From First to Last

Sophie interview’s Chris Lent (Keyboards) – Matt Manning (Bass, vocals, live guitars)

From First to Last was my third interview at the Vans Warped Tour and the one I knew the least about. So I couldn’t really prepare myself regarding what to expect. The girl that was responsible for the press tent that day introduced me to bassist, Matt Manning, and keyboardist, Chris Lent, who had just been made the fifth official member of the band. Little did I know that this was going to be one of my funniest encounters yet!

CONFRONT: So we’re with Chris and Matt from From First to Last!

Matt: That you are!

CONFRONT: So your album came out in May with a change of singer, so what were your reactions when Sonny decided to leave?

Chris: Ummm… A little bit, I was kind of stoked actually.

CONFRONT: Really?

Chris: I mean I wasn’t technically fully in the band at that time…

Matt: It was a good thing!

Chris: Yeah it was a good thing…

Matt: I mean in all honesty, we had to drop off tours because of vocal issues and we started another band. We were in the process of starting another but, we were like: “We gotta tour, let’s just start a band”. Kind of the way it is now, we were just going to just basically get another name, write some new tunes and least tour, because without a tour, unless you’re Mariah Carey, you’re screwed!

CONFRONT: So you weren’t all bummed out….

Chris: Yeah well it was all like mixed emotions. It was like alright, we gotta think of what we’re going to do, we gotta get this record out and stuff like that…

CONFRONT: Yeah! What about your fans?

Chris: Well we were worried that they were going to get out!

Matt: Yeah!

Chris: Because there’s a lot of Sonny fans!

Matt: There was a lot of like: “You guys suck without Sonny!”. But it was also before we had even put out any music so they didn’t even know. Like: “You’ll never be the same!” Of course we’ll never be the same, we’re going to be able to tour!

All laugh

Matt: Ha! Ha! We’ll be a band! You know…

CONFRONT: Exactly…

Matt: You know, so once we put out new stuff, well honestly once we started playing shows because we played shows before we put out a new record… We were still able to play on the same tunes, because you get used to doing that… So after that, being able to tour, doing tours and it all went on really well and we would just have this random dude once in a while going: “Hey! Where’s Sonny?” and we would just be like: “Ah!” (in a “whatever!” tone)

Chris: (Laughing) Yeah, yeah! It was like: “Hey where’s Sonny?!” and we were just like: “He’s fucking dead, take that trash somewhere else!”

Matt laughs loudly

Chris: He kind of went: (makes a surprised face imitating the guy who just didn’t know what to say when he told him off about Sonny)

CONFRONT: Ooookay! (laughing)

Matt: You know, we’re a bunch of dudes who really don’t give a shit so…

CONFRONT: You just want to play!

Matt: Yeah! We’re really like… Jaded is not a good word… But it’s like we don’t care, if you like what we do cool, if you don’t like it then I don’t wanna hear it! I don’t have to hear about your opinion, it’s worth a big zero to me…

Chris: (laughing) Yeah we’ll still keep on playing!

Matt: Yeah, exactly, we’re still going to do exactly what we’re doing whether you like it or not.

CONFRONT: Well you guys are still here so that means something!

Matt: Yeah exactly!

CONFRONT: So how’s Warped Tour doing?

Matt: It’s fun! We’re playing good shows, kids are having fun…

CONFRONT: Did you start at the beginning, of Warped Tour?

Matt: Yeah! We’re doing the whole thing!

CONFRONT: The whole thing, awesome! So far, any funny stories… Or whatever stories…

(laughing)

Chris: Well…

Matt: There was something with the guy and the hot sauce…

Chris: Yeah! There’s a guy who chugged the hotest hot sauce in the world, he had to sign a legal thing, a kind of release form…

Matt: Yeah! He just chugged it!

CONFRONT: Oh wow! Did he die?

(All laugh)

Chris: No (laughing), thirty minutes later after he chugged it he was just sitting there and then he just started like freaking out and scratching himself going like (starts screaming like crazy and imitating the guy scratching himself) “Oh my God!!!” and started throwing up in the bathroom…

(All laugh)

CONFRONT: Oh that’s gross! But like why?

(All laugh)

Matt: It was just funny! (makes a gulp sound imitating the guy chugging the hot sauce and then chocking) And then he was probably pissing blood…

(All laugh)

Chris: Yeah, like pouring fire into your.. Eww!

