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Interview: The Bronx (Pt. 2)
Interview: The Bronx (Pt. 2)
- Genre : More Music
- Type: News
- Author : Super Admin
- Date : Fri, 30 May 2008
Was it a big challenge as a guitar player?
Joby: Well, here's the deal, I'm not really that good of a guitar player. So, nothing's that challenging.
Matt: Joby didn't play on anything [Laughs].
Joby: I actually sang…No, our guitarrone player, Vince, came in here and taught us all what we were supposed to be doing. He was definitely a great asset to making this album, and we couldn't have made the album without him. He's super important.
Jorma: It was an interesting thing when we started writing these songs. We tried to emulate that sound. Having someone come in and show the actual techniques to get that sound changed it completely. There are real traditional strum patterns and techniques that helped out so much.
Joby: I'm definitely not well-versed in this, but mariachi music falls into categories in terms of the type of song. I'm going to preface this by saying I don't really know what I'm talking about. However, I think these categories have something to do with the way you dance to music, which could be totally wrong.
Jorma: It's a lot like Cuban music, where there's a certain rhythm to it, regardless of the melody on top.
Joby: It was a wonderful journey learning it all and trying to attempt it. We really don't give a fuck if anyone likes it, because we like it.
What inspired the jump to mariachi music?
Joby: We were asked to do a show on this TV channel in L.A. They wanted us to do an acoustic song. We didn't want to do that. So we did a loose mariachi version of one of the songs on our last record. That turned into, "Let's do a whole record like this," and then, "Let's do two records at once." I guess that's what started it, and it ends here. Living in L.A. though, you're surrounded by mariachi music. It's at every stoplight and everywhere you go. It just exists. Here and San Diego are the two places in the U.S. where it's that prevalent. Making mariachi music feels very "L.A."—well as much as a bunch of white guys could feel.
You guys have an identity that's tied to the city. Would you say the city is integral to The Bronx?
Matt: We've always been pretty in-tune with the city. I prefer it that way. It's good to be inspired by your surroundings. It would suck to live here and not feel anything. It's a great place for that. It's a great place for writing and living. I love Los Angeles, California. It's definitely something that's latched onto the band and the music. It's inspiring, because there's a lot of goofy stuff that happens here.
Joby: Would you say it's more goofy than Germany?
Matt: See, I wouldn't know.
Joby: I'd say Germany's the most goofy place ever.
Matt: But you're not German, and you don't live in Germany.
Joby: True.
Matt: You'd be affected differently if you lived there.
Joby: I'd like industrial music and big boots.
Matt: Exactly. The switch to flush that toilet would be in that room [pointing to the adjacent jam room].
Joby: Matt and I stayed in this awesome hotel called Hotel Avant Garde right where East and West Berlin meet each other at The Berlin Wall.
Matt: It was great. I got to my room, and I couldn't do anything. I tried to turn on a light, and the toilet flushed. I called Joby, and he was like, "Dude, I don't know what's going on." Everything was reversed. I turned on the T.V., and there was this empty basketball court. All of a sudden, this topless chick walks in the frame and starts shooting baskets topless. There was a golf show too. There were these 10 to 12-minute athletic, soft porn segments that would rotate.
Joby: It was so fucking weird. We came to figure out that was the hotel's vibe. It was an artsy place. You turn on the light, and the toilet flushes.
Matt: I didn't know what to do. It was so weird.
Joby: The Berlin Wall's right there, so it's extra weird. It's one of my favorite memories of tour. Plus we rode on the Autobahn. Apparently, there are all these unspoken rules of the road there. They're like the secret menu at In-N-Out Burger.
Did the lyrics differ between the two records?
keep reading »
1
Joby: Well, here's the deal, I'm not really that good of a guitar player. So, nothing's that challenging.
Matt: Joby didn't play on anything [Laughs].
Joby: I actually sang…No, our guitarrone player, Vince, came in here and taught us all what we were supposed to be doing. He was definitely a great asset to making this album, and we couldn't have made the album without him. He's super important.
Jorma: It was an interesting thing when we started writing these songs. We tried to emulate that sound. Having someone come in and show the actual techniques to get that sound changed it completely. There are real traditional strum patterns and techniques that helped out so much.
Joby: I'm definitely not well-versed in this, but mariachi music falls into categories in terms of the type of song. I'm going to preface this by saying I don't really know what I'm talking about. However, I think these categories have something to do with the way you dance to music, which could be totally wrong.
Jorma: It's a lot like Cuban music, where there's a certain rhythm to it, regardless of the melody on top.
Joby: It was a wonderful journey learning it all and trying to attempt it. We really don't give a fuck if anyone likes it, because we like it.
What inspired the jump to mariachi music?
Joby: We were asked to do a show on this TV channel in L.A. They wanted us to do an acoustic song. We didn't want to do that. So we did a loose mariachi version of one of the songs on our last record. That turned into, "Let's do a whole record like this," and then, "Let's do two records at once." I guess that's what started it, and it ends here. Living in L.A. though, you're surrounded by mariachi music. It's at every stoplight and everywhere you go. It just exists. Here and San Diego are the two places in the U.S. where it's that prevalent. Making mariachi music feels very "L.A."—well as much as a bunch of white guys could feel.
“It's inspiring, because there's a lot of goofy stuff that happens here.”
You guys have an identity that's tied to the city. Would you say the city is integral to The Bronx?
Matt: We've always been pretty in-tune with the city. I prefer it that way. It's good to be inspired by your surroundings. It would suck to live here and not feel anything. It's a great place for that. It's a great place for writing and living. I love Los Angeles, California. It's definitely something that's latched onto the band and the music. It's inspiring, because there's a lot of goofy stuff that happens here.
Joby: Would you say it's more goofy than Germany?
Matt: See, I wouldn't know.
Joby: I'd say Germany's the most goofy place ever.
Matt: But you're not German, and you don't live in Germany.
Joby: True.
Matt: You'd be affected differently if you lived there.
Joby: I'd like industrial music and big boots.
Matt: Exactly. The switch to flush that toilet would be in that room [pointing to the adjacent jam room].
Joby: Matt and I stayed in this awesome hotel called Hotel Avant Garde right where East and West Berlin meet each other at The Berlin Wall.
Matt: It was great. I got to my room, and I couldn't do anything. I tried to turn on a light, and the toilet flushed. I called Joby, and he was like, "Dude, I don't know what's going on." Everything was reversed. I turned on the T.V., and there was this empty basketball court. All of a sudden, this topless chick walks in the frame and starts shooting baskets topless. There was a golf show too. There were these 10 to 12-minute athletic, soft porn segments that would rotate.
Joby: It was so fucking weird. We came to figure out that was the hotel's vibe. It was an artsy place. You turn on the light, and the toilet flushes.
Matt: I didn't know what to do. It was so weird.
Joby: The Berlin Wall's right there, so it's extra weird. It's one of my favorite memories of tour. Plus we rode on the Autobahn. Apparently, there are all these unspoken rules of the road there. They're like the secret menu at In-N-Out Burger.
Did the lyrics differ between the two records?
keep reading »
1
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