rejectillusions

Alex Gaskarth of All Time Low

Tue, 19 Dec 2006 08:03:40 GMT

RI: Introduce who you are and what do you do in the band.

Hey! My name's Alex and I sing and play guitar in theband All Time Low. Nice to meet you.

How did the name All Time Low come about?

Its a line from the New Found Glory song Head OnCollision.

So you guys were amazing at Bamboozle Left! How was that experience for you?

Thank you! Bamboozle Left was incredible - our first ever Bamboozle experience. We're stoked to hopefully perform at the East Coast one as well. We had a lot of new faces come out to watch us, which is always an incredible compliment, so we felt very grateful to be there.

Before I saw you at Bamboozle I saw you for the first time on tour with Amber Pacific. How was the tour and do you have any crazy stories from that.

The tour with Amber Pacific was amazing. Not only was it our first fully national tour, but we got to live in a bus, rather than a van, so it made the whole experience doubly as thrilling. We actually shared the bus with the Amber dudes (they're like family,) sothere was never a dull moment. I think one of my fondest memories was the game of football we played with a bounty roll of paper towel at 4 or 5 am one night. Good times.

How is the turnout of kids at shows? How does it make you feel when you see kids singing along?

The turnouts have been mind-blowing, especially on these dates with Sugarcult. everyone's been super-receptive, and to see people singing along in towns we've never stopped through before makes me all warm and fuzzy inside. We owe our souls to the internet.

If someone has never heard your band, how would you describe your music to them?

Its like driving fast on a summer's day, windows down and stereo up.

I myself just graduated from high school so all of you just graduated high school except Jack?

Actually we all graduated (including Jack) this year.Class of 2006 represent!

So you have a couple of shows left this year are there plans to start working on a new full length? And if so, are you excited about it?

The year is definitely winding down for us as far astouring goes. We'll be heading home for the winter to hibernate and come up with some bomb-ass new jams to record on a full-length in April. We'll be back out on the road in February though, and we're all a little more than excited to get this new record into the hands of our listeners. We're stoked on it. :)

Where is your favorite place to play?

We still gotta give love to our hometown venue, The Recher Theatre. Nothing tops the shows back home, but Seattle and New Jersey our definitely high on the list of kick-ass crowds to play for. The House of Blues in Vegas is also incredible.

I'm from California and I know you haven't played much here. How has California treated you? Do you plan to come back in the future?

California, along with the West coast and mid-west ingeneral has been a fucking amazing new frontier to explore and conquer! Haha, but seriously, we've been blown away by the energy everyone has out here. I <3 Cali.

What bands have influenced you, and with that, who are you listening to on your ipods, cd players, etc.

We started this band because of Blink-182, Greenday and New Found Glory. Recently I've been rocking the new Over It, Sugarcult, Meg and Dia cd's a lot. Jack's Mannequin also holds a place in my heart.

Where do you get inspiration for your lyrics?

Life in general is my muse. All the songs on our past releases have been based on first hand experiences.

Personally my favorite song is the girl is a straight-up hustler. What is your favorite song to play?

I lo-lo-loooove playing Coffee Shop Soundtrack. Mad-energy!

What do you miss most when you go on tour?

My friends and family... And Spot, my dawg.

I know there's a lot of music being exposed online what is your view on the situation?

In what sense? I think the internet is an amazing medium through which a band can be heard by a large amount of people, without a means of distributing their CD through say, a record label. I think we'll see a lot more independent bands getting way bigger than they used to because of resources like Myspace.com and Purevolume.com. As far as piracy goes, well... its very debatable. Easy access to a band's music can help spread the word about the band in general, but after a while, if people aren'tpurchasing the cd's, it will very negatively effect one of the band's primary sources of income, and thus, impairs the ability of a band to function in the world financially... which sucks.

With such websites as livejournal, do you think it's weird to see your face as people's icons?

Haha, I'm still getting used to it, but it’s very flattering. I'm just glad people can relate to our tunes.

What made you want to be in a band? If youweren't a musician, what would you be doing?

I've always been an extremely musical person, singing before I could fully talk and all that jazz, but I think watching Blink-182's Urethra Chronicles 2 really did it for me. I was like... YES! That is going to be me!

