With all the attention A Skylit Drive has been getting since the release of their phenomenal debut album Wires… and the Concept Of Breathing, few people realize that the lead singer, Michael “Jag” Jagmin, actually has some goodies up his sleeve for fans all over. Read on to learn more about his solo project and some behind-the-scenes of their latest album Identity On Fire.

MEB: Many people know that you’re the singer for A Skylit Drive, but are not aware that you have other projects. Care to tell the people about them?

Jag: I’m sure most ASD fans aren’t aware of any side projects I’m involved in. Well, my solo project is the only one, but I hope in time they all do know about it.

With your old project Of An Era, how many songs did you write under that name? Do you plan on releasing them under your solo name?

I have tons of demos for my solo project. I’ve completed more songs after switching the name to Michael Jagmin. I plan to release a single very soon, and once I give myself time to see what kind of response it gets, that will decide what move I make next.

What differences will there be between your solo material and ASD? When can fans expect some sort of release from your solo project?

I’ve always been a huge fan of pop/rock and pop punk, so those are easily big influences in my music. It’s very energetic, emotional and thoughtful. As stated before I plan to release a single very soon.

Do you play all the instruments on your solo project? If so, how did you learn to play them? If not, who else do you have playing them?

I write everything and perform everything myself. For the first single the producer I chose is helping a lot with making things the best they can be though. I played guitar and drums religiously all through high school. I played guitar in my first handful of bands.

What sort of life experiences did you go through that compelled you to write the lyrics to Identity On Fire? What other sort of topics did you cover? Do you ever see A Skylit Drive becoming as heavy as Odd Project was?

Everyday tour life with ASD is what mainly inspired the topics on Identity On Fire. I’ve always been big on helping people find themselves, and being happy with who they are. I’d rather send a positive message to our followers instead of a mixed one that could be misconceived as something else. I never know where ASD is going to end up. I don’t think any of us do. We just kinda go with what feels right.

What are some key differences between what you did in Odd Project and A Skylit Drive?

Odd Project was nowhere near the professionalism of ASD. OP was a much more laid back situation. I think that’s primarily because it took us so long to release the album I sang on. The long wait sucked a lot of the life out of the band as a whole, whereas with ASD we tend to keep busy practically all the time.

Are you and Jordan Blake (ex lead singer for A Skylit Drive) on good terms? Would you ever consider working with him on some music?

I’ve met the guy numerous times, and he’s always been very pleasant towards me. As for working with him on music I feel we’re on two different wavelengths. I don’t see much of a chemistry there.

Have you guys already started the writing/recording process for an upcoming album from ASD?

We actually haven’t started any new material yet. That’s one main reason I’ve been so diligent about my solo project since being home from tour. I’m definitely not the kind of guy who can just sit around and do absolutely nothing. I go crazy after a few days, so I guided all of that towards my own music.

Fans have noticed that the screaming has been toned down much more now compared to She Watched The Sky. Even though you were not the singer on that EP, will you consider bringing more screaming back or continue doing more singing?

I think after doing things a certain way since Wires we’ve gotten comfortable and happy with the vocal style we’ve chosen. The popularity of Wires along with the most popular songs since gives us a good enough thumbs up that the singing/screaming ratio we’ve stuck to is what works for us.

What made you decide on covering Eminem and Rihanna’s “Love The Way You Lie”? If Fearless Records came to you guys to do a Punk Goes Crunk 2, what song would you cover?

It was 100% our choice to cover that song. The label wasn’t pumped on our choice, ha! But they changed their minds when they heard the finished product. I don’t think I’d want to do a Punk Goes Crunk 2 after doing the Eminem song.

What have been some of your personal favorite shows you’ve played so far?

Standout cities for me would have to be: San Diego, Sacramento, Anaheim, Pomona, Dallas, San Antonio, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, NYC, anywhere in New Jersey, and Seattle.

Is there someone you would like to collaborate with and maybe share the stage with?

I would love to do a song with Aaron Marsh of Copeland. That band is easily my favorite band.

What are your biggest inspirations to go out and sing?

Even though I have favorite artists and all, I do my best to not find inspiration in their styles. I like searching myself for what seems natural and right to me.

What songs do you like to play the most live?

“The Cali Buds” and “Wires….”

Any last words for your die-hard fans?

Thank you guys so much! Please continue to support me and the guys. We appreciate everything you do for us!

MEB staffer Ridge Briel recently caught up with Josh Sparks and Matt Schmitz, drummer and vocalist of punk/blues act Former Thieves. They discuss tour stories, vegan cooking, road fuel and much more!

MEB: For starters, what bands were you guys a part of prior to Former Thieves? How long has the band been around?

Josh Sparks: Exactly three years now.  All of us have played in a myriad of bands in the past, with each other and separately.  Most recent to the formation of this band Josh P. and Matt were playing together in a really dark and grimy d-beat punk/hardcore band called Desperation.  Josh P. had also been playing guitar in a post-rock band called Giants.  Ben was playing bass in a hardcore band called Take Control, and luckily for us their break-up coincided almost directly with the formation of this band (Me, Parks, and Matt were trying to snake him regardless, haha).  I had been living in Buffalo, NY playing drums in a prog-pop band called Damiera, but quit and moved back to Cedar Falls about eight months prior to FT starting up.

What was it like working with Chris Common for The Language That We Speak? Do you plan on working with him again for your upcoming album?

Matt Schmitz: It was definitely an interesting experience working with Chris. We would definitely not have gotten the sounds and feeling that came out on The Language That We Speak without him. We are exploring a plethora of different options of who to go to for the new record. As far as we are aware right now, Chris is living in Portugal and recording there.

What news can you guys give about your upcoming album? Have you begun the writing/recording process already?

JS: Haha, the next record has been a constant conversation piece for us over the last couple months.  We started flushing a few ideas out this fall, and out of that I think we have a clearer focus of where we’re wanting to take things.  With TLTWS, we wrote it in two separate halves spanning almost a year and a half.  This time around we want to take a few months to sit down and write an entire record from start to finish.  It’s looking like that time is going to come sometime this summer.  We’re hoping to have it written and recorded by the end of this year, ideally releasing it sometime in 2013.

What sort of topics do you guys plan to cover on the new album?

MS: I have been thinking about just this question quite a bit recently. There are a million and one topics that are floating around my head that I would like to tackle. I have a hard time writing about interpersonal things, so I use friends and outside scenarios to write off of. I think one thing that has been really sticking with me lately is watching people lose momentum as some would call it; others would call it a certain spark. You could attribute that to growing up, but it could also be the age of being “too cool for anything.” It’s frustrating and sucks to watch positive, smart-minded people turn into to shit heads just because it’s “cool.”

Having such a dedicated touring schedule, what are some of your favorite shows you’ve played so far?

Some personal favorites that come to mind for me are:

6/30/09 – Our second show ever.  We played a inside a Uhaul in our hometown.  Our friend Zach was moving to Chicago, so he called together a last minute show!

11/22/09 – Chicago, IL at a crowded house called Summer Camp w/La Dispute, Touche Amore, and Into it. Over it.

5/24/11 – New York City, NY.  Sold out show at The Studio @ Webster Hall while we were on tour with La Dispute, Defeater, and Native.  That was one of the best vibes of a show we’ve ever played.. Although to be fair I think every show on that tour was a tie for best.

7/16/11 – Minneapolis, MN.  Harvest reunion show, Final Disembodied show at the Triple Rock.

