Ask LC Forum

[cantgetawayfromyou]

Got questions for the band? Post 'em here and we'll see if we can get the band members to answer 'em. Or, if they don't answer, Lea and I will make up some outrageous crap on their behalf!! ;D I don't think they'll want THAT!!!

[carlyn]

cool!

[marbar7890]

hahaha this is awesomeeeeeeeee. so um....why don't you like the scarves tj?

[lea]

marbar7890 said:

hahaha this is awesomeeeeeeeee. so um....why don't you like the scarves tj?

Poor TJ, he’s sitting there thinking ‘Why can’t my fans just be NORMAL? Why are they all obsessed with shirts and scarves?’ X-D

Anyway, I had sensible things to ask, gosh darn it! Sensible things like, um…

Haha. No really, I did.

For instance I wanted to know how the whole Good Charamel records thing came about. How did Robby discover LC and what was the whole process that led to the deal being signed? It seems like this is something I should know…but apparently I don’t.

Heyyy what happened to the video for Can’t Get Away from You? I’ve been snooping around LC.com and it was mentioned in a journal entry at some point…

Oh and by the way ZINDLE…nice Live 8 reference in the last entry. So sue me, I thought it was a dumb idea! AND I STILL DO!!

*mutters something about Bono and mother Teresa and atoning for the world’s sins*

Oh I have a ton of dorky things going round in my head…feel free to pick and choose which ones you want to dignify with an answer...

I’d like to know what everyone’s favourite songs are to perform, I’d like to know if there are any amusing Tour stories (besides the one with the V-bag, that is) I’d like to know what the biggest disaster was at a gig so far…ummm…

Does it freak you out to be seen as ‘idols’ by some of these kids? How do you deal? Isn’t it a total head trip?

Are you all self taught at your instruments or did ya cheat and have lessons? Lol. And in a similar vein…TJ, did you ever have vocal coaching? Make the rest of us feel a little less inadequate, tell us you weren’t BORN able to do that! Lol.

Something else I guess only TJ can answer…I wanna know a little more about how the band started out. Cause I arrived quite late I guess

I mean, how does a person get from writing lyrics and composing melodies to actually being onstage and performing? How did that whole transition come about? And wasn’t it a little terrifying at first, or were you always comfortable onstage? And ya know those Conservatives back in high school…if you see ‘em again someday when LC are selling millions, are you going to gloat? Cause I certainly hope so. X-D

Oh…I meant to ask this ages ago…was it hard giving up some creative control in order to let Robby produce the songs? I note that the CD and EP before OTTNO were co-produced by LC/TJ and TJ produced the Out of Somewhere CD himself…so what was it like letting go of the reins a little?

What’s the best thing about being in a band? What’s the worst thing? Was there ever anything that made you feel like giving up? Is the music business how you thought it would be (I would imagine it would be worse!)

What is it like being so closely involved with your WONDERFUL fans? Hahaha. It’s great isn’t it? ;D You all wouldn’t change it for the world I’m sure…but seriously…are there down sides? More to the point, are there any benefits? I mean there are benefits for US but I can’t think of any from your point of view!! Hahaha…

Are we allowed to ask questions about the new CD yet? Mwahahaha…

[lea]

Holy...!!

That was a long-a$s post!

What can I say, I'm inquisitive.

I didn't even start on all the 'what does this lyric mean' ones yet...hahaha...

[marbar7890]

ok a sensible question from me...

what ever happened to the tour video? I'm still dying to see it...haha ok that probably made me seem like a loser haha.

also...
TJ, where is your favorite venue to play...and why?

Where do you get inspiration for your songs? (besides bad breakups)

[cantgetawayfromyou]

Just a thought...it might be easier if each question had its own thread...

[lea]

cantgetawayfromyou said:

Just a thought...it might be easier if each question had its own thread...

But then there'd be like 300 threads...LOL LOL

Ooh good point about the tour video Mar.

[cantgetawayfromyou]

lea said:

cantgetawayfromyou said:

Just a thought...it might be easier if each question had its own thread...

