You mentioned in previous interviews that the title of your latest release (going to hell) refers to injustices like global poverty, resource depletion, and income inequality. Can you elaborate more on that? What did you see that affected you so much?
That's a big question, i could write a book or two about the answer. The short version is something along these lines. When i started touring 'light me up' i was about 15/16, i wasn't paying attention to much around the bubble of my life like most kids. I was sensitive to civilizations problems but i don't think i understood how real it was. Once we started going around the world, it was impossible to ignore. Massive development, massive poverty, violence, repression, depression, it was everywhere, and at such a great volume. Then as we delved deeper into touring the u.s. I saw that i don't have to go to south east asia to see these issues, they were right there in america, city to city you saw it. The separation of wealth, the greed, the destruction and all that it yields. It affected the writing by making the songs’ metaphors broaden, we tried to cover as much ground as we could lyrically and musically to express all this as simply as possible. That's what artists are for, they can describe the things we feel but cannot necessarily understand or say. Going to hell the album is my personal take on my life and what i've seen whether it's global or personal.
You've said in previous interviews that acting was a path towards being a musician. Why did you want to be a musician? What do you get out of playing and performing music that you didn't get out of acting?
As soon as i heard the beatles, i wanted to be a musician. I wanted to make music that made people feel. Acting was a job i was put into as a young child, it gave me experience but as soon as i was old enough to make my own decisions, i was out.
The outfits you wear on tour are custom-designed and one of a kind. Why did you feel it was important to have striking costumes to accompany the music? Is it important to rock the deaf as well as the blind?
I wouldn't call them costumes, i just stick some shit on a tshirt. But i definitely think that people are affected by an image or visual when listening to music so i try to make it go hand and hand.
You've referred to the album as a concept album, stressing that the order of the songs is intentional and important. Can you tell us a little about that?
That's another book (one that i have worked out already) that will probably never see the light of day. The record really chronicles a few years of my life in multiple perspectives. It's hard to describe verbally, you just have to go deeper and deeper into the songs and it's all right there.
What is the first record or cd that you connected with as a kid? What about it did you like? How has it continued to influence you to this day?
My dad was a vinyl collector so it was pretty much beatles and zeppelin etc. I still blast all of it to this day, listening to the greats is obviously inspirational in trying create something meaningful
What should people expect when they come to a pretty reckless show?
Pure rock and roll, i see tweets about lip syncing and it bums me out because we don't even play to a click track let alone any tracks, we turn the amps up, blast the lights and rock, that's it!
What is something about you that would surprise your fans?
I get asked that a lot, you'd have to ask the fans because nothing about me surprises me!
If you could go to a show to see any band from history what would it be and why?
Zeppelin, cause it's zeppelin!
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