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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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David Carpio - Vocals Kevin Lanctot - Guitar Justin Taylor - Guitar Greg Savee - Bass Cory Barkman - Drums |
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| Interview with David and Kevin April 4th, 2004 |
| E: The Westmark, out of Long Beach, could have their sound described in a number of ways. How would you describe the balance between taking from influences and developing your own style?
Kevin: Rather than take the music we listen to and create our own version of it, we appreciate their approach to something different and try to follow with that mindset. If we write something that sounds anything like somebody we listen to, we kill it. The bands that listen to us probably listen to the same stuff as us, and they'll catch on. It's important to not jack other bands. E: What musical influences would you attribute your sound to? David: I would say our sound comes from a variety of sources. We are interested in a more progressive sound. Collectively we all listen to different music, but as a whole I would say our sound is closest to bands such as Cursive, Pretty Girls Make Graves, and Counterfit... I would even say Further Seems Forever contributes to our sound as well. E: What could be called the earliest stage of a song's development? David: The first step is to create a genuine ground of oneness with the band. We generally play an idea that someone brings to the drawing board and go from there. Our songs seem to come together on their own. We often begin to write a song from the middle or the end, and later write an intro. The construction of our music is difficult at times because we all have different perspectives of the direction of our songs. We each are highly opinionated as well. E: Are there generally multiple songs being written at once? Or do you prefer to go one at a time? Kevin: We are constantly writing and re-writing all our music... even songs that are finished. Our three newest songs are still being changed as we speak, and we're in the studio in five days. As we progress as a band our music has to change with us; this way we don't release material that sounds like it's been written by two different bands. We don't sound the same as we did six months ago. David: I definitely have to agree. I would say we are always working on our material and are always open to new ideas of how a song can be played, arranged, written, etc. At times it seems as if our songs take forever to be written, but in the end we seem to find content in what we've written because so much time has been put into writing our songs. E: How busy do you find yourselves, as musicians? Kevin: We find ourselves constantly busy. We all have jobs, we all go to school... we pretty much practice at every opportunity, which is at least two times a week. Cory writes drum and bass songs, and I have a rap project. The band is the main priority, though; we're constantly thinking about our stuff. David: I feel like we are consistently busy as musicians... it shows how much thought goes into writing our songs when we come to practice. Everyone brings their ideas that they have been creating in their week. Like Kevin mentioned, besides the music we create in the band, I believe we are all working on music consistently, regardless of what it may be. E: What are you working the hardest on right now as a band? David: I think the songs we are about to record are the main focus right now. I believe what we are working on the hardest is to construct our songs in a unique fashion that will stand out from what many other bands are producing. Our main intentions are to create songs that are progressive, dynamic, and original... yet for everyone to appreciate. Kevin: Our main focus is the recording. In the last six months we've written three songs and it's important they don't suck. We've been rockin' a 16-track and making sure we're super prepared before we even set foot in the studio. E: What do you plan on doing with the record once it's released? Kevin: We haven't decided yet. We'll most likely press and sell 'em for a moderate price, give lots of burns away... maybe see if we can get some label support for a full-length. Basically we want to re-establish our fan base since our sound has changed so much since our last demo. We're hoping this 3-song demo will let the kids and everyone know what we're about and people will be excited for our next release. E: How are things being done differently from the time you recorded the demo? David: This is entirely different. With the demo, we were unprepared. We didn't spend the money, we didn't spend the time. Learning from our mistakes, we're going in knowing almost exactly how we want everything done; every single note has been accounted for. This makes it a lot easier on the people doing the recording, and it saves time, allowing for better production. We're going to do more promotion once we release, we're going to play more shows, and try to push it best we can; the last record would have done better if people knew about it. Live and learn. E: Where would you say you've learned the ropes of being in a band? Kevin: Well, we all come from different places. The Westmark used to be a pop-punk band called "Dignan's Plan"... Justin used to be in Off The Record and I was in an emo band called Winter Constellation. We all appreciate each other's taste in music--when someone in the band recommends a record, we can trust it's good. We really appreciate super tight bands like Counterfit... they're really nice guys, too. E: How is the Westmark different from other bands you've been in? Kevin: Well, in my other bands my influences were Jimmy Eat World, older Juliana Theory, and Death Cab For Cutie, so my sound reflected more of that style. I came to this band with that mentality, and it doesn't fly. The Westmark is a far cry from "emo." I had to change my entire music collection to reflect the direction this band is going, and it's still difficult to write stuff the band will like. It's an adjustment that will take time... at this moment, Justin and Greg write most of our material. E: What types of emotions do you try to convey through your songs? David: In terms of our music conveying emotions, I think we write songs that are moody in the sense that they like to change. Kevin: We haven't finished writing vocals, but most of Dave's stuff is about life experience. The music carries a vibe of its own--there's no specific mood we're going for. We just let the song happen. E: Well, thanks a lot for taking the time to do this interview--I'm sure you guys can only get better. Kevin: Thanks a lot for chatting with us. |