How are you?
I’m alright!
Glad to be back in Europe?
Glamourous, wondrous, electric, all of those adjectives.
Stoked! I could tell you I’m not stoked, but that would be a massive lie!
Would you be so kind to tell us something about your latest record “Look At Yourself”?
It was a process, it was good, it was challenging, it was fun, it was a growth for everyone involved, we all learned a lot. I can’t really say enough positive about it other than what I just said. It took place at West Hollywood at a house/studio we all lived in for a couple of weeks. Watched some TV, it was good. There was a room with bunk beds in it, and a lot of rooms we had to share, it was rather small, but we had everything we needed, so it was nice.
How did the writing process go for this record?
IT was good! It was fun and it was easy. Me and Josh had started writing the record in 2014 and didn’t finish writing for the record until we almost entered the studio. We were constantly sending back and forth ideas. BEing on the road together did open the door aswell for the creative flow. We kinda fed off of eachother. It was definitely the most creative process I’ve been a part of.
We were always writing, everyone in the band is always in some creative space, regardless.. its kind of a habit. So when it came time to making the album happen, it was rather easy to jump into that and making it happen.
What’s the status on new music?
It never ends, it’s constantly changing. We’re always having ideas and sharing these ideas with one another, we’ll just talk about a certain vibe we both enjoy. It’s very organic, it’s not like we have a certain idea of this is good, this is not good. We just kinda go with the flow, you know?
Emmure are one of those bands you either love or hate. How do you deal with all the negativity?
If you’re making music that everyone likes, are you even making music? You have to pretty much thrive of it.
To be honest, I get asked a lot about how do I deal with the negativity, but let’s be honest, there’s also a lot of positivity going around, I just tend to focus on that.
Most criticism is based on ignorance anyway. Most people that vocalize their opinion aren’t worth listening to, so I don’t really give a shit to it all. I’m not there to please everyone, I’m here mostly to please myself and the fact that people enjoy it is a bonus. I know that what people say is worthless, when people say negative shit, there’s nothing behind it. It’s all relative, people tend to always go into this box where not only they have an opinion, but their opinion has them. Example: The Simpsons, my favourite TV-show of all time, someone says the simpsons suck. Where’s the logic in that? How is it, that a show that sucks become one of the biggest shows of all times? Just because you don’t like it doesn’t mean it’s bad. That people don’t like our music is fine, but it doesn’t change the way that I look at it.
How did the change to Sharptone Records happen?
It was a pretty easy transition. We have history with people from Nuclear Blast and Sharptone. It was kind of a natural progression to get into that position where we had a great team of people to back the record, having Nuclear on our corner, coupled with the Sharptone label, I think it’s kinda the best combination to have for a band of our statue.
Bit of an odd one, but your tracks are rather short and pack a massive punch. Any reason as to why most your tracks are rather short?
Once an idea is done, there’s no reason to try and add something to what’s already finished, that’s my view on it. It’s like a painting, you can add stuff to a painting forever, but eventually, you have to turn it into something. So, a completed idea to me is something when it’s executed right the first time. There’s no reason to sit there, analyze it, pick it apart. A short song doesn’t mean it’s not good, doesn’t mean it doesn’t pack a punch, you know?
What’s next for Emmure?
We have international touring planned, new music, new content, just regular bandshit. We don’t have any plans for EUrope just yet, but we’ll have talks about it.
What advice would you give to young bands?
Enjoy it. Straight up, there’s nothing in this world that’ll fulfill you unless it’s something you really want to. So if music does that for you, go for it and don’t back down. Sit through the entire journey and hang in there.
