Linda Ferreira
10/18/09, 10:10 PM
Interview done by Timmy Hansell with Tommy (lead vox, quitar):
1. 5 releases Slaves To Gravity is looking forward to in '09?
1 - Our new record
2 - Alice in Chains' new record
3 - Biffy Clyro's follow up to Puzzle
4 - Iron Man 2
5 - Tiger Woods 09'
2. There are rumblings of a US invasion by STG this year. Can you tell us any more?
We're working on it. Trying to get a deal at the moment is like getting blood from a stone. Everyone is broke, and the last thing you're likely to bet your last dollar on is a fucking rock band! That said, we're working with a great new manager in NYC and we're heading out to SXSW this year for a couple of shows to try and help move things along. We've gathered a lot of good momentum here in the UK over the last year, and we're not about to let that slip away from us. Hopefully something will be in place for a summer release Stateside. If not, then we'll keep working on it until it comes good. It's a burning ambition of ours to break into the US market.
3. What was the greatest highlight for the band this past year?
I think we've got to a point we've never reached with any other band we've played in this past year. The album was really well received here in the UK and for the first time in my career it feels like what I'm doing is being taken seriously. We toured our asses off and got a lot tighter as a band and as a unit. It's focused all our minds on what we want and what we're capable of achieving. Winning the Kerrang! Award was a great way to round things off, although it was a bit weird feeling "accepted" when we're so used to existing on the periphery. All in all, i'm just really enjoying my life and I'm really excited about what the future holds for us.
4. STG's sound definitely has a lot of cross-over. Is there a certain sound or genre you guys are aiming for?
I think there is, but we've never openly discussed it. We write a lot of songs and there's a strong enough bond between us for us to be able to tell when we're going in the right direction and when we're not without verbalizing it. We all love melody, riffs, and have a healthy appetite for the random to keep things interesting. Our influences are fairly eclectic, and i think that shines through, but fundamentally we try and write songs that feel as though they'll still have something to say 15 years down the line. I would worry that openly deciding exactly which genre we fall into would neuter us creatively.
5. The band produced "Scatter..." by yourselves. Is that an undertaking you would like to take on again or are you looking to work with a producer on the next record? Any specific producers in mind?
It was a big undertaking for us to produce ourselves. We did it primarily because we were still finding our feet as a band and didn't want anyone to come in with any definite sense of who we should be, "giving" us our identity. That point of gestation is very delicate and rushing it would have been a big mistake for us. For album number 2, we're very much looking forward to burdening someone else with the responsibility. We've proved to ourselves that we are capable of delivering a pure, undiluted message, but we're also keen to learn. There are a few names on the shortlist, but i don't want to give the game away just yet. Besides, we're still trying to find out exactly who works for beer.
6. How incredible of a feeling was it winning the Kerrang! award? Was it totally unexpected?
Totally. It felt warm and beautiful and as if someone had bestowed great generosity upon us, but it was also a slightly hollow feeling. Not quite like we'd sold out, but like we'd been accepted. When you're so used to being an outsider and an underdog it's quite disarming to suddenly be invited to sit at the high table.
7. Which artists would be on the perfect STG tour in '09?
Stone Temple Pilots and Alice in Chains. I'd happily just follow the tour around in a bug bus, getting high and enjoying the music from the front row.
8. What are three UK bands that you feel don't get enough attention over here in the US?
Apart from us, obviously! Too be honest i'm not too savvy on who's hot and who's not Stateside as far as UK bands go. You don't get to read a lot about our bands as soon as they've left our shores. The UK is very myopic in that sense. I've heard it said that it's like selling sand to the Arabs, taking an English rock band to the States, but we have our own perspective over here that moves it past that. I guess what we're selling is sandcastles.
9. Do you guys plan to continue with Gravitas records in the near future? How'd that come about?
Gravitas was born out the same principle that guided us to produce the album ourselves, i suppose. We got so sick of being told what to do, that what we were doing was wrong blah blah..... we just kinda shook ourselves dry and told everyone to fuck off before carving out our own path through the trees. I think we earned a lot of respect for doing things this way, and it's certainly taught us a lot about the business. We're aiming to license the album throughout the world. Japan is already sealed and the album is out and doing well there. Europe and the States are next, effectively making Gravitas more of a production company than a label. This way we get to make the album under our terms and keep the important stuff within our control whilst still being able to utilize the infrastructure of bigger labels in order to roll things out on a grander scale. That's the plan, anyway! I'm still not ruling out the possibility of having to say "would you like fries with that" for the rest of my working life.
10. Lastly, what does STG hope to achieve in '09?
The most important thing to me right now is that we write a great second album that really moves beyond the first in terms of both ideas and execution. We want to capitalize on the momentum we have gathered here in the UK and not see it run out of steam before we've really had a chance to show the world what we have to offer.
