HURT Interview

My apologies to the band if we misquoted you guys at all. The audio recorder wasn’t as good as I thought it was. Also, there was a fan running, so that muffled some of the audio. My friend and fellow HURTie Jhawk was kind enough to enhance the audio. I also ran the audio through many filters as well to be able to make out some of the more difficult parts. But if you guys find anything here that is wrong, please let me know and I will fix it immediately.



Phoenix Always Rises: You guys very rarely ever take a break. The last break I remember you guys took was way back in September, right before Vol. II. What pushes you to drive yourselves to the limit?

J Loren: To be fair, I didn’t really take a break back then., I was doing some other things. I think if we’re talking about that particular break, I didn’t take one because I was writing a couple of new songs. I was kind of rediscovering a friendship with a good friend of mine Mr. Rek Mohr. And it was a little unbeknownst to our fans. You can’t announce that sort of thing when you’re trying it out. Why shouldn’t we work everyday when we love it? It’s not really work after all if you love it.

Phoenix Always Rises: When did you fall in love with music? Was there a specific moment in your life, or was music always a huge part of your life that you always knew?

J Loren: That was what I was built to do. There wasn’t a particular moment where I was all “Oh! Gee! I guess I better get serious about it!” There was a time where I though I had the chance of being a normal person and doing the responsible things for a living but I was sadly mistaken, and that wasn’t what was cut out for me. So, I refocused. It’s sort of like a first impression when you meet somebody and you probably should have followed it.


Phoenix Always Rises: Other than Vivaldi, which musician or band do you think has had the most musical impact on you?

J Loren: Hmmm, I’d say Bach. He’s pretty close to Vivaldi


Phoenix Always Rises: With people complaining about bands not liking illegal downloads of music, can you give people an idea of the impact that it has on an independent band like HURT?

J Loren: Well it absolutely destroys all money that comes in for all the people that work and then expect to get paid.

Phoenix Always Rises: What are your thought on the current state of music and the direction it has been heading in?

J Loren: I think that music is a marketable living, And it’s almost extinct. I would probably be better to make a living writing songs for a video game soundtracks but I don’t want to do that. I love what I do. I love the people that work with me, I have a high amount of respect for them. And I’m not going to abandon them. So, if the ship’s going to sink, it’s going with me.


Phoenix Always Rises: You have been performing new songs for the past couple of weeks. Do you find it easier to write new material on the road or in the studio?

J Loren: Definitely in the studio. I mean, on the road, it’s kind of a bitch. Nothing can be done at the moment. Not that you’re an inconvenience, but you’re part of my life right now. and this is this is the closest thing that I get to a sanctum. So yeah, not really the most conducive environment to making soul searching pieces, while company is watching you.



Phoenix Always Rises: What was the last band or artist (other than ones you have toured with) that completely knocked your socks off?

J Loren: Hmmm. I thought Sick Puppies was amazing live. Probably one of the best bands I’ve seen lately. Let me think here. Ummm. (Turns to Rek) What was that Texan band that sounds like Dredg a little bit?

Rek Mohr: Texas Band?

J Loren: yeah, Fair To Midland!

Rek Mohr: Fair To Midland

J Loren: Those guys knocked my socks off. I am really really impressed with them. It’s good to see that kind of stuff out there and I wasn’t prepared for it. Just happy and surprised . More power to them.

Phoenix Always Rises: Rek, you are the newest member of the HURT family. How did you come to audition for HURT?

Rek Mohr: My old band, Leo, toured with HURT in March and I got to know the guys pretty well. When I found out Josh was leaving I had already decided to quit my band. I didn’t know what I was going to do afterwards. So when the tour was over, I flew out to L.A. and auditioned with everyone else, I got lucky and got the part. I haven’t had to look back.

J Loren: It was my understanding that he did it in true Paul Spatola style, which was the one way ticket.

Rek Mohr; Yes. Gotta have a little confidence you know.


Phoenix Always Rises: You guys have a huge variety of acoustic songs floating around, would you ever consider releasing an entirely acoustic album?

J Loren: Absolutely. I think that if you can do it electric, you can do it acoustic, if there is some merit to what you’re doing. I’m not sure how many of our fans would follow us down that path. But I’d be interested in seeing . We might find out.


Phoenix Always Rises: Do you have any pre-show rituals?

J Loren: Last minute interviews.

Evan Johns: Last Minute interviews.

(Laughs)

Phoenix Always Rises: The song “Forever” has always fascinated me. I don’t care how many times I hear it, it always gives me the chills. The beginning has a bit of a mechanical sound to it. How did you create those noises?

J Loren: Those noises were created by a dead friend of mine. And they were created from a track on a previous album. If you recall it’s “The Confession”.

Rek Mohr: Before he was dead

J Loren: Yes. I didn’t go to his death and tape it.

Rek Mohr: Right


J Loren: So it was kind of a recollection. I did an old technique some violinists use, when you write a piece, and you listen to the piece, and you listen to a piece that many times, sometimes when you play it backwards, and you actually play it better. And that kind of spurred a thought, spurred a few more. And then it was written lyrically about a totally different topic. one more note on that.. its probably the only thing I share in common with Garth Brooks, He wrote a song about a subject like that, hoping he could write one of his most popular songs like that

Phoenix Always Rises: Seeing as you are without a label right now, what as fans can we do to help you guys out in any way possible?

