type 3 Media: How is the tour going with Mastodon?

Photo by Paul Kelley

Jeff Tuttle: It’s going great man, it’s going really great.  We’re like two weeks deep and we’ve got about two more to go, and it’s just been a really good time.  Both of our bands kind of come from the same place.  The Dillinger Escape Plan and Mastodon toured together years and years ago.  It’s cool to come back and  join forces once again.  Both of our bands have been through a lot, and gone through some pretty intense metamorphoses over the years.  So it’s cool to reconnect.

Type 3 Media: Are the Mastodon fans embracing your performances?

Jeff Tuttle: It’s hit or miss man.  As we continue going East we see a lot more of our fans coming out.  We did a bunch of dates in the Midwest where Mastodon’s style goes over well.  The shows for us have been getting bigger and bigger as we continue East.  From here on out it’s all East coast and Canada.  So it’s going to be good man.  It’s going to be a good time.

Type 3 Media: You’ve also been keeping busy with your new side project Old Gods; how did that project come together?

Jeff Tuttle: A really good friend of mine was involved in the project and they needed a singer.  He asked me to join based on the fact that he wanted to have a dude in the band that he got along with really well. At this point in his whole career — you know he’s a few years older than me, so when it comes time to make music — it can be more about the friendship involved more so than the music itself.  So putting this band together, it was a collective of people who all dig the same kind of music and have fun with it, and then see what happens from there.  It wasn’t like “we want to revolutionize this,” it was more like  a buch of dudes that hang out on a regular basis, and “we’re all musicians, so lets put something together.”  Old Gods is what came out and it’s cool because every time we get together to practice, and every time we speak about what we want to do to continue to evolve — the latest thing that we want to do that we’ve been kicking around is — we’re all big into film and the next album that we’re going to come out with, that we’re working on now, we’re approaching this album as if it were a film, and we’re all taking on different film making roles.  Derek [Swanson], the bass player, is a film editor by trade, so he is taking on the role of being Editor.  Me, as the vocalist, I’m going to take on the role of Director.  Our drummer [Tony Wolski] is an art director by trade, so he’s going to take on the art direction.  And then Randall [Kupfer], the guitar player he’s got stockpiles of riffs that could fill an entire library.

Type 3 Media: You guys hit the studio a month after forming; is that the fastest you’ve ever pulled together enough songs to be able to record?

Jeff Tuttle: I think so.  But also, being older dudes, evolving and doing this for so long, we know what needs to be done in the studio, and we know what not to do to waste time.  I especially have been doing this for so long, I’m not trying to get in there to waste time, I’m there to work and do business.  So we were very focused in the studio, very focused in the practice room, and that first EP is what came out.  We are going to take a bit more time with the next record because we want to try to do something that’s never really been done before.  One’s first impression of this idea that we have is to label it a concept record, but I think we want it to be a lot more than that.  We want to take the concept record and take it to the next level, and have an experiment in music to what can come out.

Type 3 Media: How are finding the transition from axe-man to frontman, is it difficult?

Jeff Tuttle: A little bit.  I’ve been singing in bands since I started playing in bands, but this is the first time that I’ve done it without having a guitar .  So it was a little bit strange at first, but as a performer I love being onstage and I love performing in front of people.  So once I got my bearings and got comfortable it really was a natural transition.  My main concern is and was how can I approach being a vocalist.  Especially with the punk or hardcore genre, there a million dudes out there who went out onstage.  It’s been done a million times, and it’s cool, and I absolutely appreciate it.  GG Allin is — I don’t want to say GG Allin is a hero of mine because the dude’s a pretty gnarly scumbag — I definitely appreciate what he did onstage.  I want to keep my own interests piqued.  I want to try to do something a little bit different.  I’ve got the effects that I run my voice through to give the audience something a little bit different.  I wanted to approach it a little bit different and maybe a listener or viewer would say “this is something I’ve never seen and it’s really cool, I’m going to check this out a little further than maybe I would have.”

Type 3 Media: What are three things you need with you to survive life on the road?

Jeff Tuttle: You’ve got to have clean socks.  That’s an essential.  A Tupperware bowl comes in handy, especially in Europe because they have the most amazing catering at nearly every single venue.  What would my third one be… a positive mindset.  How’s that?

Type 3 Media: Funny you mention socks because we just got some for friends of ours who are on tour.

Jeff Tuttle: Socks are the first thing to go, man.  On tour with me, I brought twenty pairs of socks.

Type 3 Media: Any final thoughts?

Jeff Tuttle: Check out the Old Gods record, we’re really excited about it, and I’m really excited about the things to come with those guys.  Check out The Dillinger Escape Plan on the Mastodon tour if you happen to live in a city we haven’t come to yet.  And keep your eyes and ears open for more stuff in the future.

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Type 3 Media: We had a chance to listen to your upcoming album, Memories of a Beautiful Disaster, and are impressed with how well you are able to change vocal style from song to song; did you find that challenging at all?

James Durbin: Not so much. Honestly, there are so many diverse different styles of music and different artists that I find myself singing in the car.  It’s pretty easy to jump from a song like “Higher Than Heaven,” which is a very hard rock song, to a song like “Right Behind You,” which is more dramatic, and into a song like “May,” which is so emotional and still very big.

Type 3 Media: How did you like working with Mick Mars?

James Durbin: Mick Mars is unbelievable.  It was really cool.  He plays on the song called “Outcast,” which is written by my favorite band outside the United States, Hardcore Superstar.  They’re from Sweden.  The song is so much fun, and just having Mick in the studio and singing to him playing guitar — it just brought even more energy into it.  It’s a very very energetic song, and it’s one of the most fun songs to play live.  It’s just a song where I’m on my feet jumping up and down and dancin’ like a fool.

Type 3 Media: What was the most valuable thing you learned from the experience?

James Durbin: You’re never too old to rock.  There are so many guys out there that have been doing it since they were my age, and they’re still doing it, and they’re onwards and upwards.  The soul that they have is still the soul of a nineteen year-old.  It’s always fun being around that — being there, being a part of it, and getting to experience that moment.

Type 3 Media: Did you have any challenges recording the album?

