Crash Parallel
April 1st, 2009 - Written by gemma
CONFRONT: The last time we spoke your album hadn’t come out yet, our interview was about a month before the release so I wanted to know how has everything gone since the realease of your album ‘World We Know’?
TIM: Oh it was incredible! Our single was on the radio and sales were consistent for us and they allowed us to immidiately start touring for supporting the record and we haven’t stopped and now we’re gonna be making another one.
CONFRONT: Really? Tell me about that!
TIM: Nope. Can’t do it.
(Dan laughs)
CONFRONT: What you’re not allowed?!
(Tim & Dan laugh)
CONFRONT: Oh you’re kidding!
DAN: Yeah!
CONFRONT: Ok so tell me about your second album.
DAN: Uh we’re going to L.A. towards the end of March to record the record for two months and we pretty much started writing it about a year ago. We never really stop writing and when we’re home from touring we’re just recording and stuff… and songs are a bit different this time.
CONFRONT: How so?
DAN: Well a couple other of guys in the band started contributing to the song writing and just from playing live it kind of changes your approach to writing songs as well because you think of how the audience might react and maybe Tim can tell you about some of the themes lyrically…
TIM: Yeah I just wanted to say that we locked on a producer that we read about a month and a half ago to play a showcase with a bunch of producers and we found him and he understands where we’re trying to take the record next based on what Dan was saying you know the live shows made us know to put a little more energy into our songs which of course lyrically changes the loop so for me now the lyrics, the theme of the lyrics I still haven’t come up with a full theme for the record but I’m getting close as we finish the songs. Some songs are more poppy, some still have a darkness to them but they’re a little heavier. It’s a nice little creative challenge to get me out of my shell.
CONFRONT: Um well on your last album your lyrics were very meaningful and about problems in the world and stuff. Where did you get the idea to write Rain Delays?
TIM: Rain Delays I was working at a bar and it didn’t really come to me as an idea, just one day after work after 2 years I realized I sort of involved myself in a community of drinking every day and writing every night and the staff there were really like family so we spent our days hanging out in Tim Hortons’ parking lot soaking in the sun and going to work at night. One day I was working and I was alone in the bar and I was sitting there and just started to write words down and that’s what came out for the most part and when I went home I was excited about the song and I started playing the chords to match it. And yeah, for it me it was telling that story of what it’s like to sort of be out of the game and just sitting around waiting for something to happen.
CONFRONT: That’s my favorite song on the record and I really love the video for it which by the way, how was the making of the video for Rain Delays?
TIM: It was cool, it was the first time we worked with Sean, then we just worked with him again on the new video and we really like working with him, he has great ideas, he’s great with me, you know, cause I had to do a lot on that video and we didn’t sleep much the night before. It was a cool experience, it was different from just performance for us. We actually used a lot of people that I worked with at that bar in the video.
CONFRONT: Oh wow that must have been cool!
TIM: Yeah!
CONFRONT: I read on your website that Crash Parallel is joining forces with the Canadian Mental Health Associasion.
TIM: Yeah.
CONFRONT: Which is showing us that you guys can back up what you say you stand for and that is great. How has your song “Casualties of War” effected some people that you know of?
TIM: Well I think it’s affected a lot of people I don’t know. Usually before playing the song I’ll talk about the story of two of my friends that suffer and people will come up to me after the show and say “my son is suffering, my aunt” etc, and you know it’s everywhere so I think the more we can support the resources the more we can reach people earlier and you know we always wanted to record this song as a full band and on the record it’s not so we got to do that, we got to put the song out for free download to add on to your collection of Crash Parallel music.
CONFRONT: We speak so much about how your music effects other people but how would you say your music effects you? What has this whole experience taught you?
DAN: She always comes up with these questions
TIM: Another good question I’ve never heard before!
DAN: (In a little boy voice) How does the music affect me?
CONFRONT: Haha, you remember that funny question from our last interview?
DAN & TIM: Yeah!
DAN: Umm I don’t know, well I’m definitely affected by playing it live, you really get into the emotion of the song and you gotta dig deep sometimes. That’s a
TIM: Dan’s lying. He’s opened up to me late at night saying “you know your lyrics, they mean a lot, they’re really good.”
DAN: I was saving that for my memoirs!
*laughter*
TIM: It affects me for sure, I get to revisit those stories and the times I wrote them in and sometimes I get new stuff out of the old stuff I wrote. It’s always a personal experience but I think it’s become more about hearing from other people and what they get out of it. When we did this for so many years just writing this stuff so hearing it takes you back to sometimes.
CONFRONT: What is your favorite lyric from one of your own songs?
TIM: I’ll start…
DAN: “Shouldn’t my jacket be straight?”
