Isle of Thieves

Lili-Anh sits down with Japeth, Justin and Matt at their last show in Montreal–

Isle of Thieves consists of Japeth on vocals, Matt Coatsworth on drums, Mike Marsh on guitar, Justin Kwan on synths and until a few months ago, Charles Canovas on bass; now Kevin Krouglow. They are an up and coming Toronto band that is working hard on getting their name out there. They have done a pretty good job of that, being nominated for “Artist of the Year” at the 2009 Verge Music Awards as well as having the chance to play CMW this year and the last. Their single Hollywood was also chosen to be part of the Rock Band games.

They are currently in the studio with Greig Nori and released a re-mastered version of their first album Only Human a few months ago. They have since worked on playing shows, doing radio interviews and promoting said album.

When Isle of Thieves were back in Montreal recently, I sat down with Japeth, Justin and Matt to find out a little more about them.

CONFRONT: Let’s start with a little Isle of Thieves history.

JAPETH: It started with Justin, Matt, and myself doing open mic nights and not knowing what the hell we were doing at all. All I knew was that I could write songs. I didn’t know much about performing or speaking to a group of people either, but I thought it would be something I can discover and nurture as I grew as a person. We all grew that way.

JUSTIN: Basically, it’s 5 guys who are best friends first and band mates second. Our friendship and love for music is what brought Isle of Thieves together. We all come from different backgrounds and musical tastes, but Isle of Thieves is a sound we all enjoy in creating.

CONFRONT: That’s great! Now, I know you recently had a change of line up, how did switching from Charles to Kevin affect the band?

JAPETH: It affected the band in the way it would affect any person losing a co-worker who also happens to be a good friend. There weren’t any hard feelings but it was still disappointing for everybody in the band knowing that Charles couldn’t continue his adventure with us.

JUSTIN: Yeah Charles is a great friend and we still love him like a brother. He’s always going to be a big part of the band. But Kevin has been nothing but spectacular as our bass player and we couldn’t have asked for a better fit.

JAPETH: Kevin was a great sport in taking on bass duties with such pressure and short notice. And he helped provide that positive vibe needed to rock the stage when morale was low. I’m more than grateful for such a short transition period and everyone’s warm reception of Kevin.

CONFRONT: It’s great that you found someone so quickly and especially someone who fit right away! He played CMW with you guys this year right? How was that week for you guys?

JAPETH: It was absolutely lots of fun, it was like Christmas!

MATT: Yeah, Christmas for bands!

JUSTIN: This year, we got to do so much more than last year and it was much more of a community thing and we got a lot of free stuff!

JAPETH: Free food! It was awesome!

MATT: We were treated like royalty, getting free pizza and free…

JUSTIN: Yeah that’s how you know we’re still ghetto; we still really appreciate the free stuff. I might stay at your house for three days if it’s for free!

MATT : I don’t think that will ever change…

CONFRONT: Well that just shows that you don’t take things for granted! It’s not a bad thing. Now, recently, you re-mastered and re-released your first album. How has the response been to that?

JAPETH: It’s been pretty good! We feel a lot happier with this release because we feel that the sound sonically represents us a lot better.

MATT: It’s like a fresh coat of paint.

JAPETH:  And as our fan base keeps growing, basically, it’s like the other album…they don’t know what it is, right? They don’t know the other one so with this one, it’s being embraced wholeheartedly so it’s pretty awesome.

JUSTIN: Yeah and the new song that we’ve put in, Best Mistake, is really well received. It’s a lot of people’s favourite song and that’s really cool because if we didn’t re-release the album, that song would’ve been just a song that we played maybe when we practiced.

CONFRONT: Well maybe it would’ve made your next album?

JUSTIN: Yeah, you know what? It’s funny because we originally thought that sound wasn’t where the next album was going but you know, some of that stuff is just crossing over right now and I think it’s a mixture of where we were in terms of when we first started and where we’re going. I think it’s a really nice song that represents us well.

CONFRONT: Well, I’d like to say that, having heard both versions of the album, I liked the old one too. Maybe it’s because that’s how I discovered you guys. Thank you for putting it up for free download in the past!

MATT: Hey free stuff right?

CONFRONT: Free stuff, exactly! Living by the Isle of Thieves’ code!

*laughter*

CONFRONT: I know you’ve been working with Greig Nori for a while now, how has that been?

JUSTIN: The funny thing about Greig is that sometimes, he’s a ghost.

JAPETH: He’s hard to get a hold of sometimes but the one thing about working with Greig that has really helped us, is in terms of song writing. Everyone I get to work with, I learn something from and Greig definitely brought a different element. I thought I already knew a lot of the stuff that a good songwriter should know about but Greig definitely had his own way of teaching principles of song writing. He would sometimes just ask me what notes are in a chord, root notes, and basically, he would just look at the piece of paper and go “That doesn’t work.”

CONFRONT: Wow, just like that?