James Durbin: Well my voice — as with anytime in the studio where you’re singing the song over and over, I probably sang each song fifteen times throughout to get the best one.  I warmed my voice up on each song to get the very very best one.  On a couple of occasions, my voice did drop out, and we had to cut the day abruptly and come in the next day to finish it off.  That’s probably the only challenge.

Type 3 Media: Is there one song on the album that you feel most connected to?

James Durbin: It’s probably a tie between “Higher Than Heaven” and “Right Behind You.”  “Higher Than Heaven” is a song that’s about my life before I met my fiancée Heidi.  I was going down, I wasn’t going anywhere, and as soon as I met her everything changed.  My analogy for it is I have a pocket watch set to the time of my life, and my pocket watch was losing numbers, and the numbers were falling off just to the bottom.  It’s almost as if there was no where else to go.  Heidi is now my pocket watch and it’s as if nothing in my life before the moment that I met her mattered.

Type 3 Media: There’s been a lot of talk about you getting married; have you and Heidi set a date yet?

James Durbin: Yes we have, but it’s top secret.

Type 3 Media: Since the start of American Idol to present day, what is your fondest memory of this whole experience?

James Durbin: Hmmm.  Wow.  I don’t know, I don’t think about that a lot.  Probably not as much as I should.

Type 3 Media: Any touring plans in the works?

Photo © Kristen Pierson

James Durbin: I’m doing a couple dates during the second week of December.  First in Lawrence, Kansas on December 8th, and then in Memphis, Tennessee on December 10th.  We’re currently mapping out the tour for early 2012.

Type 3 Media: How does it make you feel when people tell you that you’re an inspiration for their child or family member who has Tourette or Asperger’s syndrome?

James Durbin: It really humbled me.  Whenever I hear someone tell me that, it actually inspires me.  Just the thought of someone being inspired by me or taking something from me and be able to use it in their life, it’s pretty unbelievable.  I’d like to tell those people that they’re not alone, because I’m just as inspired by them battling through their struggles.

Type 3 Media: You recently wrapped up the American Idol tour; what are three essential things you had to have with you while on the road?

James Durbin: One would be my phone to call Heidi and to call Hunter.   Another would be my iPod, it has all the music I need to get through the tough days, and the hard days of really missing them.  And it also has my Skype on there so I can Skype with them at the arenas every day.  Third would be some good old fashioned wrestling DVDs.

Type 3 Media: You are a big fan of wrestling aren’t you?

James Durbin: Yeah, I was actually able to get the guys into watching wrestling.  Days that I wouldn’t even think to put wrestling on because I wanted to sit back and relax, the guys would come to me, Casey [Abrams], Scotty [McCreery], Stefano [Langone], and Paul [McDonald], and be like “hey, got any good wrestling we can watch?”  Mission accomplished.

Type 3 Media: Any final thoughts?

James Durbin: I just can’t wait to get out there and start playing.  It’s crazy going from every week in front of the cameras playing for 30,000 people, and now I’m like begging for that again.  I love being onstage.  I love singing and performing, and doing what I love being a working musician, supporting myself and supporting my family from it.  It’s all that I’ve wanted to do and I can’t wait to get back out there with a band.

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Type 3 Media: What have been some of the highlights of this tour so far?

J. Loren: Personally for me, it was coming home to the D.C. region, which has always been kind of puzzling where there weren’t a lot of people that showed up even though it’s where we originated.  And, doing the smallest tour that we’ve ever intentionally done, we had the highest number in D.C.  So, that to me was encouraging.

Photo © Kristen Pierson

Victor Ribas: For me it’s definitely been — being without in ear monitors on this acoustic tour I’ve been able to hear fans sing along to the songs, which normally I can’t even hear.  I didn’t know that usually everywhere we go ninety percent of the crowd knows the songs, every single word from beginning to end.  To be able to feel the crowd in that fashion, in a way that I never had before, it’s just amazing, I love it.

Rek Mohr: Same as Victor really.  It’s the response.  We didn’t know what to expect from this tour.  We just knew that we were going to go out and play the songs acoustically.  But it’s been so intimate that it feels like the crowd is almost like a family sitting in our living room.  We’re playing the songs and being able to tell stories and just hear the response.  Some nights, like in Knoxville TN, they were so loud they were drowning us out.  And that’s a pretty cool problem to have.  It’s been amazing the response we’ve gotten.

Type 3 Media: A lot of fans wanted you to do a tour like this, is this a response to the request for acoustic performances?

J.: It’s both in response to the fans and also to bypass some of the, let’s just say, archaic legacy systems that keep bands from going to certain places and only have them touring in certain routes.  Because if we’re going to play wherever we want, we’re literally going to play wherever we want.  How long’s it been since we came here?

Type 3 Media: More than three years.

J.: Too long.  We were trying to figure out a way, and trying to figure out a way.  Well, we found out a way and we don’t care if it makes money.  We get to come and play for you guys, so that’s basically what this is about.  We’re playing with each other, and getting tighter with each other.  It’s all in all just basically playing music together, and that’s what we want to do, so it’s a win, win, win, win, win.

Type 3 Media: Is it easier just packing gear for the acoustic tour or do you find that you’re still packing a lot of stuff?

Rek: Ironically it’s more.

Victor: We have more.  The trailer that we bring for the acoustic tour is just as full as it was for the electric tour.  We have just as much stuff, which surprises us every night.  We crack jokes about it — “oh look at this acoustic tour” as we push out all of our cases.

Rek: It’s mostly the cases, because the stuff is a little more fragile, so we have to be a little more careful with the gear and not let it get banged up.  Every road case we own is in the trailer.

J.: On top of that, because of the situations I really can’t talk too much about — we’re kind of bypassing those — so the money’s a lot lower and we’re hauling our own gear, and we don’t really mind.  But, we brought a lot of gear [laughs].  I’m playing four instruments on stage, and we have back-ups for everything.  There’s no way around it, you want to make sure you have a good show.

Type 3 Media: How does it feel being back on a label?

Rek: It’s nice to have the support.  We’ve done Capitol, we’ve done our own imprint, and now we’ve done this independent.  I’ve got to say Capitol wasn’t really supportive, and being on our own was really difficult because every decision and every bit of pressure is on you.  It’s nice to have a label to help bear some of that burden.

