Part two of our interview which kicked off with yesterday’s article. Interview done by Richard Harris-Abbott in Southampton on the band’s recent UK tour with Devilskin.
Did anyone take you up on the local performance option on the Pledge?
Matt: Noooo, thank God. We never actually put a locale. I mean it could have been anywhere. We did have a German guy!
Thor: Lars who is a good friend now. He flew into Canada to be in a music video and write a song with us. He was a great drummer which we laid on the track.
Matt: I’m still mixing it now as he wasn’t happy with the chorus… the b**tard! (laughs loudly) Because he wrote a chorus and when he left I said I am not sure if I love the chorus and I might want to change it and I did. I thought he would be so stoked to finally get the track and he wrote me back and went “You’ve missed out the chorus!” So it’s his song and that’s being fixed.
Oh and we put him to work… first we had a BBQ and camped and then we put him to work… (evil laugh) He was in the music video but we made him help with building the set. We wanted him to know what we go through and so he was more than happy to get involved in making the set, sawing, hammering, painting. He is a really good guy, super awesome. By the way, the video should be done by May. He plays the robot.
How has the tour been?
Skye: Devilskin have been the nicest band ever. We thought we were until we met them.
Thor: We had this competition. They kept getting to the gigs just before us and by the time we had got there they had already unloaded everything and set up. We kept racing them to help unload first as they just help unload everything. We actually beat them to a gig to make sure that we would unload. They pulled up in front of me while we were sat here talking having a beer waiting for them to turn up so we could unload them. They unloaded!
Skye: They are so nice. It’s also amazing what they have done in New Zealand. They have put their foot down and said no longer will the popstars rule the airwaves. I can’t imagine anywhere else or a band that could make such a shift happen. To have such an impact is so amazing.
Why the UK for touring?
Skye: Well, one, because there are so many venues in such close proximity. Two, there are so many outlets like Moshville Times that bands like us and have places of exposure to help get us out there, spreading the word. I feel that the scene here is amazing. I was listening to the radio and I have been able to listen to all sorts of music whilst traveling all over the country.
In Canada there is no one station that I can find when I am looking that would play our band. I mean they just wouldn’t. Whilst here we are getting a lot of .
Matt: Kerrang are giving us a lot of and playing all sorts of wicked bands and playing music you would just never get in Canada. Canada is in a very safe place, there is a kind of 70’s rock vibe going on now. But that kinda the way it goes, they go with trends. You would never hear System of a Down or any kinda weird band.
Thor: People here are so accepting of every type of music. It’s like Kerrang – they see it as “it’s a f**king great track… play it!” That’s what I love about it here. We just don’t seem to fit or work in our own country but here we fit so perfectly.
How does this tour compare to the last tour?
Skye: Well the tickets are less and they are not necessarily sold out before our own fans have had the chance to get tickets. But I think it’s mainly the fact that the last tour we played 30 minutes and on this one we play at least an hour. We are part of a great package so everyone gets to see a really great tour.
Don’t get me wrong I loved playing the Alien Ant Farm tour and we won over new fans. So we have some fans of Alien Ant Farm and the Babies that are now fans of us too, which is amazing.
Matt: The Babies were amazing, they took us under their wing and really took care of us on that tour.
From the last album to this album. There have been some massive differences for you. You’ve learnt what to do, what not to do, collaborate with other artists, etc. What has been the biggest difference?
Skye: With the first album we had years, but this album we had to do it between tours and that has obviously meant a shorter timescale. But the main thing we brought to this album is our live gigs. We wanted to make the fans feel that they are at a gig, feeling the excitement and buzz from a performance.
Matt: We wanted it so that when we played the songs live the audience already can feel the build-up and the excitement of the song as they could feel that from just listening to the album. Have we achieved that? I don’t know, we will see how the fans and reviewers react.
Skye in this album has managed to push a lot of boundaries in what she can sing on the record as well as on the stage. A lot of female singers couldn’t even get near to the range that Skye pushes her voice to. A lot of the time you hear something on a record and when you hear it on stage it is nowhere near the same, but Skye manages to bring the sound from the studio to the stage and that is, by no means, a small feat.
Something random but I always ask my victims – if a movie was to be made about you guys who would play you?
Matt: I think for Skye Chloe Mortez that would work perfect!
Skye: That or Summer Glau from Serenity.
Matt: For me I think Jack Black, he’s ionate about his music.
Thor: Ice Cube would be perfect for me!
Matt: (Starts to lose it in laughter) Well I guess, yeah, he does drop some weird raps sometimes.
Matt Trozzi: McLovin for me!
Thor: That’s what you shoot for?
Matt: Maybe McLovin from Kickass… that would so work!
And on that note we finished our beers, kept discussing the band’s film alter egos and then I left them to get ready for what was an amazing show.
Sumo Cyco: official | facebook | twitter | youtube | instagram | myspace | tumblr
