Lueda Alia
03/07/09, 08:22 AM
Thank you Garett for setting this up, the users for submitting some great questions, and above all, The Appleseed Cast (http://www.myspace.com/theappleseedcast) for taking the time to do this interview!
Could you please introduce the band to our users?
The band is Aaron Pillar (Guitar), and myself (Chris Crisci, Vocals and Guitar), with Nate Whitman (Bass) and John Momberg (Drums)
You probably get this all the time, but where did “The Appleseed Cast” name come from?
When we were putting out the first album we were going through a bunch of names. The record was recorded, the artwork was done, we just needed a name to put on it, and the last one when time ran out was Appleseed Cast. The name sparked from a picture of a green apple that was on our web page at the time. Pretty exciting story, I know.
It has been over a decade since you guys started making music, so I am interested in hearing about your journey together as a band.
It's hard to sum up ten years of journey in such a short format as an interview, other than it truly has been one. We've had several members since we started, and none of us are the same today as we were then. I think the music has evolved as we have.
Being in a band requires a lot of passion and dedication. Has there ever been any moment where you felt like giving up and doing something different with your lives?
Not really. I love writing and recording music. I can't think of anything else I'd rather be doing.
Tell us a little about the “Deep Elm” days. What was it like being on such a staple record label for the “emo” scene in the 90s and early 2000s?
It probably says something that the original motive for doing a double volume for Low Level Owl was to get two records done in order to satisfy our contract with them and move on to another label. A word to the kids, read your contracts.
Musicians always say that it’s impossible to pick a favourite album, but is there any album of yours in particular that you guys are extremely pleased with? At the same time, is there an album that you wish you could change or like the least?
I feel like the production on Two Conversations could have had a little more grit on it, and I think Mare Vitalis encapsulated the energy that only a record with a 4 day tracking budget can.
Sunny Day Real Estate seem to have influenced you a lot, starting with your old name, “December’s Tragic Drive.” Would you still call them an influence today? What other bands would you say have influenced you as much as they have?
I was really into them when we first started out. I was really into all of those bands back then, and on our first record, you can hear a lot of influences from the mid to late 90's coming through. I kind of phased out of those bands right around the same time. It was a very intense and focused time for me. It was like tasting sugar for the first time, that's all I wanted to eat... but then it made me sick, and now I prefer a balanced meal, musically speaking.
The concept behind Peregrine seems chilling. What was it like to record an album with such a concept?
It was great. The story was actually solidified after we came home from Pachyderm with the initial recordings of drums, bass and guitar. There was a very melancholy, violent, and ethereal feel to them. The original story was much more of a political allegory, which is always a bad idea, unless you're one of the few bands that can pull that off, which we're not... You can't go wrong with an avenging ghost story though, right?
After all these years of making music and touring, there must be some interesting and/or funny stories. Could you share some with us?
There are plenty, but I can't share any of them. I'm holding out for a book deal.
Sagarmatha is the first album that many people have heard, and I quote, “they have been floored.” How do you feel about the way that the album turned out?
I love it. For me it's something fresh and new. We just kind of did what we wanted to do with it, and hoped people would like it. It's been recieved better than I thought it would. I'm grateful.
What made you decide to make this album an instrumental one? Was the writing process any different than writing your other albums?
The original intention was to make a completely instrumental EP. That changed to a mostly instrumental LP with some vocals, based on the fact that we had too much material for an EP and some of it had vocals. We did a greater amount of writing in the studio on this one than we have on previous albums, except for the Low Level Owls.
Will there ever be another album in the “Low Level Owl” series?
If I have my way, we'll put out Low Level Owl Volumes III and IV as a double feature film, Tarantino style. Something however tells me, no, it's not going to happen.
How hard is it to keep making music for so many years and still stay original?
Writing music isn't the hard part. It's lugging the 100lbs amps that starts telling you you're not 25 anymore. The music is the fun part. Making it original is just a matter of finding your own voice instead of using someone elses.
A lot of people are interested in knowing where and when you guys will be playing in support of Sagarmatha. To keep it as a single question, do you plan to tour North America and Europe anytime soon?
We just finished the west coast, and we'll be touring the east coast in April. Europe, I'm not sure about right now, but we're definitely planning on getting over there sometime over the next year.
Many fans enjoy your side projects (such as Old Canes); should we expect to hear any new music from them?
I'm working on the Old Canes album this month. It will be out on Saddle Creek this fall. Other than that, Aaron and I are talking about doing solo recording projects and possibly putting them out together, but I don't know. We're still in the idea phase with that. I think it would be fun though.
Are there any musicians that you would love to collaborate and/or tour with?
I love collaboration. It's fun to witness the way other people go about writing music. It's fascinating to me, because everyone has different ways of coming up with their compositions. Really I'd like to collaborate with anyone, so long as they have their own thing happening and we're not trying to reach a predefined goal.
What is the most important thing that you have learned about the music industry after all these years?
That it's an industry. So much of it is commerce, and the bottom line, and the things I thought I was getting away from by pursuing music. But also that it's not really the industry's fault. Everything costs money, and to operate, you have to generate it. Piracy is killing it. Now labels are dipping into everything bands make with 360 deals. We're too small to be affected by that, for now. But who knows, once the indie labels go out of business, and it's all just majors... or maybe something can be done about the piracy, and indie labels with thrive. That's what I'm hoping for.
Some of our users want reassurance that you guys will make music for the rest of your lives.