Victor: And Carved Records has been amazing.  From day one they’ve been awesome.  It’s been a situation where, for the most part, we give them one of our ideas and they’re like “OK, what do you need to make it happen?”  As opposed to a bigger label that might have their own ideas and want to take control of everything.  They’re letting us take what we want to do, and do that.

J.: Here’s an example, to some extent, we believe in Carved and they believe in us.  What’s happening is — last night they’re asking us what songs we’re playing every night — like, the President of the label wants to know.  Whereas opposed to when we were on Capital, the guy who was in charge of Artists and repertoire didn’t know a God damned song we did.  So that should show you the difference right there.  We’re both hugely invested in each other and I think we’re going to have a good outcome.  None of us are fortune-tellers but we’ll do our best together.

Type 3 Media: How do you feel about the new album, The Crux, that’s coming out next March?

J.: Fantastic

Victor: Really proud.

Type 3 Media: You’ve had a couple years to work on it.

Rek: Which usually can be a good thing or bad thing, but I think in our case it was good because a lot of the frustrations that we had, a lot of the anger comes out very vividly on this record.  I would liken it to the Volumes but a whole lot angrier.

J.: The sad part is people don’t know how busy we’ve been throughout the past couple years.  We’ve actually gone through, vetted out this album to make sure it’s just what we need to do.  We did a side project there in between.  There’s a lot of stuff that’s been going on, and the world’s going to hear about it post, which is the way it works.  In the meantime, we actually took one thing, that I think was our smartest move.  When there were irreconcilable differences between the band members, it all worked itself out.  And then we took the time, instead of just rushing out there on the road, to just play and gel together and be a band.  This is the first time in probably, oh I don’t know, six years that I’ve had a band of brothers that I can literally change on the fly and just point to somebody and they take over.  And it’s vice versa with everybody.  This is a real band.  This isn’t one of those manufactured bands that you get on stage where you follow the steps and do the choreography.

Victor: I think the album’s going to show that.

Type 3 Media: Rek, when you came onboard there seemed to be some chemistry present.

Rek: There was, and I think now it’s more tangible.  The thing about HURT is that we want people to latch on because the music is honest.  That’s why I think people have always liked us, because it’s honest music.  Now we have the ability to go wherever the moment takes us on stage, and that’s something we never really did before.  It’s the most liberating thing as a musician and an artist to be able to follow your instincts.  It really has been translating during these shows because the crowd has been taken on a journey almost every night.

J.: To be perfectly honest, just a couple years ago Rek and I couldn’t even talk to each other.  We couldn’t stand to be in the same room, because all of this dysfunctional pressure is on you — you have to deliver this, you have to deliver this, now you have to do what I say, no you have to do what… — It’s not the way it needs to be.  The problem wasn’t that Rek and I don’t like each other, the problem was that it was just a bad dynamic.  We weren’t playing music honestly, and we were letting things get in the way.  It became almost a job even though we both — just in our case, I’m talking about the two of us — we both independently loved what we did, just the getting together part of it was really difficult.  We took the time to sort through that, get it done, any frustration actually put down on paper, then put down on the recording.  It all out now, it’s all out in the air.  Now, Rek is a good friend of mine.

Type 3 Media: After a couple members left the band did you have to re-record anything for the album?

J.: Yes.  A lot.  Michael and Rek took a huge, huge hit.  I mean, obviously the whole band took a hit financially to make sure everybody was currently invested.  But their workload went up tremendously.

Rek: Particularly Michael’s, because he engineered the whole record.  So for him he had to basically go back and do everything over.

Michael Roberts: We had to redo everything.

J.: Not only that, he had trained himself to basically take over my old parts.  And then with the departure of Paul [Spatola] with no notice, he relearned all the parts that he learned but with Paul’s while doing a semi-part of mine.  I didn’t even have instruments available to be able to help him out.  He was doing all that while doing very difficult vocal harmonies.  I know they were difficult because they were my vocal harmonies that I made for myself, and he’s pulling it all off.  The amount of work that he had to do was astonishing.

Type 3 Media: A lot of people are asking if “Incomplete” will be on the new album.

Victor: No, it won’t be on The Crux.

J.: That was demo’d the first time at a place I can’t say, because it was an after-hours recording-thing.  We messed around with it a little bit, but basically the other iterations of the band weren’t really into it.  Even though we tried it, you really can’t shove down shit with a shovel.  Maybe we’ll come back and try that again at some other point.  It depends, if the guys are feeling it and we’re gelling with it, yes, we can do that.

Type 3 Media: Is the album going to be all new material, or will it include songs you’ve had kicking around for a while.

J.: All new material.

Victor: Well, there is “Numbers” that was released as a single, but that was released before I came into the band, and has been redone for this album with me on drums and things have been revamped.  But aside from that, everything is brand new.

J.: We just basically wanted “Numbers” on there.  It fits into the context of the album.

Rek: The only reason it was released early for people to hear was to give them a preview of the direction we were going and to kind of let them know  “hey, we’re still working on music, don’t get impatient.”  We’re getting there.

J.: I thought it was really funny when people who heard “Numbers” and then said “Well you guys have sold-out.”  That song mimics “The New Disease” from our first album, so I thought that was really cute.  I  was like “oh, we sold out?”… back to the very first thing we ever did ever?!?

Type 3 Media: How does it feel playing some of those old songs?

Photo © Kristen Pierson

J.: Since we’re playing them well, it feels great.  In previous iterations where people were just too-self centered it felt horrible because I didn’t want to share that part of myself with people I didn’t trust.  That’s over now, and we’ve whipped out songs from the self-title album on this tour.

Victor: I can definitely say that — normally I wouldn’t speak for the band but I know can in this — because we’ve all turned to each other at some point in time on this tour, either Rek’s turned and looked at me, or J.’s turned and looked at me, or Michael’s turned and looked at me and said “dude, I think I just had a moment.”  Tears were about to come out of our eyes because the music is very powerful.  We’re not doing very many new songs, so most of the songs are written before I even heard the band.  To hear the songs in a new light, different from the record, to be able to experience them in that way and to experiment with them — the writer of the songs, J., let us experiment in that way.  The songs have been just like powerful, very powerful.

