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PHONE INTERVIEW WITH
AARON KAMIN OF THE CALLING
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An exclusive chat
with The Calling guitarist, Aaron Kamin
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Conducted by Valerie V. Mayuga
On 8 April
2004, 8:30 am
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Published in PRESS
Magazine
June 2004
PRESS: You two have an
interesting story as how you two met… you and Alex.
AARON:
Yeah. Ah, we met because I
was, ah, I was dating Alex’s sister. Um, and,
ah, she
introduced me to her brother who was a musician, and I was a little older than
him, at that time, so I didn’t take him very seriously at first, but once we
finally started playing music together, um, we had a really great connection
and, just, uh, kept doing it.
PRESS: I understand you had
a previous band, The Generation Gap. What happened to that? How did it become
The Calling from there?
AARON:
Um, we’ve gone through a
bunch of different bands now. We first started as Generation Gap and that’s
because we had, ah, a lot of older musicians in our band. Y’know, they were
like, almost fifty years old, and, um, it didn’t last very long because I think
the age difference was a big deal. It started out to be okay, but as we went on,
it became more of a problem. Then Alex and I got, got signed to, ah, a recording
deal with RCA and we became a band called Next Door, and we had different people
in the band and, and, and we moved on from there and became The Calling.
PRESS: The Calling has been around for over
half-a decade now…
AARON:
A, yeah! For like, seven
years.
PRESS: …how crazy are things now for the band?
AARON:
Ah, things are
definitely…(laughs) they’re, they’re, they’re crazy, but they’ve ah, they’ve
actually sort-of leveled off, y’know. We’ve sort of, ah, y’know, the last record
was, was crazy, we didn’t know what to expect, and, y’know, we wound up getting
swept away in this whirlwind -- touring, promotion, and, and everything. We’re
so blessed that we had success with our record, um, so, ah, we’re trying to do
it again.
PRESS: Wow! Congratulations! And good luck with
that.
Aaron:
Yeah, thank you.
PRESS: So you have the new album, Two. Could you tell me a little more
about that?
Aaron:
Yeah! We’re very, very, very
proud of it. Um, we worked very hard. And, it’s, ah, called Two because,
y’know, it’s just there were some, ah…some misunderstandings earlier on who The
Calling was, and it’s always just been Alex and me. Um, so we called it Two,
ah, and it’s, um, I’d like to say that it really picked up where our last record
left off. Y’know, the songs, I think are much better, and um, I think the music
production is definitely much, much better. Um, so, we’re really excited for
people to hear it.
PRESS: How would you describe
the songs on Two? Like what’s the vibe of the whole album?
Aaron:
Um, y’know most of it is, um,
it’s pretty…it’s very eclectic. It’s very different from song to song. I think,
um, it’s a little more up-tempo than the last record, a little lighter, a little
less dark. Um, that’s um, y’know, it just focuses on, on, on really big issues
in our life and in a lot of people’s lives, y’know, ah, y’know, being let down,
and, y’know, talked about trying to, ah, um, to get where you wanna be in life,
and, y’know, so many crazy things happened, y’know, and, and the time that we
have here, so it’s about y’know, paying attention to, um, to life passing by and
learning a lot about your own experience.
PRESS: I understand that
there was a lawsuit last year with the two members of the band…
Aaron:
Uh-huh.
PRESS: Have you found
musicians who would replace them yet?
Aaron:
Ah, yeah, yeah! We’re very,
very excited with that. We’ve put together a new band, and can’t start playing
shows with them.
PRESS: Has the sound changed
significantly without bassist Billy Muller and drummer Nate Wood?
Aaron:
Um, y’know, we did almost all
of our first record without them, so, they didn’t have much to do with sound of
the first record so it’s just really been about Alex and myself to, ah, y’know,
the sound has changed for the better, but it’s only because I think we’ve grown
up a little bit.
PRESS: How do you approach
the songwriting process?
Aaron:
It’s fairly similar to the
last one, y’know, Alex and I just sit down together and come up with ideas, and,
um, just workin’ out together, but, um, y’know, ah, there’s so many things
happening in our lives, and in our world today that it’s hard not to find
inspiration all over the place
PRESS: That is so true. So what fueled the
songwriting?
Aaron:
Um, y’know, God…different
things at different times, y’know! It’s, it, a lot of it ranged on how our
emotions were and definitely a lot like we talked about, y’know, how the world
was going, and why this all has a big impact on art today, I think, um,
especially for me, because it’s hard not to be affected when y’know, you see,
y’know, crazy things on television these days, and you wonder why, uh, y’know,
uh, we’re so advanced and we’ve all come so far, we just can’t put aside
differences and, uh, find ways to live together nicely and not be so crazy about
so many things. But, uh, y’know, yeah. So that, definitely influences, y’know,
writing.
PRESS: How do you intend to
avoid the sophomore slump?
Aaron:
Yes, we don’t want that!
Y’know, I think, really just knowing what you’re up against is very difficult.
Um, we decided just not to put out the record for Two we thought this is
as good as it could be. And luckily it didn’t take too long for us, but, I mean,
we really just, everyday, sat down and tried to write something different. And,
um, ah, hopefully, it worked!
PRESS: What are your favorite songs on the
current album?
Aaron:
Um, ah, I really like our
single, “Our Lives.” I think uh, it’s really, really cool. Um, my favorite song
is the song called,
“Things Will Go My Way.” That one y’know, was written at a time when, uh,
especially my girlfriend uh, influenced a lot of that. Y’know, in her work, um,
just one of those times where everything you do, nothing seems to work out the
way you want it to, or, the way you plan it to. Um, but that happens to all of
us, y’know. So, ah, “Things Will Go My Way,” probably my favorite. They’re all
pretty good!
PRESS: How would you
characterize the current music scene and how does The Calling fit in?
Aaron:
(Laughs) We’ll definitely
find out how The Calling fits in. But, but, I really think that there actually
aren’t too many bands out there making the kind of music that we’re making and
that sort of, y’know, very uplifting, melody-driven, y’know, good-song, pop-rock
music, so… Actually I don’t think there are too many, but, the music climate, I
think is very different than when our last record came out. I think when our
last record came out, um, like, very heavy metal and hard rock was really
popular and I think that’s starting to go away. And, ah, now, it’s hip-hop’s
time, so… I hope that good music always finds a place in the music scene uh, no
matter what-- what else is out there.
PRESS: How would you describe your band mate,
Alex? How diverse are your personalities from each other?
Aaron:
He’s the best one to ask
about that because he just, he just tells you, we don’t agree on anything
(laughs), to quote Alex, that’s what he would say. But, um, y’know, we’re, we’re
very different, but I think at the heart, we’re very similar. Ah, y’know, ah, we
really have a lot of, a lot of things in common. Um, but I guess we do disagree
on most of the small things (laughs). Uh, it’s funny y’know, how, ok, “Alex,
y’know, you should see this movie, it was so great.” And, uh, he’ll go see it
then say it’s the worst movie he ever saw. And uh, same thing goes for, uh, for
his recommendations to me. So, it’s pretty funny, our relationship, and, um, the
nice part is, usually, when we sit down and make music, um, maybe that’s why
things work out for us because we do disagree so much. That leads to a better
product.
PRESS: Could be.
Aaron:
(Laughs) Yeah!
PRESS: So how are you guys like when you’re not
onstage or in the studio?
Aaron:
Um, you mean, together, what
are we like?
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