(Dec 14, 2007) PCM's Kristyn spent some time chatting with Michael Grant from the band Endeverafter. We learned about some of the band's influences and their mission for world domination...

Kristyn: Hello, this is Kristyn.

Michael Grant: Hi, may I speak with Kristyn? I'm Michael Grant from EndEverafter. I'm calling you guys for a interview.

K: Hi Michael, this is Kristyn.

MG: This is Kristyn?

K: Yes. Can you hear me okay?

MG: Pretty well. How's it going?

K: Not bad. How are you?

MG: I'm all right. Good. I've toured since like forever. It's a very good thing to get to go home and shower.

K: Get ready for the holidays, right?

MG: Yup. Get ready to be broke.

K: Yeah, trust me, I know the feeling. I'm just sitting here looking at my bank information going "oh god."

MG: It sucks. It's like, you know, everybody gets a head start Xmas shopping but like, my Christmas shopping is going to start now. You know? This is one of the most jam-packed times.

K: That's okay, I'm right there with you. So (laughing) I haven't done anything yet.

MG: Right on.

K: Okay, well to start off, can you tell our readers a little history behind the band? How did you get your start? Where did you all meet?

MG: Okay. Well, everybody was from different quarters of the US. My current drummer is from Chicago; my guitarists is from Northern California; I live in Hollywood, and my bassist Tom Andrews lives in Las Vegas and we're all really spread out but everybody, at one point, lived in Sacramento and that's kind of where we got our start. My guitarist, Kristan Mallory, used to be a rock journalist for this magazine called Ground Zero Magazine or something like that, or Divining? Some kind of magazine. Before we were Endeverafter, I was in a band just called Endever and he came to interview the band. We just really hit it off. We just really started talking about music and bands and our love for the Smashing Pumpkins and other bands, and he just became a really good friend and I was putting together a line up to start Endeverafter; Kristan and I were just thinking about what would be the sickest band to put together? We were thinking about having this crazy Rock 'N Roll band, the way it once was, you know? It was at that moment where we decided to start Endeverafter and shortly after I found Tommi Andrews I was actually dating his sister.

K: Oh, okay. (laughing)

MG: That's kind of how we met, and I came to live with him. From the moment I met Tommi, actually, which was a couple years ago, three or four years ago, we've been inseparable. Me, him and Kristan just became best friends and about a year and a half ago, two years ago we found Eric Humbert in Chicago and everything is complete now. Then we started playing shows in Sacramento and we just killed it. We just killed it. We got fined within 8 or 9 shows and we were opening up for Fall Out Boys. From that, it was that show that sort of set everything off. The next thing you know people were coming in from all over the country just to check us out! Agents flying out, people were courting us for management, booking, and it all really fell into place pretty quickly. Months later, shortly after, we were able to play in the Cinderella Tour and things got even crazier, then we set up with Kiss, even crazier, you know?

K: I can imagine! That's a big jump, between Fall Out Boy, and Panic At the Disco! And then Cinderella and Poison.

MG: And then Kiss!

K: Yeah.

MG: It's so weird, it was just a natural progression and it just felt like everything fell into place perfectly and I had no complaints. (laughing)

K: That's good. It's awesome that you were to find that connection with people to work with because so often you have one big personality in a band that conflicts with others even though the talents there. You're really lucky to find that connection.

MG: I feel that what was really lucky though was that I'm in the band with my best friends. That, to me, is the biggest feeling of accomplishment because my whole life I've been in and out of bands and you know when you're first starting out it's hard to people that are like-minded and have the same spirit and goals as you, the same drive and passion. It gets really hard, you know, just working, keeping track of you. That's the hardest thing to find, much less people to play in a band with what I just described and who are your best friends.

K: Right.

MG: I think that's what's special about this band, where, it's not like four dudes like in The Backstreet Boys where no one knows who one another is. It's like, we are brothers.

K: That's good. So, how's the writing process for you guys? What usually comes first when you're setting out to write songs?

MG: Well the writing process, I mean, I wrote the entire (?) Album. You know. Usually, how it starts for me is with a really good guitar rift. Rarely do I ever write the lyrics first because I think the music dictates which direction the music should go. So, it's usually the music first. I'll bring in a riff and we'll jam it. If it feels good and everybody is vibing off it and everybody is really feeling it, then we build upon that and I take it home and I finish the song if I feel like its worthwhile. Then everybody puts in their own flavor at the end of the day in rehearsal and after I write all of it, people start to put their own flavor in it. The music starts to take its own shape and before you know it it's recorded.

K: That's good. Who would you say are some of your major influences?

