BAND: Norma Jean
INTERVIEWER: Liz Wise (liz@bandvibe.com)
INTERVIEWEE: Jake Shultz, Bass
DATE OF INTERVIEW: 11.16.06
BAND MEMBERS:
Scottie Henry - Guitar
Chris Day - Guitar
Cory Brandan - Vocals
Daniel Davison - Drums
Jake Schultz - Bass
BV: Your Album “Redeemer” came out 2 months ago. How’s it been doing? I saw it had hit #38 on Billboard.
Jake: It’s been doing awesome. It’s at about 50 right now on Billboard. We were really pleased. We weren't as concerned with this record as much as the last because we made this one for us. If people like it that’s cool but we weren't really trying to sell a record to get on Billboard or anything so it’s just really awesome that that happened.
BV: Putting the Polaroid pictures into some of the albums was a great idea. Who came up with that?
Jake: Yeah. When we were recording we took a little over maybe 300 Polaroids and wrote little things on them and they packed them in the first shipment. I came up with it cause I took a lot of the pictures and I thought it’d just be cool to give a bunch of Polaroids to the kids. Actually we were at the Hot Topic offices not too long ago and they had a bunch of copies of the album for us to sign and stuff and I opened on up and it had one in it. I felt like I’d gotten a golden ticket.
BV: What’s your approach to song writing? And how was it different in writing “Redeemer”?
Jake: I don’t know if there’s a typical approach for me. Everyone will have their little riffs and mixed tapes or record stuff into the computer and when we all get together we share ideas and it’s a group effort.
BV: What advice do you have for bands that really want to get out there and make a name for themselves? Specifically for fans with a similar sound.
Jake: Um… Work hard. That’s the only reason we got here. That and for some reason the kids like us. It takes a lot of hard work to have the best job on Earth.
BV: Is it really the best job? Even when you’re not touring or recording and if you’re struggling?
Jake: Yeah, it’s always the best job. It’s hard and can be a struggle but then you get to tour around the world. It’s totally a job because we had to work, we weren't just handed this. All the stuff for our show we’ve built, all our cabs and stuff.
BV: Yeah, your Ozzfest set was fairly unique, with all the cabs everywhere and twisted about. So who came up with that idea?
Jake: We did one of our videos, “Liarsenic”, where the background was like that. We did it while we were on tour in this little practice space and we just got all the bands’ cabs and speakers and just put it all against the wall however we could and said dude, we should just do that for a live show. So we built some while we were on Ozzfest and on our first attempt they were just big and heavy and kind of a pain. So we rebuilt everything and made them bigger but easier to carry, just hollow pieces. I mean everything that we do in our show we try to personally do. Like we have projection video in our show that Daniel edits. We try to be as involved as possible.
BV: What’s your favorite part of playing a show?
Jake: The reaction from the kids. They get so intense and to see them singing along feels great. And another thing is being up there playing cause I think playing live music is a feeling like nothing else.
BV: How do you warm up for a show? Do you need to get into a certain mindset?
Jake: It’s good sometimes if I feel like I need to but usually I’ll just lay down for maybe 10 or 15 minutes to let my muscles relax.
BV: What do you think of the ‘scene’? Who do you think starts the look (hair, clothes)?
Jake: I think it’s just from the kids seeing a band or something that looks cool. For us I don’t think we’re that much like everyone else. When you look into the crowd and see the bleach spots and swoop bangs, you know, none of us have any of that. Kids do that just because they see a band and it’s something they want to portray.
BV: So I was thinking how interesting it is that you can generally get an idea of what kind of music people listen to by the way they dress. It seems almost like a religion in the way that many people follow a certain scene or music group. What do you think it is about music that causes it to have such an effect?
Jake: Well, I think music is very spiritual. There’s something about music that isn’t like anything else. It’s not like driving a car or going to a baseball game. There’s a connection that can happen with your favorite band and something inside their music that moves you. And I feel like the push of the media behind even that will get something in the magazines and kids see it and think it’s just the coolest thing ever.
BV: Do you ever feel pressure to sustain an image (from record companies, etc.)?
Jake: Definitely not on the scale we deal with. It’s apparent with some other artists on other labels but it’s not something we’ve had to deal with and I don’t think we ever will. None of the bands we’ve toured with have really had to deal with that I think because a lot of the bands we’ve toured with came up from a Hardcore background and had started playing shows in their local town until they got enough money to get a van and tour to work up. Whereas a lot of major label bands just kind of get handed a contract.
BV: Is it even necessary to make the distinction that you guys are a Christian band? If you’re considered Metalcore does your personal faith even need to be mentioned?
Jake: I don’t think it is, some people really do though and that’s why it’s been brought up. And we would never deny it because it’s our faith and it’s what we believe in and it’s in our music some too. There is a tendency to be labeled, and you usually only hear about it when the band’s Christian. Like you never hear about the Buddhist metal bands or anything like that.
BV: Yeah, it seems like the bands like Deicide have always been ridiculed for being Satanic. And it makes people just automatically assume things about the band before even hearing them. Do you guys encounter that?
Jake: Yeah, there’s always that assumption. It can go both ways, “Oh they’re a Christian band I wouldn’t listen to them” or “Wow, they’re metal, so how can they be Christians?” Labeling just doesn’t really help anyone. Your music should be at the forefront.
BV: If you weren’t a member of a touring band, what would you be doing?
Jake: Um, probably either still be working in a salon like I used to or maybe in the music business like an A&R guy or something.
For more official information on Norma Jean, please log onto:
http://normajeannoise.com/
http://www.myspace.com/normajean
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