J Loren: I wouldn’t ask a damn thing more that what you guys already do. I’m searching my mind and I can’t even fathom or understand all of things that they’ve put thought into and all the things that they’ve done. I couldn’t ask anybody to do anything more. Other than us. We’ll do more and you can do it too.



Phoenix Always Rises: What qualities are you looking for in a label?

J Loren: Ummm, the supernatural ability to not be impacted by a market that doesn’t buy music. That would be wonderful.

Evan Johns: Good answer!

J Loren: Let’s say, produces their media on some space age material that makes it appealing to buyers, so they can actually justify the purchases of it. And maybe enough foolishness to dish out enough money to make our band grow, while hoping for no money in return. Which is, pretty much what any label isn’t going to do right now. They’re all going under. It’s bleak, completely bleak.



Phoenix Always Rises: Do you see music downloads being the complete undoing of music labels now?

J Loren: Legal, or illegal?

Phoenix Always Rises: Either or.

J Loren: I think legal music digital downloads were a feeble attempt at actually making money off something somebody was already doing. For instance, why would you sign up for a service, pay for things at a low quality version of the product, when you can type in the name of the thing you want and get it for free immediately? So I think that the first step in making digital music downloads a viable source of income, or a viable source of transporting media, is actually making it more convenient than stealing it. And nobody’s done that so far, which is mind blowing.


Phoenix Always Rises: What can we expect from the new HURT album?

J Loren: What can you expect? You can explain nothing. (laughs) Because it’s going to be different. It’s going to be a lot different. It’s going to be different that anything we’ve ever done. And it’s going to be different, hopefully, than anything else anybody else has ever done. I don’t think any amount of talking about it is going to help that.


Phoenix Always Rises: Skittles helped us come up with this question, The Old Mission is one of our songs, would you guys ever consider playing it live?

J Loren: We have played it live

Phoenix Always Rises: Would you ever consider playing it live again?

J Loren: We’ll consider that


Phoenix Always Rises: Do you ever play any practical jokes on each other while on the road?

J Loren: who us? Noooooo

(Laughs)

Phoenix Always Rises: Somehow I don’s believe that (Laughs)

J Loren: You know, we don’t put grapes in each others shoes and things like that. They’ve been cute things.


Phoenix Always Rises: Here’s kind of a silly question., you guys remember the elves video from Christmas time right?

Paul Spatola: Yes.

J Loren: Oh! I thought you said Elvis! Yes I do

Phoenix Always Rises: Has anyone had the guts to yell “Bring out the Elves!” yet? It was an ongoing joke during Christmas time.

J Loren: No, luckily we don’t get “Freebird” either.

Phoenix Always Rises: I just read that you guys were hoping to do a release of Vol. 1 and II together with a dvd with a bunch of live performance footage. Is this still something you guys are hoping to do in the future?

J Loren: Maybe. It all depends on business reasons. If you don’t own the catalogue of Vol. 1 and Vol. II, and another company owns the dvd footage, and the song writing company owns all the royalties to all of those. Then you’re going to have a really hard time getting all the things together and not getting into one big nasty rights jumble.



Phoenix Always Rises: Your fans refer to themselves as HURTies. I consider many of the fans to be like family to me. I have never seen a band bring people together so closely. How does it feel to know that your music has had such an impact?

J Loren: I’d like to say I haven’t either. So to that extent, we’re really proud of them. From the very beginning, although the fan numbers were small, they were always kinda like that. And as the numbers grew, the fans stayed the same. And they were to true to just letting it be about the music and leaving us alone to who we are. Whatever nasty people that were are. I mean, not doing the idol worship, or not too much They actually help each other out. It’s kind of my hope, you know. We hope to do some good with the things that we do. And the fans are the same way. And it’s kinda nice. I’ve seen carpooling, I’ve seen them doing a bunch of stuff together, and you know, it’s refreshing. You don’t go onto the website and have 20 threads about “oh he’s so cute!”. It’s like “what do you enjoy of it? How does it make you feel?” things like that. “Oh you have a friend someplace else, can I pick them up on my way to the venue?” They’re our fans, and I love ‘em.

Phoenix Always Rises: Your music has had a therapeutic effect on people. I’ve even emailed you one of my stories. How does it feel to know that you personally and your lyrics have helped so many people so deeply?

J Loren: I didn’t do it personally. I did it with the help of a lot of people who cared a lot. It feels nice to know that I played some small part in it. But it isn’t just me.

Phoenix Always Rises: What has been the most asinine off the wall question that you’ve ever been asked, where you‘ve just sat there and rolled you eyes?

J Loren: Tell me about HURT.

Phoenix Always Rises: What has been the most over asked interview question

J Loren: Where are you guys from?

Paul Spatola: Mars!

Phoenix Always Rises: What has been the most off the wall answer you have ever given?

J Loren: HURT will make you stronger, better in bed, sexier to the opposite sex, and on the average, jumps you up 4 or 5 IQ points, without the use of drugs.


Phoenix Always Rises: If could say any one thing to your fans right now, what would you say?

J Loren: Just that we care a lot


And don’t forget to check out HURT at http://www.hurtband.com, and http://www.myspace.com/hurt. Also, go sign up at their official forums located at http://www.hurt.forumsunlimited.com. We also have a section of our boards dedicated to HURT. Swing on by and meet some of their amazing fans.

we would like to extend a special thank you to Skittles. This would not have happened without her. THANK YOU SKITTLES! You rock!!!

We would also like to extend a special thank you to Jhawk. He helped us out a lot with the audio. Thank you so much!!!!