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| ::Interviews:: |
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| review & interview content, as well as web site graphics & design, copywrite 2003-2004 Euphonia Online. use of materials granted only with reasonable purposes. |
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| interviewed by robby sumner |
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| Interview with Brian and Nick March 7th, 2006 |
Brian Sonenstein - Vocals, Guitar Greg Hawley - Vocals, Guitar Max Sackett - Bass Nick Parson - Drums |
| E: Adrastos, a band out of Massachusetts, has caused a stir with only a few songs under its belt. You've been described and described yourselves as "Experimental" and "Indie"... in this day and age, what should fans expect to come along with that title?
Brian: That's a good question. I think we're "experimental" in the sense that we really have been messing with a broad genre and range of sounds. We've only known each other for such a small amount of time that we're still figuring each other out musically. So on the whole, our set is very diverse. On the "indie" side of things, we are an independent band in every sense of the word. Outside of the business realm, the term "indie" to us means that we're independent of one particular genre, because our set is so diverse. Nick: To me, when a label such as "experimental" is applied, fans shouldn't expect anything. It's a clean slate as far as I'm concerned, because when we are experimenting, we'd like to think that we're pushing the boundaries a little here and a little there. As far as indie music, I'd like to think that it's taken on a meaning of honesty that sometimes can, but also sometimes can't, be applied to other kinds of music. So I would say that they should just expect a certain degree of straightforwardness from us. E: You guys have gotten a lot of attention for your EP, I Don't Wanna Go Home, I wanna Go To Reno!, which was recorded at Nada studios but consists of only three songs. Was it an option for you to record more than just those three for your debut? Brian: Not really... unfortunately. being an independent and unsigned band, we have to pay for everything out of pocket--and this stuff aint cheap. We didn't have much of a financial foundation at the time, seeing as we had only been a band for a month, so we could only really afford to do three. We're dying to get back in the studio when we can afford to, though. Nick: Honestly, when we went in the studio we went into Nada we had very little material. We are a very young band, so we didn't have an extensive amount of material at the time. Also, there are obvious financial considerations. When you work with somebody like John [Naclerio]. You get what you pay for. For a band as completely undeveloped as we were at the time--Max had only been in a couple weeks!--it wouldn't have been smart to sink much more money into that project. E: But with the way today's music scene works, especially with the internet, do you think it's easier to achieve more with less as far as releasing goes? Brian: Oh, absolutely. Nick: I think that there are so many resources available online (stores, Myspace, Purevolume, download sites) that you can really get your music to reach far and wide. You don't have to sell records or have good show attendance to get a good initial buzz, but a lot of bands won't have the drive to go the one step further than the internet. Brian: The internet has made it much easier for people to get insight into bands. That is kind of a double-edged sword, though, as people now judge entire albums by their singles. But you're asking about whether the internet is helping people achieve more, and I think it absolutely is. Whether it's genuine or not. Nick: There is such an over abundance of music on the internet that you have to work just as hard to stand out from the crowd if you really want to get where you want to go. That's what we're trying to do now. E: Do you guys ever think that it'd be better to spend a little more time and get a little more done than you did before getting into the spotlight? Or are you happy with how things have played so far? No "the whole world is rating an unfinished masterpiece" syndrome? Brian: You know, it was incredibly stressful--not that I am at all ungrateful!--how quickly things happened. We've been running fullspeed since October, but it's been a blast. In some ways I wish we had taken some time before we recorded and got our name out, just because our sound is changing so much. But I'm not at all displeased with what we recorded. In a way, the whole world is rating an unfinished masterpiece, but with us I think they always will be, because we are always revising and changing. I kind of like it that way. But no regrets. Just looking forward to what is yet to come. Nick: I think that we were really excited to get something down. Greg and I especially like to move very quickly, so we took the resources we had and spent them, and we're still happy with the product. Hopefully it'll give us enough steam to keep us going towards our goals. It was breakneck speed doing that EP, but I'm happy with it. It's hardly an unfinished masterpiece in my mind. It's our first step. I don't want any of the music we recorded on that EP to ever be considered our pinnacle, so I'm just happy with how it came out and I'll be happy to get right back to the studio when that time comes. E: Do you feel like you've kept up a good proportion of recording/internet publicizing and doing things the old fashioned way via touring? Brian: As much as possible. We try and play as many shows as we can while keeping school in the balance. Nick: I'd like to play shows almost every night. By now it's no secret that we all go to college, so we have that to contend with. That prevents us from getting out as much as some people, but hopefully we'll be going strong come summer, and we'll be able to get out there and represent our music in the best way possible, and that's live. The more live shows the better, I really think that's the only way to get people to really fall in love with your music. Brian: Hopefully this summer we can tip the scales a little more, because we're hoping to go on tour. Nothing compares to playing shows; we love it so much. The internet is more of an accessory to our live act than another entity, I'd say. E: Because your first few releases were recorded so professionally, do you hesitate to release anything in really rough demo form now because it'd be compared to your pro introduction? Brian: Hell no! No matter how you see it, our music is us. Whether it was produced at Nada or recorded in our practice space, it is us and I don't think I'll ever be ashamed of that. Nick: We released a live track of a song called "Straits of The Sea" that sounded awful, production-wise, but it gives a sense of one of the directions we're heading as a band. That's what matters at this point. People don't have to buy everything we put out there... if we just want to give them a sense of what we're doing, we'll do it. E: Do you think you'll keep the fans you have now throughout all your releases? Or is your experimental nature bound to lose you a few? Nick: Hopefully we'll retain the fans we have, but that's not a realistic expectation if we want longevity. I can't think of any band with any longevity where you won't hear "I liked the old stuff better" or "the 3rd album was really weak." But we just have to roll with the punches as far as that's concerned. Brian: I think we're always bound to lose fans whether we keep making music that sounds the same or not. Some kids fall in love with an album and stick to it. Hopefully we'll gain fans that we potentially would not have had with previous releases, and hopefully our fans will trust us enough to explore our music just as much as we are. I think the process is just as much for them as it is for us. E: Well that should be enough... anything else you wanna say? Brian: Hmm... well, we hope you enjoy the music, because we're having a grand old time playing it regardless. I want music--whether it's ours or any band's--to be an experience between the musician and the audience. I don't want to play songs AT the audience. I want to play songs WITH the audience. I think that's something that's been lost and I know I, for one, want it back. Nick: I just want to say that I hope that everybody who reads this will come see a show! It might be awhile until we can reach everybody, but all in due time. For me, that's what it's all about. Also, thank you to everybody that has even taken the energy to find their way to our site www.adrastosrock.com or our Myspace page. That's what makes the world go 'round for us. Brian: Thank you, sire. E: Thanks a lot you guys! |
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