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| DAMONE |
Noelle [vocals, guitar]
Vazquez [guitar]
Dustin [drums]
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| For the record, can I have you state your name and your part in the band? |
V: K. My name is Vazquez. "V" as in "victim," A-Z-Q-U-E-Z. And I play bass in the band Damone.
N: I'm Noelle and I play guitar and sing.
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| Of course I get the two people with only one name. Why should someone attending Warped Tour come check you guys out, and what sets you apart from other bands here? |
V: Well, I would say that we're not a punk band, we're more of a rock band. I'd say the majority of the bands here are rock bands.
N: What're you guys saying about me over here?
V: Just chill out, dude. That's Dustin. Dustin just showed up. Dustin plays drums.
AATM: We've been talking bad about you.
D: That's what I thought.
V: So basically you get to see a rock band, and we actually all have long hair, unlike most of the other bands who have short hair here. You know what I mean? And we kick ass; we put on a good show every time. So, that's it. Noelle would you like to add to that?
N: I feel like we can contribute a little bit of energy just as much as the other bands can. So, we fit all right I guess.
V: And we're here to help also. So, we wanna let everybody know that if you're gonna use a port-a-potty, use them early, not late. OK?
AP: And frequently.
V: Exactly. But get it outta the way early if you gotta go!
[Dustin shoots me in the foot with Vazquez's water gun]
AATM: Hey!
D: Sorry.
AATM: He [Vazquez] didn't shoot me. He was behaved.
V: Dustin, say hello.
D: Wait, what're we doing? What's the question?
V: Just say hello, dude.
D: Hello!
V: nd that you play drums.
D: You said it all, dude.
V: OK, cool.
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| What was it like signing to a major label so soon after the band started? |
N: Well, actually we had been working for a few years before it...
AATM: Cause, didn't you guys form in 2001?
N: The final lineup we started like a year ago and we got signed around the same time Dustin joined the group.
V: We got signed like that summer, but...
N: Yeah, like a year ago.
V: But it was awhile after that.
N: What? I don't even remember.
[Noelle and Vazquez start to discuss this amongst themselves.]
D: What're you guys arguing about?
V: She's confused about when we actually got signed.
D: Oh, No. I think it was a long process as far as the record getting put together, the original record getting recorded took a few years, so by the time we got signed we were probably actually kind of deep into it. [to me] What's the problem?
AATM: No, go ahead. I'm listening.
D: I guess you really don't have to listen anyway do you cause I can just talk into this thing.
AATM: I'm listening! [laughter]
D: I mean, it's all on tape. It's right there.
AATM: It helps to hear it the first time so I know who says what.
D: And so the question was, "how did the band get signed?"?
N: "How did it feel to get signed so soon?"
D: Oh. It felt pretty good to me. It felt like I had been waiting forever already anyway. It felt like we were waiting a long time, because we spent time talking to so many different labels and stuff.
AATM: Right, cause it's sooo long for you guys. [laughter]
D: It seems like a long time, because we were worried and wondering what was going to happen.
V: Exactly. I mean, RCA's a major and everything and you know, like Creed is on an indie, and we were like "We don't wanna be like Creed and be on an indie label. We wanna go to a major!" So it felt really good, you know what I mean?
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| Are you happy with having just re-recorded what you did in the basement, or do you think you've grown as a band since then and wanted to record something else? |
V: Well I think we've already kind of grown as a band and we're already working on new material and everything, but we also wanna let people hear what we've already done and everything and have them enjoy it... cause, I mean, there's so many people out there to reach and have them hear us. And this is our first time in Kansas City, so it's like, we might've been playing this stuff for awhile, but...
AATM: I just saw you guys are coming back to Lawrence with Hey Mercedes.
V: Yeah! We'll be at the Bottleneck in Lawrence August 1st.
D: Actually, a lot of the stuff on the record, though, is... a good 30-40% of the RCA record is tracks retained from the original demo. So, we don't wanna get those two things confused. A lot of stuff was partically re-recorded, but a lot of it actually was retained from the stuff that was done in the basement studio. Like vocals, vocal tracks, some guitar tracks and stuff like that were retained, so there's still a little bit of that on there.