MG: I think, generally, our biggest influences are Aerosmith, Led Zepplin, Guns 'n Roses, Van Halen, Motley Crue, the Beatles. Those are the major influences. They make up the cohesion of this band. Those bands definitely influence us hardcore.

K: What'd you think of that Led Zepplin reunion?

MG: I was dying because of those things! Those tickets were sold out before they were even on sale! That was insane!

K: Yeah, I know! (laughing)

MG: I wanted to go so bad. We gigged the same night, and I kept thinking like "God, those guys are on stage right now!"

K: Yeah, I can imagine. I was like, "Can't I just stand outside the venue or something?"

MG: (laughing) Hopefully they'll put out a dvd or something like that pretty soon.

K: I hope so! I can't find any clips on the internet. I keep looking.

MG: Funny enough, I was watching the news, and the news showed clips of it! They showed a clip of them.

K: Wow, I missed that. I got the set list, but that's it.

MG: What was the set list? Tell me?

K: What'd I even do with it? I know they opened up with "Rock 'n Roll," and "Dazed and Confused" was in there I know that. And "Cashmere?"

MG: Yeah, that's the all encompassing song, I think.

K: Yeah, it was a bunch.

MG: I think that song sums up Led Zepplin to a "T," more than "Stairway to Heaven."

K: Definitely. So, I've got a fun question; if you could share the stage with any one band, who would it be?

MG: Led Zepplin.

K: Okay. (laughs) That answers that question.

MG: It would be Aerosmith second, Guns 'N Roses third, and then I would definitely love to play with the Beatles, but…

K: Yeah, not really possible. (laughs)

MG: I know, but you know what I mean? I would just love to have that opportunity to be on stage with Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison.

K: I know that feeling.

MG: It would be epic, right?

K: It certainly would.

MG: With new bands? Well, new bands there's not really new bands that I want to share a stage with, to be honest. We've been on a lot of tours and that's always great; going on the road, making new friends, but the people I would just long to share the stage with are the bands that idolize. Unfortunately that's none of the new bands that are out, right now.

K: So, have you had any crazy tour or fan experiences yet, being on the road?

MG: Definitely! This girl had me, with my sharpie, she had me write Endeverafter on the back on her neck and put my signature on her arm, and she came to a show two days later, and it was inked! She had gotten it tattooed on herself! That I was just like "Oh my god. I can't believe it." I was like, "If I knew you were going to get this tattooed on the back of your neck, I would have done it a lot neater!" (laughs) I would have taken my time! I just did it real fast, and there it is, inked!

K: You know, that's actually common? I've heard that more than once just interviewing other artists, and they say the creepiest fan experience is when they do get those tattoos. Somebody got a picture of, I think it was The Spill Canvas or Armor For Sleep that she got the picture of the guitarist tattooed on her stomach!

MG: That's horrible! (laughing)

K: Yeah, it was pretty creepy.

MG: That's, shady.

K: Yeah. It's getting more popular for some reason. Pretty soon people are just going to be a walking autograph table or something. (both laugh) What would you say is the overall message that you're trying to convey to fans with Kiss Or Kill?

MG: Our message is to bring back the fun of Rock and Roll. You know? I mean music has been in such a sad state for the past few years, I mean it's just sad. My grandpa left my heart bullshit, I'm so goddamned sad, give me my eyeliner and then you sit in the corner and carve a peace sign crying my eyes. It's just like, I'm so sick of that. You know? It's time that Rock 'n Roll needs a kick in the ass, and I think we're the feet that would like to give it that kick in the ass. I mean, everything out there that I've heard is just so "Whoa is me, wah wah wah. All this pain, all this suffering," and it's like, "Get out of here! You're sitting up here in your damn mansion, rich as sh**, singing about the same bull as when you first started out." Nobody wants to hear that, you know?

K: Right.

MG: You're supposed to have a damn great time, smiling, going crazy with all you have! They're finally starting to get reconnecting with that vibe of fun, you know, and having a good. But that doesn't necessarily mean that every song has to be a party, that's not what I mean because music doesn't have to be all chipper in order to be fine, it just has to have a feeling of enjoyment. They have songs with a tone, but you don't feel sad when you listen to them, you still have a feeling of enjoyment listening to the message that the band is trying to deliver, because they don't deliver them in a whiny way.

K: Yeah. Well, it's that whole "emo" thing that's just completely taking over. I completely thing it's time for Rock to make a comeback.

MG: Well, yeah. If you didn't realize it, that's exactly what I'm talking about.

K: Yeah, exactly.

MG: Exactly what I'm talking about. I mean, I've heard all these bands that are coming out are just copycats of one another. They change little elements in the band but it's still this whiny bastard music and I can't stand it. Sorry I'm getting all vulgar, but I have feelings on this issue.

