 hOPESfALL, interview
The new trend is called "emo core",
call it whatever... it definetly sells! Many people conisder
Hopesfall to be one of those bands. Well, it`s
not wrong, cause quite superficial you can
describe their music as emotional hardcore... the
only thing is, that it is much more! With their
new album "a types" the band just
prooved their ability being able to write just good music
On their tour with Tsunami Bomb we had the chance
to talk a little bit with birthday kid
Dustin (guitar)...
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fRk: Sorry i have to
ask this... please give us a short briefing about Hopesfall... is it just about girls or
is it just about fame…;) Haha…
fRk: I`m just kidding,
so what do say…
Yes, it`s all about
girls;) nooo, Hopesfall?!… I think it`s all about music! At the end we`re just
musicians, wiriting songs for being a part of it and doing it!
fRk: I`m not quite sure,
but I think it`s your scond time here in Germany… last year with Scarlet?!
Yeah right, but we came over
with Nora and Scarlet… both of them were supposed to be on the whole thing with us,
but they had a bunch of really bad luck and had to drop the entire tour with us! So we
came over here… with actually just us;) and another german band… |
fRk:
So, do you like it here?
I
like it… I like it a lot! I mean… it`s so cool to be a part of it and seeing
different cultures,
different things when you come over here.
And… the US is great, you know… but coming
over and seeing all these old buildings and other
stuff is sooo great, I love it!
fRk:
One thing I really wanna know is… why you`re doing this tour with Tsunami Bomb?
I mean, nothing against them… they are a
definetly great, but I`m just wondering` cause
normally a US band, which hits the nerve of time`
hooks up with a band, which are usually
very similar to them and Tsunami Bomb are a punk
band, which is not quite similar to
Hopesfall…
I
know, but first it was kind of an Atticus idea thing. You know, they got a big band
pool
and work together with many bands and at first we
wanted to do the tour with ACON?!…
but they dropped of, don`t know the reason why
for not doing it. However, why were doing
this tour with Tsunami Bomb is mainly a diversity
reason. You know, you always see shows
with bands which are very similar, but I
mean… I always love shows with kind of different
bands, cause you`re mood always changes… and
we talked to the guy of Tsunami Bomb
and decided to do that thing together. Let`s try
it and just go for it` that was what we
thought, cause they are a great band, so we put
it together and here we are!
fRk:
Do you think diversity is important at shows?
Yes
definetly. If I would organize a festival or even a show I would definetly choose
many
different bands, cause it always teases me being
put in one drawer… when I go to shows
or festivals I wanna see everything. ..so I hope
the kids will understand that and like this
package!
fRk:
I mean that`s cool… but there are some people` let me say even most;) who come
to
the show just to see the headlining band, without
any interest for anything else…
and that`s sad!
Yes
that`s unfortunate. But tonight we are the headliners and let`s see how many kids
will
come to see the band before, cause Tsunami Bomb
definetly rock, too!;)
fRk:
Just read the fact, that you`ve been through some line up changes over the
years…
so what changed?
Recently it`s like… nothing has changed;) I think I joined the band about 2 years
ago…
well to be excactly 1 year and 10 months and when
I joined we wrote the new album and
got a new drummer to record “a types”
in the studio… so the line up is pretty much the
same for years now, but Hopesfall as a band has
been through a lot, cause you know…
touring is so, constraining is so` I mean it
takes so much devotion and sacrifice when you`re
on tour and almost every member has been through
changes for that reason and the ones
who decided that they couldn`t take it any more
stepped out of the band!
fRk:
Do you think that these changes had any influences on your music?
Ahhmmm I think so, cause Hopesfall is kind of a collective, a collaborative and the way
we
write is influenced by all, cause all are
involved in the writing process… so when you have
different people you have different influences of
course… but I don`t think it changed a whole
lot, I think Hopesfall is still taking a natural
course. We`re still doing the things we want to do
and you know me as a different guitar player,..
not much happened;) I play the old ones,
like the old ones and on the new ones are still
Hopesfall even with a different influence.
fRk:
Okay, you play the old ones… so you can compare, where`s the difference between
the old stuff and “a types”???
Well,
mainly… we wanted to write more formative rock songs, not songs with different parts`
different parts and different parts;) we wanted
to bring it together as one! So I mean, that`s
what we wanted to change or even make better, so
it`s not that different… we just tried a lot.
Probably the biggest difference on this record is
Jay, cause this time he really sings and he
really appears as a
“singer”…
fRk:
I read that he took vocal lessons for “a types”… is that true?!
Yeah,
he went up to New York city to take vocal lessons… and it was his decision! Well,
I
mean` today nearly everyone does that and it`s
definetly good practice!
fRk:
Probably the most important decision you made in the last months` was to join
Roadrunner Records… so are you
satisfied?
Yeah
definetly and I still don`t know how that worked;)
fRk:
…but you`re still on Trustkill?!
Yes
we are… but the thing with Roadrunner, I mean` we have not really talked to them
that
much, not us personally… I think our manager
has but everyone we met from them is great!
