| THE ALMOST's 'Monster Monster' - with AARON GILLESPIE. |
| Written by Shahlin Graves |
| Monday, 01 March 2010 23:32 |
 In 2006, AARON GILLESPIE of UNDEROATH fame created an outlet for his less scream-y, more sing-y, pop sensibilities. "Probably at the beginning or the end of 2006 - it wasn't any chain of events or anything. I just wanted to make standard rock and roll music. The Almost afforded me to do that - just the style, really. It's a style thing and just the challenge of seeing if I could do it on my own was another issue - but it's been really great!" What may have once started as a side-project for the Floridian native, Gillespie now feels has come into it's own. "With this record - compared to the last record - it's definitely come into it's own identity for sure. Technically, it would be classed as a side-project - because we are playing alongside of Underoath as the main gig - but, I feel that The Almost is not a side-project." Although Gillespie wrote all of the songs and played all of the instruments on THE ALMOST's debut album 'Southern Weather' himself, he was determined to make the band's follow-up outing a collaborative effort. Having thoroughly road-tested new comrades Jay Vilardi, Dusty Redmon, Alex Aponte and Joe Musten - song ideas were e-mailed back and forth between band members, as Aaron was away on tour with Underoath. Finally, 'Almost songwriters Vilardi, Redmon, Aponte and Gillespie were able to knuckle down in the studio to fine-tune and finish writing the new album. Gillespie is quick to reassure that he doesn't feel like the songs lost anything in translation from the members not being able to pen their original ideas together. "It was a great time, we had a good time making the record. It was definitely part of a painless thing and we had a good time doing it for sure. We wrote in the process together using technology, but we were in the studio all together. So, I don't think we lost much."  Calling from Charleston, South Carolina, Gillespie explains that although he didn't originally set out to write a concept album, the 'Monster Monster' theme took on a life of its own. "I definitely didn't intend to. But I think it has - and it's just a product of the way we worked at the time and the vibe we were having during this record. We had the feeling of a Southern vibe and I feel like it all came together. But it wasn't official." From songs like first single 'Lonely Wheel' - "it's a story-song. All of the record ties together with the monster theme - trying to get the negativity out of your life and find hope and grace within that. That song in particular, is a narrative about a guy stuck in a situation, it's no-one in particular, just kinda vague." - to the call-to-arms public service announcement of 'Hands' - "an anthemic track that talks about social change and realising that you haven't lost your life and reaching out for hope from it, to escape." Gillespie returned to New Zealand with Underoath this Summer, but The Almost missed NZ on their current Soundwave Music Festival adventures. "I'd like to! But it's a very, extremely expensive trip for the American to get there. But I would love to do it one day, absolutely. We're doing Soundwave but we're not going to be able to get to New Zealand on the way. I wish we could." Aaron was however, very excited about his artist workshop he had been asked to host at Noise Conference, at Parachute Music Festival. "I'm really excited about it. I've never done anything like that before - so it's sort of the unknown. I'm really, really excited about it actually." Having drummed in Underoath since the sprightly age of fourteen, Gillespie is a bit of an 'old soul' now at twenty-six. "I feel old in terms of this music scene, absolutely." He also identifies with the world's other ancients, listing dinosaurs as his favourite kind of monster - (yes, he knows they're not technically monsters) - and with great reluctance, vampires as his monster of preference. "Being a vampire sounds fun because you could live forever, but it also sucks 'cuz you have to stay asleep during the day and you have to kill people to live. So, I'd probably be a... I dunno. Being a monster would be horrible. Being a werewolf would be horrible... and it looks painful." But what about 'Twilight', I goad... Gillespie retorts with - "Yeah. Sparkly and beautiful." That doesn't sound so bad, surely? Gillespie humours me - "No. I guess not."  COUP DE MAIN: Why did you decide to call the album 'Monster Monster'? AARON GILLESPIE: It's a long story, but I love the imagery behind the idea of calling an album after monsters. But also, it talks about the darkness that exists in every persons life - getting that darkness out there and finding great hope for that darkness. I feel like it's something that everyone can relate to. CDM: How can we try and escape that internal monster? GILLESPIE: I think it's different for every person. For some people it might be running, for some people it might be playing music, for some people it might be... the list is endless. But I think it just depends on the person and what kind of situation you're in. CDM: You've said that - "music should reflect who you are. I believe there's hope in finding who you are." - What are your thoughts on social stereotypes that persuade people to base their identity upon the reflections of others, therefore leaving themselves susceptible to the musical preferences of their peers and judgements... GILLESPIE: I think that situation is evident and obvious - it's always going to exist. It's