A Static Lullaby

The first time I saw A Static Lullaby play, they opened for Finch about a year ago. They blew me away, and basically stole the show that night. Their singer had so much energy and passion, he was flailing around on the ground, bashing the microphone into his forehead, screaming at the top of his lungs while blood trickled down his face. A year later, it seems as though they've settled down a little bit. Their songs are a bit tamer, and after seeing them go crazy, their new live set leaves much to be desired. However they are still good, and I am excited to hear their new CD. After their set at The Paradox, I caught up with singer, Joe Brown, and we talked about his sex life, how much he hates Rufio, and old strippers in Montana, among other things.

My first question actually has to do with Finch. I interviewed them when they were on the Warped Tour this summer. They told me an interesting fact about you, and I would like to see if it's true or not. They said you had sex with 20 girls in 20 cities. Fact or fiction?
I really...I don't know. It's basically fiction.

Not true?
(laughing) I don't know. Like...

No comment?
No comment.

Taking the fifth huh?
Yeah, I'll take the fifth on that.

Ok, how long have you guys been together, where are you from, and how did you get the name 'A Static Lullaby?'
We've been together a year. We are from Chino Hills, California. That's by Orange County basically. We came up with the name...actually we had a previous guitar player before Nate, he was in the band about 2 days. And Phil had a birthday, and he came to dinner, and he said "I thought of this name for the band," because we were originally going to be called A Boy's Dream or some crap like that. He said "A Static Lullaby," and there wasn't anything better that could put our band into perspective. I don't think there could be a better name for what we do, and for the music that we play. And so, we kept it.

Right on. How's the tour going so far?
Amazing. From Autumn To Ashes, I mean...those guys are just amazing. The Hope Conspiracy guys are so cool, and the Unearth guys. I mean, all the bands are very talented in their own rights, and I think it's a very fun thing because it's four different bands that sound very different from each other. Similar in some ways, but definitely four different bands. So you get a group...ya know, the crowd's a little bit mixed. Kids are taking us pretty well from what I gather, and it's turning out pretty good.

So, you guys are friends with Finch right? Do you live pretty close to them?
Very close. They are some of our best friends.

How old are you guys?
I'm 20, Dan, our guitar player is 20. His birthday is going to be December 22nd actually, the last day of tour. Phil just turned 18. He's still in high school! And Brett is 19. No no, Brett's 18, and Nate is 19 years old.

Wow, that's crazy man. So, you've only been around a year, and you're signed to this label. How did you hook up with Ferret actually?
Well, basically in the beginning, we started off...with being a band 2 weeks, Drive Thru Records basically told us they wanted us, they wanted to sign us. Through the course of that, with us becomming friends with Finch and whatever, we went on tour with them, and their manager got our CD and fell in love with it. Through the course of that, Rodney became our manager, and we started looking for different deals because we realized that maybe Drive Thru wasn't the best place for us. Not that they're a bad label, but it just wasn't the best place for us to go. And Ross Robinson said that he was gonna sign us. Things happened between them over a period of six months. We were just so young. I mean, we were a band one month when Ross Robinson said that he's gonna produce our CD, and he's gonna sign us. And we were just like "whoa, we're gonna be rockstars, this is crazy!" And then basically we just took a step back and re-evaluated what was going on, and tried to figure out who we were as people, and what we wanted to do with the band, and how we thought we would be the most sucessful. And it turned out that we realized that we were gonna have to sign to an indie, build a fanbase, put out our own record. We wanted anybody who would basically just give us a one album deal, and nobody wanted to do that. Not that Ferret had given it to us, but out of all the independent labels that were after us, they didn't creep us out, and they are really good people. Carl at Ferret is a great, great person who has been nothing but supportive to us, and helping us further our career.

