Answered by:
Joel Cummins (Keyboardist/vocalist)

1)Hi guys, first of all let me congratulate you on this new album of yours which proposes a motley of sounds. How did you get to this new musical arrangement you are now playing?
The new arrangement is pretty much a result of us writing a lot of material and putting together a collection of songs that we thought worked best together. The new album definitely has an evolved vibe from Anchor Drops. Believe the Lie seems to connect the two albums, but I think a lot of the differences stem from where we are at personally and collectively, particularly during the time when we wrote a lot of the material. The music came from many sources both individual and collective, but the album definitely has everyone’s voices and contributions prominently throughout. Lyrically, a lot of the topics deal with death and loss, and rebuttals to those experiences. The music covers a lot of terrain as we tried to incorporate an interesting mix of textures and instruments to convey all of those emotions as best we could.

2)Just because of the variety of your sounds it is quite hard to classify you as belonging to a specific musical genre: would you give us a hand and explain, if possible, in which trend you fit?
Well, I think we are really trying to head in two different directions with the studio and live music. We’ve consciously tried to use the live environment for experimentation with both improvisation and song form. We want the studio to be another form of experimentation for us but heading in the direction of us serving the songs and presenting things with more efficiency. A lot of these songs were initially recorded in January and February of 2005. We then worked with the forms and nuances of them for about six months off and on while we were touring (and while we were at home). So I think we ended up with a lot of different ideas and time to figure out ways to make it seem like all of the pieces really fit into the puzzle. So I think we are are recognized as an improvisational rock band live and then a somewhat progressive rock band in the studio.

3)In my review published on “Tempi Duri” I suggested that your music is affected by some great American bands like Spin Doctor, Little River Band and Doobie Brothers, do you agree? Would you like to mention any other band?
Is this a trick question? I thought Little River Band was from Australia. I visited Australia back in 1984 as my parents lived there for a few years, and found some great folk music both Aboriginal and some from great and hysterical cats like Rolfe Harris. Great performances and hilarious music. But we certainly do love a great deal of American music. Miles Davis, Frank Zappa, Little Feat, Herbie Hancock and Taj Mahal are all artists that we love.

4)How do you create your music? I mean are you guided by what you are listening to or do you plunge into your inner selves in search of genuine inspiration?
You always want to have something to say as a musician. Some days it feels like the music comes quite naturally, and some days, maybe what I’ve been listening to will influence what’s happening. I’m sure some of that comes through anyway on an unconscious level. But I’d never try to do someone else’s sound intentionally. Plunging into the inner self is always my first choice.

5)According to you, what is your music intended to convey?
Expressively, I think a lot of ground is covered with our music, so its kind of hard to pin down. To me its important that whatever meaning it can have that it can sometimes be universal and open to interpretation. But I think we all strive to come together and produce something that’s passionate and dynamic.

6)Would you please tell us which – if any – are the main differences between your previous album “Anchor Drop” and “Safety in Numbers”?
The new album gives a lot of attention to melodies in the instruments but particularly with the lyrics. There are more textures and nuances here, including some pretty exciting guest spots from saxophonist Joshua Redman and Huey Lewis, who appears with vocals and harmonica. I think there is some continuity between the two though too.

6)What kind of audience purchases your albums and comes to your concerts? I am asking because it seems to me that your music possesses some special facets that make it greatly different from that of most metal bands: it in fact calls for utmost attention when listening to it in order to be correctly assimilated. Would you like to add a comment in this respect?
We want to challenge ourselves with the music and I guess that can require the same of the audience occasionally. One thing we’ve realized over the years is that we sometimes need to give the brain a rest and play four/four time for a few minutes. But I guess with all of the time changes in there the idea is to make odd meter and changes feel natural. After awhile I think our songs probably do feel like that to people, but most people aren’t initially comfortable with how seven/eight time or five/four time feels. They might associate with a song that they didn’t know was in that time and then be able to get the feel a little better (e.g., the Crunge by Led Zeppelin, in five). We’ve found that our European audience has some very energetic people as well as some intense listeners. Its been a great experience over here so far.

6)I personally quite appreciated you already in your previous album, in this new one, however, you are supported by a richer discography and by a better experience in live shows. How are you planning to make you music known? Would you say that media like radio broadcasting programs can still hit this target effectively?
Now that satellite radio has become so prominent, especially in the U.S., we have a whole new means of songs being broadcast. I don’t think we fit into a typical radio format, but a few of the songs on this album are pretty accessible and not quite as arcane, or at least attempting to be arcane. So I think it is certainly a viable way to get our music out there, although I don’t see us being a top-40 type band. Our band has gotten most of our recognition from playing live shows and continually evolving our sound throughout. We continue to do that now and I think the studio albums will hopefully get to some new ears once its out.

7)Your cd hosts a few guests, surely the most renowned among them is Huey Lewis: how did you succeed to secure his cooperation? What kind of a person is he as a musician and as a fellow human being?
We met Huey in New York last year as part of a Jammy’s collaboration. He performed with us there and struck us as quite a down-to-earth and enjoyable guy, not to mention his fabulous musicianship. I think he had some fun playing with us and we’ve seen performed together a handful of times. He’s been very generous in putting these great performances down with us.

8)Your band has been playing in Italy: would you tell us your impressions on our Country?
The people were kind to us and I think that they were probably the most attentive audience we’ve had all tour. Milan was incredibly hospitable. I’ve been to Florence and Rome before as well, and have to say that Florence is one of my favorite cities in Europe, if not the world. We can’t wait to come back.

9)All right then, our time is up and, besides thanking you most gratefully for giving us your valuable time, we would ask you if there is anything else you wish to add…
We hope you give our album a listen and enjoy it. We’ll be back touring in Europe again no later than next year! Thanks.