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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 Audelio and Evan October 12th, 2004 |
Albert Guitierez - Vocals Audelio Flores - Guitar Albert Ramirez - Guitar Evan Smith - Bass Chris Jotolielmo - Drums (former) |
| E: Amity, though you've been recording songs for a respectable amount of time, you've just recently come fully into the spotlight with your split with Facing New York. How did the split first get set up?
Audelio: We were asked by Camoran Dana from Top Notch to see if we would like to do a split and we said yes. Evan: We met FNY while our tours crossed paths in Lubbock, Texas. Cameron from top notch had been talking to us about finding a band to do a split with. We both really like each other's sets during the show. So afterwards we approached them about it and they were interested. Audelio: It was supposed to be an acoustic split like the Over it and Junction 18, but we ended up convincing him to make it balls-to-the-wall. We were asked to find the band to do it with. Evan: When we saw FNY play, we knew they had to be it. They were amazing. Audelio: We fell in love with them and the fact that they are doing the same things we are--touring and staying active, etc. Evan: I had to change pants after watching them play. Audelio: And the fact that they are great musicians and awesome people. E: Do you feel you're able to be just as proud of the split's success as you would be if the record were entirely yours? Evan: I think so. FNY are really close friends, so it's almost like one big group instead of two separate bands. Audelio: I would hope so... if it would have been just all ours, I don�t think that many people would pick it up. And with the split, our fans and their fans were all picking it up. Evan: I don't think the record would be the same without their input. Audelio: But I would still be happy. Evan: The recording offer came at just the right time. Both of us were looking to put out a new release but neither of us had enough material at the time to do so on our own. E: Has the response you've gotten on tour changed at all since the release? Evan: Unfortunately, we have not been able to tour on this release yet. We've run into a lot of obstacles lately. We were planning on doing a national tour with Facing New York immediately following Warped Tour. However, on the way home, our transmission blew out and took all of our money, so we had no way to get started. Audelio: Yeah. So we had to cancel and try to get back on our feet. Evan: Recently, our drummer had to leave the band due to some family reasons, so we are going to also have to cancel this upcoming tour we were scheduled to leave for in a few days. We've just been plagued with bad timing. So right now we are regrouping and we will hopefully try again in February. Audelio: Yup. Bad luck. Evan: By then we should have a full-length recorded as well. Audelio: Yes sir. We�ve doing demos of our new songs and we are really excited about them. Our new material will blow you away. E: Are your lives consistently focused on music? Or are there times where it's more than others? Audelio: Well all we do is the band. That�s all we all do. That's what our lives consist of. Evan: Yeah, the band is our lives. Audelio: This what we all decided to do and we are not going to stop till people hear about Amity. Evan: Just as an example, I don't even have a home at the moment because we're on tour a lot. Audelio: We don�t care about looking pretty or getting our hair done or wearing tight pants. We worry about our music being good and being from the heart. Evan: Well, I do. But the rest of the guys don't care. My hair rules. E: Although there is a lot of history behind the link between politics and the music scene, recently there has been a new surge of musicians having an active voice regarding the government. What are your thoughts on the appropriateness and reasoning for this tie? Evan: I think that musicians who are socially conscious should definitely use their platform to voice their opinions. Audelio: Fuck Politics... all it does is make people argue. Say whatever you want. Evan: Even though we don't preach to our crowds, we still try to give our lyrics some sort of message. Audelio: Yes sir! Evan: Music can do two things: it can entertain and it can also teach and inform people. We try to do both. Especially with the way current events have been going lately. I could go on all day but I�ll cut it short for you, cruzypoo. So now we can talk about your hair some more. E: Do you think that music is one of the most important and influential parts of life? Evan: Definitely. My dad raised me around music. He always had instruments around the house and a huge record collection that was always playing when I was growing up. Audelio: Definitely, times 1,900,304. You can relate with all types of music and it can set your mood. Evan: It's almost as important as hair and clothes. Audelio: I think it's one of the best healing forms. E: Had you planned on being a musician from an early age? Evan: Yes. I've been playing music since I was around ten or eleven. But I never really considered making it my life until about the time I graduated high school. And now, I can't imagine doing anything else at this point in my life. Audelio: I�ve always been around music; me and my cousins would jam out at our friend�s house doing covers or pretend to play a song when we didn�t even know how to play. But it was always fun to do. But I never thought that I would have an actual band that tours and records etc. I love what I do. E: That should be enough. Thanks a lot, guys. Evan: Thank you. Audelio: No, thank you bro. |