I had a conversation with two members of Sherwood for Truepunk.com, and I also got screwed when I said I did not like A Change Of Pace. So, first rule: “never mention a band you don’t like when you’re interviewing another band”. That said, “Sing, But Keep Going” is the most fresh and original disc of pop rock music of 2005, so check out our interview.
Interview by Carlo Gironi | carlo@staff.truepunk.com | with Dan and Nate.
Hi there! How are you doing?
DAN: Pretty good; I’m pretty excited about this summer tour coming up.
NATE: Really good…thanks.
Can you introduce the members of Sherwood and a story of how you got together? I know you’ve been together for a while.
NATE: My name is Nate and I sing and play bass, Dan and Chris play guitar, Mikey plays keys and Joe plays the drums. We all met in college about three years ago. So somehow, Chris, Dan and I started a band and practiced in a garage down the street from my apartment. We started working really hard from the start and somehow convinced Joe to play drums for us. Later the next year Mikey was our roommate and we wanted to add keyboards in Sherwood so it was perfect.
Where did you get the name Sherwood from? Does it have anything to do with the forest and the “legend” of Sherwood, etc…
NATE: (Laughs) What is the legend of Sherwood? The name “Sherwood” was a joke at first because that’s what Dan wanted to call his concept album that went with Disney’s Robin Hood. He wanted to write the album in the way that Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon” supposedly goes along with The Wizard of Oz. We stole it from Dan and now its ours.
I know you are band that plays pop rock with moments of melodies. At the same time your music is very intimate, with catchy guitar riffs. Today this is a very over-populated music genre, don’t you think it is hard to be noticed by kids? Or you just don’t care about what kids say?
NATE: For me, the kids are the most important part of our band because they support us. If we care for the kids they will respect us and hopefully give our music a chance. I have no idea what makes kids listen to some bands and disregard others, it’s a mystery to me.
DAN: I think it is a bad sign that people in the Alternative music scene have to even MENTION that a band has “lots of melodies” or something…I think that says something about the kind of bands that are getting attention. For 50 years everyone had to be smart and write good melodies. When melodies are a commodity, I get a little worried. Not that some bands can’t make great art without melodies, or with few melodies, but it seems intuitive to me that those bands should be the exception, not the rule.
What would you consider as your biggest influences? Both musically, lyrically, whatever…
DAN: I think everyone would like to say that they invented their own sound, and I guess I am egotistical enough to think we did, but more than likely we have taken most of our musical influences from bands like Jimmy Eat World and the Beach Boys. As for lyrical influences, I have no idea. I am sure that I am influenced by a hundred poets and songwriters, but I couldn’t name them.
With whom did you worked for “Sing, But Keep Going”? I think it is a very well produced disc and it has a lot of potential to go far.
DAN: Thanks so much; the album was engineered and produced by Michael Rosas, and we are quite happy with what he accomplished.
NATE: Check out Michael and his band www.myspace.com/satisfaction
Is there a concept behind “Sing, But Keep Going”? If so, I did not get it, could you be so nice to explain it?
DAN: Nope, no concept.
NATE: At first there was going to be a concept but it was too soon for us to be doing that sort of thing. We decided to just try and put 12 great songs on one record.
What about your new lyrics? What do you sing about in general?
DAN: Whatever comes out of my brain that I like; I try not to use the stuff I don’t like. (Laughs)
Personally, I see a lot of similarities between you and Mae and Motion City Soundtrack. Is this just an impression of mine? Am I right?
NATE: We have been told that before so you are right. These are good bands and we have some of the same elements as they do. Lets set up a tour.
How much did it take to write and record all of the disc? I am not a production expert but listening to your disc I got the idea you really took care of every single thing on the album.
DAN: Wow, that is a compliment for sure… We actually felt a little bit rushed; we spent a month or so finishing writing and arranging the record, and a little over a month recording it.
NATE: (Thumbs Up)
Do you consider yourself an emo or punk or hardcore band at all? What do you think of the music scene of nowadays?
DAN: If Jimmy Eat World is “emo” then I guess we can’t be too far, but I would prefer the term “indie pop” or “pop rock” because I like to think we are more influenced by the Beatles than by Dashboard Confessional or any of those bands. There are a number of artists these days that I think are incredible, like Rufus Wainwright and mewithoutYou, but I also think a lot of very poorly-thought out music is reaching a lot of people, and that is unfortunate. Alternative music seems to have forgotten about songwriting.
NATE: Sometimes we are told that our live show makes us look hardcore…(laughs). After a few years of touring we don’t like the “scene” anymore. We are just trying to be ourselves and hopefully making the kids feel like they are a part of Sherwood.
Your debut LP on SIDECHO is coming out soon. I am listening to it right now and I think it could have come out on Tooth And Nail too: you play rock pop stuff heavy stuff but you have the ability not to fall into the trend. How did you decide to work with SideCho and what are your strong points and what do you expect to reach with the new disc?
NATE: That’s exactly what we wanted to avoid, “falling into the trend”. SideCho has no stigmas or hype so we were free to be ourselves. SideCho gave us an incredible deal and made the most sense for trying to achieve a career in music instead of just a fruitful season. It takes hard work and that’s what we will continue to do.
How would you describe Sherwood to a person that have never heard of you?
NATE: Good pop rock with a dash of indie credibility.
DAN: Jimmy Eat World plays the Beach Boys.
Lately I see there is a lot of hype around “emo” and “screamo” disc, especially the ones that come out on major labels. I think of the latest disc of A Static Lullaby and A Change Of Pace in particular. But seriously, who is gonna listen to bands like The Used and My Chemical Romance in ten years?
NATE: (Laughs)…I am sitting in the parents house of A Change of Paces guitarist right now. It’s all about making a great record and hopefully we did that. Making an album that never gets old is almost impossible.
DAN: I try and write songs that anybody can like; if a kid loves the record, I am way happy, but if his or her parents love it as well, then I feel honored. I definitely want to make records that will last ten or twenty years. I think everyone wants to do that, but most bands set themselves up for a shelf-life by sticking to certain genre conventions.
What is the best band of today that you’d tour with?
NATE: Hmm…that’s tough. I think the fans of Saves The Day would like us. They are an amazing band.
What are some of the bands that you guys in the band regularly listen to?
DAN: We love the Beatles and this hard-to-find gem, Boot Sauce.
Have you got some plans of touring to support you new album? If so, where and with whom?
NATE: We will basically be on tour from now until Christmas, then probably all next year. We will be all over the US, and hopefully make it to the UK and Japan. This summer we are touring with Daphne Loves Derby and This Providence.
Any final comments?
DAN: Everyone set your browser home page to http://www.thehungersite.com
– you can give food to those in need everyday for FREE.
NATE: You can find the new record at Best Buy, Tower, Virgin, FYE, Sam Goody and most independent record stores.
