 |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| ::Interviews:: |
 |
|
| review & interview content, as well as web site graphics & design, copywrite 2003-2004 Euphonia Online. use of materials granted only with reasonable purposes. |
 |
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
| interviewed by robby sumner |
|
 |
Brian Flax - Vocals, Guitar Neal Karkhanis - Guitar Andrew Thomas - Bass Cameron Kendall - Drums |
|
| Interview with Neal and Cameron August 14th, 2003 |
| Cameron: Let's roll. E: So the band started with Neal and Brian, and then Cameron was added later on. Cameron: Affirmative. E: How did Cameron fit into the structure that the other two had already formed? Cameron: Neal, this one's for you. Neal: Well, we sucked a lot when he first joined, but then it just came together after a lot of practice. Our sound changed a lot. We were pretty much pop rock with [former drummer] Greg. Now I guess we are just rock and roll. Cameron: And we all are best friends now, pretty much. Before, I barely knew Neal and Brian. Neal: If you listen to the first CD with Greg, and then the new stuff with Cam... it is like a completely different band. E: So Cameron, even though he's just a lowly drummer (I can see my guitar-player arrogance coming out a bit in this interview), still had and has an impact on the band's music? Neal: Yeah. We write everything together; it isn't just one guy. He gives me advice on my guitar playing. I give him advice on drumming. Brian, too. And now Andrew. E: When was Andrew first added to the mix? Neal: A month or so ago. Not too long ago. E: Would you say he's brought anything new to the group's sound? Neal: We've only really written one song with him, so it is pretty hard to say as of now. I can let you know in another three or four months. E: The band has released a good number of demos and EP's together in the past year or so. How much time do you usually end up spending in the studio? Cameron: Too much. The recording never seems to end. We keep on having new ideas. Neal: Something Less Than Ordinary was recorded in, like, five hours. "Dickweed" was recorded in like 6. The new CD--which is kickass, by the way--we were in there for 4 months. Cameron: I think we work best and get all our creativeness out when we are in the studio. E: Do you think it's all worth it for the final product? Cameron: Yeah, it's definitely worth it, because each of us contributes what we think the album should sound like. E: What else goes into making the record, besides recording and writing the songs? Neal: Lots and lots of overdubs. Cameron: True dat. Neal: Lots of lots of new ideas. Cameron: On a lot of songs, Neal came up with guitar parts right there on the spot. Neal: Just getting some feedback from people, and using it effectively. Cameron: We also take home what we finished in the studio that day, to listen to and tweak, and so we know what we want to do the next time. Neal: Yep. E: And it's most likely all paid off. The record should be completely finished soon, shouldn't it? Cameron: Yeah, the recording is all done. Neal: As soon as Cam finishes the artwork... Cameron: I'm just lazy, and it takes me a long time to do the artwork. But once I finish the tray card, it will be all done. Neal: It'll be ready to get pressed, and then we can sell it to you. Because you want to buy it. E: Where will it be available? Cameron: You can buy it through us, or eventually on the internet, somehow. Neal: I'll get it on Interpunk. And it'll be available at shows. And Sam Goody. E: Sam Goody? Neal: Well, only at the FSK Mall [in Frederick, MD]. *Laughs* But, yeah. E: That's still pretty good for a local band. Neal: And you can get it through Robot Racket, our label. And... some other stuff, too. Just go to www.asseasonsfall.com. Best way to do it. E: From the site, we learn that Cameron draws a wicked cheese. Cameron: You're damn right. E: What's the story with the random artwork? Or is it just that--random? Cameron: Basically. I was really bored. Neal: One day he sent it to me, and I thought it was the funniest thing ever, so I put it on the site. Cameron: It comes from my heart. E: Neal doesn't have a parachute in the skydiving scenes. Is this some buried angst coming out toward your bandmate, Cam? Cameron: The truth is... I probably forgot to draw it. E: The biggest news as of late is you getting signed to the record label Robot Racket [note: now called Fallen Records]. How was that? Cameron: It was a shock. Neal calls me: "Oh my god, oh my god. We got signed." Neal: Well it was especially cool for me, because in the ninth grade I discovered a band called 3rd Try, an amazing band from Temecula, CA. And they were on Robot Racket. So I thought that R.R. was the coolest thing ever. And then getting signed to them was pretty cool. Unfortunately, 3rd Try broke up. E: Had you talked to the label at all before they signed you? Cameron: Neal is the one who talks to everyone most of the time. Neal: I sent them a demo, and we got lucky--they actually listened to it. Cameron: Basically. E: The genre that ASF most obviously falls into is not exactly a rarely visited one. What have you tried to do in order to avoid sounding like every other band out there? Neal: We really don't try. I grew up listening to Blink-182, etc. Cameron: We just play what we think sounds cool. Neal: I make up stuff that I love to play and that I love to listen to... if people like it, that's cool. Cameron: And most of the time people ask me who we sound like, I can't put my finger on a specific band. Neal: We fit in a genre... but we don't sound like the other bands. E: What are your plans for the future? Cameron: Well me, I'm personally going to quit tomorrow. *Laughs* Got ya. Actually I'm planning on following this through, until someday--hopefully--I'll be able to make enough money to live off playing. And that's it. I'm not saying be rich or whatever. Neal: Actually, we just plan on playing as much as we can... making more music... Cameron: Basically. Next summer we are most likely going to plan a tour across the U.S. and play as much as we can and get our name out to every little person out there. Hopefully by then we will have written some badass songs. I'm only 16 now. E: I was just about to ask if there were any extensive tour dates coming up. Neal: Well, me and Cam are still in High School. So we gotta knock that out of the way, before we can pursue this. Cameron: Yeah, I've got another two years. Neal: But literally... we talk to every single fan. Cam and I have sat at the internet and asked people to go to our MP3.com site and check it out. One by one. Cameron: It's true. Neal: You can check the site www.asseasonsfall.com for upcoming shows, news, blah blah blah. E: Well, thank you for your time and thoughts. Neal: You're welcome. Cameron: No, thank you. |
 |