Any stories from the road you want to share?

JS: Currently we’re on tour in the UK/Europe supporting La Dispute.  Four days ago we were driving from Munich, DE to Vienna, AU and ran into a blizzard.  We hit a patch of black ice, and our driver lost control of the van.  It spun around a few times before eventually colliding with the center guard-rail, wrecking it and rendering it un-driveable.  All of us are fine, and thanks to our driver’s savvy we were even able to make the show in Vienna via taxi!  It’s been a long couple of days, to say the least, of switching back and forth between rental vans, cars, and utilizing public transit to able to make the shows; we’ve made due.  Today (Wednesday, January 25, 2012) we are finally picking up a new van that will be a constant for the remainder of the tour, so we’ll be able to get back to some relative normalcy.  Coordinating all of this would never have been possible without our TM Dave’s patience and persistence, Ben’s ability to speak German, and the kindness and graciousness of our dear friends in La Dispute. We have many other tour stories (stories that could be told and stories that we’ve sworn each other to secrecy/been sworn to secrecy by others) but this one seems the most relevant.

What made you guys decide on No Sleep Records as compared to other potential labels?

JS: Chris [Hansen, founder] has done a really excellent job of branding his label.  He’s not style specific, he just puts out good records from hard-working bands.  All of us have been and currently are big fans of his roster, and after having had a chance to get to know each other we bonded on a personal level as well.  It just made sense for us and felt organic.  Also in contrast to some of the other labels we were considering, signing with No Sleep made us feel like we wouldn’t be pigeonholed as “just another techy hardcore band.”

What other bands do you see yourselves touring with in the future? What other bands do you guys recommend for your fans to check out?

JS: After we finish this tour we’re flying back home and starting a US/Canada tour with Every Time I Die, Terror, and Stray From the Path.  We’re beyond stoked to be a part of that tour!  As far as bands worth checking out: Bone Dance, Xerxes, and Code Orange Kids are some of our favorites right now.  The other night in Bristol we played with a band called &U&I that would be worth your time too!

Where do you draw your music and songwriting style from? What are some of your biggest influences?

JS: Honestly it’s different for all of us and really across the board.  Collectively we’ve drawn a lot of musical inspiration from the Louisville scene – bands like Breather Resist, Black Cross and Young Widows to name just a few.  We also really admire the work ethic of bands like Modern Life is War, Ruiner and Every Time I Die.

If you guys had to give up music for any reason, what sort of hobbies would you take up to stay creative?

JS: I can’t imagine that ever happening (or really hope it doesn’t ever)… Even if we were to stop touring or break up I can’t think of a reason, barring a horrendous physical ailment, that any of us would give up playing.  When we’re at home Ben and I are both heavily into Vegan cuisine and cooking.  We spend a lot of time separately trying out new recipes, cooking, baking, working with presentation, etc. just for fun.  Josh and Matt are really into the graphic design thing too.  Flyers for shows, local shows, t-shirts for bands, screen prints, etc.  Also, we all write and draw pretty consistently just for fun.

Dream tour. What four other bands would you play with and what would you call the tour?

JS: Last May while we were on tour with La Dispute, Defeater, and Native we played a show in Pittsburgh that Cave-In headlined.  Had they come along and done the rest of the rest of the shows, it would have been a dream.

What is the “road fuel” of choice among you guys?

JS: Cliff bars, chips, nuts, granola, thai food.

Any last words for your fans?

Thank you for supporting us, coming to shows, and listening to our music.  Stay close and keep in contact, we appreciate you so much.

MEB Staffer Austin Gordon recently caught up with the guys of Make Do And Mend via email. Check out what they had to say about their latest EP Part And Parcel, as well as the resurgence of pop-punk, their new record with Rise, and more.

MEB: First off, how excited were ya’ll for your dates with Thursday? It must have been amazing playing with such legends.

Those shows were amazing. Thursday is an amazing group of guys and a true inspiration to us and countless other bands.

Let’s talk about Part and Parcel. What went into the process for selecting the songs from End Measured Mile to go on to this EP?

There were a few songs that were no-brainers, but a few that we decided to take chances on that we ended up being surprised by.

What do you guys hope to accomplish with the backing of a fairly major label like Rise Records?

Not sure if you’re using the term “major” as a characterization of the size or success of the label, but Rise is a completely independent label with three employees. With Rise we hope to do what all bands hope to do: bring our music and message to as many people who care to listen.

What kind of lyrical content can we expect to see on the new record? Are there any topics you guys haven’t covered yet that you want to cover?

This one’s going to be sadder than the last one, but perhaps not in as straightforward a fashion as some people might be accustomed to. I want to tackle all of the things that make me feel awful on a daily basis as well as all the things that make me happy. That’s going to take a few more records.

Now that we know you guys are soon to be in the process of creating the new record, what kind of elements might we expect to be on it? Heavier riffs? Slower songs? Or is it too soon to tell?

It’s going to be a rounder record for sure. There’s going to be some stuff that people might not be expecting, but hopefully they’re open to it.

Are there any songs you guys are most proud of? Like one of those kind of songs that ten years ago you never could have imagined being involved in creating?

This record has a few of those, which is pretty strange for us.

What are your opinions about the resurgence of pop-punk? Is it more of a movement or a lifestyle?

It is neither. It is a trend. And when the kids whom it’s made for outgrow it, it will go away. Just like all trends.

Do you think there is hope for the music industry we all live inside of? Do you think that the push of “real” music that we’ve been seeing over the past few years will eventually weed out the fake and generic music we see so much of today?

The Internet has permanently altered the musical landscape that we live in. I don’t think real/unreal music has as much to do with it as we may think. The music business/industry/whatever is in need of a paradigm shift. If honest music can help bring that about, then that rules.

What were the first bands to get you guys into this music and make you want to be playing in the kind of band you’re in now?

For me it was bands like AFI and The Movielife - bands that brought raw emotion and honesty to their music unlike anything I’ve ever heard before.

Recognizing that bands like you and many others are doing something real and different in the music industry, when did it become surreal that the impact is finally being made; that people are finally seeing the passion and devotion found in your music, as something we can all relate to?

It’s hard to have a birds eye view to that sort of thing, but whether people are finding truth in our music or not, I hope that they can find it somewhere. I hope they seek it out.

Lastly, with the mindset that there are beacons of light floating around in the vast sea of genericore, what should the next step be for all of the bands and musicians that are wanting to do something different? Any words of advice?

In my humble opinion, no matter what a band sounds like, if they are working to be true to no one but themselves they will inherently create something completely original. If every band did things with that in mind, I think we’d be in a much better spot.

At Kansas City’s annual Buzz Beach Ball, the first ever concert held at the new soccer venue, Livestrong Sporting Park, MEB staffer Tim Dodderidge got to interview both of the dudes from Middle Class Rut. They discuss things such as the band’s cover art, biggest influences, and even some awe-inspiring ’90s hip-hop.

MEB: After leaving your old band, how did Middle Class Rut form?

Zack Lopez: (sarcastically) Well, the thing was, Kurt Cobain wasn’t paying us enough, and it made us really ticked off. So we just left and decided we were going to do our own thing and not keep getting underpaid, you know? And that’s when the band started and it was just us two.

How did the cover art for No Name No Color come about?

