Thieves and Liars interview

Thieves and Liars are from San Diego, California and play a style of music that is largely influenced by classic hard rock/metal bands. They recently released their debut “When dreams become reality”. I interviewed Guitarist Corey Edelmann to find out more about this band, their album and their plans.

MM-Tell us a little about your band's history and who you guys are.
CE--- I started the band 6 years ago with the idea of doing a heavy rock and roll band, it took years before I found the right guys, Joey and Kyle have been in it for about 3 years now.



MM-Who came up with the band name and why was it selected?
CE---- It was an idea by one of the old members Ryan, he felt like a lot of people were judging him, he liked the idea that we are all thieves and liars and not as good as we think we are, so we shouldn't be so quick to judge others.



MM-Your album "When dreams become reality" is a concept album about the story of Joseph. Why did you decide to use this particular story for your album?

CE--- It was an idea that I had for a long time. I liked the idea of doing a concept record on a story that everyone already knew instead of making up something. I think it is harder to tell a story musically that way, it is almost like writing a score for a movie. The reason I chose that story is because I have had a very troubling time in the last years, the 3 names that the record is dedicated to are my son, mother in law, and best friend, who all passed away in one year. When you read the story of Joseph you see life being very cruel to him, things go from bad to worse, but you never see him give up or become jaded, he never turns his anger toward God but just keeps moving on, It has been very inspiring for me.



MM-Your Myspace page says that you worked several years on your album. What was the writing process like? Did you break the story down first and then assign parts to each song or did you just start with the beginning and work from there until it was complete?
CE--- We just started writing songs and knew what the feel for each chapter of the story was like, so when we had a song we would say "hey that might work for this part" and so on. We wanted the most aggressive song for "betrayed by blood" and the saddest songs for Joseph's time in jail. The title track took a long time to find. How do you show the epic feel of his dreams becoming reality? Overall I am very happy with how it turned out. We may not have written any hit singles but I think we did a good job telling the story musically.



MM-Your album has a rather 1960's/1970's feel to it. Did you use any equipment or techniques in the studio to achieve the sound?

CE ---- Ya we did. We recorded to tape at half speed(15 ips) and we recorded the drums mostly with overhead mics and couple of room mics and snare and kick mics instead of micing each drum individually. The bass and one rhythm track were also tracked at the same time as drums so we did most of the record live. Seven long years you can even hear me switching my toggle switch after the solo to go back into the rhythm. Vocals were done with pro tools to save time and money.



MM-How long did the album take to record and produce?
CE-- We started in April of '07 and finished in July. We weren't working every day because we did not have a lot of money to record the record so the studio just gave us whatever time they could afford to give us for the price we could pay.



MMWhat was the most difficult aspect about making this album?
CE---- Waiting. Everything just kept getting pushed back. It all worked out but it got frustrating during the process.



MM-What has been the response to your album so far?
CE--- Like any new band there will always be mixed reviews. We get both good and bad reviews but that is just how it goes. Every band when they first come out is always just compared to the bands they sound similar too, for some that is good or bad. Nothing is original, and with rock music there are far less bands than say metal bands. So for those few rock bands it almost seems people are more critical that we sound like this band or whatever. As if there has been a metal band in the last 20 years that is doing something different. Eventually if the band has success, ironically they are the point of reference. Like Coldplay is no longer a Radiohead rip off, now bands are a Coldplay rip off.



MM-How did you come to get signed by Facedown records?
CE-- Jason Dunn is along time friend of mine and I really respect his business ethics, which is rare is the record industry. We tried to get a deal with a major at first but they are all dying right now, so an independent seemed the logical route and working with Jason was an easy choice, but so people did not just affiliate us with his hardcore bands he chose to start a new imprint called dreamt and we are his first signing.



MM-You have a few tour dates set for the spring, mainly in California. Are you going to tour this summer and is there any chance you will make it to the East Coast?
CE-- Our goal is to tour everywhere, but we want to do it the right way. If we can get on a good tour we will be out there for sure. But gas is too expensive to just get in a van and head out to shows.



MM-What are you doing that sets you apart from other bands today?
CE -- I don't know, uhhhh. Every band has its own unique way of doing things. I like being a rock band that is more hessian sounding but still having a classic rock vibe. I like that we could play on a tour like Ozzfest, a lot of the rock bands out right now are not hess enough for that. But we are not doing anything new, no one is, its all the same 12 notes just re-packaged in a new shiny cover, over and over. We stand out right now because there are not as many bands doing what we are at the moment, but there is nothing new under the sun.



MM-What is the club scene like in the San Diego area? Are there any great unsigned bands there that we should know about?
CE--- The Delta Spirit just got signed, but they are the best thing to come out of SD lately. Dirty Sweet are awesome. There are a lot of good rock bands but the music scene is difficult here, too much going on so its hard to get people out to shows, always has been, unless you are already huge nationally, then there might some people out.



MM-Having done a debut that's over an hour long and a concept album, does this put any pressure on you for your next album to be along the same scale? Have you started writing any new songs yet?
CE-- It took us so long to get that album out we are already anxious to get into the studio and get another album out. We have already started writing. The next album will be different because we just want to write an album of good rock songs which is very freeing. The last album we would have some good songs that just did not fit the story so we passed on them. We have a handful of great songs that we just couldn't use for the last album. Now we can just write 20 good songs and pick the best ones for the album, like everybody else. I want to do a couple covers on the next record too. Well see what happens.



MM-Pick the band from the following pair that you prefer and tell why.

CE-

Black Sabbath or Deep Purple-- Sabbath, more hess.



AC/DC or Thin Lizzy -- AC/DC, more hess.



Aerosmith or Van Halen.--- Aerosmith, more rock and roll.



Led Zeppelin or Pink Floyd. ----Wow that's the hardest question I have ever had to answer, those are my too favorite bands and I never know which one I like more. I'll go with the Zep because they are more hess.



MM-Is there anything else that you would like to say about your band or your music?

CE--- Listen to our whole album at least 3 times before you decide whether you like us or not. We are the type of band that grows on you.



http://www.myspace.com/weareallthievesandliars



***Thanks to Corey for doing the interview.