Email interview conducted with Paul from Karate
High School.
1. Who am I speaking with,
and what do you do in the band?
I'm Paul, and I do
vocals/keyboards/guitars. I also write the music and lyrics.
2.How long have
you been a band for, and how/when did you guys start?
I started
writing songs as "Karate High School" years ago, but the band didn't come
together and play shows seriously until 2004.
3. Where
did you get the name 'Karate High School" from?
I'm a shamelessly huge
fan of really bad horror/science fiction movies from any era, but
particularly of sci-fi from the 50's and horror from the 80's. I just
wanted a name that evoked that so-campy-its-kinda-cool type of vibe, and
I came up with that name. One day, I'm going to make a movie called
Karate High School, and hopefully the good folks at Troma Films will
purchase it. Dare to dream!
4. How does it feel to
get SO recognized SO soon?
Thank you very much
for the compliment, but in all seriousness, we're still complete
nobodies. Individually, we've all been in bands in the San Francisco Bay
Area for a while, and with KHS we've toured America many times in the
dirtiest, smelliest van possible. But, I'm here to report that we still
play many, many shows where the only people in attendance are the
bartender and the other bands on the bill. We're very happy with where
the band is at right now, and for some of the recognition that Arcade
Rock gave us, but it would be silly to think that we have a huge
underground fanbase. That is our goal, however, and we appreciate every
single person that listens to our band and comes to our shows. They mean
everything to us. We're in the same boat that every other indie band
with no radio play, no video on MTV (or any other channel), and
virtually no money for any advertising whatsoever is in. It's all
grassroots, word-of-mouth type of stuff, and we're proud of that.
5. How did you end up
dealing with Serge Entertainment, considering I have not ever heard of
this label until your band came along?
Well, the label we're
on is actually called EVO Recordings. Serge Entertainment is just a
company that does PR for them, I believe, so maybe there was some
confusion there. EVO is a newer indie label based out of North Carolina.
After we finished the record, we sent it out to various labels and were
just getting ready to just press up a small amount of copies and release
it ourselves locally. EVO just came along at the right time with the
right offer, and we were happy to put it out under their label. Brad
Deifer runs the label, and he is a totally cool guy. He understands our
creative vision and supports us in what we're trying to accomplish.
6. Do you guys actually
have an obsession with video games?
Yes
and no, I suppose. The videogame industry is huge in the Bay Area of
California, and just about all of us have worked for different companies
in different capacities. Videogames were always a big part of my life
growing up, and continue to be today -- but I think the word "obsession"
is a bit much. Working for a videogame company right out of high school,
that type of aesthetic just crept it's way into the music I was writing
at the time of the record, and made it's way into the songs. It's
similar to how any other artistic medium, whether it's music, film,
literature, and yes, videogames, can affect your creative vision and
influence your musical ideas.
7. And if so, how
does this affect your music?
Whoops, I think I answered this question with the response above. ;)
8. What do you think
about being labeled as "Nintendo Core?"
I jokingly placed the
title of "Arcade Rock" on our band (and our record) just because I
thought it sounded funny, and helped to describe the concept we were
going for. It was never intended to be a serious genre or anything, or
an attempt at being true "Nintendo Core." We don't play "actual"
videogame song covers, and we don't use the original Gameboy sound
samples in our songs. However, I completely understand the comparison
and I'm fine with it. I just don't think our band can survive in the
hard-and-true Nintendo Core genre - we just aren't "core" or "Nintendo"
enough. But, I love that genre and consider it an honor to be compared
to something I dig.
9. And
whether you agree or disagree, how do you feel about being labeled as a
style of music that shares a title with the likes of 'Horse the Band?'
I think I may have
answered this question above. Regardless of what label or genre our band
is in, I'm just happy if people end up listening to us.
10. How did you come up
with such Catchy Choruses on only your first album?
Wow, you are *way* too
generous with the compliments! But thank you, I really appreciate that.
I suppose "catchy" is all a matter of taste, but I don't know - I like a
lot of different genres of music, including really cheesy pop stuff, so
I guess that influences my writing a bit. I think I'm always growing as
a writer, and I'm always looking for good melodies. I think our next
record will have better songwriting, better singing, etc. Keep an eye
out for it.