AATM: But, it's all the old stuff that's on the record, right?
D: Yeah, yeah
V: Wait, there's "At the Mall," "Driveway"
D: Yeah, and some tracks we re-cut stuff cause their original quality wasn't that good, but we cut into the same vocal or something from the previous demo, which was kind of fun. It was a new thing for me to do, actually. Never did that before.
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| How does touring overseas differ from touring in the states? |
V: Well, the most glaring example that we've seen is Japan has heated toilet seats with bidets. Heated toilet seats, with bidets! You know, like the water sprays...kind of cleans your ass off for you. And the water that sprays on you is actually hot, too, and it's just awesome! You know what I mean? Everything's the same, but the shit's just a little bit different. You know what I mean, just little differences like that make it really cool.
D: Touring in China was like...
V: Well, that's a different world, but we're talking about Japan right now.
AATM: Hey, I just said overseas. You said Japan, he said China.
V: We've been to both, so...
D: There are major, gigantic differences than the US.
V: Yeah, but, I'm just saying in terms of day-to-day life... you're totally missing my point, dude. Didn't you see Pulp Fiction? OK. When they talk about the difference between Europe and America, and they're like "Shit's the same, but shit's a little bit different."
[Vazquez and Dustin get into a discussion about this]
V: Noelle, would you like to talk about overseas experiences?
N: Yeah, I mean overseas experiences are amazing cause it's a completely different world over there and everybody is superduper nice and the crowds are unbelieveable... and everybody is so much more open-minded, nd they're just willing to give us a chance, and we really appreciate that.
D: The audiences at shows in our only overseas experience, which has been the East like China and Japan, were super, super receptive to music and to bands that they've never heard before or may not be familiar with. They just were interested in hearing music, whereas a lot of times over here you'll get people who are too concerned about if they're gonna come across looking stupid or something if they really get into a band at a show or whatever. And, so the audience I thought was an amazing difference there. It was a lot of fun.
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| Do you prefer to tour on big tours like this or smaller club tours? |
V: We'll pretty much take what we can get, you know what I mean? Like, club tours are really intimate and you get to really meet everybody that's at the show and everything. Then, tours like this, you might not necessarily get to meet everybody, but it's got more of a summer camp vibe. All the bands hang out together, they eat together, they travel together. It's like a big camping trip for everyone.
D: I like 'em all. I don't really have a preference at this point.
V: Do you have a preference, Noelle?
N: I like any kind of thing, cause they are all completely different. Like this, there are so many bands and so many people you can meet in the other bands and shit like that. And, in club shows, they're fun too, cause it's like it's really small and shit... and either way, it's really cool.
AATM: Do you have to change up your energy level?
N: It's kind of interesting, in a way, how we perform. It's just like how we feel that day.
D: Don't say "we," say "me." [laughter]
N: "Me."
D: I have actually felt that for the Warped Tour, you do have to try a little harder to have the same energy on stage, because sometimes it can be really hot and stuff, you know?
V: You're such a cry baby.
D: No! I'm just telling the truh, though. I've actually noticed a little bit.
V: [mocking] "I'm hot! It's hard to play!"
AATM: It's hot? What're you talking about?
D: Yeah.. right?! But the cool thing about this tour as opposed to regular tours, is you do get to meet a lot more bands, and we try to always make friends with the bands we're touring with and stuff just 'cause it's cool to hang around people that're in bands and stuff....
AATM: 'Cause that way they might want you to tour with them later!
D: Yeah! It's actually happened before. We've done a couple of shows with a few different bands who ended up taking us out later, so that's a fun way to try to meet other bands and get to hopefully play with them.
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| Rumor has it that Dave's left the band, is this true? |
V: uhh...yeah. I mean, I guess. We actually haven't talked to him. He couldn't really handle working and being responsible and stuff. He didn't really wanna go on the road, he wanted to stay home.
N: I've talked to him since then, but not about that. He's just talkin' shit about Dave. He's a really nice guy, he just didn't like touring.
AATM: Do you have someone who's permanently stepped in for him?
