Marianas Trench

I have to admit that I had a blast doing research for this interview. I own Marianas Trench CD and therefore knew their music, but didn’t know the band that much.

Friday, April 6th, was actually Marianas Trench’s first stop in Montreal. When I arrived at the venue, the doors were locked, and I could hear the band on stage doing their sound check. The thing is, I had been asked to meet Ian Casselman (Marianas Trench’s drummer) at 5pm and it was exactly that time. I finally found my way in and was brought backstage, where I could wait for the band to come off stage. These guys amazed me right away! They do harmonies and it sounds just right. What you hear on the CD is what you get live.

About 20 minutes later, when the guys walked off stage, Mike, who plays bass for the band, came up to me and asked “Hi! Are you Vanessa?” Quite surprised I answered “Yes I am. I’m working for CONFRONT Magazine.” After we had exchanged a few pleasantries and decided on a place to sit and chat Mike asked me how many of the guys I needed for the interview. “Whoever wants to come and chat with me is more than welcome!” He just smiled and said “Great! I’ll get all of them for you,” before turning around and bellowing “Guys! Vanessa is here! Interview time!”

Lead vocalist Josh Ramsay, guitarist Matt Webb, bassist Mike Ayley and drummer Ian Casselman are really down to earth and they know how to make someone smile. They made sure I was ok, offered me a drink, asked me if I needed a chair… I felt like I was part of the family already.

For the interview, I had decided to get in touch with some of the fans on the band’s message board at http://www.far-from-here.net. I thought that some real fans would be the most helpful and would have the best questions; Trust me, I was right! They were incredible. I thank them once again for their precious help. While chatting with them, I had a lot of fun. They sent serious questions my way as well as some REALLY absurd ones. Believe it or not, I decided it would be fun to give the fans a chance and asked their questions as crazy as they might be.

CONFRONT: Hi guys, welcome to Montreal!

MARIANAS TRENCH: Hi! Thank you!

As I was about to start with the first question, Matt’s cellphone rang. He excused himself and walked out of the room.

CONFRONT: For this interview, I tried to do something different. We normally ask general questions about the band, but after reading a few interviews that you’ve done, I decided to work out an interview with your fans from the Far-From-Here.net forum, which I think you already know about, right?

MARIANAS TRENCH: Yes!

CONFRONT: So I talked with them to see if they had any questions for you, and honestly, in the last 2 days, they turned my thread in a 20 pages long thread. They sent me 125 questions…

MIKE: Oh my god

CONFRONT: I printed all of them, if you guys ever feel like going through them. But I won’t…

MIKE: …but you won’t ask them all right?

CONFRONT: Haha! No of course I won’t! I choose only 25 questions. Some are serious, some are funny and some are really absurd. But I promised your fans that I would go through all the styles of question they sent me. But first, I’ll start with 5 regular questions we ask most of the artists and bands we met.

IAN: Ok! Cool!

CONFRONT: First, I would like to introduce you guys to CONFRONT Magazine. We are a new online magazine with a very specific purpose. We want to make sure that mainstream evolves and we want to be one step forward and make sure our readers are aware of all the music styles that are out there. We also have a motto, which is: Dare to listen, Defy stereotypes, Provoke change. Now, I would like to know what would be your definition of mainstream today?

JOSH: What is our definition of mainstream? Wow, geez, I don’t know…

MIKE: To be mainstream is just if your music is playing…

JOSH: Yeah, the thing is mainstream is always changing right? I mean, whatever is popular I would consider it mainstream music. (Looking at Mike) Wouldn’t you?

MIKE: Yeah… but don’t you need to speak closer? (Pointing the recorder)

Funny as he is, Josh bent over the recorder that we had rested on Mike’s leg as it was a central point between them all and repeat himself; louder and exaggerating the pronunciation of each word.

JOSH: Whatever is popular I consider it mainstream!

CONFRONT: (laughing) You don’t need to speak that close to the recorder. I’ll be able to hear.

JOSH: Oh ok! (Bending down to the recorder again) But I’ll do it anyways!

It was at this moment that Matt walked back into the room looking a bit confused about what was going on. I took the time to explain what CONFRONT Magazine is all about and asked him if he had anything to add about mainstream, but apparently he didn’t. Instead, Ian was the one to answer.

IAN: I guess [mainstream] is what is just most common to listen to. Because, like, it’s weird; grunge became mainstream at the time, you know what I mean. So at the time, it wasn’t alternative and it just became mainstream. Mainstream is just what is popular at the time and it changes.

