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Collide Interview

Collide Interview
By: Rick Harper
With: kaRIN of Collide

Interview Info
By: Rick Harper
With: kaRIN of Collide

Rick: I want to start by asking you about the live band. If I remember correctly Collide’s first (or one of the first) gig was Dracula’s Ball in Philly, is that correct?

kaRIN: Yes, that is correct, the Dracula's Ball in Philly was the first official show EVER. After more than ten years of being together as a band, we had NEVER played live...so we thought it was about time.

Rick: How did that gig and the idea to put together a live band come about? was a live band something you’d been contemplating for a while?

kaRIN:  It was something that people had been asking us about for years, but we never really seriously considered. Making new music has always been our priority and takes up all of our energy. Playing live was so opposite to our way of creating music that there was never enough time to give it proper attention. It just seemed that it was the right time to figure it out. As an entirely electronic band, we did not want to take the press play route…we wanted it to feel live or there was no point of doing it at all. As we suspected, it took a lot of time and energy to do it in a way that we felt did the music justice.

Rick: In terms of selecting musicians, what was involved in the process of taking the studio band and making it a live act? Did you have any special considerations in selecting live band members?

kaRIN: Yes, they had to be super, great, amazing players and people that we liked to be around.

Rick: I have to single out your bassist/warstick player he’s incredible. Where did you find him?

kaRIN:  That's Kai and yes he is incredible. He is a virtuoso at his instrument, he plays bass and Warr Guitar. We are extremely lucky to have him.

Rick: Could you tell us a little bit about the other members of the band?

kaRIN: Sure...there is the fabulas Rogerio on guitar, who we already knew, as he had played on a couple of songs on our previous CDs. Scott Landes, who also plays guitar and is extremely talented. We knew in the first 17 seconds of Scott’s tryout with us, that he was the right person. He was not just playing guitar, he was playing sounds, which was perfect for us. Then Kai, who I mentioned above and finally our drummer Chaz, who was picked for his sensitivity in drumming around vocals. All in all…a very talented group of musicians.


Rick: Is the band that we see on the Like The Hunted DVD the same band that you originally put together?

kaRIN:  Yes, that is the one and only original line up.

Rick: Who came up with the idea to make a live DVD?

kaRIN: For us, it was the inevitable conclusion of getting a live band together. Originally the idea was to film the DVD on our west coast tour at the various venues that we played. After thinking more about it, we realized that we needed to have more control of the sound and lighting and it would be better to do the main show at one venue.

Rick: I think that you mention that the El Ray show that was filmed is something like the band’s ninth performance; some people might have thought that filming a DVD at that point was a lofty goal. Why was this obviously not a factor for you?

kaRIN: Yes, I am sure...I thought it was crazy myself. We just knew that the time was right and knowing the way things work, we did not know for sure if the time would ever be right again.

Rick: Why did you choose The El Rey to film the DVD in?

kaRIN: We love the building inside and out. The El Rey is a very classic Deco building that has two levels, a winding staircase, and chandeliers.

Rick: The logistics for an independent band to pull this off must have been tremendous. Who handled pulling this production all together?

kaRIN: Yes, the whole thing was quite a production. Kevin McVey, who also directed several of our videos is really the main person who handled the full production. There was a crane brought in for the filming of the DVD. The crane was so large, it could not fit through the double doors of the venue. It has to be taken apart to get it inside and then it took 11 people to lift it down onto the floor. The crane footage is what makes the whole thing seem so up close and personal. I did have to worry though as I saw the cranes giant arm soar around people’s heads and get dangerously close to the giant chandeliers.

Rick: What was the most challenging part of putting the DVD together?

kaRIN: Paying for it ourselves =). For Statik, he had to learn how to edit visuals for the first time and it took about 4 months of his time to edit. He lists it as the hardest thing he has ever had to do.

Rick:  Who handled filming and audio recording for you? How did you come to choose them?

kaRIN:  We had five cameras and a crane for the filming. Kevin McVey had a team of camera people, which also included my brother. As far as audio, we had good friend William Faith from Faith & the Muse recording on Pro-Tools in separate tracks and then later Statik mixed the whole thing here at Noiseplus Studio.

Rick: In terms of putting the live set together, Collide have a pretty long history of music, how did you select the songs to play in your live set, particularly in the Like The Hunted DVD set?

kaRIN: We wanted to play the ones that we thought would translate the best live.


Rick: Were there songs that were taken out of consideration because of how they’d come off live, or was your entire catalog of songs on the table when it came to selecting the DVD tracks?

kaRIN:  We wanted to represent all of the albums, but most important was how they translated live.

