HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE
By Falber Teles • Feb 26th, 2008 • Category: Interviews
SOURCEWEBZINE - Hey! Thanks for your time, how’s it going?
Emily Schambra (Vocals) - Hi! You’re welcome. I’m good. Thanks for asking.
Jay Jancetic (Guitar) - Thank you for your time as well! We are mosh-tastic.
SOURCEWEBZINE - You get great press, great reviews… deservedly so. How does it feel to get your art fully appreciated by the fans and the media. A lot of other bands may write really great albums but do not always get recognized…
Emily Schambra (Vocals) - It feels amazing. We work so hard and getting a good review makes it all worth it. We’ve been really, really lucky so far as far as press is concerned—mostly of the reviewers seem to get what we’re trying to do.
SOURCEWEBZINE - Where did the title come from “The Longue Duree”?
Emily Schambra (Vocals) - Geoff, our bassist came up with the idea to call our record that. It’s a little complicated but basically it means that all art has a beginning, middle, and end; it means that art is not timeless, it has a specific relevance.
SOURCEWEBZINE - What bands or artists defined your childhood and sparked your interest in music? Was there a specific show or event that still sticks with you today?
Emily Schambra (Vocals) - I was 14 the first time I heard the band Sunny Day Real Estate…it was indescribable. It was a bit like an awakening, although that sounds really stupid and cheesy. I knew that I wanted to make music that sounded that like that or had that same emotional weight. I got the chance to see them live twice before they broke up for the final time. Best shows ever! I haven’t quite felt that way about a band since and I’ve loved a lot of bands.
Jay Jancetic (Guitar) - The early Hardcore bands I got into changed my life forever. I remember when I discovered Gorilla Biscuits I felt like my eyes were opened to a whole other lifestyle. The first time I ever saw bands like Unbroken and Damnation live, I knew I was going to play a Les Paul for the rest of my life. I was hooked on playing music and I’ve never looked back.
SOURCEWEBZINE - Your songs always have strong emotional content and always have a purpose. What do you hope listeners will take from the songs off “The Longue Duree”?
Emily Schambra (Vocals) - It’s a lot to ask but I hope that my words can speak to someone the way that certain songs or albums spoke to me. I write for myself, primarily, but I also like to imagine someone else connecting to my lyrics.
SOURCEWEBZINE - How was it working with Matt Allison and Neil Hennessy and what did they bring to the table that might have been reflected on the record?
Emily Schambra (Vocals) - It was totally great working with them. They’ve been friends of ours for awhile so we love hanging out with them, but it works in our favor that they are also brilliant engineers. It seemed like they cared about our record as much as we did.
They helped us make some important decisions about certain parts of the album like which songs made the cut, and which ones we cut. They also gave us little suggestions like shortening a chorus or adding an extra verse or bridge here etc.
Jay Jancetic (Guitar) - We love Matt and Neil. They are awesome dudes, old friends and great to work with. Another key person who worked on the recording was a friend of ours named Andy Gallas. Without his work and patience, The Longue Duree would be a different animal all together.
SOURCEWEBZINE - The Chicago scene and sound are legendary. What is it like to be a part of such an intense and iconic genre?
Emily Schambra (Vocals) - It’s funny because I’m actually from Milwaukee, Wisconsin so I know a ton more about the music scene there, but I’m proud to say I’m from Chicago now. Over the past five years of living here, I’ve learned so much about the scene and I continue to be impressed.
Jay Jancetic (Guitar) - That’s a tough one. We get asked that a lot, but to be honest, it’s hard to view it that way when when you’re on the inside looking out. One thing I can say for sure is that it’s very cool to see such diversity within one city. That is part of what makes Chicago so unique. You never know what’s going to come out of it.
SOURCEWEBZINE - What’s it like, Emily, being in a band with all guys?
Emily Schambra (Vocals) - Well, it’s a bit like having four smelly, grumpy husbands. I’m kidding. It’s fun, most of the time. I generally get along better with dudes so, it’s easier than being around girls all the time. I could NOT be in a band with all girls, or even one more girl.
SOURCEWEBZINE - Where did you all come from, individually at least, musically and how do you think you’ve arrived at the sound you have?
Jay Jancetic (Guitar) - Individually, most of us come from a hardcore/punk/metal background. This is all relatively new for Emily, but all of this I think is what makes us a bit unique. We’re trying new things with this band, and it’s a cool feeling to know we have that much freedom to just explore musically at all times. I never feel like we’ve arrived at any sound. We’re constantly trying to evolve and push the envelope.
SOURCEWEBZINE - What do you think about the Brazilian metal scene? Do you know much about our bands?
Emily Schambra (Vocals) - I know nothing! Enlighten me…
Jay Jancetic (Guitar) - Sepultura “Roots” is one of the best metal albums EVER. Igor is one of the top drummers of the genre. Hands down. That’s the extent of my Brazilian metal knowledge, but in my opinion, those are amazing facts.
Emily Schambra (Vocals) - Wait, Sepultura is from Brazil?! I love that record.
SOURCEWEBZINE – What’s currently hot on your music plate? What kind of stuff do you normally listen to?
Emily Schambra (Vocals) - I’ve been listening to a lot of what you could consider hardcore over the past 3 years, due to the influence of my band mates—just trying to understand where they come from. But lately, I’ve been hooked on the new Radiohead. They are another one of my favorite bands of all time. I’ve also been getting really into Feist.
Jay Jancetic (Guitar) - That new Feist is pretty amazing, I have to agree. I’ve been revisiting my entire Black Sabbath library as well. You have to love a band that invented an entire genre and created a new sound simply because the guitarist chopped off his finger tips.
SOURCEWEBZINE - What occupies your time outside of music?
Emily Schambra (Vocals) - We all have day jobs. I work at an animal hospital and I have a whole pile of animals of my own, so that takes up a lot of my time… I like to sleep and watch TV shows on DVD. There’s not much time for anything else.
Jay Jancetic (Guitar) - I enjoy water polo, backgammon and spending time on the farm. I’m also trying to develop an alternative fuel to replace soy based fuel to stay ahead of the industry curve.
SOURCEWEBZINE - What kind of direction is the new material going to take?
Jay Jancetic (Guitar) - It’s a lot more… Pissed off. The newer stuff we’ve been writing since TLD has less of a “poppy” feel in the music. I think Emily’s vocals retain the melody over it which makes it pretty unique.
SOURCEWEBZINE - Final thoughts or comments?
Emily Schambra (Vocals) - Thank you!
Jay Jancetic (Guitar) - Listen to Slayer.
Holy Roman Empire
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Falber Teles
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