Interview

There are about 5 artists that if I think about it, I would be equally ecstatic as I would be terrified to interview. (Brand New, Morrissey, Jimmy Eat World to name a few.) But up there would be the Illinois band, Park. Having been outside of the scene for such a long time, these guys recently took to the studio, recorded an amazing CD and are now out on tour playing all over America. Recently, I booted my jangled nerves and had the chance to talk for a long while to these guys about everything from encounters with Mother Nature to their newly revised CD title to their most embarrassing musical choices. Thanks to Andrew and Miles for hooking this up, as well as, of course, the band themselves.

EP: Alright so just for the record, just say your name and what you do in the band.
Miles: I am Miles and I play the drums.
Ladd: I play the Skidaflute and the guitar.
Alex: My name is Alex and I play the bass.
Aaron: My name is Aaron and I play the guitar.

EP: Awesome. So, I know you guys weren’t playing for a while. Is there a story behind the hiatus, if that is what you would call it?
Ladd: We were just on tour constantly for three years and we needed a break. It wasn’t really planned, it just kind of happened. We were all at home working trying to make money and stuff. That is basically all that there was with that. Plus we needed to write.
Miles: Plus we needed to find a bass player. We went through like two or three bass players over the course of 2005.
EP: Yeah, I was gonna say, I thought you had a revolving door at one time with just bass players.
Ladd: Pretty much a year after one record on an album, we kick him out.
Alex: I’m looking right now.
Ladd: Looking for a new band?
Alex: No, looking for a new bass player for you guys.

EP: Does it feel good to be out on the road again?
Ladd: Yes. Yes it does.
Miles: Minus the hail storm.
EP: So what exactly happened with that? Can I get the exclusive here?
Ladd: So we are all fucking this bitch and I hear this “Slap Slap Slap,” and I’m like, “Damn! He is railing her!” (Everyone laughs) No, we were just driving and it got really dark and I was just playing video games on the computer. I thought he (Aaron) was slamming the back window and I thought, “What the hell is he doing back there?” Then, we looked at each other like, “Oh, this kinda sucks.” Then, it got really bad for about five minutes. Alex said, “We should probably pull over before our windshield…oh, it broke.”
EP: So the windshield broke?
Miles: Yeah. If you look at the top of the trailer, on the little plastic vent there are holes where the hail went through. They are like the size of golf balls. We have pictures and we will post them online or something.

EP: I know this is kind of a smaller tour, if you even call it a tour. But is there going to be something bigger coming up, perhaps for the new album? Maybe a trip to the UK?
Ladd: Well Bon Jovi called us and we were like, “Dude, we don’t really like your band.”
Miles: Then Bruce Springsteen called us and we were like, “Hell yeah!”
Ladd: The Boss? Shit yeah, but you gotta open.
Alex: We are starting a boy band to tour with the Backstreet Boys.
Miles: Actually, we got to see some love from some bands. So you bigger bands out there who know who we are, take us out.
Ladd: We are all good at blow jobs. Except Aaron, he is sloppy at it. (Everyone laughs)
Miles: And Ladd isn’t even drunk yet.

EP: Is the album completely finished now?
Ladd: It needs to be mixed and mastered.
EP: But you guys changed it from “Building a better Pirate” to Building a Better Blank.” Why was that?
Alex: ::coughing:: Alex’s idea ::coughing::
Ladd: I was just getting e-mails and was looking online and was like, “Damn, these motherfuckers are bashing this name.” I thought it was a funny name. I just thought it was funny. People kept asking me, “What does it mean?” It doesn’t mean a fucking thing. It was stupid. So everyone was thought “pirate” was dumb. It was overused and it was a whole stupid trend. Then Alex came up with that idea, and I thought that was awesome. They could put in whatever stupid thing they want.
Miles: And it can mean whatever they want it to mean.
EP: Is it going to say “blank” or is there going to be a line where you can fill it in?
Ladd: It is going to be a line that says, like, noun underneath it.
Miles: Like a Mad Lib. And the rest of the lyrics will go along with it and we will have some contest where you fill in what you think Ladd should say in lyrics and we will see who has the best stuff and they will win a prize.
EP: Like a blowjob from Park?
Miles: Yeah, from Aaron.
Aaron: I use my teeth.
Ladd: We call him Sharky’s machine.