11. What kinds of
music/bands do you guys listen to and/or have influenced your band?
There are so many
bands that have influenced me. I can honestly say that all genres of
music have had a huge effect on my songwriting. Talking Heads, Tears For
Fears, any modern rock from the 80's with synths, Third Eye Blind, Nine
Inch Nails, anything Mike Patton, Quicksand, Nirvana, videogame music
and film scores from a million different projects, etc. I could probably
list a thousand bands, and it would start to become meaningless because
the list would be way too long for any human to actually read.
12. What bands are you
listening to now?
I'm still listening to
the last Death Cab For Cutie record, and I'm a huge fan of anything The
Streets put out. Mike Skinner is a genius and it's a shame that he's not
hugely famous in America. Weezer's Make Believe was a terrific record,
and had the best-sounding drums of any record in 2006. As a producer, I
listen to a lot of albums in order to try and de-construct how they came
to certain tones, sounds, and textures. Nine Inch Nails' The Downward
Spiral might be the best-produced record ever. It's one of those albums
where there are NO minor details. It's a singular concept, and a very
well thought-out execution that only he could pull off. In the indie
scene, I think that Siren's Sister is totally underrated, and I think
that The Secret Lives Of The Freemasons are amazing as well. I also love
Dragonforce. I'm always looking for new bands to listen to, regardless
of genre. From death to country (yep, country), I listen to it all.
13. What will be the
touring situation be like this year?
We should be on the
road for the majority of the year, hitting all parts of America and
Canada. We'd love to see everyone at a show! Oh, and letting five
sweaty, disgusting guys crash on your couch/back porch would be greatly
appreciated. :)
14. How has the
reception of your first release been like?
I'm blown away by the
reception thus far. You have to realize that this album was recorded in
my bedroom with the crappiest, most simple equipment available, with the
only intention being to press up about 100 copies and release it
ourselves locally. The fact that we were picked up by a little indie
label that released our record *in stores!* around the country is a huge
dream come true. Combine that with the fact that we've been able to tour
the country repeatedly and meet the most amazing fans and bands on the
road, it has truly been life changing. I can't imagine a better
experience for our first record.
15. Has what people
said thus far influenced your music at all?
Nah. With any type of
art, people will like it or people will hate it. At the end of the day,
as long as I'm happy with what I'm writing, I feel completely successful
regardless of whether or not Joe Smith thinks it's cool or not. On the
positive side, the people that are genuinely into the music have been
very vocal, and having songs make someone happy or make them thing
differently about a topic definitely encourages me to continue writing
what I believe in.
16. What bands/artists
past or present would you like to tour or work with?
Whoa, that's a big
question. I think a huge show with Talking Heads, The Streets, DJ
Shadow, Nine Inch Nails, and Death Cab For Cutie would allow me to die
happy. In my deepest fantasies, Trent Reznor would produce our next
record, and I would produce a song for the next Streets record. Oh, and
if Ben Gibbard would play acoustically at my wedding and my funeral,
that would be fantastic.
17. Besides
possibly video games, or including, where do you get your inspiration
from?
It's the most cliche' answer, but inspiration comes from everywhere.
Good music, good food, good friends and family, good comic books, good
road trips, good jokes -- basically, all the "good" stuff. The list
could go on forever. Taking those things and distilling their values
into a song is the fun/challenge in songwriting for me.
18. What does the
future of KHS look like?
Touring,
touring, touring. Oh, and we'll be releasing a new record this year. I
can't really say much other than that, but you should keep your eye out
for it. It's going to completely crush everything on Arcade Rock, and
I'm way excited for you to hear what I've been writing recently. More to
come.
19. That is all I have
to ask right now, I'm sure I will have a lot more in the future...Thank
you so very much for your time...What are your last words?
I would just like to
thank you for being interested in our band, and for listening to our
record. And to everyone else reading this, I'd like to seriously thank
you for supporting us. And to anyone that hasn't been to a show, come
and see us live! It's where we shine the best, I believe, and we'd love
to see your lovely faces. See ya!
