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Misery Signals: Douchebags & Guitar Hero

|| Took awhile to post this because you're really suppose to see it here:
http://www.a-pathetic.net/zine/archives/647 ||

To be completely honest, I was a bit skeptical towards Misery Signals, whose WikiPedia categorizes them as a “progressive metalcore” band. Being a fan of progressive metal myself, I am solemnly under personal oath to keep away from every hardcore metal band that has mindlessly abused the genre and shamed the world of progressive metal. Most bands claiming this genre have proven that the combination of these two styles of music would make an unsystematic glob of foul noise. (Note: “Progressive” is not a word to excuse messiness.) However, after checking out some of Misery Signal’s stuff, I have to say, I don’t hate it at all. They don’t fall under my self-made stereotype and have possibly converted me.

After spending about 3 hours completely lost in our own tiny island, my photographer Sya and I finally discovered the mystical location of the Misery Signal’s show. We met with Karl Schubach, Kyle Johnson and Stuart Ross just minutes after arriving, while still in the state of disorientation and sweating like elephants on crack. These boys were as laid back as you can imagine, geared with baseball caps, bermuda shorts and beer in hand. The interview went on in a little corner just opposite a basketball court with kids, bouncing balls. An unlikely venue but then again, it was totally punk rock so we dug it.

You’ve been in Singapore for a few days now. How do you like it so far?

Stu: I like it a lot! The weather’s really nice and it’s really clean. It’s really nice.

Karl: It’s hot!!

Kyle: We were here (Singapore) for a few days and we went to Jakarta and tonight is the second show of the tour.

Stu: You guys have to lean in to the microphone and speak loudly please.

Karl: Okay okay, I’ll get close. I’ll get close.

How do you think the fans here in Asia are different as compared to those in the US or UK?

Stu: I think there’s a little difference between the audiences. I think the kids here are a little more excited than the average American fan, you know. If we roll through Kansas City Missouri, I don’t think they’ll be as excited to see us as they are here in Asia. But I guess we don’t come here very often so that’s the difference.

Misery Signals was the result of a few bands breaking up. What did you manage to take away from each experience in each band?

Karl: That’s a good question.

Stu: That is a very good question. I think the biggest experience for me at least is that Misery is probably the most full time, serious and life consuming band I’ve ever been in. If I were to do another band after this, this would be the band I’d take the most experience from.

Kyle: I pretty much agree with Stu. I was in a band that was fairly serious before this band, but Misery kinda took it to the next level as far as touring and professionalism goes. My last band was more fun and less shows. So that’s pretty much what I took from that band to this band which is the level of professionalism, dedication and amount of time put into it. That’s definitely the main difference from my last band.

Your music is constantly associated with Shai Hulud’s sound. In your opinion, what are the distinctive features that separate you from Shai Hulud.

Karl: They’ve been doing it for a lot longer. [laughs]

Stu: They write way cooler music? [laughs] I don’t know. They have this epic vibe to their music that I don’t think anybody else can achieve. I think the main difference is that Matt Fox is a maniac. He’s some sort of technical music wizard.

You don’t have anything good to say about Misery Signals? Come on…

[laughs all around]

Stu: I think we have a more heavy and groove based vibe than they do.

Kyle: A little more straight forward as well. We’re not so much all over the place. Not that they do it bad but..

Stu: Our band definitely has some more melodic sensibility that we’ve taken from them earlier on, for sure.

Name a band that you want to tour with.

Stu: Deftones? [laughs] Which will never happen but it’d be amazing. That’s for me, the band I want to tour with.

Karl: Meshuggah.

Stu: Meshuggah would be good too.

Kyle: The Doors. Or probably Led Zeppelin whom you may remember.

Stu: I would love to tour with Propagandhi too which is probably never going to happen either.

Have you ever toured with a band you didn’t get along with?

Kyle: We do this in every interview and there is one band we didn’t get along with and that band is..

Stu: Six Feet Under.

Kyle: Yeah Six feet Under.

Stu: They were the worst band to tour with.

Kyle: I think we’ve pretty much gotten along with everyone we’ve toured with for the most part, except for that band.

Stu: We’ve never really had any conflicts with any bands we’ve toured with. The only band that had ever mistreated us was Six Feet Under but they’re just old douchebags.

With touring, comes long periods of wasting time. What’s the dumbest thing you’ve done out of boredom?

Stu: [Laughs]

Kyle: We invented this game called “First Word Second Word”. I’ll just give you a quick run down. Basically one of us will think of a word and another person will think of another word and you say them back to back and they create funny combinations of words. It sounds pretty stupid but it’s definitely a good time killer.

Karl: Hey Kyle, I’ve got a second word.

[pause]

Kyle: Okay I’ve got a first word. Mr. Rogers..

Karl: Sandwich.

Kyle: Mr. Rogers Sandwich. That’s an example. A poor example but an example.

Stu: It usually turns out a lot worse. [laughs all around]

If you were told that the world was going to end right after a Misery Signals set, what song would you close with and why?