1. 5 releases Slaves To Gravity is looking forward to in '09?
1 - Our new record
2 - Alice in Chains' new record
3 - Biffy Clyro's follow up to Puzzle
4 - Iron Man 2
5 - Tiger Woods 09'
2. There are rumblings of a US invasion by STG this year. Can you tell us any more?
We're working on it. Trying to get a deal at the moment is like getting blood from a stone. Everyone is broke, and the last thing you're likely to bet your last dollar on is a fucking rock band! That said, we're working with a great new manager in NYC and we're heading out to SXSW this year for a couple of shows to try and help move things along. We've gathered a lot of good momentum here in the UK over the last year, and we're not about to let that slip away from us. Hopefully something will be in place for a summer release Stateside. If not, then we'll keep working on it until it comes good. It's a burning ambition of ours to break into the US market.
3. What was the greatest highlight for the band this past year?
I think we've got to a point we've never reached with any other band we've played in this past year. The album was really well received here in the UK and for the first time in my career it feels like what I'm doing is being taken seriously. We toured our asses off and got a lot tighter as a band and as a unit. It's focused all our minds on what we want and what we're capable of achieving. Winning the Kerrang! Award was a great way to round things off, although it was a bit weird feeling "accepted" when we're so used to existing on the periphery. All in all, i'm just really enjoying my life and I'm really excited about what the future holds for us.
4. STG's sound definitely has a lot of cross-over. Is there a certain sound or genre you guys are aiming for?
I think there is, but we've never openly discussed it. We write a lot of songs and there's a strong enough bond between us for us to be able to tell when we're going in the right direction and when we're not without verbalizing it. We all love melody, riffs, and have a healthy appetite for the random to keep things interesting. Our influences are fairly eclectic, and i think that shines through, but fundamentally we try and write songs that feel as though they'll still have something to say 15 years down the line. I would worry that openly deciding exactly which genre we fall into would neuter us creatively.
5. The band produced "Scatter..." by yourselves. Is that an undertaking you would like to take on again or are you looking to work with a producer on the next record? Any specific producers in mind?
It was a big undertaking for us to produce ourselves. We did it primarily because we were still finding our feet as a band and didn't want anyone to come in with any definite sense of who we should be, "giving" us our identity. That point of gestation is very delicate and rushing it would have been a big mistake for us. For album number 2, we're very much looking forward to burdening someone else with the responsibility. We've proved to ourselves that we are capable of delivering a pure, undiluted message, but we're also keen to learn. There are a few names on the shortlist, but i don't want to give the game away just yet. Besides, we're still trying to find out exactly who works for beer.
6. How incredible of a feeling was it winning the Kerrang! award? Was it totally unexpected?
Totally. It felt warm and beautiful and as if someone had bestowed great generosity upon us, but it was also a slightly hollow feeling. Not quite like we'd sold out, but like we'd been accepted. When you're so used to being an outsider and an underdog it's quite disarming to suddenly be invited to sit at the high table.
7. Which artists would be on the perfect STG tour in '09?
Stone Temple Pilots and Alice in Chains. I'd happily just follow the tour around in a bug bus, getting high and enjoying the music from the front row.
8. What are three UK bands that you feel don't get enough attention over here in the US?
Apart from us, obviously! Too be honest i'm not too savvy on who's hot and who's not Stateside as far as UK bands go. You don't get to read a lot about our bands as soon as they've left our shores. The UK is very myopic in that sense. I've heard it said that it's like selling sand to the Arabs, taking an English rock band to the States, but we have our own perspective over here that moves it past that. I guess what we're selling is sandcastles.
9. Do you guys plan to continue with Gravitas records in the near future? How'd that come about?
Gravitas was born out the same principle that guided us to produce the album ourselves, i suppose. We got so sick of being told what to do, that what we were doing was wrong blah blah..... we just kinda shook ourselves dry and told everyone to fuck off before carving out our own path through the trees. I think we earned a lot of respect for doing things this way, and it's certainly taught us a lot about the business. We're aiming to license the album throughout the world. Japan is already sealed and the album is out and doing well there. Europe and the States are next, effectively making Gravitas more of a production company than a label. This way we get to make the album under our terms and keep the important stuff within our control whilst still being able to utilize the infrastructure of bigger labels in order to roll things out on a grander scale. That's the plan, anyway! I'm still not ruling out the possibility of having to say "would you like fries with that" for the rest of my working life.
10. Lastly, what does STG hope to achieve in '09?
The most important thing to me right now is that we write a great second album that really moves beyond the first in terms of both ideas and execution. We want to capitalize on the momentum we have gathered here in the UK and not see it run out of steam before we've really had a chance to show the world what we have to offer.