"We spent more time making this album than Metallica spent on the Black Album!"
Like A Storm's debut album The End of the Beginning was just released and the group has already broken into the Billboard New Artist Top 200. With their single "Chemical Infatuation" featured on radio stations internationally, I caught up with guitarist Matt Brooks to learn more about how these Kiwis turned Canucks are making such an impact in the US.
Altsounds: You guys have 'mass appeal' written all over you. I know this is kind of a cliche question, but I am honestly curious- what are your major influences in your sound and who do you look up to as a performer?
Matt Brooks: Honestly, we've always been inspired by bands that pushed the envelope- Nine Inch Nails, Metallica, A Perfect Circle. We also really like electronic music. Artists like Massive Attack, The Prodigy and Bjork have definitely had an influence on us. For performing, we're attracted to groups like Metallica, Foo Fighters and Tool as far as the show and the vibe they create. We love music. We've always loved music and we love arena shows.
Moving to Canada has proven to be a smart choice. When you left New Zealand, why did you pick Canada over the US or UK or even Australia? Do you just really love mayonnaise?
[laughs] We're Canadian citizens as well as New Zealanders. We decided to move to Canada and stay for as long as we needed to meet the right people and create the record we wanted to make. We all met back in New Zealand and from the beginning we knew there was something special. Canada seemed like a great choice. It's a great place for music and some of our favorite bands are Canadian. From the very first show we played in Vancouver, things have been happening. At the first show we met Kai Marcus from Methods to Mayhem who loved the show. He introduced us to our producer, Mike Plotnikoff. Everything from that first show just clicked and we've been going ever since.
Your songs are a bit dark... would you consider yourself a negative guy?
Nah, I don't think we're negative guys. Each song has its own vibe. A lot of the music and experiences we talk about have a darker side to them, but then there are songs like "Galaxy," which we wrote for our grandmother who died while we were recording. She was really important to us and a big part of our lives, but we couldn't make it to the funeral. That song is like our eulogy to her. "Change Tomorrow" is a really beautiful song even though it's born out of a dark place. I would say we have that side to us, but I wouldn't say we're dark people.
Fair enough. So, I don't mean for this next question to be offensive at all, so please don't take this the wrong way. Great set up, right? Anyway, you guys have been touring with some well-known names like Creed, Hoobastank, Staind, Saliva and Puddle of Mudd. With your sound I can see how you would fit right in there, however those bands peaked like 5 to 10 years ago. Do you think you are the next wave of that sound or are you reviving mainstream rock?
You know, honestly, we don't think too much about it. We moved all the way across the world to make the music that we want to make. We spent 2 years in L.A. making the record. We spent more time making this album than Metallica spent on the Black Album! [laughs] We feel lucky to make the music we love. We like hard and heavy music, we like soaring vocals, we love catchy melodies. All of the things we love, we have been able to put into our own music. We aren't thinking about things outside of that.
Speaking of the time spent recording, 2 years to record The End of the Beginning?! How much of that time was negotiating the logistics of making a record and how much was exploring artistically?
[laughs] I mean really 2 years was spent writing, exploring and experimenting! We lived in Mike's house and recorded in Mike's home studio. So, really we spent 2 years writing and recording any idea any of us had. I think that's how we came up with something we are really proud of. We went into pre-production with over 100 songs and many albums worth of good material.
Would you want to record that way again?
Oh absolutely! There will probably be more time constraints on the next album, but this is what we all love to do. We all played in different bands and we play a variety of different instruments. We started recording ourselves and got into programming. For us to spend that much time playing with everything from sounds to arrangements is exactly what we love to do. Next to performing live, there is nothing I'd rather be doing than making albums.
Let's create an imaginary situation here. Let's say for your next record, you get your choice of one of the following:
Well my dream producer is Mike. He does such an amazing job and he is going to do our next album, so I think I should eliminate that from the options. They all were such a huge part of what made the record what it is. Unlimited time and money is a hard one to turn down. As an artist, not having any studio limitations is the most appealing thing in the world.
When are you heading back to New Zealand for a show?
I would love to say "soon," but with the record coming out in the US and Canada early next year, it could be quite a while. We're really looking forward to it, though.
You're getting a month off of touring starting around Christmas. What are your plans?
We're gonna go back to Vancouver, where we've been based for the last 4 years. I use "based" loosely since we've probably only been there a few months out of every year. But we'll be in Vancouver for Christmas and New Years, then we'll be rehearsing for the upcoming tour with Shinedown and Skillet. That's going to be great.
What are you most looking forward to right now? The tour, the album release, becoming famous, all the hoes?
[laughs] All of those! We spent so long making the record, to have it finished and coming out and play the songs every night, it's amazing. The crowds in the States are off the hook. It's all part of the same thing, really. The first part was making the record and now we get to go out and play it for everyone. It's incredible.
When you guys reach a point where the money is steadily rolling in, which of your hobbies would you like to invest a small fortune into?
Honestly one of my major passions is producing. If we had "steady money rolling in" and some time off, I would love to produce records with other people.
So, do you collect anything you could take more seriously?
I pick up skull ornaments at truck stops. All across the Midwest there are these little figures at truck stops of like a girl on a flaming motorcycle or creepy skulls with horns. In the future I'll have a room in my house dedicated to all of the things I picked up at truck stops.
And finally, what are some of your Christmas favorites? Songs, movies...
My favorite Christmas movie is National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. I've watched it 3 times a year, every year for my whole life. My favorite Christmas carol is probably "O Holy Night." Oh, and I like egg nog.