What is one goal you have for the band?

To write the next pop-punk masterpiece.

Is there anything else you'd like to say to anyone reading this?

Of course, thank you so much for having an interest in what we do - this is an adventure, and you are our guide. We love you more than you know, hopefully we'll see you all soon.

www.myspace.com/alltimelow

By Geeliza Sotomango

Nick Bailey of Over It

Tue, 19 Dec 2006 07:12:32 GMT

Who are you and what do you in the band?

Hey! Nick here, I play guitar in OVER IT

Where'd the name Over It come from and when did you guys first get together?

We started getting together in 2000 and went full time with the band in 2003.The band was named by a friend who died when we were younger and we kept the name in his honor. Plus, we always say it so it just felt right.

If I remember correctly, Ryan is the new guy in the band. How and when did he join the band?

Ryan joined the band when we signed to Virgin in January of this year.He was in another band called Don't Look Down that we used to play shows with over the years. We had been friends for ever and the chemistry just felt right.....plus he rocks out live!

I know you've been around for awhile but I'm pretty new to you so how would you describe yourself to people who haven't heard you before.

We are a melody driven rock band! We have been around a little while but we look at our new record Step Outside Yourself, as the beginning. It's our honest effort at friendship, dynamics and style! Go check us out!!!

So I saw you for the first time on this past Amber Pacific tour,how was it and do you have any crazy tour stories?

The Amber tour was awesome! We had mad fun with all the bands and definitely bro'd down with the Just Surrender guys! Love them!!!!I think the craziest tour story was the hotel party we had with The Audition where everyone was wasted and the cops ended up rollin up. Joe from the audition ended up going to jail for being hammered in the cops faces....it was all good though cause he got out immediately and was laughing about it the next day....

I was lucky enough to see you at Bamboozle Left Day 1. I heard you played both days. How was the turn out?

It was awesome! We got on the show soooo last minute so we ended up playing acoustic which we love to do. So after some last minute promotion we rocked it. The promoters for Bamboozle were stoked on us so they added us to the next day which was even better than the first! We love California!!!!

Would you rather play a full band or an acoustic set?

Both! Hopefully someday soon we can incorporate both into our live set.The full band set is way more energetic but the acoustic set is just as fun.I have no preference I like them both and we are prepared to kill it no matter which we play!

You guys have been touring for a long time now. I didn't catch you on warped but I'm sure you guys were great. What do you enjoy doing when you're not playing a show?

When we aren't playing shows I love to surf, the ocean is my next best friend besides my bandmates! Hang out with friends and getting Jamba Juice every morning!!! It will change your life!

Siren on the 101 is on your album Silverstrand why did you decide to also put siren on the 101 onto your album Step Outside Yourself?

Everyone at Virgin really liked that song and wanted us to re record it for the new album, which was fine with us. We all really like that song and its fun to play!

Do you have plans for a new single and video?

There are talks of a few songs becoming the next single, I would like to see Where the Sky Begins become a single we all really like that one.

My favorite song is the energy, out of all the Over It songs what is your favorite song to play.

Thanks man I like that one too.....I think I have the most fun playing Siren on the 101 cause we have been rocking it for so long now.....

Where is your favorite place to play and why?

9:30 club in Washington DC. Sweet venue that we grew up going to shows at! Mad love for DCVA!!!!

I happen to be a new partner in crime; can I expect more chats through that again?

Absolutely! Thanks by the way for bein a partner in crime with us. We are working on setting up a video chat site where we can put up more videos and have video chats which are way cool! That should be up and running within the next couple months Keep your eyes open for that!!!

I see that you're doing dates with on two separate east coast tours Spitalfield, and The Goo Goo dolls. How did those tours come about?

We have been friends with Spitalfield for a while now so those dudes were cool enough to take us out and we have the same manager as Goo Goo Dolls so they pulled some strings for us! Which was sweet!!!! So we are very excited for our Fall/winter tour cycle!

If you were doing anything else with your life, what would you be doing and why?

I would prolly be a coastal engineer, that's what I was studying at school before I dropped out and moved to california. That or a pro surfer cause I wanted to enter more contests but kept having to leave the beach to go tour. Hmmmm, come to think of it, I still want to go to culinary school one day so maybe a chef to!!!

