(June 2008) PCM's Kristyn had a chance to chat with Trapt lead singer Chris Brown.
Also be sure to visit OnlyThroughThePain.com, a wonderful site where visitors can swap stories, discuss problems, and talk about the new Trapt album. Read on for more insights...

Kristyn: Hi, Chris. How are you?

Chris: Good. How are you doing?

K: Not too bad. Your upcoming CD "Only Through The Pain" is due in stores August 5th am I correct?

C: Yeah.

K: Can you tell our site readers a little about the upcoming release? What should fans be expecting?

C: It is definitely what we've done as a band for the past ten years as far as the sound and everything. It is definitely a departure from what you are used to, completely used to and it is a lot of good songs and the lyrics I feel really kind of dug deep on this one. I kind of put myself out there and the music is very complimentary. All the song really and lyrics really capture their own message, each song has a different approach to it, so you are never going to hear the same sounding song twice.

K: Okay

C: If you know Trapt and you know the first record, it is closer to that one, it is not as heavy as the second record, but it definitely has its moments. It is a really melodic record.

K: Would you say that your sound has matured since your previous releases?

C: Yeah, you can definitely say that. I've matured since we've done the beginning releases (laughs)

K: (laughs) I am sure.

C: As a band matures, the music will probably follow suit.

K: Definitely! Is there significance behind the title?

C: It comes from a lyric in a song "Only Through The Pain" and I can find a way to learn. That is basically what I have kind of learned in the past year and half to two years is that anything that hits you in the gut and hurts real badly, you can't ignore it, you've got to really kind of embrace it and really seal it because you really don't want to feel it again, so you might as well make this horrible thing that happened to you or this way that your feel, whatever, you better really acknowledge it so that you know when that feeling comes back again to avoid whatever causes that pain.

K: Almost like learning from mistakes, right?

C: Yeah, so basically just going through stuff and not being afraid to live your life. Life is about ups and downs and pleasure and pain, and all that kind of stuff. If you ignore one than you don't get the benefit of the other one.

K: Right, right. So, I see that you have posted some sample tracks off the CD on your website. What has the feedback been so far?

C: We have a site called OnlyThroughThePain.com . That a site where people can talk about the record, they can talk about lives, there is a little section called Depth Factor in there, where people can put themselves out there and write a story about their lives or whatever, something that is bugging them or they want to talk about it and they don't really feel comfortable talking about it with friends at school and this and that. On the surface often times everyone wants to keep things cordial, but this is a place where people can bear it all and get an opinion on something they want to know about or talk about a certain subject that they might have felt a little awkward talking about, it is really cool, we have close to 300 members now. We are not really promoting too much, we are just trying to get it to have a life of its' own. I will go in there and comment on stuff and put down what I think about something, I put three blogs that I put up on my personal MySpace up there and there is a forum with all these different topics, it is a really cool site and I think a lot of fans of the record, once they find out about the site will go and really be able to go and find meaning to whatever they are looking for with the help of others.

K: Oh, for sure, and we can definitely direct some of our site readers in that direction. I think it is great that people can keep that level of anonymity online to be able to talk about certain subject matter.

C: Yeah, it is just like-minded people, who think the same way. People post their poetry up there, and like I said just bearing it all and people are really supportive. Any type of criticism is very constructive, if it is even criticism at all, the community overall is just very welcoming with open arms.

K: That is fantastic. Is there hope that the first single off the new record "Whose Going Home With You Tonight", that premieres on June 10th on Xbox Live and radio, will catch on in much the same way as songs like "Headstrong" for example?

C: You know I can't really say, I have no idea. It is a completely different song than "Headstrong". As far as making something big all over the place, I think the radio definitely helps a lot with that, so we will only see with time. We have a lot of fans and this record is not about a single it is about a full record. Putting a single out there is a lot easier for radio stations and web sites and video outlets to play than your whole record, you know?

K: Right

C: We are just trying to go with a good song and set the tone of the record. There are a ton of other songs that could have been the first single, so we kind of just went with the consensus of what the whole band, our manager, and the label thought it should be and in the end we agreed to throw out this song as the first single. Again there are a lot of other songs that could have been singles; we are looking forward to getting this song out and getting to the next one.

K: Do you have a personal favorite track off the new CD?

C: Nah, to me it is one song, it is the record. It tells a story from song one to song eleven.

Check out the video for "WhoseGoing Home With You Tonight"!

K: You have secured a spot on what I would say is the hottest rock tour this summer! Are you excited for CrueFest?

C: Yeah, it is going to be awesome!

K: How did your placement on the tour come about?

