We went to Nürnberg to see at.the.drive.in from Texas. Before the concert started we made an interview with Cedric, he sings for atdi. It was my first interview and the questions are not very imaginative but please be kind.
In the moment atdi are on tour with sunshine which began the show. They are playing a kind of emo-pop plus Rock`n Roll.
Then came at.the.drive.in with emo-sentimental-aggresiv-strange-screaming-fascinating-live show! They presented their new (old) record Vaya, but also played songs from their old one in.casino.out. Seldom a band had a magic which makes the audience
Rock like this. The whole K4 danced , sang the lyrics with Cedric and looked
really happy after the show.
ATDI rocked the stage, Cedric gave all and thats a little bit why:
Ines:
Can you please introduce yourself.
Cedric:
My name is cedric and I try to sing for at.the.drive.in
Ines:
How is the tour going?
Cedric:
Oh good, it`s the second day and we were a little tired yesterday because a whole ride and Omars paddles get lost. We went to Singapore airlines went to Singapore and they get melt to us tomorrow in the morning. We need all the stuff in there, because they are vintage paddles and they don`t find them anywhere and it`s over 2000 dollars worth of equipment. So they lost our organ too at first and we were sitting there and going like: How could you loose something that big, the organ is big, and how did you fucking loose that. We were mad and omar was probably crying and mad, because it is a lot of money he spent
But it`s really ok, we saw sunshine, they`re really good friends, and then we saw our roady and then he got a new van for us and it`s all really nice so that means were happy-everythings going good. Knock on wood.
Ines:
What did you have for breakfast?
Cedric:
Today I had, oh, I just had bread I had to eat after we played I just get sick if I eat and then play, I can`t move , and get slow.
Ines:
Can you please tell us the story of atdi? How did you find each other?
Cedric:
omar used to play in a band called cherks and they were kind a like screeching weasels this is like a long time ago . So they were touring and broke up, and omar went travelling around, in the US for a year or so . and then I was playing in a band called dragtons and we did tours and stuff and then broke up and Jim was in a band called self and they broke up and then tony and Paul played in a band called, I can`t remember there name but they were a really heavy aggressive band and they broke up and they were looking for other bands they were in another band. But they didn`t get happy so.
Jim and I started the band, because we wanted to tour a lot and I didn`t wanna play the kind of music I made anymore , we always played different kind of punkrock and then we decided to play in this band and then we toured for a week and after that it was like a month and then longer tours for six month, four months and that`s how we start . We have a lot of different people in the band, but they worked out, and then tony and paul came in the group, and it was perfect.
Ines:
When I saw you playing a concert last year near Munich, nobody knew atdi, everybody stood there, looking, and I think now it has changed. What do you think about it?
Cedric:
I don`t know, it`s a little bit scary, it used to like going in the club and everything is quiet all the time, it`s scary . The States are getting scary, there were more people, it`s kinda hard I see all my friends in the States and I can`t say hi to everybody and talk to them , and maybe some people think IM gonna be a snob. But it`s not like that, there are just so many people and it`s overwhelming. I guess it`s ok, I travel so much I don`t have to work anymore, so that`s good, because I don`t like to work at home. I guess it`s good but a little scarry and like getting nervous and stuff so
Ines:
How would you describe your band and your music to someone who dont know you?
Cedric:
I think if anyone asks me and probably don`t know what punk is I just try to describe a little thing .I would say that we`re definetly Rock`n Roll but we have so strange parts in the songs and aggressive parts in the songs, there is a lot of screaming you know, then there`s some singing and there are piano songs so there´s slow and pretty songs so I would tell him, so maybe we at least have two songs you might like off our record but if you`re not in aggressive music you will not like it. I would say just Rock`n Roll and if they knew something about it, I would say Punk, but not Hardcore, I don`t now, we`re not from that school, in the States we don`t play with Hardcore bands I see the scene over here, they have names for all, Hardcore this, emo this, it`s a weird, titles are weird .So, it`s just music.
