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Episode Title: Tantricized! Synopsis: The lead singer of the ever-melodic-rock-powerhouse "Marches" on to the scene and discusses everything from working with Twiggy to his school days and the conception of his band. Cast: Paul & TBM Since you are a fairly new band, can you tell us the origin of your name? We started the band in March and that's pretty much where the name came from...by default. It sorta turned into this whole World War II theme that we went with for a while and it became that. Meaning, march on to whatever...I think it's one of those things. We played around with a couple different names and nothing felt right and Neil just said why not March...we started in March and it just made sense for the band. I think it sounds...it's not a funny name, it's not a heavy metal name per say. It's sort of non-descript but its got a serious tone to it. Mysterious... It seems to work, it's just one of those things. You just know when it's right. You made it on to the Lucky Brand Jeans sampler, can you tell our readers how to get the CD? If they go to any store nationwide...actually I think, you know the store The Buckle? It's sorta like Pacific Sunwear but it's mostly back east, they may have a couple out here, but if you buy Lucky Brand jeans they give you the disk with it. I think you can get it at the Lucky Brand stores too but I'm not sure. I think it might be a co-op...they're not produced yet; it may be a holiday thing. I'm just excited that we're on it. 50,000 copies and you know they're gonna give them all away so at least someone will get to hear the song. I've actually found a lot of bands I listen to today just from those sampler CDs. People are always looking for new music. Yeah, Urban Outfitters has a really good one that I just picked up. It's got some great bands on it that I got turned on to. Belle and Sebastian, have you ever heard of Belle and Sebastian? No. You should pick it up, it's cool. It's a girl, she doesn't really do much though and some guy. It just started to get really popular I guess. What kind of music is it? Rock? No, it's like...kinda like the Partridge Family meets Weezer or something like that. I like anything that's creative.You know what I mean? I'm always trying to push these guys to be more creative than we are right now because that's what I'm used to and they were a hardcore band before...what you're going to hear tonight. [starts making heavy metal riff noises] That's what I was wondering about, how do you guys fit onto this bill? We don't! And that's what sorta bums me out about walking away...I know this isn't one of your questions but...walking away from having a bad show but then looking at the company that you're in and realizing that you don't necessarily belong. I know that we all play music and that's cool and I can respect that but we really need to find bands that make sense with us to play with and it's hard cause I don't wanna...we don't wanna get stuck in the heavy metal thing. 'Cause we're not heavy metal, we're just rock. We've played with some bands that have been good for us but most of the time we get lumped into...You know what? I like it because it always makes us stand out, whether people like it or not. We played a Whisky show where there was like the gnarliest hardcore Slayer bands. I didn't even know these people existed anymore, they were coming from I don't know where but not where I live. [laughs] It was like the leather and the flames and the noses pierced and it's cool 'cause a bunch of them came up and they're like "you know, we're not really into your music at all but you guys killed it." It's nice to hear something like that. Like The Millionaires that played the Viper Room show...That was odd. I didn't understand those guys at all. To those who have never heard of March before, can you describe your sound? I think it's just good and honest rock & roll. In everything that I do and everything that the band does too I think we just try to be ourselves and anytime we start sounding like someone else or sounding like we shouldn't sound or sounding fake, we try to ditch the songs that don't make it. We've written some great songs that I love playing but they don't have that heart that all of our songs have. It's hard to ditch good songs like you have to when you know they're just not right for you but that doesn't really describe our sound does it? I think that we're a good rocking...I think the best thing about March is that we've got the slow songs, we've got the in between songs and we've got hard songs, just like a classic rock & roll band. We don't just go 'hard hard hard hard hard' and that's the one thing I hate about heavy metal. None of those guys can sing a slow song and that's probably my bread and butter and that's probably what I sound best on, is the slow stuff. The other members of the band formed March following Halo Grey and you joined them after the demise of Standing Hawthorn. How did you come to be in the band? It was literally just...I've known Neil and Tim for a little while through mutual friends and work and stuff like that. They're still really good friends with their old singer but they just realized from a lot of feedback and a lot of critiques and feeling that after a couple years that their singer wasn't really what they wanted to do. It was just holding them back. One thing about this band, member per member, they're really talented but they're not completely talented musicianship wise. They're talented creatively and at coming up with great ideas. I think it works well and after they (Tim and Neil) got rid of their singer, I was the first person they thought of. Standing Hawthorn was done. I gave