ZL: We’ve got a buddy named Doug, and he did a t-shirt design at some point that had both of our faces kind of slapped together. And when it came time to do the artwork for the record, out of sheer laziness, we reverted back to that t-shirt design and just wanted to make a cooler version of it. So we just went to work on that. It’s like our music; it’s pretty straightforward, just us two. We’re not conceptual album makers. We don’t think of these crazy, Broadway show stories that our records are about. It’s kinda like I’ll just put both of our ugly faces on the cover and splash some red and blue over it to make it cool, and there you have it.

What song do you feel sticks out the most on that record?

Sean Stockham: “Cornbred” probably?

ZL: “Cornbred,” the last song on the record, sticks out the most. It’s the last song that was written and was recorded in a different place than the rest of the record. It was almost like a song where we heard it and were like, “Man we should’ve done more stuff like that.” But at the same time, we wanted to include it on the record. It made sense and it sounded in a similar vein to what we were doing, but at the same time, was still really different. So it’s probably the most different-sounding, but something that we’d want to play out and revisit in the future.

What’s your favorite song to play live?

ZL: It depends on the crowd for me personally. I think there’s a song that we’d like to play live, but if the crowd doesn’t get excited, then it’s not that exciting.

SS: I like playing “USA,” which was the last song. It’s kinda like, “It’s over.” (laughs). As far as your energy level, you just put all of your energy into that last thing. And after that you can just go and pass out into the gutter and it’s fine.

What do you think is different about being in a band with two members?

ZL: There’s not four of us.

What bands do you feel inspired your sound the most?

SS: Kriss Kross.

ZL: Kaya.

SS: Daddy Mac.

That was before my time.

ZL: Oh geez man you’re trying to date us. How old are you?

I’m 17.

SS: That’s fine.

ZL: Everything’s great then. So that’s basically classic hip-hop to you.

SS: Do you remember Tia Tamera?

Nope.

SS: Wow, so that was even before your time.

ZL: Oh my god, that’s the point we’re at right now.

SS: We were pretty heavily influenced by local bands around Sacramento where we grew up. There was a super dub local scene. We would go to the Cattle Club on a Friday or Saturday and see rad shows.

ZL: You ever think about the name of that place? You know that it’s a gay bar, right?

SS: Absolutely.

ZL: The Cattle Club. It’s like herding men in and it’s like okay… (laughs)

SS: And then it became even more gay.

ZL: Well it became Bojangles and then everyone’s dancing like it’s Mr. Bojangles.

SS: But yeah we were influenced by Sacramento and Deftones and Far. As cool as it was to listen to Nirvana and Rage Against the Machine, it was totally different to go to a small club at 15 years old, having your mom drop you off, just being in that environment and seeing that show.

Should we expect a new record next year?

SS: Nope. (laughs)

ZL: We’ll probably release a greatest hits. (laughs)

SS: We’re going to wait until it’s lucrative to play this kind of music, so it might take us 10 years or so. (laughs)

What bands are you digging right now?

ZL: Nothing man. Not a single thing.

Do you just play your record over and over and over again?

ZL: (laughs) No, that’s the last thing I want to hear. We have to play that every night; I don’t want to hear us.

SS: It’s weird man, we rely on everything we grew up on. But the longer you go since you listen to it, the cooler it is to pop in an old record that got you inspired. Now anything I listen to, I hear Starbucks, I hear lattes. So it’s just not the same. I don’t know, it might just be me. I’m sure there are some rad bands out there, can we name just one?

ZL: One band.

SS: Just one single cool band.

ZL: The Creswellians is a band out of Salt Lake that’s coming up. They’ve done a lot in their local scene. They headlined at the Lounge there. They’re coming over and we’re thinking about taking them on tour but not a lot of people know about them. But the Creswellians are coming up. Other than that, it’s bullshit. Stuff that we grew up on, we keep going back to. There’s not a whole lot of new stuff we’re getting into these days anymore.

Any favorite bands you’ve toured with?

ZL: We wish we would’ve been on that tour that’s on your shirt (points to my friend’s Black Diamond Skye (Alice In Chains, Deftones and Mastodon) tour shirt). That tour started right after the tour we did with Alice In Chains. And we did a couple shows with Deftones so we figured if we were on that it would’ve been the best tour ever.

SS: We did a tour with Alice In Chains, and they were by far the nicest and most welcoming “whatever you guys need, let us know” kind of people, which was rad. Deftones – we played a few shows with them and it’s kind of the same thing. We felt super at home with those dudes. We haven’t done a Foo Fighters tour yet though (points to my Foo Fighters shirt).

Okay that’s it. Thank you guys.

2011 sure seemed to jerk around Nick DePiro, Aric Improta, and Reilly Herrera. After years of searching, three remaining members of Fullerton, CA’s Archives finally scored a talented and notable singer in Tilian Pearson (ex-Tides Of Man), only to have Pearson abandon the project a month after the official announcement. Lightning struck twice though, and the band won over Douglas Robinson of The Sleeping as their permanent vocalist. Now with the name officially changed to The Night, we got a chance to talk to Douglas about this new band.

First things first: how did you end up with these fine Fullerton boys? What was the appeal?

It’s actually a pretty long story but I will do my best to give you a short version. I was living out in LA before The Sleeping had started writing or even thinking about what became our last record, The Big Deep. I needed a change in my life so I packed up and headed out west. A few days after I arrived, I was asked by a mutual friend to attend a show he had put together. In all honesty, I didn’t want to even think about music at that point of my life. My emotions and train of thought were all over the place and even though I didn’t want to travel hours away to go to this show, I did it because our friend who put the show together always came out and supported The Sleeping. If any of you are familiar with The Sleeping then you’ll know that we will always go out of our way to support friends… especially if they’ve supported us for so long. Anyway, I traveled hours by train to get to this area and I was just so out of it. My friend picked me up at the station and we spoke on the way to the show. In the midst of our conversation he tells me that there is a band there that he thinks I would be into. Being in the state of mind I was in at that point in time, I wasn’t trying to think about bands or music or shows. I just wanted to step away from all of that for a while. So, we finally get to the show and all of the bands I see walking around seem like they are fresh out of middle school. I respect any musician, young and old, but like I said… I didn’t want to be anywhere else but by myself. Later on that night, my friend introduces me to three of his friends. We somehow wind up talking at the bar for hours about bands and artists we all grew up on. It was nice to know there were people out there who still listened and believed in honest music. We were all on the same page on so many levels. Anyway, time flies and one of the dudes says that they have to go. I asked where they were going and they told me that they were the next band on. I finally put two and two together and realized that they were the band my friend had told me about. Well, they took the stage and they literally made my jaw drop. I’m not exaggerating at all when I say this… but I honestly have never in my life felt the way I felt watching this band. They were instrumental at the time and they were absolutely incredible. They were three dudes who weren’t trying to impress anyone around them. I looked at each member individually and all I noticed was the fact that none of them were in the same room as myself or anyone else watching. They were literally in another world and it blew me away. There were no guitar spins or flashy fashion statements. They were just three musicians creating this extremely cohesive machine that wouldn’t stop pounding at your chest. I remember yelling at points during their set. There was just so much emotion that you couldn’t help but yell or gravitate closer to the stage. I thanked my friend so much for telling me about this show and I told him that one day I would front this band. Even though the timing wasn’t right and I had moved back to NY to record The Big Deep, everything worked out perfectly and here we are. Sorry, I guess I couldn’t help but tell the long version of the story. It’s a new and exciting point of my life and it all happened at the perfect moment.