JAPETH: Yeah, it was really awesome. I’d ask why and he’ll explain to me all these principles and, you know, they stick so I can apply them to new songs that I’m working on and new songs in the future.

CONFRONT: Well that’s great! You’re getting such amazing learning experience from that. And is there any release date or speculation for your next album? I remember it was supposed to be for spring 2010 but I guess that changed because of your re-release.

JAPETH: Um…not sure at this time but hopefully, if all goes well, later this year.

MATT: We’re focusing a lot on really pushing ourselves in the song writing realm. I’m not saying we’ve never pushed ourselves before, but we’re really finding these new levels because we’re getting a lot more comfortable with each other as musicians and we’re getting a lot more confident in our own abilities.

JUSTIN: I think it was really important for us to look at it from a perspective where we wanted to make sure that the songs were really well-crafted and I think putting a lot of the elements that really worked well in Only Human and expanding and building on that…

JAPETH: It’s like the best stuff in Only Human. We decided to take the best stuff and take it to the new album and expand upon it. Also at the same time, because we feel like we’re better musicians now, we have new elements that we’ve added to it so I think this new album is better and I think every album should be better.

CONFRONT: Well yeah, there should be signs of growth!

JAPETH: Yeah.

CONFRONT: Well I can’t wait to hear it! As most of your fans probably do! I actually did hear a few of your newer songs when you did acoustic performances on the radio!

JAPETH: We’re going to be playing three new songs tonight. But we have ten. guess when you’re writing with a top notch producer, you have to provide more than just the bare minimum. If there are ten songs or nine songs going into the album, you’re not just writing nine songs. You’re really writing double so you can pick the best of the best.

MATT: We end up having just…this rolodex of just parts that we’ll come up with that sound great and we’ll write a song and figure, you know what, this just isn’t the right direction that we’re going for. So what we end up with are a couple of really good parts that we can apply later. So we end up with this sort of mish-mash of all sorts of different ideas and at the end of every song that’s written, there’s so much diversity and so much dynamics…

JAPETH: The thing is, songs are written for the theme that you’re trying to communicate but there’s just so many things that don’t work sometimes, I call them “spare parts”, that actually come in handy afterwards.

JUSTIN: Cause you don’t want to just throw an idea out.

CONFRONT: Of course. Just because it didn’t work out for that song doesn’t mean it won’t work out for another right?

JAPETH: Yeah!

CONFRONT:  I’m going to ask you a few CONFRONT questions now! First one is finish this sentence: I have never…

JAPETH: I have never liked raw onions. Never.

MATT: I have never…lied to a girl to get her to sleep with me…that I remember.

*laughter*

JUSTIN: I’ve never been on a rollercoaster.

CONFRONT and MATT: Are you serious?

MATT: Dude, you and me, Wonderland this summer!

JUSTIN: I’m afraid of heights!

CONFRONT: So am I but even I’ve been on a rollercoaster! What about : I would never…

JUSTIN: I’d never…go on a rollercoaster.

MATT: I would never wear socks with sandals!

JAPETH: You did that yesterday…

MATT: Then…from today on!

JAPETH: I would never release material I don’t believe in.

MATT: That is a good one.
CONFRONT: It is.

JAPETH: I think integrity still matters, at least to me. These are the times where it’s getting harder and harder for bands to make it and stay true to what they really believe, you know? A lot of fame-hunger going around…and for me, I’d rather quit.

*Justin gave a sign of agreement*

CONFRONT: Justin approves?

JUSTIN:  [at Japeth]…you stole my answer…

*laughter*

CONFRONT: Now…the first and last CDs that you bought?

MATT: First was Green Day, Dookie and last was Muse, The resistance.

JUSTIN: My first was…Counting Crows and my last CD was…Against Me.

JAPETH: Last one was The Listening by Lights…don’t tell anyone.

MATT: [in a mocking voice] I hope this isn’t being recorded for an interview…oh…

*laughter*

JAPETH: As for first CD…it was…uh… [he thought about it for a long while] let’s skip this one!

CONFRONT: Ok we’ll get back to you at the end! What was the last concert you attended as a fan and what was your first one?

JAPETH: I went to the Muse concert at the ACC.

CONFRONT: Oh really? How was it?

JAPETH: It was amazing. Amazing production; lights, the lasers, giant balloons that are basically like a Pilates ball and they were like eyeballs. And people were bouncing these around and when they popped, all this confetti came out! It was an amazing show! They played a very long set and I mean that in a way that they were very grateful for their fans. I’ve seen bands just as big play a lot shorter than that. You know, paying so much and then the band only plays like…9 songs? Muse really took the time to go through their catalogue and play for a good, long time. It’s a band that cares about the fans.

CONFRONT: That’s worth the money you paid then.

MATT: The one thing I noticed at the Muse show was that he actually responded to the crowd requests. I was at the Arrow Hall on and everyone was yelling out to play Unintended and he was like [with a British accent] “Well we don’t normally…alright.”

