Page 32 - Black Velvet Issue 84

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every ear around the world, I would be ab- it as a symbol of unity. Like we say ‘Show us were saying some very terrible things and I
solutely ecstatic, and I think that’s what suc- your true duality’, I feel that’s their way of think it ended up being his undoing.”
cess is driven by. Yeah, I want to live saying, ‘Listen, I’ve accepted this principle,
comfortably and have a house and have my I’m going to be that’, so when I throw it up et It Off have been doing a lot of
career to fuel that but what’s most important and the rest of the crowd do it… I’m getting Swork. Maybe they’re not quite so
to me is I want everyone to hear us. I don’t goosebumps just talking about it really, and swamped in it as Michael Jackson was, but
just want to be known in a specific area. If I like that feeling. I like that feeling of pur- they’re busy guys. And things got a bit hec-
you word it as ‘big- pose behind tic when it came to the recording of ‘Duality’.
ger than My Chem’ it, so yeah, I Originally they were going to record the
who still there are ’ve always wanted to play think it’s album with John Feldmann, but he had to
people in the world going to pull out at the last minute. On the ‘Duality’
who have never “Iaward shows and stuff like stick, I do.” album sleeve Cody thanks ‘Brandon Pad-
heard of My Chem, that, and I could see us doing that Whether dock, Tommy English and Matt Appleton for
which sounds in- it sticks and literally saving us when we thought we were
sane but there are… in the future, and I intend to see becomes a dead in the water’. Brandon, Tommy and
Beatles probably symbol for Matt took over and produced the album with
not… just being on that through.” - Cody Carson life, Maxx the guys.
that level, it’s hon- says is down Cody looks back. “We learned so much
estly a dream. I’ve to the fans. “I about writing and how fun putting an album
always wanted to play award shows and don’t think it’s up to us, I think it’s up to together can be,” he says. “So many times
stuff like that, and I could see us doing that them, honestly.” you get nervous when you’re going to work
in the future, and I intend to see that Fans have taken the diamond symbol with a bigger producer. That they’re going to
through.” (which symbolizes yin and yang) to heart. just yell at you and say that you’re shit and
“We’re very much a band that doesn’t Black Velvet even spotted a fan on the Set It you can’t play, not that we ever think we’re
want to set a ceiling for ourselves,” adds Off message board ask “Who else draws the definitely going to get told that, but it’s in the
Maxx. “It would be like if you were playing a duality sign on their test before handing it back of your head and you want to be the
sport, and you say ‘I don’t really want to go in?” best you can be. The cool thing about this is
to the World Cup, I don’t want to be the best,’ “Whaaat!? That’s so cool! That’s so neat, that we get to write with actual friends. I was
things like that, it seems silly. So if we were I love that!” says Cody in amazement when already friends with these guys before and I
to do it why wouldn’t we try to be the very, we tell him. Cody and Maxx both have huge had no idea what they were actually capable
very best that we could?” smiles on their faces at the knowledge that of until we were really in the studio, but I
Cody continues, “It’s like that boxer their symbol is already being incorporated learned a lot about writing from each and
mentality, Mohammed Ali – “I want to be the into fans’ lives on a daily basis. every one of them. I learned a lot about put-
greatest”. You want to be the greatest.” ting horns together from Matt and how to
he band (Cody and Maxx incidentally write even cooler horn lines. I learned how to
n order to try and be the greatest, the Tare joined in Set It Off by Zach De- write in a calm mentality from Tommy.
