Susan Frances
10/18/08, 08:57 PM
Indie-rock quartet Locksley (http://www.bandoflocksley.com/) have embarked on a new adventure as the headliner of MTV’s Choose or Lose national tour to support America‘s U.S. military veterans. The band’s guitarist Jesse Laz spoke to AbsolutePunk.net about the tour, which kicked off in Boston, Massachusetts on October 5, 2008 and wraps up in Vienna, Virginia on November 3, 2008, and how the band got involved in the campaign. Locksley was recently featured as an MTV Artist of the Week coinciding with the re-issue of their 2007 debut CD, Don’t Make Me Wait. Without the support of a major label, Locksley have earned spots on Late Night with Conan O’Brien and Jimmy Kimmel Live, and awarded the honor of composing “Why Can’t I Be You” for the MTV show of the same name and the track’s music video won MTVU’s The Freshman.
Why did the band decide to be a part of the Choose Or Lose Tour? How did you get involved with this tour? What has the tour been like for you? Do you feel like the fans are listening to you?
Though our music isn't overtly political, we're personally very involved in politics and thought this was a perfect opportunity to do something more with our music. We actually asked MTV if our Artist of the Week spots could be politically themed and agreed that in addition to the live spots, our interview spots would focus on explaining the importance of the youth vote. It starts to sound a bit like a broken record, because we hear about it every major election cycle, but that doesn't make it any less important. Are people responding? No way to know for sure, but it's encouraging for us when the conversations we have after the shows are predominantly issues based.
What are some issues that you feel the two presidential candidates need to address if they are going to help today's youth?
Education, more than anything. And it would be the issue we think would most help everybody. The stronger our nation's public education system, the stronger our future outlook.
Are you using any of your songs from Don't Make Me Wait to be sort of a rally cry or anthem for the audiences? How are fans responding to your music at the shows?
We've joked that “All Over Again” sounds like it could refer directly to the Bush Administration "you won't say the things you mean, so you can see I've had enough of you / you want everything to seem like everything's alright but that's not true... you're gonna have to start all over again." But not really. The fans seem to love the songs, I think it's safe to say.
What are your plans after the Choose Or Lose Tour is over? Is it back into the recording studio for a new album or going onto another tour, or do you have other plans?
Sort of both. We're not sure exactly which direction we're going to go with our next release, but we do have an exciting tour set up. We're going to be opening for Ray Davies of the Kinks and acting as his backing band on the hits, as well. So, Locksley are the Village Green Preservation Society. Which is amazing.
Why did the band decide to settle in Brooklyn, New York after moving from Madison, Wisconsin? What is the environment like in Brooklyn that makes the band stay there?
Well, now it's just where we are. We have a studio on Manhattan's Lower East Side. But initially it was the challenge. We wanted to go to the place that was hardest to come out of successfully, figuring if we could make it there... well, I guess we could make it anywhere.
Who are some bands or artists out there that you feel are great? Is there anyone that you are learning from or feel inspired by?
Hymns are amazing. Harlem Shakes, Bishop Allen, the Postelles are some other current bands that are really exciting. We're hugely influenced by the Strokes, who I think still call New York home. We also have been influenced by some of the ghosts of the old greats. We used to have a residency at CBGBs so Richard Hell and the Ramones are big ones.
Looking back what are some of the pitfalls of being an unsigned band and what have been some of the advantages? Would you recommend other bands to follow in your path?
Organization is a tough one. We've been really lucky with some of the coverage we've been able to get. But concentrating it is harder. Tying Kimmel to Conan to MTV to the tours to the SPIN feature to the blog coverage to the Cloverfield placement. We've been able to get these things to fall, but not all at the same time so it's like adding weight to a tree branch, unless you do enough at once it won't break. Not sure if that analogy makes sense. We wouldn't necessarily recommend anything to other bands. I'm sure a label could be great for a band, but they could kill the career of a promising band too. Look at the Redwalls. I saw those guys live right after their record with Capitol came out. And they were great, but probably would've done better to develop a little more before dropping with their first major label record. Build a fanbase, hone their songwriting some. And then the label throws tons of money at them and raises them to this unsustainable level and at the first sign of trouble the label bails on them. How do you recover from that? They might, but it certainly hasn't done them any favors. We've kept this slow steady climb and we'll see if it works for us. It might not. But that's the hand we were dealt.
