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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 A |
Tom Caiazza - Vocals, Guitar Jeff Cullen - Guitar Brian Richardi - Bass Jim Richardi - Drums |
| Interview with Jeff, Brian, and Jim May 2nd, 2004 |
| E: Foster is a band hitting the scene out from out of New Jersey, which is home field for a number of other noteworthy bands. Do you think that NJ has any sort of impact on the bands working within its boundaries? Jeff: Yes. Jersey is cool because there are a lot of local shows that are run by kids. And there's a lot of bands, so there is a lot of initiative to do well. Brian: You really want to find your own place, and put on a good live show... because promoters have to make their money back, and if you can't draw the kids to the show, then you're out of luck. And then you're out of luck because there's another band who can. Jim: And there's such a high standard from the bands that came before us. When people hear you're from New Jersey, they expect a lot. E: Is the realization that your band is becoming successful gradual? Or are there ever sudden epiphanies? Jeff: It's pretty gradual... for us, anyway. Each song is an attempt to out-perform the previous one, and just write better music--keep evolving. Brian: I think our first real show back after the whole recording process was big for us. We played a sold out show with The Early November, Hidden in Plain View, Halifax, and Socratic, and we think they are awesome bands, and to be a part of that line-up made us feel really good... like we're doing something right, finally. Jim: Just hearing our old set from old videos/recordings, and playing the new songs now... there is such a difference. We definitely feel like a better, tighter band... and to me, being successful is creating something that you're proud of, and hopefully other people will enjoy it as well. E: Is Foster's musical style something you worked to shape, or did it simply form itself over time? Jim: It's definitely different from the first couple of demos we put out. It's evolved a lot from that, but you can still hear some of the old elements in the new EP. Jeff: We're definitely better musicians now, and we have a better system for writing songs and getting things done right. And really concentrating on songs, and finding the best possible parts for it, and not settling on anything. Brian: We just play music that we like. That's pretty much all I can say about our style. E: What was it like working with a professional producer like Matt Squire on the new songs? Jeff: Matt Squire is professional? *Laughs* Just kidding. We love Matt Squire. It was a really great experience for everyone. He gave us a lot of rock and roll wisdom, and a lot of rock and roll haikus that I keep in my wallet for inspiration. Brian: I liked working with him because you got a good product, and at the same time you became a better band ten times over. It's great to record with him because you work so hard, but you have such a fun time. We got to live in the studio and hang out all day and night playing music for at least twelve hours straight, and then we'd all "bro down," eat Chipotle, and watch Family Guy till we passed out. Jim: He approached the whole pre-production/recording process totally differently. Squire just seems so professional, and when he puts his name on something, he finds a way to get the best possible performance out of your band. He is the best. E: How much of a relationship are you capable of creating and maintaining with the other bands you play shows with? Brian: We always go to shows to try and have a good time. We make friends with the other bands and hang out at diners all the time. I don't think I want to marry another band, but I think our relationships are on the right track. Jeff: A lot of our friends' bands are touring a lot now, but when they're around we try to hang out. They help us out a lot and give us good advice. Jim: In the future we'd like to tour with a lot of our friends and just have a good time. E: What do you guys generally do after having just finished a show? Jeff: Take a shower--showering is always cool. We hang out at the show to the end, then we'll go to a diner or go drink beers somewhere. Brian: It depends [on] when and where the show is. Most of the time we gotta get back to school for class the next day or work in the morning. Over the summer it's much more fun. Jim: Most of the shows are up in North Jersey, which is where my apartment is. So I usually go back there and drink beers with my roommates and whoever else wants to hang after. E: Is the band currently taking in much revenue that exceeds its costs? Brian: Right now we are broke from the CD pressing, recording, promotion, and a lot of other costs. We just got the pressed copies of the EP on Wednesday, so we'll be making our money back now. We spent everything we had on it and more... but it was all totally worth it, because it came out awesome. E: Do you see yourselves gaining enough notoriety to be recognized on the street? Jeff: Yeah, we got mad street cred. Homies is always rollin' up to us, sayin' that our suburban white kid rock is straight up gangsta, biotch. Jim: I guess what Jeff is trying to say is it'd be nice if more people came out to our shows and started singing along. Brian: As far as getting recognized on the street, I'm 6'7", so I'm hard to miss. But to really answer... I would love to see us be recognized and respected for what we do. E: How would you describe the relationships bands build with their fans, their friends, and their bandmates? Jeff: All the relationships are kind of different. Your bandmates are kind of like your family--I see these guys more than family. Having friends that support your band and what you're doing is really cool, too. That's where it all starts, because they come to shows and buy your CDs, and then they start spreading the word. Brian: Yeah. We hang out all the time outside practice, and we all visit each other at school when one of us is having a party or there's a good show in town. We're still a new band, so we don't have a ton of fans. But we love the people that come out to our shows, support us, and say hello. Hopefully with the new CD out, kids will start to recognize us and we can build a better relationship with everyone. Our fanbase is going to determine how far we can go, so we have a lot of respect and appreciation for them. Jim: We try to reward our fans for their support. Kids that join our mailing list can get a discount, something for free, or both. If you check out our website before a show there is usually a secret password that you can say at the front door that'll get you some free Foster gear and some discounts. We also have prize packages that we give away every month for kids on our mailing list. Our first one is at the end of may, and we're giving away some free CDs and t-shirts. We're going to be offering some more stuff in the upcoming months, too. E: Well, we're all looking forward to hearing more from you. Thanks a lot for being such a cooperative bunch. Jeff: No problem. Thanks for having us--we enjoyed it. |