Having recently released their sophomore album, ‘The Monitor’, Titus Andronicus are currently touring the US to promote it. I grabbed a great in depth interview (so in depth it’s been split up into two articles, the latter of which will be posted on Monday) with the band before their concert at The Barbary in Philadelphia, Pa on April 15th.
Taylor Farnsworth: What inspired you to use the civil war concept throughout ‘The Monitor’ and what does it mean to you?
Amy Klein: “The concept came about because Patrick was watching a Ken Burns documentary about the civil war. We as a band feel that the issues that occurred during that time are very relevant today. Although it appears that it is in the past a lot of the same things that happened in that time between our country being divided and issues of racism and trying to figure out how to confront the enemy. These issues are just as relevant today as they were then.”
Taylor Farnsworth: Along with your sophomore album your previous album, ‘The Airing of Grievances’, was a big success. Did you approach your sophomore album any differently than you did your first album?
Patrick Stickles: “We approached it with the same sort of spirit but with very different resources. As the record label that we made this one for has a real office and everything, rather than a guy’s house in New Jersey. There was a slightly bigger budget and, accordingly, more time to give proper attention to all the details.”
Eric Harm: “Along with that we had already done a pretty serious amount of touring and were just better prepared to do the best job when we went in. We had more time and were more confident about our abilities.”
Patrick Stickles: “But our ideas and aesthetic parameters were much the same. Hopefully we’ve just brought them to a more vibrant life this time around, in account of our superior resources.”
Ian Graetzer: “Superior resources are the big thing for sure, can’t really get the gears going without a little bit of oil.”
Patrick Stickles: “That’s the truth. We would have much preferred to have our first album sound like our second album, but we just couldn’t do it.”
Taylor Farnsworth: What are and aren’t you satisfied with on your new album?
Patrick Stickles: When you start thinking like that it can drive you crazy.
Ian Graetzer: I’ll say it, I’m satisfied with it. No regrets.
Patrick Stickles: There you go. Maybe there are some things that we could have done differently.
Ian Graetzer: Woulda, coulda, shoulda. We could complain about it or keep your head up.
Eric Harm: We’ve listened to it many times and at some point we decided that that was how we wanted it to sound upon release, the way that it sounds now. We made our bed and now we’re sleeping in it.
Patrick Stickles: Soundly. Furthermore, it’s for the kids to enjoy, not us.
Taylor Farnsworth: Who has influenced your music over the years?
Patrick Stickles: The influence of Springsteen on our music has been pretty widely overstated, though I do like him. We have Weezer…
Ian Graetzer: I think that’s fair.
Patrick Stickles: …Neutral Milk Hotel, No Doubt, Big Country (a Scottish band from the 80’s that we listened to a lot when we were making our record), And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead.
Eric Harm: There’s also a song on our new album that’s highly influenced by one of our favorite bands, Spider Bags.
Patrick Stickles: A great band from Chapel Hill, North Carolina that will start a short leg of this tour with us in two days, much to our excitement.
Amy Klein: Yay!
Taylor Farnsworth: Have your family and friends been supportive of everything you’ve been doing?
Ian Graetzer: My parents let us practice at the house, let us eat their food and let the band be under their car insurance.
Patrick Stickles: That’s pretty big.
Ian Graetzer: They were very supportive for giving us a practice space and everything. It’d probably be costing us at least $3,000 a year, now it’s $300.
Eric Harm: It’s been pretty easy for my parents to support me through this endeavour because I didn’t have to leave anything super important. How about we hear from the two that left very serious jobs; how do your parents feel about it?
David Robbins: At first they didn’t like the idea of no health insurance, no more real job and why I had advanced degrees to play rock n’ roll.
Patrick Stickles: You don’t need a master’s degree to rock!
David Robbins: I didn’t need that master’s degree. I would just say that all parents want the best for their kids, not knowing what it means to be in a touring band. After a day or two the initial shock of me quitting, everything cooled down. They’re awesome; I think everybody’s parents have been great.
Taylor Farnsworth: What were your degrees in school and jobs that you left?
David Robbins: I studied music for grad and have a degree in IT for my masters. I worked in higher education at a couple of colleges and did some computer stuff.
Amy Klein: I initially started with literature and theatre writing but the job which I had wasn’t really related to that, so I’d say this is probably more in line with my life goals and I hope my family is starting to understand that. It’s what makes me happy, so it’s probably the best thing.
Patrick Stickles: Money cannot buy happiness.
So that concludes the first half of the interview, be sure to check back on Monday (April 26th) for part two where the interview take a rather odd turn. The band share with us their experiences with sleep walkers, AK47′s and how they want to inspire ninjas and robots everywhere. Be sure not to miss it.
To check out more of my work head to my website, Shoot Me Pics. Check out some of the shots I took from their performance at The Barbary by clicking here.
