iwrestledabearonce
von kk anno 2011
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iwrestledabearonce are one of the most polarizing bands around. The five-piece band hailing from Louisiana is mixing up all kinds of genres: Mathcore, Metal, Jazz, Country - the list doesn't end. The drummer Ryan Pearson and the bass player Dave Branch took their time to give a little insight into their music so you can rate and understand their music a little bit better. Maybe.
How did you get to know each other?
Pearson: All being in separate bands and playing shows together randomly.
Branch: Mike was in a band in Oklahoma, I was in a band Texas, Pearson and Steven were in a band from Louisiana. And pretty we much we all met playing shows in the same areas. Pearson's old band did a tour one time that went to New York and they met Krysta, our singer. And then she ended up moving down to Steven. She used to date Steven.
It's rather unimaginable how those chaotic songs of yours come to life. How do you write songs?
Pearson: That just depends on the day, honestly. Steven and I would write separately and get together a lot of times and take ideas and arrange them.
Branch: We would just all write stuff on the computer when were just bored or whatever. And then we'd all just pretty much collaborate, add on to them and make them better.
How long does it take you to write a song?
Pearson: This album we wrote fairly quick.
Branch: Two months or something.
Pearson: We had a lot of material written before we even went in the studio. We knocked it out pretty quick. We had demos done in less than three weeks. From there on we tracked all the stuff. And Krysta did her thing. It didn't take too long.
So Krysta writes her lyrics independently of the rest of the band?
Pearson: Yes, always. She writes on her own.
The majority of her lyrics is kind of cryptic. Where does she draw inspiration from?
Branch: She just watches Tom Cruise Movies and steals phrases and puts them together. "Terminator II", too, right?
Pearson: Oh, yeah!
Branch: It's a big influence on her lyrics.
Pearson: Yeah, and Charlie Sheen.
Branch: Yeah!
Did Krysta take singing lessons? It seems like her voice has improved since the album "It's All Happening".
Branch: I guess her boyfriend is in a band and he sings and gives her pointers. We were doing vocals for the album. Right after that we had to go back on the tour and then she came back and finished the vocals. So there was a good two month period where she was practicing the songs every day. When we got home she knew what she wanted to change or make better. She had a whole month to think about it.
Pearson: She definitely had more time to think about the vocal patterns compared to the last album.
Your influences seem to be all over the place. Which bands left their impression on you?
Branch: Michael Jackson.
Pearson: Deftones.
Branch: Korn.
Pearson: We all grew up listening to Slipknot.
Branch: I'm not that much into Metal anymore. We tour with a lot of bands and we love them. But as far as inspiration it's always an outside source. I actually listen to a lot of dance music.
Pearson: I listen to a lot of instrumental stuff, like ambient stuff. Because we listen to heavy bands, we tour with them. So it's a change of pace to listen to that. It hasn't got any vocal and is just soft and chilly.
Did you learn your instruments?
Pearson: When I grew up I took like three or four lessons. The teacher showed me the basics and then I took off and did my own thing. I never really learned to read music until college. I took a theory class but mostly I learned by ear. I don't spend a lot of time playing other people's music.
Branch: I used to play saxophone in school. I had a roommate that had a bass and I played around on it. I was in charge of the bills. When he didn't pay the rent for two months he gave me his bass. And then I met a guy that wanted to start a band and he said our first show would be in three weeks. So I learned what I could in three weeks and started playing and have been in a band ever since.
Do you have regular jobs besides playing in a band?
Pearson: This is our job. We go home and sit around, party, work out.
Branch: Steven told me that if I had a job I would have to buy my own car and couldn't use the band van. So I said "Never mind."
What do you spend your money on?
Branch: I like to spend my money on tattoos, weed and lots of alcohol.
Pearson: I save a little bit here and there when I can. A lot of times I'll go home and visit family. Nothing really big.
You play pretty extreme music. Which music seems extreme to you?
Pearson: I've always thought The Dillinger Escape Plan were pretty extreme.
Branch: There's been a lot of extreme stuff as we grew up, but it's hard to be extreme anymore because everybody's already...
Pearson: ... been there done that.
Branch: [laughs] Nothing's shocking to us old fucks anymore.
There are a lot of people who hate your music. Which music do you hate?
Branch: What do I hate?
Pearson: I don't necessarily hate any type music. I rather not listen to country, although we do have a country-part in of our songs. A lot of us are from the south so it's funny.
Branch: Funny-liddle-diddle.
Pearson: Ye know.
Branch: I don't really hate much music. I hate movies. [laughs] Of course when you watch a movie you have to watch the whole thing and then you're like "FUCK!". But with a song, you can turn it off in the first ten seconds.
So which movies do you hate?
Branch: "Doomsday". That was a terrible movie. Or "Skyline", that was a shitty piece of dunk. Any movies you hate?
Pearson: "The Happening", it's a terrible movie.
Branch: But Zooey Deschanel is amazing. She good. Mark Wahlberg, he good, too. [laughs]
[Both start talking gibberish]
Branch: It's a good in a shitty way.
Do you like zombie movies?
Pearson: We all love zombie movies.
Which ones?
Branch: "Dawn of the dead".
Pearson: As far as being comedic, I like "Zombieland". That was awesome.
Branch: "Shaun of the dead".
Pearson: "28 days later".
Branch: Fuck yeah.
Pearson: "28 weeks later".
Branch: Fuck yeah. "Dead Snow". The American Safety Association, whatever it's called, issued a zombie strategy. They put out one for a zombie attack, officially. How to defend and escape situations and shit. Isn't that weird?
Pearson: If the zombie apocalypse come, imma be prepared.
Branch: I'll go to the gun store.
Pearson: Yeah.
Branch: I'd grab shotgun and a samurai sword.
Pearson: I'd take a little double sawed of shotgun, several handguns.
Branch: I feel like having a gun and sword, so at least you can fight of something closer to you. A machete?
Pearson: Yeah.
Have you witnessed ignorance or intolerance because of the music you play?
Pearson: For sure!
Branch: Yeah, lots of people are confused about what's going on. There was this one guy who said "You guys don't even play breakdowns, you play notes and stuff!" [laughs]
Pearson: There's always going to be people that are going to hate and not understand. But that's cool.
Branch: Everybody hates something. I'm okay with that. It makes the world go around. If they bitch about us to their friends, they're friends are like "Well, I have to hear it" and if they hate it they'll tell their friends. Word's still travelling.
Every publicity is good publicity.
Pearson: True.
Branch: I've always thought it would be funny to record the shittiest sounding band that you can think of. Fuck up on purpose and see if it'll become popular. [laughs]
Links
http://www.iwrestledabearonce.com/
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