xearlynovemberx
10/05/06, 02:24 PM
First off i want to thank you for taking the time out to do this interview.
No problem at all, Rob.
What is the current status of the band since you guys were dropped?
Everyone is doing their own thing as of right now. Most of us are trying to rejoin the real world the best we can and a few of us are continuing to play music.
What made you guys select Rushmore over any other labels that were looking at you guys?
- We were originally offered a contract by Richard and Stefanie the day we met them about 4 years ago for the new label they were starting called Rushmore Records. Rushmore at the time was going to become the new Drive-Thru in a sense because Drive-Thru was stuck with MCA under an awful contract that they couldn't get out of. They were eventually going to move all the Drive-Thru bands that they had left (or that MCA had not taken from them) to Rushmore Records. Being as that was, things didn't stay the way as planned, but we remained good friends with Richard and Stefanie until we finally received our contract 3 years later.
If another label offered you a contract at the time do you think you still would have signed with Rushmore given the relationship you guys had with Richard And Stefanie?
If another label was interested, by the band's decision, chances are we probably would not have gone with it. It would have really depended upon the other offers we would have received from other labels.
Had you guys signed to another label, where do you think the band would be?
It's hard to tell where a band could go without the possible opportunity.
Given what has been said by Richard and the band, what are your feelings on the whole situation? Do they differ from the band's?
The band's release made our break-up seem like everything was all Drive-Thru's fault, meanwhile Drive-Thru's reply made it seem that it was all the band's fault. I think it was a combination of both. Madison's breakup was due to a long list of problems that were just getting worse over time. Bands always say that they're not in it for the money and it's all about the music, but they are definitely lying. Being in a band is a business. Money is everything these days and you will get nowhere without it. We had all invested so much money into this band, buying and maintaining equipment, keeping our merch display as updated as we could, buying our own van and trailer and having to maintain those as well. We've funded every tour we have ever been on on our own, from paying for gas and tolls, to being able to eat every day out of our own pocket. Over time, when you don't see an income, just a bigger hole being put into your wallet, it's only so long you can take before something has to be done. I'd say about 6 months after we started writing our full length, we had 20 songs written and were ready to record. We sat at home practicing and recording on our own for a few more months trying to make these songs the best we could until we finally started to get back on the road again because we knew we were not going to be able to record anytime soon. With our luck, when we finally booked some solid tours, our van problems caught up to us and every attempt we made to leave for a show was just another problem we were running into with our van. Every day was just us dumping whatever money we had left into trying to fix up our van so we could just make the next show.
Another problem was in the last few months, members stopped showing up for practice to do other things like sleep in, go shopping, playing video games, or whatever excuse they could use that day. It's sad to see a band that worked so hard fall apart because they are sick of just waiting to do something. "Get off your ass and do something then." "You can't expect things to happen without doing something", is probably what you're saying to yourself right about now. Well, we have been "doing something" for the 5 years that we were a band. We have toured the country countless times on our own, we have met so many bands that weve helped and watch grow. We have never just sat around waiting for something to happen. Try touring off of a CD that you don't have out and tell me how easy it is to be in a band. Our EP that was released by Fidelity was in select stores for a short period of time and only sold on the internet. We stopped receiving copies to sell at shows for God only knows what reason, not to mention we never saw a dime for the 5,000 copies we've sold on our own when we had a 50/50 deal with the label. When the EP had stopped being pressed, it seemed pointless to try to tour off something we didn't have. We watched our crowd get smaller and smaller every time we went out, but there was nothing we could do about it except just wait until we were able to record again and release something new.
When did you first notice things were falling apart?
I'd have to say June 2005 is when we started having problems.
Was there alot of arguing going on between you guys; did you address the problems?
We all talked about problems when we felt it was time to, but for the most part, everything was done behind someone's back. I always thought being in a band was just playing music with your friends. It definitely started out just as that, but then everything turned into a "professional relationship" as time went on.
Did you find it hard to maintain a friendship with the guys after everything went down?
