PCM's Kristyn spoke with Baxter
Teal, vocalist and guitarist for the band Deepfield. They spoke
about the bands CD "Archetypes and Repetitions" and
a little bit about life on the road, and some of the influences
that shape Deepfield as a band.
Kristyn: So basically just to start off how are you enjoying the
latest tour? Can you tell me a little bit about what life is like
on the road?
Baxter: Well it's crazy! I am enjoying it to an
extent. Drowning Pool tour of Texas was a lot of driving, silly
routing, but I guess that's what comes with it. A lot of eight
to ten hour drives a day. Playing the shows are a lot of fun!
We were a little scared playing with Drowning Pool, but the crowd
for the most part enjoyed it and we had a couple of hecklers but
I guess that made for an interesting time.
K: Yeah definitely I know how that goes I've
seen some opening bands especially at metal shows.
B: Yeah, yeah so we did as much metal as we could
so, obviously Fall Apart and some of the Top 40 stuff were not
played on that tour.
K: Ah.
B: Yeah.
K: Tell me a little bit about the band. How is
the chemistry and how does that affect the writing process overall?
B: Well Lee and I the drummer have known each other
for years. He actually played in another band with me. So we write
well together his influences are similar to mine and yet he's
got a lot of different influences that I don't have and J.T. our
guitarist is the same way. I think the blend of all those diverse
influences sort of give us an original sound even though it's
mainstream rock we feel it has its own flavor. The creative process
is three parts and it seems to work well. That's how we write
so a lot of it is rhythm based and a lot of it is just melody
based and so far we're doing a decent job at it.
K: Definitely. What would you say is the main
message that you're trying to convey with the recording of "Archetypes
and Repetitions"?
B: The meaning of the record?
K: Yes, what would you say that you're trying
to convey?
B: A lot of the songs have religious connotations.
I wanted to avoid writing the typical mad at a chick song not
a lot of relationship songs on the record. Some of it is completely
fictitious and some of it is very heartfelt. I wouldn't say its
like a therapeutic process for me to write a record that way lyrics
wise, but I think it's gelled and its' got that southern feel
to it on some songs, that at the same time its just the record
that we wanted to write after hearing the last several years of
mainstream rock especially on radio kind of being letdown as far
as the quality of music. We want to do our best to change that
whether or not that happens we'll just see. A lot of that is maybe
a shove at the music scene or the music business. There are several
songs on the record that have to deal with people in the music
business. "Into the flood" is one for example. It is
easier to write the pissed off songs than the ones that are from
your heart.
K: Yeah I can agree with that. Speaking about
what you mentioned with just being pissed off about rock radio
where do you see the future of music heading and where do you
see the band fitting into that?
B: Well right now I think that a lot of bands are
just trying to rehash, like there's the 80s disco drumming thing
that carried over to rock and roll and now it seems that a lot
of bands are dipping back into the seventies to be kind of gritty
like Bad Company indie rock sort of things and the genre of music
to me is kind of a weak class. Then you have bands like Creed
that sold millions and millions of records, it wasn't everybody's
favorite type of music, but at the same time they got the formula
and they made a lot of money doing it. We want to take our music
as far as it can possibly be taken in the rock field on a level
somewhere near Nickelback even though we don't particularly like
Nickelback or the type of music they play. We're not going to
sit there and short our songs to stay cool and have that cult
fan base that won't pay to buy your record, but will download
it for free and then you're broke all the time like… We do have
credibility and I think we're all different musicians it's just
we write what we want to write and at the same time we think we
have the potential to reach out there and cross over with a couple
songs on our record. I guess to be on top of the world at some
point that's our goal!
K: That would be fantastic. Who would you say
are some of your main musical influences? I did read that you
often times cover The Beatles and Pink Floyd live.
B: Yeah, we did ten cover songs for Bob Ezrin back
in the day when working with him and those have sort of become
legendary in the business with people talking about them, they've
never been released but somehow people know about those songs.
We play "Eleanor Rigby" live by The Beatles and we occasionally
throw in Tears for Fears song "Head over Heels". I say
as far as the eighties it would be stuff like Tears for Fears
and that whole scene in the seventies is Boston, Bad Company,
and stuff like that and Journey obviously. But Lee is a big prog
rock guy so we got the Rush thing and he's a big DreamTheater
fan. J. King our guitarist comes from more of a punk background
so that whole genre blending maybe makes for cool music.
K: Well, it sounds like you have a lot of different
types coming in there.
B: Yeah, yeah. *laughing*
K: I love the comparison of Deepfield and space.
I was reading about how the other galaxies can be seen through
the Hubble telescope image.
B: Yeah.
K: What does Deepfield mean to you?
B: When we started the band that other reference
to space and all was really cool. That's just a very historic
thing that's happened in our lifetime. To see the end of the universe
is pretty phenomenal and to know that science is going to have
to evolve no pun intended from that whole Deepfield picture. As
far as the band, it's about evolving and growing and reaching
as far as you can, but not in a cheesy way like "oh we're
reaching for the stars!"
K: Right. *laughing*
B: But yeah it's a process where this is the furthest
picture ever taken into space so potentially this is as far as
can be reached. It's the end of the universe. Maybe its like you're
at the very end of the universe and you're trying to reach the
Earth. I don't think I can come up with a cool way to look at
it other than the whole concept of it being a long ways away,
as far as possible, and its going to shake up the world of science
in the next few years and the way we look at things and have looked
at things for hundreds of years. It's just a very big scientific
step and I guess we're paying homage to that and what not and
its cool sounding name.
K: I like it! It's different and you know reading
that was kind of was like "wow that's cool, and I learned
something new"
B: Thanks. Where are you located by the way?