always going to happen. People are always going to social I.D. each other, people are always going to put a stereotype on each other. When you were a kid, you probably wanted to be somebody else one week and somebody else, the next week. That's the natural progression of life. It's an unfortunate thing, but I think it's the truth. I try to tell people everyday, just to do what they want to do. Not, what they feel like is the obvious thing to do. It's hard, but I think that's the closest you can get. But I don't know how close you can really get. These days, it's just such a cold climate and day, that we're in. But, I think that we're making headway as humans on the search. I hope we are, at least. CDM: True, or false? You were born blind in one eye and colour-blind in the other? GILLESPIE: I'm almost blind in my left eye - and I'm not colour-blind in the other. There's a big rumour that I'm colour-blind in my left eye, but I am almost legally blind in my left eye. It doesn't really bother me because I've never seen otherwise... I was born that way and it's a type of disorder where it's non-reversible by medical procedures. There is a bit of an up and coming medical procedure but it's quite experimental and I'm kinda scared of it. But I've never really had proper sight out of my left eye, so it doesn't really affect me. You know what I'm saying? It wasn't like I was sixteen and got hit in the eye - and it changed. It's just always been that way, so it doesn't really bother me. I've been that way for a long time, so I don't really focus on it, or think about it much.  CDM: Track ten 'Want To' - from 'Monster Monster' - discusses separating fact from fiction. Why are the two so easily confused? GILLESPIE: Because it's the world we live in and the media. The internet and everything - creates a bit of a découpage - a facade. I think that's the reason why. CDM: The lead single from the album 'Hands', opens with the lyrics - "I'm not afraid, to make big mistakes." Is this is a sentiment that's really important to you? GILLESPIE: I think it's important to be honest. I think a lot of people cover up the dirt in their life, to meet somebody, or make people think they're someone they're not... and that line, is literal - speaking in the sense of - you can't be afraid of your past and ashamed of that. You just have to embrace everything in your life. CDM: Who came up with the concept for the amazing 'Monster Monster' album artwork? GILLESPIE: A guy named Roberto Chamorro, he's a photographer. He wanted some mask-type things built and his friend actually fashioned them for us. I'm really excited about it... I didn't have much to do with it to be honest. I knew the vision he had and the idea he had to do them, but we didn't have much to do with the actual construction of them at all. CDM: The album opens with the song 'Monster Monster' and closes with the song 'Monster'. Was this a deliberate decision to bring the songs full circle? GILLESPIE: The first song is a declaration, to figure the situation - you want to escape from it... and the end - the last song, the last track 'Monster' is sort of like the answer to that and how. I'd like to think it is a hopeful situation. I want people to be able to find hope in it.  CDM: Tell me about the culinary competition you held while promoting the new album... GILLESPIE: We picked a winner and it was a really fun opportunity to go hang out and cook a meal. The entries were video entries and each person made a dish. We picked the winner - and the winner we picked is actually a culinary student in culinary school. In America it's extremely strict, it's very much like almost military in feeling. So he wasn't able to miss school, to make the contest. He had to take a test or something - and there's a law in America when you have a contest running, that you're not allowed to pick a secondary winner, so it actually never happened because of that. CDM: Would you ever re-run the competition? GILLESPIE: I would like to. It's just unfortunate, 'cuz we have to have a totally different contest. It can't be the same thing. CDM: What is it about cooking that you love so much? GILLESPIE: Everything. It's an extension of the soul. It's like music, people need it to survive. It's a great social, non-barrier. It's a wonderful thing. I love everything about it. You're really putting yourself into something and letting some-one eat a piece of you. And I love that, so much. CDM: You even started your own 'Foodisms' blog! GILLESPIE: Yeah for the reasons above, really. I get to travel and eat in a lot of new places, so it's fun to write about it and talk about it. CDM: Do you read a lot while on tour? What would you currently recommend? GILLESPIE: I do. I read probably three or four books per tour actually. It's the Winter for me, so... I've been reading a book called 'Salt' which is the world history of salt and is a real eye-opener. Donald Miller's 'A Million Miles In A Thousand Years' is incredible. Rob Bell just wrote a book called 'Jesus Wants To Save Christians' and that book is pretty incredible too. That's a good three for your Summer there. CDM: What's the most important advice you'd like to pass on, from your twelve years of making music professionally? GILLESPIE: Being real in everything you do. Play music because you want to mean something by it. Don't just do it because you get girls, or because you think it'll get you money and girls - or anything like that. Do it because you believe in it and because you want to be real with the world. I stand by that advice.  |