Everyone from Roadrunner is awesome, really great
people and the help us out in any way…
so we are absolutely satisfied!
fRk:
Well, I think you know this hype around “emo core”… everyone speaks and
listens to
“emo core” and to keep it easy most
people define your music as “emo core”… but today
everything seems to be “emo core”…
I mean, it`s not wrong but what about the small details,
the small details which make Hopesfall so
genuine/outstanding?
Ah
yeah;) let me think… whenever people ask us to say what we are, I usually tell them
that
we`re a rock band, not more… but I think the
differences is, that we never wanted to make
“emo core”, we just do what we do and I
hope it comes out that way. It`s really hard and I
can`t put it 100% into words… we have a
style, we have things we like to listen to and that
is what comes out. There so many great bands,
which have an influence on us… like Harm,
Smashing Pumpkins or the Deftones. They are great
musicians and great songwriters. They
inspire us and we try to get all our influences
in line, but we DON`T say that something has
to sound like this or like that. It just comes
out!
fRk:
Is there anything which bothers you about todays emo/hc scene?
Well,
nothing really bothers me about it. I do wish that a lot of times kids were a little bit
more
open minded, a little bit more connected to the
music… but that`s just like how I grew up, I
choosed something because I got used to it and I
liked it just because I liked the music and
when I saw someone with a guitar I just thought:
“Maaaaannn, what you`re doing, I wanna
do the same!;) There are so many great
bands out there and yeah, like you said… when kids
come up to a concert just to see the headlining
band even if the support is fuckin` great…
I mean, that doesn`t really bother me, but it`s
kind of sad! They just should appreciate music,
just for what it is…
fRk:
If you would summarize the message and atmosphere of your music in one
sentence…
what would it be?
(Thinks and thinks and thinks…)
fRk:
None?!;)
Ah
nooo;) we just…….. I don`t know;) I think we just wanna rock! That`s just pretty
much
it… good, special, dark rock!!!;)
fRk:
Why not;) well, how was it working with Steven Haigler?! I mean, this guy is
great…
he did a great job with one of my favourite bands
(Quicksand) and as I can hear, hed did
another quite good job with you!;)
It
was really, really great! He really helped us out, formed and supported our
understanding
of music… needless to say more;)
fRk:
I just read that you toured the states with different bands for almost 2!
years…
seems that you have to like it… being on the
road;)
Yeah
we have, we have done several tour through the US. I joined the band, when we
started out with Juliana Theory, I think it was
200…3 and then there came following tours
with the Ataris, From Autumn to Ashes. We did a
european tour… the West Coast with
Head Automatica and a Canadian tour with
Alexisonfire. We did a tour with Static Lullaby,
Engine Down…
fRk:
Maaaan, please stop it…that`s way enough;)))
But
I´m not ready, yet;) so we also played some with Sugarcult, Hathorwn Hights and 5
days
before we came over here we just ended our tour
with Underoath!
fRk:
Okay but now it`s reallyenough…;) now tell me the most embarassing moment you
have
ever experienced on the road!
Serious embarassment or funny embarassment?
fRk:
Funny embarassment!
Well,
let me think… I think we were playing in Charlotte and I was having an orgy with
about
7 different girls…
fRk:
Haha, definetly!;)
Nooooo, it`s true! Anyway, we slept at Josh`s house and his grandparents came to visit
him
and they just trapped me. So we had a night off
from tour, so we stayed in Charlotte…
and yeah` that was pretty embarrasing!
fRk:
Really?!
Hahahahahaha, I`m just joking… it`s NOT true… excuse me?!, 7!
girls;)
fRk:
Why not?;) i thought you were an honest person…;)
Yeah,
that would have been awesome…haha;) you know, everyday something stupid happens
on tour… every day! So much stupid
shit… too much to tell;)
fRk:
Ahmmm okay…;) let`s move on… we have a section in our magazine called
“crimes in
the past”, where we ask musicians from
abroad about their violent background… so have you
ever been in conflict with the law… tell us!
Just funny stuff!, you don`t have to tell us about
murder or something like that;)
Oh,
ah… honestly?!
fRk:
Honestly!
Okay,
honestly I`ve never been arrested, definetly had some running from the cops but
nothing really more… seems that I have a
boring background with that;) sorry I have no good
cop story, I` ve been in a few bar fights but
never got arrested for that… back in NYC Josh
got a ticket for smoking a cigarette in the
subway and because I couldn`t shut my mouth we
were kicked out of it and had to go home with the
cab. No, no stories to tell… it`s just about
partying, don`t like to get involved into fights
or something like that…
fRk:
Yeah maybe because you got “Mike Tyson” in the band (bass)…
Haha,
funny stuff… you wouldn`t belive, he`s the nicest person ever, no barfights with
him;)
fRk:
Okay, let`s finish… the Hopesfall future… what does it look like?
Ahhh,
after we finish this tour` we got 3 weeks off and the we will do the Vans Warped Tour
in the US and hopefully in fall take some time
off… hopefully not touring the US again, cause
this would be the 3rd time this year;) Maybe
Asia,… or nothing and then, writing new stuff!!!
text:
frankie
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