Type 3 Media: It must feel good being able to connect with people and make an impact when you perform.

Victor: That’s exactly what we’re trying to do.  For the most part, HURT music is not really complex music that you need to go to school for eight years to figure out and get your PhD in music.  But, what we’re trying to do is take an emotion and take an idea, sometimes a very simplistic idea, and convey it in a way that might not be obvious from the get go, but that you can connect with it.

J.: We’re going to continue to explore it, because otherwise we would be a formulaic kind of band.  To tell you the truth there’s probably been two shows that I didn’t fucking break down and ball in tears on this tour.  That very rarely happened before.  With the previous iterations of the band it was typically when it was just me playing that things would start to get to me.  But now, we’re doing things right, and I’m feeling… that.

Rek: It’s the most unified and the most focused — and we’re a very hard working band anyway — so put those elements together and it’s only a matter of time.  We’re kind of like a train, we’re picking up momentum and we’re going to get to a point where it doesn’t matter what gets in the way we’re just going to keep going.

J.: This is not forecasting, this is just simply saying this is our belief.  We’ve already beaten the odds, one to a million, every single one of us easily, to even be where we are.  Thank God we’re at that top ninety-five percentile of bands that get to do this for a living.  This is not the time to take it easy and that’s not what we’re going to do.

Type 3 Media: Any plans in the works for touring in 2012?

Rek: Lots.

Victor: The whole year.

J.: Lots.  No specifics because like we said, we’re in a partnership with Carved, they’re not telling us what to do and we’re not telling them what to do.  We’re going to see what works and what’s the best idea at the time and kind of run and gun and see what happens.  So no promises, but yes, we will definitely be touring.  I’m not sure exactly where.

Victor: I’d like to tour 365 days a year…

J.: We’ve damn near done that before brother. [laughter]

Victor: But like J. said, it’s a partnership and we want to do what’s best for the band and best for the label.  It’s a very symbiotic relationship with Carved.  What we do affects them and what they do affects us, whether it’s positive or negative.

Type 3 Media: If each of you could pick one band you’d like to tour with, who would it be?

Rek: Porcupine Tree.

J.: Alison Krauss and Union Station.

Victor: I don’t think it’d be the best for the band because I’ve heard of comparisons in the past, but everybody in this band knows I’m a huge fan of Tool.  I would love to tour with those guys.  I’m going to do a dual — somebody huge and famous that have been around for decades like Rush or The Police or something like that.  Because when you go on tour with a band you learn from them, even if they’re not that good, you learn mistakes, you learn positives, you learn all these things.

J.: If this was a local publication, which it’s not truly, if we were just talking to local people they’d understand what I’m saying.  I’m so glad that we’re in this region because the things that we were compared to with Tool — I appreciate Tool, they’re a fantastic band — there’s literally a vocal styling called the Irish Tenor.  It’s what I do, it’s what Maynard James Keenan does, and it’s what Josh Groban does.  It’s a particular styling of vocals that you’re inclined to do.  A woman came up to me last night and goes “please tell me you’re Irish” and I said “no, I’m half Scotch and half Italian.” She says “Well, what does that mean?” so I say “Well, it means I like wine and whiskey.” [laughter]

Michael: To tour? Jeff Buckley.

Victor: Jeff Buckley, nice.

Rek: That’s going to be tricky.

Type 3 Media: Well, that’s not possible.

Michael: I can choose anyone I want to, it’s a fantasy question.

Type 3 Media: Anyone alive?

Michael: How about… Tom Petty is my answer.

Type 3 Media: Any final thoughts?

Victor: We’re really excited about not just what’s happening now, or but what’s happening in the near future, but the entire future of this whole thing.  I’ve been playing music since I was five years-old, and I’ve never been in a situation to which I actually feel like, “oh my gosh I can actually have a career with these other three guys for the rest of my life and be happy.”  I’ve been in so many bands, as we all have, and I can’t tell you how many times it’s real easy to sat to hate each other because you’re around each other all the time.  We rarely argue about anything, and if we do, we’re all very mindful to let each other say what we want to say, and the other person listens.  It’s the most functional — as opposed to dysfunctional — it’s the most functional group of guys and musicians I’ve ever worked with.

J.: I can tell you this, if some one person unwaveringly believes something, it can be possible.  If two people believe it, it is probable.  If four people do it, it is very very likely.  I believe that’s exactly where we are.  I believe that that’s what’s going to happen.  I think we’re doing exactly the right thing.  This is not blowing smoke, I believe it’s just a matter of time.  If we play for two years together the way we’re playing, we’ll be sounding like a band that’s been playing together for thirty years, and of that I’m very proud.  I don’t think we’re the best in the world, but I think that we will not stop trying to try to be there.  I think that’s a good mindset and a good work ethic.

Type 3 Media: Thank you so much.

HURT: Thank you.

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Syd Duran: I thought it was pretty common for people at age two or three to know what they want to do for the rest of their life, but it turns out that it’s not. I used to sing all the time. I would sing more than talk as a toddler. When I got to the age where I could express my thoughts I went to voice lessons and started training my voice at a really young age. It wasn’t until high-school that I decided I really want to do rock music. I wanted to play in a band. I had picked up the guitar a few years earlier and started writing my own music. I didn’t want to depend on other people to accompany me. Throughout high school I wasn’t a cheerleader and I wasn’t on any sports teams. You wind up not having too many friends because you’re not involved in clubs and sports, but I was always focused on music, so it didn’t really dawn on me that I was lonely. After high school I really put that into my music.

I love recording, but I didn’t have my first recording experience until I was sixteen-years-old. Before that, it was all live stuff. That’s why I really take pride in being able to perform live in a way that you can hear recorded.

Type 3 Media: Why were you drawn to perform rock music instead of another genre?

Syd Duran: I felt my voice was very different. While trying to sing a Kelly Clarkson cover I thought to myself “why doesn’t this work?” I was doing it technically correct, but it sounded so funny. Really, pop music is not for my voice. Every singer has a niche. I fell that there is a marriage between my voice and the rock genre.

Type 3 Media: How did you come up with the band name Valora?

