I began asking everyone I know if they had ever heard of a band called Moments in Grace. Only one of my friends said yes, but it was quickly established that he was lying. So I began to research this band - a task that proved to be easier said than done. So, I did what anyone would do in my situation… I read every available interview and review I could get my hands on. From what I could gather, Moments in Grace is a Florida-based quartet who has just released their debut album on Salad Days records. Their CD, Moonlight Survived, is getting good review and their single "Stratus" is gaining momentum. But, as for any sort of Dallas recognition or publicity… there was none.
I had liked their CD, which was a melodic blend of guitars and Cure-esc vocals. But even so, I didn’t really know what to expect from the band. If a writer from another magazine had ever seen them live, they failed to mention it. It was as if all the interview and articles that I had read on this band were nothing more than recycled publicity. I was beginning to feel like I was in over my head.
The final approval for the interview came only five days before the show. I was supposed to receive two tickets in the mail and I was given a contact number for Tim, their drummer and tour manager, to call on the day of the show to set up an interview time. So, like any well-natured boyfriend not wanting to end up in the doghouse, I invited my girlfriend to go to the show with me.
When I still hadn’t received the tickets or any information two days before the show, I knew this interview was going to come down to the wire. From all the research I had gathered, I had compiled a list of twenty or so mundane inquiries that made me feel more and more like a sham every time I read them. I had these horrific mental pictures of me making an ass out of myself in front of the band, my editor, the magazine and its readers. I felt like a fraud.
At nine-thirty in the morning, nine hours before the show, I received the express package from Atlantic Records containing the tickets. I went about my normal Tuesday routine. As I drove to my daily forage of meetings, I rehearsed my questions in my head. I felt as if my interview mimicked those I had read and hated only weeks before. I flipped on the radio and listened to the usual drab banter that has seemed to make itself at home on my FM dial. The DJ’s voice echoed out, "Green Day is coming in October. Ticket information should be available soon. Speaking of shows, Morrissey is coming to town..." He went down the roster of upcoming shows but there was no mention of the show tonight. Who in the hell is Moments in Grace?!
I became aggravated. My mind raced and in that ensuing madness, a new series of questions began to fire off in my brain. They were pushing, almost rude questions that mirrored the aggravations I felt for myself and the state of the industry today. I bailed out of my last two meetings and headed home.
Back at home, I came through the door like gangbusters. I grabbed the first pieces of blank paper I could find and began to furiously scribble out a new draft of questions. Each question flowed out of me without regards to the feelings of any of the parties involved. Two cigarettes or roughly fifteen minutes later, I was done. My hand hurt from the pressure in which I had held my pen and my handwriting was barely legible; but I was done.
I had a little over an hour and half by this point and headed back to work with a renewed sense of myself. While I sat in my office, typing up my questions, I asked a co-worker of mine - a TV, radio and film major - what she thought. She looked at me silently for a moment. I could tell by the look on her face that she was choosing her words carefully. She looked at me and said three words, "Tone it down."
With one hour to pick up my girlfriend and drive forty-five minutes to downtown, I now had to compile a third and final draft. I did my best to find some sort of a happy medium between my two sets of questions. I hoped that somewhere in the dark catacombs of my mind there was some Freudian ideology that could help me write a new interview in fifteen minutes. I found none. Instead, I found myself doing the one thing that resonated through out all of my years of school; I, once again, was going to wing it.
It was 6:15 by the time I picked up my girlfriend and was on the road to the show, and of course I was stuck in downtown, rush-hour, Dallas traffic. I exited the highway and took all the back streets I could, miraculously getting us there only ten minutes after the doors had opened. I parked in the lot across the street from the Gypsy and waited a few moments for the routine panhandler to give me the same rehearsed, one-man show they always perform before I called Tim.
My series of phone calls went something like this. First attempt: voicemail and a message. Second attempt: voicemail. Third attempt: I hung up before the now familiar voicemail had a chance to click on. I couldn’t have pictured this situation getting any worse. My first interview for a new magazine and I have no band to interview. I paced along the side of the club, awaiting any kind of response from this now mystery drummer. I didn’t want to go in, in fear of missing the call. So we waited. There was a guy in a pair of blue jeans and a camouflage t-shirt, talking on a cell phone along the back wall of the club and I couldn’t help but laugh to myself slightly. I never did understand why anybody wore camouflage, of any sort, in an urban setting. They don’t blend in to anything. Still, I couldn’t shake a familiarity with his face.