(all laugh again)

CONFRONT: What bands did you discover on this tour?

Chris: Oh! Oh! Oh! There’s Family Force 5 are really good, I haden’t heard them yet. I never really listened to Say Anything before this tour, but they’re really good!

Matt: Very good band.

CONFRONT: You’re the second band to say this. Cobra Starship told me that earlier.

Matt: Oh I’m not a really big fan…

(laughing)

Chris: But he’s doing his thing and he’s doing it awesome!

Matt: Yeah kids are digging it so, you know I’m not going to dunk it.

Chris: I mean we had a lot of bands… (pointing at Matt) Me and him always jam together and we’re big fans of any band, so we were stoked that like Maylene and all those other bands are on the tour and Protest The Hero!!! (Protest The Hero’s lead singer Rody Walker were walking by and Chris pointed at him while screaming Protest The Hero!)

Matt: Protest The Hero!!! (pointing at Rody too)

(Rody turns around, laughs and waves at us)

CONFRONT: Oh, I interviewed them a while ago!

Chris: (using a Scotish like accent) They’re great eh!

CONFRONT: You did the Take Action Tour… How important is it for you to participate in those kind of events?

Chris: Yeah it was pretty awesome to be a part of that, you know, actually helping people. Getting the word out there that kids can actually make a difference…

CONFRONT: Do something, yeah…

Chris: Yeah, dosomething.org!

(laughing)

CONFRONT: The Internet is great, it’s awesome that it helps your band to get out there and get known and everything. But the whole situation with less and less albums sales, what do you think we can do about that, what will happen?

Matt: Well you have to embrace the Internet, it’s not going to go away, you have to get used to giving kids your music because that’s not going to go away either. Uh, selling records? You’re not going to be able to do that…

CONFRONT: So you think it’s over?

Matt: Well not necessarily, there’s always going to be people who buy records, I buy records, it’s not because I’m in a band or whatever. I mean, it’s not like it’s expensive, it’s not like a CD costs like three hundred dollars! It costs like ten bucks! You know, I don’t mind buying it, it helps out bands because a lot of bands like all these bands at Warped Tour, all these people are struggling. There’s a lot of misconceptions! Like I made my own t-shirts for Warped tour, we’re trying to start this clothing line, I brought t-shirts and this kid came up and I was selling t-shirts and he was like: “Well I don’t have money, why wont you give it to me for free?” And I was like: “Well if I had all that money I wouldn’t be selling t-shirts!” And he said: “Well whatever! You’re in a band! You’re rich!” And I was like: “Are you freaking retarded?”

CONFRONT: Oh!!!

Chris: You’re so wrong my friend!

Matt: Like seriously! If kids knew what these guys go through and you know… You have a tour bus and you play a show to a good amount of people every day, I mean it doesn’t matter anymore, the state of music, it’s not the nineties anymore, bands don’t sell millions of records anymore. You know, we do this because we love it. If we would be doing this for the money then there wouldn’t be a single band here. Because you definitely don’t get rich doing Warped Tour (with a little laugh in his voice).

Chris: Yeah, I think it’s also kind of cool though the way that the Internet has taken over. Now it’s just uh… Because it’s kind of making kids go out to shows and it’s kind of weaving out the shit because if you’re bad live…

Matt: That’s IT!

Chris: You’re going to be gone!

CONFRONT: Exactly…

Chris: So the bands that are actually good and sound great live rise above!

Matt: And there’s also one thing about the Internet that makes it really easy for bands to be able to make a CD and go on tour…

Chris: Put their image out there…

Matt: Put their image out there… So it’s good and it’s bad. It makes things easier to be able to promote, easier to be able to put your music out there regardless of how terrible you are, you know, which just makes it harder for bands who are really good, you know.

CONFRONT: Right! Why From First To Last?

Chris: The name?

CONFRONT: Yeah!

Chris: The hell do I know! (laughs)

CONFRONT: Just like that?

Matt: Because it’s the worse name…

Chris: (laughs) Yeah! I want to change it to From Fail To Worse!

CONFRONT: That would be awesome!

All laugh

CONFRONT: From Fail To Worse!

Chris: laughing really loud

CONFRONT: I want to start rumors and stuff

Matt: We love that! (laughing)

CONFRONT: They’re going to change their name to From Fail To Worse for their next album!

