Sweetheart
http://www.theperpetualmotionmachine.com
With: Whole Band
Interview by Dustin
I got the chance to do an email interview with all of Sweetheart in February 2005.
To start things off, how did you end up with the name Sweetheart? Does it seem to confuse people about what you guys play?
MH: We were arguing about band name ideas for a couple months and all starting to get pretty sick of it. Sweetheart was the first name we could all agree on and I think just the relief of not having to think about it anymore led us to choose it. Of course, we all want to change it now.
GL: It started as a reference to something along the lines of
writing melody driven hardcore and so the name is literal and ironic at the same time. but now we just tell people that we're named after a thin lizzy song.
Now, I have another name question. How'd you end up with the title "Art is Dead is Dead" and what does it mean?
AG: Oh that? When we were all locked up at KSU doing the record we were playing scrabble and I figured I'd just add onto what was on the board. It was originally art is dead but I had so many extra letters. I totally won that round. It was awesome.
GL: It was Mike that came up with it. It's sort of a call to arms/
response to cynics and critics that are too lazy or too afraid to
create something and hide behind something as pretentious and final as saying "art is dead", "there's nothing new to do" etc.
BP: There are a lot of people who are complacent to say that art is dead, that punk is dead, that irony is dead. What they mean is that it's tired, that all possible statements have been made, that there is nothing original anymore. But that also becomes an excuse not to create anything, and to just sit back and criticize others. The title of our EP means that this attitude of self-defeat itself is tired and old hat. The notion that "Art is dead" is dead, so let's make something worthwhile.
How did you get signed to The Perpetual Motion Machine? Have they been a good label to work with thus far?
GL: Well, I for one haven't signed anything yet and wouldn't like to. Paul saw us in Richmond and Charlottesville on our first tour. He was pretty drunk and asked for a couple seven-inches for his distro. I don't know if we ever gave him those, but we gave him a hoodie and sold him a seven-inch. He said he couldn't remember if he liked us or not but a few months later he got around to listening to the record and decided to get in contact with us. There were a few setbacks in putting the record out after that, but Paul was very dedicated and helpful. We're very happy and grateful to be working with him.
What message do you try to give with your music to fans?
MH: Uh, fans? Message? You could probably boil it down to "you're not going to find anything better to do than whine into a microphone in someone else's basement a whole bunch"
GL: I feel that the band is first and foremost an outlet for us. It may not be a message as much as a goal, which is expressiion and to create music that we're proud of and would like to contribute to a dialogue with the bands that made us want to write music, and in turn maybe make another batch of kids want to write music.
BP: While our songs are intended to express something, that something is not always a message. We try to present a picture of a complicated situation, or sum up a particular feeling, or just get something off
our chest. At this point we have three vocals. We each have different politics, and different personal expressions that we bring to the group. But I would not say that there is one overall message that our band is trying to present to the world.
AG: SMOKE ME THE FUCK OUT (man)
The artwork on your CD is really interesting and I like the concept. Have others given you problems with the art? (eg. parents of kids who own the CD)
AG: No. I'm really happy that that hasnt been a problem. I know my parents were always really weird about that kind of stuff. We deal more with people thinking we're narcs than anything.
GL: Not that I know of, I hope that there's a realization that in
the end the imagery is stating something positive, however belabored the route in getting there is.
BP: No, we haven't run into any of that yet. Funny story, though: my family is really conservative and religous and a few of them wanted CDs of my band, and there are, you know, swear words on the back cover. My mother had a problem with that, but not the, um, suicide graphic on the front. She didn't think that perhaps suicide imagery was worse than swear words. Okay, mom. I crossed out the word "fuck" with a pen and we left it at that. I'd rather censor myself than have someone else, I guess.
What's been in your iPod/stereo/whatever lately?
GL: Joanna Newsom, Peter Gabriel, Neutral Milk Hotel, Talking Heads
MH: Envy's A Dead Sinking Story is still the best hardcore record I've heard. I really like the books and Joanna Newsom. I've been getting into the new Neurosis record which is breathtaking. Old standbys are Paul Simon, Cyndi Lauper etc.
AG: M83, Joanna Newsom, Jill Scott, D'angelo, R. Kelly's TP-2.com
BP: Mostly that Jay-Z+R. Kelly record. And Joanna Newsom. But Paul Simon and Peter Gabriel still win every time.
What's the songwriting process like for you. You have such an eclectic sound that it seems like it'd be hard to write music the way you do.
GL: Sometimes I'm a little surprised to hear our sound described as "eclectic" - I thought we were beating a dead horse. I think I'm not aware of just how much not listening to primarily hardcore (and certainly not current hardcore) may effect our songwriting. I think initially our songs were spearheaded by whoever came up with the parts, and we're a guitar band so that was usually Mike or Bryan, and where as that still holds true the editing and arrangement has become much more egalitarian.
MH: Well, Bryan and I have been playing music together for something like 8 years. And when we weren't playing together, I started something up with Greg. We have just developed a way of playing
together and our writing comes out of that. We are pretty careful
listeners and we all have our own tastes and tendencies; our songs are just a hodgepodge of the four of us.
BP: Usually either Michael or I bring a set of parts to the other one, and we start layering guitars. Then we bring it to the full band and start building it from the ground up, arranging and adding variations, etc. About half of our songs are linear, meaning they continue in the same direction and don't repeat parts in a verse-chorus kind of way. Those take a lot longer to write, because there are usually more sections of the song, and thus there are more arrangement options.
AG: We all respect one another's opinions and come into practice with an open mind about songs. Mike, Bryan, or Greg usually have parts coming into practice and we all discuss and disect everything then figure out how to place things together. It's sometimes really frustrating because we're all extremely passionate about what we want as far as a song. But usually we work it out and all go get ice cream afterwards. It's awesome, man.
Have you been getting good feedback for the new release?
AG: We totally pulled a fast one on all you guys! suckers!!!!
GL: I've been happy with the feedback, but not really preoccupied with it. The general consensus is that the EP is not stellar but good and that it grows on you - which I feel is fair and true. There are multiple mentions of the promise of growth, which I hope is true as those songs are over two years old at this point and feel very young to us - or old, whichever. The irritating response is people trying to describe us by referencing other bands and then getting pissed when we don't sound exactly like them. Also, thanks for asking about the EP title instead of postulating and putting words in our mouth. That comes up a lot too. I think an interview is more effective than a review.
BP: Yes, by and large, the response has been pretty positive thus far. I think that the first really negative review is probably going to get photocopied very large and end up being my wallpaper.
Has music become a full time job yet for you, or are you still working normal jobs? If so, where do you work at? What kind of stuff do you do when not touring?
AG: I am in two bands, work two jobs and go to college and it seems like music is taking up all of my free time. I find myself planning everything around my bands. I don't plan to do anything other than tour during any break that I get out of school and I kind of like it that way. Bands from our town have always held a very strong and hard work ethic and I'm no different. Black power.
BP: The others are in school, so there's that. I work a full-time job and another part-time job to try and stay on top of the payments for our van. I work in a warehouse during the week and I do sound for cover bands at a shitty whitecollar piece of shit ex-frat asshole middle-management meatmarket bar on the weekends.
Thanks for doing this interview. Do you have any last words before we wrap this up?
BP: Yes! Thank you. I'd like to ask your readers to please come to see us play live, because our shows are the main reason that I bother getting out of bed in the morning.
AG: Black power.
GL: Come see us play. You can make us stuff, we'll make you stuff. We'll hang out.
AG: Black power.
ALL: PLAY OUR SHIT BACKWARDS. WE HATE FREEDOM.
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