PZO:
The CD booklet for "Understand This Is A Dream" is covered in
all these different numbers. A lot of your fans say that theres
some sort of message or meaning behind these numbers...is there?
Josh: Nah, theyre just numbers.
PZO:
Whats one of the nicest things a fan has ever said or done for you?
Josh: Um...done for us. Have any of our fans ever done anything for us?
<laughs> People make us cookies sometimes.
Neil: Oh, yeah!
Josh: When we go to Boston this group of girls always make us like, little
cookies and cupcakes and stuff. Thats probably...one of the nicest
things.
PZO:
Do you remember what your first show was like?
Josh: Yeah, I do. It was at a college and it was like an all-day festival.
We opened up, it was a bunch of local bands. It was the first show we
played, I think, we played four or five songs. It was pretty weird. Just
getting used to a different band and everything.
PZO:
When can your fans expect to see your next full-length album in stores?
I know you just released your six-song EP, Music From Another Room...
Josh: Well probably record it in January and February, were
hoping.
Neil: So...summertime?
Josh: Yeah, maybe early summer.
PZO:
Have you had any embarrassing moments happen on-stage while you were performing?
Josh: Ive fallen into Neils drum set a couple of times.
<Neil laughs>
PZO:
Is there anything else you want to do as a band before the year is over?
Josh: I think were planning to just finish this tour.
Neil: Just go home in December and finish fine-tuning the songs we wrote
for the new record.
PZO:
Youre going to be playing a couple of New Years shows...have
you decided where?
Neil: Yeah, like all around. Were playing Long Island and New York
City, and Pittsburgh.
Josh: And New Jersey on New Years Eve.
PZO: And you guys recorded the live album at Pittsburgh...how did that
go?
Josh: It went really good.
Neil: Yeah, we had fun.
PZO:
What made you pick up your first instrument?
Josh: Um, my first instrument was drums. I wanted to play saxophone, but
my mom wouldnt let me cause we didnt have much money.
So I got the drums because it was the cheapest and played in the band.
Neil: Well whyd you start playing guitar?
Josh: Why I started playing guitar...my cousin kind of influenced me.
All of my favorite musicians were guitar players, like in hair metal bands
and stuff.
Neil: Well for me...in fourth grade you could join the band in elementary
school. I just wanted to start playing drums and I played in the school
band until like seventh grade. Then I decided to stop and just keep playing
on my own.
PZO:
Do you have any sort of ritual that you always do before you take the
stage?
Neil: I have to have everything kind of perfect, you know? Like I have
to have my extra drumsticks right in the same place every time, my set
lists in the same place every time. Everything has to be in place or else
I dont feel comfortable with it.
Josh: I take two frogs, five grasshoppers, and six crickets. I put them
in a cauldron, I put lighter fluid all over it, and then I drink it.
<laughter>
Josh: And then I stretch!
PZO:
Whats the meaning behind the song For Evangeline?
Neil: <to Josh> Um, are we at liberty to really answer that?
Josh: Yeah, it was basically about...Bretts...it was either his
moms friends nephew or moms friends son who was
sick when he was very young. He got leukemia and he died from it. So its
basically about loss.
PZO:
When youre performing do you like to mix up some of your old songs
with new songs, or do you prefer to just play your newest material?
Josh: Yeah, we do. We play a good mixture of em.
PZO:
What do you hope to accomplish as a musician, besides making good music?
Neil: Do you mean that as a career? Id just like to make a good
career out of it; be able to just have my life stable. I mean, eventually
if youre big enough, you as a band can help out with good causes.
I have no idea what kind or anything, but you know...
PZO:
How do you work a crowd whos never heard any of your music before?
Josh: Just try to have as much fun as possible on-stage.
Neil: I think that if we look like were having fun on-stage then
hopefully the crowd will think, hey, you know, we should be having fun
too.
PZO:
Has your musical style changed at all from when you first began?
Josh: Its changed a lot. Like our first CD was a little more upbeat
and punkier. And now with our new EP we want to be a little more...mature
and intelligent about our music.
PZO:
What bands are you listening to right now?
Josh: Right now...uh, I really like the new Garbage and the new Black
Crowes.
Neil: Lets see, lately Ive been listening to a lot of A Perfect
Circle and Bjork and Radiohead, I guess. A lot of Moby.
PZO:
For each city that you go to do you hang out before the show...you know,
just check out the city?
Josh: We try to. Normally we dont have much time to, but we try
to get out and see things. Usually its just walking around and checking
out the stores that are around the club and everything.
PZO:
Do you remember what your biggest show has been, your biggest audience?
Neil: Maybe the X-Fest...
Josh: And Warped Tour, too.
Neil: We played the X-Fest, which is a show that a local alternative station
had in Pittsburgh. We played like the second stage. And weve also
played main stage Warped Tour a couple of times. At a Cornerstone festival
weve played a couple of times. Thats about it.
PZO:
Who were your biggest influences growing up?
Neil: For me my biggest influence is definitely Pink Floyd.
Josh: Mine are kind of a wide range. Like the Beatles, Sonic Youth, Led
Zeppelin. Basically my three top...like when I first started playing guitar
it was all about Nirvana.
PZO: Have you ever had any really crazy, weird fans?