Matt: Fail To Worse!

CONFRONT: (laughing) First and last CD you bought?

Matt: The last record I bought… I forget the name too! I hop on iTunes, that’s the beauty of the Internet is you get on iTunes you get whatever you want, anytime you want, you can get a lot of stuff!

Chris: First record I ever bought I think was a Van Halen record. I just picked it up and I was like: “Hey it’s Van Halen!” and I was like: “Wow Aftershock! that sounds sick!”

CONFRONT: (laughing)

Chris: But it wasn’t (laughing) So then I bought Weezer and that was cool.

Matt: My first record was Aerosmith ‘Get A Grip’ and I think the last one was the new Weezer!

CONFRONT: The last one? Yeah!

Matt: Yeah the new Weezer was good!

Chris: I think I got the new Coldplay.

Matt: Oooh!

CONFRONT: Oh and what did you think of that?

Chris: I don’t know if it’s the last record I bought but…

CONFRONT: And what did you think of it?

Chris: I haven’t listened to it yet!

CONFRONT: Well critics are not all unanimous about that one.

Chris: Yeah I heard that.

CONFRONT: Where do you see yourself in about ten years?

Matt: Probably working at Guitar Center, telling people about how I used to be in a band.

CONFRONT: Called From Fail To Worse (laughing)

Matt: Yeah! (laughing) “I used to be in a band and I used to travel around and play some shows!” (in a mocking tone) I don’t know who knows man! I think, well me anyway, it’s just one day at a time because it just changes so much, it’s up and down.

Chris: Yeah! Everyday is just one day at a time.

CONFRONT: So what about after Warped Tour?

Chris: Well we’re going to try and take a little vacation until the fall and then do something.

Matt: We go to the U.K.

Chris: Yeah with The Blackout.

Matt: With The Blackout.

CONFRONT: Sweet!

Matt: And then after that I think we might do a coheadliner tour with some band… (trying to hint with a funny voice)

Chris: Some of our friends… But you know we can’t say yet! We can’t throw it out!

CONFRONT: No! No! You’re going to change your name!

Matt: Yeah so I can tell you, in the fall we’re touring with Metallica!

Chris: Straight up!

CONFRONT: That’s it, straight up!

Chris: But SHHHHH!!!

CONFRONT: That’s it! It’s out! Metallica with From First To Last!

Chris: Yeah! They caught us in Holland and they were like: “Yeah! You’re pretty alright!”

Matt: “And you’re coming on tour with us!”

All laugh

CONFRONT: I’m ready, I’m putting this out! Why did you decide to make Chris the fifth official member of the band?

Matt: Because we love him…

Chris: Well me and Manning used to be in a band together prior to this and I sort of just told him I ‘d cut his throat if he didn’t let me in! (laughing) No I’m just kidding!

CONFRONT: (laughing)

Matt: Well it’s simple, if Chris ain’t around, I ain’t around. And if I ain’t around, Chris ain’t around, we keep it real.

Chris: That’s true.

Matt: And it’s as simple as that. We’re all friends you know…

Chris: And because I can win though.

Matt: And he is awesome!

All laugh

Matt: And he can still rock, he’s still young! And I’m getting to old for rock, I used to be able to bring in a little bit of young blood…

Chris: I’m like the fountain of youth!

Matt: (laughs) He’s good with the ladies! Funny dude! So why not?

CONFRONT: (laughing non-stop with Chris) Why not! Who do you see yourself collaborating with? Besides Metallica obviously! (laughing)

Matt: (laughs) Right away that was a lie!

Chris: I know who I would collaborate with… Maylene and The Sons of Disaster! Or Four Year Strong!

Matt: Four Year Strong! Those dudes right there. (pointing at them further away at the press table) Coolest dudes, greatest band on tour!

Chris: Greatest band!

CONFRONT: Well you guys have been great, thank you! So we’ll watch for you and Metallica!

Chris and Matt: (laughs) Yeah!

CONFRONT: From Fail To Worse with Metallica!

All laughing

We continued chatting and laughing some more for about ten minutes and I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the funny duo that Chris and Matt make. I truly believe that no matter what happens to the music industry in the near or far future, From First to Last, or at least Matt and Chris, will always find a way to be around and share their passion. So make sure to stop by their merchandise table next time around and encourage them! Check out their upcoming tour dates and information on www.myspace.com/fftl

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