Interview

By Meridith Teasdale @ 50: 1/2 of 100
With the whole band
On March 5th, 2006

First off, I just wanted to thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to sit down and talk with Absolute Punk and answer a few questions.
Thank you for having me.

Let's just start off by everyone introducing themselves and what you do in the band.
Ratt: Hey, what's up, I'm the Ratt, I play drums.
Brandon: Hey I'm Brandon, I play guitar.
Vinnie: I'm Vin, I sing.
Mike: I'm Mike, I play guitar.
Kellen: I'm Kellen, I play bass.

So, how's the response been so far to your album, and the split EP with the Early November?
V: What was that last part?

And the EP...
V: I think people liked the record.
R: Yeah, people liked the record.

People liked it?
B: People like the record better than the EP.

That's good.
V: There's lots of kids coming out to our shows and singing along, and there's lots of girls here to see Kellen. It's awesome.
K: Well, I don't think anyone has the split EP, do they?
V: Kellen says that the EP had demo tracks on it, which is cool and everything, but the record came out golden, and it's just a beautiful alien and we love it. It seems like everyone's really getting into it.

What words best describe the sound you play?
R: That's a really hard one. I'd have to say...heavy rock?

Not genres, just words.
Everyone: Ohh.
B: Sexy.
V: It's nice and thick and, yeah, sexy. Definitely sexy. And it's sort of groovy and floaty and vibey, and um, I don't know. I don't know, you listen to the record, it's got kind of a groove about it, and that was kind of the goal. You've gotta be able to move your hips to it, but at the same time you've gotta be able to punch people in the face to it. I'm just kidding when I say that.
M: Noogies (note: I honestly don't know what he actually said. It may or may not have been this.)
K: Rambunctious.

I was listening to the CD and I noticed that Vinnie's vocal range has really expanded since the Movielife. Does that have anything to do with the lyrics, or the band itself, or...
V: Um, I think...thank you! I think I just know what I'm doing more, and I'm more confident in the songs, and singing, and I don't know. There's just a different feeling so I just feel like these songs are so broad and leave so much room for me to do whatever I wanna do, so I kind of just go for it in every song, and you know. Just do all the vocal things that I think the song needs. I just think that these songs, there's a lot more below the surface than there was in the surface than there was in the past, as far as other songs I've been a part of, and you know. There's just a lot more creativity happening in my brain, and...I don't know. I just always...now I'm really concentrating more on the song, and on the melody, and the lyrics, and just making a really awesome song. I think that has a lot to do with my kind of approach lyrically now. And singing, range, whatever you call it...I don't know, I'm a fake singer.

What's one of the strangest influences behind one of your songs?
V: Mastodon.
B: Yeah, Mastodon.
R: I would say Mastodon.

Any reason why?
V: They're a metal band, and we all like them a lot. We have a new song that we're, well, a bunch of stuff in the works for whenever we record a new record. And I don't know, there's no rules with this band. It's like, there'll be a total sludgy metal mosh, but I won't be growling over it, and it just sounds Avalanche, so that's all that matters. Bob Marley is another big influence on this band. It doesn't show all the time, but on certain tracks like Murderous, where you kinda get into a dub type of thing, reggae type of thing. I don't know, there's no rules with this band, so as we put out records more and more, you're going to see parts where you're like "That sounds completely like..." well hopefully not out of place in the song, but maybe out of character for the band. But as long as it fits in our kind of frame of mind and as long as flows with what we're trying to accomplish, there's no rules at all.

Now, I'm a real fan of pop art, and I noticed that on the cover of your album you have some really amazing pop art. Is there a story behind that?
R: Actually there is. When we were recording our record in Seattle, on the wall of the studio there was an old record that was a sound effects record that they used to use I'm sure back in the 50's. And we saw the style of art that it had, and we wanted it to have something of that style, but with pictures that incorporated stuff from the album, like different stories from the album.
V: There's four boxes going down, and each box represents a theme from the record. Specifically like, theme in an individual song. So the artist took the record and let it seep in and everything, and then drew the art. Our album art is based pretty loosely now on an original album, like Brett was talking about. It kind of took it's own life on, so you would never really notice. But it made it more Avalanche and more contemporary and more our vibe. But yeah, if you look on the front you might be able to listen to the record and see where those scenes come from.

