Sceva (formerly Insurgence) Interview, 11-23-01
Lauren: What motivates you as band, to get out there and play shows and to
do what you do?
Jon: I've been performing for a long time, for a number of years. The
first time I got up on stage, I was really scared. Basically, I was
animated from the neck up, but from the neck down, I was paralyzed. But
when I did it, I started overcoming this fear, and using that as an
advantage. I started to use it as an energy and to get the crowd into it,
and it was an amazing adrenaline rush. I didn't have much faith in my
abilities at the time, but it was that energy that really brought me back
and told me "Hey, I can do this." Some people may like to hear me sing, and
other may not. And hey, that's OK. But with every show, I become a better
singer each and every time. If you feel like you're doing the best you can
and you've reached your highest point, then just quit, because you have
nothing else to accomplish.
Aaron: You can breathe you know! (laughs)
Jon: Yeah, sorry!
Lauren: No, no, this is good! Rolling Stone material!
Aaron: What was the question again? Oh yeah, motivation. I like playing
because I like hearing other bands play a lot. When I was little, people
told me I couldn't do things because I wasn't good enough, and that drives
me, just to show people that I can go out and do things and that i am good
enough. And for the time that we've been together, I think we're pretty
good.
Lauren: What influences do you have outside of music?
Aaron: Well, I write most of the material for Sceva, and it's mostly
emotions that drive me. If I feel a certain way, then I play a certain way.
It's just all based on how I feel at the time that I write it. Every time
that we play it onstage, then that drives me to play it better, because I
just think about how I was feeling at the time. I let the music take me
where it wants to go.
Jon: When I write lyrics, it's an expression of myself. I've been through
a lot in my life, but every time I get up on stage and sing about the things
that haunt me, then I allow myself to feel that emotion. If you don't allow
yourself to feel an emotion, then you're never going to be able to get rid
of it. That's what I do in my head when I'm up there singing something that
means to me. And of course current events, and basically just feelings, but
mostly more inward stuff. (Pauses) Alright, I'm going to shut up now...
Lauren: (Laughs) No, that's OK. OK, if you could tour with any one band,
signed or unsigned, who would it be?
Aaron: Well, if they were together, I would say Deviation Theory. Brad
Stackpole (DT drums) is here playing drums for us tonight to replace out
former drummer Kevin Kingsborough.
Lauren: Awesome band. How do you like working with Brad?
Aaron: He's awesome! I mean, we just played with him today, and voom!
Jon: We only played 45 minutes, and he never heard our songs before, and he
was nailing them like crazy.
Aaron: If it was a signed band, I would say Staind. We sound like we're
influenced by Staind. And Incubus too.
Jon: Well, that's tough for me. I have tastes that bridge across several
gaps. In a way the thing I would love is to go on the road with Iron
Maiden. Because the way they put on a show and how they put out 13 different
albums, they've always inspired me. But Staind, I agree with that one.
Sevendust too. There's a lot of bands out there that are just really cool
people. And there are some that are just jerks but they play good music,
but sometimes you're willing to make that sacrifice just to say "Hey! We
played with those guys!"
Aaron: Don, do you have anything to say?
Don: I would say it would be a tie between Slayer and Meshuggah.
Aaron: Yeah, I would say Meshuggah too. They're really good, or Poison the
Well.
Lauren: Okay, besides saying that you sound like you are somewhat
influenced by Staind, how else would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard you?
Aaron: Emotionally driven aggressive rock. I think the best description
would be if Staind met Finger Eleven and had sex with A Perfect Circle, and
then smoked a blunt with System of a Down.
Jon: (Laughs) That's one hell of a night man!
Aaron: I'll tell you what!
Jon: I think there are a lot of elements in our music, especially
rhythm-wise that's very new metal. But obviously some people have some old
school metal tastes. But I think one of the things that sets us apart from
other bands is that we have a lot of points in our songs that are very
jazzy. It's kind of odd, because three people in our band were trained in
jazz, but our songs are heavy too. I just think we have a great chemistry
together. We have one guitarist that's very technical, and can play scales
up and down the neck, no problem. And then we have this guy (points to
Aaron) who's extremely experimental and continues to come up with new and
different things. And the first time I heard the two play together I was
like, "My god!"
Aaron: So did I. Rich and I just clicked really well like that.