What are you looking forward in 2009? What are some of your aspirations in the coming year?
Considerably more music released. We've spent awhile trying to hone our organization while pushing our first album. We've got our ducks closer to a row now, so we're very eager to make more new music available. We're discussing exactly how to do that: EPs, singles, free downloads, maybe all three. While working on our next full-length, which hopefully we can find a good partner to help take us to the next level. If not, we're still confident in our ability to make our own success.
Have you met any of your idols like the members of the Beatles, the Kinks, the Beach Boys, the Stooges, or the Ramones? What did you like about these artists music, and would you like Locksley's music to be perceived the same way by audiences?
Sam met Paul McCartney on the street once. We've all met Tommy Ramone, Jordan saw Iggy live, Kai, Sam and I met Richard Hell and we're about to tour with Ray Davies, which is just too cool to even believe. We like the excitement in these artist's music. The excitement and the timelessness in their songwriting. It feels like people will always be discovering their music for the first time and falling in love with it like we have. And yes, we absolutely hope people see the same thing in our music.
When you aren't working on Locksley's music, what do you enjoy doing?
Reading, video games, going to movies, tv shows on DVD. Kai likes soccer. Reading online blogs. Especially Absolute Punk.
10/10: Madison, WI - The Barrymore Theatre
10/11: Chicago, IL - Beat Kitchen
10/13: Des Moines, IA - Vaudeville Mews
10/14: Minneapolis, MN - Varsity Theater
10/15: Lawrence, KS - Bottleneck
10/16: Denver, CO - Hi Dive
10/17: Salt Lake City, UT - Avalon Theatre
10/19: Tucson, AZ - Club Congress (FREE SHOW)
10/20: Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour (FREE SHOW)
10/22: Albuquerque, NM - Launchpad
10/24: Austin, TX - Emo's Lounge
10/25: Houston, TX - Jet Lounge @ The Engine Room
10/26: Dallas, TX - Pontiac Garage @ House of Blues
10/28: Nashville, TN - Mercy Lounge
10/29: Atlanta, GA - Vinyl
10/30: Charlotte, NC - Visulite Theatre
11/01: New York, NY - Highline Ballroom
11/03: Vienna VA - Jammin' Java
Why did the band decide to be a part of the Choose Or Lose Tour? How did you get involved with this tour? What has the tour been like for you? Do you feel like the fans are listening to you?
Though our music isn't overtly political, we're personally very involved in politics and thought this was a perfect opportunity to do something more with our music. We actually asked MTV if our Artist of the Week spots could be politically themed and agreed that in addition to the live spots, our interview spots would focus on explaining the importance of the youth vote. It starts to sound a bit like a broken record, because we hear about it every major election cycle, but that doesn't make it any less important. Are people responding? No way to know for sure, but it's encouraging for us when the conversations we have after the shows are predominantly issues based.
What are some issues that you feel the two presidential candidates need to address if they are going to help today's youth?
Education, more than anything. And it would be the issue we think would most help everybody. The stronger our nation's public education system, the stronger our future outlook.
Are you using any of your songs from Don't Make Me Wait to be sort of a rally cry or anthem for the audiences? How are fans responding to your music at the shows?
We've joked that “All Over Again” sounds like it could refer directly to the Bush Administration "you won't say the things you mean, so you can see I've had enough of you / you want everything to seem like everything's alright but that's not true... you're gonna have to start all over again." But not really. The fans seem to love the songs, I think it's safe to say.
What are your plans after the Choose Or Lose Tour is over? Is it back into the recording studio for a new album or going onto another tour, or do you have other plans?
Sort of both. We're not sure exactly which direction we're going to go with our next release, but we do have an exciting tour set up. We're going to be opening for Ray Davies of the Kinks and acting as his backing band on the hits, as well. So, Locksley are the Village Green Preservation Society. Which is amazing.
