The last week of August found yours truly in Germany, intending to go to Gottingen Hardcore Fest. However, these plans fell through when Terror had to cancel. I later found out that Comeback Kid would be playing with Negative Approach and Giants (UK) in Berlin the day of my arrival. Unfortunately, the show would be starting around the time of my arrival too, so I wouldn't be able to see all the bands -hence the lack of review. I'd been thinking about interviewing Comeback Kid for a long time, so I was incredibly happy when guitarist Jeremy Hiebert agreed to answer my weird questions after the show.
U: It's been a little over two years since you released "Die Knowing".
What's going on in your camp?
 |
| © noisefix.co.za |
J.H.: We are just doing a few tours right now and then we're
gonna be working on putting a new record together for next year. When exactly?
I don't know!
U: That's good! Have you written any songs yet?
J.H.: No, not fully. Since we don't live in the same cities,
everybody comes up with ideas of their own, then we set aside time to come together and share our ideas, rehearse,
and that kind of thing. Everybody has ideas, probably some full song ideas but
we haven't put them together. I'm sure there's enough material that's ready to
go but we still have to “put it in the factory”.
U: They say you have your whole life to write your first
album but only a month to write the next. Five albums later, what's the writing
and recording process like for CBK?
J.H.: I can only speak for my self. As I said, it's the same.
Actually it's a little different now as I get older, I have a child, so things
take up a little more time than they used to so we don't have as much free time
to work on stuff, but it's the same for me. I work on some things on my own,
record them on my laptop, play around with the drums and this and that ideas,
show them to the band and we work it from there. I think everybody is kinda
similar; come up with ideas on their own, bring them to the table. With busy
touring schedules and personal lives you don't have as much time so you have to
set aside time. It sounds stupid but now I have to work.
I think with hardcore music there's a unique kind of energy that the band can share with the fans, that you don't always see in other kinds of music because there's a bit of a distance, a bit of that rockstar thing whereas with our kind of music you can still have that connection, more intimate.
U: As you said, you recently became a dad yet you have since
departed on several tours. Do you find it hard to combine the family life with
the life on the road?
J.H.: Yes. Even being gone for a weekend is a lot now. I used
to be gone for months, now I got to be home after a few days. (laughs) But the
band is very understanding so we're not gonna tour for as long as we used to,
the tours will have to be a little shorter, more time in-between but we're
still going to be active. We'll always be touring, it just won't be one tour into
another tour into another tour. Daddy needs to go home.
U: Literally.
J.H.: (laughs) Yeah, daddy needs to go home. But, like I said,
everybody in the band is very understanding, so we're trying to balance the
schedule of what we like to call “work” and time at home. I think that, since
everybody else is in relationships or whatever, everybody wants to spend some
time at home too. It's not like [it used to be], be a young band, just out all
the time.
 |
| © Andrew Pepin |
J.H.: Uhm.. I think lately one thing that's sort of helped me
is [that] I'm working with my brother a lot in construction and stuff like
that, so when you're working all day, getting dirty etc., in my head I'm just
looking forward to something coming up, and I'm just thinking that [for] a lot
of people that come to our shows, that's their life. They're working, and they
have this NOFX show or Jimmy Eat World, some show to look forward to and that
keeps them going. With Comeback Kid we kinda play a bit of that role; there's
our fans that still can't wait to see the show, so that's what keeps us going.
Knowing that we share that kind of moment with the fans, we're excited to play
and they're excited to see us; that keeps us coming back.
U: Nice! Now, if you could cast each member of the band as a
superhero...
J.H.: (sighs) Oh boy...
U: ...who would each member be?
J.H.: We just have a lot of goofies. Superheroes? I don't know!
I don't watch enough superhero stuff... What would Andrew be? Well, that would be
the tough one; Andrew.
U: Why?
J: I don't know. (laughs) You might have to ask Andrew this
question, I don't know anything about superheroes!
U: OK then. But what super powers does your music have?