You stated on Facebook that this will be a full-time project. What’s that mean for The Sleeping?

I can’t really comment on this yet because we (The Sleeping) haven’t discussed our future. All I know is that we are all still the absolute best of friends and that is what’s important to us. We apologize to all of the people who are upset or frustrated with us and our lack of news but we also have to look out for ourselves and our happiness. I’m sure by the look of what’s going on… you can get an idea of our current status.

A few months back in the Archives days, it looked like Tilian Pearson (ex-Tides Of Man) would be fronting the band. Has Tilian’s approach to the tracks influenced your approach in any way?

Tillian is a good friend. The Sleeping toured with Tides of Man and they are all incredibly good people. As for Tillian’s demos, believe it or not, I had previously worked with the band before Tillian came into the picture. It was when I had moved back to NY that they started working with Tillian. Tillian has a great voice but him and I are completely different singers and I had already had my own take on how I wanted to progress with these tracks compared to the way I was previously writing for them.

You’re a nation away, being from a Long Island band. Are you making your way out west permanently?

Not at the moment. For now, technology is doing a great job keeping us together. It definitely sucks not being able to hang out everyday with three dudes who have now officially become my life. But, in time I will definitely consider relocating. Either way, this is now my most important role and I am very excited to jump into it all.

Kris Crummett is going to be producing the band’s debut. How did Kris get the gig?

Pretty weird story… but we both follow each other on Instagram, haha. I love photography, it’s become my other passion. So, I started using Instagram and we just wound up following each other. We had not met at this point but we were aware of each other through mutual friends. I really got into the Closure In Moscow record (First Temple) that he produced. So, when I had some demos completed I got his email through Instagram and sent him the tracks. He messaged me back right away and told me that he was really interested in working with us. He pushed aside other projects and took us in right away. We haven’t started recording a full length yet. Just a few songs to point us in the right direction on where we want to take the music. I can definitely say that we want to take this music in a new and different direction than where most bands are trying to go. We want to be something different. We want to be a new way to look at music. I know it sounds like a bold statement but these three musicians (with or without me) have what it takes to change the world. I want to give everything in my power to make that happen. We don’t care about fame, fortune or drama. We care about the state of music and we want to see something different come along and bring back the true meaning of it.

You just recently announced the band name and line-up; what’s the next notable event from The Night?

I can’t say… but we are gearing up for big things. We are dedicated, we love what we do and we are going to cover every area possible, literally and figuratively.

Would you call yourself most comfortable being in singular bands with a “The” prefix?

No, to be honest that was never a thought in my mind. I actually liked the name, “Archives” a lot. But, it didn’t fit the sound of the band and it’s a pain to search the internet for, “Archives.” We feel that our new name best fits our sound. It’s moody, airy and vast. It can be cold and harsh at times or warm and subtle. You will all get the idea once you hear the tracks with vocals.

Anything else you’d like to say?

I would just like to thank all of those who have taken the time to read this interview. Please tell all of your friends about The Night. You can “Like” and “Share” our Facebook Page by clicking here.

Big thanks to Robinson for taking the time to answer our questions. The Night has not released any songs with Douglas’ vocals, but witness the brilliance below via two instrumental demos.

MEB staffer Austin Gordon recently sat down with the dudes from Pierce the Veil on their tour bus to discuss the current “No Guts No Glory” tour, as well as details about their upcoming new record, getting locked down in Hollywood, and more.

MEB: Let’s start with what’s going on right now, how is the “No Guts No Glory” tour going? I figured it’s pretty epic as from I can tell right now.

Vic: You could say that our minds equal blown. (laughs)

Nice plug. (laughs)

Jamie: Yeah man, the tour has been awesome. I think it actually exceeds our expectations. This tour has been insane. I can’t believe the turn-outs on some of these days. After doing the signing tonight, we knew Dallas was gonna be crazy.

Vic: We could have had a show with just the kids from the signing. There was that many kids.

Mike: I just want to thank Tino from Of Mice and Men for everything he’s done. We always thank Tino.

Surrounding all of the hype with fellow tour-mates letlive, do you think it’s great they’re touring as much as they are? I’ve literally caught them on 3 tours in the span of a year. Is there such thing as too much?

Vic: Not when you’re starting out, you know? That’s what we did, we just toured like crazy until we got our name out there a little more. We’re stoked to have letlive, we’re stoked to have all of the bands on the tour. Letlive in particular, they were one of the first bands we thought of when we were putting together a headlining tour. We just had to have them on it, because they’re doing something different and we like it.

Mike: I think kids just don’t really get it at first with letlive. I mean, kids all watch and clap which is awesome. It’s just I think it’s gonna take a little time for them to grow on them.

Vic: It’s so shocking, they put on such a crazy show and it’s such a different kind of music. Kids just want to watch it and be mesmerized. We’re stoked for them, they’re a punk rock band with a lot of soul.

I can completely agree with that.

The next time you guys get a tour lined up, who would you want to be on it? If it had to be bands that you haven’t toured with yet?

Jamie: That’s tough, it took us a long time to figure out this line-up. We got so lucky with this tour. It would take us a day to figure out a “dream” line-up.

Vic: I wanna tour with Sleeping With Sirens, because kids have been tweeting like crazy that we need to tour with them. So, I actually finally talked to their singer Kellen, and we’re going to hook it all up.

Do you think there are any misunderstood songs in your catalog? Maybe people take the context presented the wrong way?

Vic: We have a older song that’s called “I’d Rather Die Than Be Famous”. That wasn’t like a literal thing, it’s more because I’ve met so many stupid people in Hollywood. Those people think they’re so cool because they’re famous. If you’re not famous, they don’t even want to talk to you. There was so many people like that. That’s why I wrote that song, because it’s so mindblowing.

Now we know that you guys are in the process of creating the new record, what sort of elements are being brought into the writing mix? More theatrics? More screaming? Heavier riffs? Things of that nature.

Vic: It’s coming out a little more aggressive, a little more heavy lately. Not for any particular reason. Just that’s the riffs that are coming out. We’ve been touring with a lot of heavy bands. We’re getting in that zone. I don’t know, Jamie’s been working out a lot.

Jamie: I’ve been hitting the gym. We gotta start playing “man” music, you know what I mean?. We can’t be doing this “sissy la-la” stuff. (laughs)

Are there any topics you guys haven’t covered yet in a song but want to cover in the future?

Vic: I think this record is going to send out a little more positivity and little more boom-shaka-laka (laughs). We got a lot of kids that hit us up about really serious situations. Thoughts of suicide, and depression. We get it a lot from kids and they try and confide in our music. I want to keep that in mind while we’re doing it, that side.

Are there any songs you guys are most proud of? Like one of those kind of songs that 10 years ago you never could of imagined being involved in creating?

Vic: For me, there’s one song on the new record called “Stay Away From My Friends” where for a change we kept it super mellow and didn’t do a lot of things to it. Usually our songs have a million elements in them, tons of guitars, tons of crazy staff. That song we were like “Alright! We’re just gonna do this simple beat the whole time”. We made ourselves do it simple.

What has been the craziest thing to happen to you guys on tour so far?

Tony: In Hollywood, we were standing outside talking to our manager. A bunch of cops run up on a guy and he ends up getting shot right in front of us.

Are you serious?

Jamie: Yeah, we were part of a crime scene. We couldn’t leave.

