Off course it's a cliché, but it is also the most logical question for a band that is new to our ears:
Can you give us a short description of what this band stands for, the history and so on? What do we need to know about the band Name?
Wes: We're a band based out of San Francisco, CA consisting of myself on vocals and guitar, Bobby Gibbs on drums and my brother Jeremy Fareas on bass. The 3 of us have been playing music together for over 10 years and have remained steadfast in our music regarding always creating the music we enjoy hearing. The heartbeat of this band is that we are artists and truely care about what we're doing. Our music is an amalgam of everything we've ever enjoyed and respected involving music, film, literature, etc. We are trying to restore honesty in music and so far, we feel we've succeeded.
Apparently, NAME is not just the band name but also an acronym. What does it stand for and what does it mean to you?
Wes: It stands for "the new approach to
martyrs expressions". The name is self explanatory in a way, but it was meant as a statement that we believe in what we're doing and the moment that changes, we'll be dead. It seems like integrity has been replaced by a nervousness to cross boundries like bands used to. We're trying to revive that approach to music as much as possible.
Is there also a statement with the fact that you go for such a vague 'name'? Did you take inspiration from the punk rock band No Use For A Name who also seemed to kind of mock band names (or disguise a lack of inspiration)?
Wes: Actually, none of us listen to them, we're familiar with them, but in no way did our name derive from them. To be honest, we enjoy fucking with people. As serious as we take our music, there isn't much else we take too seriously, so calling ourselves "name" is kind of tounge-in-cheek. Like it or hate it, you don't forget it.
Sometimes you know what to expect musically just from a band name, but you obviously can't with your band. Was that also an aspect you considered?
Wes: Definitely. Going by "name" showcases our personality, I suppose. It sort of forces you into a position to listen for yourself, rather then assume what we sound like. Its not hard nowadays to premptively pin point a bands sound based off the name, almost as if they're trying to make that happen. Thats just incredibly dissappointing.
On to the most important thing: the music! If I have to describe the sound of 'Internet Killed The Audio Star', I can't get around the term 'math core' and I would point out The Dillinger Escape Plan and Between The Buried And Me as references. Could you agree with that, are those bands you like or are inspired by? I can imagine it being a boring question to you, but I always like to get a feel for the influences of a band.
Wes: Its not a boring question at all, it allows us to speak out about the comparison game. Both The Dillinger Escape Plan and Between The Buried and Me are amazing bands and incredible people. All of us in the band are fans of both groups, and similair groups within the "mathcore" genre. But, we are not directly influenced by them. We know some of them personally and what we've gathered is we are all influenced by the same bands, which would make sense to the similair styles. The artists of the past have created a slew of musicians these past 15 some odd years within a relating realm, including DEP and BTBAM. Actually, they do inspire in a way. They help us feel confident in the fact that honest, aggressive music can find a home. As a new band, we can only offer ourselves as the next generation.
Off course, there is more to your album than that - and I definitely consider the comparisons to those bands as a compliment because I love the fact that they always evolve and incorporate so many musical styles in their sound. Where do the diverse influences in Name come from: do you all listen to music ranging from metal and hardcore to jazz and blues and post rock and so on?
Wes: I could take up hours of every readers time going into all the bands we're inspired by. But, what I can say is that as long as any of us can remember, we have been fans of some many different styles of music it almost seems unrealistic. We never saw it as odd that we could listen to Dave Brubeck, Cannibal Corpse, Depeche Mode, Sade, Soundgarden, Tom Waits, Jean Carlos Jobim, Napalm Death, Failure, The Allman Brothers, Refused, Sinatra and Bjork all in one sitting. There are others who don't see that as weird either and we find those are the ones who appreciate what we're trying to do.
One of the tracks that surprised me most, is the second one on the album 'My Sweetheart, The Whore' because for some reason I hear some Korn and System Of A Down like elements - which evokes some nostalgic feelings J. I am especially impressed by the part where there's just some cymbals and whispering: there are not many 'heavy' bands who have the guts to go 'quiet'. Did you even think about that or does that come very naturally for Name?
Wes: That song actually came really naturally for me to write musically and lyrically. Not at all influenced by Korn and S.O.A.D though, haha. Although Korns first 2 records fucking destroyed. As far as the cymbal part, that seriously was just Bobby and I throwing out the idea and making it happen. We just felt it added to the unique personality of the song. There are parts like that throughout our album, but it all came naturally. We don't set any boundries for ourselves whatsoever, so we never look at it as crossing a line, thats just who we are.