C: Nikki and the rest of Motley Crue decided that out of all the bands out there that they were just going to ask Papa Roach, BuckCherry, and us to play, and obviously Nikki's side band Sixx: A.M. I really have no idea how they came to it, they just decided these were the bands they wanted to tour with, out of the bands that are current right now that have been out there for the past five years.

K: That is awesome! We definitely can't wait for the tour; I am totally excited for this one.

C: Yeah, it is going to be great

K: Where do you see the future of music heading and where do you see Trapt in that picture?

C: I think music is going to head more and more to something that is used to promote the band and promote their shows. Overall more to promote what they are all about, I think it is going to go away from selling as much music as it is to trying to sell as many tickets as you can and get people out to see you live in a real face to face situation. Either way if people stop buying records and they buy more downloads, as long as they get the songs, I don't really care how they get them. As long as they are into them and coming to the shows, that is all I care about!

K: Do you feel that we are due to have a resurgence of rock music again?

C: Yeah it seems like it! We've got Three Doors Down with a number one record, this week we are going to have Disturbed and Weezer. I don't know, it looks to me like rock music is alive and well, like Buckcherry had 1.3 million records, it is really cool to see the rock bands come out, like true rock bands, you know like in the late 90's and early 2000's they were really killing it, like that kind of genre and to see it reemerging not only just feeling that way but seeing it outperform all the rap and all the pop-punk and pop itself. I mean you have Usher with big, big record sales obviously, but that is one thing. To have rock for three weeks in a row, to have rock bands in the number one spot is a good sign.

K: Well, we have to bring it back, right?

C: It is just obvious that it probably never left, the labels and sh**t they are trying to sell rock and pop and all this kind of stuff. They are trying to package it, and getting all these songwriters to write all these songs for them, and I think the public can kind of see through it. A hit song is a hit song, if it is a great song people are going to love it, but as far as the band that is real that they can get behind and be proud of then I feel like rock music is the kind of music where people can go "Yeah, I listen to this band and they are cool" and no one can really say anything because it is a cool band.

K: I agree. Going back to the subject of music downloads and such, how do you feel about MySpace and the Internet as a way to connect with fans and receive feedback?

C: It is a way to talk to your fans everyday, any of your fans. It is more interactive, it is one thing to be at a show and another thing to be on the Internet, but in the meantime it is cool to be able to talk to your fans about whatever they're going through or you're going through and let them know what is going on with the band. It is definitely a better way to communicate than your traditional outlets where you can only kind of speak to them, instead of actually speaking with them.

K: Do you guys maintain your own page?

C: Yeah, we are myspace.com/trapt . From there people can go to OnlyThroughThePain.com , we also have Trapt.com which is a placeholder for all our other sites like YouTube and Purevolume and all that other type of stuff.

K: You have done quite a bit of touring over the years. Have you had any crazy fan experiences yet?

C: Oh, yeah there have been tons. We have signed people's cars, I think we have signed everything you can sign on a person themselves.

K: (laughs) That could be a little scary, huh?

C: Yeah, I mean I can't really think of the funniest thing. On every tour you try to punk the bands that are playing with you.

K: Yeah, I have heard that

C: We've done that so many times that it kind of gets old after awhile (laughs)

K: Right.

C: A rock tour it's more just adrenaline filled and just fun, everyday is a prank just so you can get through the day and get to your show.

K: So, do you have any favorite tracks to play live? Which songs really seem to get the crowd worked up?

C: We have a pretty consistent feel throughout the show with our heavier songs and then obviously the lighter songs that people are just into, you can tell they are into it because their eyes really show it. The ones that really get them moving are obviously "Headstrong", "Stand-up", "Disconnected", and "Stillframe". A song we started playing on the last tour "Everything To Lose" which is one of my favorites to play, that was on our live record that we released last year. Some of the new ones we are really just starting to get going with "Whose Going Home With You Tonight" and that has been fun.

K: Okay.

C: Throughout and hour or an hour and half there is every type of moment that you can have, there are mellow moments, really crazy moments, and everything in between.

K: I can imagine. I have one final question for you; can you share with our site readers one interesting fact about Trapt that we may not already know? Any funny habits or hobbies?

C: Umm...nope. I think we all play video games and we all like to drink a little bit here. We are just normal dudes, I can't really say any of us are weird or do anything that people would want to laugh at or anything (laughs) nothing that I have really noticed of us. We are all trying to get the best out of life, combine as best we can, and just take it easy, remembering to stop and smell the roses.

K: Is there any final message or comment you would like to share with our site readers?

C: If you feel like there are things you want to talk about and you don't feel like you have anyone that cares to listen, then go to OnlyThroughThePain.com and come hang out with us!

K: I will definitely pass along the info. Thank you so much for speaking with us today.

C: I appreciate it

K: No problem…bye

C: Bye