What is one thing that people would be surprised to know about Over It?

Our band is inspired by the death of our best friend when we were younger. The tragedy really effected us and gave us a lot of our drive and the creativity just started flowing....That and we all are fueled by Red Bull!

What advice do you have for younger bands trying to make it?

Get your priorities straight! You should be playing music for the love of song, not to make money or get girls cause chances are, those things won't come....at least not right away. Once you got that in your head, never give up! Perseverence says a lot. Stay dedicated to what you love!!!! There's always a light at the end of the tunnel.

What goals do you have for the band in the future?

A gold record and headlining the 9:30 club in DC! I could die happy after that!

I was just wondering pirates or ninjas?

Wow that's a tough one. I'd have to say Pirates cause I'm a man of the ocean plus Johnny Deep makes it look so damn good!

With that being said, do you have anything else to say?

Listen to OVER IT. It will make you smile! And wear Globe shoes cause they are comfy! Holla

Thank you for your time =)

Geeliza

--nick over it

new album STEP OUTSIDE YOURSELF in stores NOW!!!

www.overitonline.com

By Geeliza Sotomango

Zui Sucide

Tue, 19 Dec 2006 06:57:20 GMT

Zui Suicide is an alternative model known mostly for her work with Suicide Girls. She's recently gotten more interest from her website, TrashyLife, that she runs with model Audrey Kitching. Tallie Crocker recently got to talk with her about her website, her life and what it's like to get hate mail.

How'd you first get into suicide girls?

I always took naked scandalous pictures. I ran a small web site when I was 14 and got a fan base up. Then a friend of mine mentioned suicidegirls. So I researched it then applied. My first set went up March 2004.

I know you gave out your phone number for people to talk to you, were you ever worried that people would take advantage of that?

No, I never worried before. Because I focused on the kids and teenagers who were out there that needed help, and someone to talk to. I always got weird calls from the start like people breathing in the phone, fan calls. Or just hate calls. But you have to focus on the good.

Yeah. So I take it, it was mostly good.

It got so bad for a while I had to turn my phone off just to sleep and I almost had to change my number because of it. But the people that I had helped in the past contacted me asking me to keep my number the same and reminded me of what I was doing. So, I decided not to.

Yeah. I remember that. It was really immature. Has it gotten any better?

Yeah it was nuts. Yeah, it has. I think people realized what they were doing (like harassing me etc) was just immature and if they kept it up it would ruin a lot for their peers.

Have you noticed a change in people's perspective of you since you started hanging out with Audrey [Kitching]?

Yeah, all the sudden I got a lot of hate ims! I would get maybe one or 2 every few months before. But now people just shit talk me. It sucks cause I'm sensitive and it does hurt my feeling but then again no ones perfect and I realize not everyone’s gonna like me.

Yeah, and most of the people who do are probably jealous.

So. I suck it up and just don't read the communities and articles that portray me negatively cause I'm a wimp. Hahaha.

How long had you known Audrey before you guys started all the Trashylife business?

3 months before we did our 1st shoot together.

What exactly is TrashyLife?

Photo shoots, videos, journals of Audrey and myself telling the fans about all the trips we go on as were doing it. Fan mail. Hate mail which is gonna be nuts. Stories about our adventures on the tours we go on etc.

That’s cool. I take it that's going good so far?

Yeah, so far so good were getting a lot of recognition thus far. Like Canadian fuse, magazine spreads, fashion show offers its a lot of fun.

That's pretty sweet.

Yeah, I'm stoked.

How about your tattoos, do any of them have any special meaning?

Yeah, my rainbow arm band is to show my gay pride.. I'm bisexual and when I was young I always got beat up in school for dating girls and as I got older I realized hiding it just so other people wouldn't put me down would be ignorant. I would be no better than the people gay bashing so I got it tattooed on me when I turned 18 to show I'm not scared anymore and the beatings when I was younger only made me stronger and there's a "buff monster" on my left inner arm I got to remember when Audrey and I got kidnapped in Los Angeles by a man named William.

Yeah. I really love that rainbow. I’m bisexual too so I always thought it was pretty cool.

He was a indie movie director who refused to let us out of his car. It's a long story.

That's crazy. I think I read about that in your livejournal.

