Thread The Lariat
Questions answered by Collin Davis (Vocalist)
What are your individual names & whERE ARE YOU FROM?
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Vocals
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Vocals
Guitar
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Vocals
Bass
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Drums
How would you describe your genre? Sink or Swim & Epilogue are great songs.
We are actually a bit genre confused, bouncing between metalcore, pop punk and emo. Sometimes all in the same song.
Are there any past acts/bands you look up to? What qualities did they have that you admire?
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of advice another musician/band ever gave you?
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for performing.
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make a great band-family?
We look up to a lot of past acts for inspiration although we all have varied tastes. Bands like Thrice and A Day to Remember have extremely diverse catalogs and are really eclectic in the way their sound evolves from record to record.
They don’t repeat themselves.
We feel an affinity to that.
We really dig playing the Viper Room in Hollywood due to the vibes and the history and the energy there. It’s infectious. The Whisky A Go-Go is also radical, we’ve played there a couple times. But overall I would say our favorite venue to play would be our hometown club, Soma.
It’s a legendary, gritty joint where we saw all our favorite bands growing up. So to play there now and watch the kids moshing and getting psyched, it’s really cool. Let’s see, where else? The Dive in Las Vegas was interesting…We’ve learned that camaraderie in a band is perhaps the most valuable quality you can have. It’s more important than musical chops. And it can’t be manufactured.
If the energy is off, the music usually is too. I don’t care how much of a virtuoso you are on your instrument, if we don’t jive on a personal level it ain’t gonna work.
Do you follow a process or ritual before a performance to get rid of nerves or performance anxiety?
Our pre-show rituals have evolved over time as we have honed our live show. In the beginning, having fun was almost as important as delivering a solid performance. We have modified that approach.
We used to slug down copious amounts of whiskey, then bring more with us to the stage. Nowadays it’s more like shots of wheatgrass, pushups, and high fives all around. Maybe a couple trust falls for good measure. We save the whiskey for after the gig. (• ‿ •)
Funniest band memory? Who has the best jokes to tell?
We’ve definitely had some hilarious moments, although in retrospect most of them don’t seem all that funny in the moment. Recently I was running across the stage at a gig, as one does, and tripped on Dougie’s guitar chord, ripping it out of his amp in the middle of his solo. I had a laugh, but he wasn’t very amused [Laughs]. I keep telling him to get a wireless setup…
Who is the most encouraging bandmate? To add, we felt like a feather in the wind while listening to Instead Run and After All.
Every band is a group of unique personalities and we are no different. Creative collaboration can be complex and tricky. I would say Aaron is our most upbeat, encouraging member. Dude has a heart of gold, which is a major asset when you’re climbing a mountain. He doesn’t always smell the best though, we keep meaning to add deodorant sticks to the rider, but I digress. [Laughs]
Instead Run and After All are two of our softer numbers, less rock ’ n ’ roll razzle dazzle, more stripped down.
Thanks for your comments and for listening, I’m glad they made you feel something.
[ Response: It’s our pleasure ( ◠‿◠ ) ]
Those songs are deeply personal. We write about what we go through day to day. The obstacles and challenges and pitfalls and landmines that every person faces. We try to unpack this human experience through lyrics and hope that others can relate, that it can bring some enjoyment to people just as music has always done for me. Ultimately the writing is cathartic. We’re not trying to break the mold or change the world. But music really is quite powerful, isn’t it?
How do you handle travelling and/or being away from your home for an extended time period while you are on tour/gigs?
I love the road and playing in new towns as do most of the other guys. Meeting people, rubbing shoulders with lots of killer bands, it’s a challenge and an adventure. Dougie has two babies at home, so it’s a bit complicated for him to be away for obvious reasons.
Wouldn’t spend the time out chasing What money can buy And that got me nowhere Couldn’t tow the line that well Never a question, more like Simple assumption That life would be roses Know that only time will tell Well I stood there for a second Then just walked right out the door Another useless conversation Never leaves you wanting more It’s hard to believe These years have all gone down the drain Race to nowhere Only dead end roads in this town Stagger down the wrong path Vow to never look back I’m going all in
Wouldn’t spend the time out chasing What money can buy And that got me nowhere Couldn’t tow the line that well Never a question, more like Simple assumption That life would be roses Know that only time will tell Well I stood there for a second Then just walked right out the door Another useless conversation Never leaves you wanting more It’s hard to believe These years have all gone down the drain Race to nowhere Only dead end roads in this town Stagger down the wrong path Vow to never look back I’m going all in
He’s more suspect of questionable opportunities these days [Laughs]. His girl is super supportive so that helps. But once you play your hometown long enough, you gotta hit the road.
What strengths do you have that you believe make you a great team or songwriters? Describe your creative process when you write new music – we felt there was a certain message in the song Farewell.
Our songwriting process varies significantly from song to song, which I see as a real strength. Everyone in the band writes. We are an incubator for ideas as a unit. If the drummer has a vocal idea, well, let’s hear it. So the songs come about differently every time, whether it starts with a guitar riff or some lyrics. It can be a difficult dynamic since everyone has their own opinions on what is good and what isn’t.
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But in the end it’s all about locking into whatever idea will best serve the song, and we can all agree on that. The creative process for myself vocally usually starts with melodies. Sometimes the words fall right into place, other times you have to mold and sculpt and work them.
Rarely do we set out to write a song about any certain topic. Most of the time we figure out what it’s about as it comes together. Then we change the “working title” four or five times.
Who's your ideal musician/band/performer/artist to collaborate with and why?
We had a chance to hang with one of our all time hero’s last year, the inimitable living legend Fat Mike of NOFX. It was incredible. We talked about life, family, music, songwriting, band stuff, you name it.
Totally surreal.
I would say he would top the list if we could choose someone to produce or collaborate on an album with. He’s brilliant. But he’d probably drink all our booze, and I don’t think we could afford him. [Laughs]