"I think he’s in the band I’m supposed to talk to," I said to my girlfriend. She abruptly responded with, "Well, go talk to him, so we can go inside." Now, I may be a bit of an asshole at times, but I do my best to at least display the minutest sense of etiquette - especially when I know that I am going to have to spend at least half an hour with this person trying to get more than a one word answer for every question I ask. "Let’s just go inside," I said, reasoning to myself that he had to come in eventually.
We walked in the doors and a blast of distortion from the band already on stage hit my eardrums as the doorman strapped a cheap, green paper bracelet around my wrist. We maneuvered our way through the groups of kids spaced out along the floor and made ourselves at home along the side of the wall. I had never felt so out of place at a show in my life. There was no more than a hundred kids, all of them wearing the traditional pseudo punk / emo uniform. And the idea crossed my mind that at twenty-three, I might very well be the oldest spectator here.
Moments in Grace was slated to go second on the bill. The opening act, a local metal band named Losa, was already on stage. Their bland style of metal riffs and off key screams echoed off of the wood floors and in to the unfortunate ears of everyone in attendance. I thought of how Moments in Grace would stand out after a band like this. Their styles simply didn’t mix. The familiar guy from outside walked quickly passed me and I followed. I tapped him on his shoulder and asked if he played for Moments in Grace. He nodded and I introduced myself. "I’ve been trying to get a hold of Tim," I said.
" I’m Tim," He responded. "Did you call?"
"Yes." He looked down at his phone for a moment and said, “Sorry I didn’t get it. I have two phones. Which number did you have?" By this point, it didn’t even matter. We walked to a small hallway between the ballroom of the club - where the bands had stored their equipment - and the stage. I began to get the impression that he was unaware of the fact that I was even supposed to be here. We chatted momentarily and we agreed to do the interview after they were done performing. We shook hands and I told him to have a good show. He smiled slightly and said, ”Thanks. I hope so, this is a bit of a heavier bill.” He wasn’t kidding.
As my girlfriend and I walked back towards the show, Losa had just finished another song. "This is our last song." The vocalist said and with no hesitation followed with, "Yeah. I hate public speaking. If you’re not having a good time; well, you’re the one who’s here… so." Yes, unfortunately I was. The band kicked in and the vocalist yelled out what seemed like seven bars of incomprehensible babble before retreating to the side of the stage to sip water while the band played on. They performed an awkward metal jam session, before the vocalist came back out to perform an unimpressive crescendo of " think for yourself." Four minutes and the depletion of ninety brain cells later, they were done; Moments in Grace was set to take the stage.
I can say this for Moments in Grace and allow me to be the first writer on this band to do so; they have an amazing live show. From the first note of their set, they had everyone’s attention and kept it for the next half-hour. They were able to pull off what so many bands cannot - the intensity and sound of their CD.
When they were done, the band exited the stage, only to return moments later. Not for an encore, but to assist the following band with loading their equipment on stage. I formed an opinion of the band at that time, which would last throughout the interview to now. It’s the image of band that is thankful for the success that has come their way, but has remained grounded and aware of their beginnings.
Two songs into the next band and I was ready to leave. In two songs I knew that Moments in Grace was going to be the best thing about this show and the audience should have too. Tim, the bass player, Jake, and I walked back in to the ballroom and made ourselves at home on the stage. I sat on the drum riser, the only part of any stage I feel at home on, while Tim and Jake sat Indian style in front of me.
Still a little self conscious I began the interview with ,"If you guys feel like one of my questions is too much and you don’t want to answer it, just let me know and I will do my best to try and rephrase it." Tim laughs a little at this and says, "Bring it on. I like the weird questions."
Redefine Magazine - The new album is Moonlight Survived which is out on Salad Days right now. It came out August 17th and I know it’s only been a month, but how do you feel the reaction is to the album right now?
Jake - Pretty good. We actually were on a bit of a break right when it came out, unfortunately. But we just hit the road again, so just for the last four or five days, we’ve been able to kind see the reaction more. You know just being on the road with it and all now, because we’ve had a lot of people here and there that have actually bought it. It’s been, um good. We’re feeling really positive about it.
RM - You just finished the Warped Tour right?
Tim – Yeah, in July.
RM - And then you took a break and then hopped on the tour you’re on right now?
Tim – Yeah, we had some touring after Warped Tour but yeah, essentially yeah. This is our fourth or fifth stage back from our break.