J.H.: Oh! Does it have a super power? Hmm I think with hardcore
music there's a unique kind of energy that the band can share with the fans,
that you don't always see in other kinds of music because there's a bit of a distance, a bit of that
rockstar thing whereas with our kind of music you can still have that connection,
more intimate. I mean, with some bigger show or festivals it's a little
more difficult but in a club show kids are singing along, stage diving, you're
all sweating together so it's good. I guess that would be some kind of super
power. Super feeling, anyway!
U: I'll take that. Would you rather give up your favorite
food or coffee?
J.H.: But I'd still have other favorite foods or just my
favorite? Coffe would be hard to give up because there's some mornings, like in
the days I was describing earlier, where I'm going to work, that I want that
coffee...
U: What's a movie you cried while watching?
J.H.: I don't cry during movies, I cry during commercials.
U: ...Because they're aweful!
J.H.: No, I'm just joking. A movie that I cried during... See I
don't watch many movies, I watch more documentaries... I'm having a tough time
answering that one.
U: We can always skip it and go to the next one. What's the
best tour prank you've ever pulled?
J.H.: I don't know if this is a good one or a bad one, but our
old singer, Scott, on our first tour, took a Coke can, a bottle of water or
something like that, he cut it off, he shit in it, he put sarong wrap around
it, poked some holes and put it in the other band that we were on tour with 's
van, and just left it there on the last day. So, as they're driving home it
started smelling. (laughs)
I guess that's the worst tour prank. Oh you wanted the best
one! I gave you the worst one... But maybe that's also the best. The
best/worst.
J.H.: I don't know... Maybe named their kid after a CBK song.
U: Lorelei?
J.H.: That's the one.
U: If you woke up one day and you had the opposite gender's
body, what would be your first reaction?
 |
| © noisefix.co.za |
J.H.: Oh jeez... I guess I'd discover myself? (laughs) Whatever
that means. I'd go on a little adventure, like “What does this feel like?”.
Yeah that's probably what I'd do. Am I waking up in a room full of people or by
myself?
U: By yourself.
J.H.: Yeah, that's probably what I'd do.
U: Have you ever been caught doing something you shouldn't
be doing?
J.H.: I didn't get arrested but I got put in the back of a cop
car. I was probably 12 or 13 and I was walking with my cousin, and I made a
motion like I was going to break a window with my foot. A cop happened to see
it so he grabbed us and put us there. But I didn't break the window! My dad and
my uncle were around the corner in a restaurant, so we're sitting there for
about 20' or so, and when they came over they were like “What's going on
here?”. I didn't get caught doing something bad but I was caught pretending to
be bad, I guess? (laughs)
U: Fuck, marry, kill in you band.
J.H.: Oh jeez... Who would I fuck in the band? Oh I don't
know... But I'm a different gender now, right? No? OK... I don't know, maybe
Loren? [ed. – Legare, the band's new touring drummer, formerly of Living With
Lions] Who would I marry?
U: No one!
J.H.: Loren? I mean, I have to marry someone? You know
what? I'm just gonna fuck Loren, then I'm gonna marry Loren and then I'm gonna
kill Loren.
U: Last question. If you died this very moment, what song
would you want to play at your funeral?
J.H.: I can't remember the name of it. Two seconds. [Pulls out
his phone] It's a french name. It has nothing to do with my life but I like the
song. [At this point, Jeremy is fumbling
with his phone but no results] Well I can't remember the name of it. Oh what's
that guy's name? I'm failing miserably at this interview today. I can't
remember any of my answers or the name of the song. It's in the soundtrack of a
Will Ferrell movie. I don't know. Maybe an ABBA song. What would be a good ABBA
song? Uhm.. “Dancing Queen”. (laughs)
U: (laughing too) Not very fitting but fine, I guess...
J.H.: Well I want it to be a happy thing. I just want all my
friends to get together and to...
U: Have a party.
J.H.: Yeah, have a party. Just remember the good times!
U: Because someone couldn't stay alive (laughs)
J.H.: Yeah yeah, exactly! Remember the good times!
0 σχόλια :
Post a Comment