E: Despite the band�s hip-hop sound, you guys have primarily been touring with indie and punk bands. In fact, you�re a style completely unique from the other bands on your label. What elements of your music led you to be grouped with the indie scene as opposed to hip-hop?
Matt: From the second we heard Fueled By Ramen was interested in putting out our record we were pretty headstrong on working with them. They�re really focused on keeping their bands active and on the road, which is something we wanted out of a label. FBR�s track record of helping bands grow led us to work with them. We didn�t make our decision based on genre, but more on how hard the label would work for us. I think a lot of kids in the indie scene can relate to our songs. �Taxi Driver� for obvious reasons, but songs like �Simple Livin�� which deals with working a job you hate or �Faces In The Hall� which talks about homophobia and positive/negative life choices. These are all topics I�ve heard addressed by bands at punk/hardcore shows, we�re just addressing them in a different voice� So it�s not surprising that we would attract a likeminded audience.
E: How has fan response been--kids coming to see a punk show and watching you perform as well?
Matt: Punk shows are great. We seem to get a lot of love from that audience� I�m not sure what they see in us. A lot of kids keep telling us it�s refreshing to hear something completely different in the scene. I�ll take their word for it.
E: Is the collaboration of your vocals and instruments something that comes naturally in the course of songwriting?
Matt: It is natural. A lot of the music we write relies on other elements of the song. For instance, the bass and drums during �Make Out Club� pattern themselves after the vocals something like every fourth bar of the song. We do lots of little tradeoffs where different elements play off of each other like that.
E: Your album contains a collaboration with Fall Out Boy�s Patrick Stump, and there has also been a popular �Mash-Up� released which combines your talents with pieces of a Fall Out Boy song. How would you describe your relationship with Fall Out Boy, and what has it done for your band's progress?
Matt: Fall Out Boy have done a lot for our progress in terms of helping us get opportunities to get our music out to people. We�ve made a lot of fans through touring with those guys and being associated with them. Nevertheless, just �cause someone is a Fall Out Boy fan doesn�t necessarily make them an instant GCH fan. I think kids are smarter than that and don�t have to like everything that their favorite band does. Which is cool. But anyways, FOB, they�re one of the hardest working bands I know and we have a mutual respect.
E: How long on average does it take for you to label a song �complete�?
Matt: A song is complete when we all decide it feels right. We�ve written songs like �Taxi Driver� where we have 1 long verse and an outro, and we were like �done�. Because that�s how we wanted it, short and sweet. However, we decided we wanted to write a love song� We�ve been working on that song for over 2 years now because we haven�t yet gotten that feeling of completion. We try to make song writing as organic and natural as possible. Maybe it�s a good thing, maybe it�s a bad thing. That�s just how we do it.
E: In what ways has touring impacted your view of your career, your band, and yourselves as musicians?
Matt: Our relentless tour schedule has pretty much kicked up my game as a musician. Playing every night allows me to really expand and keep up with my playing. I�ve found I go a little crazy when I�m not on the road playing my drums every night. I don�t have an extra kit at home so I end up shredding my guitar like a madman. I think it�s like music withdrawal or something.
E: Do you see yourselves influencing other artists who will begin songwriting after having listened to your band?
Matt: That would be nice to be thought of as influential. I�ve had a lot of kids tell me they were trying to start a project similar to GCH. It seems wild to me. It was a stroke of luck that our music came out sounding the way it does, so if that�s something people can intentionally create that�s cool too. We�re all getting better as songwriters every time we sit down to write. |