Syd Duran: I was working with two songwriters at the time. We didn’t have a band yet, but we were writing a lot of music together and creating demos. Basically the goal was to get a record deal. I wanted to come up with a band name, but I didn’t want to use my own name. They were like “go home and tomorrow bring us back a name.” I scoured the Internet and came across this website about pirates. At this point I was just getting distracted and wasn’t even thinking about a band name. I found this female pirate named Dorianne Valora Waverider. “Dorianne” and “Waverider” didn’t really do anything for me, but I researched the word “Valora” a lot more. It means valor and strength, so I really liked the name and thought it was the perfect name for us.

Type 3 Media: Fans are going to show up at your shows wearing eye patches now.

Syd Duran: That’s not the first time I’ve heard that. [laughs]

Type 3 Media: How did you like making the video for you latest single “I Waited for You?”

Syd Duran: I loved it. To be perfectly honest, it’s something that I’ve dreamed about. I’ve spent so much time thinking about it and designing it in my head, so when the day came it was pretty magical. It was actually a lot of work. We had to shoot the winter scene while it was 98 degrees in downtown L.A., and I had to wear a jacket and scarf in fake snow. The heat was ridiculous. That was the first scene we shot for the day, which appears at the end of the music video. It was all a learning experience for me. I had people holding my jacket for me in between shots and trying blow cold air on me. It was a lot of fun, but a lot of hard work. I’ll always remember that day.

Type 3 Media: What’s in the works for an upcoming album?

Syd Duran: We’re ready to go and I’m so excited for people to hear it. It’s an eleven-track album, and there’s a part of me in every song. I feel like once people do hear it they will feel like they know me a lot more.

Type 3 Media: What will it be titled?

Syd Duran: I Waited for You.

Type 3 Media: Any touring plans in the works?

Syd Duran: I think we want to latch on to another tour, but I can’t say right now. We just got off a tour with 10 Years, then right after that we did the 48 Hours Festival in Las Vegas. We met a lot of great musicians and really cool people. We’re in talks with ten bands right now, so we’re hoping to get back on the road in January.

Type 3 Media: Did 10 Years give you any touring tips?

Syd Duran: Yeah, I learned a lot. I went out almost every night and watched their set after we played. They’re very tight as a band. It’s nice to see someone at the level you aspire to be at.

Type 3 Media: What’s the biggest challenge being on tour with mostly guys?

Syd Duran: I thought it was going to be the bathroom breaks while we’re driving, because they say girls have to go more. But it wasn’t like that, one of my guitarists had to go like every ten minutes. I think we did pretty well. Honestly, there’s not too many issues. I think we all kinda look out for each other.

Type 3 Media: Having another girl in the group must help.

Syd Duran: It does. Her personality is a lot different than mine. I am usually very focused, almost too hard on something. She’s usually just like “Oh come on, relax. You’re gonna be fine.” She kinda calms me down otherwise I’d probably drive myself crazy.

Type 3 Media: What are three things you can’t live without while on tour?

Syd Duran: This is an obvious one; my phone. When we go to areas where there’s no reception, I don’t know what to do and I want to jump out of the car.

I drink green tea a lot, and I take it with me in case I can’t find it somewhere.

And finally, my clothes. I’ve come to realize that everything I own is black and leather. It’s gets hot when we’re in warm areas, but during earlier dates it was cold and snowy so it worked out perfectly. I can’t live without my leathers.

Type 3 Media: Back in June the remixed version of Breaking Benjamin’s “Blow Me Away” featuring your vocals was released. Since that time it’s been revealed that Benjamin Burnley fired Aaron Fink and Mark Klepaski because he claims they made unauthorized decisions on behalf of the band, including permission for the remix, without his consent. What was your reaction when you learned about this?

Syd Duran: My initial reaction was just like everybody else’s. I am a huge Breaking Benjamin fan, and I was shocked and really disappointed. Having this feature on one their tracks… I would loved to have gone on tour with them, or do a collaboration where we’re actually playing live together. To know that is kinda out of the question was a big bummer for me. And like I said, I am a big fan, I have a lot of their albums and know all their music, so for me it was really disappointing.

I feel honored to be on that track. It still is a good thing. Even though it affects some people negatively because they don’t understand the whole situation, it’s great to be involved in one of the last things they’ll ever put out. They’re all so talented that I highly doubt this is the end of their musical careers. It will be exciting to see what actually does happen in the future for Breaking Benjamin.

Type 3 Media: Has Ben or any of the other guys reached out to you?

Syd Duran: No, but I have read the press release, and have heard things like “it wasn’t authorized” and “it was an illegal release” and all that. Of course it was authorized. You can’t just get away with something like that.

Type 3 Media: You got caught in the crossfire.

Syd Duran: Yeah.

Type 3 Media: Any closing thoughts?

Syd Duran: I’m really excited to be doing this. I want you to know that I really do enjoy this, and really appreciate you taking the time to ask me questions.

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Killinger

Dave Williams: We all come from musical backgrounds… we’ve been doing this for years in different bands and playing cover tunes. Kevin and I had a meeting and discussed music and influences and came to the conclusion that we were on the same page and shook hands and said let’s do what is real to us and never look back… we are what we play! We don’t play the 80s sound like it’s “the thing to do”… it’s all we know! We’d love to be able to change people’s lives if we can… if not, we can give them the escape that they are looking for… We hope to make music that will be the soundtrack of people’s lives. We needed like-minded people. We had some people come and go…but we are very happy with our current, hopefully permanent, line-up.  [Justin Craig (bass/vocals), Kevin Morin (guitar/vocals), Chris Challice (drums) and David Williams (vocals)]

T3M: Killinger’s self titled debut album is due out on August 30th, is this the European release date also and can you walk us though the recording process?

DW: North American Release on August 30, 2011… We are in talks with European labels for distribution, but first is AMERICA! As for the recording process it was all new to me… I can’t speak for the other guys as they’ve had all the experience… I had no idea what to do or how to go about it, I just took direction from Kevin and our producer on how to approach stuff and kinda had a feel for what we were doing… all I can tell you is that the space we had for the recording was a place where if you stepped in the right place you’d be at the very center of Edmonton… all that energy in one place really made some “magic” happen!