The latest album of The Dillinger Escape Plan is a true masterpiece in my humble opinion. It shows a band that has evolved immensely and matured into a very accomplished band, the album ebbs and flows naturally. I really do LOVE 'Internet Killed The Audiostar' but it is not on the same level YET, because while the songs are good they are also very different and they do not necessarily form one cohesive unit (some songs sound like they could be from different bands). Could you agree?
Wes: I understand what you're saying. We are aware of the fact that our album has tracks that differ from each other entirely, but we wanted to portray the record almost as a soundtrack. We wanted to showcase different styles, but authentically. That's a major underlining standpoint with us: authenticity. If we're going to do something, we're going to do it right and with complete conviction.
I assume 'Internet Killed The Audiostar' is an obvious pun on 'Video Killed The Radio star' and if that is the case, I understand what you're saying. On the other hand, I do not completely agree because I don't think internet killed audio stars at all - on the contrary, some have thrived. However, if you would have said something like 'Internet killed the music industry / album star / major labels' . What's your opinion on this? Do you want to expand on this?
Wes: We always like to shed light on this. First off, the title in itself is very tounge-in-cheek. Since 'Video Killer The Radio Star' was the beginning of a new musical era, we offer 'Internet Killed The Audio Star' as a title to the new era, which is something we're all aware of as an unevitability. True, the internet as helped an overwhelming amount of artists, more specifically new artists, but we feel you should use the resources as a tool, not a dependancy. Use the tools given to spread the word and make yourself more accessible to those who wouldn't otherwise have access to your band, but don't base all actions off how many Myspace friends you have. It seems as though integrity is a lost art.
Art in general seems to be very important to Name. Do you express yourselves in different ways than music? Are you for example very involved in things like artwork and layout for the cd, merchandising, website or profiles on social networking sites?
Wes: Of course. On top of Name, we keep ourselves incredibly busy musically. Always writting and exchanging ideas, even without a definite intent with the songs. I tend to write a lot of short stories, free writes, etc. The written word is incredibly facinating to me. As far as being involved with other aspect of the band, yes, we are incredibly involved. We worked very closely with our good friend Mike Stitches on the artwork for the album. We have worked with him in the past for many years, so it just seemed natural, being that we knew we worked well together. Every bit of merchandise or website design we have had has stemmed from a concept or scheme we already had in our heads. As a band, we are aware that anything and everything involved with us reflects on another, so we make sure we are projecting our ideals and personalities in ways other then just music.
A couple of years ago the main topic for discussion was about the whole downloading thing. These days phenomena such as Myspace, Facebook, Twitter and the likes are omnipresent. I guess you can't deny the fact that these are really helpful tools for any band, but what is your personal stance? I have always refused to make any profile because it all feels very artificial to me and I would feel like I'm not making genuine connections with others but a lot of people say it's exactly the opposite.
Wes: They have been incredible tools for us, but like I said before, they are tools. It allows our fans to stay connected with us. So they can stay updated with shows, new merch, new songs, or just having an open forum on whatever we found funny that day. We enjoy being able to share ourselves with our fans other then them listening to our record. We're fun guys and enjoy meeting fun people. Myspace, Facebook, and Twitter and all helped push that ideal to a bigger platform. Touring, getting out there, is the way to make it really happen, not just comments or a friend count. This just allows us to stay connected to those who truely care about what we're doing. It is incredibly upsetting to see those who base their lives off of these social networking sites. Theres an overwhelming illusion that these websites dictate real life and thats where we say things are going terribly wrong. I feel these are just good outlets for artists on any platform.
Feel free to add anything you want to get across if you feel like the questions did not cover everything you would want to talk about.
Wes: I think if anyone wants to know more, take a chance with an open mind and listen for yourself. Come to a show and strike up a conversation. It's the only way you'll know for sure. We're incredibly honest guys just trying to show this stagnant state of music that their are options in life. Check out our new record "Internet Killed The Audio Star" and there will be something for everybody on that compact disc. Stay in touch with us on your favorite social networking websites such as Facebook.com/nameband, Myspace.com/name, and Twitter.com/name. Come hang out with us at an upcoming show in your area. Pick up the album at your favorite record store or digital web store. Support honest music.
Thank you for taking time to do this!
Wes: Thank you so much for your time. I had a lot of fun and I hope I answered all your questions.
Your album is very impressive and I am very curious to where all this could lead in the future.
Wes: Sincerely, thank you so much and you'll definitely be hearing a lot more from us, I guaruntee it.
Joris Smeets
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