up on the whole thing. Done with your band or music? Music in general, 'cause I started really young in Standing Hawthorn and we played for a long time. We had decent success but nothing great. If you were done with music, what made you want to play with this band? I don't know, they asked. [laughs] I didn't know anything other than that band 'cause I've been with those guys since high school and I had never played with anyone else. So I figured if that wasn't gonna work, as successful and critically acclaimed as that band (Standing Hawthorn) was in the media, but not really anywhere else...I was just done with it. I needed to move on and start a career and get moving but you know, they (March) presented the idea to me and it was just one of those things. I played twice with them and it just rocked right away. Sometimes you just know. Yeah, we transformed this band when I started. This band sounds nothing like it did before I started. I'm not saying that I was the reason for where it is now but I think it was there, wanting to be a different type of band and they saw me to sorta lead them there. To do the slow songs and to do the more feminine...not feminine but the more sensitive numbers. They were really scared to do that stuff at first. When I used to go high and do the falsetto stuff they'd look at me like there's no way in hell we're doing that but I think they finally realized that, that's what a well-rounded rock band should sound like. I know you have a background in visual art, how much does that contribute if at all to your music? I've been very fortunate in that I love music and I am an artist that happened to stumble upon being a graphic artist and I have made a really good living out of doing it. It's something that I like to do and it actually came from designing fliers and record covers for the band that I was in and other bands. It sorta spawned in that but it's a part of my life. I'm a total art geek, full on. I go to galleries, I'm always reading books, I'm the nerd of the band for sure. It keeps me well balanced. Even if this thing goes huge and we go on tour, I'm gonna still need to work. It grounds me and I'm such a perfectionist and such a busy person that I would need it. I couldn't just sit around, waiting to practice or waiting to rehearse or waiting to play live, I'd go crazy. [laughs] What impact did Orange County have on your music? None. For me, Orange County music had no impact. I never liked the Orange County punk scene. I was never influenced by any Orange County bands that I could think of. I mean, there are some that I like but we just...both bands that I played in we had no...we were the non-Orange County band, always. Do you agree with the "melodic rock" label you've been associated with? Yeah I do. I like that. When people ask me what kind of band we are, I say we're just rock, straight up. It worries me because I think that some people, depending on their age think that it's this or this or you know. Depending on who you talk to, they could think that it's The Used or Journey or they could think it's a metal band or something like that. It's funny, I think about the Used and my perception of them before I listened to their record was completely different and after I listened to their record I realized that they're just a really good all around rock band. They do have some of those nu-metal-like hard songs but they are not really my favorites. Then they just round out their stuff with the slow songs... Like Blue and Yellow? They're beautiful songs! To me, that stokes me out. The musicianship and everything, for bands to be able to throw it down so hard and then be able to [starts mimicking the beginning to Blue and Yellow] and do all that stuff, I love it. They're a great band. You are frequently compared to early U2. Are you fans of the band? Yeah. U2 was my religion in high school practically and as cliché as it is, for me, as far as the melody and songwriting and the range that he has, it's always been appealing to me. I think it's appealing to everyone but I think people won't admit it because they're such a big band. You mentioned The Used, are there any other contemporary bands that you like? Yeah, a lot actually and that's one thing I try to do too. People ask me who's my favorite band and I could say something like U2 but I don't listen to U2 anymore really. I mean I'll listen to their records when they come out but I really try to listen to new music as much as possible. In my CD player right now, is the band I was telling you about, Belle and Sebastian. It's so different from what we do. Jets to Brazil...I really like the Used but I know they're played out a little bit. Some of my friends and nephews turned me on to some of the emo stuff, like Taking Back Sunday and [starts thinking of the name of some band but doesn't remember it] I just got the Lost In Translation soundtrack, it's a lot of singer/songwriter stuff. If you were teaching the "School of Rock", what artists would you make sure are covered? The Stones. Between the Stones and The Beatles. If I only had to pick one old school traditional rock band, I'd pick the Stones over The Beatles. [laughs] The Stones, Pink Floyd, The Clash, I'm trying to cover my bases here. Depeche Mode, they were the first real synth band to make it big. That's about it, among others. How did you get into singing and what made you want to join a band? I never had any formal training. I did the typical singing in the shower and stuff like that. My whole thing was that I would try to mimic the bands that I would listen to, to a tee. That was my thing. Like I was saying, I used to listen to U2. I used to skip church when I was in high school, take my dad's car and I'd