Chiodos

Interview with Craig Owens of Chiodos in June of 2006.
How has your tour been going with Between The Buried And Me, The Number 12, and August Burns Red? Do you find the diversity of sounds on the tour bringing out alot of kids compared to other tours?
CRAIG OWENS: Really well! All of the bands are way fun dudes, and super talented musicians. It is definitely an odd tour for us, because we do stand out so much… But then again, we usually stand out on every show that we do.

Comparably, Chiodos has been very articulate and compact of so many different types of influences and genres than some other bands that have a more traditional drive like hardcore or punk. What influenced you guys to develop such an abstract yet complete sound?
CRAIG: The answer is actually pretty simple. We just got tired of hearing the same thing over and over. We wanted to look at music in a fresh new and original way.

When The Chiodos Bros first came about, how did the local music scene react to your music? How much do you think the band has changed since the days of The Chiodos Bros?
CRAIG: Our local scene in Michigan has always been amazing and completely supportive of our musical endeavors. I believe that the band has changed immensely through maturity and new experiences.

What kind of stuff did you listen to earlier in life that really influenced your choice to start playing music? Were there any particular bands or even events that just inspired you to start a band?
CRAIG: I definitely think that everyone has their ‘eye opening’ bands when they decide that a music career is what they want to pursue. For me, it was Weezer – The Blue Album, a lot of Saves The Day, and The Stryder-Masqueradeinthekeyofcrime.

Do you purposely try to get on very diverse line-ups for tours, and do you have any say in any particular bands Chiodos supports getting on tours with you?
CRAIG: We do have some say in who ends up touring with us (when we are headlining, that is). We are always looking for a different line-up to make sure that we aren’t sitting through an entire evening of ‘one song.’

When I listen to Chiodos and hear all the different influences and parts, it makes me wonder about how to construct a song or album like you guys have. What is the writing process for Chiodos?
CRAIG: The writing process is a very long and strenuous one. Things just flow. There are no certain patterns or systems to our writing, and I believe that is what separates us from the next band and the over-produced stereotypical song structure that’s so common today.

How much did getting signed to Equal Vision Records change the outlook of the band? Were there any points were the future was looking bleak for Chiodos?
CRAIG: Equal Vision Records was definitely a boost in confidence for us. As a musician and fan of music, we knew what signing with EVR meant, and definitely haven’t taken it for granted. As for the future being bleak, as long as there is music we will be playing it.

Should we expect a lot of relationship references and songs built along that theme for future material from Chiodos, or was that particularly a concept for the album All’s Well That Ends Well?
CRAIG: I couldn’t even answer this one. A lot of our writings are from personal experiences as we grow as people. Concept albums might be in the future, but it’s nothing that I would plan on hearing from us.

What’s your favorite song to play live?
CRAIG: The Word Best Friend Becomes Redefined.

Do you have any funny or favorite tour stories? Any bands you like to play pranks on or always get nailed with pranks from?
CRAIG: I have tons of them. Most are probably too intense and dirty.

What are some of the most promising underground bands you see that should be checked out immediately after readers finish this interview?
CRAIG: Anathallo. Downers. Radio Pirate DJ.

Do you have any final words for the readers?
CRAIG: We just finished our video for Baby, You Wouldnt Last A Minute On The Creek. It will be coming out soon. BE STOKED! Thanks for reading!