band - FILL 12.29.06 interview w/Wes, Steve

BP: Hey Wes, thanks for the interview, and Merry Christmas! WA: What's up man, I thought I'd bring Steve along for this interview, the bass player can't do things like this on his own you know. Anyway, thanks for the opportunity to let more people know about us. BP: No problem! So you play bass in the band right? WA: Yes, I play bass. We are a three piece band consisting of bass, drums, and guitar. Brandon Glenn is on drums, Steve is on guitar, and I'm on the bass. BP: How long have you guys been playing, and how did you get started? WA: I have been playing for about five-ish years and it was actually Fieldy from Korn that got me started playing bass....he was really awesome to me at the time. Also, no one else I knew played bass so I thought it would be a good way to find people to play music with since there are very few I knew, and know. CS: I started learning on my Dad's guitar when I was 13 or 14. Never took lessons or read books, just a few tabs when I was younger and practiced while I was awake. BP: Alright, let's talk about the band. Fill is only a few months old....is that right? Tell me how you guys got together. CS: Wes and I have been playing for about seven years, including Casio rocking and Wes at horrible guitar before he took up bass. In 2005, when the Camp was still open hosting their Tuesday nite open mic, we met Brandon during a long crazy improvisational jam. As soon as Wes moved to a house with a basement, we thought to invite him over....we could tell he was one of us. WA: Brandon and I played in a band called Loft in 2005 for a few months, Wes Grable from the Mike Renick Band introduced me and Brandon and I knew I found the best jazz drummer in Cape, that wanted to be in a band anyway. BP: You've already got some shows in St. Louis under your belt, that's great. How did the shows go? WA: St. Louis ruled. We played at Cicero's opening for Madahoochi, a fantastic band from St. Louis who plays every Monday at Cicero's. I met their bass player while in a band called Brother Boothe and he hooked us up with the gig. Madahoochi ( www.myspace.com/madahoochi ) was excellent and I think they dug our stuff too. The whole bar treated us great. We had an hour set, free pizza, free beer, and got paid...it was very nice BP: The mp3 you sent me didn't have any vocals, and I was unable to hear your myspace songs because of my crappy dial-up at home. Do you guys have a vocalist? (If not, why...and do you plan to add one?) WA: No vocalist except during practice when we yell cheesy lyrics while playing music we make fun of, but no...no vocals for now. However, we are talking to our good buddy Kris Baranovic to make an album with lyrics in the future...when we explore into something else, but for now, we let our instruments do the talking. I don't even like lyrics most of the time. For one, I'm listening to the high-hats or the bass drum or if I can hear the fretboard of the guitars. I've always just moved my mouth acting like I know lyrics if a situation comes up where there is a sing-a-long...usually ends up funny. CS: No Vocals, maybe someday but not now. Language diminishes deep meaning sense it is such a common thing, but instrumental pieces speak more to the mind than the ear. BP: The band just released a few more songs in the last few days right? WA: Freakin a man, finally. Brandon Glenn's song "So Far (FM)" should be up on our myspace very soon, we just recorded out album it turns out....we have a few more songs but aren't going to include them on this album...Steve wrote most of the songs on it..I believe the album is going to be called "So What's Goin' on Later Man?".. Steve wrote a new song called "Bo Te Wah" and I finally finished a song I've been working on called "Bodas Kusho"...so our sound is changing but I'd rather say it is evolving. CS: Yes we came up with some new stuff, as opposed to remodeling old songs I wrote and taught Wes years ago. BP: Tell me about the band's music. It has a nice groove to it, like it would be good party-atmosphere music. Was that your intention? CS: We embrace all atmospheres as having musical potential. Parties are definitely a fun mind-set; pointless fun, silly grooves...drunken. I don't know how crowds react to our music though, but I'm not trying too hard to find out either. WA: We like to create chaos and possibly freak out those who might not like to venture into this type of music, then we change and get you dancing, and that's all in one song. It's fun to test your boundaries as a band, especially live because if you really mess up, its more real...rather than having a full-on structured song and missing the big part and making the whole band sound like shit. It's totally free and I love it. BP: One can hear many elements in your music - rock, jazz, progressive, blues, etc - but forget about labels. If you could make up your own name for the style of music that Fill plays, what would it be? WA: Disorder in order, without order. CS: We are a "head" band. WA: Huh huh, get it, man? BP: HAHA, ok here's a good one..... if the band had a mission statement, what would it be? CS: "Accept and appreciate chaos in life as much as structure and order". When we are improvising, I see everything from electrons orbiting atomic nuclei to billions of stars orbiting a galaxy. WA: "At the end of the day, it's all on the one". BP: What are the band's plans for 2007? CS: To write more original music and get better at improvising. WA: Writing, playing, live shows, recording, maybe a few albums...as much as we can without freaking each other out. BP: You guys have some shows coming up at the Rude Dog, is that right? WA: Yes, shows not to miss...January 19th, with Defined Perception (www.myspace.com/definedperception) from Carbondale is playing at the Rude Dog Pub and we are opening up for them...looking forward to that show, it will be a lot of fun. The show I'm most excited about is on February 1...we met a band from Tulsa, Oklahoma called Harmonious Monk (www.myspace.com/harmoniousmonk). They are a crazy jazz band and are looking forward to coming to Cape for the first time...and they are going to hook us up with some gigs back home in Tulsa. BP: If someone wanted to book the band Fill, what do they need to do? WA: Contact me, I do the booking and have cd's and all that goodness...email me at stogie02@hotmail.com and I can give you my number if you want us to play somewhere. Also we have the myspace thing....myspace.com/fillmusic. BP: Alright, thanks for your time Wes! You guys have a rockin' Christmas and a great New Year. WA: You too brother, thanks for the interview and have a good New Year. 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