A Static Lullaby

Interview Date: December 31, 2006

Associated band: A Static Lullaby

Interview


How has your current tour with I Am Ghost, The Classic Crime, and So They Say been going so far?


It's everything I've expected after taking a year off, but it's been more positive because of all the bands playing and the reactions to the new CD... [inaudible]

rn
October 10th brought the release of your self-titled album A Static Lullaby on Fearless Records. What brought the band to release this album on Fearless?


Basically, when we went into the decision of making a new album, we wanted to make sure that everything that was involved with the project was 100% for it. Bob came to us when the band was initially doing demos, and he said he wanted the project. We spoke with him a couple times and talked about what we wanted to accomplish, what his goals were, and weighed it out. It seemed like nothing but the best. Everything that we talked about in those early conversations evolved into something better than we expected, and it is probably the best label we could have gone with.

rn
What made you choose to name the album after the band? Did it feel like a lot more personal of an album than your previous releases?


Once we got the band together and started writing new songs, we all collectively discussed where we wanted to go and take it. After the record was done, we really liked it. We said, \"Hey man, this is our album. This IS A Static Lullaby.\" We felt it truly represented us as a band. It explains to people what is going on. This is us; this is A Static Lullaby.

rn
Are there any particular songs on the album that you feel show the strongest aspects of A Static Lullaby?


If you take Art Of Sharing Lovers or Hang Em High, the two songs we first released on Myspace, those really describe us well. Then again, if you take songs like Trigger Happy Tarantula, which is one of my favorite songs on the album, or others, they all really describe us as a whole.

rn
What brought about the comic-book art style that has been used repeatedly in posters, advertisements, website, and Myspace for the band lately?


We were going to do a concept album but ended up not doing it. Still, we felt that the artwork should coincide with the lyrics and really address everything that was going on. Dan and I had an idea of doing something along the lines of Johnny The Homicidal Maniac. We sent out our ideas to a guy named Jeremy, who drew it up. All the situations we asked him to work with he did well on, and we're going to stick with all the things we have for this. I think it's really cool.

rn
Have you incorporated the artwork into your banners and such on stage with the latest tour?


We have the CD cover as the backdrop, and we plan to make a couple other ones like the Mechanical Heart one we [inaudible]. I think it's really great that we can have something to [inaudible.]

rn
A lot of fans have wondered what has caused such a dramatic change between every album A Static Lullaby has put out. Were these changes due to band member changes, or have you actually changed the direction of the band between each album?


rn In every album, you try to push yourself and create something better than what you made before. We also said we never wanted to make the same album. We wrote And Don't Forget To Breathe when we were like 19 years old, and we were 17 when we did the first songs we ever wrote. When we went on tour for a year, a lot of things changed with the feelings on the music A Static Lullaby was making. Faso Latido was still a good album, but I like to think of it as a side-project just because the whole band was segregated. There were three members who really wanted to go off and write some goofy shit, and then there was us who wanted to stay focused on what we started out to do. With the member changes, everyone talked about it, and we all loved the music that we make. The new album was set out to be a little heavier, but still keeping the melodic side and integrity of the band.

rn
How frustrating is it when people judge your band by the songs you wrote like four years ago and don't take into account the changes you have gone through since then?


They are simple minded. A lot of people don't look into a whole band's trials and tribulations. If NOFX started writing metallic albums, people would be pissed off. You can't tell a band what to do, but if you're really love a band and dig the music they make, you should respect them enough to look at what they do. That doesn't happen though; people feel betrayed and jump on another bandwagon. I try to stay focused and just look at our outlook. Hopefully that comes across well to the people who listen to us. I can't ask anyone to say anything different. If they have their own opinions about what we did four years ago, that's fine. It doesn't affect me. I want to do it for the people who respect us. That's all we can do.

rn
What particular route do you as a band feel you do not want to be a part of?


The beauty about the band is that we have so many different sides to the band. There are no limitations to what we can do. In the album, there are so many different things in all the songs. The Collision has a more ballad-y type song, and then you Static Slumber Party, which has a more old-school hardcore type sound to it. We got Hang Em High, which is a lot more hardcore and metal influenced. The band can grab all the influences and what is going on with our lives and put that into our music. I never plan on releasing, say, a Coldplay album because we like to make heavier music. We will always have melody, and we will always have screaming. That's the way it's going to be. We created something five years ago, and we're going to continue to make the music that we like and that's that.

rn
What songs in particular are you sick of playing but keep in your set list every night because of fan wishes?


Once people fall in love with a song and come to see you live, I mean, we COULD say we will play whatever we want, but all these people care about these songs. Just because you've been jaded because you've played it a thousand times doesn't mean those kids don't want to hear it. You've got to account for both the fans and your sanity. We don't play like every hit that every person ever wants to hear. We try to give new and old songs.

rn
Fuse.TV has a tour blog up that you guys run. How did the blog originally come about?


I got a call from Fearless, and they said something like that Fuse wanted to do it or there was a connection we had. When I heard it, I said, \"Yeah, that's a great idea.\" I try my best while on the road to keep it updated and such. It was a good idea, and Fearless brought it to the table, which is great.

rn
How do you feel the music video for Hang Em High turned out? Was it to your expectations?


The video turned out pretty special. We created three different sets. The band went out of character, and we did a whole different thing outside of us playing live outside in the street or something. We shot the whole video like the 1920s, which is something a little different. Some was in black and white, and we shot each scene in like blue, sepia, and red. We did cool screenshot effects through it. We're all really happy with how it came out.

rn
What are the plans for future music videos?


When it comes to videos, I like to see what directors come up with because some of them have really good ideas. When it comes to the point where we want to do the next video and figure out a song, we'll have to get together as a band and figure that out. As of now, we don't really have any ideas.

rn
What are the future plans for touring after the current tour?


The band plans on touring in January and February. We really want to support the new record and get that out to people. Hopefully we do something like Take Action, and then go overseas because we've been meaning to do that. After that, we'd come back for the summer and hopefully do Warped Tour or something like that.

rn
What is your dream as a musician and how has A Static Lullaby gotten you closer to your dream?


I've always set goals for myself. Within setting goals, I've always been a person who strives to reach them but am never satisfied. That's the whole process of being in a band and accomplishing what we've accomplished. One day you can put out a good record and one day you can put out a bad record. Is that possible? Sure, it could happen. What I want to do is be able to tour anywhere in America or the world and be able to really have a good time and stay positive. We've released successful records, pushed ourselves harder, and played in front of thousands of people. It's hard to say that you could want any more. I'm not satisfied at all. I want to dominate; I want to control; I want to take over. That's the band's philosophy so we will always want a little bit more. You just have to take a step back and take a step forward. That's what we're going to continue to do. You get up there day after day, shred every single day and if you were playing to a million people (even if you're playing to one). That one person is going to go away with something. That's what belongs to you, that you've accomplished all you've wanted to do, that you're happy with what you've done. Go out, play the shows, meet a ton of fans. The best part about it is having all these people connected to you.