So, some of the deals that the other labels offered to you were creeping you out?
Actually, because we did the whole major label crap for so long. It seemed like for so long, but when you're this young, and trying to deal with that stuff, it's too much. It's too much to handle. Ya know...there's names...any major label you want, we showcased for them. A couple big ones. I don't know if you're gonna print this or whatever, but we showcased for Dreamworks like three or four times. It wasn't the right place for us. We were too young. We weren't developed enough. We're at a better place now after going in the studio with Steve Evetts. I mean, we're a better band than we were last month. And just to see how much we've grown through here, it's mindblowing. When we move up to a major label, we're gonna be in a lot better position.

Yeah, I think...ya know, you don't wanna just go to a major label right away, then it's like, "Whoa, what happened to those guys?!" So, there is no beef between you and Drive Thru Records? Because, as I recall, the last time I saw you play, it sounded like you apologized to them on stage.
Really? No, there's no beef between Richard and Stephanie with me. I mean, I've spoken to them. We speak occasionally. I seem them all around. For some reason, they're always around. I saw them in New Jersey, and I saw them in Texas I think it was. I don't have a personal problem with them at all. Some members in my band might, but that's their deal. They're running a good show. Ya know...they're doing really well. The fact that we didn't go with them has nothing to say on their character or who they are as people, it's just that it wasn't the right place for our band.

Alright, well enough serious stuff. I've got some crazy questions here for you. Well, a couple tour questions first. What's the craziest thing that's ever happened on A Static Lullaby tour?
We were in Montana, and I was sleeping, and the guys wake me up and say "we're gonna go to a strip club!" And I'm like "Ok." We didn't think we'd be able to get in, because we're not 21. So, we wind up going to this strip club. We find out that it's 18 and over. And I hate strip clubs. I'm not about that, seriously. I get weirded out. I just don't like to see women treated like that, it's just my own personal opinion. So, I was sitting in the back of the club. One of the strippers came up to me, and starts talking to me. And she's an older stripper, she's about 40, and she told me she's had 3 kids. And this lady was very infatuated with me, and our drummer, Brett. So throughout the course of talking to her for about 15 minutes. I had talked her into dancing to our music on stage. That was crazy to see. Through the course of that night, the stripper had offered me and Brett a threesome, and had given free lap dances to Brett and to everybody. It was a crazy night. To say that a stripper danced my music in Montana is one of the most eye opening experiences I've ever had actually!

Ok, so I talked about you bashing the microphone into your head the last time I saw you, what's the worst injury anyone has ever obtained onstage? Is that it?
I've messed myself up pretty bad. I don't know...I've gotten to the point where I've gotta think about what I do onstage, before I didn't used to. I'm trying to not reap the repercussions of bashing my face in every night or what not. I've hurt myself pretty, pretty bad. The extent of anybody else, I don't know. Dan's knocked me out with his guitar before, just straight out, cold out, knocked me out. That was bad, that was pretty bad. Phil's knocked me out. We get a little rowdy, and sometimes I get hurt.

Where do you go the craziest?
Chain Reaction in Anaheim is the best place, and outside California, actually Seattle is our best market.

What do you guys do in the van to pass the time, besides stop at strip clubs? Are there any gags, or games or anything?
We're all a bunch of goofballs. But, members of my band pass the time with green stuff, I can't really tell you what it is. But, they pass the time away quite easily. And Brett and I listen to music and rock out.

What do you guys listen to in the van?
It's different actually, we listen to Hey Mercedes, a lot of Refused, Taking Back Sunday's in there occasionally. It goes from punk stuff like Death By Stereo to like...Elliot. It's crazy, we've got a wide variety.

Ok, if your house was burning down, and you could only grab three CDs , what would you grab?
The Police - Greatest Hits, Slapstick - Slapstick and Glassjaw - Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Silence, or Jimmy Eat World - Clarity.

If you could be anyone for a day, who would you be, and what would you do?
Um...man, you've got some good questions. I'd have to say that if I could be anybody for a day, I'd probably be Sting. Or Bob Barker. Because those are 2 great people.

(I proceed to tell a really long story about trying - unsucessfully - to go see The Price Is Right) Ok, if you could get rid of one band, who would you get rid of?
Oh, there's so many. I'm very reluctant to talk bad about other bands, but the first band I'd like to eliminate would be Rufio. No, no, don't put that. Scratch that last one. I don't want to eliminate Rufio. They're doing good for what they're doing.

