EastScene

On their last day of the Taste Of Chaos tour, EastScene was able to catch up with two members of Pierce the Veil, Jaime Preciado and Tony Perry, prior to their set in Montreal on April 9, 2009. They discussed the technological changes in the music industry, the origin of their band name as well as the importance of having fans’ input on things.

ES: So a lot of bands don’t sound the same live as they do on the album. What do you guys do to try and keep it as close as possible or do you try and mix things up when playing live?

Tony: We definitely change some things when we’re playing live, like add little parts here and there to make transitions. But for the most part, we put a lot of time and work to try and get every sound that we have on the album up there when we’re playing live.

Jaime: Definitely. When we first started the band, we wanted to be one of those bands that you could easily say “Wow, they sound like the record live”. Not only that, we wanted to bring a more intense vibe, so when you watch us live, it’s way more of a show as opposed to just a CD playing song after song.

ES: With sites like MySpace, fans have a lot more access to their favorite bands as well as to
discovering new bands. Do you think it makes it harder or easier for bands to get noticed and signed because there’s so much competition?

Tony: It might get harder to get signed because of the competition, but it’s definitely easier to get
noticed by people in general. I’ve accidentally leaked a song that was ours and people found it. We never even said who it was or find the track and figure it out.

Jaime: Nowadays, it’s kind of hard to say whether it’s a good or bad thing. Obviously, it’s going to
have its’ pros and cons. MySpace has helped tons and tons of bands. But then again, it has also made the whole being in a band thing not as it was ten years ago or five years ago. You know, how people would wait and wait and get their tickets in advance to see their favorite band, whereas now you can go on Youtube or MySpace right then and there in an instant. I think it definitely has its’ good and bad parts.

ES: So on that note, what do you think of things like iTunes since people don’t buy the actual physical albums anymore?

Jaime: It’s hard to say. We’re living in a time where things are just getting smaller as far as size
goes and everything’s getting easier. In the future, there literally aren’t going to be anymore CDs.
It’s just going to be all computer-based stuff.

Tony: I haven’t bought CDs in years but it kind of sucks though, because now I realize how it’s like.
We put so much time and work figuring out what our cover is going to be, and how everything else is going to be. So when people don’t buy it, it’s like a big part that they miss out on. There’s a bunch of work that’s put into that that people don’t get to see when they buy it off things like iTunes.

ES: Where does your band name come from?

Jaime: It’s a business term, like “Piercing the corporate veil”. It means to cut out any kind of
problem that you have at its’ source. And we used it as a part of anything personal in your life or any sort of problem and to just cut it out completely. There’s also a bunch of religious terms we’ve learned, but we went with that one.

ES: With “Yeah boy” and “Doll face”, fans actually voted on you guys making it into a video. What lead to that decision?

Jaime: I think we were just indecisive.

Tony: We were all trying to figure it out. We all had our own idea of what we wanted to do, including management.

Jaime: Originally, we were going to do “Cheap Bouquet” (track 5 of the record), and we were literally set to do treatments for it. And then, all of a sudden, we’re like “Let’s see what kids think”.

Tony: The voting thing sort of blew everything else.

ES: So it makes you see what your fans want.

Jaime: Exactly. We really didn’t know what would be the single off that record. We liked one song and had an idea for a video and we were going to try that, but we wanted to see what kids thought. And it was 10 to 1. So we were like “Let’s do that one”.

ES: Do you guys go into the writing process with a specific concept, or whatever comes out is what can be found on the record?

Jaime: For the first record, it was primarily the two brothers in the band, Vic and Mike. And we
joined up as the record was nearly done. But for the next record, it’s definitely going to be more of the band writing together, and I have a feeling it’s going to work. Idea-wise, someone will have an idea or a rough draft and we’ll just add to it.

ES: So how did you guys make these songs that were already preset in your own?

Jaime: Well, Tony and I came into the band as the record was literally almost done, so we had a lot to do primarily with just the live show. That’s why we take a lot of pride putting a lot of time into making a live show as good or better than the record.

ES: What do you guys do to unwind in an unknown city?

Tony: Unknown city? I just stay inside. It’s cold out there.

[everyone laughs]

Jaime: Yeah, it depends where you’re at. We’ve been to so many places and stuff.

Tony: Any place that someone tells us is cool that’s around the venue.