CONFRONT: On our website, we have a section that is called “Daily Urges”. Each day, we present a different artist, well known or unknown, artists that we think our readers should take a listen to. I would like to know what are Marianas Trench’s daily Urges?

MIKE: You mean, bands that we think should be up there?

JOSH: There is this small known band called U2! Peter Frampton, Oasis, Tupelo Honey…

MIKE: Armchair Cynics

IAN: Yeah! Armchair Cynics is a good band from Victoria

JOSH: Tupelo Honey are good. They’re from Edmonton.

MATT: Fully Loaded…

JOSH: …from Vancouver! And… ummm… My October from Windsor

MIKE: Ohhh… Strike that one!

JOSH: No! Put it!

CONFRONT: I will!

JOSH: I stand alone to my own believes. I defy stereotypes!

MIKE: You sure do!

CONFRONT: I would like to know what are you guilty pleasures musically at the moment?

JOSH: Ummm… musically…

MIKE: Hinder! Haha! Just kidding! (Turning around to Josh) Guilty pleasure means something you don’t want somebody to know about.

JOSH: Yeah… (Thinking for a while) You Ian? (Pronouncing his name in French: “Yan”)

IAN: I don’t care! If I like something I don’t care who knows it!

JOSH: Do you have something to say Mikey?

MIKE: I’m trying to think…

IAN: I think Good Charlotte, I like those guys!

JOSH: I don’t mind the new Avril Lavigne song.

MIKE: Yeah… me too…

JOSH: I listen to Avril Lavigne… sometimes…

IAN: Shania Twain, can I say that?

MIKE: Are you serious?

IAN: Yeah! I think she’s good!

JOSH: Pavarotti…

CONFRONT: Ok

JOSH: The tenor.

CONFRONT: Yeah I know!

JOSH: Hahaha! (Everybody is laughing) Just to be sure!

CONFRONT: I better know that!

JOSH: Right!

CONFRONT: What would you want your legacy to be either as a band or individually?

JOSH: Wow!

MIKE: Legacy…We’d like people to know that we headlined the greatest rock tour and the most important rock tour in the history of music… ever…

JOSH: HA!

MIKE: In all time! But nothing big!

JOSH: I want to go down as the greatest singer that has ever lived!

IAN: I want to be respected from all sides. To be respected by your peers, but also fans and also the industry.

JOSH: I would like to disrespect these guys and keep it all for myself. That’s Josh’s thing now.

CONFRONT: What about you Matt?

MATT: Ummm… I don’t know!

MIKE: Can your legacy just be “The Legacy”?

MATT: Yeah! My legacy will be “The Legacy”!

MIKE: Haha! That’s our DVD!

CONFRONT: What are your first and your last albums purchased?

MATT: I just bought ‘The Fray’ and my first album purchase ever? Ummm…

MIKE: First and last album purchased? Ever?

CONFRONT: Yeah!

MIKE: My first was a single and it was Duran Duran’s “Wild Boys”…

JOSH: OH!

IAN: That’s a guilty pleasure!

MIKE: … and my last I think I got the Snow Patrol album.

JOSH: I think my most recent one is +44 I think, which is good. My first one, I didn’t buy it myself, but the first album I actually remember owning is Thriller.

IAN: My last one was The Killers’ new one and my first one Iron Maiden ‘Number of the Beast’

JOSH: OOOOOOOOHHHHH!

CONFRONT: What are your first and your last concerts attended?

MATT: My first concert was the Smashing Pumpkins

MIKE: I went to the Metallica ‘Black’ tour… Black album tour. That’s one of my first ones that I can remember. My last one… I don’t remember, we do so many I can’t remember which one it was.

JOSH: My first concert was Michael Jackson and my most recent one… shit I don’t even know! The Foo Fighters maybe?

MIKE: Was Sting after the Foo Fighters?

IAN: Yeah…

JOSH: No! Foo Fighters!

CONFRONT: So now, I’m about to ask you guys the questions that your fans asked on your message board at www.Far-From-Here.net

MARIANAS TRENCH: OK!

CONFRONT: Dawn, would like to know where the band name REALLY comes from…and no stories about Polar Bear Hunting/Titanic Sinking/Glaciers Melting…

JOSH: Well, then we can’t really answer the question because it happens to be about Polar Bear Hunting, Titanic sinking and whatever that last thing was, so, um, it does really involve all those 3 things. Sorry Dawn!