What are some bands that you've been listening to lately?
R: Nada Surf
B: Like we said before, we listen to Mastodon, Bob Marley, the Streets, a lot of Nada Surf, yeah. What about you, Vinster?
V: Lots of Streets, lots of Thrills, the Libertines, I don't know... Jets to Brazil, Jawbreaker...
M: I've been listening to lots of Jawbreaker, Hot Rod Circuit, Eisley, everything.
K: Decemberists, Kid Dynamite, Nada Surf.
V: Lots of Nada Surf.

I know this next topic might be kind of tough for you guys, so take as much time as you want answering, but how has the Bayside tragedy affected you guys, personally at as a band, since I know you guys were pretty close with them.
R: For me personally, we had just finished touring with Bayside right before that happened, and I got really close with John, and I feel really close to him because he's like an older version of me. He was 31 years old, he had a wife, and he was a touring drummer. Something that's really close. But I don't know really know what it's gonna me like for me, I've kind of just started. I really looked up to him. It hit really close to home for me. I'm not even...it took a big piece of my heart out. It makes me want to rethink and refocus what I'm doing. But John was always about the music, and his whole thing was about the music and not about all the other bullshit in life. If anything, I look back at his life as making my life more positive, and focusing more on the music, which is what I want to do.
B: I would have to say that yeah, we got to tour with them, and it was great, and he's an amazing person. And it hits really close to home for us, because we're a touring band, and they toured constantly, and we tour constantly, so it could've very easily been us, you know what I mean? It's just really rough, you know? Just knowing that these little accidents can happen. It's just really sad. I guess that's it for me.
V: Yeah. God bless Beatz. We love him, we miss him. Actually, the first time I ever met Beatz was in this club, when we played with Head Automatica and Bayside. I don't know, that's my dude. And I miss him. He's definitely, obviously being survived by so many people that it's almost like he's here with us. He's with us every night onstage, and we always send out his song to him, Ôcause it's his. That's probably the first Avalanche song that's not ours anymore, we gave it to him. I don't know...long live Beatz, man. Much love to Beatz. Donate to the memorial fund.
M: I just miss him, so much. Like Vinnie said, I remember standing here, watching him play drums for the first time. It's just hard to talk about, just support Bayside as much as you can. Donate to the memorial fund. Just think about him as much as we do.
K: I guess it made us realize that we're lucky to be doing this and that we get to go out every night and do what we love doing. And that we have to give it all to what we love, and he did that too.

Okay this is a little lighter. What are some of the first things you do when you get back after a tour?
R: Laundry.
B: Definitely laundry, definitely a really really long hot shower. Usually I like to sleep for...I try to get in at least 20 hours of sleep a day. Yeah, hang out with friends.
V: Usually the first thing I do is wash my feet, then wash my whole body. Sterilize myself. Do some laundry, see the folks. See my friends, but I basically when I get home, if I'm not seeing my friends, I'm walking around in my pajamas. Eating as much healthy food as possible. I always gain weight every time I go home, and then I come back on tour and I get skinny again.
M: The first thing I do is go and get a slice of New York pizza, and drink a beer usually.
K: Sleep, for like 14 hours. And then drink with my brother.

I'm sure you're all really sick of the Movielife questions, but I have to ask some, because people are still curious about it. What's the biggest difference between I Am the Avalanche and the Movielife?
V: The biggest difference? For me? Well I would imagine that for most people it would be, you know, I sing in both bands, so that's the biggest similarity. But I mean, to me, that's the only similarity. I mean it's not like we're playing a completely like... we're playing like...electronic techno house bluegrass dixieland whatever, we're playing rock music. Movielife played rock music. But this is a completely different vibe, you know? The big difference is, I'm 26. And I was much younger back then. And for me, I've grown. And I've got better with age, not to sound conceited because I'm not. I think I got better with age, I think this band as a whole clicks probably better than I've seen any other band click, including the Movielife. Movielife was cool for what it was, and for that time period, but let's push things forward. This is it. Take a look at this band,because this is it. You will never see Movielife play again, people. This is I Am the Avalanche. You need to get with it, or you need to go listen to somebody else. But I don't see why you would! Just kidding.