I found it hard to maintain a friendship with everyone long before that... I think everyone will agree to it. Being in a band with Madison was like having 5 other girlfriends all at once. You try to keep everyone as happy as you can just by doing what they ask and by helping them out. People change and over the past 5 years we all went through a lot together, good and bad. But we all know who each other are and for those reasons I've based my own opinions on each of the members. I still speak and hang out with a few of them, and I am definitely still friendly towards everyone.
What is your best memory when the band was together?
It's hard to say. I have just one that tops them all though. Warped Tour was an experience like no other. I've never wanted to die so badly in my life from the long days and the obnoxious heat we had to deal with, but yet had the time of my life playing it. The Senses Fail tour we did was another experience that i will always carry. I couldn't dream of better shows than the shows we played on that tour. I'd also have to say a lot of the long van rides we've had, like the ones over 15 hours straight because everyone would just start loosing their mind and they would become the most entertaining group of people I've ever met. Seeing the county and visiting places I thought I'd never see while meeting the most interesting people and making tons of new friends was definitely a plus too.
Would you change anything if you could?
Absolutely. I would have never dropped out of high school or quit my day job. I fucked up!
Any plans to go back to school or get a G.E.D.?
I'm studying to get my G.E.D. and will take the test as soon as I'm ready. I would like to go to full Sail in Orlando to get my degree in game development and film. But as of right now, I'm going to take some time to get my life back on track, get a job, earn some cash again, and then decide from there if I will pursue going to school.
In what way has this experience changed your life?
All the sacrifices I've made were always for the band. I've pretty much grown up being in a band so everything just kind of adds up and makes me who I am today. For all that to just end, I don't know if it's a relief or if it's just opening me up to a greater opportunity. Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get.
Given the chance to wipe the slate clean would you consider to continue on with Madison?
I loved our music and took pride in everything weve done, but no, I would not.
Anything else you would like to say before we wrap this up?
Thank you, Rob and the rest of Absolutepunk.net for this interview. Thank you to everyone who has been so supportive for everything I've done. I know this interview probably just fueled the fire, but I hope you all can see where I am coming from.
No problem at all, Rob.
What is the current status of the band since you guys were dropped?
Everyone is doing their own thing as of right now. Most of us are trying to rejoin the real world the best we can and a few of us are continuing to play music.
What made you guys select Rushmore over any other labels that were looking at you guys?
- We were originally offered a contract by Richard and Stefanie the day we met them about 4 years ago for the new label they were starting called Rushmore Records. Rushmore at the time was going to become the new Drive-Thru in a sense because Drive-Thru was stuck with MCA under an awful contract that they couldn't get out of. They were eventually going to move all the Drive-Thru bands that they had left (or that MCA had not taken from them) to Rushmore Records. Being as that was, things didn't stay the way as planned, but we remained good friends with Richard and Stefanie until we finally received our contract 3 years later.
If another label offered you a contract at the time do you think you still would have signed with Rushmore given the relationship you guys had with Richard And Stefanie?
If another label was interested, by the band's decision, chances are we probably would not have gone with it. It would have really depended upon the other offers we would have received from other labels.
Had you guys signed to another label, where do you think the band would be?
It's hard to tell where a band could go without the possible opportunity.
Given what has been said by Richard and the band, what are your feelings on the whole situation? Do they differ from the band's?
The band's release made our break-up seem like everything was all Drive-Thru's fault, meanwhile Drive-Thru's reply made it seem that it was all the band's fault. I think it was a combination of both. Madison's breakup was due to a long list of problems that were just getting worse over time. Bands always say that they're not in it for the money and it's all about the music, but they are definitely lying. Being in a band is a business. Money is everything these days and you will get nowhere without it. We had all invested so much money into this band, buying and maintaining equipment, keeping our merch display as updated as we could, buying our own van and trailer and having to maintain those as well. We've funded every tour we have ever been on on our own, from paying for gas and tolls, to being able to eat every day out of our own pocket. Over time, when you don't see an income, just a bigger hole being put into your wallet, it's only so long you can take before something has to be done. I'd say about 6 months after we started writing our full length, we had 20 songs written and were ready to record. We sat at home practicing and recording on our own for a few more months trying to make these songs the best we could until we finally started to get back on the road again because we knew we were not going to be able to record anytime soon. With our luck, when we finally booked some solid tours, our van problems caught up to us and every attempt we made to leave for a show was just another problem we were running into with our van. Every day was just us dumping whatever money we had left into trying to fix up our van so we could just make the next show.