EP: So is the musical feel of the new album going to be the same as the last two records? Or is it going in a new direction?
Ladd: Everyone that I have let listen to it says it is totally different. To me it is a little poppier. It is just a natural progression. Everyone that has listened to it has said, “It is still you guys, but it’s different.”
Miles: We actually let the Starting Line listen to it and we were really curious as to what they had to say because Kenny has always been into to us. He was into it and I asked if he thought it sounded like Park. He said it sounded like Park but it was way different. But I think in a good way. So hopefully that’s a good thing.

EP: So with these new guys in the band, was is different writing or was it same old, same old?
Ladd: Aaron came along after the album was finished. So he is really new. Like, two weeks after we were done tracking, Justin left. He actually made it known when he was out there that he was not going to be in the band after this.
EP: Did he say why?
Ladd: He is going to medical school and he has other plans.
Miles: He decided to make real money. This Monopoly money we are getting paid is just not paying my bills.
Ladd: He’s got a lot of green houses.
Miles: Dude, I got hotels.
Ladd: You are a little bitch, you stole them all. He is like the slum lord. He owns that whole first row. He puts like nine freaking hotels on there so it is more than Boardwalk.

EP: So, who produced the CD and where did you record it?
Ladd: We recorded in two studios in California. Cameron Webb did the whole thing. We recorded at this place called The Distillery and at a place called Shag Studios. And it is probably going to be mixed at a different studio.
EP: So, since it is Cameron again, production-wise it will sound pretty similar?
Miles: Yeah.

EP: I know on the last CD, there was kind of a disclaimer, or maybe a PSA. Whose idea was that? Yours? The Label’s?
Ladd: Actually, Miles and Gabe were reading through some of the lyrics when we were tracking and they approached me in the studio and they were like, “Dude, this is really bad.” And I was like, “Fuck that. It’s not that bad.” When I sat down and actually read them, I said, “Alright. I agree.” I don’t know whose actual idea it was to do that, but Miles’ girlfriend at the time looked up all the info.
Miles: I think it was a really good thing because we have gotten some really serious e-mails from kids telling us their life stories and how the record helped out their situation and that some of them actually called the number or went to the website and got information. So, it’s cool to help somebody out like that and touch them. It is awesome.

EP: What about “A Times Beach Crush Factor?” Are you ever going to play any of those songs at a Park show? Or maybe being something to do after Park?
Ladd: Well, I am contemplating doing another album. I just met a guy in Springfield who has some really nice recording equipment. I don’t have anything written yet, but my whole idea was to do something that is totally analog. No Pro Tools or anything like that. He has this whole 24 track and I thought it would be so awesome if I could do that.

EP: What are you guys listening to right now?
Aaron: New Boys night Out a lot.
Alex: Yeah and the new Moneen.

EP: What kind of bands have influenced your sound?
Miles: The Police.
Ladd: Wilco

EP: So what CD are each of you most embarrassed about owning?
Miles: SPICE GIRLS! But I actually like one of the songs though.
Alex: Dude, you have Pink. I think that is worse.
Miles: No dude! Pink is the shit! I don’t know about the new record, but “Misunderstood?” I was down with that record.
Alex: Peter Gabriel.
Ladd: I was somewhere with a buddy of mine and we got in my car and I had Vanessa Carlton playing. He was like, “What the fuck is this?”
EP: Dude, I am so down with that record. My girlfriend hates Vanessa Carlton.
Aaron: I like Sugar Ray. I’ll admit it. The old stuff.
EP: Like “14:59?”
Aaron: Nah dude. “Floored.” Uh, what about Linkin Park?
Everyone: NO!!
Ladd: Do you play guitar?
EP: I play bass.
Ladd: Could you play guitar?
EP: Yeah.
Ladd: Alright dude you are in.

EP: Alright, last one, what is your favorite song to play live?
Miles: Any new one.
Ladd: Sober or drunk? Sober would be “Clue me in” because it is so easy. Actually, I like playing “(My Dear Sweet) Impaler.” I like it. It is a little hard for me sometimes.

EP: Is there anything else you want to say? When is the record coming out?
Ladd: June 13th we hope but it will probably get pushed back.
Miles: We are going to have a CD release show in Springfield on June 30th. Tentatively. But there are like 17 bands that have asked to play that with us.
Ladd: Dude we will talk about that later. We shouldn’t talk about it on the little recorder.
EP: Do you want me to turn this off so you guys can get back to your debauchery?
Ladd: Debauchery? You haven’t seen anything yet…