CONFRONT: Haha nice.
DAN: Cause I’m crazy..
CONFRONT: (laughing) and how about you (Tim)?
TIM: “Chasing dreams with fishing nets” is probably one of my favorites because the visual just made sense to me.
CONFRONT: I like that one too!
TIM: I like them all
*laughter*
CONFRONT: You guys are like my favorite band to interview, you guys are awesome.
DAN : Why?
TIM: Yeah why?
*they take the recorder and put it close to me*
TIM: Now the roles are reversed
*laughter*
CONFRONT: I don’t know, cause you’re funny and we just get along..
DAN: And you like my laugh
CONFRONT: Yes, that’s right
*Dan starts to fake laugh*
CONFRONT: Anyway! If someone has never heard your music before, which song would you want them to listen to first?
TIM: Rain Delays is good because it grabs people right from the begining
DAN: I’d have to go with Rain Delays too. It has the best elements of our band, it’s got great lyrics, instrumental wise it’s got lots of good stuff, good guitar parts, it’s slow…
TIM: A keychain..
DAN: It’s got a keychain!
*laughter*
DAN: It’s pretty awesome actually
TIM: Yeah can we edit that out?
CONFRONT: Nope! haha
TIM: Yeah it is pretty awesome
CONFRONT: Yeah it is, actually, my brother never listens to the same music as me but one day I came home and I heard him singing World We Know around our house and I was like “you know that song!?” and he was like “yeah, it’s always on the radio” and I just found that cool. By the way, your radio play in Montreal has been really great, you guys are still on the radio all the time..
TIM: Really?
CONFRONT: Yeah
DAN: Do they play Rain Delays too?
CONFRONT: Yeah I’ve heard it. Rain Delays and World We Know. Is your radio play doing as good in the rest of Canada?
TIM: Yeah we’re actually up for single of the year for the Canadian Radio Music Awards.
CONFRONT: That’s so cool!
TIM: High Five!
*we all high five*
DAN: Yeah!
TIM: We’re actually playing for the awards March 14th.
CONFRONT: Oh wow! Um how has the touring experience been for you?
TIM: It’s been wonderful for me. I like the pockets of you know, 3 weeks gone, 4 weeks gone. I love seeing new cities and I love meeting new people every night and all the playing. I like staying in hotels, I feel like I’m a kid again. And I’ve got really good at working my laundry so that I have enough, not packing too much.
CONFRONT: Haha
DAN: Yeah I never get past the first layer of my suit case
*Tim laughs really loud*
DAN: It’s like wow I have all kinds of stuff down here!
CONFRONT: Ha you never use any
DAN: Yeah I don’t change my underwear
*everyone laughs*
DAN: Kidding..
TIM: I just turn my inside out
DAN: Haha ew
CONFRONT: (to Dan) did he just say turn them inside out?
DAN: Yeah, you should try it
*laughter*
TIM: We’re kidding of course, we’re a very hygenic band
DAN: Yeah.
CONFRONT: Ok this is the last one. How would you describe one of your live shows? Like what is the atomosphere in the room when you’re playing?
DAN: Well a club, outside, a bar?
CONFRONT: Um..well, all of the above
TIM: I think we usually start with a bit of a bang, we like to throw World We Know in pretty early for the people who don’t know the band but have heard the song.
DAN: It’s like a rollercoaster of emotions, a lil movement up and down so yeah usually we end super hard
TIM: There’s intimate parts and there’s full on rock parts, I usually run in the crowd… take my clothes off.
*Gemma laughs*
TIM: Gemma, why you turning red?!
DAN: Oh God!
*laughter*
DAN: Hey, are you coming to the show tonight?
CONFRONT: Uhh.. I can’t…
DAN: OH!
CONFRONT: I’m sorry…
DAN: No, we get it.
TIM: It’s fine. We’re done here. We’re done.
*Gemma laughing*
DAN: And why can’t you come?
CONFRONT: Um well…I’m getting a ride home from my dad, he’s outside now actually
DAN: Oh ohhh!
TIM: Why don’t you bring him in?
CONFRONT: He has to to play hockey tonight haha
DAN: We get it.
TIM: (yells out to everyone in the venue) Her dad has a hockey game tonight so she can’t make the show!
CONFRONT: (laughing) Why do you got to do that, eh?
DAN: I don’t think I can make the show tonight either
TIM: Yeah, Gemma’s not gonna be here so I’m not even gonna play!
CONFRONT: You’re so mean! This interview is over!
*laughter*
The recorder turned off.
* We said our goodbyes *
To view more pics of Crash Parallel visit our picture gallery that can be access through the Library of Content
www.crashparallel.com
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