DEAD AND DIVINE
interview by livia
Dead and Divine, the young quintet from Burlington, (Ontario, Canada) have come a long way since their 2005 debut release of What Really Happened At Lovers Lane on Verona records. Extensive touring, a recently solidified lineup, and consistently solid shows have caught the eye of Portland based Rise Records. With a fresh label, and always evolving sound, the band is getting ready to enter the big time, with a new record scheduled to be released worldwide in 2008, and their first international tour, everyone is excited to see what is in store for these rockers.
The first attempt at a late-night interview with Kellan, Chris, and Dave, proved to be insightful, raunchy, and hilarious, but for the most part unsuccessful. I managed to wrangle in two of the boys for a second round, and our labours bore fruits that are awesome, juicy, and packed chock full of good things just for you!
Chris LeMasters: Gayfest part 2!
Livia: Who’s the top?
Chris: Kellan, he’s the smallest.
Livia: Alright, let’s not make this a repeat of last night.
Chris: We won’t, I promise. Papa Tobes is here.
Livia: Sweet. Introduce yourselves!
Chris: I'm Chris! I play guitar...and like I said last night, I also play the Taco Bell
Matt Tobin: I’m Matt, I sing, and don’t have anything clever to say… as of yet.
Chris: So how long have you been modeling for GodsGuys?
Kidding!
Matt: I’m a veteran, I’ll say that much.
Livia: I wish there was a GodsGuys, would you do it?
Chris: I don’t think I’d be invited…
Matt: I have love handles, and bad self-confidence issues.
Chris: I possess too much man.
Livia: Fair enough… so who are the members that are missing from the interview, and what do they do? how old is everyone?
Chris: Well, Kellan is busy watching some shitty movie. He plays bass, and wardrobe. Will is somewhere in the GTA smoking, he plays drums. Dave is on the phone yelling at his parents, he plays guitar and Bi-Polar. Oh, you want ages too, right? We're all 20, and matt is 19! He has a year until he grows big muscles and a cool beard like us. Then he can chop down trees and yell really loud like a real man.
Matt: Whatever.
Livia: Haha! OK now, tell me how the band started. How did you come up with Dead and Divine?
Matt: Alright....well I wanted to start a band pretty much all my life, but come high school I started getting serious. So, like, 5 years ago or something, I met Will (our drummer), him and I pretty much got the ball rolling. Over the years we lost and acquired new members, but always sought out to make this our life. We eventually met Dave through an old member, Kellan knew me, and Chris had always been kinda bumming around like a loser, following us everywhere. One day we told him to sell his drums and buy guitar gear and come on tour. And I think we currently have the most solid lineup we've ever had. Only we all get naked together a lot more too.
Livia: That’s not a bad thing!
Matt: Ill be brutally honest, at 14, coming up with Dead and Divine was just two cool words put together. We tend to tell people it means different things every time someone asks.
Chris: Haha! I didn't follow you fags around anywhere. I was Dave’s friend. I pumped iron, was jacked, and thought you were all tools. Oh, and I'd come to your practices and tell you that you sucked and should get better. Chris LeMasters band boot camp ensued as soon as I joined the band, then we toured lots and got signed.
Livia: So really Chris, you made the band.
Chris: In a roundabout way you could say that, yes. Haha!
Livia: So, tell me about all the major events in the history of the band since your final lineup formed; Labels, albums, tours, and all that.
Matt: We played with Silverstein a couple years back, and Shane Told (their singer) was really into the band, and he wanted to release our first record. We came up with our own Indie Label with him, Verona Records, and released our first album What Really Happened At Lovers Lane. Shane really helped get our name out there, a big kick start into the public eye.
Chris: The final lineup has been solid since last year, we did our first tour during the summer of 2006. We had an awesome time, and decided that we really wanted to make a point of touring as much as humanly possible. Things sorta just fell into place, I'd like to think we're a hardworking band, and I believe that shines through in what’s been happening for us. We've been lucky enough to join forces with Rise Records in the US, which we couldn't be more stoked on.
We just tour relentlessly; we’ve done 3 full Canadian tours, as well as smaller stints on the East Coast and throughout Ontario. We'll be releasing our next album on Rise Records internationally, and Verona Records in Canada. We're super pumped to finally get this stuff out, we've been working on these songs for a while now and it'll be nice to see things finally come together. We'll be doing it in Portland, Oregon, with Kris Crummet (The Devil Wears Prada, Catherine, Dance Gavin Dance). We're amped to be able to work with a solid producer like Kris, and we will be touring the US like nobodies business.
Matt: Hell yes!
Livia: That’s great! So, how has your sound progressed since your last album?
Matt: Well, every band evolves, and sometimes it can be a good thing or a bad thing. A lot of the songs written on our last record were written when were younger. I think our taste in music of the "metal" genre wasn’t very open, to say it plainly. Over time I think our sound has matured, new interest in lots of different music has really inspired our new songs, I think we've evolved for the better.
Chris: Yeah, I'd say we've definitely focused more on writing good songs, as a whole. We've spent more time writing songs that we'd enjoy listening to, personally, and I think that shows in the new stuff, it feels a little more natural.
Livia: How do the songs get written, what are the major influences in your sound?
