E: Tokyo Rose has kept a respectable, successful career going with releases on SideCho Records and a strong touring tradition. What elements of making music have been the highest priorities for you as a band?
Chris: Well, the highest priority has been staying true to ourselves. We love what we do, and making music is a creative outlet for us... and if we get to tour all over the country and play shows with some of our favorite bands, it makes us realize how lucky we are. The moment we forget that is when we have lost sight of what's important.
E: Was the path away from absolute scene obscurity a fairly quick one for you?
Chris: Yes, getting decently well-known was pretty easy for us. We were lucky enough to meet a lot of cool people that were willing to help us out, and that definitely helped. The thing is, we are no longer satisfied with "decently well-known," but that has been the hardest step for us. It is a work in progress, just like everything else, and we are definitely working hard to change that.
E: Are you just as happy with your older material as ever?
Chris: No, absolutely not. It has been a long time since we wrote those songs, and it seems like we have been playing them forever. We are actually in the process of writing our next album, which we will record in April. The newer songs are definitely a progression from the older ones, and definitely more representative of the band we are today, not the band we were two years ago. We listen to and emulate different music than we did back then; our influences have changed, and I feel that it will show when everyone hears the new stuff.
E: How much progress has been made toward the new record?
Chris: We have about ten songs ready to go. A lot of ideas that we are tossing around at practice. I'm pretty happy with the progress and the whole process of the writing of this new album.
E: Do you usually have set dates you hope to have your albums totally completed by?
Chris: We did in the past, but this time we are going to take a different approach. We feel it is more important to take our time and do everything the right way this time. When all the music is ready and sounds exactly like we want it to, and all the promotion/marketing ideas are starting to take shape, is when we will start thinking about setting an official release date.
E: Has New Jersey continued to be your primary base of operations as a group?
Chris: Yeah, definitely. We are very proud to be from NJ. We are lucky enough to have grown up in such a great music community. It has influenced us enormously, and some of our favorite bands come from our home state. We love to play shows here, we all live here, and will continue to do so as long as were in the band.
E: How close have you been paying attention to other bands who have been coming onto the scene?
Chris: Oh I have been paying very close attention. I always keep up with all the new bands and listen to their music. To be honest, I'm very impressed with a lot of the newer bands that I have been hearing. Also, touring a lot on our own, we get to play with a lot of local bands, and every now and then one of them will totally blow my mind. That's always a pleasant surprise.
E: Do you frequently hang out with members of fellow bands on a casual basis?
Chris: No, not really. We really aren't friends with many bands, which is sort of weird because we are nice guys! We just haven't been on tours with the same band for the whole tour. That's where I think most bands develop such a close relationship with one another. We have a few bands that we are pretty close with, just because we play so frequently with them, and because they live in NJ, but there are few bands that we have come to know and love as our friends/family.
E: But how close would you describe the friendships within the band?
Chris: We are all good friends. We spend so much time together, you can�t help it. Of course, every now and then you butt heads with one another, but that's perfectly natural. Ryan and I have known each other for years, same thing with Josh. We have been friends before we ever played in a band together.
E: What have you got planned aside from recording?
Chris: Well, we are taking our first trip overseas in March to play in Japan. That should be exciting. It is the first time any of us are going to go over there. Other than that, we have a lot of shows in NJ/NY/PA around where we live, so that should be fun. We will be living in Atlanta when we record the new album, a long way from home, so that should be an adventure as well.
E: All right, well thanks a whole lot for taking the time to talk--good luck with everything, man.
Chris: Awesome. Thanks so much for doing the interview with us. Anyone reading this, we would just like to say thank you for your time. Please check out our web site at www.tokyorosenj.com. And make sure you have a steady diet of EuphoniaOnline! |