I've got the bug and we'll be doing this for quite some time.
Any last comments for AP.net fans?
Stay Classy.
Could you please introduce the band to our users?
The band is Aaron Pillar (Guitar), and myself (Chris Crisci, Vocals and Guitar), with Nate Whitman (Bass) and John Momberg (Drums)
You probably get this all the time, but where did “The Appleseed Cast” name come from?
When we were putting out the first album we were going through a bunch of names. The record was recorded, the artwork was done, we just needed a name to put on it, and the last one when time ran out was Appleseed Cast. The name sparked from a picture of a green apple that was on our web page at the time. Pretty exciting story, I know.
It has been over a decade since you guys started making music, so I am interested in hearing about your journey together as a band.
It's hard to sum up ten years of journey in such a short format as an interview, other than it truly has been one. We've had several members since we started, and none of us are the same today as we were then. I think the music has evolved as we have.
Being in a band requires a lot of passion and dedication. Has there ever been any moment where you felt like giving up and doing something different with your lives?
Not really. I love writing and recording music. I can't think of anything else I'd rather be doing.
Tell us a little about the “Deep Elm” days. What was it like being on such a staple record label for the “emo” scene in the 90s and early 2000s?
It probably says something that the original motive for doing a double volume for Low Level Owl was to get two records done in order to satisfy our contract with them and move on to another label. A word to the kids, read your contracts.
Musicians always say that it’s impossible to pick a favourite album, but is there any album of yours in particular that you guys are extremely pleased with? At the same time, is there an album that you wish you could change or like the least?
I feel like the production on Two Conversations could have had a little more grit on it, and I think Mare Vitalis encapsulated the energy that only a record with a 4 day tracking budget can.
Sunny Day Real Estate seem to have influenced you a lot, starting with your old name, “December’s Tragic Drive.” Would you still call them an influence today? What other bands would you say have influenced you as much as they have?
I was really into them when we first started out. I was really into all of those bands back then, and on our first record, you can hear a lot of influences from the mid to late 90's coming through. I kind of phased out of those bands right around the same time. It was a very intense and focused time for me. It was like tasting sugar for the first time, that's all I wanted to eat... but then it made me sick, and now I prefer a balanced meal, musically speaking.
The concept behind Peregrine seems chilling. What was it like to record an album with such a concept?
It was great. The story was actually solidified after we came home from Pachyderm with the initial recordings of drums, bass and guitar. There was a very melancholy, violent, and ethereal feel to them. The original story was much more of a political allegory, which is always a bad idea, unless you're one of the few bands that can pull that off, which we're not... You can't go wrong with an avenging ghost story though, right?
After all these years of making music and touring, there must be some interesting and/or funny stories. Could you share some with us?
There are plenty, but I can't share any of them. I'm holding out for a book deal.
Sagarmatha is the first album that many people have heard, and I quote, “they have been floored.” How do you feel about the way that the album turned out?
I love it. For me it's something fresh and new. We just kind of did what we wanted to do with it, and hoped people would like it. It's been recieved better than I thought it would. I'm grateful.
What made you decide to make this album an instrumental one? Was the writing process any different than writing your other albums?
The original intention was to make a completely instrumental EP. That changed to a mostly instrumental LP with some vocals, based on the fact that we had too much material for an EP and some of it had vocals. We did a greater amount of writing in the studio on this one than we have on previous albums, except for the Low Level Owls.
Will there ever be another album in the “Low Level Owl” series?
If I have my way, we'll put out Low Level Owl Volumes III and IV as a double feature film, Tarantino style. Something however tells me, no, it's not going to happen.
How hard is it to keep making music for so many years and still stay original?
Writing music isn't the hard part. It's lugging the 100lbs amps that starts telling you you're not 25 anymore. The music is the fun part. Making it original is just a matter of finding your own voice instead of using someone elses.
A lot of people are interested in knowing where and when you guys will be playing in support of Sagarmatha. To keep it as a single question, do you plan to tour North America and Europe anytime soon?
We just finished the west coast, and we'll be touring the east coast in April. Europe, I'm not sure about right now, but we're definitely planning on getting over there sometime over the next year.
Many fans enjoy your side projects (such as Old Canes); should we expect to hear any new music from them?
I'm working on the Old Canes album this month. It will be out on Saddle Creek this fall. Other than that, Aaron and I are talking about doing solo recording projects and possibly putting them out together, but I don't know. We're still in the idea phase with that. I think it would be fun though.
Are there any musicians that you would love to collaborate and/or tour with?
I love collaboration. It's fun to witness the way other people go about writing music. It's fascinating to me, because everyone has different ways of coming up with their compositions. Really I'd like to collaborate with anyone, so long as they have their own thing happening and we're not trying to reach a predefined goal.
What is the most important thing that you have learned about the music industry after all these years?
That it's an industry. So much of it is commerce, and the bottom line, and the things I thought I was getting away from by pursuing music. But also that it's not really the industry's fault. Everything costs money, and to operate, you have to generate it. Piracy is killing it. Now labels are dipping into everything bands make with 360 deals. We're too small to be affected by that, for now. But who knows, once the indie labels go out of business, and it's all just majors... or maybe something can be done about the piracy, and indie labels with thrive. That's what I'm hoping for.
Some of our users want reassurance that you guys will make music for the rest of your lives.
I've got the bug and we'll be doing this for quite some time.
Any last comments for AP.net fans?
Stay Classy.