K: We're in Delaware.
B: Delaware.
K: Yeah. *laughs* Heard of it?
B: Yeah it's funny it's such a small state but I've
never been to Delaware.
K: Aww. *laughs*
B: I've been to it. I've eaten at Cracker Barrel
in Delaware.
K: Oh really? Wow, I never even realized that
Delaware had...
B: I think it's the furthest place that you can
find sweet tea as far as going up north is at Cracker Barrel so...
K: Hey that's my favorite. *laughs*
B: I love it. *laughs* Are you from there originally?
K: Yes I've been here my whole life.
B: That's cool. We're seeing some different kinds
of things being on tour. In the Midwest and down in Texas is like
seeing a whole different breed of human being I mean it's just
funny how people are very different in different areas and Kansas
in particular is literally like being in the Wizard of Oz
K: We are very close to Philadelphia, more city-like
B: Yeah I got you, so you're near the metropolitan
area.
K: Well I'm definitely excited to come out and
check out your live show in October.
B: In the Theater of Living Arts right?
K: Definitely.
B: Is that a cool club?
K: Yeah for the most part they just changed the
name to The Fillmore but you guys should like it.
B: Awesome, awesome. I've never been in the city
of Philly but I hear it's a really cool town.
K: Yeah.
B: Cool
K: So have you had any crazy fan experiences
yet?
B: Oh my god everyday is crazy I mean we ran out
of gas in Kansas on a back road and we had to have someone give
us gas to get to the next town. We were on our way to Wichita
that same night and on our way home our bass player got pulled
over in a construction zone at 1am and got a 300 dollar traffic
ticket for being in a work zone. We thought that was pretty lame!
I mean other than the bugs of Texas and the flies being caked
on our trailer and windshield from the traveling it's been crazy,
but everything is starting to run together. We literally had a
fight the other day about what day it was and I swore I would
never be like that but it truly gets like that after a while.
K: I think it's just life on the road.
B: Yeah but at the same time it's better than working
for a living even though it is work.
K: One thing I do have to ask is about that buffalo
picture on your myspace page.
B: That picture was taken out in Wyoming I thought
it was really cool the way the snows coming sideways and hitting
them head on, it's like they're making their final journey somewhere.
I thought it was really symbolic it might not be, but that's what
I thought when I saw the picture.
K: I noticed it and had to know about that one.
*laughs*
B: It would be an awesome t-shirt that's what I've
always said.
K: So how do you guys relax in your spare time,
if any?
B: Well yeah exactly. We have occasionally a day
off in the tour where we are staying at the same hotel. We kind
of take a rest and keep away from each other. Right now I flew
to Chicago because I am moving there after our tour is over. I
am looking at real estate and enjoying these two days. We play
Friday with Puddle of Mudd, so that should be a lot of fun, we
playing with those guys and Saliva. I play golf , so I go play
golf to get away and it's all cool because we all kind of gel
with each other and we understand our personalities and know when
to stay away from each other and at the same time we have a blast
everyday. At some point we all giggle and laugh about everything,
so it's good therapy I guess.
K: That's fantastic
K: What is your favorite track off the new CD?
B: Wow, to listen to I would say "Fall Apart"
or "Here Forever", simply because the mix is amazing,
"Dreams" as well. We did an awesome job with the more
laid back stuff that makes it really warm and it jumps out at
ya. As far as live, I love "Dead Horse" it's become
one of my least favorite songs and one of my favorites and "Into
the Flood" sounds really good to me. The song I tend to skip
is "Wayside" simply because it is the first song we
ever wrote as a band, the first song we sent to the record companies,
on a three song demo so it is just a little old to me. Yeah, that
is basically it, we don't listen to the record that much. I guess
those songs are my favorites.
K: How did you come about to choose En Vogue
to cover?
B: Oh yeah
K: I love it though!
B: A lot of people don't even know that is a cover
song, our producer, the first two weeks, she said "this is
a really cool sound, we can make a hit, but what's up with the
lyrics?" "It's so cheesy" I was said "I didn't
write this song!" You know it's funny, yeah, a lot of people
are digging it and I guess the fact that an R&B band did it
and we're making it really heavy, I've felt the intro to the original
song had a lot of balls to it and I thought it would capture with
rock radio or the whole 3 min version of that song condensed would
sound really cool and it came out well, so a lot of people are
digging it and we are going to try to start playing it live soon.
K: That really got me, I was said, wow, that
is awesome!
B: You know who En Vogue was right?
K: I did, I did
B: Most people are like Wow, this is like a hit
song?" And I am like of course it is a hit song it won a
Grammy!
K: Why did you choose "Get It" to be
the first single?
B: We didn't, actually that is a really good question.
We thought "Wayside" was going to be the first single
and of course at the last minute I guess the powers that be and
consulting radio people felt like "Get It" was going
to be a hard rocker, to start out with and it's done well. "
Into the Flood" is going to be the second single and it's
starts spinning the second week into the Puddle of Mudd tour,
so two or three weeks from now. I felt almost like it should have
been the first single and now I am happy it is going to be the
second. "Into the Flood" was getting 20,000 downloads
a week when" Get it" was on the radio, so our record
company was a little freaked out about that, this song was getting
more hits than "Get It" was, but I guess that is from
internet interest and what not, but we are just glad people dig
it and we look forward to putting it out on radio.
K: That is great; we are looking forward to it
as well! Well that is just about all the questions I have for
today. But if you saw my review, then you have to know I think
the CD absolutely rocks
B: Awesome!
K: I can't wait to come out and review your live
performance in Philly.
B: Thanks a lot and we look forward to meeting you
soon
K: Thanks again and see you soon
K: Bye
B: Bye
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