just go around and listen to that CD and scream at the top of my lungs and try to hit every note perfectly and I used to be able to do it. I don't know about now. As far as the band thing went, I was really shy when I was in high school and I used to exaggerate a lot. You know, in high school you're like "Oh I can do that." You try to act like you're hot shit or whatever. I had told someone that...these people that asked me to be in a band which later turned into Standing Hawthorn. We were called The Slugs in high school and I'm like "Oh yeah I can sing" and they're like "well okay be at our house at 5 o'clock on Thursday". I'm like "Yeah I'll be there, whatever." And I was just talking shit, so then the week came around and I'm like "Oh no" and the whole school had heard about it. So I showed up at practice and there were like 30 people there. They were like "learn these songs" which one of them was a U2 song. We were more like a power-pop band. We used to play The Jam and Stiff Little Fingers, sorta that Brit-rock type thing, power-pop, like early Who and stuff like that. So, I just showed up and there were so many people there that I couldn't possibly have walked away. [laughs]So that was it. How was working with Jeordie White as the producer of your EP? It was good. He's really cool. You know, initially when he was brought to the table I was concerned 'cause I'm not a huge Manson fan per say but I do respect what they do. But after meeting him and talking to him, he's pretty much a regular guy. The fact that he's with A Perfect Circle now definitely helps our decision with that. Obviously we were begging to have him come do it. I see them as a similar band to us, in a way. They're ethereal, they've got good dynamics and stuff like that. He was good to work with. He was involved and played on all the songs a little bit here and there, guitar mostly but the production got cut short 'cause they started touring, so he didn't really get to complete it. We sorta dragged it on longer than we should of. Was there any stress working with such a big name? No, I think when you sit down with someone whose been through it already and has sold a million records, you have a tendency to just say okay right to them. They're like "no, no, no, no, you need to do this to the song" and you're like okay. I think that obviously once we get more seasoned and start doing more studio work, that we'll learn how to collaborate better with people instead of just saying okay. But I think that the decisions that were made to the songs were good decisions. I mean, I don't regret anything we did at all. It was good, it was good all around. I was stoked that he did it. When you headed into the studio, how did you decide what direction to take? Well, one of the things was that when we sat down with Twiggy, with Jeordie White, we played the songs for him and we played for other producers too. Through production we figured out the songs just by response and by playing them for different producers what songs would make the cut. We knew we were only doing four songs, we wanted to make sure that obviously they were our best four songs. I think that we were right on three, I dunno about the fourth one but I think we were definitely right on three of them. That's the reason why we picked him because he had a lot of the same ideas that we wanted to do in the studio. We didn't really want that huge thin metal guitar sound. He helped us to get more root rock, more alternative type guitar sound like what's in 'Me:Alone.' [He forgets the name of the last song on their EP] Umm, what's the name of the last song on our EP? 'Not Anyone' is what we called it. It used to be called Billy Corgan but we changed the name. [laughs] Is there a reason behind that name? Yeah, 'cause the initial riffs sounded like Smashing Pumpkins. But yeah, he really helped us to get the musicianship and the tones and the sounds to where they needed to be. I don't think we would have pulled that off if it wasn't for him. He introduced Tim to the Rhodes keyboard, which has like some of those sparkly sounds that gives you that old school, organ sound. It's amazing, it makes such a difference. What was the writing process like? Grueling. [laughs] No, it was good. We don't really have a set format. I mean, I'll sit down with Neil and Tony or I'll sit down with just Neil or we'll write as a band. It was good, I'm glad we're not stuck in only being able to write one way. It's nice to know that we can turn out a song and work with everything together or just two of us or three of us or one of us. Everyone contributes? Pretty much. I mean everyone does their parts. No one really tells Tony what to play or Neil what to play, we all just sorta hear each other and try to concentrate on...we simplify things a lot to concentrate on making the song better, instead of worrying about whose parts are better. [starts imitating different positions of the bands] I think that everyone's really matured and realizes how to make a song better instead of just playing for themselves 'cause bands have a tendency to do that all the time. Guitarists are just classic for that, they always just wanna fill in every possible gap there is. If you had to tell someone to listen to only one song, what track do you feel represents you most completely as a band? I would say 'Me:Alone' so far. Just 'cause I think it's where this band is going. It's more progressive...I like the tones and the fact that its got a break in it. Its got a soft part but a real driving theme to it and I like that fact that the chorus is big but it's not your typical, 'Lay It Down' chorus, where its like this big macho rock chorus. It's sorta left of center and I like that. I think