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(Summer 2006) by George Dionne
Alien Ant Farm has faced a series of tragedies and set backs to rise from
the ashes like the might phoenix. The group recovered from a deadly bus
crash in 2002 that killed one and injured many others. If that wasn't bad
enough, that same year, Alien Ant Farm's record label folded. Holding true
to the fact that you can keep a good band down, the So-Cal rockers have returned
with their 2006 album Up in the Attic (read
CD review). In addition to their
comeback album, Alien Ant Farm released their first-ever DVD BUSted at the
same time.
RIL: If I knew absolutely nothing about Alien Ant Farm, how would
you describe the group’s music to me?
MC: Kind of rockin’ and groovin’. Melodic
yet sometimes heavy and sometimes soft.
RIL: You’ve probably mentioned this in numerous interviews before,
but where did the band’s name come from?
MC: Our old guitar player Terry thought of it. It’s
a tongue and cheek theory, Aliens put humans on the Earth, like a big Alien
Ant Farm.
RIL: You just released your third album Up In the Attic. How would you say
this album differs from your previous releases?
MC: I would say it’s a little bit more like our first album, but maybe
Dryden’s vocals are a little more mature.
RIL: You tapped Jim Wirt to produce Up in the Attic. He also produced your
indie release Greatest Hits. Why did you choose to go with him?
MC: Because we wanted to return to more of our rock roots. Jim kind of goes
back to what we originally were. On TruANT, we were kind of exploring more,
but Jim got us back in tradition with the band that we are.
RIL: What songs are you particularly proud of and why? You can’t say
all of them!
MC: “Bad Morning” because I like the fact that it’s
a 6/8 song and it still feels really rockin’.
I also like “Crickets” because it’s us ripping off The
Pixes and I like to do that. “She’s Only Evil” is another
great song….I don’t play the drums on it. We tried to make
a cohesive record and I think that is it.
RIL: Why is their no ANT or capitalized words in the albums title this time
around?
MC: There’s no particular reason. We probably should have tried to
keep in the the tradition, but there’s no reason why we ever did it
or didn’t do it.
RIL: Do you have any videos planned?
MC:
We had some videos planned, but I doubt that we’ll make a bigger
video. Videos don’t really get played a lot anymore.
RIL: Speaking of videos, on the same day you released the Up in the Attic
album, you also released your first DVD BUSted. Tell me a little about it.
MC: It pretty much has three sections to it. One is
all about the videos we’ve made in the past both released and unreleased. Another section
is a live concert from Germany. And the documentary section of the DVD is
a lot of bratty stuff, but also has some more endearing moments if you care
to follow the story. But mostly, it’s our singer getting naked and
crazy!
RIL: Your cover of “Smooth Criminal” really introduced
the band to the masses. Have you felt any pressure to release another cover
since
the first one was so successful?
MC: No, there’s no pressure and I’m not opposed to doing it. We’ve
always liked to play covers and if the proper song came, I wouldn’t be
opposed to the idea of covering it.
RIL: Alien Ant Farm was originally signed to Dreamworks Records,
but the label folded around the release of your second album 2003’s
truANT. How did this affect the group business wise and personally?
MC: It was something that was out of our hands. I
don’t expect that
many people reading this will be familiar with the way the music business
works, but them folding our label was pretty much folding on us and we were
pretty much on our own without the marketing to support us. Personally, it’s
a bummer because our good team we had working with us on the first record
was lost and we really felt that when they were gone.
RIL: To make matters worse, right around the same time the band
was involved in a serious bus accident that killed the driver and injured
several of the
band and crew members. Dryden Mitchell suffered a fractured C2 vertebra,
nerve damage, and some loss of motion. I know it seems redundant, but how
did this affect the group and you personally?
MC: We couldn’t play any shows and we didn’t know if we were
ever going to be able to play shows again. It was jilting. We were goofy,
fun guys who loved playing music and we hit a wall and didn’t know
what the future would hold.
RIL: Do you think you came out of this as a stronger person?
MC: I have to believe so because surviving makes you
stronger. The people that were severely injured would have to speak for themselves
because my
feelings are more directed towards the group and watching my friends go
through stuff. I don’t have to walk around with the repercussions
of the accident every day like Dryden does.
RIL: Is Dryden still having any problems as a result of the accident?
MC: Yes, Dryden has nerve damage that he describes as a constant sunburn
and tacks being poked into his head. I notice during our live performances
that he sometimes winces as he walks back to take a drink in between songs.
RIL: Up in the Attic was released by New Door Records; can you tell me a
little about the label and how you formed your relationship with them?
MC: We got pushed over to Geffen after Dreamworks folded
and then they dropped us after we made the record. We then got transferred
over to New Door and
the people that work at New Door continuously show a lot of heart for us
and truly believe in the band. We feel like we’re not just doing this
in a van anymore, it’s cool that these people have so much faith in
our music. There are some people out there still at major labels that are
down for the music.
RIL: Alien Ant Farm kind of got lumped in with the alt/metal band of the
late 90s. A lot of those bands have disappeared or have had trouble staying
relevant. What is your plan to prevent that from happening to Alien Ant Farm?
MC: Well, I guess that’s the way that any style
of music gets lumped into any category. We just try to stay an honest rock
band. Because our injuries
took us out of the spot light for a long time, I think we got lumped in with
those bands, but we were never really part of those clicks.
RIL: What’s next for Alien Ant Farm?
MC: Touring in the fall and hopefully more touring in the winter.
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MIKE
COSGROVE