The End of the Beginning available in stores and digitally now!
www.likeastorm.com
LIKE A STORM on MySpace Music - Free Streaming MP3s, Pictures & Music Downloads
Altsounds: You guys have 'mass appeal' written all over you. I know this is kind of a cliche question, but I am honestly curious- what are your major influences in your sound and who do you look up to as a performer?
Matt Brooks: Honestly, we've always been inspired by bands that pushed the envelope- Nine Inch Nails, Metallica, A Perfect Circle. We also really like electronic music. Artists like Massive Attack, The Prodigy and Bjork have definitely had an influence on us. For performing, we're attracted to groups like Metallica, Foo Fighters and Tool as far as the show and the vibe they create. We love music. We've always loved music and we love arena shows.
Moving to Canada has proven to be a smart choice. When you left New Zealand, why did you pick Canada over the US or UK or even Australia? Do you just really love mayonnaise?
[laughs] We're Canadian citizens as well as New Zealanders. We decided to move to Canada and stay for as long as we needed to meet the right people and create the record we wanted to make. We all met back in New Zealand and from the beginning we knew there was something special. Canada seemed like a great choice. It's a great place for music and some of our favorite bands are Canadian. From the very first show we played in Vancouver, things have been happening. At the first show we met Kai Marcus from Methods to Mayhem who loved the show. He introduced us to our producer, Mike Plotnikoff. Everything from that first show just clicked and we've been going ever since.
Your songs are a bit dark... would you consider yourself a negative guy?
Nah, I don't think we're negative guys. Each song has its own vibe. A lot of the music and experiences we talk about have a darker side to them, but then there are songs like "Galaxy," which we wrote for our grandmother who died while we were recording. She was really important to us and a big part of our lives, but we couldn't make it to the funeral. That song is like our eulogy to her. "Change Tomorrow" is a really beautiful song even though it's born out of a dark place. I would say we have that side to us, but I wouldn't say we're dark people.
Fair enough. So, I don't mean for this next question to be offensive at all, so please don't take this the wrong way. Great set up, right? Anyway, you guys have been touring with some well-known names like Creed, Hoobastank, Staind, Saliva and Puddle of Mudd. With your sound I can see how you would fit right in there, however those bands peaked like 5 to 10 years ago. Do you think you are the next wave of that sound or are you reviving mainstream rock?
You know, honestly, we don't think too much about it. We moved all the way across the world to make the music that we want to make. We spent 2 years in L.A. making the record. We spent more time making this album than Metallica spent on the Black Album! [laughs] We feel lucky to make the music we love. We like hard and heavy music, we like soaring vocals, we love catchy melodies. All of the things we love, we have been able to put into our own music. We aren't thinking about things outside of that.
Speaking of the time spent recording, 2 years to record The End of the Beginning?! How much of that time was negotiating the logistics of making a record and how much was exploring artistically?
[laughs] I mean really 2 years was spent writing, exploring and experimenting! We lived in Mike's house and recorded in Mike's home studio. So, really we spent 2 years writing and recording any idea any of us had. I think that's how we came up with something we are really proud of. We went into pre-production with over 100 songs and many albums worth of good material.
Would you want to record that way again?
Oh absolutely! There will probably be more time constraints on the next album, but this is what we all love to do. We all played in different bands and we play a variety of different instruments. We started recording ourselves and got into programming. For us to spend that much time playing with everything from sounds to arrangements is exactly what we love to do. Next to performing live, there is nothing I'd rather be doing than making albums.
Let's create an imaginary situation here. Let's say for your next record, you get your choice of one of the following:
Dream producerWhich one would you choose?
Dream studio
Dream collaboration (songwriting or performance)
Unlimited time and money, however none of your 'dream options'
Well my dream producer is Mike. He does such an amazing job and he is going to do our next album, so I think I should eliminate that from the options. They all were such a huge part of what made the record what it is. Unlimited time and money is a hard one to turn down. As an artist, not having any studio limitations is the most appealing thing in the world.
When are you heading back to New Zealand for a show?
I would love to say "soon," but with the record coming out in the US and Canada early next year, it could be quite a while. We're really looking forward to it, though.
You're getting a month off of touring starting around Christmas. What are your plans?
We're gonna go back to Vancouver, where we've been based for the last 4 years. I use "based" loosely since we've probably only been there a few months out of every year. But we'll be in Vancouver for Christmas and New Years, then we'll be rehearsing for the upcoming tour with Shinedown and Skillet. That's going to be great.
What are you most looking forward to right now? The tour, the album release, becoming famous, all the hoes?
[laughs] All of those! We spent so long making the record, to have it finished and coming out and play the songs every night, it's amazing. The crowds in the States are off the hook. It's all part of the same thing, really. The first part was making the record and now we get to go out and play it for everyone. It's incredible.
When you guys reach a point where the money is steadily rolling in, which of your hobbies would you like to invest a small fortune into?
Honestly one of my major passions is producing. If we had "steady money rolling in" and some time off, I would love to produce records with other people.
So, do you collect anything you could take more seriously?
I pick up skull ornaments at truck stops. All across the Midwest there are these little figures at truck stops of like a girl on a flaming motorcycle or creepy skulls with horns. In the future I'll have a room in my house dedicated to all of the things I picked up at truck stops.
And finally, what are some of your Christmas favorites? Songs, movies...
My favorite Christmas movie is National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. I've watched it 3 times a year, every year for my whole life. My favorite Christmas carol is probably "O Holy Night." Oh, and I like egg nog.
The End of the Beginning available in stores and digitally now!
www.likeastorm.com
LIKE A STORM on MySpace Music - Free Streaming MP3s, Pictures & Music Downloads
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