T3M: What do you do to prepare for a show?

JA: I come from an acting background, so for me personally, I try to care of my body, especially with the way I perform. I try to put on a good performance and open-up myself enough to give to the people. I try to stretch out to get my body ready for it, and just try to get into a certain zone, a certain place, through whatever techniques I use to try and get myself ready to open up to the audience. That's about it.

T3M: What's your favorite song to play live?

JA: If I had to pick one... Thank You for Listening is just so much fun, we have a blast, just because it's free. That's one place where we let the form go a bit. It's fun to just let that form go and see what's going to happen, as opposed to how we try to be consistent with what we're doing the rest of the time. House Carpenter totally moves me. That's one that really pounds in. Alone With The Sea is a nice break within the set right now. But it's nice to just sit there and sing along and feel it. It really gets to me, so it's nice.

T3M: What do you thing of the current music scene today?

JA: I think the current music scene is inspirational. I wanted to be signed to a major label since I was a kid. And then I got signed to a major label at what is considered the worst time in the industry. It's kind of ironic. I've always liked the idea of revolution, and working hard to turn something around... and making a difference. I'm actually very excited about the way things are going. It's going to take a while, but it's happening. The major labels are crumbling. They're set up on an old model that is no longer working. It doesn't make any sense, and it doesn't work. Everybody's scrambling, so it seems like it's the worst time in the music industry. I think this is the fall right before the redemption. It's ripe for revolution, and things are going to happen. For me, it's actually very exciting. As much as it's miserable because I can't make a living, and it's just worse for us as the industry gets worse, being on a major label. If we can make it through this time, there's going to be a light at the end of the tunnel. It's the dawning of the age of Aquarius.

T3M: How does the reaction of fans after a performance make you feel?

JA: That's the only thing we get now. The only thing we get is accolades from fans, not necessarily from press or media. So for me, that's the only reward that we get. People come up to us and tell us that we made a difference in their lives. That's amazing. That's why I'm here. That's why I chose this band. I chose to play with J. because of his lyrics and what his music was. And it wasn't automatically something that hit you as like 'this is going to be great on radio'. I think that it has done well. Anything that is the real deal is going to take the longer harder road. I feel like that's what this is. It's music that is speaking to people on a deeper level, where it doesn't just hit you at first. It needs to work its way into where it really hits you. That is the way our career is going to take that long too. I believe that other rewards will come in the end. I would like a nice big house, I'm not going to lie. I would like to make tons of money doing what I love to do. But, doing it with integrity. Money and fame is a by-product of the real cause that we have here. And that cause is to help people... to enlighten people... to show people some truth with a capital 'T'.

T3M: While on the road, what do you miss most about being at home?

JA: I miss my fiancée incredibly. It's a love hate thing on the road. When you're at home you're like 'I just want to get back on the road'.

T3M: Do you get a lot of support from your family?

JA: I get a ridiculous amount of support from my family. My fiancée, my mother, my father... everybody. All of our friends. You try not to take it for granted. No matter what, once you get back on the road, it's so lonely here. It sounds pathetic but it really is. It's OK because it's a time when I get to be with myself, and work on that. Hopefully it helps my relationship when I go back to my fiancée, and work on each other then come back together.

T3M: What would you choose as the next single from Vol. II?

JA: Talking to God.

T3M: What do you think the reaction would be to that song?

JA: I think it's more controversy and that's what I like. You ask anybody in the band, and they have this joke, they always say to me 'viva la revolution'. Usually it involves some alcohol, but when you're trying to start a revolution at the most inopportune time... we don't talk about this much... J. doesn't speak openly about it... his lyrics spoke to me in a way where it's... especially my beliefs, I have a devout faith, but not in the established system of lies, I believe. That doesn't mean that everybody in that system is bad. The wool has been pulled over for a long time. I think that I want to spread, like I said, truth with a capitol 'T'.

It's funny because people are just silly sometimes. The song has nothing to do with 'against God'. We have some singers in the background. One of the women didn't want to sing it because she felt it was against her beliefs. I was like 'you didn't even listen to the lyrics... it has nothing to do with God' it's saying 'How can you talk to God if you won't talk to me.' It has nothing to do with the belief in God whatsoever. It's just ridiculous to me sometimes. But I know it will cause controversy just because it says 'God' in it. But, it's a great song.

T3M: We asked J. this question; do you prefer working on the music together in the studio or playing it live?

JA: I'm the opposite of him. I love performing. I guess because I have an acting background. I learned to open myself and show myself to an audience. Don't get me wrong, it's not like I don't like being in the studio... it's amazing with the focus that comes from that. You're there like fourteen hours, you just get zoned in... you get into this place that is really magical. And then watching the magic erupt out of that... the four of us working together with the producer. That's amazing... but there's just a lot of passion and power and anger and everything that comes out when there's just lights and sweat and screaming and the people that we're doing that for. We go into the studio and make the music and give it to them, and then they come out and say 'thank you' to us. And we say 'thank you' for coming out. That's where that union is between us and the fans. I could sit in my house, and people could be listening to it, but I don't feel that connection. The record's done, it's made, so now I want to go out and share it with the people.

T3M: Do you listen to your own recordings?

JA: Vol. II, I'm really happy with to be quite honest with you. Sometimes I'm like 'This is pretty dang good'. Vol. 1, I check back in just to see where we're at with it, but I don't regularly listen to it. Vol. II, I've actually been listening to and enjoying it. Objectively as I can be, I really think the record is good.

T3M: What was the recording process like for you?

JA: You go through it knowing that it's a huge endeavor. I had my bass lines done, and we went back and he was trying to do guitar lines, and we realized there was some stuff off, so I ad to came back in a redo my bass lines. I had a little celebration with that fact that I was done... last song, done. And then I just started to take care of myself and enjoy my time with my fiancée. I was getting a little break while those guys worked much harder and longer than I did. Then I get the call that I had to come back in and do a song again because it wasn't right. I understood the process, so I knew... it's actually nice because I get the chance to explore and play while he's recording his drum parts, as opposed to having to make sure I'm on exactly with those takes. And then you get to go in there and be specific and look at every single note that you play with a magnifying glass and make sure that it's done right. Of course, I listen to it now and hear the mistakes.

Continued on Page 2 »

| 10.11.2007 | Interview by Kristen Pierson and Raina Menchetti |