Die spontansten Events sind ja bekanntlich die schönsten. Und so starte ich mein Interview mit Shouter Alex mit einem kleinen Notizzettel, den ich auf der kurzen Fahrt zum Underground mit mehr oder weniger durchdachten Fragen gefüllt hatte. Alex wusste beruhigender Weise auch erst seit 10 Minuten von dem Termin und wir konnten uns locker flockig im schönen Flur zwischen Bier und Klo (schlechte Ausgangsposition) niederlassen um uns die Bälle zu zuspielen. Nach knapp 5 Minuten hab ich dann auch das streikende Aufnahmegerät überzeugen und wir waren nicht mehr zu stoppen:

Charlotte: So, this is the first time in Europe for you guys. Are you excited?

Alex: Yeah, totally! I mean, we’ve been asked a couple of times but in the end it we always also got many offers to play in the U.S. And now we have the record coming out and get to play with Unearth.

C: Do you think you’ll have the chance to see something apart from the clubs you play at?

A: This is our ninth tour and the first in a tour bus. So we don’t have the driving to do. We can sleep all night and get up in the morning and go sightseeing, do an early show and even go out afterwards. I didn’t get to see much here but we were in London yesterday and saw the Big Ben and everything. I mean – here I am in a metal band in Paris looking at the Eiffel Tower. The other day we were in London.

C: On Thursday, you’re also going to play another German gig in Hamburg. There’s got to be lots of drinking there.

A: Truthfully? The other guys are looking forward to the hookers there.

C: You go check out the hookers; I’ll be at the drinking!
(Laughing)
C: You are one of the singers in the band. I guess one is doing the growling, one the screaming parts?

A: The midrange stuff, the hardcore stuff, that’d be me and than Steve is doing all the high-pitched stuff and the growls.

C: Then how do you do the songwriting, given that two singers want to have their share?

A: On this record he wrote 5 out of ten songs and I wrote the other 5. We’re pretty much on the same page about what we’ve been through, what the other one is all about.

C: And what about the music?

A: Our drummer, our guitarist and me are more or less doing the music. But everybody has something to say and gets his share.
(Unearth guitarist Ken walking by and whistling into the mic)

C: The lyrics are also mostly about personal experiences, right?

A: Yes. I guess we are all pretty much balanced individuals. And although our lyrics are kinda negative, something good can come out of it. You scream about things that piss you off and afterwards you feel better about it. This might sound dorky but it is so true. We sing about loss and problems, regret. We just try to grow with all of that. It’s not about being pessimistic about all your life.
(some guy looking for the bathroom says Hi)

C: I read that you guys are also in other bands. Do you work on regular jobs as well or can you live off the music?

A: Yeah. We all played in other bands. Some of us are still playing in other bands. But Eric ist he only one who has a really decent job. He works at a TV station and cannot be fired. So that is cool. We can live of the band when we’re on tour. We played like 200 shows in the last year. It is more difficult for us in between tours. We either have no jobs or shitty jobs in between tours. It’s all worth it, though.

C: So you live for the music, rather than off the music.

A: Definitely.

C: How’s the music scene currently in Canada – especially in the French part of the country?

A: It’s great! For some reason a few bands from Montreal are really doing well. 5 years ago it was much more difficult and you could only play in the area. But here we are playing gigs in Germany. It’s getting easier for us.

C: You have your album coming out on May 22. What is different about it?

A: Well, this is our third album. I’d say it’s pretty much the same band but we didn’t want to make the same album twice. Any other band would say „Hey – this is our best album!“. So. This might be cheesy saying it, but: It’s true. On this record, we’ve worked harder than on any other record. So we got a lot of confidence. We try to incorporate the experiences we made when playing in other bands.

C: Also you got a new guitarist.

A: Yeah. OUr old guitarist got married and a kid. So he can’t tour anymore but he’s still a friend of ours. First we thought it would be difficult because our new guitarist doesn’t speak French. So we’re joking around a lot. But he’s learining a lot and he is the perfect guy for the band.

C: So there was no language barrier. And I do know that you practiced some German earlier today. So why don’t we just close this interview in the appropriate way: Thanks very much for the interview! (I know you can do it!)

A: Denkeschein! It was an awesome interview!

C: Thanks!