How did the recording go?
Austin: The recording went really well, as far as we got. We got about a third of the way through vocals and had to stop and come back home.
Why did you have to stop recording?
Austin: We didn’t know how we were going to break this to a lot of people, but our relationship with Mightier Than Sword records is over. RJ [RJ Crowder-Schaefer, Founder of MTS] is obviously falling upon some difficult times. I’m sure anybody who reads this interview or knows anything about Mightier Than Sword or likes Blink 182 will want to shank him on the streets of Brooklyn. He’s having hard times and he couldn’t accommodate us and left us a bit in the lurch.
Without divulging too much or being too cruel because he has his own problems, now we have our own problems because we have to fund our record by ourselves. By the time we found out that we had to fund it ourselves, we had dug a pretty deep debt that we didn’t think we were going to have to pay. So, we came home. We’re recollecting ourselves. It’s actually turning out to be a more positive thing. We’ve got to focus on the future and what’s going on. We’ve already got some stuff in the wings and we’re talking to people and doing what we need to do. We won’t slow down but we definitely did have to take a break and recollect ourselves.
So is Mightier Than Sword Records done?
We don’t want to speculate, but I don’t think RJ has much left to stand on as far as MTS goes. And seeing as how there were only a few acts on MTS that were actually touring, us being probably the number one act on there, I don’t think there’s much left for Mightier Than Sword. I don’t think it will keep going. Hopefully everybody gets their money’s worth and gets their records and RJ can get his stuff straight. In the end, even with the difficulty that we’ve come under, he’s still somebody that was a big part of our career for these last 2 years and he got us into some places where we didn’t think we’d go. We have love for him. We hope that everything works out for him, but we’ve got to focus on ourselves. And with the way he left us in the lurch, it’s kind of hard to give him any sympathy. The debt is a big thing. Another thing is that he was our manager at the time too, and now we’ve cut ties all around, so we kind of feel like a fresh new band.
Adam: In our mentality, it’s like we’re back at square one. It’s kind of shitty, but when you step back and look at the big picture, it’s not bad. We still have all of the connections and fans that we’ve made. Everything that we had going at that time is still going. It’s back to just the members of our band with no outside influence or outside help really. It’s stressful to think about, but it’s not a bad situation.
Austin: Before we started writing this full length, there was a lot of speculation about whether our former guitar player, Tim Desagun, would help us write the record. It ended up that I started predominantly writing the second guitar parts and working with Ryan Stokke on writing this album. And for three months while working on it, I wasn’t really focusing on what I do, which is sing. So I was getting stressed out going into recording because I only had little tidbits for every song. I didn’t feel like I had much of a leg to stand on as far as where each song was going. And it was going really well, working on each song with everybody, but now that we have some time off, Adam and I can sit down and beat the lyrics and vocal melodies into where we really want it to be. I get to concentrate on singing again.
Adam: Through all of the shit that happened, it is helping us put out the best possible record we can. That’s the upside that I see to everything that’s been pouring down on us right now.
Austin: Instrumentally, because of Paul and the dedication and time he took, it got as strong as it possibly could. We’re doing things on this record that we didn’t ever do on any other recordings, like six rhythm tracks for each song, like using different kinds of weird amps and stuff. Paul really pulled out all the stops. Sonically, we’re happy with it. Lyrically we just have to get it there which is coming together quicker than we thought it could. Hopefully this ends up making this record a thousand times better.
So when are you planning on going back into the studio to finish up the record?
Adam: Well, we’re doing a West Coast tour with Maker that’s going to be about 3 and a half weeks. So our goal initially was to get down and finish a few songs before we leave. I don’t think that’s going to happen now. But pretty much immediately after that tour, we’re going to go in and finish at least the handful of songs that people are wanting to hear already, in terms of labels. I don’t really know when we’re going to finish the entire thing. I’d like to say sometime in May, but realistically, probably June.
Austin: It’s hard for us because when it comes down to it, Last Call built itself on being a touring band. We love to put out records, and we’re excited to get this record out to people but ultimately we don’t want our touring to suffer. And because of the debt, we’ve had to pull back on stuff that we really didn’t want to pull back on for the summer. That’s really what is pissing us off the most. We try to focus on touring. Money-wise, we can’t joke around with this Maker tour. We have to batten down the hatches. But I think that May will be a reasonable idea. We have a couple of goals, and they’re all really easy as long as we focus.
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Our friends from Punks In Vegas have posted a lengthy interview with Last Call where the band discusses recording their upcoming debut album, leaving MTS, the label's current state, as well as recent line-up changes. Click the Read More… link to read and excerpt.