everyone in the band would say the same thing. What do you look for in a CD you purchase? Creativity. You know, I was gonna say also in my CD player is Outkast. That's my only thing, all I want it to be is creative. If they can keep my attention for 3 or 4 songs, I'll buy it. What factors do you think lend to your success in blending sensitivity with aggression? It think it's about really feeling the song instead of being so robotic about the part. It's about creating honest dynamics in music and learning how to go from...You know one thing that this band learned is how to play a soft without turning down. You know, learning how to play dynamically which just appeals. When you go from soft to hard it can't just be a punch and then bam you're in a hard. You gotta build up to it and it's all about dynamics. Would you ever change your look to become more commercially viable? Maybe in small ways but I wouldn't wear mascara and stuff like that. I wouldn't wear stuff that I wouldn't want to wear but I'm open to trying stuff on and seeing if it's cool but if it's not working, then it's not working. [laughs] What distinguishes your live show from that of other bands? After that show, I dunno. [We start to laugh] We try to throw it out there, you know, like this is us...honest and we don't try to pose. We don't try to move on purpose and do those [starts making exaggerated poses.] What you see is what you get. Sometimes it's explosive and it's crazy, like the Viper Room was. I don't know where it comes from and I don't think anyone does. Then sometimes like tonight, it's just sort of more laid back and what we try to do is make sure that it's exciting all the time. We're not always successful but you know what? We'll get there sooner or later. Which of your songs gets the most reaction from the crowd? It's hard to say..."Me:Alone" always gets a good reaction. I mean maybe not like 'WOW!' but it always gets an honest reaction, like people are surprised. You can tell that people mean it when they're clapping instead of just going yaaay! [exaggerated] Is it your favorite song to perform live? No! It kills me. [laughs] I like 'Bauhaus' to play live actually. There's something about the chorus that makes me wanna just move. If given the choice, who would you most like to tour with? [pauses to think] Umm, Guns and Roses, no I dunno. [pauses once more] I would say maybe...I would love to tour with Stone Temple Pilots. There are bands I would like to tour with but I just know it wouldn't make any sense. I think A Perfect Circle would be a cool tour, even Audioslave would be a good tour. It's possible, Tom's a friend of mine. I have to hit him up. How do you maintain band morale when things get rough? You know it's hard, tonight I just want to walk away and swear. The fact is, you rehearse and you know your stuff like the back of your hand and things go so well at rehearsal and you're like "okay, we're just gonna kill it." And then the stupidest thing like someone getting sick or someone getting pissed off before the show 'cause someone says something to him, it can just ruin a whole night. I just try to be optimistic and we try to, we're not always successful but we try to talk after the show and I'm usually the one to point everything out that was wrong. Just 'cause as a singer, for me, I can really hear the music all together more than those guys can cause they're really concentrating on their instrument. So a lot of times they don't necessarily pay attention to the other musicians as much. You know it's hard to live, especially depending on monitors and stuff like that where you're playing but I try to, after the show, point out what went wrong. I try to be positive about it and say "you know what, this is where we need to be and this is what we need to do to get there." MARCH is on Lowdown's Top 40 Unsigned Bands List... We are? Yeah, I think you have it linked on your website. Oh we do? Yeah. I did not know that. How does it feel to be among the best on that list? I don't know. I believe you guys are number 13. Yeah, you know it's like, I probably wouldn't know any of the bands. I can't be affected by it. I mean, when people write about our shows and our CD, that kind of stuff affects me a little bit but lists and the fact that we're signed or unsigned...I dunno, I mean it's cool, all that stuff's great 'cause it helps out a little bit more. I'm happy that there's people in the media that wanna help us out but you know, these days you never know if it's an honest thing or if its just "hey I know you so let me put you guys on a list." Would you like to draw a picture for your interview? Of what? Anything. Whatever you feel like drawing. Oh no! I'm a horrible artist. The first thing that pops into your head... You know, the first thing that popped into my head was a heart, I dunno why. I dunno if I can draw a heart. Well you're a visual artist... I suck at drawing. [laughs] I really do! Not like a heart like this [mimics drawing a regular "love heart"] but like a heart with veins and stuff. Is that the House of Blues logo I'm thinking of? I think so. Well, while you're drawing that why don't you think of a heading for this interview. The one that got away! Nooo...a heading? Hmmm...TANTRICIZED! Why should the world care about March? Oooh, that's a tough one. 'Cause I'd like to think that we've got something to say and I'd like to think that maybe we can affect peoples' lives or just help them through things with honesty and passionate music. Bands like U2 and The Used help me through times. For me I would love for people to listen to our music and then later in their life, hear it again and it remind them of a place that they were. That for me would be the ultimate.