Tony: Everyone else was inside, except for me and my friend Jaxin Hall and Mike.

Mike: There were undercover cops walking behind this guy, and they were about to pass us. Then they start running after this guy, and tackle him. We back up, because we thought they were normal people but undercover. We just heard a shot and all ran on the bus.

Jamie: I was on the bus and it was funny, because I was playing Tupac at the time. I just was like “Oh god!” Everybody just fell. “Get down!”.

Vic: The worst part about it, was for those of us that were not there could not get back to our bus until like 4 AM. It was a crime scene. It was crazy.

At what point in your tenure together as a band did everything just start to click? You know, that prevalent moment where everything was just coming together naturally?

Mike: It’s been a long, long journey for us. We didn’t just come from some label that put together a band. We gradually made our way up to where we are right now. I think that’s what’s cool about our band because our fans are so dedicated.

Jamie: It’s kinda crazy too, because we’ve been playing this venue since we started out opening for other tours and stuff. I was talking to a kid inside and she was so stoked for us. She was like “I remember when you guys were opening, and no one knew who you were. And you guys kept going and going and finally now you guys are headlining tonight and all of these kids are here”. You never really notice because you’re so busy. But it’s definitely crazy to think that we started from the bottom and just built this amazing fan base. It didn’t happen overnight. That’s why we’re on a first-name basis with tons of kids.

Mike: They grew up with us, pretty much.

Exactly. I can definitely vouch for that, because the first time I caught you guys was 4 years ago when you were opening for Scary Kids Scaring Kids right here, in this venue.

Vic: The singer from Miss May I Levi, was like “Dude, I saw you guys 4 years ago with my girlfriend on the Emery tour”. I was like “really”?

Jamie: It’s just crazy to see from playing to the 20 kids that knew who we were, until now is just crazy.

What are ya’lls favorite albums of 2011 so far?

Mike: Definitely not Yelawolf (laughs). What happened to trunk music?

Vic: There’s this dude that we rock all of the time called The Weeknd. He’s pretty badass.

Jamie: That record came out like 2 years ago, they did mixtapes in 2009. 2010 I think was the earliest one. We rock that a lot. I’ve been listening to the new Thrice a lot too.

Man, everyone’s been talking about Major/Minor. I can’t agree more really. It’s such a great record.

Jamie: In Europe I listened to it a lot, that’s when I got it. And it’s funny, because it reminded me of it today when they were playing it on the house music. I hear a song, and it brought me back. It’s so funny how music takes you to that place, I just thought of when we were in Europe when we were driving down the road. It’s a chill record to put on, and play cards to.

Mike: The new Mayday Parade.

Oh yeah! I just got that one too.

Vic: I’ve really been diggin’ that one.

What is the next step for Pierce the Veil?

Vic: We’re gonna record another album. We’re just gonna do it. We’re gonna keep the ball rolling this time instead of taking 3 years to write a record. We’ve already been working a lot on it, we’re writing on this tour as well. We have a studio in the back of the bus. So, after this tour we’re gonna record.

Any closing words for fans?

Vic: Don’t do drugs.

Jamie: Stay out of gangs.

Definitely don’t get shot in Hollywood.

Vic: Wear condoms.

Jamie: Only on the weekends though, cause monday-friday will be fine (laughs). Worst advice ever. Always give 20% for tips. Don’t go 15%, don’t be that guy. Go 20.

Go 20.

Mind Equals Blown staffer Shaun Tan recently had the opportunity to interview two members of Japanese Metal/Electronica band, Crossfaith. He spoke to vocalist Kenta Koie and Terufumi Tamano, who handles sampler/panorama duties, through band manager/translator Rew Kubayashi.

How did Crossfaith manage to break in to the European market with their first album? (The Artificial Theory for the Dramatic Beauty was released by Zestone Records in Japan in 2009)

Thank you so much. We used to be with Zestone Records, in Japan, but as of right now, we’ve signed with Sony Music Japan. The Dream, The Space was released in Japan in April this year, and in September in the States and on iTunes. Crossfaith’s dream is to eventually have a world tour!

Speaking about The Dream, The Space, now that the band has gotten wider exposure, how did the sound shift from the first album to adapt to a wider market?

They wanted to create a more passionate, sensitive sound, which they felt they were not able to fully portray on their first album.

There are a lot of bands that combine metal and electro and hardcore music – like Asking Alexandria and Attack Attack! – so how does Crossfaith distinguish themselves from the scene? What makes the band different?

Crossfaith is completely different from Asking Alexandria and Attack Attack!. We’re taking it to the next level (laughs). We know the kids say our music sounds like those bands, but we feel that it’s completely different. After we released TDTS, we started writing new songs for our next release, which should be out next spring. There’s going to be a more “hyper” sound.

I have to ask about the cover of “Omen” by The Prodigy that the band did. Why cover The Prodigy?

We really love The Prodigy so much! We were thinking that if we were to cover any song by The Prodigy, we had to make it better than the original!

How has the 2011 Japan tsunami and earthquake impacted the band?

We’re from Osaka and didn’t suffer any losses from the tsunami or earthquake, but we did a charity concert to help benefit our friends in Sendai. We help where we can. Some of the venues for live shows have been wrecked because of the earthquake.

Do Crossfaith plan on touring in America though? 

Actually, we are speaking to booking agents right now, and we can’t say who or what company, but I can say that it’s going to happen early next year. We might be doing a full tour of over 30 shows – as much as possible.

MEB staffer Austin Gordon recently caught up with Sean Mackin of pop-punk quintet Yellowcard. He talks about their current tour with Every Avenue and Go Radio, details about the new record When You’re Through Thinking, Say Yes, Australian crowd-surfing, and the upcoming new record slated for a 2012 release. Check out the audio or text versions of the interview below.

MEB: Tell me, how is the tour going?

Sean: The tour has been amazing. It has been our first headlining tour in five years. Whenever we headline a tour we want to make sure that there is a lot of good music for the entire evening. This has just been a blessing because Go Radio and Every Avenue both put out new records this year. But even better, I’ve made a lot of friends I’m probably gonna have for the rest of my life. So that’s what we’re excited about.

In reference to the current divided line between mainstream and underground culture, you guys have floated around both scenes. Is there a particular reason why you guys chose to come back to this market rather than shoot immediately for the mainstream one?

Yeah, I mean we can look at it a couple of different ways. Yellowcard has always been able to flirt with that line. You know, we toured for two years all on our own. Ryan [Key, vocalist] and I sold our own cars to get our van/trailer. We were blessed to have a movement with Capitol Records. They spent a good amount of money to get us on the radio. They did a great job breaking us as a band. To our credit too, they say if we hadn’t toured as hard as we did then it wouldn’t have been as easy. So, just a great partnership with our major label. Right now, with the strengths in music, and what’s mainstream has shifted to girl-oriented pop music. That’s fantastic, but we’re not Lady Gaga (laughs). Sometimes I wish I was, because she has private jets (laughs). I’m just kidding. But they have great success. And something we’ve always talked about is longevity, in our career. I don’t need to be on MTV to be happy. Whether it’s five fans in the audience or 5,000, I’m just happy to play music every night. We’re just living it day by day; the fact that Hopeless Records is behind us is all we could ever ask for. I think that as an artist is all you could ever focus on.

When appealing to different sets of fan bases, new and old, young and old, what is the thought process when trying to write something that has an appeal to both, but also embodies what Yellowcard is?

