Chris Speed, a student at Belmont and a music enthusiast, recently sat down with the band members the pop-rock group Relient K. Matt Thiessen, lead vocals, guitar and piano, John Warne, bass player, and drummer Dave Douglas sit open up about their latest album, being on TRL, working with Switchfoot and boxing on tour.
CS: On your MySpace page, you describe your sound as, "Dennis The Menace's sling shot hitting Mr. Wilson right on the shin." That's pretty hilarious. Care to explain?
MT: Yeah, there is nothing explain. I just usually make something up every time I update the site. Like one time, I one time I had the entire Carolina Panthers second string being swarmed by bees.
CS: With the new record, "Five Score and Seven Years Ago," quite a few things have been altered from your last album, 2004's "Mmhmm." As far as lyrically and musically, how do think your music has changed with the addition of the new guys [John Warne and Jon Schneck] and loss of Brad Pittman?
DD: I think even in what minor roles some of us play in songwriting, I think that you always bring a little bit of yourself, even if it's just into the performance, or when you are recording. There's definitely a little bit of personality difference in there. Um, but Matt writes all the songs and we just kind of do the final stages.
MT: Fortunately, it has been a really good change for the band. It's had a positive effect. That's probably factored in in some way that can't really be measured.
CS: What about more mainstream attention? Have you been on TRL before?
MT: Yeah. We actually played on TRL live one time. We did an acoustic performance. Uh, so, that show's kinda weird. It's very political. I'm not sure how much of it is actually requested live.
CS: Capitol [Records] has a lot more influence on this record, as opposed to Gotee, right?
DD: Yeah. This is the first time they have been involved from the beginning of the writing process.
MT: They did as far as, they pushed the album back like five months. They put a ton of pressure on us to get it done by a certain release date.
JW: Yeah it was a classic, "Hurry up and wait."
MT: Yeah, it wasn't like the label was sitting there saying, "You guys don't have enough pop songs for the radio. So you need to write more." That didn't happen. That's the one thing you want them to stay out of.
CS: How was working with Jon Foreman from Switchfoot on "Deathbed"? Do you foresee any future collaboration with him?
MT: Yeah, who knows? I mean we are good friends and stuff. It is funny you say "working with him," because basically what I played a piano part for the part he sang on and sang it myself and emailed it to him. He sang it at his house and emailed it back to him... They [Switchfoot] have definitely taken us under their wings and mentored us with some of the things they say and the advice they give.
CS: Were there real life influences for "Deathbed"?
MT: Yeah, some of it. I have a brother-in-law that was previously married. It's some thing we can joke about now, but when he got divorced from his first wife, he joined a bowling league and bowled, seriously, five days out of the week and drank beer the whole time, just trying to forget about it. But, yeah, most of was fictional.
CS: Favorite venue or town while on tour?
MT: Yeah, for the venue it's the Norva in Norfolk, Virginia. They've got a hot tub in your dressing room, like eight showers, arcade games, a pool table and basketball court. And that's all backstage. And then there's the favorite crowd: probably Minneapolis and Chicago.
CS: Who are you guys rooting for in the NCAA Tournament?
MT: Ohio State.
CS: What is one of your craziest stories from the road?
MT: Dave's been boxing a lot lately. Late at night, he and our lighting guy will both put on headgear, boxing gloves and mouthpieces. They'll go out and just wail on each other. One time we were in downtown Toronto, just like two weeks ago, they were boxing and it was late night. We are in this circle around them, cheering them on, and this old woman called the cops on us. They never came though.
CS: Favorite meal at the Pancake Pantry?
MT: Sweet potato pancakes.