Lauren: How do you combat nervousness before a show?
Aaron: Well, I get nervous, but I also get hyped up too. If you're not
nervous, then there's something wrong with you. I mean, we played for this
little girl's birthday party and still...
Jon: I always get nervous before a show. But like I said before, I use it.
Because if you're not nervous, you're just going to sit there like a bump on
a log. And sometimes you get these thoughts like, "What if I don't sound
right?", "What if I get a mucous build up and I can't sing through it?"
(laughs) People come up to me after shows and say "You did a good job." and
I say, "I did?" And you start realizing that the only person that thinks
you're bad is yourself.
Aaron: You should try writing his Biography sometime, if you don't spend at
least two hours on the computer i would be suprised...
Jon: Yeah, I don't shut up! (laughs)
Lauren: How did you guys meet and start playing together?
Aaron: We've been playing together for about 7 months now. But I've
beenplaying with Ralph (former second lead vocalist) for about 10 months.
Then we kind of fused with a band called Frayed. We've been through a few
bassists until we found Don.
Jon: Don was supposed to be temporary, but he worked out so well, we
decided just to keep him. He was good for our style, he was very technical.
We call him the cyborg. (Laughs) "No, don't turn that on Aaron!"
Aaron: I swear the guy has caught me too many times where I could have
blown up my amp or something. Cause I don't know stuff, I just play.
John: (Imitating Don) "Have you ever seen a fuse explode? No? Well then
keep going! You...dumb...bastard!"
Aaron: (Laughs Hysterically) Yeah, that's Don...
Lauren: What would you say is the best show you guys have ever played
together?
Aaron: Well, I had a good time in Albany, but my guitar kept going out of
tune. This show here is actually a fun show. We played a good show with
Felt Side Out at a skate park in York.
Lauren: First Capital?
Aaron: Yeah. But no one showed up. That wasn't fun, but we played a
really good show. Oh, wait, the best show we ever played was at a private
party at my house. It was just a bunch of friends.
Jon: I think one of the reasons that was the most fun was because I jumped
in the pool. I took everything off and was in my boxers just swimming, and
Aaron comes down and says "Come on, more people showed up and wanted to hear
our set, lets go." So I just took a towel and wrapped it on and went in and
sang.
Aaron: That's how people know us now, they say, "Is towel boy going to be
there?" (laughs)
Jon: And then right in the middle of the set Don ripped the towel out off.
He said he was going to try for more. I told him he would have died right
there. (laughs)
Lauren: Tell me a story no one knows about you.
Jon: Probably some of them have to do with the fact that I never wake
up.(laughs)
Aaron: Yeah, John is a night person. One time, he didn't even show up for
something and I called him and said, "Where are you AT?" And he said "I
just woke up." I was like, "I'm going to KILL YOU!" (laughs) Also, and this
is probably the weirdest thing that's ever happened. One time we got cited
for tresspassing during a photo shoot. Hell even the photographers were
cited.
Jon: (Groans) Oh yeah...
Aaron: We were doing a photo shoot, out in an old abandoned building. And
we didn't know we were trespassing, because it wasn't posted, and I guess
the neighbors called or something.
Jon: (In an old woman's country accent) "Them there kids are up there
partying. They probably got a case of beer. They're smoking that
pot...that wacky tobacky." (laughs)
Lauren: What is your favorite Insurgence song?
Aaron: "Don't Have Sex With Wild Monkeys." (laughs) It's an interlude! No,
actually, my favorite song is a new one we just wrote called
"Bitter Redundance". Its my favorite song emotionally.
Jon: My two favorite songs are emotionally, Forever and musically,
Reluctant. Reluctant is just skull crushing. It comes in with this sort of
jazz-fusion intro and then, BAM! It's there in your face. But Forever is a
song about some things that happened when I was little. It's really sad,
but every time we do it, it helps make me understand more of who I am.
Lauren: Do you guys have a web site?
Aaron: Yes, www.scevaband.com or the former insurgence website:
www.insurgence.cjb.net
Lauren: And a CD?
Aaron: Yeah, "Beginning the End". It's an EP. We're going to be recording
a new one soon, a full length.
Jon: Hopefully in January.
Aaron: The working title is "Imploding the Sky". We've got some great new
tracks we want to get out there. We're looking forward to it.