RM - And then you’re going on tour with Hot Water Music in October?
Jake – Yes. Before that we’re going out with Further Seems Forever and then Hot Water.
RM - When you guys were starting out, you released a four song EP called "These Days Will Fade" for free down load on your website…
Tim –At first it was on Absolute Punk.net. That’s where it came out first. The guy that runs the site Jason Tate, you know, presented us with the idea of putting our songs up on his site because we were such a new band. You know, nobody had heard our music, it was an awesome opportunity to get our songs heard.
RM - ”Stratus,” which is the single out right now, was on that EP. There’s a video for it on Fuse right now which your fans can vote for. Do you think that the popularity with that song has anything to do with the fact that it was available for free download or do you think that it’s that strong of a song that it’s standing on it’s own two legs right now?
Tim – Could be both. I don’t know. I think that with the video it’s probably a lot of peoples first time hearing the song. So I think it’s probably a little bit of both.
RM - Even though you’re signed to Atlantic do you feel that you’re getting the mainstream media attention for an album and single to thrive? I know that here in Dallas, at least in my opinion, you get very little if any radio play. I know that a lot of the crowd here is hearing you guys for the fist time. Do you feel that your album is getting that push or do you think you need more?
Tim –It’s hard to say. I mean, we do have the video but as far radio goes I don’t know, I mean…
Jake – Yeah, I don’t know. It’s hard to say that I would ask for more. I feel that right now we’re getting a really good push and a really good buzz and I’m feeling really positive about it actually. You know, if it needed something more I wouldn’t know what it is. But, for still being relatively young band; I mean we’ve been around for about two and a half years now and I feel like where we are right now is great.
RM - You said that you guys were together two and a half years before you were signed?
Jake – Uh, no. We were together for actually about… how long was that?
Tim –It was probably close to a year, under even.
Jake –Yeah, maybe just about a year that we were together when we actually got signed.
RM - Jeremy (the vocalist) had moved from Boston to Florida…
Jake – He did.
RM - And you actually helped put the band together?
Jake –Exactly. Yes.
RM - Did you and Tim know each other before hand?
Jake –We met Tim down the line. Tim came later actually. We met him through some friends down the line. We had a different drummer when we first started and it wasn’t working out with him so….
RM - So how did it all come about?
Jake – Me and Jeremy were originally both from the same area of Florida. We both moved around a lot. I’d moved for college, and he’d moved for college and he and also moved to Boston to be by himself and work on some music and stuff. So we both ended up moving back to the same town at the same time and it just seemed like the right time to do something. You know, we had both kept in touch. We had been friends for a while.
RM - So when Justin and Jeremy met were they meeting for the first time or did they know each other before that?
Jake –No, no. It was actually… when we first started, it was me and Jeremy. Jeremy wanted to play some songs he head been working on so, I went and found two other guys; being Justin whose my long time friend from middle school and this other guy named Brandon who was only in the band for a little lass than a year.
RM - Do you think that that sort of clean slate relationship helped the band or…
Jake – Absolutely. It really helped a lot because Tim brought a motivation in to the band that we all needed. Not that we weren’t motivated because we were, we were working hard. But, but, Tim brought in this whole new attitude. I mean, he’d been bands before that had done a lot of touring, as had I but he had done a lot more than I had with a band called As Friends Rust. He’s just a real hard worker and a motivator so it was like a breath of fresh air and it was great.
RM - Since Jeremy does write a lot of the music…
Jake – Yeah, he is the definitely the chief songwriter. I mean we all contribute our parts and do our things. There are a few where a few of us have written more of but for the most part Jeremy’s the chief songwriter.
RM - So you all get a say in how the music goes?
Jake – Yeah. It’s not a dictatorship.
RM - Salad Days is the brainchild of Brian McTernan, who has produced bands like Thrice and Hot Water Music. How do you think working with a producer of his stature and how do you think he effected the outcome of the album?
Jake –It was great. Before we went in to the studio we had already had somewhat of a bond with Brian. Um, and then by the time we got there it was already comfortable and we went through a process of working on our songs with him, and it was really great. I mean, he immediately felt like the fifth member honestly. And to this day he still feels like the fifth member of the band. I mean I love the guy and still talk to him on a regular basis he’s very present with us. He’ll come anywhere to hear us play. Anywhere he can. But it’s really been an honor to work with him.
