DM) But I must admit I've been looking forward to this interview
as I've been following the band for about three, four, maybe
five years.
KH) Really?
DM) Then again, I must admit, originally I had ulterior motives.
At first I was an extremely big fan of Jackopierce, and considering
your affiliation with them in the amount of touring you did with
them, I inevitably learned about you.
KK) Yes, we played hundreds of shows with them. Do you remember
where it was you saw us play with them?
DM) I think the first time was about five years ago, I saw
them play at The Wetlands.
KK) Yep, yep. We played with them at of The Wetlands. Wow.
Cool!
DM) That's why, I also admitted ulterior motives. When they
broke up, I started listing more to you guys.
KK) Yes, yes. It was a sad day when they broke up.
DM) I heard numerous stories and rumors involving Jackopierce
and Vertical Horizon merging and what not since their demise.
KK) Yep yep, there's some sick rumors out there.
DM) Why, you've heard some rumors yourself?
KK) Oh, we for lots of room was before. There were rumors
of plenty about us being Christian band, and that Matt was starting
a solo project, there were rumors about... there's been a bunch
about our drummer. There are these rumors that have no basis
at all, it's pretty funny. Sometimes they get really, really
exaggerated to the point they can get really, really be harmful.
DM) The one thing I found most interesting about that period,
were the fans. I know Jackopierce's fans were almost cultish
at times. And the same, held true for you guys. It was like two
competing circles of fans.
KK) It was. There was a sense of that. I think we'll fell
within the same ballpark, but one was almost home and away I
guess. (Laughs) I remember when we first were on tour with them,
just opening up and being. I was floored by the amount of people
came to see them and the support, and like you've said just the
fanaticism. And I don't think I see it quite at the same level
with us. It could be that I'm just a road hearted veteran by
now, but I am sort of glad that it's not that fanatic. I saw
some pretty uncomfortable situations sometimes.
DM) You felt uncomfortable touring with them?
KK) Sometimes with Jack and Cary they were uncomfortable situations
where people lost control and didn't know when to stop. people
would just come up in dominate the conversation and take to holding
onto them, and start crying.
DM) (Interrupting) Are you serious? (Laughs)
KK) It just becomes real, and no that's not really as a dangerous
situation, but its freaky. I know Jack and Cary like friends
and to see people freak out like that about them is strange to
me.
DM) When we talk about the fans, I think thats what shocked
me the most. I remember the first album I got of yours was, "Running
On Ice". I had fallen in love with that whole acoustic rock
genre...
KK) (Interrupting) As did I. (Laughing)
DM) Well I hope so, that's what you're playing! (Laughing)
But what surprised me, where the record sales never seemed to
catch on. Even with the dedicated fan based which was at times
more than I saw in any other concert they still never sold the
millions upon millions.
KK) Well, it was surprising for me as well, with Jack and
Cary. I think when you're an independent band you just don't
have the resources to get your music out to the masses. It would
be different if it weren't major label records. Really the only
way to sell records is the radio or the press, so unless they
are going to play everywhere, it's going to take a long time
to do it. Then there's the other side of the coin, which is the
major labels, who have the muscle and influence to get you on
the radio. They support you while you go out touring.
DM) Now they are on RCA, do think see things changing?
KK) I think it is, I think we've seen at the influence of
radio. Would play on the west coast in Portland and Seattle for
the first time and had bands that were there new the new songs,
but I think that's a very big influence of radio predominantly.
I was definitely surprised with Jack and Cary. I didn't know
where was to be surprised, if I was more surprised when I originally
saw how well they were doing or house surprise that was when
they were band, and their record label didn't really work as
hard as they could.
DM) The when it comes to radio, it amazed me that good quality
songs never seemed to get on the radio. I've only heard Jackopierce's
music on the radio once and your music on the radio twice, ever.
KK) Really? Well do you live in New York City?
DM) I live in New York.
KK) See, that's why I.
DM) But then there will be bands, with songs which are not
as good quality, but great marketing who will get ten times more
or radio airplay than those who... deserve it.
KK) See that's the difference between bands like us, Jackopierce
and the other bands that we've been talking about. We've really
been trying to focus our attention on the songwriting and build
from there. If you start from the basic blocks and build up,
you going to build something. I think a lot of times today, people
write songs that you've heard before. People take things and
copy and paste them to there, use a melody that they know will
be real catchy. It is the same thing in sampling with rap. They
take a song a that's already been done and kind of move things
around a little bit.