CONFRONT: Alright!

JOSH: (Bending over the recorder again) You should know better Dawn!!!

MATT: Never ask us that question again!

The whole band start laughing

CONFRONT: Chantelle is wondering if you would you ever take requests at shows for tracks that aren’t on the album; like “Primetime” or “Feeling Small”?

MIKE: We get a LOT of request for this though…

JOSH: Um… maybe… maybe… it would depend on if we played the song really recently. Because, those 2 songs we haven’t played them in a long time. So if it was a song that we haven’t played at a show, but we still were playing it when we practice and stuff then yeah… but we’ll see, we’ll see. Maybe!

CONFRONT: Now I have 3 questions from Michelle (screen name: unrequited1). The first one is: Have you ever forgotten the lyrics to a song while on stage and how did you cover it up?

MIKE: HA HA HA HA

JOSH: Yes! Absolutely. I’ve done that

MIKE: (laughing) And you covered it miserably

JOSH: I covered it miserably. And one time Matt did a few shots before going on stage (laughing) and forgot a guitar part and we looked over at him during the song and he was just looking down at his hand and then he was just looking at me shaking his head and laughing. There was no covering there we were just all laughing about it.

CONFRONT: She would like to know who takes the role of mom?

JOSH, MATT & MIKE: IAN (laughing)

IAN: Thank you

CONFRONT: Michelle’s last question is when you aren’t recording or writing, what can you be found doing?

MIKE: Touring!

MATT: Touring!

MIKE: Seriously! Recording, writing, touring! Or shooting very, very, very, VERY cool videos.

JOSH: HA HA HA HA. Yeah! That’s it! HA.

CONFRONT: Sarah (screen name: SARAHTASTIC) would like to know what’s the worst thing you’ve ever dared someone to do?

MIKE: Ou!

JOSH: Oh!

IAN: For Josh that’s going to be BAD!

JOSH: How do I pick a favorite?

CONFRONT: I don’t know; I can’t help you.

JOSH: You guys better go first.

MIKE: I can’t think of anything.

IAN: That’s your question.

MATT: Yeah that’s your question for sure.

IAN: I’ve done some stupid things but I just can’t remember.

JOSH: I’ve dared a friend of mine to pretend that he was handicapped, go in a public pool and… um… shit in the pool.

IAN: Did he do it?

JOSH: Yes he did do it… and I have the film to prove it!

Everybody is laughing and saying how disgusting it is

CONFRONT: I’m speechless…

JOSH: Thank you!

CONFRONT: Kirstyn is wondering if you would have one of your fingers surgically removed if it guaranteed immunity from all major diseases?

JOSH: NO!

MIKE: NO!

MATT: NO!

JOSH: Luckily, we can’t be killed by conventional weapons and we were born indestructible anyways, so I don’t think we need to remove any body parts.

CONFRONT: Haha! Good point! Meagan’s (screen name: Megz) question is if all of you were locked in a box for a week, with ONE song to listen to, what song would it be?

MATT: “Champagne Supernova” by Oasis

MIKE: Would that be yours?

MATT: No, but it’s just long.

MIKE: Yeah

IAN: I would pick… I want to say I can’t believe it just came to my head…it’s ‘Closer’ by Nine Inch Nails.

MIKE: Oh My God! Are you serious?

JOSH: Dude! It’s kind of weird, to think that you want to be in a box with the rest of your band singing “I want to fuck you like an animal” for a week. That’s a weird thing to say.

IAN: Ok! That one or… there is a musical composition called “Three Revelations Of The Lotus Sutra”, it’s 20 minutes long and it’s a classical composition.

JOSH: Yeah! I would pick a symphony. If I was going to sit there like for a week, I would pick a symphony. Oh! I would maybe pick ‘Clair De Lune’ by Debussy…. I’m serious!

MIKE: Maybe like ‘Moon Sonata’ because that’s really relaxing.

JOSH: I certainly would not be sitting in a box with Ian singing (Josh starts singing) “I want to fuck you like an animal!” cause that’s weird!

Everybody is laughing

CONFRONT: Kate was wondering if any of you ever had braces?

JOSH: Yeah Dude. I had braces, a retainer and a head gear.

MATT: (Laughing) You had head gear?

JOSH: Yeah I did! It didn’t go over my whole head, it went around my cheeks and around the back of my head and I had to wear that shit to school for 2 YEARS!

MIKE: My brother had to do that, I felt so bad for him.