Why did the band decide to settle in Brooklyn, New York after moving from Madison, Wisconsin? What is the environment like in Brooklyn that makes the band stay there?
Well, now it's just where we are. We have a studio on Manhattan's Lower East Side. But initially it was the challenge. We wanted to go to the place that was hardest to come out of successfully, figuring if we could make it there... well, I guess we could make it anywhere.
Who are some bands or artists out there that you feel are great? Is there anyone that you are learning from or feel inspired by?
Hymns are amazing. Harlem Shakes, Bishop Allen, the Postelles are some other current bands that are really exciting. We're hugely influenced by the Strokes, who I think still call New York home. We also have been influenced by some of the ghosts of the old greats. We used to have a residency at CBGBs so Richard Hell and the Ramones are big ones.
Looking back what are some of the pitfalls of being an unsigned band and what have been some of the advantages? Would you recommend other bands to follow in your path?
Organization is a tough one. We've been really lucky with some of the coverage we've been able to get. But concentrating it is harder. Tying Kimmel to Conan to MTV to the tours to the SPIN feature to the blog coverage to the Cloverfield placement. We've been able to get these things to fall, but not all at the same time so it's like adding weight to a tree branch, unless you do enough at once it won't break. Not sure if that analogy makes sense. We wouldn't necessarily recommend anything to other bands. I'm sure a label could be great for a band, but they could kill the career of a promising band too. Look at the Redwalls. I saw those guys live right after their record with Capitol came out. And they were great, but probably would've done better to develop a little more before dropping with their first major label record. Build a fanbase, hone their songwriting some. And then the label throws tons of money at them and raises them to this unsustainable level and at the first sign of trouble the label bails on them. How do you recover from that? They might, but it certainly hasn't done them any favors. We've kept this slow steady climb and we'll see if it works for us. It might not. But that's the hand we were dealt.
What are you looking forward in 2009? What are some of your aspirations in the coming year?
Considerably more music released. We've spent awhile trying to hone our organization while pushing our first album. We've got our ducks closer to a row now, so we're very eager to make more new music available. We're discussing exactly how to do that: EPs, singles, free downloads, maybe all three. While working on our next full-length, which hopefully we can find a good partner to help take us to the next level. If not, we're still confident in our ability to make our own success.
Have you met any of your idols like the members of the Beatles, the Kinks, the Beach Boys, the Stooges, or the Ramones? What did you like about these artists music, and would you like Locksley's music to be perceived the same way by audiences?
Sam met Paul McCartney on the street once. We've all met Tommy Ramone, Jordan saw Iggy live, Kai, Sam and I met Richard Hell and we're about to tour with Ray Davies, which is just too cool to even believe. We like the excitement in these artist's music. The excitement and the timelessness in their songwriting. It feels like people will always be discovering their music for the first time and falling in love with it like we have. And yes, we absolutely hope people see the same thing in our music.
When you aren't working on Locksley's music, what do you enjoy doing?
Reading, video games, going to movies, tv shows on DVD. Kai likes soccer. Reading online blogs. Especially Absolute Punk.
10/10: Madison, WI - The Barrymore Theatre
10/11: Chicago, IL - Beat Kitchen
10/13: Des Moines, IA - Vaudeville Mews
10/14: Minneapolis, MN - Varsity Theater
10/15: Lawrence, KS - Bottleneck
10/16: Denver, CO - Hi Dive
10/17: Salt Lake City, UT - Avalon Theatre
10/19: Tucson, AZ - Club Congress (FREE SHOW)
10/20: Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour (FREE SHOW)
10/22: Albuquerque, NM - Launchpad
10/24: Austin, TX - Emo's Lounge
10/25: Houston, TX - Jet Lounge @ The Engine Room
10/26: Dallas, TX - Pontiac Garage @ House of Blues
10/28: Nashville, TN - Mercy Lounge
10/29: Atlanta, GA - Vinyl
10/30: Charlotte, NC - Visulite Theatre
11/01: New York, NY - Highline Ballroom
11/03: Vienna VA - Jammin' Java