But as we were being held in his car we drove past a wall and it had this design on it and I remembered it the whole time we were stuck in the car with him and Audrey was freaking out. I was thinking about getting tattooed haha.

I'm weird.

So is that the craziest thing that's happened since you've been modeling?

Man, so much weird shit has happened to me...I always lived a life others would see as careless. I always flew out to random states to meet fans, so I'm surprised it never happened before haha but eh whatever it happens you only live once right? Even though it sucked it was an experience.

Where’s been your favorite place out of all the places you've visited? Any stick out?

Brooklyn, NYC there's hair stores everywhere. It's sweet.

Okay one more. If you could tell your fans one thing and have it stick with them, what would it be? What would you want them to learn?

Travel as much as you can while you can. Make mistakes and have fun being a "fuck up", go on tour and date rock stars! Haha and be a weirdo and don't give a shit what people think. Also don't be ordinary there's nothing worse than being typical.

http://www.trashylife.com

By Tallie Crocker

Steve Soboslai of Punchline

Tue, 19 Dec 2006 06:52:01 GMT

Punchline has won your hearts over with their You Tube videos and have recently released their album 37 Everywhere. Tallie Crocker spoke with singer/guitarist Steve Soboslai to see what's up in the World of Punchline.

Your album, 37 Everywhere, has just been released. How satisfied are you with the support it's been receiving?
Steve Soboslai: Hell yes!

You've gotten to travel a bit. What are some of your favorite places?
I love Chicago, I love Tokyo, I love Hartford, I love Orlando, I love HOME SWEET HOME PITTSBURGH.

Can you tell us a recent crazy tour story, from this tour?
Mark Hoppus from Blink-182 called me out of the blue to ask us he if could play our songs on his radio show!

What is your favorite song to perform live?
"They Are Strong Hands."

What are your thoughts on downloading music?
It's genius and I couldn't live without it. So many more people listen to so many more bands because of it.

What are some of your influences, music wise?
Ben Gibbard, Ben Folds, Ben Franklin.

What advice do you have for younger bands trying to make it?
Practice, work hard, and take things at your own pace.

What are you top 5 albums of all time?
Hmmm, this isn't 100 percent accurate because I don't think I'll have this figured out til I'm 80 but...Jimmy Eat World - Clarity, The Get Up Kids - Something To Write Home About, Death Cab For Cutie - The Photo Album, Counting Crows - August and Everything After, Weezer - Pinkerton

What is your dream tour?
Punchline, Ben Folds, Death Cab, and Jimmy Eat World

What do you do when you feel homesick? Would you rather be out touring all the time or just ever so often?
I think we all get a little homesick sometimes - I usually call my mom and friends back home when i'm feeling blue.

You're touring Japan soon, are you excited?
Japan is the ultimate vacation for me, I can't wait to go there.

What is your favorite song off of 37 Everywhere?
"Caller Ten" - I think I put the most work into that one.

What is your music writing process? How do you go about writing a song?
Ideas pop into my head and I write them down, eventually after time and bouncing the ideas off the band the idea grows into a song.

What were some of your musical influences on the new album?
Bjork, Bed Destroyers, Bayside - we're all about the B's!

Do you have any pre show rituals?
Sometimes I do pushups and drink a redbull.

What is one goal for the band for the future?
To play Conan O'Brien.

What are some of your favorite movies?
Tombstone, Braveheart, Clerks.

How would you describe your sound?
Melodically based and positively played.

What are 3 bands that you don't think get a lot of attention or that you think people should watch out for?
Speaker Fire, Split Habit, Casual Lean

If you could hang out with one person, dead or alive, who would it be? John Lennon.

http://www.myspace.com/punchline

By: Tallie Crocker.

Chelsea Seth Woodwarth

Tue, 19 Dec 2006 06:37:35 GMT

Former member of Coretta Scott, Chelsea Seth Woodward, has formed an acoustic band by the name of Paper Mache. Paper Mache has a unique sound with thoughtful lyrics from the heart. Tallie Crocker spoke with Chelsea Seth about the band, faith, and the best advice he has ever received.