I think with us as a band, we’re always gonna have that vintage Yellowcard sound. Lights and Sounds was our biggest departure, and within our life we chose to do something different. I think whenever you have the opportunity to do something different; I think most people that press forward would do that, would want to give it a try. And even through that record, the skeletons of that recognizable sound are still there. Even when we write, whether I’m listening to Ben Folds or LP is listening to Pantera, when you get the five of us in a room it’s electric. For some reason, we have that energy together. We grew up together, we went to high school together. We have this amazing cinderella story. Whether it’s new or old, you’re gonna get that flavor. We do believe in life changes, music evolves and it’s a part of life.

To me the new record When You’re Through Thinking, Say Yes has more of a straightforward approach than past records, both lyrically and musically. Would you say that is a natural approach within writing together as a band rather than forced?

I think it’s pretty natural. I can’t speak for Ryan lyrically, but watching him being in a band, he’s such a poet. He’s such a great narrator for a band. We took a step back, took a two-year hiatus. There were things with the economy, things with the music industry, and ticket sales were down. We were just down on our luck, so many things were out of our control. So instead of just killing each other, we just said let’s hang it up for a minute and see what’s going on. And I think lyrically, the reason it was kind of effortless for Ryan was because we had two years away to just enjoy life. We went at it about 300 days a year for eight years. It’s amazing; you see things, you go to places you never thought you’d see, but you make a lot of sacrifices. Relationships with family, friends, and loved ones. I think having those two years off and focusing your life, like Ryan was able to get to a place where he was like “I’ve got some really cool stuff to write about.” So when LP said “Hey, let’s do a new Yellowcard record,” Ryan said yeah. It was like we sat down and wrote the record in four weeks. We all had musical ideas, but lyrically that’s how people connect. And Ryan does a great job of keeping his heart on his sleeve, but also having that different look than how other people look at things. I give him credit for that.

Are there any number of recent artists that influenced the music on Say Yes?

You know, for me not really. When I’m not on tour I just turn on the radio and listen to whatever pop is on. We the Kings had a big single, and all of the Katy Perry/Lady Gaga stuff. It’s all pretty superficial. When it’s not that, I listen to a lot of folk music, acoustic, strings, piano. Stuff like that. Again, we all have our different influences. It didn’t affect the record; I think it’s just because with the five of us, it’s so diverse. That’s the Yellowcard sound, it’s the common ground.

What kind of progression do you think the band is working towards when thinking about the next record? Heavier, more progressive? Or sticking to the roots?

It’s always good to have an edgier sound with YC. We all love harder-style bands, whether it’s hardcore or metal. I mean, LP just lives and breathes it. About as heavy as I get is some Thrice. They take a lot of elements, and Dustin [Kensrue] is an amazing lyricist. They mix in other elements too. We love that edge, but I really love our acoustic sound. We write a lot of our songs starting off on acoustic, and it creates a really nice pocket for the violin and string arrangements. So, you’re always going to get a little bit of that mix. Ryan is a master of the pop formula. He grew up listening to Nirvana and Green Day. If we can mix in some heavy, and find a soft spot for some acoustic/violin work, I’ll be happy.

I think Say Yes did a great job of that. “See Me Smiling” to me is one of those songs that was floating towards the heavier side of things. You got some of the first songs, like “Hang You Up,” as some of the lighter ones.

Thank you.

Speaking of acoustics, what prompted the band to re-record Say Yes all acoustic?

It’s funny, it wasn’t a premeditated thing. We’ve always wanted to do an acoustic record, or like a double, but we didn’t have the time, or didn’t know what to do, or didn’t have the money. A lot of credit to Ryan Mendez and Ryan Key, and I mean he (Mendez) has a vast resource of talents. He hears drums in a different way, I can’t hear it. He’s a great engineer, he has a pro tools rig. When he and Ryan were doing our b-sides we ended up doing 10 songs. We did drums for 12. We finished an 11th song called “Promises.” “Empty Street” kind of wilted a little bit. We didn’t get to finish vocals or violin. Then we wanted to do some acoustic stuff for an outlet, like if iTunes was like “Hey, we want to put you guys on the front page, can you give us a special iTunes deluxe release?” So, you always have a couple extra b-sides lying around. We did five at one point, just to have them. Then we didn’t have a way to release them, but we did three more. We were looking at it like “We have 80% of the record done, let’s do the other two and maybe for Christmas or for a surprise release it.” We gave them to Hopeless and were like “We have the whole record acoustic, would you want to do like an acoustic release?” They were like “oh my god!” and they fell in love with it. Just to have a label like that. It was kinda cool, because they didn’t spend a dime on it. We’re really lucky to have them as a part of team YC.

Does working with a more independent label like Hopeless push you guys to take things to the next level?

Yeah, they do, but they also stay out of our way. It’s a great relationship. I know they’ve been so busy, and they’ve been having a great year. It feels like Hopeless only focuses on YC, and when you’re in a band that’s all you can ask for. Whether it’s independent or major label, I understand the pluses and the minuses but we’re very fortunate to have had a positive experience on our old major label, and a very positive experience currently with Hopeless. So now we’re going to finish this tour up, we’re going to go to Europe with Saves the Day and The Wonder Years, and play some shows with The Young Guns. Then we’re gonna do a new record with Hopeless for next year. We’re really excited. We’re a touring band, but we want to make sure our fans know that we have material, and we want to get it to them. It’s been such a great year for YC, and we want 2012 to be exactly the same.

I remember when I first heard about the new record coming out, I was really surprised, like “oh my god, Yellowcard is coming out with a new record? It’s been years.” When I got that, I was just, wow. These guys have progressed. It’s something else, man.

Thank you, again Neal Avron [producer] is a great part of that team. We’re hoping we get to do that next record with him. He’s been a great friend of ours, and again five different personalities, different musical influences, when we get together with Neal he sorts through all of it. He’s like, this is the shining moment. He helps us capture that.

So we’ve been kinda serious for the past few minutes (laughs). So I’ll lighten it up a little bit. What’s a favorite band you enjoy touring with and what’s a funny story you have with them?

We just played in Australia for Counter-Revolution, and we haven’t played Warped Tour since ’07, but it felt like an Australian Warped Tour. So many friends, and so many new bands. Face to Face was there, and The Young Guns, this band from the UK. They’re freaking amazing dudes, and the All Time Low guys. We got in a van after a show in Adelaide, and it was us, Young Guns, All Time Low and all of our crew. We had this 30 person van/shuttle packed out, going from the venue back to the hotel, before going to the party. We had this bottle of Jack Daniels, we were singing the same song, and we’re passing the bottle around. Alex [Gaskarth] from ATL was like “We gotta finish this before we get to the hotel!” We were like “Yeah, what a great idea!” Stupid (laughs). We killed it, right? Then Ben [Jolliffe] from YG was like “I wanna crowd surf,” so he’s in the bus, we’re all sitting down holding our arms up, he’s crowd surfing from the back of the bus to the front. The bus driver was chill. It was such a great moment. It definitely is a snapshot of 2011 for YC. Those guys were amazing. We toured with ATL in the UK and then in the States, also YG opened in the UK, and then being in Australia was debaucherous, every night hanging out and having a good time.

Are there any songs you guys are most proud of? Like one of those songs that 10 years ago you never could have imagined being involved in creating?