Rick: My favorite Collide CD is Some Kind of Strange. There seem to be a bunch of songs from that CD in the El Ray DVD set, is that because it’s your newer songs?

kaRIN: Just luck of the draw.

Rick:  What were those first few shows like for you out there fronting the band live? Was there an adjustment, feeling out period or did it all come together from the start?

kaRIN:  I would say there was definitely an adjustment. On the first show...my feet felt frozen to the floor. We were playing on an unstable stage that was pieced together and it made me fearful of walking around. As we did more shows, I started to relax and felt that I was really getting comfortable. We are both control freaks, so playing live you have to adjust that things will happen. Things will go wrong and you will just have to deal. In a couple of the shows people got up on stage, that was pretty crazy.

Rick:  In the extras on the DVD you look pretty relaxed backstage. Weren’t you nervous about filming the set?

kaRIN:  I had always felt apprehensive about performing live. Music for me had always been my escape, and I did not want to turn it into something that I felt pressure or stressed about. My trick for not getting stage fright was I just did not think about it at all beforehand...mind over matter. During each performance, I just tried to have the time of my life.

Rick:  Vocally, did you have any particular challenges taking the songs live? Obviously when you know you’re performing live you not only have to pull off the singing well, but there has to be some consideration of things like your stage presence.

kaRIN: We always knew this would be a problem, the biggest challenge for us as a live band is that I have a VERY soft, low voice...I have a lot of control but I do not have a lot of volume. We tried as many things as we could to help the situation, such as having inner ear monitors and a shield around the drums. It is definitely an issue to get me herd above 5 other instruments and a computer and I cannot say we have all the answers yet.

Rick: Is the set that we see in the Like The Hunted DVD the same set that the band played on that first tour?

kaRIN: We added a couple of songs.


Rick: When you look back on the Like The Hunted DVD ten years from now, will you say that the set captured the essence of the Collide band at the time it was shot?

kaRIN: Yes, we feel very comfortable in that the essence of Collide live was definitely captured. We are very pleased with the whole thing.

Rick:  In your opinion what are the highpoints of the DVD show when you view it?

kaRIN: I like the start of the show with the entrance and the intimacy of the camera.

Rick: I thought it was really nice of you to add some extras. I enjoyed watching the interview segments, but in particular I like having the videos that you included. I was used to only watching them streaming off your web site. Why did you choose to include these videos opposed to say releasing another DVD with just the videos on it?

kaRIN:  It is really important in everything that we do to make it as special as we can make it. We want people who buy Collide things… to really feel that it is money well spent.

Rick:  In terms of putting the DVD package together what were specific goals and intentions? Do you feel that your goals were met?

kaRIN: Yes, I feel that all goals were met and surpassed even. I love the authoring on the DVD, which was all done by Statik, and good friend Dave Keffer.

Rick: I know that this is a tough one, but in hind site, what would you tweak if you should do another DVD project?

kaRIN: We would have had a dress rehearsal for the lighting and added more cameras.

Rick:  What lessons did you learn from doing the Like The Hunted DVD that you will take and apply to future Collide releases?

kaRIN: I suppose the lesson I learned from it for me… is to tackle the things that scare you...they will make you stronger in the end.

Rick: Are there any persons involved with the DVD project that played a part but don’t get much mention that you’d like to single out for their effort?

kaRIN: Statik, Kevin McVey and the guys in the band made the DVD happen.

Rick:  OK. I know that this is suppose to be a Like the Hunted based interview, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t ask you about that message on your web site. It says your working on new material. Is this for a new studio album?

kaRIN: Yes...we are beginning work on the next studio album. Yayyyyyyy.

Rick: Will the gentlemen in the live band be a part of the writing process for the new material?

kaRIN: Yes, we hope so. Scott Landes has already sent us several things to work with.

Rick:  How many songs do you have written so far? Do you have any song titles?

kaRIN: There are several song starts...no direction and no names yet.


Rick: What can Collide fans expect in terms of your new songs? Will the general vibe from say Some Kind of Strange carry over to the new material, or can we expect a shift?

kaRIN:  I might expect a little shift, we try not to repeat ourselves.

Rick: Is it possible for you to project a date for your new release?

kaRIN:  Hopefully by the end of this year...but who knows...we never set release date, because we will not let go unless we are satisfied.

Rick: How about future live performances? Do you have anything in the hopper?

kaRIN:  Nothing in the Hopper =). I would say catch the DVD.

Rick: I’m sure you’re getting tired of chatting with me by now… : - ) … Do you have any final comments for the Sonic Cathedral.com faithful, before you send them to our store to purchase Like The Hunted?

kaRIN: Thanks so much for seeking out new music.

Rick: Thanks kaRIN & Statik! We love you.

kaRIN:  We love you back!!