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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 Bobby June 18th, 2004 |
Nic Newsham - Vocals Bobby Darling - Guitar Kirk Huffman - Bass Rudy Gajadhar - Drums |
| E: With all of the attention that Gatsby's American Dream has been getting over the past year or so, would you say that the band has at least gotten close to where you'd all pictured yourselves getting to when you first started the band? Bobby: Well, honestly, we never had high expectations of getting somewhere with the band. We were all in different bands in Seattle for the past several years, and nothing had materialized for any of us and we just wanted to do something different. We didn't really think it would end up being a paycheck for us. So we think of all the good things that have happened for us as one big pleasant surprise--nothing we ever expected. E: Do you think that all bands who find success find it the same way? Bobby: No way. I think that most bands that you would consider to be successful have a successful label behind them The bands receive exposure from the label and are associated with other bands on the label. There are a lot of mediocre bands that can sell a ton of records and pack out houses nationwide because they're on a very recognizable label. I think it's becoming more and more rare for a band to do what we've done--booking our own tours, building up a national following for ourselves--without a big label behind us. There are bands that do it that way, but not a lot. I think that it's a different kind of success when you do it the way that we've done it, because we've been totally self sufficient, it's more fufilling. We've earned it. We've paid our dues. So, no way. Bands become successful in a lot of different ways. E: Was recording for your newest release, the upcoming EP In the Land of Monsters, an easier experience for the band than recording past albums had been? Bobby: Yes and no. With Ryan leaving, I was able to record all the guitar tracks for the EP, which meant a lot more work for me in the studio... but it also freed me up to write whatever I wanted to. There are both positives and negatives to working alone as opposed to working with a partner. It was a fun experience, being able to write everything for once... very different from what we've done before. But I did get really sick in the middle of recording the guitars for the EP. I had to go to the hospital because I had a viral infection--my eyes were bleeding! But anyway, creating this EP was the most challenging thing we've ever done as a band, but it was also the most fufilling. Very stressful at times, but we are all very proud of it. E: Would you say that the band's sound has been consistent from album to album, or was there any sort of stylistic change over your last few records? Bobby: I think anybody who follows our work knows that every time we come out with a new CD, we sound like a different band. Why We Fight was tech-punk rock, Ribbons and Sugar was prog-math pop, and In the Land of Monsters is more traditional rock and roll. Every CD sounds different from the one before it, but there are two things that are consistent on all three CDs--Nic's vocals and the progressive songwriting. E: When and where were the majority of the songs for the album written? Bobby: Most of it was written in the month between Ryan leaving the band and the beginning of the recording. There is a song on the CD that I wrote almost a year ago--"Badlands"--and a song that I wrote while we were on tour this spring--"Conversation with the Devil"--but most of it came together the month before recording. E: What made the band decide to record the album with only one guitarist as opposed to hiring a new second guitarist? Bobby: Well, Ryan leaving was kind of a surprise. Our music isn't the easiest to play, and it would have been a headache trying to find someone to replace Ryan when we needed to be writing songs for the new EP. E: How important is a label to a successful release of an album? Bobby: Huge. I consider us to be a relatively successful band, but we haven't yet had a successful album release. We can sell a lot of stuff and get a big name and pack out venues across the country on tour, but not even all that can get your records in stores. For us, that's where a bigger label comes in. E: How does it work with being connected to two labels--both Rocketstar and LLR Records? Bobby: Rocketstar put out our first two records, LLR is putting out this EP. Both labels are really cool people. We may work with both labels again sometime in the future. We'll definitely appear on their compilation CDs, and we may end up doing EPs with them and stuff like that. E: Should the upcoming tour be a different experience from past tours you've been on? Bobby: Of course. Ryan is no longer in the band, so that will be different. It will also be the biggest tour we've been on--three straight months. And we actually will be opening some of the dates, which is new for us. Most of our tours to date have been headlining tours for us. E: How excited are you for the bands you'll be playing with on this tour? Bobby: Super excited! All the bands on these tours are awesome. Bear Vs. Shark, Name Taken, As Tall as Lions, Slow Coming Day, and Then in August. We're out for a month straight with our good friends Acceptance and The Snake, the Cross, the Crown. We just feel like the luckiest band in the world to be going out with such great bands and such great people. E: Any specific places you're looking forward to touring to? Bobby: Denver! And all of Southern California. And Boston! All of these places are like second homes to us. We have best friends all over the country, so it's always the greatest time visiting these places. Plus, don't forget about the theme parks. Waterworld outside of Denver is one of the top ten waterslide parks in the world! E: How much relaxation does being a musician allow you? Do you ever feel overwhelmed with responsibility or stress, or is it truly a carefree lifestyle? Bobby: *Laughs* It's funny that you ask that. I feel on the verge of a nervous breakdown sometimes! Too much stress. We really don't get as much time as we should to focus on the music. So much time is spent managing the business, ordering merch, booking tours, negotiating with labels, getting the van fixed, blah blah blah blah blah. It's a very stressful life, but a rewarding one. E: What do you think serves as the greatest reward? Bobby: For me personally, it's having the opportunity to write and record music. I just feel so blessed being able to do what I get to do. Nothing makes me feel like music makes me feel, and the fact that I get to spend most of my time working with music just blows my mind. I must have won the lottery or something. E: Well thank you again for taking th time to answer the questions. Good luck on tour. Bobby: Hey, you've been awesome. |