JOSH: For the first day, I thought it was cool because I was like a Cyborg. But then when I got to school I was like Oh wait! I’m a horribly, horribly disfigured boy!

CONFRONT: Michelle (screen name: unrequited1) would like to know if you have any weird talents?

MIKE: This guy [Josh] is unbelievably flexible. I’m unbelievably Un-flexible.

JOSH: Ya!

MIKE: This is actually, like, I don’t know how I’m going to get out of this position right now… and I’m sitting!

IAN: I can put my leg behind my head; I guess that’s flexibility!

CONFRONT: (laughing) Yeah! It totally is.

MATT: I can speed read.

JOSH: Matt also has the ability to just barely glance at a map and completely remember it photographically.

MIKE: Matt also picks up and looses an entire language in a day.

Everybody is laughing

JOSH: Matt also has the amazing talent to confuse Al Pacino and Robert De Niro.

MIKE: Even in the same movie!

Josh is laughing hysterically

MATT: Sorry, I don’t even know what’s going on with those guys!

JOSH: Well, I can remember dialogue really well.

CONFRONT: Michelle is wondering if you could have one thing to drink for the rest of your life, besides water, what would you pick?

JOSH: Coke!

MIKE: Without a doubt, Coke!

JOSH: Coke!

IAN: Mango juice.

MATT: Pineapple juice.

MIKE: I would probably go with pineapple juice to or apple juice.

JOSH: The blood of my enemies.

CONFRONT: Now, I have 3 questions from Jackie. The first one is What’s the one word you love the most?

MIKE: One word…

JOSH: That’s going to be tough for this guy. (speaking of Mike)

IAN: SHIT! I’m going to pick shit!

MIKE: One word I love the most?

JOSH: Ramsay.

MIKE: No… well maybe a name… but no it’s not good enough

JOSH: You know what? I’m going to say FUCK! It’s the most useful word.

MIKE: I like “garfinkle”. I like that word, it makes me happy.

MATT: Garfinkle?? I’m a big fan of “Duh!”

Everybody is laughing

JOSH: You like “stuff” a lot too.

MATT: “Stuff” is really good!

CONFRONT: Jackie’s second question is what came first, the egg or the chicken? Or the rubber ducky?

IAN: Rubber ducky for sure!

MIKE: Yeah!

MATT: Yeah!

JOSH: Definitely because how could you get the idea for chicken without the rubber ducky first? Kinda like you gotta love model trains, because without those they would have never get the idea for the big ones!

Everybody is laughing

CONFRONT: Her last question is who in the band would you not trust with scissors?

MIKE: Josh!

MATT: Josh!

IAN: Josh!

JOSH: Me!

MIKE: I wouldn’t trust Ian with them either!

IAN: WHAT??

CONFRONT: You guys said that Ian was taking the role of mom in the group but you wouldn’t trust him with scissors?

MIKE: Depends! It all depends.

JOSH: But definitely me!

CONFRONT: (laughing) Ok! Now Tara would like to know if you keep up with celebrity gossip.

JOSH: Celebrity gossip?

MATT: No!

IAN: No!

MIKE: No!

IAN: Hate that shit!

JOSH: (laughing) Yes!

IAN: So sick of that stuff. What’s her name? The one with big boobs… Anna Nicole Smith. I’m so sick of all that!

JOSH: Actually I’m the father.

CONFRONT: I guess you all have the same feelings about Britney Spears?

MARIANAS TRENCH: Yeah!

IAN: I couldn’t care less.

JOSH: It depends what celebrity because if we’re talking about Tony Danza, I actually run his fanclub!

CONFRONT: (laughing) Really! Am I supposed to trust you on that one?

JOSH: Yeah! You can print that, absolutely. TonyDanza.com

Everybody is laughing

CONFRONT: Now, I have another question from Dawn. How many times a day do you check in the mirror to see if you have food in your teeth?

IAN: 400. That’s the drummer, 400.

MIKE: I often forget to check in the mirror to see if I have food in my teeth and I often have food in my teeth.

JOSH: My answer is 0 and I’ll tell you why. Because if you’ve got food in your teeth, you have to be willing to work with it and sell it anyway!

MATT: Every now and then…

JOSH: He said every now and then in case you didn’t get that. (Because Matt is far from the recorder)

MIKE: Mostly no!

CONFRONT: Sarah (screen name: SARAHTASTIC) is wondering how many licks to the centre of a tootsie pop?

IAN: Just bite that shit!

MIKE: I never found out, I never had the patience.

