Elias

By: Debbie

Brian and Rob sit down for coffee and a chat with popYOUlarity

popYOUlarity:How much pressure do you guys put on yourselves?
Elias:A ton— definitely way too much. Enough so that we can barely sleep at night, and are shaking through out the day.

popYOUlarity:Is that pressure what you need to keep you going?
Elias:We are perfectionists about our music, so approaching it with that much pressure is a necessary thing. We don’t really know any other way. We put a lot of pressure on the background stuff. Writing is a pressure on its own, but we put a lot of pressure on getting stuff organized, like emails out, websites updated, and press. There are a lot of behind the scenes stuff that we put a lot of pressure on. It is very daunting some times.

popYOUlarity:At the level you are at, do you feel the pressure that this is your one big shot and you have to do something with it?
Elias:Yeah, there a lot of opportunities that you don’t want to waste. You feel like if you do not get it right the first time that it is not going to work. We worked really hard to try to get it to work the first time. It has been years since we thought of releasing this album, so we want to do it right.

popYOUlarity:What is one characteristic that you think a person must have in order to make it in this business?
Elias:Organizational skills. You have to keep on top of everything: emails, schedules. If you don’t stay organized and work on the right things, than it can almost kind of be in vain. That is probably key.

popYOUlarity:Were there any particular albums you were listening to before you started the recording of the album?
Elias:We listened to a lot of Matt Good band albums. That is kind of what we wanted our album to sound like, with that production. We listen to a lot of British bands like Coldplay. Also a lot of indie stuff like Interpol and Stoned Roses. The Police.

popYOUlarity:What is your most vivid recording studio moment and do you have a worst moment?
Elias:It was pretty fun recording the strings. We had pretty much everything else recorded, and it was just a matter of putting the beautiful layer of strings on top of what we already had. We already had the recording to what we thought was really good, and that added just another monumental step on top of what was already there. That was enjoyable. Also, those days where you are locked in the studio for like six days in a row and you are there for practically twenty-four hours. They all kind of just blur into one day and you’re almost loopy sometimes and you run around like little kids, play jokes, and get in mock fights with our producers. That kind of stuff is what really stands out; the fun times recording. You also get to the point where you are fighting over the stupidest thing, like one little note or one little pause when you’re mixing the recording and everyone is fighting over it. It is the most insignificant detail, but you think at the time that it is so important and that it is the most vital point of the album. Mixing is the hardest thing to do. We have huge fights. The producers would yell at us because they have a vision, but we have a vision and don’t want it to sound like their vision. There were some heated moments in the little control room, and those are the worst.

popYOUlarity:Can you talk a bit about the artist growth that you have had since the start of the recording process?
Elias:We are definitely into different music now, so we want to keep going into different directions. We are listening to some weird stuff now and has definitely lead to the growth from writing the class first-chorus pop song to trying new ideas, and using different instruments. When you’re recording you get into a lot of production ideas that you start to think of before the fact, rather than after the fact. So, when you’re recording you’re thinking of vocals and things that could go over top, or back up vocals. I think we are doing more of approaching that ahead of time rather than during the recording process. We’re now thinking of dynamics ahead of time, before it comes down to mixing.

popYOUlarity:What was the main goal going into this album?
Elias:To make an album that we were all proud of, and that caught the essence of all the songs we had already written, and that was cohesive, and that people would be able to listen to over and over and enjoy. Also, just something that really passed our high standards of perfection that was mentioned before. We did not want to have any filler. Sometimes you listen to an album and there are songs you skip. We hate that when we listen to CDs. A goal was trying to write an album with each song being good in its own way and hopefully nobody will skip over a certain song.

popYOUlarity:How does your creative process work for you? Do you have to sit down in your space to do it, or is it just a matter of when inspiration hits you?
Elias:It changes. It is always different. Sometimes we’ll go back and forth and work on piano and guitar, or sometimes you will end up with everyone there for ideas. Or, you can just jam on a riff or drum beat. It is always different song to song.

popYOUlarity:What is the best advice you’ve ever gotten from a song?
Elias:The best one is Josh Groban-- don’t give up. There are lots of good lines from Phil Collins too, like “You Can’t Hurry Love.” Definitely Josh Groban for sure.

popYOUlarity:Nobody is perfect; people often make mistakes. What do you think on of your biggest mistakes has been so far?
Elias:Trying to be in a successful band and putting all our energy into it (laughs). A lot of time being in bands you put a lot of faith and trust in people. Over the years a lot of people come out of the woodwork and you want to succeed and you’ll take their help. Sometimes people visions are different and their help kind of fades away over time.

popYOUlarity:What is the hardest lesson you have learnt so far in the entertainment industry?
Elias:Things take time. They take a lot of time. Nothing happens over night. Patience is a tough thing. We have had a few bad experiences with people who want to help you out and it ends up being a big fiasco. I think we are a lot more cautious entering into working relationships with people outside the band.

popYOUlarity:What are you looking forward to this year?
Elias:A lot of touring, hopefully. A lot more press and getting the album well known across Canada. Doing some videos, and getting some better shows. Also, getting a little more of a buzz going here and abroad; we’re just taking it step by step.

popYOUlarity: At this point, what do you fear most?
Elias:That all this work is in vain, and never finding love.

popYOUlarity:In the big picture how would you like people to view your music?
Elias:Being fairly timeless would be nice, and not something people can listen to and think “That is so 2007.” We hope that people can relate to the songs, and get emotionally moved by some of them.

popYOUlarity:Do you have anything you would like to say to the readers of popYOUlarity?
Elias:Go to our website and check out our CD. We hope you like it. Give us a chance!

+ February 8, 2008

Photo: Darcy Fettback

Links:
Official Site