K: No, I can understand, trust me. So, I see you're headed out on Vince Neil's Motley Cruise in '08? How did you end up in that?

MG: Set up that not too long ago. I was very excited about that.

K: That's awesome. When are you leaving, January?

MG: I think it's January, like January 20, something like that. It's 4 days, playing 3 sets a day.

K: Wow.

MG: Yeah, I don't know how that's going to work. We've never played more than 2 sets a day.

K: (laughing) Yeah, are you going to play for the breakfast crowd too?

MG: I know!

K: Yeah, I think I want to be a stowaway on that boat, but it sounds like a lot of fun.

MG: It sounds like a good time. I'm very excited about it! Vince Neil just left messages not long ago saying he was excited about he saw us, and that was really cool, and sort of give us a little nod, tip of the of the hat sort of thing saying "Glad to have you guys on the tour, it's really good.

K: That's good.

MG: Especially since Motley Crue is one of my favorite bands ever.

K: Definitely sounds good.

MG: Getting a message from Vince it's just like you start feeling like a little school girl. "Vince messaged me!"

K: You get all giggly going "wow I talked to him!"

MG: Yeah. You get excited like, "I can't believe this dude's messaging me!"

K: It's good to connect with some of your idols. It gives you a sign that you've kind of made it. You know?

MG: Right! Just, honestly, I think making it seems weird. I mean, what is making it? To me, I haven't made it yet until I'm headlining Madison Square Garden and it's sold out. That's making it to me. Right now, I feel like I'm living my dream, but I haven't made it yet.

K: Well, it is good to keep striving to reach your goals

MG: I've just had a sample about what all this is about. We're taking the rock 'n roll crowd to the top of the hill. We're still down at the bottom, making our way to the top.

K: Well, it's good to hear you still have goals. Some people get to start out touring and it's like "okay, we're done, we've done what we're supposed to do."

MG: (laughing) Yeah! People from back home and what-not will be like "hey, you guys made it" and I'll be like, "What are you talking about? We didn't make anything." We're still the same dudes, we're still doing the same things, and we're not rich bastards yet, so I don't think we made anything except our dreams, part of our dreams come true. We're living our dreams. That's fruitful enough but in my mind I'm far from having made it, you know?

K: Right.

MG: I'm very driven that way.

K: That's good because you have to keep those goals. That way you keep striving to do better the next time, not just give up because everything keeps raising the bar all the time.

MG: And that's true. I love to have people keep raising the bar on me, and I'll meet it. From time to time you have to worry about it.

K: That's good. There's a very, I guess the word I'm looking for is like a hard rocking sexiness to your music, especially with songs like "The Baby Times Three."

MG: Thank you!

K: (laughing) How did you develop that sound?

MG: Well, I'm a very sexual person. I'm very open with sex and everything that has that in sex and it's just very natural to me. Being turned on and the whole sexiness and swagger of the band is just very natural because it's very reflective of my personality and it's very reflective of the personalities of Tommi Andrews, Kristan Mallory, and I mean, we're four guys. You know what I mean? We're no fakes. We like our adult entertainment, and we have sex, and you know? Just like everybody else. And it's just so natural. We'd rather sing about that than my (in falsetto whine) "My girlfriend is so fine, wah wah wah."

K: So, I hear the video was too hot for MTV, but 500,000 hits on YouTube is pretty good!

MG: Actually we're up to 5,000,000 now!

K: Oh, my god!

MG: (Laughing) Yeah, we're up to 5 million views on YouTube.

K: It was 500,000 in one day, wasn't it?

MG: Yeah, it was 500,000 in one day, and it was over a million on the second, and now we're up to 5 million.

K: Wow. Oh my god.

MG: Yeah, I don't know what people are doing! They must have our video on repeat or something like that, you know?

K: I don't think you want to know what they're doing!

MG: "Mom! I'm watching the Endeverafter video, I told you to knock!"

K: (laughs)

MG: No, but I just in general think that the sexual side of everything, the libido-driven side of the band it's just reflective of how we all feel and what we all really think and our primal instincts, you know?

K: Right. I don't think I could show my fiancé that video. We're not watching it!

MG: Most guys will come to me and be like, "you're video's awesome, and my girlfriend totally wants you!"

K: How do you feel about YouTube in general as a way to connect with fans and show music that way?

MG: I think that, in order to make it, you have to move with the times and you've got to shape-shift into what is happening. Not in terms of style and genre but as far as technological advancements you've got to embrace it and use it to your advantage because this is not 1986. The tours and promotions are completely different these days.

K: Right.

