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Hollywood Lies
Myspace Hollywood Lies has just finished recording their first album with producer/engineer Casey Crescenzo (of The Dear Hunter) , and has posted a new song called "This Must Be Love" on PureVolume from their forthcoming album, "Building An Empire". They will be a featured band on PureVolume January 14th-18th, where they will be streaming more new tracks off the album. Amber: Introduce yourself, and tell us about Hollywood Lies. Mathew: Hello! My name is Mathew David Barletta, and I play guitar and sing in Hollywood Lies. We're basically just a couple of guys who Like to make music and want to go on tour full time. Amber: I have to ask, How did you come up with the name Hollywood Lies? Mathew: The name Hollywood Lies comes from basically me sitting on my couch a few summers ago and watching virtually nothing but E! Celebrity news. And to be honest, it kind of just freaked me out. People were idolizing these musicians and movie stars and it's all crazy and unnecessesary. Not to say that I'm completely innocent, but at the end of the day, they're just people like you and I, you know? Their job is just a bit more glorious than a nine-to-five. But it's rubbish, really, and people shouldn't worship anyone like that, in my opinion. So that's where the band name came from. Amber: You are planning to release "Building An Empire" in early 2008, tell us about the album and how the recording went? Mathew: We're planning to release the album early '08, and we're stoked for it. I'm actually down in Rhode Island right now doing some vocals and finishing up. Casey and I are just hanging out right now taking a break, and talking about weird things like how he should make a hip-hop song, and sample a speak and spell for the beat haha. Lots of gay jokes the whole time, really. But no, recording with him has been great. We did three songs about six months ago, and now we're back to finish up four and an acoustic track (hopefully). It's just been a slow process because I keep getting sick and it's really hard to record vocals when you're hurting your voice. But Johnny is, in my opinion, a fantastic drummer, and watching him record his parts, as well as writing with him is something I've always enjoyed. Mike has consistantly been writing bass lines that I truly enjoy, and that play in the best interest of the song. His style is definitely unique and all his own. And I've just had a blast working with Casey. He's a supoer hard working guy, and has just shown us how to make the songs the best they can be. He isn't writing the songs for us (although he did contribute a few parts here and there), just showing us how to be the best band we can be. Amber: Is there a song you've heard on the radio and was like, Man I wish I wrote that song? Mathew: Oh wow, this is a really good question. I don't really listen to the radio much anymore, but I'm a pretty big Saves The Day fan. And every time I thought I had written the coolest chorus of all time, it was always the chorus to "A Drag In D Flat" by Saves The Day. Which is funny, because that song is actually a b-side. But aside from that, I can't really think of anything that I wished I'd written. Amber: Tell us how the song "You know Damn Well" came to be? Mathew: "You Know Damn Well" is basically how I sort of realized that I was using alcohol as a means to getting over a problems in my life, and how that really wasn't a good idea at all. I think it's a common trend amongst teenagers, and I felt like it was definitely something worthy of writing about. It's not necessarily about one relationship or freindship. It's kind of a metaphor, really. I remember walking to take a shower one day, and that first line of the melody came to me - "You know damn well why we don't talk anymore". And I worked on it a bit more, actually just singing to myself in the shower, and then finished it later that day. That was probably the first song we had finished out of the three that we went in to demo. Amber: If you could change one thing about the music business what would it be and why? Mathew: I suppose that I would rather not have labels. But it's kind of hard to say that, because most bands don't have the means to get themselves off the ground financially to do things correctly.It's crazy. So many musicians, myself included, are entirely about the music. But at a point, if you want to make this something that's not just a hobby, money has to play. and that's always been such an uncomfortable subject for me, you know? I would love to be able to play shows for free, and give our albums and shirts away and everything else that we can. But when it turns in to a job is something I'm a bit afraid of. I don't want to price gouge, which is why we're going be selling our album and shirts for super cheap. I think an $8 t-shirt and a $5 7-song album in nice packaging is just about the cheapest we can do without losing money. And you know, if somebody really digs the band and the music and they go, "Guys, I loved your set! I wish I had enough money for your album," well, I'll probably just email it to them or something. Because that person is going to be stoked and we're going to now be friends with that person, and they'll tell their friends to come to our next show, and that's really what it's about. Making friends. Talking to people at shows and online is a way more effective means of promoting your band than throwing a ton of cash ad some big advertising company and hoping people dig it. When was the last time you saw a full page ad in a magazine by a band you had never heard of and you went and checked them out? I know for me, it's very rare that happens. Amber: What is the most ridiculous rumor you heard about Hollywood Lies? Ridiculous rumor? Mathew: Hmm, I don't know, to be honest. That we're good? Haha. No, I think the most ridiculous thing, to me, that I had heard so far was that we were hyping ourselves up a lot. Which I just think is really funny, because I've always made it a point to be really humble about anything we've done. I've got friends in bands who will come up to me and say, "Man, we just recorded and, you've got to hear it! It's the best thing you'll ever hear, we're amazing!" And I just have to laugh. If your band is THAT good, people will tell you, and you won't have to resort to telling them that you're amazing. Amber: For someone who's never been on stage, explain how it feels to perform in front of many people? Mathew: It feels amazing! We just started playing out, and had our first show the other night, so that was a big rush. I've been in and out of bands before and played for 20 people and have played for 200 hundred people. And each time it's different. It's super scary to a certain extent. I suppose the best thing to liken it to is a roller-coaster. To me, it's so much fun, but it's also super scary to put that much of yourself up there. And to see people clapping and singing along is amazing. We haven't gotten to that point, haha, but maybe some day people will clap for us and sing along to our songs. Amber: How do you remember your fans; which