Dead Sara: Emily and Siouxsie
How was playing on Jimmy Kimmel?
Quite the fucking experience. It’s something you always think about, every band would think about, not like, “that’s possible” but like “gosh bands actually do that.”
Was that your first time on tv?
He was so nice. They were so so nice. Very accommodating, just making sure we were comfortable. Like going over and beyond.
How do you feel about the female rise in rock music?
I don’t know about too many girl-fronted bands, I don’t keep a lookout for them too much. We just gotta do what we do, we’re not really thinking about how we’re a girl-fronted band. It’s a little different, but I can totally see it as a rad fucking thing…girls going out and doing rock and roll.
Have you been getting a good response from your recently released album?
I believe so; I mean it’s our first record so I can’t compare it to anything.
Was it self-rewarding to put out this album?
Oh fuck yeah, and on our own label? Absolutely. On Pocket Kid Records, that’s our own record label. We did distribution through Fontana. They distributed our record.
What are your influences? If you went to listen to your ipod right now what would be playing?
There’s a lot. I’ll hear a song and then I’ll Shazam it and then just download it, whatever it is. I like new stuff, I like old stuff. I like a lot of stuff. We’re influenced by lots of genres…60’s, 70’s, 80’s, 90’s, 30’s, 20’s, BC, AC, ACDC.
You guys have been on tour with Bush, Chevelle, The Used and you’re going on tour with The Offspring…
Yeah, we’ve been on tour with all those bands, but The Offspring we’re gonna be with in September. So we’ve played with every 90’s bands. I’m more excited about the break and then going back home. I get “tour brain,” and kinda go through the motions.
Falling In Reverse: Ryan and Jack
How’s the tour been for you so far?
R: Tour has been really amazing.
J: The tour has been really good. The crowds have been really good and really big and it’s been really exciting.
You just released an album last year…
R: It’s been really great, I feel like we’re at the end of the cycle. We’re just excited to be out here.
How’s Warped Tour been so far? Have you seen any crazy things?
J: Sweaty. But yeah! A kid crowd surfing in a wheelchair.
R: I don’t even know if he meant to come to the show or if he was just hanging out. We saw Captain America fighting the Incredible Hulk up in the air.
J: Not like people in suits; it was the actually Captain America. He actually turned up at the show. He was in Houston, Texas. He was like fighting crime in Texas. He had his shield and everything.
Maybe Bush sent him out to go see you.
J:I don’t know if it was George Bush, maybe Barrack has been chatting with him recently.
What’s been your favorite spot to play in so far?
Our favorite spot…I would say Irvine was really good, it’s in California. Vegas was amazing. Pretty much all the shows have been really good. There hasn’t been any complaints. Just been a rock show.
Iwrestledabearonce: Ricky and Mikey
I recently saw that you had released a dubstep remix album of your songs…
It’s just kinda a thing we decided to do for some weird reason. Well we were all kinda into dubstep before it got real big. We did that and just released it online and we knew a lot of people that were doing dubstep stuff. We know Big Chocolate and Sluggo so they just remixed some of our songs and we didn’t want to sell it or put it out as a reissue so we just put it online to download for free.
Do you guys rage to your own remixes?
No, that’s never really happened. Now that’s it’s so big [dubstep] I kinda stopped. You can’t escape it.
Do you guys get criticized for having a chick as your singer in your genre?
Not really, I mean I personally used to hate the female vocalists. In our band it’s kinda like most people think it’s a guy anyways so it’s kinda like a thing that stands out. And we know a lot of these big metal bands and we’ve toured with a lot of metal bands, it’s kinda gotten to the point where it’s known and no one says shit. If anything it’s good things.
Coming from the south, do you conjure up any black magic or voodoo as inspiration for your music?
Yeah we get together once a month and sacrifice like an animal or a virgin. Usually just animals because it’s hard to find virgins these days. I don’t think they still make those, do they? They don’t make them like they used to. That helps us conjure up some “devil riffs,” if you will.
Your album Ruining It For Everyone just came out not too long ago…Did you do anything different from the last album? Were there any changes?
As we have went along in our career, especially in Ruining It For Everybody, we just took more time and just made an album we all liked. The last album was pretty rushed. It was in between so much touring that we had only a month, a month and a half. But that was to write and record the whole record the whole record. I remember we would write a song and then within the next hour we were tracking it. Like we would write a song and I would be like, “Okay, this part goes here, this part is a-one and a-two and a ‘mmm’ ‘mmm’ ‘mmm.’” And then I was tracking it and then we would build it from there and it was just such a big fat pain in the dick. So when we did Ruining It For Everybody we were at our own house, and like “Hey, let’s work on some songs. Maybe we can drunk and do some cool stuff like normal bands.”