MG: YouTube has proven to be one of the most useful tools in promoting bands, as well as MySpace, and Friends or Enemies. All these sites geared towards that, that's what makes it, you know what I mean? It makes connecting with your fans a little bit easier, a little bit more direct. Where there will be a little bit more of a struggle to see your band, the band you love's video. You don't have to wait for it all. You can go to TV and watch VH1 and just wait.

K: Yeah, you've got to hope it comes on once or something.

MG: Now I'm on my iPhone and I'm checking out everybody's video. "Wow, check that out!" So, I think YouTube is great and I mean, come on, it's brought back the news.

K: Right. So I'm assuming you feel kind of similar about MySpace?

MG: Definitely! Tom, I never met Tom, but thanks Tom. I appreciate you creating MySpace. It's provided us a lot of opportunities, and it helps us connect with our fans really well, keep in touch with them. It's really great to always from your fans about the show you plan or the music changed their life, so it's good! It's a great way to stay in touch with your fans.

K: Do you maintain your own MySpace page?

MG: Yeah. We maintain our own page. All four guys sort of shuffle through it and answer as much as possible. We all have our accounts and stuff like that. We maintain it pretty well.

K: That's good. It's definitely a to connect with fans a lot easier.

MG: Yeah, it gets hard to stay in touch with everybody because at some point the messages come pouring in and you're like "Jesus Christ. How am I going to get back to all these?" The thing is, it's just like the post office; mail just keeps coming and coming and coming. If you don't get back to it right away it just gets backed up. Before you know it you have 300 unread messages and you're like "All right, I don't think I can get back to these people. I'll have to write a blog, or bulletin or something. Because there's no realistic way you can do that but yet you want to keep that personal touch. You want to stay in touch personally with your fans, and these people who love you and these people you love, but it's sort of an unrealistic venture, to be honest.

K: Can you tell our readers one interesting tidbit of information about the band that we may not already be aware of?

MG: Well, let me think. (Humming "Jeopardy" theme song.) Okay. One interesting thing about the band: Tommi Andrews is a vegetarian. There you go. Done. (laughing) Okay, well, we all started in different kinds of bands. I was in a Death Metal band, Tommi Andrews was in a weird Jazz band or something like that. Eric Humbert was in an alternative rock band, Kristi was in a punk band. We all came from very different backgrounds but all wanted to play Rock 'n Roll. Just wanted a shindig. The other thing is that we have a general mission statement in this band. How about that?

K: Okay.

MG: Would you like to know what it is?

K: I certainly would!

MG: Our general mission statement is, it's very short but we live by it. The mission statement is to dominate. World domination.

K: (laughing) Total domination.

MG: Yep, it's pretty simple. That's how we feel. Every time we get on that stage, whatever band we're play with better step up their game because we're going to bring all the heavy artillery. It happened last night, and it's happened every night on the tour that we've been with.

K: Who are you on tour with?

MG: We're on tour with Chap(?), Fuel, and Submersed(?) and we're a very competitive band. That's definitely an interesting factor, something people may not know. We're very very competitive. See? That's great! I gave you the vegetarian thing, mission statement, and that we're competitive.

K: That's good. What's next on the horizon? Any plans for the new year? What's next?

MG: We have some plans to go out with Finger 11 in January. We're going to do that Motley Cruise. So we'll probably do like 2 weeks of club dates with Finger 11 and then we're going to go directly to the Motley Cruise, no time off. We'll be touring January 7th, then to the 20th we'll go the cruise, and then after that we go on tour with this band called Airborne(?) from Australia and then I think we're going to do Avenged Sevenfold this summer. So, many tours.

K: Definitely! If you're ever in the Philadelphia area, we'd love to check you out!

MG: Well, if we're there you better check us out! I would be upset, I would be personally offended if you don't come out, you and your crew!

K: I love live shows!

MG: Definitely. Then, maybe we can do it in person, you know?

K: That would be fantastic!

K: We'll definitely keep an eye out for you being in the area.

MG: You better keep an eye out!

K: (laughing) I promise.

MG: It's definitely a show you don't want to miss.

K: So, is there any final message or comment you'd like to add?

MG: To the fans; we love you. To our friends: we love you. To our enemies: Suck it. (laughing)

K: That's great. I'll definitely leave you a MySpace message, and send something through to Special Ops, letting you know when the interview goes live.

MG: Definitely. Is this going to be posted online? Or is this a publication like a 'zine?

K: It is Popculturemadeness.com.

MG: If you could, please go to my personal page, and send me the link where it's at so I can check it out?

K: Definitely will do.

MG: Sounds good?

K: Yup. Thank you so much for talking to us today. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

MG: Thank you so much.

K: Bye bye