Ines:
Do you think people understand your lyrics, do you want them to think about it or is it something else?
Cedric:
I think sometimes they don`t, which is ok, because I`m not in to this stuff that`s kind a like: the cat walks . You know the cat walks and you can understand it. I guess I try to hide some of the stuff I say but just the people read it and look at it a different way , expressing yourself.
I don`t want to do it a different way, it`s just the way I phrase it, it`s just the way I write, I don`t know to write another way. I dropped out of high school, so . Yes, it`s totally my way of doing it. And some of them are really metaphors or some of the songs deal about friends of use who died and stuff like that. It`s not like so and so it is like and I miss you it is more like this is what I felt during the funeral, that is what I thought of, this is what I saw ..I try to put that into the lyrics somehow and maybe you understand, or you ask me specific. And if people want to know specifics, I let them know specifics, but generally I understand that people don`t understand it but that`s ok.
Ines:
What`s about politics? You live in Texas..
Cedric:
We played with this band Rage against the machine and they are really political and I think for us, our politics, we`re just nice to our audience and not allowing slamdancing anymore I´m pretty much against it, because I see a lot of people getting hurt and when I see bands playing who say its ok, their excuses are well, I grew up dancing hard but there is a majority of women who stands in front to watch and it has nothing to do with: UUUHHHUUUH girls to watch, it`s just, we want everyone to watch, equal what gender and I don`t like to seeing them get hit in the face by an elbow just because the guy feltet during a song, you know, if this is anything about our politics, we just believe in being nice to everyone and not being snobs and working hard. If you gonna be in a band the only politics we believe in is work hard, work your way from the bottom up play shows with two people only, play shows which grows learn with stuff like that. But political stnds, I don`t know, we try to do more benefits when we`re back at home , do something for AIDS-benefit organisations and some organisation which help native Indians out and I like to do a benefit in the future for children and families from Cuba because the government over there is pretty repressive and the whole blockade and embargo and what`s not it`s like a land the time forgot so they don`t have much, the grocery stores it`s pretty ridiculous and I get that from my dad, because my dad goes there. My dad is teacher and he often went there,he goes to Cuba a lot and he goes to Vietnam and countries like that and he is often telling stories . If this band is getting bigger to the point we`re making much money, I`d like to donate a lot of money to this organisation like that. We also played and helped for food not bombs in the states and when we did our first tour, we had no money too, so if we wanted to eat, we went for food not bombs . Omar was helping Jeff of from 15 out from Berkly area help with the organisation. So I power them,it`s a good
organistion. And there`s although, in El Passo there`s an organisation called . (he said a Spanish name, I can`t write it down, sorry) which means food for life and it`s like food not bombs . I want to start doing more benefits, donating some profits from our new record or 7`` what ever to organisations like that because I think people who see a band don`t do that, but we`ve always been in that scene, we`ve hadn`t had the chance to do it.
Ines:
What`s about music scenes in your area? Do you think you and your band takes part in a scene?
Cedric:
We basically grew up like booking your own tour, playing houses and playing kitchens and basements and stuff like that so we`re coming from that school like bands do it on their own, putting out our own records and what not . So it all comes from that we borrowed money try to pay it back work shitty jobs, quit, going on tour, doing stuff like that so yeah, we come from the school , to me I call it punk, that`s what punk is for me and that`s the scene we come from and in the future when we`re getting bigger playing bigger shows, we end up touring playing houses and playing smaller places like that, and we are doing a lot of free shows in LA all the time . And I hope people will appreciate that . But that`s where we come from, the D.I.Y. scene even if we don`t do it ourselves anymore after a while it`s pretty hard you know, if you`re coming home for1200 dollars phone bills from booking a tour and you didn`t make money on the tour . But that`s where we come from, definitely.
Ines:
Ok, have you got anything to say, in the end?
Cedric:
We have a new record coming out in July . Yeah, brand new, we just recorded it, the record we have tonight is kind of old . But we have a brand new coming out and it`s called relationship of command and that will be summertime.
Thank you very much!!!
