The Audition (June 28, 2009)

Published by Rhea on July 31, 2009

With our last interview having been a little less than 2 years ago, The Audition is still going strong. Catching up on lost time, they now have a total of 3 full lengths and are dealing with a member recently leaving. These guys appear to be still at it and going for the gold. (This interview was done with singer Danny Stevens on June 28, 2009 at The Waiting Room in Omaha, NE).

 

SDS: If you could state who you are.

Danny: Am I looking at the camera or am I looking at you?

SDS: I don’t care

Danny: I’ll look at you so it’s not weird. Well, I’ll look at the camera for this.

*everyone laughs*

Danny: I’m Danny and I sing for The Audition

 

SDS: It’s been about 2 years since I last interviewed you.

Danny: Yes

SDS: How would you say that you’ve changed since then?

Danny: Personally? Musically? Band wise?

SDS: Any of them. All of them.

Danny: Obviously I’m a few years older as are you. Things, well the obvious things. We’ve released another album, wait, 2 albums since you interviewed me last. We’ve released 2 albums, wow. A lot of touring, all of the good stuff. We’re all the same people you know, traveling around the world in our piece of crap van, you know, it’s good.

SDS: I think that was new the last time I saw you guys.

Danny: Definitely not new, newer. Probably a few hundred thousand miles less on it, but it works.

 

SDS: Recently Joe left the band. What was the reason behind this?

Danny: He just wasn’t into it anymore, you know? You can’t force somebody to do something if their heart isn’t fully into this lifestyle. There’s just not a lot you can do. We’re still friends. We hang out when we’re in Chicago, I still talk to him on the phone you know it’s cool, but you just can’t force somebody to do something their heart isn’t in. It’s no ones fault.

SDS: I was just wondering that because I noticed he was gone, but that’s cool

Danny: Yeah

 

SDS: How did you guys come up with the name Self-Titled Album for it? Could you not think of anything?

Danny: *laughs* Yeah we were lazy

SDS: *laughs* Okay

Danny: We were totally lazy….

SDS: Okay

Danny: *laughing* No, uh, no. We uh, that’s the answer I like giving because I’m lazy and that’s an easy answer. No, basically we wanted to, not really reinvent ourselves, but we didn’t really want to give the album a stigma before it was released because you know when you hear a band name, a song title, or an album you can kind of already tell what that song sounds like or already know what that bands going to sound like, you know what I mean? We really didn’t want to do that with this so we just Self-Titled Album. It’s just, we didn’t want to put a label on it and you take it for what it is. Take it for what you want.

 

SDS: About how long did it take for you guys to complete the album?

Danny: Writing actually was awesome and we actually took a few months to write. Our last, our Champion we wrote within 90 days which is unheardable, really fast. This one we have we took a few months off just to strictly write which is great because we had so many song ideas and so many cool things and we just got to work it all out instead of rushing it together, so for 2 or 3 months we wrote, and then we were only in the studio for a month though and funny story about that is I didn’t actually finish my vocals in the studio. We uh, the day after recording we flew to England to tour with Alkaline Trio and then we went Australia to do the Sound Way Festival in February so I was doing the vocals in our hotel rooms and in the bus with our little thing so it worked out really well, it was cool.

 

SDS: How would you say that Self-Titled Album compares to Champion and Controversy Loves Company?

Danny: I think it’s a good blend, it’s uh. We like, we really, we like certain aspects of our music that we think makes it different and you know, we had, on Controversy we had really big, powerful, fast, in your face sing along choruses, Champion we had a good kind of R&B feel where you could really dance to it, and on Self-Titled we tried to blend those 2 together and add on top of that. I think we really accomplished what we wanted to accomplish, I think we did it. When you sit down you go we want this album to do this and to actually do it is a really good feeling.

 

SDS: Who in the band is the most picked on?

Danny: *laughing* Tim. 100% Tim Klepek. He is so easy, he says some of the dumbest things I have ever heard, seen, it’s just really comical when you just sight back and *sigh*. Him and Ian, our guitar tech, are just two peas in a pod. No offense to them, but they are just so dumb. They’re just so dumb.

SDS: *laughing* I think that’s my new favorite question because I love the reactions.

Danny: Oh, it’s so good. It’s like, okay, Ian our guitar tech, he may slowly be taking the cake on this. We have a GPS on our van, have you ever used a GPS?

SDS: Yes

Danny: It tells you exactly where to go, where to turn, and it tells you in writing at the top. We have like 6 GPS’ in our van because we all have to tell Ian where to go and how to follow the GPS. He’s like *deep voice* wait wait wait it says turn to the right on this street *deep voice* What do I do? Do I turn left do I turn right I don’t know what to do guys, where do I go?. You know, it’s clearly directing you right, like everything. He’ll pull into a gas station and pull out and will be like where did I come from? I don’t know where to go. Am I going the right way? I’m going the wrong way aren’t I? Oh what am I doing? He just like freaks out.

*everyone laughs*

SDS (P): It sounds like he panics.

Danny: He panics…

SDS (P): And then it sounds like he can’t think straight

Danny: He never knows like where he is

SDS: That’s actually kind of sad really

Danny: *laughing* It actually is kind of sad, but we love him. It’s all in good fun.

SDS (P): It sounds real entertaining

Danny: It can be kind of irritating sometimes, but for the most part it is pretty entertaining

 

SDS: What is one band other than yourselves that you think people should know about?

Danny: A band in our scene or a band, any band?

SDS: Either, don’t care

Danny: Their called Avett Brothers. They’re coming to Omaha, I say a sign out there. August something. Their like a folk, blue grass, indie band. Even if you don’t like blue grass or folk, which you know, most people don’t, it’s really really good songs. They’re probably in the top 3 bands of mine. Their two brothers and this other dude, they play acoustic, banjo, and stand up bass and it’s some of the best songs I’ve ever heard.

 

SDS: What’s an interesting fact about you or the band that you think people should know about?

Danny: Uh, *laughs*. Ryan has a criminal record right now. Well, not a record, but he’s a felon. He’s a running felon. We got pulled over in Ohio and we didn’t have proof of insurance for our trailer and we hadn’t been back to Ohio, he missed his court date to prove that we had the insurance, so he’s wanted for arrest in Ohio right now.

SDS: That’s sad

Danny: *laughing* He’s a felon. He’s a fugitive running from the law. It’s all getting taken care of, so it’s not a big deal

 

SDS: There’s something I’ve always wanted to ask you about a song.

Danny: Okay

SDS: Approach the Bench, what is that song about exactly?

Danny: That songs about cheating on a significant other.

SDS: Okay, I’ve always wondered that

Danny: Not that I’ve done it, but I…. When did I write that? I wrote that before I had a girlfriend. I don’t know, you don’t really write…. Sometimes I just write songs about nothing, about an idea I have you know, but yeah, that’s what that song is about.

 

To view more pictures of The Audition from their show, be sure to visit the gallery.