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(Fall 2006) by George Dionne
When not attending classes at Louisiana State University, southern pop-rockers
The Terms are crisscrossing the country in support of their debut album
Small Town Computer Crash (read CD
review). When I caught up with the group,
they were just arriving the The Big Apple for the first time.
RIL: If I knew absolutely nothing about The Terms, how would you
describe the group’s music to me?
BL: It’s a southern indie rock, and each song tells a story. It’s
got classic rock roots. Our lead guitar player once described it as a modern
rock with a slant.
RIL: I’m a little confused about the release of your new album
Small Town Computer Crash. I reviewed a CD/DVD version of it in 2005 but
your record label said it was recently released. So what’s up?
BL: We came out with the DVD/CD in 2005 and we did
a ton of promotional things, but we didn’t really have a distribution.
You would have to get more of the details from the national record label.
Then the record label partnered
up with Icon Music Group, which is more of a distributor type organization,
and then they decided to release it nationally. It was an actual release
not just an independent label with a promotional CD.
RIL: Is the current version any different than the prior version?
BL: Yes, we took two songs off and put two new songs on. Some of the songs
were edited a little bit and some of the effects and strange sounds that
you herd on the first one were edited out.
RIL: Did you just take out the songs that you felt didn’t
work with the new album or…
BL: We took two songs that just didn’t fit
off; "Welcome to the Now Evo Devo” was put on.
RIL: What songs on the album are you particularly proud of?
BL: I’m a big singer-songwriter fan so my personal
favorite is “Gulf
of Tonkin.” “The Vampyer's Ball” has its wacky little different
touch.
RIL: Your album was produced buy Grammy Winner Greg Ladanyi, how
did that opportunity come about?
BL: We were opening up for a band called The Iguanas
in Baton Rouge. Someone approached us and said his sister was married to
Greg Ladanyi and he was
a manager/producer. You could say we were born lucky to be in the right place
at the right time. They said ok lets make a record.
RIL: What did you learn from Greg?
BL: I learned a tremendous amount from him. Everyone in the band was all
between twenty-two and twenty-four, and we were fairly inexperienced musically.
We have all been playing since we were little, but as far as the grand
scheme and professionalism goes, we picked that up from him. You know,
how to make a record, how to write a song, how to deal with each other
when we are making a record, and how to let each person express there creative
opinion without it raining on anybody else.
RIL: You sort of chronicled all that in your DVD release last year.
BL: Yeah we did. It sort of summed up Greg taking us
through the steps of making the record, and him taking us under his wing.
That DVD depicted
exactly how it was. Sometimes it was tough love, sometimes it was ‘man
you’re all doing a great job,’ and sometimes it was ‘nope
that’s not going to cut it boys - you’ll have to work harder’.
We owe him so much just for that experience.
RIL: Your album cover is kind of bizarre. What the significance behind the
imagery?
BL: As you listen to the whole record, there’s this female character
that kind of runs through the album. She pops up, and I mean, it’s
a female in there, but it could really be anybody. On the cover she can be
plugged in or thrown into the mix or taken out and fall apart just as quickly.
That’s how human beings get caught up and undone. Including ourselves
in the band!
RIL: Your song “Ransom Groove” appears in the independent
film by Kevin Spacey Minnie’s First Time. Were you approached
by them or did the label shop that song to them?
BL: To be honest I think it might have been a mutual
thing. I can’t
tell you. We just know that Minnie’s First Time and “Ransom Groove” were
going to be released. I really can’t tell you if they approached us
or we approached them.
RIL: Did you get to see the movie yet?
BL: I haven’t got to see the movie yet. I’m
dying to see it.
RIL: Do you know how they use the song in the film?
BL: They actually use it as the credit song, which
is actually a good place. We got really lucky on that spot. The movie ends,
and that’s the
song you remember; aside from the title song.
RIL: LSU was your Alma Marta, and they recently decided to use one
of your songs in there advertising campaign…
BL: They actually approached us, but we couldn’t find a song that fit
what they wanted to say. We suggested that we just write a new song. We were
pretty good a writing songs at that point. We can do it quickly, and get
the message across. So we threw a song together for them and got the LSU
marching band and choir to sing and play on it. They loved the name of the
song so much that they decided to use the name of the song for there ad campaign
slogan. So now there theme is called “Welcome to the Now.”
