People are saying that your new CD is a new beginning for The Exies, would you say that is true?
Yea, it's a new beginning. It was really hard having our old guitar player and drummer leave, so it
really made us find out what we were capable of. Bringing Chris in really helped too, because he's a pretty different
player than David was ... our old guitar player. I think on this record ... we've finally found our voice.
What were the early years like for you guys?
Rough .... (laughs) it was rough. You start a band and you're trying to do what everyone else
is doing ... you put your own spin on it, but it takes a while. When Scott and I started The Exies, we'd only been a
band for about seven months before we were doing showcases for record companies. And it was the first band that Scott
ever sang in ... he was really under the gun. It was tough, but all in all --- if there are any bands out there reading
this --- I would definitely wait and make sure you're ready because you're thrown into that fire, you get burned.
What happened with your contract with Virgin Records and your old manager?
Well, the guy who signed us was let go, so it's just common practice that when that happens the record kind
of cleans up most of the people that were on the label because they don't want to deal with the old relationships and want
to start fresh. It was a good thing anyways, we've done probably everything we were going to do at Virgin. And
with the management, we just figured that we needed a completely new start. I thought our first two records were good,
but we just could never get past our first single ... and now we're getting ready to release our third single ... those are
some of the luxuries you get when you're not on a major label.
What influences the music?
Life. What's going on in the world. Personal experiences. You basically have to be a sponge.
Is Scott a big Beatles fan?
Oh yea... we all are. That's where all of our melody
comes from, no matter what the Beatles did - it was always about the melody.
Have you guys ever covered one of their songs live?
Yea, we did. But it was at the very beginning ... we did "I'm Down".
Have you played your own song that's featured on Guitar Hero?
Yea, we actually did. It's a funny story too, we heard that we were on it ... but none of us are really
that big of gamers so when we went in to do Head For The Door, our last record before this new one, we walked into
the place that we were recording and asked; "What are you doing? Wait a minute, you're playing our song!" --- That was
a trip. It was great because it really put us in a different world that we haven't been before. Guitar Hero
came out about the end of the record before, so it was kind of like a bridge into the next record.
I read that you and Scott considered quitting the band before the newest album, is that true?
Well, kind of. I think Scott was wrestling with it more than I was. It's hard, fifty percent of
your band leaves, you're out there on the ledge and it's a long way to drop. For me, I always thought we could keep
going and I really pushed for it.
Scott wanted to keep going too, he was just unsure. Scott and I have been doing this for nine years
now, it's hard to walk away from something you've put so much time into.
Tell me about the newest CD. (A Modern
Way of Living with the Truth)
Before, it was really Scott and David that did majority of the writing. So when
David left it was a big responsibility for Scott, but he really stepped up and came up with some great stuff. That's
why I think this record is so good because it's basically Scott, Chris came up with some cool riffs too and some lyrics.
But this record is definitely Scott's vision and voice.
When are The Exies going to hit the road again?
We're looking
at getting out there as soon as February, the record company is doing a big setup for us for the new single These Are
The Days, they're working on this idea for the video - which I wont tell because I don't people to steal it. But
it's a very interactive thing, I'm really excited.
Is it going to be a nationwide tour?
Oh yea. It will definitely be nationwide, I don't know with who.
What have you guys been doing on your time off?
I've been spending time writing new stuff, Scott's got six or seven new songs already.
You never really have a vacation. We do other stuff, spend time with the family - Scott is in Denver with his family.
We were on the road for ten months, so it's very strange when you get home.
Besides the tour, what do you have planned for 2008?
Just touring, playing as much as we can. And hopefully get the word out about
us, we did a lot of leg work in 2007 so we're really looking forward to seeing what that means. We saw that, because
in ten months you're bound to come back to some of those places you've been to before, and we did, the first time was half
full - then the next time was three quarters full, so next time we go back it will be completely full.
Anything else you'd like to add?
Just look for our single These Are The Days in 2008, and we'll see everyone
at the shows.