Jaime: Yeah, you can’t really go far and do much, especially if you have a bus or an RV. But sometimes, we’ll get lucky and there will be an awesome mall. There’s an aquarium sometimes. When we were in Edmonton, there was that mall that was enormous. It was insane. It really just depends on where you’re at and how far you’re willing to walk.

ES: You’re four blocks away from the largest chain of underground malls, just so you know.

Tony: Oh really?

ES: Yeah, they’re all connected so you never have to go outside.

Jaime: Wow.

ES: So, pranking is a ritual on tour. Has there been any so far? What’s the best one you’ve fallen prey

to or done?

Jaime: It’s really just super hang mode. There aren’t really any crazy pranks. Our singer, Vic, hates the fact that we play video games, because he’s not a big fan of them, gun games in particular. So we went to Toys R Us and Tony was the first one to buy nerf guns. And all of us –even our tour manager– got one, except Vic. So there’s like 6 nerf guns in here and we were just shooting each other while he’d be driving. It was so funny.

Tony: He got so mad. If he’d get hit, he’d get the darts and start biting and ripping them apart.

Jaime: But as far as other bands go, I don’t know… We’ll see, I guess. It is the last day. So we’ll see how that goes and if there’s anything that happens.

ES: Hey Monday had their drumset taken apart while they were onstage.

Jaime: Nice!

ES: So there’s an idea. Or filling water bottles with gin, instead of water.

Jaime: That would be sick!

ES: What are some of your influences?

Jaime: Lately for me, I think it’s the kids. We’ve been touring with two years straight, so playing in
front of kids every single night and seeing their reactions for different bands and different songs
–all of that has influenced me a lot. I think for the next record, it’s going to be a big part of it.
As far as bands, none.

Tony: I have no influences. I’m above the influence.

[everyone laughs]

ES: If you could change one things about the current musical trends and scenes, what would it be?

Jaime: I would make every band wear jumpsuits and masks, SlipKnot-style. That way, you can just listen to the music and not focus on the person. That would be interesting. How insane would that be, if you watched Saves The Day all wearing masks and playing a show, and you’d be like “This band rules!”?

ES: What would their masks look like?

Jaime: They would be scream masks.

Tony: Your idea sucks.

Jaime: My idea does NOT suck. What’s YOUR idea?

ES: Halloween everyday?

Tony: I’m not going to make one. I don’t have an idea. But it’s better than having bad ones.

ES: There’s no such thing as bad ideas.

Jaime: Yeah! Except that one.

[everyone laughs]

ES: Protest The Hero is a band which is very outspoken about having been forced to play certain tours such as Warped Tour and sometimes feeling restricted as to the artists they share the stage with. As a young bad, is there anything that you aren’t willing to compromise?

Jaime: We’ve been lucky for pretty much every kind of tour.

Tony: We’ve been around pretty awesome bands and people. Even if we don’t like the music, the people are at least cool; you find something about them that you like.

Jaime: Actually, those guys [on the Taste Of Chaos tour] are pretty cool guys. We got to play soccer with them on Warped Tour. So they weren’t making life too bad.

[everyone laughs]

Tony: I hated Warped tour. I never want to do it again, but I probably will have to again.

Jaime: He just had a miserable time.

Tony: It was hot and miserable.

Jaime: He’s not a fan of the hotness.

Tony: The sun, I don’t like it.

ES: Aren’t you from California?

Tony: Yeah, but I stay inside. I don’t have to walk outside all day.

ES: So comparisons are inevitable in the industry. What’s the strangest or best one you’ve heard regarding your band?

Jaime: Actually, that’s one of the things I haven’t noticed.

Tony: It’s not a weird one, but we’ve been compared to Coheed & Cambria, but I think it’s only because of Vic’s voice and how it’s high.

Jaime: They’ve grouped in the high voice area.

ES: Is that annoying?

Jaime: No, not really. It’s like saying “You remind me of a girl who wears boots”.

ES: “I know that girl!”

Jaime: “I know a girl that wears the same boots!”

[everyone laughs]

Jaime: But they’re not bad bands; there’s for example Craig from Chiodos, who sings super high. You just get grouped in there and I guess it could get annoying, but it really hasn’t.

ES: Ok cool! So that’s all I have for you. Thanks for your time!