But then there'd be like 300 threads...LOL LOL

Ooh good point about the tour video Mar.

But, it would make for easier referencing, don't ya think? And others can easily see what questions have already been asked/answered.

And we NEED lots of posts anyways, right??? ;D

[lea]

Hmmmm.

Maybe we could have, like...categories of questions?

Like have a thread that's for lyrics questions, have a thread for gig-related questions...or something...have a thread for...scarf-related questions...and another for marriage proposals (and I Lea do take thee TJ...)

Ok I'm being silly now but you get the idea, right?

[cantgetawayfromyou]

lea said:

Hmmmm.

Maybe we could have, like...categories of questions?

Like have a thread that's for lyrics questions, have a thread for gig-related questions...or something...have a thread for...scarf-related questions...and another for marriage proposals (and I Lea do take thee TJ...)

Ok I'm being silly now but you get the idea, right?

I can make up some subforums for these categories and add more as needed, that way there won't be a gazillion threads and it'll be orderly. I was just thinking it could get a little confusing having just ONE thread with a ton of questions and questions could get missed. ;D

[carlyn]

I think that having a different post for each question would be cool. And subforums for types of questions would be a good way to organize it too.

[tj000]

Good Lord Lea...well, I'll do my best to take this one...

Robby heard about us through Marc Hunt (who he started a studio with a few years ago). Robby wanted to sign some Buffalo bands and dug our stuff...met him at Nietzsche's...he called me a few days later (I thought it was a joke at first!!!)...

The video for Can't Get Away From You turned out kind of...eh...you know? Didn't look all that good and we planned it at 1 AM the day before (well, a few hours before) - the video was me in the middle of the street with a guitar nearly getting hit by cars as they drove by...had a few close encounters and some pissed off motorists! The cops showed up and hung out (I was surprised no one got angry or hauled off to jail) - even had an ambulance stop and during one of the takes, they (being cool guys) grabbed me (still playing) and put me on the stretcher and took me to the ambulance! Pretty amusing..but wasn't planned enough to actually look good I guess...maybe I'll call Robby and see if he has it and I'll send it over...

Live 8 ruled...

We all like playing On to the Next One, Over my Head and the Answer best I reckon...close 2nd is probably Pretty New Things...

Amusing tour stories...hahahaha...can't open that vault my friends! But one show in Missoula Montana...gave us an open bar and we made quite good use of it (lots of Jager, which was the LC drink that past west coast tour!!!) - Dave and Josh ended up behind the bar serving drinks...we have it on video somewhere...

Biggest disaster was at a show we tried to play at a North Tonawanda legion hall...the promoter tried to extort a bunch of money from us before we played (after we had already lost about $200 at that point and had already set uo and soundchecked) - like, 10 minutes before we were supposed to play...we had to bail...I was really embarrassed and wanted to kill that guy...luckily, I didn't...

I don't consider myself an idol, so yeah, it's a bit odd when people look up to me...hopefully they understand I'm just a guy in a band...it's not like people are outside my house right now (it's like 5 AM and I'm wide awake for some reason)

I am self taught at geetar and singing (learned the trumpet in school)...I was in choir for a few months in high school...didn't take any vocal lessons per se, but got some tips from friends and such I suppose...
I should show you some early tapes...I wasn't born with anything! Pretty much had to drag a voice out of me, kicking and screaming...

I started the band in 1997 in high school...pissed off loner kid without a ton of friends and not much notice from girls...

The transition from writing to performing was an easy one...my world only makes sense when I'm performing...don't know why...just wired like it...it's the only place I feel comfortable I guess...I was never really scared...just clicked in my head...

