Interview || The one with Jake Taylor from In Hearts Wake

In Hearts Wake is one of the bands I really wanted to see in this year's Impericon festival -that was also one of the reasons I decided to join the travelling squad in Leipzig instead of heading to Dresden straight away, like I was initially planning to. It turned out to be one of my best decisions ever. The band was a million times better than the last time I saw them and, despite my usual preparation prior to the show, their stage presence and musical evolution caught me off guard and left me in awe, immediately regretting that it took me so long to catch them again. Luckily, I was scheduled to have a quick friendly inquisition chat with vocalist Jake Taylor after the show.

U: One thing I’ve noticed with Australian bands is that you have a very profound relationship with nature, especially with the ocean, an element that you use in your lyrics and music. Why is that?

Jake Taylor: I can’t speak for other Australian bands, I can only speak for ourselves. I’m from Byron Bay, which is a very beautiful, natural place -I'm not saying that Leipzig isn't beautiful, but you can see looking around, there's a lot more structures and there's a lot more city- so when you have that around you, you are constantly inspired by it and it helps make you feel balanced 'cause that's home.

U: “Warcry” is “a call to arms”. In your lyrics you often touch on subjects of refugees, people disrespecting each other and violence, but you do so with a ‘pacific rationality’ (for complete lack of better term; the thought that this planet is all we have and that violence is not the answer). Could you see the band becoming fully political at some point?

J.T.: I think we already are political in a sense… I think we are addressing the concept, not pointing the finger at specific corporations or entities, but just saying that there’s a lot wrong with the world and we want to bring a balance back to that. The way to do that isn’t to go storm the streets and to throw rocks into windows, nor is violence the way to do that, but to boycott the things that aren’t supporting the harmony of the earth and the harmony of the people. The solution with “Warcry”, to go back to the song, is to unite peacefully. If you come out with the violence, it’s only gonna be an eye for an eye, back and forth. At the end of the day, the people really do have their say, if the people come together; I believe that. And we’ve seen many changes happening because of that. The leaders that be, they need our votes; even if they want to try to fix things, if the people didn’t stand for it, they wouldn’t be in power. Also as this generation dies out, the new generation that is us, we’re gonna be falling into those jobs and into those roles; if we are educated and we know what is the best for the people and the earth, I feel there will be a big change.

U: If you had grown up in a different environment, do you think you’d have turned out the same?

J.T.: No, of course not. If one person I’ve met I hadn’t met, it would be enough to change everything. I wouldn’t be here right now if one thing was different so it’s all exactly the way it’s meant to be. It’s like the butterfly effect; one little thing can change a lot.

U: You are about to embark on a tour with While She Sleeps, and most dates have sold out, so I guess there’s no pressure playing in such big crowds.

J.T.: No, it's not pressure, it's good! If anything, it’s reassuring that we are on the right tour, with the right band and we’re there to make an impact and to enjoy ourselves so it’s not pressure, it’s more reassuring that we’re on that path.

U: If you could cast each member of the band as a superhero, who would each member be?

J.T.: I’m not too good with superheroes… I know Eaven (Dall, guitars) likes Batman so he can be Batman. Conor… (long pause) Conor (Ward, drums) can be Dr. Octopus just ‘cause he’s hitting the drums and I feel he could be a good villain. Ben (Nairne, guitars) could be TinTin; he’s not a superhero but he solves mysteries so that’s Ben. Superheroes are very tricky... Kyle (Erich, bass) would be Frodo or Sam from Lord Of The Rings, I think. He’s very in touch with veganism, he’s not small but he’s shorter… But as a superhero? Captain Planet; he’s got similar values. I’d like to be Spiderman, I like to climb on things, or Captain Planet.

U: Your house is on fire and you only have time to grab 3 items before running away. What do you take? Family and pets are safe.

J.T.: I’d probably go for my laptop purely because there’s so many lyrics and so many important things on it; the laptop is replaceable, the things on it aren’t so I’d have to grab that. What else would I get? I feel that everything else could burn, clothes are just clothes. Bed can go, pillows can go. Can’t think of any artifacts that I have. I’d be wearing my ring… Another good question but honestly, my priority would be to get out so… It is things, it is items, you know? They can all go. It’s the things that you can’t get back which is the lyric and all that stuff, which are probably in the laptop. I should back it up but even still, the hard drive would probably be burning in my house.

U: Would there be new music on the laptop..?

J.T.: The new music would be on a Dropbox somewhere in the universe; that can’t be gone no matter what.

U: But there is gonna be new music! Catchmydrift.

J.T.: There’s always new music! (laughs) [ed --cheeky lad. In Hearts Wake's new album, "Ark", will be out on May 26th, pre-order here]

U: What’s the best tour prank you’ve ever pulled?

J.T.: I have a really horrible one. When someone’s driving, they pull up and there’s a crossing in front and people are crossing, you press the horn; everyone ducks so the person standing there doesn’t know what to do, there’s no one there. That’s always a funny one. Harmless. Funny.

U: What’s the worst trouble you’ve ever gotten into?

J.T.: I got in a really big trouble in school when I was 16. We were playing basketball inside the classroom and I kicked the ball to my friend, my friend ducked and it hit the chair, went upwards and smashed this massive window that was in a unique shape, it cost like $2000 to replace and I got into a lot of trouble. They said I had to pay for it; my parents to put all my school fees or I could work it off with the groundscaper. You know which one I took (laughs)

U: What’s an album you can listen to from start to finish, without skipping a song?

J.T.: As I Lay Dying – “Shadows Are Security”, Saosin, the self-titled… There’s a bunch.

U: If you could have a 1-minute phone conversation with a younger you, what age would you choose and what would you tell yourself?

J.T.: I’d probably pick eight-year-old me, when my parents split up, and I’d say “it’s all gonna work out, just keep on going”. Because that’s when my life split in two, and I went with my mom… Not that I always really worried at the time, but I was also like "my world was cracking in two", so I would be reassuring to myself at that age.

U: What do you want the band’s legacy to be?

J.T.: It’s too much of a cliché answer but I’d say to make a difference; that’s really all we’re trying to do. We want to create really good music with meaningful content that we’re really proud of and along the way we also wanna help out the world and the people in every way that we can, not in one very focused way but in many different ways because there isn’t one solution so we have to do our best.

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