Rock 'n' Roll is a combination of good ideas, dried up by fads, terrible junk, hideous failings in taste and judgment, gullibility and manipulation, moments of unbelievable clarity and invention, pleasure, fun, vulgarity, excess, novelty and utter enervation."-- Greil Marcus, American Rock Journalist
For those about to rock, we salute you.Have you ever wanted to just pack it all up, sling your guitar over your shoulder and head out on tour?
Yeah, I know! Me too!
Sadly, most of us have to ignore the call of the open road and so we let the big kids go out and melt the faces off the screaming masses in front of the stage.
This week, however, we spoke to a band who's living out our rock 'n' roll fantasy, so get on the bus and join us as we talk to Get Scared!
Hey Brad, how are you doing?
I'm good, how are you?
I'm great. You guys are on tour right now. Isn't this about the time you should be getting up from sleeping?
Yeah, actually we are just getting ready to go check out of the hotel and go find another one.
Are you guys in Pennsylvania right now?
Actually we are in Jersey right now. We had a few days off and we stayed here. We've got a couple of friends here.
You guys toured with Murder Dolls straight through December and then you launched directly into a 2011 tour with Escape the Fate and that runs through March 12th. Isn't that a bit of a grueling tour schedule for you?
It is, but the schedule isn't necessarily bad. The weather--that's what we've been noticing that bothers us the most. We love touring but the weather ugh.
Have you had to cancel any dates because of the killer snow storms?
Not yet, knock on wood
You lucked out, there were some big acts that went down in flames. Perhaps you guys are a little bit heartier than they are. Are you guys on the tour bus with Escape the Fate? Riding together?
No, no actually we are in a van.
That's actually the best way to go. Tour buses cause all sorts of bad behavior and they aren't easy to parallel park. The van must be a great place to be a fly on the wall huh?
Yes, it's very intimate (laughs). It's not too bad though and it's financially a lot smarter at this point.
"Voodoo"
Have you managed to have any "I'm a Golden God" type moments involving hotel pools? I'm causing trouble aren't I?
Not really. Actually, we are pretty well-behaved men. We are a bunch of dorks for the most part.
For real? Because I would never have imagined that. Right now you are touring to support the three-song EP called Get Scared. You released it back in October. I thought it was great. I'm going to go ahead and tell you I'm a big fan of "Sarcasm," but I also want to ask you what you think is the best song or the one that hits the mark with fans?
Well thank you. And off the entire EP, I'd say "Voodoo." I'd say that's the most popular one, but "Sarcasm" has been turning a lot of heads lately and it's pleasantly surprising because that's one of our favorite songs.
Yup, that's the one that hit me in the gut when I listened, but I see how "Voodoo" could be the popular favorite as well. They all seem like they would sound really great live and I've heard you put on a great show.
Yeah, the response has been great live, it's been super fun.
Are you noticing that a lot of your hardcore fans are showing up for these shows?
Our fans are incredible. They surprise us every single day with just how they keep track of us and how dedicated and loving they are. They are always looking out for us no matter what.
I noticed that when I took a look at your Myspace. You've got quite a few fans on there and you are a relatively new band. You haven’t been around for twenty years or anything.
We really are so lucky. It's just incredible. I really am so excited about it every single day at every show.
So let me ask you guys who are your main influences and inspirations musically?
Mine personally, it will probably surprise you but bands like Refuse, Muse, Poison The Well, Marilyn Manson, Rob Zombie, White Zombie. Things like Slipknot, etc. So all of us have different influences but at the same time we like each others influences. Does that make sense?
It totally does. I like Slipknot.
That is actually one of the bands that pumps us up before we play live for sure.
You are going to come out with a full-length release called Best Kind Of Mess. Are you going to continue to tour when that comes out or are you going to take a break?
We are scheduled right now to take a month break after this tour, just until it warms up, and then we are looking to do another tour with other bands. No bands are set yet, it's all in the works but it's either going to be a headlining or a co-headlining tour. That will be in the spring probably right after the full-length drops.
Will people be able to get the album online? Back in my day there was vinyl. And that's all I’m going to say about that sad subject. I just dated myself.
I think we are going to hit every market I don't think there is any reason to limit yourself. Universal is great. They have treated us amazingly.
Your large and dedicated fan base wants to know something about each one of you that they might be surprised to find out. It can be something as simple as "I can juggle" or perhaps you have a secret career as a spy?
Wow, that's hard. I'm going to go bug the other guys and ask them that question. Okay, so for me Bradley Lloyd I'm probably... Man, I don't even know (laughs).
Can you do a cartwheel? I can.
I CAN do a cartwheel, yes!
With lit sparklers in your hands?
Wait, Johnny can do back flips!
Oh good one!
I'm obsessed with coffee? (asks bandmate) Nick what about you? (muffled laughter and chatter) Okay Nick is actually a really quiet kid. He's the shiest one in the band!
"Sarcasm"
You guys are all friends that call Utah home. When the touring and recording are done do you just hang up the outfits and the gear and chill out together or do you go your separate ways when you are off duty?
Yeah, when the touring ends there is probably a solid week or maybe even two weeks where we chill out on our own and we don't really hang out much because we were just with each other for two months, but after that we get together and we jam and record and hang out. But yeah, there is definitely a period where we go by ourselves and kind of hang out with family, girlfriends, and wives and stuff. Also, moms and dads.
I'm glad to see you all get along. I hate it when you think the band loves each other and then you find out they can't stand each other behind the scenes. Now it’s time for the CB3! Thriller or Purple Rain?
Oh, Thriller of course!
Debbie Gibson or Tiffany?
Debbie Gibson or Tiffany?
Yup.
I wouldn't know how to answer that one. Sorry.
Pretty In Pink or 16 Candles?
16 Candles.
You guys enjoy the tour and good luck with everything! Try not to get too cramped up in the van. Thanks for talking to us.
Sure, and thank you!
Want more Get Scared? Check out the band on Facebook, Myspace, YouTube, and Twitter.