Giving up control is always hard, but Robby didn't come to me and say "OK...here's how it's gonna be now!!" - We pretty much write the songs we write and he respects us enough to let us do our thing...he steps in with some ideas and adds a lot in the sonic aspect of the band...he's never said anything like "that song sucks" or "what the hell's this one doing?" haha...we did work with a producer, Armand Petri on These In-Between Times - he was a littler harder on us (which was good because I learned a ton about songwriting from him)

The best thing about being in a band is making music...
connecting with people...the worst thing is dealing with people's assumptions...they assume I'm gonna be a jerk and try to sleep with anything that moves...I have to be that much nicer and that much cooler, otherwise I get a myspace message from someone saying "oh, TJ used to be cool but now he has a huge ego" (yeah, got that one 2 days ago)...it's hard trying to be nice all the time...sometimes I have a bad day and am worried about my demeanor affecting our rep...

Was there ever anything that made me feel like giving up? There's probably 2 or 3 things a week that crush my soul a bit..nothing to the point where I ever seriously did, but I've definitely been worried about my future and my happiness...essentially, we're trying to climb Mount Everest...trying to do what is d**n near impossible...with little money...pretty much built entirely on our sweat and blood and tears...the music business is just crazy...

Being closely involved with fans is good and bad...I get a lot of really cool people who are very nice...I also get a lot of people who think since they bought our cd, they have a right to tell me what to do and who to be...that can be tough...there are a few fans who I kind of wish didn't like our band!!! but we decided long ago to do our best with communicating as openly and honestly as we could...that's how we wanted to do it...
the benefit is you get to hear compliments from fans directly...I can't tell you how many times I've been having a terrible day and I sign on to AIM and have someone tell me how our music touches them...so, that's obviously cool...

You can ask me any questions you want...the new CD is coming along nicely - working on Dave's geetars this week and start vocals after Christmas...and please ask about lyrics...it's nice to think people listen!

OK...Lea, that's it for you...next!!


Our favorite place to play is pretty much anywhere...doesn't matter to us...as far as cool cities, we dig Chicago, Denver, and LA a lot...

and I have a scarf now...but not as a fashion statement...just because it's cold in Buffalo!

Someday we'll edit the tour video...we have like 10 tapes from it...takes time and money...of which we have little...

Inspiration comes from my world I guess...bad breakups, things that anger me, watching this little planet get weirder and weirder...and here I am - some little white kid with a guitar trying to make sense of it all...but, mainly I write songs about girls...y'all are tough to deal with sometimes!!!


So...there...answered...check this one off...now bring the noise!

TJ

[lea]

Wooooooooo TJ!!

Thank you for taking the time to wade through my disjointed waffling and come out with some answers. I shall proceed to reward you with…even MORE disjointed waffling. Hahaha. Lucky youuuuuuu!!

You BETTER send the video for CGAFU. It sounds pretty cool even if it didn’t turn out exactly right. C’mon TJ don’t make us beg!!

tj000 said:

Amusing tour stories...hahahaha...can't open that vault my friends! But one show in Missoula Montana...gave us an open bar and we made quite good use of it (lots of Jager, which was the LC drink that past west coast tour!!!) - Dave and Josh ended up behind the bar serving drinks...we have it on video somewhere...

I wanna see the vid of Dave and Josh serving drinks!! Why weren’t you up there with them? Haha. Were ya too busy holding onto the floor? X-D

Like I can talk…LOL! I’m like the resident forum lush…in fact I should change my text from ‘Resident British LC fan’. Hahaha…

tj000 said:

Biggest disaster was at a show we tried to play at a North Tonawanda legion hall...the promoter tried to extort a bunch of money from us before we played (after we had already lost about $200 at that point and had already set uo and soundchecked) - like, 10 minutes before we were supposed to play...we had to bail...I was really embarrassed and wanted to kill that guy...luckily, I didn't...

Yeah it was probably good you didn’t kill that guy. You can’t make a record in jail! But it must be soul destroying when you’re only trying to put your songs out there and give a good show and there are people trying to take advantage of you and screw you over…

tj000 said:

it's not like people are outside my house right now (it's like 5 AM and I'm wide awake for some reason)

Haha, people aren’t outside your house at 5am? That’s what YOU think *crouches down in bushes* X-D

tj000 said:

I was in choir for a few months in high school...didn't take any vocal lessons per se, but got some tips from friends and such I suppose...
I should show you some early tapes...I wasn't born with anything! Pretty much had to drag a voice out of me, kicking and screaming...