We recorded on a PC with the Cakewalk/ProTools software… if it sounds “raw”… well then I think the whole camp got it right when we were laying down tracks! We wanted that arena sound and that 80s feel with the 2010/11 sound and I believe we did a great job to capture that… Mike Fraser who mixed the album and Ted Jensen who mastered this album, they both understood the vision of our music and did an unbelievable job of taking us to the next level! Mike Fraser was everything that I thought he would be and more. At first, he only wanted to do one song… then it was two… then it was the whole thing! We’re looking toward maybe doing more with him on the next album… ya know that guy that walks in the room and everybody starts smiling and everyone is glad to see him? That’s Mike Fraser… to us and everybody he works with!

T3M: George Lynch had a guest spot on the album? What was the best advice he offered and how were you able to book him? Did he record with you in the studio?

DW: Mr.Scary as he is known by us and everybody that knows him… Mr. George Lynch blessed us with a roller-coaster solo on the track “Never Change”… now we didn’t get to work with him in the studio because of time restraints, so we had to go to the INTERNET to correspond because of the time window we had… Our producer Rick Plester is great friends with G.L. and sent the song to him to see if he’d put his name and solo to it. As you can hear when you listen, he gave us something that changed our lives as a little band from Canada and brought us to the next level. We thank him every day for his endorsement!!

T3M: Are you enjoying the anticipation surrounding the release, our would you like to get the album out to the masses as soon as possible.

DW: Being excited about the release is a dream come true. Every time I wake up I think about what’s going to be… I get excited for everybody in the band… it’s a wild thing to be able to reach goals, but to see dreams come true in front of us is like no other… I love the build-up in the USA… AUGUST 30 things will change for us and N. America… and I can’t wait to have that album drop and do the work to let people know that they have a band that’s sincere about making people have a great time and lose themselves while we’re on stage!

T3M: What is your proudest achievement with your self titled debut?

DW: Every goal is an achievement that we meet…every achievement is a goal we set of ourselves… we’ve been sitting on this album for a while… and even with George Lynch playing a solo and Pete Holmes (Black-n-Blue) play the drums in the studio, it’s been a wild scene with us… but to play for America and to open for STRYPER on our first ever USA tour is something!

T3M: Tell me what it was like to play one of the biggest music festivals in the US, Rocklahoma. Is that a show you will remember forever?

DW: Rocklahoma was more of a chance to get the name out there as we had HOT FREAKIN GIRLS show up in KILLINGER *KillWear* and hand out cards letting everybody know about what was coming for them… we did the same thing at M3Fest and that was a great success… I’ll let you know how it is when we play it next year!!… cross those fingers!

T3M: Tell me about the Pyro incident, I had seen the footage on YouTube it that looked like a horrific situation. What went through your mind and were you worried about the safety of the band and audience?

DW: What happened in the “pyro” incident was much more than what it looked like… nobody in the crowd was ever in danger at any time and neither were we at anytime. It was something that we had checked out way before hand and made sure that it was gonna be what we wanted. It came off a little more than expected and that’s how we planned it. No “real” fire happened… no smoke and no damage at all, just call it “Killinger Effects”. We come to amaze and blow your mind while always keeping people safe and looking forward to the next time they can see us!

T3M: Many established artists said the time they treasure the most is when they were up and coming and fighting to get noticed. Do you understand and appreciate this statement?

DW: Fighting our way to the top and being at it for 20 years… everything that is happening is incredible with us right now. The fight is hard and most don’t make it this long. Having people love the band and the excitement everyone is showing is stunning. We’ve been through our personal trials and tribulations and never lost that focus of seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. We’ll never forget where we came from and never lose what we have right now with our music because we know we’re gonna change people’s outlook… even if it’s just for a few hours or when we are played on people’s iPods/Radios/CD’s/Satellite/Internet… I’d like to think that our listeners appreciate the darkness we’ve been through to bring them some light in their lives… we won’t change because of fame…we’ll only get stronger to relate to people and our beloved fans! TRUST!

T3M: Many critics have been very cynical about the new resurgence of thrash and younger bands playing and paying homage to the old guard, how do you feel about this?

DW: The “resurgence” of “thrash”… and younger bands playing that stuff? I can’t say what goes on… I guess we’re trapped in what we do… as in for the “thrash” bands’ music? It is music regardless of who is playing it… but how much do we believe from a 20 year-old screaming at me? I’m the one that’s got REAL bills (laughs)… it might be a “monkey see, monkey do” type thing with some bands… “Hey, they sound cool…let’s sound like them”… that’s for those bands to live out…We can’t and won’t stomp on that… EVER! But, we’re about what people lost in the 80s… and we’re bringing that back with a vengeance!

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Type 3 Media: Tell us about In for the Kill; how did the idea come up for the band, what is the philosophy behind the band and what goals have you set out to achieve?

Bill Gaal: I decided to start In for the Kill right after the breakup of my post-Nothingface band, Kingdom of Snakes. We had just finished recording the first full length album for KOS, but unfortunately, soon after the album was mixed, the band began to splinter, and eventually broke up. That recording was comprised of 14 songs, 7 of which were written by me, so I decided to take my 7 songs and start another project with it, which I decided to call In for the Kill. I had a very clear idea from the start about what I wanted the project to be, and how I wanted it to run. The goals for the project have always been very simple: Write and record songs that incorporate all of the things I love about rock music, unfiltered and straight from my own musical core. I also knew that I wanted to work with other artists who shared my love for these type’s of songs, and have them put their musical stamp on the material as well, once the core of the songs had been developed.

Type 3 Media: In for the Kill is not just a band of core members; can you explain and how did you choose this selection of musicians?

Bill Gaal: In for the Kill will most likely always be a revolving door of musicians, simply because that’s the nature of the project. When I decide to release the first album in 2008, it featured Jason Blackmore (Molly McGuire, Sirhan Sirhan) on guitar and backing vocals, Jason Gerken (Molly McGuire, Open Hand, Shiner) on drums and Gabe Cardinale (Dead Twins) on bass and keys. These happened to be the guys that were in Kingdom of Snakes with me, but they were also the guys that I would have reached out to to play on the record, regardless.

