Roadside Monument - Break-up
Well, another band has broken up...
This time, it was Roadside Monument.
Since the release of the band's 7-inch debut, My Life Is Green, in the Spring of 1996, Roadside Monument has become one of the more highly respected bands in the Christian hard music genre. Three full-length CD's, two split EP's, and a live cassette later, the band has chosen to discontinue its activities. HM Assistant Editor/webmaster Brian McGovern recently had a chance to talk with drummer Matt Johnson about the break-up of the band, among other things.
So, I guess the obvious issue would be the break-up of the band... Why don't you tell me about how & why that happened?
"The break-up of the band is kind of a mysterious thing, because I don't want to get into too much of it, because I don't want to bring any personal stuff into it. People already gossip enough as it is. I think the main thing of it was that Jonathan (Ford, bass player) had a girlfriend in Chicago, and she was living in Seattle for a time, but moved back to Chicago, and he wanted to be with her. So that's pretty much the key. There are other things, but that's pretty much the main thing. It wasn't that we weren't getting along, or having creative differences or anything. Actually, our last tour went really, really well; it was actually kind of a surprise. And when we got back from tour, John called from Chicago. He'd stayed in Chicago at the end of our tour, and Doug (Lorig, guitar/vocals) and I came home alone. And it's disappointing, but that's the way things work, I guess."
So, you didn't necessarily want to just find a new bass player and keep going?
"Well, at first, I think it wasn't even an option. People brought it up, and I hadn't even thought about it. And then, I think Doug felt the same way, but actually, recently, a lot of people have been encouraging me to look into that and see if somebody else would be willing to fill the spot. And I've been kind of digging my heels in on the thing, but at the same time, I don't really want to start back at the bottom of the barrel again, and rebuild a reputation and everything, because it's hard work, you know. So, I've said a couple things to Doug, and he's a bit reluctant, but I think there's a glimmer of hope that there's somebody in mind that we could possibly have play bass for us, but it doesn't mean for sure that we're gonna do it or not. It's a possibility, but I don't know. I mean, I have to talk to Doug about it more. At this point, the band is gone."
Well, it seems like sort of a trend for a lot of bands to break up nowadays, and longevity isn't really something that a lot of bands even strive for. Why do you think that is?
"I don't know. I mean, it's not easy, especially when you're on tour, being with people that you'd normally get along with pretty well. It's not easy to be out on the road. And it's difficult to juggle your finances and everything while you're away, and jobs and stuff. If anybody thinks that any... You know, unless you've got, like, a radio hit on the radio, you're pretty much not making it. You're pretty much broke all the time, and trying to stay out of debt, and all that kind of stuff. Like, from the time I started touring about five years ago, that was the time I went in debt, and I haven't gotten out yet. And I've never made any money at it. And I think that those pressures, it's pretty tough. It's pretty tough to continue on when you continue to go in debt, and the odds are turned against you. So, in some respects I wish I was a computer geek or something, and it's almost like, "Why didn't God give me a talent for something that would actually make some money? (laughter)" I've gotta do it though."
Well, tell me about the record, I Am the Day of Current Taste.
"I don't know if it's on the market yet, but we have copies of it... I mean, we sold it at Tom Festival a couple weeks ago. What do you want to know?"
Well, just how you feel about it, what the sound will be like, and especially in light of the break-up.
"I think we're all pretty proud of the record. It's got kind of the same general feel as the last record, as far as, like, sound, and stuff, concerning the way it was recorded. It's a pretty roomy, natural sound, like the last record, but I think it's a little more polished-sounding. The guitars are bigger and fuller. I think generally, the drums are a little big too. It is a bit different from the last record, but kind of the main vibe. And I think musically it's I don't know, there's actually, like, rock riffage and stuff in it. It's kind of weird. It's like, when I explain it to people, they don't really... they think we're, like... it's hard to explain exactly what we were doing musically on it. I mean, it's definitely Roadside, but I think it's matured. The songs are stronger. And it's not particularly, like, poppier or radio friendly, because it's eight songs, and I think it's over 50 minutes long, so, you know, the songs are really long and complex. So it's still the same Roadside, but just kind of more straight rocking, I guess. That sounds kinda cliché, but..."
Would you classify the band as an emo band?
"Uh, I don't know. People can call us whatever they want. I don't think we are. I'm so tired of that categorization, and it's funny that people have caught onto that in "Christian rock," because that music style has been around for years and years. I mean, it's been around since the mid- 80's. I think Eight Hours Away From Being a Man there's elements to that, I suppose, but I don't think it's an emo record, and I particularly don't think this is an emo record. I'd rather it just be called a rock band, really. It seems kind of like the catch phrase."
The buzz word.
"The buzz word, yeah. It gets kinda crazy."
I thought you guys might feel that way, because I've heard a lot of stuff that was like, "Oh yeah, Roadside, they're a great emo band," and then I would read interviews with you guys and stuff, where the word "emo" wasn't even close to being in there. So I was like, "Well, what do they feel about it?" because nobody knows an artist's music better than the artist.
NEXT PAGE
All Pages | 1 | 2 | 3
Return to Internet Exclusives
Comments
