Interview '08 - Vincent Walker
06.11.08 - Wednesday
But there's more to it then just a tour; Lead vocalist, former fulltime trumpet player, Vincent Walker has mentioned that the band is currently putting the finishing touches on a brand new studio album.
Recently Vincent took some time out to talk with us about the upcoming album, tour, and his past, present & future with the band....
Photo By
Tiffany Warch
Vincent: I left the group in the fall of 2004 to finish up school. I'd been going off and on for a few years and I felt like I just needed to focus on it and finish. It was a tough decision at the time, but finishing was definitely worth it. This sounds like some sort of PSA...
Island:
Fast forward to September 2005... You returned during the
band's appearance on the Jerry Lewis MDA telethon, which was Tim
Maurer's last performance as the band's lead singer. You then were given
the frontman role, allowing the band to continue forward. What was the
driving motive for returning to the band at that time? Also going from
trumpet to lead vocalist, how did you handle that concept when it was
first brought to your attention?
Vincent: I
came back to the group cause I've always believed in this band and what
it does. Even while I wasn't in it I was rooting for this band to
explode. When the opportunity came up to sing I wanted to give it a
shot.
At first I thought it wouldn't be that hard, because our stage show has always been so intensive and driven to entertain. Being in the horn section was like having a bunch of lead circus performers pushing to make sure people were having nothing but a good time. So I thought bring that same energy would be sort of what it was like, but singing instead of playing the trumpet. I found it was different in the sense that when you're singing as a lead vocalist it's a very naked feeling. Buck naked at times! I like being naked, but the thing is you have to be naked in front of a bunch of people every single night and you have to love to be naked in front of them. Is any of this making sense... I was in the horn section in the past and that's exactly what it is, a section. Your with a group of people and your making all these sounds together that fit the band, and that's some what of a comforting feeling. When your the lead singer you've got to be that one sound that fits the band and that can be a bit daunting at times, especially jumping right into it. It's something I've always wanted to do and to have the chance to do it in this band is an honor to me. I feel like I've grow into it, but there's always room for improvement.
Island:
We look at Suburban Legends as a band that has a feel
similar to that of Duran Duran & Chicago but with a modern twist. The
mixture of American & British styles allows your band to put forth a
different emotional pull, making you truly unique in today's music
world. What influences helped mold the sound/feeling that your band has
today?
Vincent:
WOW, those are some big name acts. Thank you.
I think it's a combination of all the different styles we expose
ourselves to with a bit of wanting to keep things fresh. As a band we
listen to everything from Suga Free The Pimp, Chromeo, Hannah Montana,
Hillary Duff, with Motley Crew sprinkled on top. We love pop music and
definitely not afraid of a good hook.
Island:
While looking up information, we noticed that you guys
use the website YouTube to post information about your current projects
as well as future ones. YouTube has become an important promotional tool
for some, while others shun it as a waste of time. Being that you guys
post tons of information via this website, obviously it is helping you
stay in contact with your fans. Do you feel more bands should go this
route and use YouTube to be more interactive with their fan base?
Vincent: Every band
and artist is different in what route they take, but I think in today's
world you have to be somewhere online to let your fans know what's going
on. Gone are the days where we got all our information from television
and print. If thousands of people will watch Pandas sneezing or some
dude being bit by a cobra cause he was trying to feed it a cheeseburger,
we need to be a part of that too.
Island: Infectious, the fourth album from Suburban Legends release in 2007 was a bit a departure from the sound fans were use. Why did the band decide to change things up at that time and go for a more disco/rock sound?
Vincent: The simplest answer I can give is we were exploring. We wanted to try something new and Dance Like Nobody's watching was sort of setting up for that album. I don't think there was any sort of solid decision that we were just completely going to change our sound, it's just sort of how it came out. We still love that album and it is who we are.
Island: Looking at 2008, the band recorded a new album entitled "Let's Be Friends" in April at the Zion Studios. We're sure that fans are awaiting additional details about this album in terms of not only the track names, artwork and other promotional items that come up with a release of a new album but details on the sound itself. Will this new album be a return to the band's original sound/feel or will it stay rooted in the 2007 "Infectious" design?
Vincent:
This album is going to blow minds up (good or bad, I'm not sure of that
yet)!
For real though, on this record we took just about everything this band
has done in the last couple of years and put it all into one full length
album. I would say for Infectious we were trying hard to find some new
stuff and mix it up a little on a Pop tip, DLNW was a sort of a fun
homecoming romanic affair album, our other past albums are gems of
innocence and pure joy. Now if you rapped up all that into one album
"Let's Be Friends" is what you'll get. We basically wrote close to 20
songs one month then recorded them the next month. It was a blast
writing this album and I think that's going to come through on the
recording. There looking at I think putting 12 tracks on the album. It's
got it all, some ska, some rock, some disco, some disco rock, some ska
rock, some german hip hop ska disco rock...(you get the point) I think
fans old and new will be surprised.
Island:
Tour wise, the band hits the road this summer with Less
than Jake, Goldfinger, and Big D and the Kids Table on the "Shout It Out
Tour 2". How did this tour come about? And what are you most looking
forward to when playing this summer?
Vincent:
With a stroke of luck we got asked to do this summer
tour. We haven't been on the road since fall, so I'm just happy to be
out there. Can't wait to hit the stage.
Island: Speaking of tours, over the course of your career the band has toured with many different acts such as Bowling For Soup and Fallout Boy. Are there any acts out there that you haven't already toured with that you would like to do so?
Vincent: Jonas Brothers.
Island: Looking back over the past 10 years, Suburban Legends has certainly covered a lot of ground. From studio releases to live DVD's you guys show no signs of slowing down. Being that this is the 10th anniversary of the band's incarnation, is there anything musically that you would like to see happen in the next 10 years for yourself and the band?
Photo by Travis Hodges
Vincent:
I don't know if it's an official 10 years..., but looking to the next
ten years I don't know what might be in store for us and myself. It's so
far away, yet doesn't really seem that way at all. I hope that no matter
what goes down everyone is still doing something with music or the arts.
Everyone in this group is way too talented not to be doing something.
The other thing I would like to see is Suburban Legends ten years from
now going on their 4th world tour with Hannah Montana as main support
and the Jonas Brothers opening.
Good question.
Island: As this interview comes to a close we'd like to thank you for taking the time out to talk with us. We look forward to hearing more from Suburban Legends! Are there any final thoughts, words of wisdom or anything you'd like to mention to our readers, your fans?
Vincent:
I got to say these were really good questions. Very straight forward and
I enjoyed answering them.
Final words. "Do you like playing video games...? Why are you sitting on
your ass when you can be making video games!"
Look out for "LET's BE FRIENDS.." and sly the dragon together. Out this
summer! On tour this SUMMER with Less Than Jake, GoldFinger, Big D and
the Kids Table! We'll be doing it fast and hard!
Peace out!
For more on Vincent Walker/Suburban Legends make sure you check out:
| www.suburbanlegends.com | www.myspace.com/suburbanlegends |
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* Thanks To Doug Weber @ New Ocean Media |
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