You've already toured with a lot of awesome bands; Honorary Title, Piebald, Head Automatica, the list goes on and on. Any bands that you'd like to tour with maybe in the future?
R: Nada Surf.
B: Yeah, Nada Surf. Play a couple of shows with a Streets, that'd be pretty awesome.
V: I wanna tour with Say Anything, and I wanna tour with Hot Rod Circuit again. Every band that we've toured with this year, I'd...we've been really lucky. Like you said, we've toured with a lot of great bands. So I'd like to do repeat tours with all these bands. RX Bandits pops into my head as one of those guys that I can't wait to hang out with on tour again. One of those bands I can't wait to hang out with.
M: I can't wait to get back out there with Hot Rod Circuit, Bayside, RX Bandits, Finch, just so many bands we've gotten lucky to play with.
K: I wanna go back on tour with the Forecast. And um...Nada Surf?
M: Lifetime reunion tour. Us. Get us on there.
V: Beatles reunion tour.

If you could remove any genre or artist from music, what would it be?
R: I wouldn't remove anything. I think that there has to be a good mix of everything in order for music to survive. Because if there's just one style...even to remove one artist, that means that you can't compare it to that. If you remove Britney Spears, you can't compare good music to that. If there was only all one side of things, there would be nothing to compare to.
V: Yeah, I don't think I'd remove anything. I mean, there's lots of horrible music, and lots of so-called musicians with not the same intentions as us, but that's what makes the world go round. Bands that do what we do and tour and really cut their teeth...anyone who does anything remotely what we do, we have mutual respect for. We're not one of those bands that talks a bunch of shit on other bands or anything like that. I mean, it's easy to talk shit on the people that are way at the top of the charts that stink, you know? But I just think that having all that stuff and having a mainstream...mainstream doesn't necessarily mean that's bad, either. But for the crap that you do see on the radio and on TV or even in the scene that we play in...all that stuff is fine because it lets us have our own little world, you know? Nobody out there knows about this. Only we know about this. Everyone that's into all the bands that we're into, and the bands that you've interviewed, and the bands that you go and see, no one knows about it! Not to say no one does, but they don't know. You know? Which is fine, they can listen to all that stuff that we don't necessarily get into. But it leaves us to be in a club with all like-minded people that are all kind of into what we're into. So I say let everyone else buy into all that stuff. Obviously we're not, obviously you're not, so...
M: I wouldn't get rid of anything. I would let it be how it is. It's what makes things interesting to me, I don't want to get rid of anything.
K: I wouldn't want to get rid of anything, because then I couldn't make fun of a lot of the really awful stuff. So, nothing.

Alright, this is the last question. What is your definition of success, and do you think you've reached it yet?
R: My definition of success is waking up every morning and hanging out with my bros, so yes. We've reached it.
B: Success to me is just being happy, I guess. And if you're happy in whatever you're doing, you know what I mean, if you're aspiring to be a person that wants to sit on your couch twelve hours a day and play video games then I guess you're successful because that's what you wanted to do. And I'm doing exactly what I wanna do right now, so yeah. I feel really fucking successful. The end.
V: Yeah, this is a complete success. We came together over a year ago now, we got drunk on a handle of vodka, and now we have a van and a trailer outside and our gear's down there. And we're playing on that stage. And we have a record on that table over there to sell. Life's good!
M: I think we've done more in the past year than I could have ever dreamed of doing in my entire life, which is a lot. I think what we have now is successful and I wouldn't change anything.
K: What's my definition of success? To live comfortably doing what I love...I think I said comfortably wrong. I think I did it again. Whoa. And...to be happy?
V: Are you happy Kellen?
K: ...yeah?
V: Kellen has two golf balls in his throat right now. Last night he was putting water in his mouth and going (weird gulping thing). He has...yo, how big was that syringe they stuck in your ass yesterday? Yeah, I don't know. Thank you for the interview!

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