What inspires you to write and record
music?
Darren: At first I think I
started making music just to impress people. Ohh. Look what I can do.
Now it s just plain fun. You have to draw inspiration from your daily
life, for example: I woke up this morning to find that it was a
beautiful day outside and then I made three of the most perfectly
round pancakes ever, all the same proportion and thickness. I took as
a sign that I should make three songs today. I am now officially
inspired. I think that it has everything to do with what mood you are
in. Sometimes it s good to be a little moody.
What's the songwriting process for
you guys?
Darren: It s different for each
song. No formula. Personally, I always feel that if I come upon a good
idea that it was an accident and I always fear that I ll never be able
to do it again. Nothing is more exciting than when you get a new song.
I don t know if it s an egocentric activity or not, but I just listen
to it over and over.
So when your full-length album comes
out, what can we anticipate from it musically?
Darren: All that I hope for is
that it is better than the EP. So long as we are moving onward, I ll
be happy. I m really excited about the album. I have a feeling that at
least I am going to like it, and then there s my Mom so that makes two
of us. My favorite song at the moment will be the last one on the CD.
It s called Stallout. It s pretty.
What musicians have influenced your
playing the most?
Darren: Oh I wish I could drum
like Stewart Copeland, but not if it means having his personality.
Have you ever seen him in interviews? What a jerk. But perhaps
eccentric personalities are what make for good performers. Why were
the eighties so great for music? Well really every decade had good
music. Personally I think every style of music has at least one good
song. No I take that back. I found a record at the thrift store the
other day entitled disco polka. It s rather disgusting, but in a
charming sort of way.
What cd's are in your current
rotation?
Darren: I most recently
purchased Neon Golden by
The Notwist. Along with the
disco polka record I found some good stuff by
Wire,
Gang of Four, and
Tears for Fears. I listen to as much music as possible. Soak
it up.
How do you feel about success? Are
you striving for a certain level of success?
Darren: I promised myself that
I wasn t going to freak out when our album released. But I have
failed. I remember when we first started performing these songs in
our local area that there was a sincere joy for what we were doing,
the actual songs we were playing. I am trying to regain that
feeling. I feel that it is important to pursue success but not at
the expense of contentment. So I guess what I m saying is: where do
I sign?
To my knowledge you guys are the
first act to sign with Teleprompt Records. What made you guys decide
to go with them, considering they haven't really established
themselves just yet?
Darren: It was mainly the
opportunity to get to work with Tedd T (producer galore and founder of
teleprompt) that excited us at first. I would be content if he were
the only producer we ever work with. Plus he often let me pick where
we ate lunch. When I joined
Earthsuit, my first job was
to record drums in Nashville for three songs. I did so poorly that
they had to bring in another drummer. Well three years later we ended
up back in the same studio to record our EP with Tedd. It was a very
redemptive experience, I felt like I had something to prove. Tedd
helped me to not get so freaked out about mistakes and allowed me as
much time as I wanted to explore ideas.
Are you guys going to go on tour
and are there any artists that you would want to go out on tour with?
Darren:
We won t tour heavily until next year. The thing I am most looking
forward to is touring other countries and playing the US festivals. I
want to go to Asia so badly. Have you seen Lost in Translation ? I
would like to do a tour with that movie if that could be arranged.
Anthony: No, haven't seen it but
I hope to sometime, maybe over the holidays.
What do you like to do in your
spare time?
Darren: I love conversation.
That s my favorite. I enjoy meeting strangers. I just get a kick out
of seeing how different everyone is. That s my number one form of
entertainment, meeting interesting people.
In closing, is there anything you
would like to say to those who will be reading this?
Darren: Yes, if you practice,
someday you too can make three perfect pancakes in one day.