V: We have a friend of ours helping us out. His name's Brice. He's touring with us right now, but we're not sure how exactly we're gonna go about things in the future. All we know right now is the three of us are doing what we gotta do and working on new material all the time.
AATM: I know Dave wrote the lyrics, so is it weird for you guys to play it now without him here?
V: Not really.
N: We started the band without him anyways. So, he kind of joined after a little while, then he left again. It's kind of weird, but the music's really fun to play and it's easy to relate to, so it's not that hard.
AATM: So are you taking over song writing now?
N: Yeah, we all are.
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| [to Noelle] You're seventeen... Did you have a choice whether or not you wanted to go out and tour after you signed or postpone high school...? |
N: Well, I had a tutor, so I graduated.
AATM: How's it been being so young and touring?
N: It's been a lot better, because I know there's some people that're a lot older, and they kind of get tied more easily. And, my body's meant to take a beating right now at this point in my life, and I can take advantage of that and fuckin' beat the shit out of myself.
AATM: You can probably relate to a lot of the kids here.
N: Yeah, exactly! [Vazquez looks like he wants to speak]
AATM: Did you have anything to add to that for her?
V: No, no. Just waiting for the next question.
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| What bands have you been influenced by, and do you think that differs from other bands that are playing music today? |
N: There's all kinds of music that you can be influenced by. Most music today is music that's been influenced by past things, so it's kind of hard to be influenced by newer bands...
AATM: I just read that you guys are like the "best new band of 1976" or whatever, so I didn't know if you had different influences to make you sound...
N: [laughing] Look at this guy, man. He looks like he's fuckin' rock god of 1976. A lot of music we listen to is classic rock and shit like that. I know that when Dave wrote these songs that we play, his main influences were like 70's rock, 80's, and Weezer kind of music all mixed together.
V: I think that Noelle summed it up pretty well.
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| If you were to stop making music today, what would you take away from the experience? |
N: Wow. I think just learning to be really open minded about everything. A lot of people these days are really uptight. Me and Vazquez were having a discussion about this. It just sucks how people have been lately, and that's kind of the reason we're at war right now and all kinds of fuckin' bullshit's goin' on. Some people just don't understand this type of thing, like playing music for an occupation or whatever and it's like... we like doin' it, yanno, and we wouldn't rather do anything else.
D: What about you?
V: Well, I'd have to say... up to this point... just all the people that we've met and all the places we've gotten to see. Those experiences are pretty priceless, you know what I mean? I dunno, yanno. It's weird to be seeing so much in such a short amount of time. That's really a luxury I'd have to say.
D: I would say it's definitely helped me with my people skills.
V: It has?
N: [laughs] Are you sure?
D: Yeah. Yes I am. [Noelle laughs]
V: That's debatable.
AATM: I'd hate to see you before. [Noelle and Vazquez laugh]
D: um. You wanna see it?
N: He stopped drinking recently [trails off]...
AATM: Now he hates me! [Noelle is in fits of laughter] Sorry, man!
D: No, no, I don't. I'm fine.
AATM: You're not being very talkative over there.
D: I usually talk too much.
N: He usually calls us "stupid" and takes over.
D: I've only called you "idiots" once.
AATM: Twice, now.
D: Or twice or...
V: You know, you really hurt my feelings.
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| One final fun question. Is it pop, soda, or Coke? |
V: I usually say Coke.
N: Soda.
D: Soda.
N: I wish I sad pop; that'd be awesome! Like tonic!
D: I only know a few people who say pop.
My grandparents say tonic.
AATM: She [Anna] says pop.
N: That's cool! I'm gonna start!
V: Well, we are in Kansas.
D: Pop, that's like a super far northern thing, isn't it? That's a Wisconsin thing or something.
AATM: Or Kansas City.
D: Oh, really?!
N: I always thought that soda was northern.
D: I thought pop was Wisconsin.
AATM: Coke is southern...
[we all talk over each other trying to figure it out]
V: OK, we're wrapping it up! We'll see ya later!
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| Thanks to Damone for doing the interview! Please check their site out! |
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