Jason Blackmore has always been one of my favorite songwriters and guitar players, going back to the days when we originally met (probably around 1998) when Nothingface did a few shows with his band, Molly McGuire. Jason Gerken was the drummer for Molly McGuire back then as well, and I have always had it in my head that I wanted to do a project with them at some point. I met Gabe years later. He is a phenomenal singer and guitar player, but switched over to bass and keys for my project. All of these guys had very distinct styles that I really dug, and they definitely made an impression on the first album.

For this second album, I had Chris Houck (Nothingface) play drums and Mike Longworth (PRONG, MEST, Kisses for Kings) come in a do a few leads. Because Chris and I have such a long history of playing together (we started when we were were 15!), I knew we’d have great chemistry for this record. It’s a bit darker than the first one, and Chris really shines on the record.

Type 3 Media: What is your “dream list” of musicians that you would like to work with living or dead?

Bill Gaal: I’d love to work so many artists, but some of the first ones that come to mind are Joe Walsh, Brian May, Jimi Hendrix, John Paul Jones, Chris Squire, Paul McCartney, Prince, Sting…

Type 3 Media: This fall, in for the Kill will release its sophomore album. The second studio release tends to be how fans and critics label a band; is this added pressure for you?

Bill Gaal: I’d be ecstatic if the band is labeled by this new album! I think it’s really an amazing record, and I’m proud of every single aspect of it. There really isn’t any added pressure, This band is designed to be ‘pressure free’, a project that comes straight from the heart without any outside influences!

Type 3 Media: Can you walk us though the recording process? Do all the guest musicians record in your studio?

Bill Gaal: With the current record record, I had written all of the parts, drums, bass, guitar, keys and vocals and had rough demos complete for quite a while before Chris Houck became involved. He lives in North Carolina and I’m in Los Angeles, so I would email him mix’s of the songs without any drums, and he would work out his parts in his studio. After he worked out some ideas, he would send them back to me, then I would send back notes with whatever changes I thought were needed. We did this with all of the songs until we were both satisfied with the parts. Then Chris flew out to LA and we spent 10 days recording the drums at my studio. It was a really great way to work. After that, I got to work on all of the stuff, and near the end of the recording, I had Mike Longworth come into my studio and record some solos’. All of the recording for thins record was done in my studio.

Type 3 Media: In for the Kill is a departure from your tenure in Nothingface; was this progression a natural one and have fans been supportive?

Bill Gaal: The progression for Nothingface to In for the Kill was about as natural as this type of change could be. During the years I spent in Nothingface, most of my writing came from a place of aggression, which is definitely a style that I really enjoy writing in. With In for the Kill, the writing comes from a deeper place and deals with a much broader spectrum of emotions. So both bands are an important part of who I am musically, they just come from different places.

For the most part, Nothingface fans have been supportive, but I never expected them to fall in love with In for the Kill. I think that the NF fans that really enjoyed the melodic aspect of that band can probably appreciate that same aspect with In for the Kill, but the fans that just enjoyed the aggression and brutality of Nothingface may not enjoy In for the Kill as much. In for the Kill was never meant to challenge or replace Nothingface, Its just another aspect of who I am as a musician.

Type 3 Media: You have written music for several genres; what style and sound has been the most challenging and what genera do you enjoy the most?

Bill Gaal: I think the style that has been the most challenging and enjoyable for me has been Pop. It’s a very broad genre right now, going anywhere from heavy dance beats to classic R&B and Motown and everything in between. I’ve really enjoyed spending the time to learn what makes these types of songs work, and then creating my own twist on things. I been really enjoyable working with pop vocalists lately as well, there’s some amazing talent out there.

Type 3 Media: Tell us about the management company you work with; was this decision based on your own dealings with management?

Bill Gaal: I worked for Front Line Management, Irving Azoff’s company for about a year and a half. More specifically, Morey Management, which is a part of Front Line. While there, I was working under Bobby Collin (Nothingface’s last Manager) and Andrew Leff, handling a lot of the day to day for our clients, as well as working with a few artists of my own. Although I’ve always worked on the more ‘creative’ side of music, I was always heavily involved with the ‘business’ of Nothingface, as well as my projects after that. Management just seemed like a logical step for me. As an artist, your always curious about what your manager is doing for you on a day to day basis, and I can tell you from the time I spent at Front Line, its usually ALOT. I think being a manager has to be one of the most thankless jobs in the world, you spend all this time trying to advance your clients career, but one way or another, someone is going to be pissed at you. The artist may not think your doing enough, the label may think your pushing them to hard, publicists may think that your asking for to much. I think it takes a thick skin and a special kind of person to do that work. I knew pretty quickly that I needed to get back to what I do best, which is write and produce music. I learned a ton in the time I was there though, specifically what to do and not to do as an artist.

Type 3 Media: Is Nothingface permanently disbanded? Any discussion about releasing the recordings that have never seen the light of day or an anniversary type CD/DVD?

Bill Gaal: Nothingface is never permanently disbanded, but it’s unlikely that anything will happen any time soon. After the last breakup, I went through and cataloged all of the old material that we had, released and unreleased, and we put it all up for free download. I’ve been collecting old video footage for the past couple of years, live shows and backstage/bus/van footage along with Chris Houck. Hoping to put that all together one day for a video release.

Type 3 Media: What else would you like to do musically that you have not been able to yet?

Bill Gaal: I’d love to play a huge festival show with In for the Kill. Although I’ve already done it with Nothingface, It would be a whole different vibe to do it with my own band that I’m fronting.

I’d love to have artist that I work with get a Platinum album (Gold would be fine to!)

I’m sure there are tons of other things I can’t think of right now, but I feel very fortunate to have already done so many of the things that I set out to accomplish in music!

Type 3 Media: Any Last words?

Bill Gaal: Make sure you check the In for the Kill Facebook page www.facebook.com/inforthekillband for updates. The new album should be out in late September, I’ve got some of my favorite artists working on the mix and artwork, which will be announced soon!

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Type 3 Media: How does your new album, Home School Valedictorian, compare to your self-titled debut?

Photo Credit: Olaf Heine

Keith Wallen: The new album is a little different from our prior release in that it’s a little more diverse in the overall sound. We were able to really use our influences in the songwriting process and let the songs come to life in their own way. I personally like Homeschool way better than our self-titled debut.

Type 3 Media: What did producers Tadpole and Dave Bassett each bring to the table during the recording process?