RIL: So did they give you a break on tuition for that?
BL: Man I have six hours left to graduate and I’m trying to pull some
strings because were going out on the road and playing the song. I should
get some credit for it. That’s my story and I’m going to stick
to it. I’m so close to graduating that if I could get a work study
with LSU that would be tremendous.
RIL: Are you majoring in music?
BL: I’m a business major. We have three business
majors, chemistry major, and one journalism major. Clyde wants to talk to
you for a second.
RIL: Ok
BL: Clyde’s the lead guitar player.
CH: How’s it going? (Sounding quite intoxicated,
but having fun)
RIL: Good, just talking about you going to LSU and helping them with there
theme song and them helping you with collage credits.
CH: Yeah, our band believes in education and the power of thought. We integrate
that into our music.
RIL: Which one are you, the chemistry major or a business major?
CH: I’m journalism major. I love to write. I’m
a creative writer and I like to write a little bit of poetry. I also like
to paint and create
stuff.
RIL: Do you write for anybody now?
CH: No, I just write on my own.
RIL: I do a lot of writing but I don’t have a degree.
CH: You don’t have to have a degree to write.
I was just interested in writing.
RIL: Do you think it helps your song writing?
CH: Yeah, yeah, it’s helped a lot with song writing;
like with the structure.
RIL: What going on in the backround?
CH: We just got in to New York City and we’re just all yelling at our
sound engineer. We’ve never been to the city so…
RIL: You’re in for a culture shock.
CH: Yeah were in for a culture shock. (Quickly changing
subjects) Do you have a favorite video that’s out now?
RIL: Do I have a favorite video that’s out?
CH: Favorite movie?
RIL: I’m hoping to catch the new Superman.
CH: Yeah, we’re all looking forward to that too.
RIL: Its either going to be really good or really bad. (Trying to
get back on some kind of music track) I really like your album. I think “Neutron
Bomb” is a great tune.
CH: Check out our second album, I think you’re
going to really like it.
RIL: I took a look at your tour schedule recently and you’re
playing show after show, but lots of small and obscure clubs throughout
the States.
Is that kind of discouraging?
CH: No not really. When you play clubs like that you
get your foot in the door and bide your time and pay your dues. Like in Jackson
and Little Rock
we’re getting to play some bigger clubs, so when we go on tour we try
to dip into the city’s and get to the places we haven’t been.
RIL: Have you ever played any really scary clubs?
CH: No, everything is really good; nothing real scary
as of yet. I can’t
tell you what’s in the future but…
RIL: You are all from Louisiana correct?
CH: Yes
RIL: Were any of you affected by the hurricane?
CH: Mike’s brother had to move his family. Ben’s
family was south of New Orleans, and his dad and mom had to work at the hospital.
(Clyde passes
the phone back to Ben)
RIL: So Ben, you guys having a good time or what?
BL: Yeah man, we always have a good time!
RIL: I was asking about the hurricane…
BL: It’s something that you have to get used
to if you live down there. You have to prepare yourself for it. When there
is a warning issued, you
heed the warning. People come together and they heel really well.
RIL: Has the band done anything to help the rebuilding efforts or contributed
a song maybe?
BL: We did a song that the city of New Orleans was
going to use for an ad campaign to get people to come to Marti Graz, but
it wasn’t used. It
was about bouncing back.
RIL: Does your hometown Baton Rouge have a big music scene?
BL: Baton Rouge has a good music scene, but not a great
music scene. It has the potential to be a really great music town, but the
type of town that
it is, a college town, tends to be more of a party area. People don’t
have the patience to go and sit and listen to new live music or new emerging
artist and stuff like that. They want to go get there dollar beer and dollar
shot, which has its advantages and disadvantages.
RIL: Clyde was saying this is your first time in New York City. What are
you looking forward to the most there?
BL: Well I have a girlfriend here so…but just
playing the city in general is incredible man. It is what it is, and there
are so many different kinds
of people.
RIL: What’s next for the band after the tour?
BL: Probably attending school again.
RIL: Got to get those last few credits out of the way. Are you
considering another album?
BL: Oh yeah, we’re actually going to do some new recording and were
always writing. We get down as much material as we can so we don’t
forget. We demo stuff and then when we decide on which songs we want to put
on the record, we really focus in on them and fine tune them. |
BEN
LABAT