Where did you come up with the name Paper Mache?
Chelsea Seth Woodward: I thought the words Paper Mache totally defined the musical and life direction I wanted to go after quitting my last band, a few months back. The craft of Paper Mache is placing unwanted scraps of newspaper clippings together with homemade glue to form something completely new and unique. Each piece of that literal meaning could be given a symbolic representation. Dealing in everything from second chances to regrets and how it's never too late to turn your life around. Forming something beautiful out of something ugly. Making something out of nothing.

How has the response to Paper Mache been?
The response has been amazing. Even with the really rough live demos I have up right now, kids have been taking notice all over the country. It has really been a relief to know that some kids still listen for lyrical content and heart over over-produced polished studio recordings. Gives me hope for the future.

Where do you get inspiration for your lyrics?
Pretty much anything at any given time could inspire me to write something. Thats why I always seem to be writing in my notbook or on napkins in coffee shops. You never know when creativity will strike. For this debut album, the inspiration has been somewhat themed. I talk alot about understanding death, and trying to make sense of the unknown like God or a higher power. Coming of age in dealing with sexual issues, drugs, excess, and of course heart ache.

What role does your faith play in your life?
It plays a huge part. Alot of people seem to cling to me and lean on me. I get phone calls all the time from kids who need my advice or support. They dont know how much of a scared little kid I am too, even at 22 years old. Being that catcher in the Rye sort of figure I cant let myself lose faith in people and a higher power. I wouldnt want to let those kids down. Even though I question the universe all the time.

What have been some of the biggest challenges since you left Coretta Scott?
I have put an extremely high bar on this record. I am so proud of the things I did in Coretta scott. But these lyrics have to be ten times as good. My voice has to be ten times as good. Oh yeah, and I am playing guitar now, which has never been my strong point, so that is an obsticle within itself.

Who are some of your musical inspirations?
So many to list...Bob Dylan, Rocky Votolato, Deftones, Smashing Pumpkins, Damien Rice, Bright Eyes.

What inspires you each day?
Fear.

Do you have any sort of process for when you write?
I write a ton in my journal. Pages and pages of words. Some rhyme, some don't. Then I look back through it and rearrange things, add to them, rephrase, etc. It's crazy sometimes what your subconscious was trying to say and you didnt even know it when you wrote it. I will read stuff back to myself and be like, "Oh wow, I didnt even mean for that song to come out that way." Then I put it to random guitar parts I, or my other guitarist Justin Knittel comes up with.

How have your family and friends handled your choice to be a musician?
Lots of good and lots of bad. Everybody's got their own definition of success. I am almost 23, if they don't get it by now that this is what I am, then oh well.

Which of your songs is your personal favorite?
"Dear Jonas" is the song I am most proud of writing the words to. I was able to say exactly what I wanted to, and that is not always the case in other songs.

What are a few bands that you don't think get a lot of attention or that you think people should watch out for?
Rocky Votolato.

How would you describe your sound?
Neo folk I guess. I would have to let you know after the album is done. I am going into the studio with a crazy good electric guitarist, beat programmer, keyboardest, drummer, celloist, and bass player. It should be interesting how it all turns out.

If you could choose any musician to tour with who would you choose?
Bob Dylan.

If you were doing anything else with your life, what would you be doing and why?
Making Music videos, I am a very visual person. I got a chance to make a pro music video in a real studio, and I really enjoyed the process.

What bands are you currently listening too?
Muse, Bright Eyes, Tilly and the wall, Fall of Troy, Say Anything, etc

If you could spend time with one person dead or alive who would you choose?
Jesus, I mean shoot, even if you don't believe the guy exists, you'd at least want to know what all the hype was about!

What's the best advice you've ever received?
Love more, the lesser you are loved (I have it tattooed on my chest).

What made you choose to pursue a career in music?
I grew up listening to my parents records and watching musicals and Elvis movies. I always knew thats what I wanted to do. My parents would punish me by taking my radio away. I started on violin in 4th grade and just kept going.

Who is your favorite artist to see live?
Rocky Votolato. Tears, literally tears. That guy represents everything I respect.

And of course, the essential question, The Beatles vs. The Beach Boys. Whos better?
Hahahahahahaha The Beatles!!! And the question is the Beatles VS The Rolling Stones. Get it right!

http://www.myspace.com/papermachemusic.

by: Tallie Crocker