BAND: Cold Fusion
INTERVIEWER: Liz Wise (Liz@bandvibe.com)
INTERVIEWEE: The Entire band
DATE OF INTERVIEW: 07.23.06

BAND MEMBERS:
Mike Oliver- Vocals and guitar
Ryan Bishop- Guitar
Michael Detto- Drums
Taylor Ouellette– Bass

BV: Is this your first Warped tour?
Mike D.: No, this is our second. We were on it in ’03, now we’re here in ’06.

BV: Do you think Warped Tour has changed any?
Mike D.: Not really, I’ve just noticed the global warming. It gets hotter each year.

BV: How hard was/is it or what was it like looking for a record label?
Mike D.: No we’re still looking.
Taylor: Do it yourself, that’s what we do.
Mike D.: We’ve been approached by smaller labels who can’t really do much for us. We’ve known some really talented bands who just got screwed because they signed with these labels that don’t have the means to take you where you need to go. That’s why we’re not going to sign with a label that has no money.
Mike O.: We’ve got an endorsement and I think that works great.
Taylor: We’ve done it ourselves and can continue to until that guy comes along with a million bucks ya know.
Mike D.: And this way we keep all of our rights.

BV: Do you have any advice for bands getting started?
Mike D.: Don’t give up your rights. And don’t settle just to get signed to a record label.

BV: How did the current line-up come together?
Mike D.: Stealing from other bands, word of mouth, luck of the draw.
Taylor: Desperation. They called me out of the blue on day and I said alright and it was magic…

BV: Do you enjoy touring?
Mike D.: Oh yeah, it’s a dream you know. Taylor: We love it. Different hotel room every night, different people

BV: Is it better to tour on your own or as part of a festival such as this?
Mike D.: On a huge tour like this you get so much more exposure.
Taylor: Especially on Warped Tour. You meet a lot of people and a lot of other bands that you never would have otherwise.

BV: Where’s the most interesting place you’ve been?
Mike O.: Chicago.
Taylor: Today’s pretty good too. (Denver) The smaller towns seem to have a better vibe for us.

BV: Any great stories from the tour so far?
Taylor: We hit a cyote one night. I had a urine soaked mattress at one hotel.
Mike: I saw a guy get picked up while still in the Port-a-potty.

BV: Any recording plans?
Taylor: We’re always thinking of stuff. We just released “Wrap it Up”. We did it with producer Toby Wright. He’s worked with bands like Korn, Sevendust, Alice In Chains.
Mike D.: Actually our song “On Our Own” was featured on Tourgasm, the show with Dane Cook. He heard us on the Zippo Hot Tour last year and shot us an email wanting to know if he could use the song. If he likes it you will too, cause he’s a funny dude.

BV: So how are you guys getting these bigger names like Wright and Dane Cook to work with you without the help of a label?
Mike O.: Well the guy who hooked us up with Toby Wright was Chris, he was in a band called Stabbing Westword. I don’t know if you remember them, they were pretty big back in the ‘90s. He happened to see us one night and dug us.
Taylor: Talk to everybody you meet and as many people at shows as you can because you never know. Make friends with everybody along the way.
Mike D.: But be a gentleman too, don’t be a jerk.

BV: How would you describe your music?
Mike D.: Just rock and roll. And we’re very high energy.
BV: So what do you think of the whole Emo movement right now?
Taylor: It’s cool, but I think that just like with any of those less popular genres of music, it just overdone. Once something gets real popular everyone would rather jump on the bandwagon then do their own thing.

BV: Influences?
Mike O.: The band that even got me interested in everything was Nirvana.
Taylor: I’d have to say the Deftones and Eric Clapton.
Mike D. : I can pinpoint the song, baby. It was Greenday’s “Basketcase” of the Dookie album. The drummer was just pounding on those things, like in the music video in the insane asylum. That was one of the coolest things I’d seen

BV: Any plans for after Warped Tour?
Mike D.: We’re headed over to Japan after this tour.
Mike O.: Then hopefully we get voted in on the Zippo Hot Tour to open for Papa Roach.
Ryan: Last year we got second in the nation so this year we’re hoping to win it.

BV: Who are your favorite bands of the moment? Who’s in your CD player?
Mike D.: I got the latest Taking Back Sunday record. That’s what I’ve got on my iPod now.
Mike O.: Lost Profets and Hoobastank.
Ryan: Tool

BV: What is one question you would ask yourself in an interview? Answer…
Mike D: “What’s your favorite position? Can I give you a million dollars?” (Laughs) No, some questions are staples you get asked all the time and some are funny, some are scary.
Taylor: “How’s the food?” The catering on this tour rules by the way.

BV: What would you like to tell your fans?
Mike O.: We love em.
Taylor: We couldn’t be here and doing this without them.
Mike O.: Vote for us at Zippohottour.com.
Mike D.: Make sure you guys “Wrap it Up”.

For more information on Cold Fusion, log onto:
+http://www.coldfusionband.com
+http://www.myspace.com/coldfusion
+http://www.purevolume.com/coldfusion
+http://www.zippohouttour.com