MATT: I don’t like tootsie pops.

JOSH: Yeah I don’t like them either.

CONFRONT: From Kirstyn. Fundip; yea or nay?

MATT: Yea!

IAN: Yea!

MIKE: Yea!

JOSH: Yea! Big Yea!

CONFRONT: Now Kirstyn’s other question is what are you planning on dressing up as for Halloween this year?

MATT: Top secret!

JOSH: We cannot divulge the information about what we’re going to go as for this year. It’s top secret, Matt’s right.

MIKE: We went once as the cast of Back To The Future one Halloween while playing a show.

JOSH: I’m thinking about The Ninja Turtles… or the Golden Girls…

MIKE: You keep pushing that one.

JOSH: Yeah, well you know what? I like Blanche!

Everybody is laughing

CONFRONT: I remember having a question from Kirstyn asking which Ninja Turtle is your favorite.

MATT: Probably Raphael.

JOSH: Yeah, Raphael is the bad ass and I was like the bad ass ‘cause he’s got cool weapons.

CONFRONT: Hayley (screen name: Haylery) asks who wins…Batman or Spiderman?

MATT: Batman

JOSH: Batman

IAN: Batman

MIKE: Batman

JOSH: Or it depends if they have gadgets or not. If there are no gadgets you got to go Spiderman.

MATT: WHAT? I still choose Batman.

IAN: I still choose Batman.

JOSH: Batman does not have any superpowers.

MIKE: Are spider webs gadgets?

IAN: Batman can kick Spiderman’s ass!

JOSH: Yeah but he can still walk on walls and do spider webs. I say Batman if it comes down to detention skills, Spiderman if it comes down to ability.

CONFRONT: Now, are you guys ready? Here’s the top 4 of the most absurd questions I received.

MARIANAS TRENCH: OK!

CONFRONT: From Tara (screen name: Musical Designer) – If men could get pregnant, would you want to be?

MIKE: Would I want to be pregnant?

IAN: I am pregnant!

MIKE: I guess if I could I would not…

IAN: That’s the drummer speaking, I am pregnant right now!

JOSH: Yeah!

CONFRONT: Oh! That’s awesome news! Congratulations!

JOSH, MATT & IAN: Thank you!

MIKE: That’s really sweet of you.

JOSH: Well if that movie Junior, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, taught me anything, it sounds like a FABULOUS idea!

CONFRONT: Here is a really long question from Meggan (screen name: Megz). If you were debating on whether to use peanut butter or jam on your sandwich and a hippo came and stole your bread and you had nothing else to use for the outside of the sandwich, what would you do?

IAN: Buy more bread.

JOSH: Spread it on a hot girl!

MIKE: That’s what I was thinking.

JOSH: I would go on TonyDanza.com and post a blog!

CONFRONT: Dawn asks, if Goldfish Crackers really sang, danced and swam in your soup, would you still eat them?

JOSH: YES!

MATT: Of course!

JOSH: And by the way, they really do.

MATT: They do that and I still eat them.

CONFRONT: And now… the last question of all… the most absurd one!

JOSH: (speaking with a French accent) The “piece of resistance” !

CONFRONT: Hayley (screen name: Haylery) is asking you guys, what color 3 legged pet giraffe would you pick?

IAN & JOSH: WHAT?

MIKE: (repeating the question) if you had a 3 legged giraffe which color do you want it to be…

MATT: Taupe

JOSH: Yeah that’s a good one.

MIKE: Magenta!

JOSH: I need to go with transparent, because I want to see what’s going on inside the giraffe.

IAN: What kind of question is that? It’s really the worst one!

CONFRONT: I promised that I would ask you the question and they asked me to give you a copy of all 125 questions they sent me and if you want to answer to more of them that they are waiting for you on the Far-From-Here.Net message board.

JOSH: Alright! (looking at the sheet) WOW!

CONFRONT: So that’s it!

JOSH: Thank you!

MATT: Thank you very much!

MIKE: Thank you Vanessa!

IAN: We’ll see you at the show!

CONFRONT: I’ll stick around for sure!

I just stayed there chatting with the guys for another 5 minutes and then walked out of the room. These guys are hilarious and really fun to be around. They allowed me to be on stage during the show to take pictures and I had an amazing time doing it.

Feel free to check Marianas Trench out; they are really talented. Their debut album ‘Fix Me’ has been in stores since October 3rd, 2006.

www.marianastrench.net
www.myspace.com/marianastrench