You know, you had mentioned “See Me Smiling.” That’s a departure for us, again. Ryan Mendez came to us with a drum beat and a song structure. He was like “guys, I have this. What do you think,” and we were like, “are you kidding? It’s amazing.” We threw in some violin, LP worked on making it his own, and Ryan came up with the vocal melody. The topic was almost 10 years to the date after we lost one of our close friends to a diabetic coma while he was driving. It shook us up. Looking back, someone out there has always been there. We give a lot of credit to always having Scott on our side. That’s one of those songs that’s really close to home. It’s really cool, coming back after taking a couple of years off and having that song in the back pocket. It just felt like something different for us.

Is there a particular topic you’d like to cover in a future song?

I mean, Ryan’s got it down to a science. He usually just says “This is my topic, I’m stuck lyrically here, what should I do?” He doesn’t need much guidance. He’s got things pretty well figured out. I just wanna stay out of his way and hopefully we can write some good songs around it.

What’s next for Yellowcard?

Just finish out the year strongly. We’re gonna take a week off for Thanksgiving, which we’re pretty excited about. Then we’ve got three weeks with Heroes and Saves the Day. I grew up listening to those guys.

Oh man, Saves the Day (laughs).

It’s ridiculous. So just to be able to share the stage with them, and share a bus too, which could be a nightmare (laughs). Then we’re gonna take the first part of next year and put a new YC record together, then get out and be warriors of the road (laughs). That’s what YC does.

Any last words for the fans?

Yeah, thank you. We’re very, very lucky to be in YC, to be able to play music for a living and share a gift. We get so much back from our fans, we couldn’t do it without it them. So, I just want to say thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

With Chelsea Grin riding high on the release of their newest album My Damnation, I decided to hit up guitarist Jaek Harmond and see what plans they have in store for their fans. To my surprise, they have their first ever headlining tour coming up and have already started writing for their next album. Read on to learn more.

MEB: So tell people a bit about Chelsea Grin. What other bands were you guys in before? How did you all meet?

Jaek: Chelsea Grin has been around since about April of 2008. Dan (Jones, guitarist) and myself were in another local band in the Salt Lake area called Hermione, and we had actually played a good amount of shows with Chelsea Grin. After CG lost their guitar player, and our band had fell apart, we joined with Chelsea Grin and it’s been like that since.

Being one of the first deathcore bands that popularized the genre, do you feel that the genre has gotten a little overloaded with the dozens of deathcore bands popping up everywhere?

Honestly, I don’t hear that many “deathcore” bands nowadays. It’s a lot more popular to have some dubsteppy keyboard parts, singing choruses and half-assed screaming vocals. Don’t get me wrong- there are millions of deathcore local bands around, but not many deathcore bands ever “broke out,” so we were the lucky ones.

What guitar brands do you guys stick by? Any difference between studio and live guitars?

We have always played Ibanez 7-String guitars, but recently Dan has made the switch to the Ernie Ball Music Man 7-Strings. I am still sticking pretty loyal to Ibanez, and just got a new Prestige RGA7 that’s pretty badass, so I am happy haha. We have always used the guitars we use live, in the studio as well. We figure we want to sound as close to the record as we can when we play live, so the best thing to do is use the same gear.

How do you feel the process for making My Damnation differed from the process behind Desolation Of Eden?

Mostly DOE was different because we had such a long span of time for the writing of the CD. “Recreant” and “Cheyne Stokes” had already been songs for over a year before we had them recorded for DOE, but with My Damnation the first song and last song were written about four weeks apart, so it was much more… rushed. We definitely feel that My Damnation was a step in the right direction and made a lot more sense than DOE did haha.

After the Thrash and Burn tour wraps up in December, what are your plans? Any chance of writing new songs or any other tour plans?

Instead of waiting for Thrash and Burn to finish before we start writing, we decided we are going to start writing the next release on the road. It’ll give us a nice head start for when we are home and do need to concentrate on it, so that we can hopefully get our next release out by next summer. The only touring plans we have are with Asking Alexandria and Blessthefall in January/February, and our first ever headlining tour in March/April right after that.

What are some of your favorite venues/cities that you like to play in? Any standout experiences that you’ve had (good or bad)?

There are a ton of cities that come to mind when I get asked what our favorite is to play, but San Antonio always seems to take the cake. Shows in New York are also so fun just because of how violent the kids are there, so awesome.

What has been your biggest challenge as Chelsea Grin over the past few years?

Other than the common stuff (van repairs, low income, etc.) I think the biggest “challenge” we have had to overcome has been the recent births of several members’ daughters (three out of the six of us have daughters now, haha) so there were a couple tours where we had a fill-in drummer, or only played with two out of our three guitar players.

What are your favorite places to chow down at?

Our favorite place always has been and will be Taco Bell. We go every single night, and when our trailer won’t fit through the drive-thru or the drive-thru is closed, there is literally a symphony of cries in the van. Our favorite place in the country to be is California, not only for the weed but for the awesome weather and shows too, haha.

What advice can you give other people that look up to you guys and plan on forming their own band?

Do whatever you can to be different. You can be the best (musically) band in the world, but if you don’t have an image, or a way to “portray” your band, then it doesn’t matter. Fans like to attach themselves to a lot more than just the lyrics of the band, so if you feel like your band is stuck…work on that.

What other bands would you recommend your fans to check out?

The band opening this year’s Thrash and Burn for sure… Volumes. They have a great mix of melodic and heavy and they are VERY good at what they do. Awesome dudes to chill with too, we get along with them great.

Any last words for the fans?

Death metal.

Before the show, I sat down in the green room with the legendary Devin Townsend during his 2011 North American tour with The Ocean to discuss important issues, such as the past, the present, the future, Ziltoid, and old man balls.

MEB: For those who don’t know, what bands were you in prior to Strapping Young Lad?

Devin Townsend: Well for starters, I was with Steve Vai, a band called the Wildhearts, and a bunch of session stuff for bands like Front Line Assembly and stuff like that.

How did the recording of Steve Vai’s Sex and Religion album come about? What events transpired to make that happen?

When I was 18 or 19, I did a demo and sent it up trying to get signed. I hooked up with Relativity Records to put out my own record (which never came out). Steve was on their label as well and was looking for singers and the A&R guy passed my demo along to him. We ended up hooking up as a result of that.

If the opportunity ever came about, would you consider bringing back IR8?

Well, it never really was in a place to be brought back from. We just jammed for three days and came out with a couple songs. I haven’t talked to Jason Newsted in many years. He’s a really good guy but we just stopped talking. So the chances of that happening are pretty slim.

So what thoughts went through your head at the time when the head of Roadrunner Records called your music “just noise” back in the ’90s?

I… probably agreed with him. You know, everyone has their own views on what constitutes music or not. I think there are enough people out there who listen to my stuff and consider it to be just noise and that’s probably reflected in my record sales.

What made you want to record both Strapping Young Lad and your solo stuff instead of just bringing it all together under one name?

I think what I’m doing now is essentially bringing those two things together as The Devin Townsend Project. At the time, I don’t think I was emotionally mature enough to do that. I felt that the best way to express myself was to have both of those projects going at the same time. Eventually, neither of them were satisfying so I stopped them both and ddi what I’m doing now.

What are your immediate plans for bringing Ziltoid’s second album?

Well, I need more than two days off at a time to process my environment. Once I have a moment to sit and think about what’s going to happen next, I’m sure I’ve accumulated ideas that I’m not even aware of currently. At this point, I have Ziltoid 2, Epicloud, ZTV, and other things that I have the seeds planted for; it’s the where, when and how that I have to figure out next and to not be focusing on the chaos of life.