So you guys are more proud of this album?
Definitely a lot more proud because the last one was so rushed and everything’s changed. Like drum-wise, if you listen to a song on that album and come see it live, it’s completely different. Now I’m playing what I would’ve done if I’d recorded it when I was already comfortable with it. That whole album was just a wreck. And then with Ruining it we actually got to be creative and take our time with parts so it was a big deal.
How is Warped Tour?
Great, the first part of it was really fucking hot. It’s starting to cool off but I’m expecting it to be hot again soon.
Is it better this year? Worse? The same?
We’re bigger this year, but we’re on a smaller stage. It was kinda like we’re put here to do a job. Our job was to bring kids to the smaller stage and check out some other bands. In 2010 we were kinda on a showcase stage so it’s just different. Then we were presented as a newer thing, and now we’re presented as a draw. It’s interesting, it’s fun. We’re playing on a smaller stage, but I try to kill it everyday. Hopefully they retire the stage after this tour and burn it to the ground.
Have you seen anything crazy?
I’m actually a couple of years older and a couple of years wiser so I’ve tried not to black out drunk every night. I try to keep it at once a week or once every two weeks to black out. I’ve seen a couple of wieners, seen a couple of guys throw up, seen a girl throw up on her vagina…
The Used: Jeff and Dan
How many years have you done Warped tour?
I think 2001 and 2003 we did Warped Tour. And this is our first time playing in ten years. It’s really good, it’s all the same people from production, and it’s all the same people working the stages. Our friend from Utah, Danny Bateman, shout out, he is seriously working the tour now. He’s helping out a lot, helping out Kevin. Kevin’s a good friend; he’s helped us out a lot. It’s awesome. And Dan actually played Warped Tour a long time ago with his other band, The New Transit Direction, and Quin was a big fan so he got us on a week.
Since you haven’t been on the tour in about ten years do you any kind of a difference with the crowds or the music?
It’s definitely changed a lot, but it’s good because it’s all of our same fans that come out to the show that we want to see. It’s also of course the younger and newer fans that are coming to see the other bands that they’re really excited about and they’re stopping by and checking us out. Maybe they haven’t heard of us, but we’ve been around for a while and we’ve been kickin’ it and stayed strong. You know, we’re not a “one-record-band” here.
Have there been any new bands you’ve become friends with over the tour? Any new bands to check out? Do you enjoy the new music that’s coming around?
There’s been a few. We have the Miss May I guys come out and sing “Box Full Of Sharp Objects” with Bert.
Do you feel like the grandfathers of the tour?
We feel like the elder brothers of Warped Tour. Us, New Found Glory, Taking Back Sunday, we’re like the older generation of rock bands that are on this tour. It’s timeless. I know I’m in the ban, but The Used are a timeless band and we’ll be around as long as we want to be around. We make honest music and people get it and I feel that’s why. Every Time I die is out here too, another great band that’s around. They rule, they’re awesome. Dead Sara rules too, they’re the best. I love that band.
I saw Bert and Quin at Vintage Vinyl a little while ago doing an acoustic set…
We weren’t allowed to come. It just didn’t make any sense, a full band acoustic? It’s fun but it’s not as cool for the show. It’s almost more intimate just to send them and have them do it. So me and Dan just stayed home and played with puppies.
With the new album, how have the bands been responding to your music on the tour since you haven’t played here in about ten years?
Our fans are diehard. We’re really lucky to have fans as strong as this. We’ve been around for 12 years now and every record we’ve put out has been taken. And we’ve changed a lot, we’ve changed on purpose because to me I think it’s important for bands to change and evolve because if not, you’re writing the same record over and over again. All those fans that say they want to hear the first record they’re kind of joking themselves because then they’re like, “This sounds just like the first album. What are they trying to make money and just rewrite something that worked?” And you can’t please anyone, so we’re not. We’re pleasing ourselves…and it’s fun to pleasure yourself. This record to me, this is my favorite record since the first record. This record has the most positive hope. Artwork was very angry and hateful and kind of angsty and this record now, I relate to the first record. The first record was all about hope and about positive and about leaving and getting out and this new record is kind of the same thing. We were trying to get out of Warner, we were trying to get out of the slump we’ve been in, trying to move up. It’s all about hope and getting out.
You have your own label now, Anger Music Group…
Our own record company! We’re our own guinea pigs. We have no plans on getting anybody yet, but first thing’s first; we have to pay attention to Vulnerable. But then after, maybe there’s some band, but options are limitless really right now. Just to help.