Iband expanded their sound on ‘Dual- Wall, Dan Clermont and Austin Kerr) have a Tommy’s a very laid back kind of guy. But I
ity’, the follow-up to ‘Cinematics’, which had mirage of influences and inspirations. They also know how to write in a very energetic
a more theatrical rock vibe. Although chang- like everything from rock, pop and pop-punk way from Brandon, and Brandon’s a very
ing their sound was also just their way of to jazz and funk. One person we’ve seen ‘Woah!’, he’s ready to go. I love it. So it was
being themselves. Cody tells us, “What we them mention liking is Michael Jackson – so three completely different people, all very tal-
did for the longest time, the reason that we ask them about him. Do they think he was ented and know how to get the job done, all
we’re going down this direction, or initially misunderstood? have worked with John Feldmann who we
with ‘Cinematics’, there was a lot of strings “Towards the end of his life, yes, I do,” were going to work with, so they all got to
and it was a minor key and eerie sounding replies Cody. “I think that he was a very ec- the end result but in very different ways.
and we were doing that initially to avoid a centric person. The lifestyle that he was Being able to experience each individual in
comparison. We weren’t ‘Who are we as peo- raised in, I feel like that would drive anyone that light, you take something from that that
ple?’ It was like ‘Let’s be this’. I don’t deny to maybe appear different, mentally, to other we can now use when we move forward for
anything that we wrote before, I’m very people. I don’t think he was insane. I don’t the next record.”
proud of all of those songs and they all still have any evidence myself but for the cases They enjoyed the recording process so
mean the world to us, but this next CD, the of the allegations that were against him, but much that they’d even love to work with
mentality or the approach to it was ‘Let’s just I’m more concerned with his genius as a per- Brandon, Tommy and Matt on their next
write songs that we love, with influences that former and as a musician. He brought some- album. “How this album turned out and how
we would listen to and not care what anyone thing to the table that no-one was bringing. much fun we had working with them and
thinks’. Coming into your own, that whole Even just down to the way he dressed. He how well it turned out, I wish you knew ex-
duality that we were talking about, and was a god. He was unbelievable. So I admire actly how hectic it was,” Cody says. “Al-
through doing that we didn’t have a box that him very much for everything that he did and bums are supposed to be planned months
we were inside, we didn’t have any barriers he is now one of our biggest influences mu- ahead of time before you start, we were
or boundaries, we just wrote whatever we sically.” doing pre-pro and everything on the spot. If
felt and then I really do feel that this album Since the band like helping and inspiring we actually had time for pre-pro with Bran-
is the most Set It Off we have ever been. their fans, we wonder, what they would have don, Matt and Tommy, and we could get an
We’re actually ourselves now. And we can done to help Michael Jackson, if they could? actual studio… we did it in Brandon’s
act like ourselves now too. We can dress Maxx answers, “I wasn’t there, I don’t room… it’s insane. If we actually had all the
comfortably. We don’t have to dress in three- know his life, but I know from a very young resources of a natural situation, I feel like we
piece suits to go up on stage to fill some sort age he always had an enormous amount of could top ‘Duality’. So I want to go back to
of brand that we think you want to see. We’re pressure on him. When he was in The Jack- Brandon, Tommy and Matt personally. I think
Set It Off and this is who we are.” son Five he was just a kid. He was the lead that they are extremely talented. I would love
The band even now have their own sym- singer of this group that was taking over and to see what we could do with actual time.”
bol, which is the artwork on the album, but if he wasn’t doing his best ever single night
they also do with their hands in person. They then I’m sure he’d get reprimanded for it. So n the album there’s a song called
do it at shows and fans do the symbol back at no point in his life was he just able to O‘Wolf In Sheep’s Clothing’. The song
at them. relax, it was just a constant work, and work, includes small parts of nursery songs, mod-
It’s really catching on,” says Cody. “I had and I think that made him so talented but in ified to fit the subject matter. ‘Baa baa black
no idea. The diamond in the hand symbol the end I think it’s what destroyed him. So I sheep have you any soul? No sir, by the way,
just kind of came because we figured how to guess I’d say ‘Take a vacation! Relax and what the hell are morals? Jack be nimble,
make it with our hands and we put it in one don’t let the doubters or the people who are Jack be quick, Jill’s a little whore and her al-
video and now every time we come out onto saying bad things get to you’, because ibis are turning tricks’ sings Cody.
the stage it’s already up. No-one in the band again, at the end of his life, people were say- “This song in particular is about two
is making them do it, they’re just already ing some very terrible things about him, I people that really screwed us over a few
doing it, which is a great sign that people see don’t know about the allegations, but people years back. We’re not ones to directly call

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