JAPETH: Why are you doing an accent??

*laughter*

MATT: Then they actually went and talked for a second and came back and told everyone to take out their lighters and they did and it was just incredible! They have that rapport with their fans that…they listen to them even at the shows. They have that much respect for their fans.

CONFRONT: Yeah, that’s great! Most of the time, screaming out a song you want them to play doesn’t work…

MATT: Yeah!

JAPETH: The last show you were at though was…

MATT: Yeah, Billy Talent, Alexisonfire and Against Me! And I’ve got to say, Alexisonfire is probably one of the best acts I’ve seen in the last while. But what a great live show, they just have such a great energy, their dynamic is amazing, they’re so comfortable onstage and I think they’ve been through so much together that it really shows in their performance. They played forty five minutes and it was just action-packed energy the entire time.

CONFRONT: That’s great!

MATT: And the first show I was Sugar Ray and Three Eleven. As soon as Sugar Ray came on, everyone started moshing and I was like, twelve or thirteen and I there with my friend and his mom was chaperoning us and I started jumping up and down with the crowd. All I remember was this hand on the back of my shirt, pulling me back! His mom had both of us, one in each hand, and she’s holding onto us as we’re trying to jump up in the crowd and she’s like “NO! You guys stay back here with me!” She held onto us for the whole show!

CONFRONT: Oh gosh..wow!

JAPETH: My first show…I think it must’ve been like…it was probably an old classic Canadian band like…Matt Good or something like that? Like an early 2000s band.

JUSTIN: My last show was The Gaslight Anthem. I love them so I had to see them when they came to town. My first was David Usher. I didn’t even know he was playing. I really enjoyed Moist as a kid, so it was a really cool surprise to see him playing at a Canada Day thing in Oshawa. I remember I was in the first few rows and he threw a water bottle in to the crowd and it hit me…

*laughter*

CONFRONT: One last CONFRONT question; what legacy would you like to leave? I love how it’s this music that’s playing! [music very befitting of this question was playing in the background as the guys thought about it]

JAPETH: First of all, before saying what I want, I’ll say what I don’t want. I don’t want to be one of those bands that, years from now, leave a bad taste in people’s mouths because there are too many of them. Too many people get caught up in the moment and believe that the present is forever when the present like is a flash. Leaving a legacy will mean that maybe the music itself is timeless. Maybe the music itself captures a time and a place, a moment but the message will stick and be relevant still. And I think there’s a difference between the pop acts that sell a million records now as opposed to the bands and acts that sell half as much and that will be remembered. I’d rather be the one that’s remembered. Those are the ones who actually do leave a legacy.

CONFRONT: Quite the deep thinker huh? Do you guys have anything to add?

MATT: I think the band’s legacy is represented by everything Japeth just said and I don’t feel I have anything to add to that. That’s the perfect answer. I don’t want to be part of something that just flashed because it’s only in the moment. I believe in creating something that’s going to speak to people and allow people to feel comfortable with who they are. If they can identify with it and it could live on, then that’s terrific.

JUSTIN: I want to leave the type of band that we are as a band that never went out and chose its fans and excluded people. We are a band that loves writing music and we love music for what it is and enjoy what we do. We just want people to have that same type of feeling when they listen to our music or see us play or hang out with us. It should be about having fun and being comfortable with yourself.

CONFRONT: Wow, I think those are great things to want leave behind. For my last question, I’m going to ask you to draw something that represents you. Then, you have to explain to me why it represents you.

JAPETH: I drew a furry friend and a guitar. I think there’s a time to be introspective and deep and whatever and there’s also a time just to love cats. There’s a lot of people who really try to get themselves out there to be a lot smarter than they are and I think those people are bullshit. Sometimes, you just gotta draw a kitty cat. Be you.

MATT: I drew a water cycle and I am a Pisces. I’ve always been very drawn to water and I have always felt very connected to nature and the connection that people have with mother earth and with the planet itself is being lost by living in cities and being out of nature.

JAPETH: You live in a city!

JUSTIN: He lives in downtown Toronto.

*laughter*

MATT: I live in downtown Toronto. And that’s why I’m sort of trying to make this point. Every time I go up north and I get away from the city, I get revamped on what that connection is like and I’ve drawn the water cycle because I’ve always felt very drawn to water and nature and I believe that there a great many things that we could do as people continue living on this wonderful planet and one thing that we could do is stop using plastic water bottles.

JUSTIN: My drawing represents me because my mind is always in a million places and apparently I’m a very big hothead and I don’t know how to relax. And the light bulb is because I’m sometimes full of not-very-good ideas.

CONFRONT: I’m sure your ideas are great! Well, thanks for your time and have an awesome show!

If you want to learn more about Isle of Thieves, you can check out:

http://myspace.com/isleofthieves

http://facebook.com/isleofthieves

http://www.youtube.com/isleofthievesmusic

there is even a free download of three of their songs on their homepage!

http://isleofthieves.com/

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