Relient K: Warped Tour interview
Lindsay Schoon

At the Warped Tour in Detroit, Lindsay Schoon had a chance to interview members of Relient K. Lead singer Matthew Thiessen was present for the entire interview, and bass player John Warne joined in about 10 minutes after the interview started. Three other reporters were there to ask questions. Answers to all of CMCentral’s questions are posted here, as well as selected inquiries from the other reporters.

CMCentral (Lindsay Schoon): Be My Escape is a pretty big departure from your early days when you wrote about Nancy Drew and Seventeen Magazine. So is your whole album, actually. I can’t quite put my finger on what is different about it - maybe a bit more mature, maybe a bit more serious. Not sure. Matt, how were you feeling at the time you were writing the songs for mmhmm, and how do you feel this album is different?

Matthew Thiessen: Even though the album [Relient K] came out in 2000, when I was 19, the songs were written when I was 15 or 16. I’m 24 now, so obviously 10 years [have passed]. But,I don‘t know.. maturing.. the new stuff just came out of a little bit more serious time in my life. The last year was kind of rough. There were a bunch of different things happening with the band and friends and things like that. So, I don‘t know, a lot of sobering things going on. Its therapeutic to write about it and also just finding that evolution in myself and putting that into songs puts a more positive spin on the whole thing.

(2nd reporter): How did you get your start, and what advice would you give to people who want to be on the Warped Tour?

We got our start just our old bass player [Brian Pittman] and our current guitarist Matt [Hoopes] and I. We all grew up together and just started playing guitar when we were like 14 or 15 years old. We never anticipated getting any further than putting out a demo. We never really set goals or anything like that. Other than that it was just a cool experience and having fun, but you know it definitely started out as being just a fun thing to do, not getting obsessed with it. I feel like that’s a really good attitude to start with, so that way if you never get signed or you never go on Warped Tour you’re still having a good time. Other than that my advice is to try to do something new that hasn’t already been done a million times. Obviously practice a lot and get good at your instruments, play your guitars in tune and sing on pitch if that’s what you’re going for, if you’re just going screamo or [something unique], just make sure it’s relevant and that people enjoy it. I have a lot of friends that are A&R agents at labels and they’re all looking for bands so follow that criteria and make music that people want to hear and obviously you’re going to have no problem getting signed.

(3rd reporter): When did you, yourself, feel like you had broken through, that you had made it?

Well, the pinnacle moment is when our band got signed, but we were signed on a developmental deal with the record label. Theyweren’t going to put out an album, they were just watching us grow up, and that was like a year an a half of a tough time because we were just expecting to be able to put out a record [but nothing was happening]. We had a manager and we were like “We need to go on tour! We need to go on tour!” Finally, in march of 2000, We went on our first tour and I got to quit my job at Wendy’s and that was, that was it and I was like, cool! I was like, this is my day job now! Obviously at the [beginning] I wasn’t making as much money as I did at Wendy’s but it didn’t matter because I was doing what I loved to do. Obviously, the band started doing better and better and now its become more of a better career than working at Wendy’s

CMCentral: I get cracked up when I read the message boards because I see girls say, “Oh Matty T, will you marry me! Oh Matty T I love you! Oh Matty T you’re so hot!” How many marriage proposals do you think you’ve gotten, and how do you deal with this whole thing about being a sex symbol?

(laughs, and shakes head modestly)

CMCentral: What? You are!

(laughs) Well, I guess I’d better start working out then! Well, you know, I’ve never gotten any serious marriage proposals, at least not yet, but with 15 year old girls, It’s fine. Its flattering, or whatever,

CMCentral: And all they know about you is that they think you’re cute and you play music.

Yeah, but, you know, you try to convey a certain amount of your personality in your music. I feel like people can get to know you a little bit by what you do, by your music and stuff. But yeah, I guess it‘s kind of weird.

(2nd reporter): So, what bands have you been spending time hanging out with and what bands are you excited to be on the tour with?

Um, the guys in Starting Line, Mae and MXPX, they’re all friends of ours, everyone’s just so cool on this tour, its really cool to just make new friends. The best show on Warped Tour is Thrice, and my favorite album that’s out by any of the artists is the new Starting Line record. It’s really good, and I just love watching Matches when I get a chance to see them. They’re one of my favorite bands too.

(3rd reporter): What do you think you’d be doing if you weren’t [in a successful band]?

I wasn’t really sure. I started going to college. I dropped out [when the band took off], but I was thinking about going into communications or something like that. I always liked music and I always wanted to work with music. I don’t know, I always think about how much fun it would be to be a choir teacher or something like that. I could teach kids, I could arrange Beach Boys songs, and even current songs and make choir arrangements for them. That would be fun.

CMCentral: This question is a little loaded, and I apologize, but some fans are a little ticked off that you guys are starting to become popular outside of just the Christian ring. I know that you guys prefer to be uncategorized, you just like making great music. What do you say to these fans that are upset?

If people want us to stay in this bubble, or are afraid of…whatever, its somewhat of social ignorance, I feel. That’s not even being mean. I know when I was growing up I was definitely closed minded and I thought a certain way, a lot like these kids. Then my eyes were opened a little more to how the world works and how you can be more of an influence if you are a little more open minded - not so much attacking people with what you believe but just sort of presenting it and being open about things. I know that a lot of people that attack us like on the internet or whatever are probably younger and probably are just a little closed minded because they just haven’t lived enough life yet to experience everything. I just kind of brush it off a little bit and just realize that they’ll probably see the light after growing up a little bit.