Chris: Actually, for influences, we have a massive 10'x10' piece of paper that says "BADASS" in massive letters. We also have a picture of Oprah circa 1991. Whenever we write songs, we just look at those, Badass and heavy are two things we strive for.
Matt: Haha! A lot of the writing is done by Chris and I. In turn, we come up with songs and ideas, and pitch them to the band. Everyone has their views, their 2 cents, obviously. Everyone will write parts, or come up with better ways of delivery in songs, and it’s really a group thing in the end. For this record I’d say some of the influences of the sound would have to be (other band album-wise): Poison The Well - You Come Before You, and some riffs are very inspired by the new Smashing Pumpkins record. I’m sure everyone has their own influences, but those are mine.
Chris: I agree that we pull a lot of influence from those bands, I mean, it’s Poison The Well, how the fuck can you not like them?
Livia: Will the upcoming US tour be your first south of the border?
Chris: Indeed it will. We're really excited to finally have the means to tour down there. We've been waiting, and have had so many kick ass fans request that we come down. We just never had the ability… until recently! Canada can chill for a while, we're gonna have aural sex with the US now.
Livia: Sounds exciting, I’m jealous! What does a typical day on tour look like for the band, what do you guys like to do to pass the time in between shows and driving?
Matt: Haha! Sleep?
Chris: Sleep, 711 Chicken, Dave and I pinch each other alot when we're driving. A typical day usually consists of your body screaming at you until you wake up because the tin can you call a van is boiling you alive as soon as the sun rises. We'll usually argue for a while over what flavour of pop we should buy. I'll pinch Dave. Kellan will have already changed 8 times, and Will has already bummed a few cigarettes off kids.
Matt: But I mean, there are things you experience when in a van with 5 other dudes for a living. Feelings you’ve never felt, Hardships, Love, Brotherhood, smells you’ve never smelled.
Livia: Haha! Oh, I don’t doubt it. Is there one guy that always gets ragged on?
Matt: Either me, or Dave. Actually, I don’t know!
Chris: Or Will! Yeah, we all have our moments, for sure.
Matt: We all rag on each other pretty hard. Like… really hard!
Livia: Where have some of your favourite shows taken place?
Chris: A few of my personal favorites: Calgary, Dryden (Ontario), any hometown shows we do, and Sydney (Cape Breton). Any shows where the kids fuckin' go off get me stoked.
Matt: Yeah Dryden and Sydney are a blast. The kids are so dedicated, and supportive, it makes you feel like a rockstar.
Chris: And everyone knows that rockstars are cool!
Livia: I want to hear a really good tour story, tell me something funny or gruesome that happened on tour.
Chris: Oh god! We've had weird strippers in our vans, rolled vehicles, crazy moms in weird fake houses, blown up moose, me shitting myself in Staples. Huge jugs of home-made liquor, I made a girl drink vomit once, and her reaction made me puke. Crack heads tried breaking into our van while Dave and I were sleeping in it. Having roman candles shot at our van (sans gas cap), at a gas station! Van Wars, period.
Livia: Explosions?
Chris: None, thank god. Well, no fiery explosions… Other explosions though!
Livia: Speaking of explosions, who has the rankest farts?
Chris: Haha! Kellan, hands down!
Matt: Yeah, he doesn’t ever poo, so I think it just builds up inside him.
Livia: Have you ever lit them on fire?
Chris: Yes! We actually had a few months where we were super obsessed with blue angels. I’m not even kidding. We still are, kinda. We'd do them everywhere, and everybody got super good at them. We'd go to parties and just find kids to fart on our lighters.
Livia: That’s because they’re awesome!
Matt: Hahaha!
Livia: What do you think of GodsGirls?
Matt: Prettier girls than SuicideGirls… I don’t know there’s something GodsGirls makes holy about sexy naked girls with tattoos.
Chris: Pages of ridiculously gorgeous girls with tattoos and a hatred for clothing...I'm pretty stoked. I'll pay any hot girls with tattoos to hang out with me naked. Print that.
Livia: I’ll print it, and do it too! Haha! What is the best question you have ever been asked in an interview?
Chris: Um, it's probably been during this one… Last nights squirting/turn on conversation was good, Matt, you missed out on that.
Matt: I was probably masturbating before bed, so I’m not disappointed.
Livia: Haha, you missed out! Ok, any last words, plugs, anything?
Matt: Have a good time.......all the time.JERGIN! SHHHPLLLAEEE!
Chris: Check out Dead and Divine on Myspace (http://www.myspace.com/deaddivine), hit up Rise Records on Myspace (http://www.myspace.com/riserecords) and Riserecords.com, too! And definately check out Machete Premium Cuts Clothing, Styleblind Clothing, Rockett Clothing, and Fathom Clothing and buy some snazzy swag!
Matt: God damn! The first time I go to say something semi not serious, Chris has to get all serious and say something respective.
Chris: Fine.
SHHHRRRAMMMMMMBA!
As you can see, these guys are awesome, and lots of fun. To top it off, their music is really fucking good! Keep your eyes out for their next album release on Rise Records, and if you’re in the US, they may be playing a show near you! For now, check them out on Myspace at myspace.com/deaddivine, happy listening!