Do you have issues with Rufio?
I've got a little personal issue with Rufio, but aside the fact, they're doing their thing. I'd like to eliminate Never Heard Of It, I don't know if you've heard of that band, but they don't deserve to be on the face of this planet. I would like to say...Disturbed, they don't need to be here. And ya know what? And Rufio...fuck that band. Fuck them. Fuck them in their stupid asses!

Why? What's the deal?
I went to...like, we were playing a show down in Southern California. I had simply asked the guy, I think it was the guitar player, I'm not exactly sure, if they wanted to play with us, like package together. And he said "Ya know, we're signed now, and we cannot play with unsigned bands - as Rufio. We as Rufio pride ourselves with not playing with unsigned bands." And I was like, "Are you fucking joking me? Who the fuck do you think you are?" I was all, "My band fuckin' rips your band a fuckin' new asshole. You guys suck." And that's about it. I mean, you could at least be nice. I don't know. The fact that I even asked the guy to play a show was ridiculous, but the fact that he acted that way was mind-blowing to me. I fuckin' hate when people act like rockstars. I really do.

That's crazy man! If you won the lottery and had $1 million, what would you do?
I would give my dad back a lot of money that I owe him for supporting my stupid ass.

What do you guys' parents think about all this? Are they trying to get you to go to college, or what's the deal?
I went to college, I did some college. But...every parent is very supportive because they know that we actually have something, and it's not hard to believe that. Because it shows, I mean...we have only been a band for a year, and look what we've accomplished. And we're still young. We're very very young. It's not...I mean, for me and Dan, we're getting older, and the more time wasted is stuff behind us, but they're definitely very very supportive, they couldn't be more supportive. And with the million dollars, I'd probably just buy an appartment and have sex with my girlfriend all day.

Is it hard to practice and go on tour and stuff with one of your band members still in high school?
Phil is in high school, but he does independent studies. We tour full time, and we practice pretty much every day.

What do you think about MP3's, and people downloading your music?
Um...MP3's are a touchy subject. I mean, they can be a great thing, but they can be a very, very stupid thing. I mean I just found out [that] at ShoutWeb...is that an MP3 thing?

I'm not familiar with it.
I don't know, it's the top 40 bands of the year, and we're # 21 on that. And that is crazy, like the bands that were listed with that. I mean, MP3.com could be a good thing, because maybe we're gonna get some money from that. But kids that steal your CDs, and burn your whole CDs off the internet, it's disturbing because a band works so hard to get that, and ya know...if you want the album, you should go out and buy it.

But what about you guys? You guys don't even have a real album yet, but you're getting lots of kids to your shows.
It's done nothing but help us. I cannot say one negative thing about the computer and what it's done. For the three songs that we basically have on there. There's six, but there's three main songs that everybody has downloaded and spread around. Ya know, going to Detroit, Michigan and seeing kids sing your songs, you know that's because of the Internet, and that's the best feeling on earth. So, actually I reverse my statement and say it's a great thing.

Alright, if you could just give some thanks, anything else you want to add, and maybe give some shoutouts to some up and coming bands that are either from Southern California, where you're from, or that you've seen out on tour, that'd be great.
I'd have to say, you know who they are probably, Time To Fly.

Where'd you hear Time To Fly by the way?
Um...we played in Port Orchard, and Time To Fly either played before us or after us. We saw them, and we were just like "you guys are great." And we hung out, and then we played Furnace Fest, and they were there, and they've just become really good friends of ours.

Are you an Andrew WK fan?
Ha! The biggest! How could you not be? Andrew WK is a god. It's hard to say that, but the man is a genius. Not necessarily a god, but he's a great, great person. He's so positive. Andrew WK...done. That's it, you can't say anything more. And I love my girlfriend.

What's her name?
Rosie.

Is the M word in the future?
Marrige? I hope so. I don't know...I've settled down, and I love this girl very very much. And that's it. That's all I can say.

Thank you.
Thank you dude.

BW