RM - There have been a lot of comparisons between you guys and Hot Water Music. Do you think that is a fair representation or do you think that has to do with the fact that both of you have worked with Brian?
Jake –You know I actually haven’t read that before. I’ve only heard them get mentioned because Brian had recorded them but if people have been comparing us to them I don’t necessarily think it’s a bad thing. I mean come on that’s band’s influential. I mean, I would definitely think they are. When I was younger I used to go and see them play and Tim’s been friends with them for a long time. I wouldn’t be…I don’t necessarily agree with the comparison, but I wouldn’t shun it either.
RM - What would you list as the band’s influences as a whole?
Jake –Well, Jeremy likes Peter Gabriel. Another band that we like a lot surprisingly is Dilinger Escape Plan, for a lot of reasons. My favorite band of all time is Tears for Fears and I also like Cursive a lot. Maybe the Pixies.
RM - You guys have kind of been lumped in to the emo and hardcore category and when a lot of bands tend to come out in the same genre around the same time the public kind of embraces them, and then just as quickly throws them aside. And they tend to get viewed as a fad.
Jake –Kind of like emo is the new grunge.
RM - Exactly. How do you guys plan to prove that Moments in Grace is a band that can stand on it’s own two legs and not a band that just got lumped in to one of these categories and that you are your own entity?
Tim – Luckily, I don’t feel that we jumped on that train. I don’t think that it’s a band’s choice to do that. I kind of think that it’s what the media chooses to do with them, you know they kind of embrace them as the new thing. I think that since we tour with so many different bands that we’re kind of escaping that. I think we’re going to have a slower build instead of getting shoved in to everybody else’s face and then burning out. So, hopefully that’s the case.
RM - For instance let’s look at Story of the Year. You guys have a song called "My Dying Day" and of course there’s the similar Story of the Year lyric…
Tim and Jake – Yeah, oh yeah.
RM - When people hear you do you ever get that "Man, they’re ripping them off."?
Jake – Someone called me once and said "Hey, Story of the Year has a new song and it has the title of one of your songs in it. I thought it was funny and that was my fiancée that called and told me about it. Other than that no one has ever said anything to me about it. I think it’s funny, because it’s a weird coincidence.
Tim –It’s bound to happen too because there’s so many bands out there. You know, even band names are going to be similar.
RM - Now, you guys have done a lot of touring to promote this album. Jake, you had mentioned that you have a fiancée, and I don’t know if anyone else in the band has a family; but what kind effect does that have on your family back home as far as your personal relationship? I know that touring can have a very trying effect on two people who are really trying to make a relationship work. Do you find it hard to go on the road and then come back and try and fit in to that sort of comfortable place you were so accustom to?
Jake – It’s hard definitely. There’s no way around it it’s going to be hard, but luckily I think it’s important that you have the support where your family or significant other will be excited for and be supportive and luckily I’m privileged to have that. It’s definitely difficult though and I think that anyone in a band will tell you that.
Tim –Yeah, I think that’s the hardest thing about being on tour. I mean, there are so many really fun things like we get to play our music every night and that’s amazing. But, definitely not being able to be there with our friends, family and loved ones and not being able to go through the things that they’re going through with them gets tough. But luckily we’re involved with people who understand.
Jake –It really seems like waking up that morning you have to leave for tour is really the hardest.
Tim –Yeah.
RM - All right, we’ll kind of change gears a little here. Jake, you run your own record label correct?
Jake –Yeah, kind of. Yes. It’s uh, it was somewhat of a record label when I was younger and it’s still going it’s called Computer Club Records. But, these days I’m so focused on the band I really haven’t had the time to work on it. I help keep up the website and I do sell some CDs through the website of some of the bands. In the past we’ve released CDs and demos for bands but for right now it’s more of a promotional thing for bands.
RM - Going back for a moment, you had said that you were together less than a year before you were signed. Have you noticed a backlash at all from your local scene or your hometown at all because you got signed so quickly?
Jake – Luckily, not at all. When the band first started all the people there that liked us then are still coming to our shows when we go back there. I really haven’t heard a single person be upset. I mean, there are message boards and stuff that they could be talking trash on and they haven’t. They’re actually just really excited for us.
Tim –I think a lot of the trash talking kind of depends on the city you’re in.
RM - Now for Moonlight Survived being your debut album you guys are getting a lot of critical acclaim. I mean, every review I’ve read about it has been good. Do you feel a certain pressure when you get done touring and go back in to the studio to try and release a sophomore album to perform to that level and higher? Especially being such a new band.
