Thank you for taking the time for this short interview. In the “crossfire section”, we always have the same 10 questions, so that our readers can make some comparisons to other bands, and we try to ask questions that answer more things within one step.
Feel free to write as much as you want. We will not shorten it or censor anything 😉 …
First of all, let us get one thing clear: I really liked ‘Monuments’, but I love ‘Haunt what´s left’. It seems to me that you have made a big step in getting new influences from something new, did you?
Stopped listening to our peers bands and got back to our roots: Meshuggah, Rage Against Machine, Saosin, Deftones, etc.
I don´t want to speak of “soft songs”, but you cannot deny that the new stuff is way more easy to listen for anyone. Do you think all the fans of ‘Monuments’ will accept this new style?
That’d be great if they do, but if we made songs to make other people happy we would lose our minds.
Do you have plans to play some shows in Germany in the near future?
Do you have any family members that work in the airline industry? I hear we can get great discounts that way.
How was it like to work with Josh Wilbur and Chris Adler? Did they take much influence on the songs, or just on the sound?
Josh and I worked really closely together. It was incredible. He just listened to what I was doing and made me do it with more energy. Adler worked closely with the other dudes and Grant and they loved it. We had an awesome team. I’d love to do it again.
What are your next steps? Do you have kind of a “5-years-plan”?
I’m trying to save up for a long board and commit to my new health food plan and find a little more enlightment in my small existence.
Now we are heading for the crossfire part:
At home:
01.)
In which way do you write your songs? Does anyone of you have kind of an initial idea, or do you just play on and on until something sounds interesting to you, or another way?
All 5 dudes play guitar, write, program drums, and are pretty proficient at recording, so it remains unpredictable. It’s art, it gets done however it wants to get done.
02.)
Except playing music, what do you do in your free time?
Write, practice martial arts, exercise, pay attention to my family, seek truth, get by.
03.)
Is THIS OR THE APOCALYPSE job, vacation or hobby?
It’s that really shitty family reunion that always results in your one uncle getting tanked and trying to teach you the right way to grill a hot dog while the little red head kid is trying to find stuff to jump off of into the pool.
On the road:
04.)
Vegan, straight edge, or rather sex drugs and rock´n´roll? What does a perfect catering look like?
Healthy. Get us some fresh fruit, veggies, towels, good beer, and something warm that didn’t get cooked at a fast food place.
05.)
If you could choose, who would be your favourite support band on a headlining tour / who would be your favourite headliner you would support?
Honestly, I wouldn’t ever take out a band I loved right now until I knew we could put them on a tour that would make big things happen for them. I’m not in the business of putting the people I love in debt. In a magic world where we were a strong headlining band I would force my best friends from Lancaster in Circus!Circus! to get back together and support us. Alternately, I would give anything to get a chance to open up for Rage Against the Machine or Deftones.
06.)
What was your greatest event live or on tour by now?
Finding Brett Michaels and Poison parked in a Walmart parking lot in New Orleans briefly before covering that stupid Rock of Love bus with our posters and throwing beer cans at the windows until the cops showed up. We also signed autographs for everyone who worked at that Walmart and took photos with all of them because they thought we were on that tour.
Curious:
07.)
Imagine you are stranded on a secluded island and your I-Pod has a defect. It only will play one song (which is none of your own ones). Which one?
Just surpise me with something off Wu Tang’s 36 Chambers or something.
08.)
If you could start again at the beginning of your band, would you do anything different than you did?
Oh man. Yeah. Everything. I’m like… Ben Franklin screwing up screwing up the lightbulb over 10,000 times crossed with Noah while he was too drunk for a few years to build the arc. Actually, I’m like if Moses built the arc instead and then split the red sea and was like „…shit. Where did my arc go?“
09.)
How much does the music you are doing mean to you? Are there limits in what you would invest (time / emotions / finances)?
If there are limits I haven’t found them yet. I’ve given everything and it’s happened without a second thought. Just gets in your blood.
The very last question:
10.)
If there was a question you always wanted to be asked, but never were asked yet, what would it be and what would be your answer?
„hey do you guys want to be main support on tour with us?“
„yes, Zack from Rage Against the Machine, yes I do.“ ur answer?