Earlier this week I got to catch up with one of my favorite indie bands out right now: "The Lips." Anthony M. Laid was kind enough to let me interview him, regarding the tour, the album, where they stand amongst the scene, etc. So take a look at what I came up with!
Q: So the name? How did you come up with it? Tell us why you chose such a simple name?
A: Well people give me shit for it everywhere I turn. I honestly don't know where I came up with the name. Band names to me mean nothing. I just wanted a simple word or two that sounds/looks kind of stupid and cool and that doesn't describe me at all, being you are constantly changing your sound/persona. So, yeah I guess I answered the question.
Q: You just released your debut album following up on your single "White Lights." What has the feedback been like for the record? Did you know you wanted to self-release it? Tell us about the record.
A: I released "A Generation in a Jar" basically a month after the single "White Lights." The feedback, honestly, has been incredible. We have been selling albums like crazy physically and digitally, and we have been getting great press from sources like absolutepunk.net, radioindy.com, among others. I honestly wasn't planning on self-releasing it because we generated a lot of label interest and I was confident we were going to sign a deal, but I wound up not interested and therefore booked the tour and distributed the album on my own. I produced/wrote/performed and mixed the entire album and single in my basement studio. I purposely made it sound, somewhat lo-fi, although more clear, because I wanted to set a vibe for the album. Anyway, you'd have to listen to really understand the concept behind it:)
Q: How has your music/fanbase gained such success in such a short period of time?
A: Honestly, I have no idea. I mean, not to sound arrogant here, but I felt for the first time in my life that I had written good enough material, and marketed the right way to the point where I probably would have just given up if nothing happened. I kind of just put the songs out there, told a few people, and the rest has been word of mouth. It's a beautiful thing watching something you created grow.
Q: Tell us about your current tour.
A: The tour I booked is mainly an east coast/mid west show case, that runs from May into early August. Some of the cities we will be performing in are New York, Chicago, Boston, Hartford, Richmond, Philadelphia among other great towns. I booked venues that are very big on independent music and some venues based on their punk culture.
Q: Would you be willing to tell us if you will be signing to a label anytime soon?
A: All I can say is that we are in contact with a number of industry representatives, that present us with golden chances to really push this thing. I will say, that the support we've garnered so far has been tremendous and I promise big, big things are on the way before the end of the summer.
Q: Anything else you would like to say?
A: Thank you for your time, and check out a limited edition EP we released entitled "We Are The Lips" available via bandcamp!
SAVE THE MUSIC PLEASE!
Thursday, May 26, 2011
10 BEST NJ UNDERGROUND BANDS TO LISTEN TO:
Being that I am a Jersey girl and I am very much into the music scene, I decided to post my opinion as to what the top ten bands in New Jersey are (north jersey)! A few bands on the list that you should definitely check out are: The Lips, The Front Bottoms, Waking Lights, and Aways Away.
10.) Steve Van Tine - www.purevolume.com/stevevantine
9.) She The Slut - www.reverbnation.com/shetheslut
8.)The Front Bottoms - www.myspace.com/thefrontbottomsmusic
7.) Roderick - www.myspace.com/rodericknj
6.) Waking Lights - www.myspace.com/wakinglights
5.) Fikus - www.myspace.com/fikusnj
4.) Big Wilson River - www.facebook.com/bigwilsonriver
3.) Aways Away - www.myspace.com/awaysawayofficial
2.) Those Mockingbirds - www.myspace.com/thosemockingbirds
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1.) The Lips - www.facebook.com/thelipsnj
10.) Steve Van Tine - www.purevolume.com/stevevantine
9.) She The Slut - www.reverbnation.com/shetheslut
8.)The Front Bottoms - www.myspace.com/thefrontbottomsmusic
7.) Roderick - www.myspace.com/rodericknj
6.) Waking Lights - www.myspace.com/wakinglights
5.) Fikus - www.myspace.com/fikusnj
4.) Big Wilson River - www.facebook.com/bigwilsonriver
3.) Aways Away - www.myspace.com/awaysawayofficial
2.) Those Mockingbirds - www.myspace.com/thosemockingbirds
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1.) The Lips - www.facebook.com/thelipsnj
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