Tim –Not really, I mean that’s not even something we’ve ever really thought about. You know some of the songs that were written for this album were written during a two-month break. We had just written a couple songs in that break and went and recorded them and they made it on the album. So I don’t think it’s ever been something that we think about.
Jake - No, not at all. I’m not saying that on the album we didn’t work as hard we could but when we wrote those songs we weren’t thinking that we wanted it to be radio friendly or we want this to be huge, it’s just what came out. It was all just ideas that we had and Jeremy had that wound up being appealing to a lot more than we’d ever thought and I think for the second album we’re going to go in to it the same way. We’re not going to go in to it expecting to get critical acclaim. You know, we’re not worried about that.
Tim – It feels like the same thing will happen.
RM - When Jeremy moved down from Boston he already had some of the songs that would inevitably be on the album. When you guys heard those songs did you know right away that there was something there or did you just figure you’d work on it and we’re surprised at the outcome of what came out?
Jake –When he first came down, as soon as he got in to town, he came over to my house and had this eight track that he had recorded all these songs on and two of which are on the album. One is called "No Angels" and the other is called "Don’t Leave". Which both come back to back at the end of the album and when he showed them to me I thought they were really great and I was really excited about them immediately. But, it wasn’t until we played our first show and we got a got a really good response from and we released our demo that we thought, "Wow. We could really do something with this." It wasn’t so immediate but after the first show it was kind of like "Alright, we’re definitely working towards something good here.”
RM - Since Tim came along later, when he walked in the door was there this sort of mentality that he was the piece that had been missing all along?
Jake –It was. I mean, Jeremy loves music. I mean he’s total musician, a multiple instrumentalist and he’s big in to drumming. I just remember when Tim came in to play after he had left Jeremy was freaking out about how much he liked Tim and how he thought his style great. I just remember him talking about it for hours.
RM - You said Jeremy was really big in to drumming. Did he drum for another band back in Boston?
Jake –Not in Bosto,n but back in the panhandle of Florida, actually. The first band he had ever played in he was the drummer actually. He was the drummer for a metal band actually.
RM - Tim did you know that going in?
Tim –I did, because I think it was a couple of weeks after I’d met them that I ended up coming up and practicing with them and he had played me some demos of some stuff that he had written and played on, so I knew.
Jake –Jeremy is a recording machine he pretty much records a song a day.
Tim –And he plays everything on it.
Jake –Yeah he’ll just throw in some drums.
RM - Was there any intimidation going in to the room?
Tim –No. He’s just such a nice guy and we met over the phone and we talked and he asked if I wanted to come and play with them. I think he was just so excited to have some one who was interested in playing with the band because they wanted that fourth member who was just as committed and excited as they were and I think we were both happy.
Jake – I think you could tell right away that Tim was at a place in his life where he was ready to just drop it all and go for it.
RM - You guy on your website and on MySpace.com your hometown is listed as St. Augustine but you guys aren’t originally from there are you?
Jake – No, that’s were we’ve been for about the past year.
RM - While you were recording the album?
Jake –Yeah. We moved there and then we continued to work on the album there. We had already worked on it a little bit. Then Tim came to move in with us in St. Augustine.
RM - Did you find it hard to readjust from your hometown to St. Augustine?
Jake –No. We felt a little stuffy back in the panhandle because we didn’t live by each other. In fact we lived all like half and hour away from each other so when we moved to St. Augustine we rented a house together and worked full time jobs and just played music everyday so it made us a lot closer.
RM - One more question for you and then we’ll close it up. Here in Dallas there is a huge and thriving local scene. I mean, you can’t throw a quarter downtown without hitting three guys in a band. What advice would you give to musicians who are in a real competitive area that are trying to make a name for themselves and set themselves apart?
Tim - I would just say play from the heart. Have fun and play with people who you love playing with. Every band that I’ve ever known who has just stuck it out and is really in to what they’re doing and kept playing has always come in to a positive situation. As it would turn out halfway through interview, I began to become really comfortable with Jake and Tim. Most of my pressing questions were removed and when it was all said and done I was glad I hadn’t asked them. Moments in Grace is the band that all music fans hope for. A band that’s not concerned with all the hype. They’re caught in the moment, living their dream and we should all be so lucky. They are the band who has come in to a positive situation and is making a name for themselves one show at a time.
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