I want to see those tapes! Well the voice was worth fighting for. I f**king love it like nothing on this earth…haha…as you know already…

tj000 said:

The best thing about being in a band is making music...
connecting with people...the worst thing is dealing with people's assumptions...they assume I'm gonna be a jerk and try to sleep with anything that moves...I have to be that much nicer and that much cooler, otherwise I get a myspace message from someone saying "oh, TJ used to be cool but now he has a huge ego" (yeah, got that one 2 days ago)...it's hard trying to be nice all the time...sometimes I have a bad day and am worried about my demeanor affecting our rep...

Haha…there’s a cat! Gotta hump it! X-D LMAO.

Yeah, people do have preconceptions about guys in bands. For what it’s worth, knowing you has disproved everything I was led to believe. I guess you have to…I think this is a Gandhi quote; ‘be the change you want to see in the world”. I mean the best thing you can do to counter their assumptions is go on being a genuinely nice guy with a real set of morals who takes his music seriously. Just by being you, you help counteract those prejudices.

I understand that the ‘political’ side of being in a band must be hard. But hopefully because you’re pretty close with your fans, most of them can understand that occasionally you get pissed off or whatever just like the rest of the world, and instead of assuming you’re a bad person because of it they’ll just think ‘Oh, he’s having a bad day’ and they’ll get over it. Everyone has bad days and no-one can hold the fact that you are human against you!

I think it’s weird because the media mostly makes people in the entertainment industry out to be two dimensional…it’s like they are products, not people. So fans don’t immediately see you as a real person, with real feelings, when they start listening to your music…ya know? It’s more like a sense of possession. I really do think the media encourages that point of view, f**ked up though it may be. In a sense, the media and the record-buying public think as though they OWN the bands….ok I’m going off on a tangent here. I’m sort of fascinated by the psychology of it all…I’m probably not even making any sense…LOL!

As for whoever said you had a big ego…hello? Has this person ever MET you?! That’s just BS. You are one of the most humble, self-effacing people I know…in fact there are times it saddens me because I don’t think you always give yourself the credit you’re due. While you are many things, TJ, egotistical is not one of them, as evinced by the fact that you’re here, on this board, talking to your fans on this level. You’ve never once acted like a ‘rock star’ or made anyone feel inferior or anything like that, and I don’t believe you ever would. I hope you’ll forgive me for quoting you, but I’m trying to illustrate my point. You once said to me ‘I’d let a fan into my home to sleep on my couch as long as they didn’t turn round and insult me the next morning.’ And I truly believe you would.

Hey…I’m coming back to the states next year. I might take you up on the offer! Hahaha!

Anyway who is this Myspace jerk? Do I need to go pound ‘em? Because I will!!

tj000 said:

Was there ever anything that made me feel like giving up? There's probably 2 or 3 things a week that crush my soul a bit..nothing to the point where I ever seriously did, but I've definitely been worried about my future and my happiness...essentially, we're trying to climb Mount Everest...trying to do what is d**n near impossible...with little money...pretty much built entirely on our sweat and blood and tears...the music business is just crazy...

Don’t give up. I’m asking you person to person. Please never give up. If there’s any justice in the world the hard work will pay off at some point. Soon I hope. I told ya, you get famous, I’m freeloading like crazy! Bring out the champagne Jacuzzi!! X-D

tj000 said:

please ask about lyrics...it's nice to think people listen!

You KNOW I listen to your lyrics…and occasionally just make up irrelevant stories in my mind about songs that turn out not to be true at all! Haha! But seriously…I listen to the words because LC songs actually have a POINT. Unlike half the stuff in the charts these days, you actually take the time and care to create something meaningful. I respect that. You took the time to write it, so I take the time to listen. Seems fair!

tj000 said:

You can ask me any questions you want...

Are you SURE you wanna throw down the gauntlet like that? I mean really...?