ones stand out to you? Oh man. "Which ones stand out to you?" Mathew: How can you do that? Haha. That's like saying, "You have three children. Which one is your favorite?" Haha. We love all of our friends. I'd rather not call our friends "fans". I feel like it's kind of demeaning. Anybody who is willing to give me and my music a chance, I am willing to give them a chance. So it's not this one way street where we just take and don't give anything back. There were a couple people who messaged us and said, "I saw you at the last show and I really wanted to say hi but I didn't". And I'm like, "Come on! We don't bite," haha. We remember everybody who talks to us, basically. Those are the ones who stand out to us. The ones who come up and give us hugs even though we're sweaty and disgusting, and who help us by letting us know what they like and don't like, and also the ones who give of themselves to us. The ones who bake us cookies and brownies and tell us about their day, or the ones that seek us out for life/relationship advice, because they're giving us a piece of them. Amber: Ideally if Hollywood Lies could pick the label you were signed to what one would you pick and why? Mathew: Wow. That's a big one. I mean, I don't know to be completely honest. If I could pick any label, I'd honestly pick no label if we could. I'd rather be in complete control of our career, you know? I would rather know what's going on, and be able to decide how we're going to be able to do it, which is how we've been doing things. And it's exciting and liberating, but at the same time, a label provides a certain amount of security that, no matter who you are, is nice. I mean, if you're Prince or Radiohead, maybe you don't really have any desire for a label, but I think most bands do. It's really hard to say what label we'd want to be on. I don't really know how much certain labels do for their bands. There is a stigma to being associated with Fueled By Ramen and Decaydance Records, but is that a good thing or a bad thing? I don't really know. Major labels are starting to fall by the wayside, and those used to be a driving force. So it's hard to say. I want a small label that can come in and say, "We love your music just as much as you do, and we want to work with you every step of the way in making this band something that we are both proud of". I don't want our label to feel like a bunch of guys in suits. I want them to feel just as much a part of the band as we are. So hopefully we find some people who are as excited about the music we're making as we are, and we can team up to put our records out with them. Amber: What do you think makes your music stand out among other musicians? Mathew: This is a loaded question, really. I think every and any person who has ever made music has a unique spin to what they're doing. I would love to come at you and say, "We're doing something that has never been done before!", but that's not really the case. I think we're very much blending the styles that we're all in to. I'm in to anything with a hook. I didn't have an iPod for the longest time. So I'd walk around all day, and what would be stuck in my head were hooks of songs, and so I'd rework words that I had written in to hooks that I couldn't forget, because I'd be out and about and wouldn't have time to put them down anywhere, haha. Johnny is a heavy metal drummer, and so that's where a lot of his driving force comes from. But we both really love hip-hop and those sort of beats, so we'll sit down and try to come up with drum parts that complement the song, and get in to a cool groove. And Mike is just Mike. He's a huge punk fan, but his bass lines are always super melodic. The really play in the song's best interest, and then when you sit and listen to what he's playing, I'm usually really impressed. The lines he writes are just things that I would have never thought of. So I don't think that we stand out because we're doing anything different. I think we stand out because we do what blend the styles that we all love, and we're good at doing that. Amber: What's your Take on the bands out there who say things like "This meet and greet is lame, when is it over?" and complain about spending time with the fans, how much do your fans mean to you? Mathew: I think any band that says that is absolutely insane. If it weren't for your fans, you wouldn't be where you are! So to be ungrateful is ludicrous. But at the same time, I can understand when band's just want to be themselves. They love their fans and signing autographs, but there comes a point when you just want to be you, and not so-and-so from this band. And I understand that. But it's all in how you handle it. Sure, you need a personal life, and that's fine. But there's something very public and voyeuristic, if you will, about making and sharing your music. You're letting people in to a part of your life, and you're very much putting that out there by touring and promoting your album, so you need to share that with people, and not get upset and offended when people want to know more. Our friends mean everything to us. The few that we have, we talk to as often as we can, and definitely want to get to know them better. Without them, I don't think we really have a reason to get up on stage. Amber: What do you think about censorship in music? Mathew: I think censorship is important to an extent. I mean, we don't cuss in our songs. And that's a very conscious thing on our part. I think that you should be aware of what you're listening to and what it stands for, and that the government shouldn't have to censor every little word that ever comes out of anyone's mouth. So I think it's great when a guy like Eminem goes, "Will Smith don't have to cuss in his raps to sell records. Well I do, so fuck him, and fuck you too". Because he's pushing buttons just to push buttons because he knows there are people there to tell him not to. So I don't think there should be any censorship, I think people should educate themselves a bit better about the content they're consuming before they do so. Amber: Is there a certain meaning behind your currently myspace layout? Mathew: There is a meaning behind our current myspace layout. It's basically just about how Hollywood and the idea of celebrity is total bs, and we're playing off of that. Some people get ity and some people don't and I think it's great either way, haha. We're just sort of saying that, you know, in the Bible (not that I'm religious), they say, "Thou shalt not worship false idols", and martyring a celebrity is just that. Be yourself. Love you. Not enough people love themselves. They're too busy trying be someone else. Celebrities are just people like you and I. Amber: After everything is all said and done, what do you want the band to be remembered for? Mathew: I want to be remembered for being a good person, and for helping people. I want people to see this band as a bunch of guys who genuinely care about the people they spent their time with, and tried to help people as often as they can. I want to be remembered for that. |
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