DANIEL: There are five of us in the band now, I'm Daniel and I play drums. There are three dudes who are original, that's me and then there's Chris and Scottie our guitar players. And our singers name is Cory and our bass players name is Jake
CC: WHEN DID THE BAND FORM AND HOW DID YOU CHOOSE THE NAME? HOW LONG HAVE YOU GUYS KNOWN EACH OTHER?
DANIEL: I've known most of the guys for like eight to nine years I guess and I have been playing music with them as long as I've known them. We've been playing together for about three and half years.
CC: WHAT GENRE OF MUSIC DO YOU CONSIDER YOUR BAND TO BE AND HOW DO YOU THINK YOUR BAND IS DIFFERENT FROM OTHER BANDS IN YOUR GENRE?
DANIEL: I don't really know what genre, I guess we would be in the hardcore genre but genres are kind of funny, it's kind of a funny word. I don't know I don't ever really think about that. I don't know, I don't really listen to a lot of other hardcore bands. I mean we just try to put as much meaning into this band as we possibly can. Whether it is lyrics or song titles or art work, we just give it all that we have. Like playing live we definitely like to feel the music. It's like a big time meaning and purpose behind it. Not just trying to look cool or like play loud music. I guess that's maybe different then other bands but I'm sure most bands would say that.
DANIEL: Yeah all of the songs have a lot of personal meaning behind them and on our last record our old singer Josh wrote pretty much all of the lyrics, but on the new record I and our singer Cory and our guitar player Scottie wrote the lyrics together.
CC: WITH THE RELEASE OFO 'GOD THE AFTERMATH DO YOU THINK THE FANS WILL SEE A NEW OR EVOLVED NORMA JEAN. I LISTENED TO THE CD AND IT SOUNDS A LOT DIFFERENT. HOW HAVE YOU GUYS CHANGED?
DANIEL: Well the last record was recorded like three years ago. We have all grown up a lot and evolved as musicians and as people. Just the whole band has totally changed. We have changed the way we go about our ministry and we have grown up in that aspect and changed. So that's kind of different. As basic as just the sound of our band has also changed we have two new members and we have all changed a lot as people. And plus we didn't want to write the same record again. We very easily could have done the same thing again and kids would have been stoked. We want to write the music that we like and what we want to hear. Which is what we have done and we're totally happy with the record. We hope people like it. I mean I hope they do but, I'm happy with its not that we are like selfish about it but like we are not trying to please anybody with it you know.
DANIEL: Yeah if I wasn't in the band I probably wouldn't be playing. I mean I would still write and stuff but I don't really think I would be in another band. Maybe I would I don't know. I do a lot of different art s and I do like film and video stuff. So If I wasn't in this band I guess. I would do something with that. Some kind of artistic kind of work whether it be like I do a lot of collage and photography stuff as well but I'm most excited about film and video at this point. But that always changes in like a year or so.
CC: WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE BAND TO TOUR WITH? WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE VENUE TO PLAY AT?
DANIEL: Pretty much any House of Blues, I love playing House of Blues shows. Although a lot of kids don't like them because they are super high security and big barricades and kind of strict with stuff like that. As far as the band goes they treat the bands well and it always sounds good. A couple nights ago we played the House of Blues in Chicago which was one of my favorite shows on the tour. Probably the nicest place we have ever played. But big clubs like this have pros and cons as far as like playing a place like Peabody's which is super packed which is insane you know. Most of them are fun. I like big ass clubs likes these. As far as bands that we like to tour with. We had lots of fun touring with Every Time I Die and Eighteen Visions. Pretty much any bands we go out on tour with we become good friends with or have a lot of fun.
DANIEL: Pretty much the only way they can keep in touch is by phone when you're out touring. I don't really get online very much. I don't ever really get home sick. I don't know why. The other dudes do sometimes and like two of our guys are married and one of them has two kids but that's kind of tough. But he goes home every three weeks he goes home for like four days to hang out with them. In fact after tomorrow nights show he's going home for a couple days. So we have a five day off and he's meeting us in Seattle. I mean living like this is a way of life. It's all I've done for the past five years. So it's kind of just normal to me now. It's not like weird to go away at like two months at a time.
CC:DO YOU EVER PLAN ON WORKING WITH AARON AND/OR ME WITHOUT YOU AGAIN?
DANIEL: Yeah. We were actually just talking about it yesterday. We have some plans in mind to do like a sister record to O' God the Aftermath. We're kind of being vague about it but it's going to be a big collaboration among us and a bunch of our friends. It's kind of the reason that the songs have two titles. It's all going to make sense with in the next year or so once the album comes out everybody will kind of understand why.
CC: IF YOU COULD PLAY WITH ANY BAND, PAST OR PRESENT, WHO WOULD IT, BE?
DANIEL: Probably �At the Drive in�, although they have only been broken up for like four or five years. But still I really like that band a lot
CC: IS THERE A NORMA JEAN HEADLINING TOUR IN THE WORKS TO SUPPORT THE NEW ALBUM AFTER THE THICK AS THIEVES TOUR COMES TO AN END?
DANIEL: Yeah but it's not going to be until this fall. After this tour ends in the states in about two weeks and then we go to Europe, Japan and Australia on the same tour. Then we are doing a tour called �The Sounds of The Underground Tour� and it's like us, Every time I Die, Throwdown, Lamb of God, Poison the Well, From Autumn to Ashes and like 20 bands. It''s going to be smaller arena type shows. That's in the month of July then ,we are going to take some time off and then this fall come back and do a headlining tour.
CC: Alright, thanks a lot man. Nice to meet you!
DANIEL: Your welcome!