Vertical Horizon Interview

INTERVIEW WITH VERTICAL HORIZON FROM TheCelebrityCafe.com ARCHIVES

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.