First of all why don't you introduce us to all the members and what there purpose in the band is?
Preston - Well, I'm Presto. I sing the songs, smoke the bongs, and play guitar. Then there's Jeff. He lays the bass, fills the pocket, and drinks til he's blackout drunk! Then there's Troy (aka TB Massive), who slams the drums, and causes traffic accidents.
Jeff - Purpose....hmmmmmm. Oh I get it. You mean what we play. I thought you meant " I'm Jeff, I'm in this band to act like an ass, play loud ass music, and snag the occasional kitten. Which as we all know is actually less than seldom". sigh! first question and I'm already depressed.
You guys have only been playing shows for a few months and already the shows seem to be getting bigger and bigger, what do you attribute this to?
Preston - Bribes and other dastardly deeds. Also because I use words like dastardly.
Jeff - Our Huge egos. kidding. I think we just really wanna be playing. Since our first show we basically scrapped 90 % of our material as we wrote a whole bunch of new songs. The new stuff is a much more accurate representation of this band. I'd attribute the change primarilly to the fact that we got our own rehersal space, which has increased our practice and writing time insanely. I think we are just in really a good place right now. We are really into this band. I think everything else is just rolling off that.
What are all your feelings on how people are categorizing different music, lately?
Preston - I really don't see anything wrong with categorizing music, especially when it comes to punk rock. When so many bands are trying to ape the same shit, it makes it easier to recognize who's trying to do something fresh and exciting. You know? The ones who make it difficult to categorize.
Jeff - I'm not sure exactly what you mean. So I'll just grab a hold of this one and take it completely offtrack. Its good for trying to find bands that might be similar to bands you already like. However I find its especially annoying when people try to pigeonhole a band as something, or try and invent new lame sounding amalgamated genres. You know like "Post Hardcore-Screamo-with Gregorian Chanting and Pop Sensibilities". Ok. Not quite that bad but almost. And also you have bands waiving the "pop-punk" flag who are about as close to punk rock as I am too getting laid in the next 5 minutes. Thats right! Believe me I wish it weren't so! But I guess when people think Avril is a ROCK god, this is the world you get. The shit they are selling kids as Punk or Rock is about as dangerous or offensive as a pllow fight.
What bands have influenced you?
Preston - That's a fucked up question to answer, personally. I listen to alot of music. In writing I guess I've been heavily inspired by Catharsis, Sublime, Thrice, Dead Kennedys, Tom Delonge, and lately The Used and Alkaline Trio.
Jeff - Its all over the place. Each of us draws from a lot of the same as well as a lot of different places. For me its been a lot of different bands and players lately. Growing up I've listened to all kinds of stuff from the hardcore to the more melodic, to the straight ahead rock. I've always been surrounded by a bunch of people with vastly different musical interests which has given me an appreciation for different genres. But my passion has always been for guitar driven music. I am a huge fan of melody. I'm not into a lot of bands that are too Bad Ass for melodies(be them simple or intricate.) However I think it still needs to have an edge. From a Bassist stand point I really like bands that actually let the bass player shine through. So many bands have the bass so hidden, even if it is a good player you sure can't hear anything significant. As a 3 piece I think we have the ability to make songs that let each of us play what we feel and its that combination that makes the songs. This alows us to lay our own "stamp" on each track and create something that wouldn't be the same song without it. That is huge. Bands like thrice, face to face and alkaline trio are good examples of bands that do this for me.