(2nd reporter): What’s the most remote place you’ve played and what do you think about these fansin these “middle of nowhere” places?

One day a couple of years ago.. there was this place called Terrace, British Columbia. It was about three hours southeast of Anchorage, Alaska, so yeah, its really out there. Basically, there was some sort of social project and the people presented this town with “What can we get you? What do you want? Well, we’ve never had a rock and roll show before.” They flew us up there and rented us the crappiest gear of all time. The show was kind of a disaster, but the kids were so appreciative, and it was really cool. And a lot of them were native Americans living up there, and it was really cool meeting these people. We’ve also played in Tasmania, which is a little more isolated. We find that the kids are always appreciative when you’re touring these places. The gear is usually crap, but they don’t care. They just appreciate the fact that you made an effort to get out there and play.

(At this point, John Warne enters the room)

CMCentral: John, you’re new to the group, how did you get involved with Relient K, and what’s it like being in Relient K?

John Warne: Well, I was in Ace Troubleshooter, and we’d been friends, our two bands, for a long time and when the bass player of Relient K [Brian Pittman] left they kind of just immediately thought, how about this guy here? And we’re like, BF’s F

Matthew Thiessen: BFF! But yeah, it’s been awesome, ever since, just ‘cos we started out being just really good friends, we didn’t have to, like, try out anybody and John’s got one of those personalities where, like, I don’t know if you know someone like this, but when they walk into the room, its like the situation just got better, and we knew that when we asked him to join, and he didn’t even play bass, he’s a guitarist, and so playing bass is kind of something he picked up to join this band, but you know, spiritually John’s an amazing person and makes our band just a better unit, and the togetherness since he joined the group has just improved a lot, so, you know, he was definitely our very first choice as Brian’s replacement, and we already had that friendship, and filling that void with someone you’re already close with is..

(Matt and John look at each other, John being very touched by Matt‘s kind words)

JW: Thanks, man

CMCentral: Matt, I know you’re kind of embarrassed by some of the songs that you wrote on the first couple of albums, just ‘cos they were written at a different time in your life or whatever

MT: yeah..

CMCentral: but if you could get rid of one song, and never have to play it again, never have anyone listen to it again, what song would it be?

MT: Probably “My Girlfriend,” just ‘cos it’s got enough notoriety from its previous exposure. My friend Seth who plays in MXPX right now, that’s the only song he’d ever heard of us before our new record came out. We were big fans of his old group Watashi Wa, but he never really befriended us because I think he thought..

JW: (laughs) When was the last time you played that song?

MT: I think we retired it in Australia.. When was our first Australian tour? 2002? Something like that. January 2002. It was written when I was, like I said, 15 or 16..

CMCentral: That song’s hilarious though! I think I’d get rid of “Staples,” it’s [an earworm]!

MT: I think I’d get rid of that whole first record completely, (mumbling: not a lot of redeeming quality in that stuff), but a lot of people will get offended when you say that, so I try not to bash it too much.

2nd reporter: [How do you like playing in Detroit?]

MT: Detroit’s always been really good to us. Last time we played in Pontiac was August 13, 2000, the day after my birthday and my sister’s wedding. I’d sang at my sister’s wedding and lost my voice, so when we played, I had to get some kid from the crowd to come up and sing all of our songs. We love [Detroit], we don’t play here as much as we want, but I like Detroit. My girlfriend is from here.

CMCentral: What has God been teaching you guys lately?

JW: I think he’s been teaching me to be quiet. Just to, like, in prayer times, not to primarily spout off all my needs, but just to be quiet, just to listen. Be able to use scripture and stuff as meditation, and get the most out of it that way and spirituality. Pretty stock answer I guess, but its true.

MT: I’ve been struggling a lot with getting really angry and stuff on stage, stuff’s breaking every show. We haven’t had a show without technical difficulties since before Cleveland. The other day we did Montreal and I [got very angry], but before then the shows in between we just kind of dealt with it, just like a suck it up sort of thing. That definitely couldn’t be done on my own. So, I don’t know if that’s humility or what, being slow to anger..

CMCentral: Patience?

MT: Yeah, patience, that’s a good word, but like I said, I [got really angry] like two days ago so,

JW: Yesterday was great..

MT: Yesterday I’m playing, and I have to wear these things in my ears so I can do my piano stuff, otherwise I can’t sing with it. The whole time all I’m hearing is just like, everything’s distorting and blowing up, and then, I don’t know if you know what a tremolo is, but basically my whole mix is pulsating to this certain beat, and its not the beat of the song, so the piano is going like “jun jun jun jun jun” I’m trying to do rhythm and stuff but all I can do is just suck it up and get through it. I always feel like that stuff really inhibits me from being able to do the bare minimum, what I’m supposed to do, and we’re on this tour and it’s such a good opportunity and

CMCentral: Well, you know, a lot of the fans are just there for the concert experience. Half the fans are screaming and singing so loud they can’t hear what you’re saying anyway.

MT: Right, but you want the experience to be good too, obviously.

(3rd reporter): When you were 15 or 16, what were some of your favorite bands?

JW: MXPX, at that age

MT: yeah, Slick Shoes, Ghoti Hook..

JW: Ghoti Hook!

MT: Ghoti Hook back in the day!

JW: Sunny Day Real Estate..

MT: I always liked, Paul Simon, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers..

JW: The songwriters!

MT: Yeah, and then the Beach Boys, of course, have always been my favorite band.

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