Keith Wallen: Both Dave and Tadpole both had some good ideas during the recording process. Dave was such a professional, but at the same time he let us be us. He was always open to letting us try new ideas as well as bringing a lot to the table himself. It was a very comfortable atmosphere, which made the whole recording of the record stress free. The less stress definitely brought more creativity.

Type 3 Media: What was the biggest challenge you had putting the new album together?

Keith Wallen: The biggest challenge of putting the new record together was the road up to the studio! We recorded all the guitars and vocals at Dave’s house in Malibu, and the road up to his house was one lane, foggy, and treacherous!

Type 3 Media: How has the response been to the new material during your live shows?

Keith Wallen: The response has been amazing! Since we started touring for this record it’s been a lot different vibe. Hopefully it keeps getting better and better.

Type 3 Media: The Carnival of Madness Tour starts August 13th. What excites you most about hitting the road?

Keith Wallen: The best things about touring is getting to hang out with all the great musicians, and also during the show, playing my guitar through all those powerful amps and speakers!

Type 3 Media: Which band are you really looking forward to touring with?

Keith Wallen: We toured with Theory of a Deadman last year, which was awesome, but I’m excited to watch Alter Bridge tear it up every night.

Type 3 Media: What do you guys like to do during your limited downtime while on the road?

Keith Wallen: XBOX 360. Game of the moment is NBA Jam.

Type 3 Media: What’s the wildest thing to happen to you during a show?

Keith Wallen: Just on our last tour this drunk dude spit at us from the crowd and our singer jumped down and punched him, then our bass player jumped in from the stage too. He looked like a flying squirrel! The guy later apologized outside, but we were like F@$% you.

Type 3 Media: Name 3 things you can’t live without while on tour.

Keith Wallen: My iPhone, grape soda, and my Yanni greatest hits cassette!  ha

Type 3 Media: Any closing thoughts?

Keith Wallen: Closing thoughts… hmm.  Yanni greatest hits.

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Type 3 Media: Tell me a little bit about Knights on Earth.

Grey McMurray: We’ve known each other for a long time and we’ve played in different projects.  This band started with just myself and the bass player.  We played a couple shows with some songs that we worked on together.  We played with some different drummers for a while, then Gunnar was our lucky, lucky choice.

T3M: How would you describe the music that you create?

GM: I would say the most succinct way to put it is… expansive triumphant soul music.

T3M: That might be the best music description I’ve ever heard.

GM: [laughs]

T3M: Your latest release, Move Slow, Live Ends, is due out this June; how does this compare to your previous efforts?

GM: A lot of those songs had their origins before we were a collective. Gradually we were able to take a lot of time putting those songs together and I think everybody’s voice became apparent. The EP, From The Rubble To The Sky, we recorded a little bit differently, and those songs feel in a way like we started to use or vocabulary as opposed to finding out what our vocabulary is. A good first impression of what our band is.

T3M: Are you working on any plans to take your music on the road?

GM: Absolutely. I think we are shooting for the winter or spring to be able to go out. I imagine that the first thing we’ll try to do is a tour of the East Coast, then maybe something on the West Coast we’ll do in the spring of 2012. The focus right now is recording, writing, playing in New York, and then going out and having a lot of stuff to show people.

T3M: Any closing thoughts?

GM: We’re grateful to everyone who takes the time to listen to us.

Be sure to check out the band’s Facebook page for a free download of the song “England.”

www.knightsonearth.com
www.myspace.com/knightsonearth
www.facebook.com/knightsonearth
http://twitter.com/knightsonearth

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Cory Lamb: It went amazingly well.  We did the last couple of songs and when we were mixing them I really wasn’t sure what it as going to turn out like.  I knew that it would be good, but I was still waiting to see what it was really going to sound like.  Now that it’s finished, I think it sounds amazing.  I am thouroughly happy with it.

T3M: How has the reception been for the new single, “Break The Cycle”?

CL: It’s been really good.  I was at a radio station a couple days ago and the guys said people are calling in requesting ‘that 80′s Duran Duran tune.’  So it’s being compared to 80′s rock, which is really cool because I grew up on that stuff.  Me and my Dad would listen to 70′s and 80′s rock, and all that good stuff when I was younger.  Everybody’s telling me it doesn’t sound like anything else, which is really good because that was my goal.  I didn’t want it to sound like just another record.

T3M: There could be worse comparisons.  Duran Duran has had a long sucessful career.

CL: Yeah.  When they told me that I was like ‘wow’.  They’ve had a great music career.

T3M: How did you like working on your first music video?

CL: It was fun.  Working with Stephen Baldwin and working with the FSU film students in Tallahassee was so much fun and everybody was a joy to work with.  Being on such a big set and thinking this is going to be all film students, I had no idea what to expect.  How well it ran was unbelievable because they know that equipment better than anybody I’ve ever seen.  I hope I get to do another video with those guys.

T3M: This is Stephen Baldwin’s music video directorial debut; how did you like working with him?

CL: Working with Stephen was so much fun.  That guy is just a bundle of energy.  He’s always happy, always going, always wanting more, and that is just what I needed for the song.  He had a vision for the video… when he told it to me I said ”OK cool’.  As things started getting closer and closer there was this build-up and I thought ‘this vision is amazing.’  This is going to be one of the best videos I’m ever going to see.’  I was so blessed to be able to work with somebody that’s so talented, loves people and wants to make a difference.  He’s amazing.

T3M: What sparked this collaboration?

CL: His publicist is also Big Machine Media, same as mine.  He actually got a hold of my music, and I was told that he heard the song and loved it.  He got ahold of me, and told me over the phone ‘hey, I want to do your video.’  I guess I was just at the right place at the right time.

T3M: The video came out really well.

CL: Thank you.  I think it came out amazing.  I give props to the students at FSU and Stephen Baldwin for that.  They did a great job.

T3M: How is life on the road treating you?

CL: It is great.

T3M: What’s coming up next for you?

CL: We’re just sticking with touring.  Look for me in your town sometime during this year.  We have something in the works.

T3M: Any closing thoughts?

CL: If you go to corylamb.com you can buy the EP for $5.  You can also download the songs individually.  It’ll be on iTunes soon as well.

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