PropertyOfZack had the chance to talk with Brian of The Front Bottoms before the band’s show at Maxwell’s in Hoboken. Brian and I discussed the band’s successful 2010, new EP, further material, touring possibilities, and more. Read up on it below!
For the record, could you state your name and role in The Front Bottoms?
Sure, my name is Brian, and I play guitar and sing in The Front Bottoms.
Slow Dance To Soft Rock was released last June, but you guys are finally starting to get much more attention, which is great. How has the reception for the EP grown from listeners and fans alike since its release?
It was recorded in one basement and one warehouse. As soon as we had the tracks we just put them onto the internet. There was no real release date. Then we got kind of organized and were like, “You know what? Let’s try to push this and make it a little bit more professional.” That’s kind of when more people began taking a notice to is.
Not too long ago a music video was released for “Maps.” Has that had some pretty good feedback as well?
Yeah, people seem to really like that. This guy Pablo, he’s from Spain, he used to direct commercials in Spain. He came to New York and he needed to update his reel so he went on Myspace or the internet and was like, “Hey, let me find a band from Jersey that isn’t going to make me pay.” So we went into the City and it took two days. It was super exciting to see that kind of quality.
The Front Bottoms are playing at Maxwell’s today alongside Washington Square Park, which will be an all-out New Jersey celebration. How much are you guys looking forward to tonight?
Oh, we’re very, very pumped. It’s our first show in kind of a little while, other than basement show.
How many new songs off the upcoming EP will you be playing?
We’re going to play a new one called “Flashlight” that we played for you. That should be good.
And it was revealed just a few weeks ago that the band’s new EP will be called Grip ‘N’ Tie. Is the recording process and mixing all done for it at this point, or is there still some work to be done?
No, it’s actually not done. We’ve still got a little bit of recording left to do. I need to record the vocals and stuff. It won’t take long. Probably like two more weeks till it’s finished. If we did consecutive weeks, that is. We’re going to go on tour starting February 3rd, so we’ll be gone for like two weeks. So that’s big gap of time that we won’t be able to record for. When we come back we’ll get down to business. Then mixing will be another week and a half.
How many tracks will be on it?
Six.
Is a mid-spring release likely?
Yeah, early spring.
Has there been any talk with indie labels whatsoever for it?
Yeah, a few indie labels mentioned that they were interested. People just took an interest, so they got in touch with us. That was exciting. It felt like it validated something I was doing, like working at a grocery store and playing in a band.
POZ: Would a label be something the band is open to down the line?
Brian: Possibly. We’d definitely keep it indie, but I’m all about the money, so [Laughs].
It’s interesting timing because the first EP is just really catching on now, but do you see it as a benefit that you’ll be able to push that much material onto new fans?
Yeah, definitely. In terms of material: We recorded 40 songs way back in the past that were legit basement recordings. I always feel it’s better to have more material, especially if it’s going to surprise people.
The Front Bottoms were a three-piece for Slow Dance, but it’s just the two of you now. Was the writing process different because of that for this release?
Yeah, definitely. I would like write half a song and bring it to them and we would all make a new song from it. Now, me and Matt are picking up the slack just trying to create new songs between the two of us. It worked out. It was different and a challenge, which made it good because we were able to push ourselves.
How would you compare the evolution from the previous EP with these tracks?
We’re recording it in the same warehouse, but the guy who is recording it got a lot better at mixing and stuff just because he had been doing it a lot more. It’s good. Whenever you go into a situation like that where you’re recording in a warehouse, you think that it might be terrible. So anything that doesn’t sound terrible
POZ: Sound damn good.
Brian: [Laughs] Exactly. It’s not a good attitude to have, but you know.
Have more songs been written that haven’t made their way onto the EP, or is that all that has been written at this point?
Yeah, we started working on some new songs already. They might not make the EP, and if they don’t, we’ll just release another EP. We’ll keep them coming.
The band gets frequently compared to River City Extension, but what have been your bigger inspirations in terms of sound for this EP?
I listened to a lot of Frightened Rabbit and Bright Eyes was big. In terms of chord structure, any simple guitar stuff is what I wanted it to sound like. I wanted to keep it real simple. The musicianship isn’t the greatest in the world, but it’s good that it carries.
“Flashlight” has been getting a decent amount of press lately. How has the response to it been?
People have been digging it. We’re getting some positive feedback. It’s a little different, so that’s exciting, especially because it was different from our past stuff and people didn’t hate it. That’s encouraging.
Will another song or two be released off of the EP before it’s officially released?
I think maybe one new song before it’s formally released, but it might just be a rough demo. We’ll see.
The band will be announcing new tour dates tomorrow, right?
Yeah, it’s just an independently booked tour. It’s a lot of house shows, like punk shows in Boston.
POZ: With anyone in particular?
Brian: Yeah, we’re going out with a band called The Thin Heir. They’re good friends of ours from Boston. They would always put us up and help us out and get us shows in Boston. We’re gonna go up to New England and down to Richmond and over to some other state that’s over there. It’ll be good. It’ll be fun. A lot of DIY shows where you call them back and there’s no answer. It’ll work out.
Are there any tours getting worked out for after this as well?
Not yet. In the past I’d work for three months every day, work up some money, then book an independent tour for three weeks and go out and come back and work. We’ll be out. Just now people are like, “Come here.” And it’s like, “Yes, we will come here. If you’re going to be there we’ll go.” That’s exciting, to go to someplace knowing that at least one person is going to be there. We’ll do it, for sure.
POZ: Would you guys definitely like to be out in the summer?
Brian: Absolutely. It is a far way away, but I definitely know that we’ll be making the rounds this summer for sure.
So the plan is to be out as much as you can?
Exactly. Just continuously make songs, put them out, tour around, play stupid shows, play good shows, everything.
Thanks so much for your time, is there anything else you’d like to add or that we should be on the lookout for?
No, just keep checking back. We’re always putting new stuff out. As long as someone’s listening we’ll keep making new songs.
