You guys have a lot of different influences and backgrounds - how did you
guys find each other?
Blair:
I'm the newest member. I came in after they already formed. I went to audition for them and got the job.
Tiffin: Eric and I started
out as friends - then Paul actually lived down the street - and a mutual friend hooked us up with him. Charmian -
Eric and I were reforming the band at one time so we thought it would be interesting
to have a flute player. Then Grady - his brother knew Eric from a long time
ago. He came in when we were looking for a DJ.
How did you know that all the different musical talents and taste would work
together?
Tiffin:
We didn't. (laughs)
Blair:
I'm not sure that they do. (laughs)
Charmian:
You never know if it's going to work or not - you either like it or you don't. So far we like it.
How would you define your music?
And would you consider it a new sound?
Charmian:
I think it's rock music but flavored with funk and hip hop. But the basic root of it is rock. I
don't think it's completely ground breaking, but I don't think there's
anyone out there doing it exactly the way we are.
Blair: I think it's Earth shattering.
Charmian: Yes,
it is ground breaking and Earth shattering. (laughs)
The band has gone through a few members since starting out - do you finally think it's
complete now?
Charmian: Absolutely.
This is the winning team.
So
it's a strong family then?
Charmian: Yes.
Definitely.
What do
each of your personalities and backgrounds add to the band?
Charmian:
Well, I'm a girl. (laughs) My background and influences - I've got a lot of jazz influences
- I like instrumental funk.
Tiffin:
My parents were pretty much hippies - they were into Grateful Dead and stuff like
that. I wasn't into it while I was growing up, but eventually I did.
So I come more from the classic rock, but I also like old-school funk.
Eric: My family is Native American Indian
- so a lot of my influences not only come from that but the beat of a song or the rythm of
a song is very important for me. I try to take each song to another level.
I think that's what makes us different - our songs are constantly putting layers
on top of themselves. I really like that about the music that we have.
Grady: I started off as a DJ... so I pretty much
love and respect all music.
Blair:
Am I next? (laughs) I grew up in Mobile, Alabama... and moved
out here after high school. It's really hard to nail down my influences.
They come anywhere from soundtracks......
Eric:
He's the dirty bastard of the band. (laughs)
I really love the song "Revelation" - what's the meaning
behind it?
Eric:
Revelation - it's a song I wrote after a car accident. A drunk driver hit
my car - and when he hit my car he bounced my car off of the sidewalk. The song
was just a way for me to release the things I was having about the entire event. When a think like that happens
and you're involved - it's hard to not feel a certain responsibility... it was
just my way of dealing with the event.
Eric, I have one more question for you. Is it
hard to keep your acting career seperate from this one?
Eric:
It's not hard for me. It's hard for other people. For me - I was
singing and making music long before I was an actor. I feel like this is a real band. Artists are artists
- they express themselves in many ways. Some paint - some write... all artists
aren't restricted to just one medium. I'm shocked that the audience
is surprised that an artist wants to do more than one thing.
Charmian:
Unfortunately that's what's different with a lot of these great actors
that try to sing - a lot of them haven't been that good.
Blair:
It seems like sometimes the public wont give someone a chance.
Eric: People do it with
musicians too. If a band or an artist puts out one album - but then if they change on the next...
Charmian: It's like
when Metallica cut their hair......
Blair:
When they came out with "Fade To Black" people were like
'what the hell is this?'. If you do the same type of music for ten years
- you'd have to want to branch out and do something different.
What do the rest of you do while Eric is filming?
Charmian: We write music. We
jam a lot.
Blair: Absolutely.
What legacy would you guys like to leave behind?
Charmian: Wow. I'm not
going to speak for the band - I'll speak for Charmian. I would like to leave
the legacy that flutes could be used in rock related music and not sound like Jethro
Tull. (laughs)
Blair:
I just want to make good music. When people record something - not to be cheesy,
but it is moments in time. It'll be nice to change something about music
- do something different. Set a pallet for other people.
Eric: It's hard to say what you want
your legacy to be - an album is a moment in time - just one moment in time. It's what
was going on in our lives at that moment. It's hard to say what it's
going to end up being.
Tiffin:
As a legacy - many albums that are different from one another and consistently
good.
Charmian: And
consistently evolving.
Tiffin:
Consistent so you can listen to one and not have to compare it to another.
Any closing comments?
Charmian: Well, we just shot our video for "Gimme More".
So we're excited that it got finished and that people are going to be able to see
it.
Tiffin:
We're starting to get a street team together - so anyone who's interested in
the band can go to our site and join our street team.
Charmian: Free goodies if you help promote the band.