Stu: I think the most appropriate song would be “Set in Motion”.

Kyle: The lyrics are set around that theme so yeah, “Set in Motion”.

What type of music do you guys listen to apart from metal/hardcore?

Karl: [laughs] Kyle..?

Kyle: 60s and 70s rock and roll, British Rock…all kinds of different styles of rock. A couple of the guys listen to a bit of hip hop. Stu likes a lot of Punk Rock.

Stu: I’m a Punk rocker and Karl likes..

Karl: I just like progressive, nerdy, prog rock metal. Is that a word? Is that a genre? Prog rock metal?

Prog…tal?

Karl: Prog-tal.. Prom-tal..

[laughs all around]

If you were accused of murder, what would your alibi most probably be?

Kyle: Mine would be that I was drinking with Stu at a bar because that’s usually where I am so it would be believable.

Karl: Mine would be the internet somehow.

Stu: [laughs] Yeah, you could look on MySpace and see what time Karl last logged on. Chances are it was 4 minutes ago. [laughs all around] I’ll just stick to Kyle’s alibi. I’m usually in my room watching Sopranos or at a bar drinking with Kyle.

If you could be a fly on someone’s wall for a day, whose wall would you be on?

Stu: Oooooh good question.

Kyle: I would be on my own bedroom wall actually. [laughs all around] I love where I live and I have everything I need in my bedroom.

Karl: Give me a second here. Let me think.

Stu: Uhh… who’s the babe in Knocked Up?

Katherine Heigl?

Stu: Yeah she’s pretty hot. I’d hang out in her room all day. She’s a babe.

Karl: I would like to hang out in Devin Townsend’s room when nobody else is around.

Stu: [laughs] Yeah I take mine back. I’d be hanging out in Devin’s room too actually. Or Kyle’s room.

[laughs all around]

I’m going to name you a couple of bands. Just tell us briefly what you think of these bands.

Stu: Hohoho

Karl: Uh oh.

Fall Out Boy?

Kyle: We live with the drummer of Fall Out Boy so we have to like them. Nah I’m just kidding. I think they’re a great band. For the genre that they’re in and the amount of people that are doing it, I think they’re one of the best at what they do.

Stu: I like their pop-punk stuff. I like all their records. I was a fan of them before I knew Andy so I like them.

Karl: They make good music.

This one is on purpose. I know you guys love Metallica so tell us what you think of Megadeth?

Kyle: What I know of them I like. I only know of that band through other members of my band playing them on tour. I don’t really listen to them on my own. But when they come on, I’m excited about them usually.

Stu: I think they’re a poor man’s Metallica and I feel that for Dave Mustaine.

Karl: The only Megadeth songs I know are the ones on Guitar Hero.

[laughs all around]

Between The Buried and Me?

Kyle: I like some parts of their songs but it’s a little too much for me to grasp as a whole. They’re definitely talented musicians and really nice dudes but I can’t really sit down and listen to a record straight through and, not lose interest but kind of keep up with it. It’s a little too much for me.

Stu: I agree. I’ll take it in portions but I love the music and I love the dudes for sure.

Karl: We toured with them and some other bands and that was actually the only band that I watched every single night. So that’s gotta say something.

How about Nile?

Stu: Nile???

Kyle: I…don’t even know anything about Nile. I’ve never heard Nile.

Stu: I don’t really like Death Metal and that band is scary death metal so..

Karl: I like death metal and but I don’t listen to them. I like selective death metal.

Stu: Don’t get me wrong, Nile is brutal but as I said can’t listen to death metal.

Dream Theater?

Kyle: Another band I’m not too familiar with. I’m probably not the best person to ask about Dream Theater.

Stu: I think Dream Theater’s kinda dorky.

Karl: The only Dream Theater songs I know are on Guitar Hero.

[laughs all around]

Okay last band. Avenged Sevenfold.

Karl: Uh oh..

Kyle: Huge pile of dog shit. Nothing good to say about them.

Stu: Their band is horrible. They write horrible music. “Muuusic”. They look like douche bags and their music sucks.

Kyle: I’m sure they’re nice guys..

Stu: Yeah I’m sure they’re sweet dudes and I love that their singer is all jagged. He looks like a rockstar and they play shitty rockstar music that sucks and I think every single note that they produce is fucking garbage.

Karl: They have a song on Guitar Hero and I skip it all the time.

[laughs all around]

Stu: Yeah I would say that the consensus is there. Garbage bag, trash, dog shit.

[laughs] So should I print this or not?

Stu: Yeah! It’s fine. But hey, if you guys have an opening slot let us in.

Kyle: Maybe you can prove us wrong.

Stu: Yeah yeah…M.Shadows and Mr.Gates or whatever your name is.

[laughs all around]

• MySpace URL: http://www.myspace.com/miserysignals

Crisis in Hollywood!

NEW Interview with Crisis in Hollywood!:
http://www.a-pathetic.net/zine/archives/649