Interview w/ Travis from Atreyu
So Atreyu just got off the Family Values tour, and has gone back out on their own headlining tour. At their recent stop at House of Blues Orlando, Travis Miguel took some time out to answer a few questions for us here at GetInMagazine on their tour bus before the show. We had some technical glitches and weren't able to get the first 2 questions recorded, but this is what we were able to save.
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What prompted your change from Victory to Hollywood records? Um, it was pretty much just the next logical thing to do. Our time with Victory was up, you know, we finished our contract so it was just the next step, it made sense. Like a self promotion? Kinda, yea, I mean it’s, we did what we could do with Victory, then it was just the next natural thing to do. What makes an ideal crowd and inspires you to put on a great performance? Enthusiasm, there’s nothing worse then playing to a bunch of blank faces. If the crowds feeding off of it, we feed off of that, and it’s a give and take thing. You here that millions of times from fans, but it’s true. |
Does it bother you to hear criticism from your fans and others who are unwilling to embrace the personal choices you make in your music?
There’s going to be critics no matter what you do. So I mean it’s nothing new to us. It’s great if people like it, if they don’t like it, oh well, you know, it’s not going to stop us from doing what we want to do. And at the end of the day the only people that tell us what to with our band is the 5 of us. Critisism is always good, you can learn from it, but then again, you cant take it, to, not seriously, but you can’t take it completely to heart all the time otherwise your just really bummed out all around.
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How is playing your hometown different from playing in other places? Orange County is, I mean for us, it’s just, it’s just the feeling of home, you know, obviously cause were from there. Um, and we don’t get that anywhere else. I mean there are places we consider like a second home, like, as cheesy as it sounds, like Florida for us is always good. We never really had a bad show in Florida. But for the most part Orange County is just a big feeling of being home which is always nice. What is the most stressful part of writing/recording? What do you do to release the tension? Probably the most stressful thing is overanalyzing everything, for me anyway. Like I’m always is this good enough, does it suck, do I like it, am I gonna lay this track down, am I gonna hate it a week from now, or a year from now, or 5 years from now. You just drive your self crazy, so you kind of have to just let go. And just go with the flow. |
Photo courtesy of House of Blues Orlando |
What is the most mind-blowingly insane thing that has happened while on tour?
For me it would be playing with a lot of bands I grew up listening to. Like Sepalatoura is one of my favorite bands ever. And my first time in Europe we toured with them, and it was for like a week and a half but like, I was just like, I was just grabbing for stuff to say to them cause I was so star struck. "I been listening to you since I was 14."When we did Taste of Chaos, and The Deftones were headlining that, and that’s a band I have loved for years to. So yea, just the fact that I have met a few of my heroes is awesome.
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Photo courtesy of House of Blues Orlando |
What is the one thing you can’t live without while on the road? Um, cell phone, alcohol to. That’s a bad combination Yea, drunk dialing. I’d say cell phone cause we all have friends and family back home, so obviously communicating with them is a big part of keeping your self sane on the road. Your vocals and music often switch from intense and screaming to smooth and melodic within a song. What comes first, vocal or musical style? Lyrics or melody? Um, well the music, I’d say about 99% of the time is written first, and then the vocals are written accordingly. But that’s you know, it just depends on what the song its self, what we feel it calls for. Whether it’s a screaming part, or a melodic part, or somewhere in between. It all just, I think the vocals cater to the song. |
How have your pasts influenced the music? Does your new album represent a break from/acceptance of the past or a fresh start personally as well as musically?
It’s just, the new record is just like showing us where were at, right now. I think every record is a representation of that. So yea, I mean were obviously not the same 5 guys from Orange County as we were 5 years ago. You know, I have a lot more grey hair now, and I think Dan might of grown a couple inches.
(Dan Jacobs) Let’s not kid our selves.
But yea, it’s just, you know, each record is just a representation of how we’ve grown, and where were at.
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I’m sure you get hit on all the time. What is the craziest thing a woman has done to try to get your attention? I don’t think I can say anything with out incriminating everybody. I don’t know How about to get back stage? We don’t really get that cause all of our fans are like 16, so there not at that age quite yet, but there are some moments. Sometimes it happens, but most of the time it doesn’t. Do you regret anything you’ve done in your career so far? Would you take anything back? No, we definitely, we have never done anything right the first time; we still aren’t doing anything right the first time, and were constantly learning from our mistakes. In comparison to like 5 years ago, we definitely know what to do or what not to do in certain situation, or as far as just being in a band. We still have a lot more to learn, were not, were old but were not that old, we don’t know it all quite yet, and that’s what so exciting about it to me, is there’s still so much stuff to do, there's still a lot of growth, there's still a lot of learning to do. |
Photo courtesy of House of Blues Orlando |
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Photo courtesy of House of Blues Orlando |
How would you define the tone or message in your music? Or would you rather shatter all definitions by constantly evolving and defying expectations? As far as like message, there’s no real message, it’s just, I mean Alex writes his lyrics from personal experiences, stuff that he’s been through, stuff he’s seen others go through., and if people can relate to that, that’s awesome. That’s why I listen to music, a lot, you know for some kind of connection. And what was the other part of the question? Or would you rather shatter all definitions by constantly evolving and defying expectations? I mean I think that’s why people get so bummed out about when a band, like changes their sound slightly, or does something different then what their used to, because their putting their own expectations on what that band is going to do, and soon as they, you know, stray a little to the left or right, it’s fuck that band. Which I was like that to when I was younger, but I grew out of it you know? I mean but yea were always gonna piss people, which you know, I think all bands should do that. |
Do you have any superstitions about performing? What do you do before a show or before you go into the studio?
Alcohol consumption, no, um, I really don’t have too many weird like rituals or superstitions. Like, about a week into any tour, it’s you know, playing live on stage, it comes pretty naturally, but it’s always like the first few shows of every tour, especially when we have had a long break, I get totally nervous, my hand will shake, and I just cant get comfortable, but other then that there no real
Just dive in
Yea, you have no choice
What is your inspiration for life? Why do you wake up in the morning?
Being in this band, is, I think, it’s safe to say for all of us is a dream come true, so this is why we do it. Because you know not to many people get to live their dream, you know, I never thought I would be on this tour bus, or you know going, leaving California, let alone leave the U.S.A. So yea, this is what I do; you know this how I make a living, this why I get up.
Officially being announced as the Taste of Chaos tour headliner, what thoughts are going through your mind, and what are you looking forward to while on it?
I’m excited, we did it in 2006 and that was one of the funnest tours we have ever done, I’m definitely looking forward to reliving that again.
By. Erin Lemke
