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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 Greg May 31st, 2004 |
Greg McGowan - Vocals, Guitar Derek Reese - Guitar, Vocals Aaron Squared - Bass, Vocals Ryan Ware - Drums |
| E: Greg, your band Time and Distance has a sound primarily based on acoustic guitars. What made you decide to create such stripped-down music? Greg: Well, long story short, I got kicked out of a band that I was playing in for being "too serious," this meaning that I wanted to tour and get out of our state, and they didn't. So after that happened, I started writing songs and looking to start a new band. Then a friend of mine had a band drop off a show he was doing, and [he] convinced me to play it acoustic to help him out. So I did, and people didn't hate me, so I kept doing it. So there was really not any sort of "decision," so much as it was just me wanting to get the hell out of West Virginia, and wanting to be able to do things my way. E: And how did you go about deciding to adding other members to the band instead of following the tradition of one-guy-and-his-guitar? Greg: It was just me and my guitar from when I first started doing it, in May of 2002, until November of 2003. What happened was that my friend, Derek, recorded the EP I put out for me, and he ended up singing and playing guitar on it almost as much as I did... but he was in another band. When he and the rest of his band quit--because no one liked their singer--I asked him about playing with me. That was in June of 2003, but he wanted to try and start another band. So I went on tour, and I came home and this band, which was Derek and Ryan and [Aaron] Squared, who had also been in Derek's old band, needed a bass player. So I said I'd do it. Eventually Derek realized there was no point in not playing with me if I was playing bass in this new band. So he joined, we did a tour, then we started recording a song full-band just to try it in, like, January 2004. It sounded really good... we talked about it a bit, and asked Ryan and Squared to join up. That was, like, a month before we were leaving for tour, so we practiced about eight hours a day, almost every day, played two shows, and off we went... and never looked back. E: But is the songwriting still initially done primarily by you? Greg: Songwriting for us is a weird thing. I don't know how the new record is going to end up being, like Derek may have a couple of songs that he sings... we're not sure yet. But right now, I'll come up with a basic idea and structure for a song, then Derek and I will work on it, and change things. I'm better at coming up with initial ideas. Derek is far better at looking at a song as a whole than I am. Once Derek and I get it the way we want it, we take it to Ryan and Squared and we work on it as a band. E: How significant is the lyrical content of the songs you write? Greg: Everything I write in every song is 100% true. It's all either things that happened to me, or people close to me. A lot of the songs deal with relationships. I've had a few bad ones in my time, and they still kind of haunt me, so I just let it out. It's a really good release. E: Would you say that playing shows with an acoustic band is more challenging than having a more electrical set? Greg: I guess it is, but it isn't. What I mean by that is that yeah, playing electric guitar is a lot easier, because you can cover a lot of things up. But you can get used to playing acoustic pretty fast, and we've played enough that we're all pretty tight. So we get by. I do get jealous of all those bands that get to rock out and jump around everywhere all the time. If we do that, we just look dumb. E: Do you prefer playing live shows to spending time in the studio? Greg: Definitely. I don't mind recording, but it's kind of like, recording is like building a ship in a bottle... it takes forever, and it's usually very difficult, but once it's done, it's nice to look at. But playing live, especially when you've got kids into what you're doing, is the best feeling in the world. We all kind of get off on the kids' energy. We're definitely the most energetic acoustic band I've ever seen. I'm not really sure what that says, though. E: Are there ever instances where you'll mess up on a song? Or do you have them all pretty perfect by now? Greg: Well, Derek never messes up. Ryan never messes up. Squared messes up very, very little... and I mess up every night. I'm just bad at guitar. *Laughs* E: What's it like to know that something so personal is being heard by so many people through a CD or a live show? Greg: It's completely crazy. When Rob, from I-Surrender, got the EP pressed initially, he pressed one thousand copies. I thought that was nuts... then when we had to get it pressed again, I was totally dumbfounded. Just to know that so many copies of something we did are out there... it's just really nuts. Shows are always the same way. Sometimes there will be a billion kids there, all listening to us. It rules. E: You never get nervous performing live? Greg: I really don't anymore. After you're able to walk up onstage by yourself with just an acoustic guitar, and play your songs for people, I think you can handle anything. So it just doesn't really bother me anymore. When I first started, my first few shows, I was incredibly nervous. It was bad. I'm glad I got over that. E: Would you say that you're still improving as a musician? Greg: I like to think that I am. I think I'm definitely improving more and more as a songwriter. Playing with Derek has taught me a lot. I have a problem when I write of focusing on just one thing, or one part that I think is really awesome... and I've kind of gotten out of that a bit more, and tried to make the whole song sound good instead. E: What have been your favorite memories of being involved in music? Greg: Just playing in my first bands. We were all so terrible, but it was so much fun... just no business, no worries about money or anything... we just played. That ruled. My first big tour as Time and Distance was amazing. It was the longest I'd ever been away from home, and the furthest I'd ever been away by myself. It ruled. E: Do you think that music is something you'll be doing for an exceedingly long time? Greg: I hope so. It's looking possible, which is a nice feeling. But I mean, if it all ends tomorrow, or if it all ends in five years, at least I can say that I spent my early twenties driving around the country with my best friends playing music. I'm not sure who I tricked into letting me do this, but it's the best job in the world. If I'm not playing music, I'll always be doing something involving it. It's what I've always wanted to do. E: Thanks for taking the time to talk. Greg: No problem! Please check out our site at www.timeanddistance.com and listen to us at www.purevolume.com/timeanddistance. |