Another problem was in the last few months, members stopped showing up for practice to do other things like sleep in, go shopping, playing video games, or whatever excuse they could use that day. It's sad to see a band that worked so hard fall apart because they are sick of just waiting to do something. "Get off your ass and do something then." "You can't expect things to happen without doing something", is probably what you're saying to yourself right about now. Well, we have been "doing something" for the 5 years that we were a band. We have toured the country countless times on our own, we have met so many bands that weve helped and watch grow. We have never just sat around waiting for something to happen. Try touring off of a CD that you don't have out and tell me how easy it is to be in a band. Our EP that was released by Fidelity was in select stores for a short period of time and only sold on the internet. We stopped receiving copies to sell at shows for God only knows what reason, not to mention we never saw a dime for the 5,000 copies we've sold on our own when we had a 50/50 deal with the label. When the EP had stopped being pressed, it seemed pointless to try to tour off something we didn't have. We watched our crowd get smaller and smaller every time we went out, but there was nothing we could do about it except just wait until we were able to record again and release something new.
When did you first notice things were falling apart?
I'd have to say June 2005 is when we started having problems.
Was there alot of arguing going on between you guys; did you address the problems?
We all talked about problems when we felt it was time to, but for the most part, everything was done behind someone's back. I always thought being in a band was just playing music with your friends. It definitely started out just as that, but then everything turned into a "professional relationship" as time went on.
Did you find it hard to maintain a friendship with the guys after everything went down?
I found it hard to maintain a friendship with everyone long before that... I think everyone will agree to it. Being in a band with Madison was like having 5 other girlfriends all at once. You try to keep everyone as happy as you can just by doing what they ask and by helping them out. People change and over the past 5 years we all went through a lot together, good and bad. But we all know who each other are and for those reasons I've based my own opinions on each of the members. I still speak and hang out with a few of them, and I am definitely still friendly towards everyone.
What is your best memory when the band was together?
It's hard to say. I have just one that tops them all though. Warped Tour was an experience like no other. I've never wanted to die so badly in my life from the long days and the obnoxious heat we had to deal with, but yet had the time of my life playing it. The Senses Fail tour we did was another experience that i will always carry. I couldn't dream of better shows than the shows we played on that tour. I'd also have to say a lot of the long van rides we've had, like the ones over 15 hours straight because everyone would just start loosing their mind and they would become the most entertaining group of people I've ever met. Seeing the county and visiting places I thought I'd never see while meeting the most interesting people and making tons of new friends was definitely a plus too.
Would you change anything if you could?
Absolutely. I would have never dropped out of high school or quit my day job. I fucked up!
Any plans to go back to school or get a G.E.D.?
I'm studying to get my G.E.D. and will take the test as soon as I'm ready. I would like to go to full Sail in Orlando to get my degree in game development and film. But as of right now, I'm going to take some time to get my life back on track, get a job, earn some cash again, and then decide from there if I will pursue going to school.
In what way has this experience changed your life?
All the sacrifices I've made were always for the band. I've pretty much grown up being in a band so everything just kind of adds up and makes me who I am today. For all that to just end, I don't know if it's a relief or if it's just opening me up to a greater opportunity. Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get.
Given the chance to wipe the slate clean would you consider to continue on with Madison?
I loved our music and took pride in everything weve done, but no, I would not.
Anything else you would like to say before we wrap this up?
Thank you, Rob and the rest of Absolutepunk.net for this interview. Thank you to everyone who has been so supportive for everything I've done. I know this interview probably just fueled the fire, but I hope you all can see where I am coming from.