Neil: Um, I mean you get weird ones sometimes, for sure. For the most
part theyre all like really, really nice though. Every once in a
while well get someone really weird, but theres always weird
people out there, you know?
PZO:
I know youre guys, but do you worry at all about what youre
gonna wear?
<laughter>
Josh: We just grab whatever we have clean in our suitcase and wear
it.
PZO:
Whats the last concert youve gone to where you didnt
perform?
Josh: The last one I went to see was The Black Crowes and Oasis in New
York City.
Neil: I think I saw Our Lady Peace in Buffalo.
PZO: Are there any bands that youd like to tour with in the future?
Neil: We all think it would be amazing to tour with Incubus.
PZO: Yeah, we just saw them a while ago.
Neil: How were they?
PZO: They were awesome.
Neil: I bet so. I think itd be a decent fit. I mean, theyre
huge and to play in front of that many people.
Josh: I would have to say Incubus or Foo Fighters. Theyd be two
really cool bands as well.
PZO:
Do you have any favorite venues you like playing in, or cities?
Josh: Pittsburgh, of course, since its our hometown, every show
is awesome. We really like Los Angeles, or Pomona. Boston is really cool...its
starting to get more and more all over the country. Were getting
a little bigger and bigger as we get along, so were looking forward
to more shows than we used to. Like were not worried about only
five people showing up or anything. Austin has always been really good
to us, too.
PZO:
Have you had any time to see any new movies, to just go out?
Neil: The last one I saw was From Hell.
PZO: How was it?
Neil: It was decent, but it was kinda confusing sometimes. But I thought
it was okay.
PZO: Was it the Jack the Ripper one?
Neil: Yeah.
Josh: Ive seen a lot of different movies while Im home. Really
good ones are probably like The Others and Dont Say A
Word. Those were really good. I really want to see Monsters, Inc.
<laughter>
Josh: It looks awesome.
PZO:
Is there any band that youd like to see reunite, maybe play one
last show?
Josh: I dont know, um...Smashing Pumpkins. I wish I could see them,
cause I never got to see them. Thatd be cool if they got back
together and I could go see them. That would probably be the one band.
PZO:
What were you guys like in high school?
Josh: In junior high I was kind of like, all into sports and trying to
fit in. I dont know, in senior high I didnt really care. I
got into music so...music and art were my thing.
Neil: I was a soccer kid. Yeah...with a soccer ball...
<laughter>
PZO:
With other bands that you tour with do you joke around and play jokes
on them?
Neil: Yeah, we always like to just hang out with other bands. Yesterday,
<laughs> filled up a condom with water and we threw it at
Chomsky, the band were playing with tonight, we threw it at their
window. It was pretty fun.
<laughter>
PZO:
Have you ever gotten in trouble with the law, or anything like that?
Josh: No, were not too big of troublemakers. Were all kind
of laid back and shy. We never get in trouble, really.
PZO:
Do you remember who you saw at your first concert?
Josh: I saw...my first concerts were these like, oldies fests. I saw Frankie
Valle and Dion and the Belmonts. But my first real concert, well that
was a real concert, but the first real one I went to with my friends was
The Ramones.
Neil: The first concert I ever saw was the Guess Who.
PZO:
How do you handle negative response, negative criticism maybe from the
media...?
Josh: I actually like to hear negative things sometimes, if theyre
intelligent. If kids are just writing some review and that they hate us...
Neil: And you know they didnt listen to the record, theyre
just...
Josh: They just say, oh, these guys suck.
Neil: I mean, creative criticism is fine if it makes us a better band.
PZO:
Are there any big tours that youd like to be a part of, like if
you could just get a bunch of different bands together?
Josh: Um, not really. There arent really too many big tours that
are going on right now. Warped Tour was pretty cool, but its like,
a little too much one-sided. If there was a Warped Tour that was like
a bunch of different music itd be cool. Like that Area...or Mobys
festival was pretty cool cause you had Moby himself, Incubus, Outkast,
Nelly Furtado...thats pretty cool. Theres a lot of variety.
If I would do one I would like to do one like that.
PZO:
What do you like to do when youre not on tour?
Neil: I was always like playing and picking up sports. Just remain active
and we just started playing golf. So thats kind of fun. I dont
know, just hanging out and playing video games.
Josh: Yeah, we play lots of video games.
PZO: Whats your favorite?
Josh: Right now its Grand Theft Auto III on Playstation. Its
the most awesomest thing that Ive ever seen in any movie or anything.
Like Resident Evil also. Im a big fan of sport games.
PZO:
So when youre not in a band anymore in the future, like if for any
reason you break up, what would you like to do?
Josh: Probably concentrate on just art. Or maybe own a record store. Those
are the only two things I could really see myself doing.
Neil: Thats a good question cause I never thought about it...so
if something happens, Ill just wing it, I guess. If it happens in
the near future, like the next couple of years, Ill probably go
back to school or something, but...
Josh: Yeah, if it was very recent Id go back to school, too. Cause
most of us all quit school to be in a touring band.
PZO:
If you could go anywhere in the world to just relax and have a good time,
where would you go?
Josh: Hmm...like the Bahamas or Hawaii. Some island that has a pretty
ocean.
Neil: I think Id like to go to Alaska. I dont know why, Id
just like to go there.
Josh: That would actually also be a really cool place. Id go to
Alaska too.
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