So are you still planning on the Ziltoid graphic novel and stage musical?

It takes massive amounts of money to be able to pull it off. In January, I’m going to make a bunch of pilots for my Z-TV show, which will be an interview show similar to what we’re doing now, except Ziltoid will be doing it. He will interview bands, play videos, and interview companies and scientists. We’re also doing this Soundwave Festival and if I have the puppet done by then I will be interviewing some of the bands there.

You have to interview Coal Chamber man!

Oh definitely! Hopefully some of these people will have the same sense of humor since they will be essentially talking to a rubber mitten.

So what made you choose coffee as the driving point of the Ziltoid story?

It’s benign enough that I can make it more of a public thing instead of having a quest for, like, cocaine or something like that. There’s probably less of a market for a puppet on a quest for cocaine compared to coffee.

So what information can you give about your upcoming album Epicloud?

Well we’ve spent so much time in airplanes over the past year and a half, and every time we were flying I would look out the window at the clouds and the sky and I kind of heard these epic songs playing in my head and a theory of vocals. I put up a demo on Youtube the other day [check it out Here] that is one of the ideas that’s rolling around. I like the idea of clouds and being above the clouds and also the play on words interests me. I have seven or eight songs I’ve written for that, five of which I think are really awesome. Epicloud might be the next thing, ZTV might be the next thing, again I’ve planted all of these things in my mind and we will see which is more interesting when I start working on them. Of course, what might happen is that I will pick lint out of my navel and watch TV for a while.

Well why not? You’ve been continuously busy all these years and a break wouldn’t be a bad thing.

I don’t know what would happen if I were to stop. I would probably panic.

I’ve read bits and pieces about this Ghost 2 album. What is it exactly, since the information surrounding that is slim?

Ghost 2 is finished, it’s just not mixed on my hard drive. A lot of the music has been released already like on Radio Highway. I’ve got artwork done for it and as a cohesive unit, it’s a really cool record. I just need a full week to finish it.

Is it going to match up with the other four DTP concept albums?

In a way. It was definitely written in the same time as the others. But someone asked me the other day if I plan to actually continue the Devin Townsend Project after these last few shows and box set and to be honest, I like the logo so much that even if it’s not called the Devin Townsend Project it will still have something to do with the D, T, and the P of the logo.

Are there any other bands or artists that you are currently working with?

Yeah, there’s some guest spots I’m working on right now. I can’t really say too much… I’m singing a song for Ihsahn’s new thing [who was also guest vocalist for the DTP song “Juular”]. I’ve got a ton of things that are happening, but again I can’t really say too much about it right now.

What’s the story behind the recording of Gojira’s “Of Blood And Salt” song?

I love Gojira. Like, legitimately. I think they’ve got it right as far as writing heavy music to say something other than “I hate my dad” or whatever. It has such powerful meaning and to be able to say something passionate, in their case about the environment, speaks a lot for them. I’m not even really sure what the hell I’m trying to say, but it’s about things larger than me, be it nature or math, and I kind of use humor to disarm it. It’s always about infinity. With Gojira, using heavy music to say something that is important to them makes me love them and I think they’re fucking awesome. I met Joe Duplantier after a show in New York and we got along really well. So when it came time for Gojira to do their Sea Shepard EP, he asked me if I wanted to be involved and I asked him if he wanted to be involved on Deconstruction [vocals on the track “Sumeria”], and we talked on the phone and realized we had a fair bit in common.

So what is this Devin Townsend box set that’s coming out soon, entitled Contain Us? When and where are you recording the live performances of the albums for the box set?

In London as a matter of fact. God, I have so much work to do… the box set is eight discs, which consists of the four records, two of which (Ghost and Deconstruction) are re-mastered to a certain extent. One disc is full of b-sides taken from the recording of the four albums. Another disc is demos, and the other two discs are DVDs which contain live performances, all of the stupid Youtube clips I’ve done, audio commentary of all four albums, live audio tracks, stems for remixing and more. There will also be a 75-page book of pictures and dumb little stories I wrote. I think it’s a really cool product. Whenever I see re-masters and re-issues, I think that the industry is just doing what it can to get cash from the fan base, but as far I’m concerned the fan base is more welcome to everything I’ve done for free. However, we have to pay for the stupid expenses somehow, so if we’re going to release things that are cool, I like to think they’re worth it. [You can read more about it Here]

So considering that this box set will have b-sides from the DTP albums, will Ghost 2 be an actual album?

Basically Ghost 2 is of b-sides that didn’t fit on the Ghost album. They’re very much their own thing. When I keep proposing records to the labels, they’re like “dude, you keep putting out records, what do you want us to do?” I mean, I also put out an acoustic record a few months back, Deconstruction, Ghost, and on the side I’ve done Devlab and Hummer. I have more music than brains, which is not surprising. I hate constantly milking the audience for money, but I want people to hear and enjoy it. But I hate it when bands do “Now if you sign up to my Facebook page you can buy one stupid song for $0.99.” I would rather be like “Here’s a ton of shit, come to the show.”

What have been some of your favorite places to play in this recent string of shows?

Definitely Australia, the UK is killer for us, Holland is great, everywhere is great. The shows we do in North America are smaller shows, like around a couple hundred people, but the people who are there are almost consistently the same as anywhere else and are just as much into it. My goal in the States is to get more people on board with the Devin Townsend Project. Finland was also great. We headlined the Damnation Festival in front of 40,000 people. Two nights ago, we played Colorado Springs in front of 85 people. But it’s kind of the same thing as those 85 people are just as much into it as the 40,000.

What does it mean for you to have a band like The Ocean open for you?

They are such an awesome band. They are very different from us, but they are just such cool people. They are extremely smart and really make you stand and think. I hope they have an immense amount of success.

Out of the hundreds of songs in your arsenal, what are some of the most fun to play live?

Depends on the audience. Sometimes we have a more subdued audience and the acoustic stuff will appeal to them more. Then other times we play the heavier stuff and the others respond better to that. It all depends, it’s a crapshoot. The other night we played to an audience that was very much on our side and it didn’t matter what we played. Then other times it’s like a constant fight the whole time. We played this festival [Rock And Shock Festival] in Worcester, Michigan with Cavalera Conspiracy and Mushroomhead and we confused more people in one shot than I’ve ever confused. I mean, you have all of these heavy bands, then you have us with an intro of “Barbie Girl” playing and we have puppets onstage. Doing stuff like that is a bigger middle finger than going out there and pretending you’re all hard when you’re not.

*Asked by photographer Al Primack* I was at NAMM 2009 during your first acoustic performance and you made a joke about how sweaty your legs were and your balls were sticking to your thighs. Fans all over are wondering: Are your balls doing okay after that show?

It wasn’t that traumatic to be perfectly honest. My balls, as I get older, are more and more pendulant. In fact, it looks like a turkey skin with two ostrich eggs in it. And as I get older too, the other day after I got off stage I wasn’t wearing any underwear because the bus broke down for two days; my old man balls are getting lower and lower into the ground. It wasn’t a traumatic event as much as dire strafe from the pants I choose to wear.

Are there any last words for your fans and what to expect in the future?

Well, as you get older, it’s in your best interest to wear underpants; that would be my advice. What I plan to do in the future is this, with a choir.