Interview: Rooney
- Posted on October 1, 2007 5:18 PM
- 0 comments
Interview By Katie Spain
We got the chance to chat to Rooney who have recently spent some time in London promoting there new album Calling The World. Rooney are a five piece pop/rock band that have taken the US by storm and are ready to spread the Rooney vibe across the globe.
For those unfortunate souls that don’t know about you yet, can you just us a bit of background to whom each of you are as band members?
Sure, we have Taylor on guitar, Ned on drums, Matt on bass, Louie on keyboard and Robert on vocals and guitar.
And what can we expect from Rooney live?
We tend to play half the songs of our first record and more recently, half the songs of our second record. We play the songs pretty true to the way that they are on the album. We try to replicate that as much as we can with the added energy of a live show. Also, bands know how to play tight but they don’t know how to bring their fans into the show. So, another goal we have is to really get our fans participating. Some crowds are really into it straight away, but others need to be guided though the process to get them going.
You have been touring pretty extensively; I have been looking at the videos on your website which give a great insight into what is going on. How are you finding the audiences you are playing too? Are the UK audiences getting into it?
We did a show last May at Waterats in London and the crowd was crazy. They really liked the first record and they chant Rooney like the football star which really gets us excited. We went off stage for the encore they began to chant again; it was such an energetic crowd. We had some friends from London who were shocked at the response because they said they had seen a lot of crowds that were cool and didn’t really want to give you a lot.
Any festival plans?
We haven’t actually done any European festivals yet. We don’t really have the same festival thing in America, but they are starting to have it. There is a thing called Coachella in Southern California which is getting really big now. We played that once which was really fun and we are hoping to do more of that kind of stuff. We really hope that next year we can get on with the festivals over here!
I’m flying to Australia tomorrow morning. Do you have any advice with how to deal with long term flights now that you travel so much?
A couple of us have blow up head rests, we recommend them over the regular ones!
Do you enjoy the touring side of things?
Oh yeah, This record took us a really long time to make so we were home for a while, so its awesome to finally have it out and playing in places that we have never even been too.
How did you guys all get together?
We have all been friends since school, we went to small school where everybody kind of knows all the same people and we just got together and started playing.
Are you still just the boys from town when you go back home?
Yeah. Sometimes we bump into High School friends and they are like ‘hey, wow…I have seen you guys on the TV’ and that makes you feel great. Its exciting because we were a High School band, most of our fans were from High Schools because we promoted in all different schools - we were working all the schools! We were pretty aggressive as a young band and bands really aren’t like that now…but it’s cool because those kids in High School that didn’t want to show up are probably feeling like jerks now!
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You are doing your video diaries and Robert seems like the video master, are you a budding Spielberg?
Well, fans really want to hear from the band and get to know the band. Every Mac comes with a built in computer so why not just push the button and share your thoughts! It is easy and quick, only five minutes from your day and really makes a difference because kids can really learn some stuff about you.
There is a Q&A section isn’t there? Do you get a lot of fans asking you questions?
Yeah. Fans send a lot of question to our Myspace but it is hard to get back to them, although we do try to. This way is just more organised, there are tons of questions that are sometimes very specific, detailed questions about guitar pedals or warm up exercises.
You toured with Ben Lee, are you a friend of his now?
We were friends before the tour but then afterwards, we did some signing on his album. In America he is not as big as Rooney, but obviously in Australia he has the power.
Have you been before? Is Australia your next step?
We haven’t been before but we are dying too. That’s another place we really want to get to, but its hard as it’s so far away, we need to go at the right time.
There is some pretty funny footage of you guys touring, do you find it easy to chill out when you are on tour – are there a lot of in band jokes?
We would be pretty miserable if we weren’t light hearted about things. We are tired often, but mostly, we are just mates from home. We entertain each other; each one of us is like a stand up comedian with our own way of delivering things. Sometimes, people don’t understand the jokes we are making because it’s an inside thing. We have fun when we tour and we have a history together so…
Project wise, what is taking up all your time now?
We have Europe dates and the single and album will be out by the end of this month. When we go back to the States, we will be touring with the Polyphonic Spree and then maybe back to Europe for the end of the year.
Do you get nervous before a single or album release?
We were really happy with the record this time; I know I felt ready for it to come out. We don’t care if people don’t love it, there are going to be people that won’t like it, but I know that personally, I felt really proud of it. In my mind, we made a good album that people can listen too. Have you ever had a near death experience? It is kind of like that because you appreciate things so much more afterwards. That feeling, where you think, I am so happy to be alive is the feeling you get in a band when you are almost dead as a band, but then you put a record out and people believe in you again.
Do you think you will be making music for ever?
Definitely.
What is the most memorable gig that you have been to as a punter?
I went to this show in LA, I don’t even know what band it was but it was metal stuff. This guy climbed to the second level of the place and was hanging off the balcony, then he did a flip backwards and the crowd caught him – it was such a thin crowd too. I couldn’t believe it; it was kind of like a circus act. We also went to see the Zombies play. It was a really weird show and not well attended but sounded amazing – that was really memorable. It is also cool when you meet fans that say we were their first concert because we know what that first concert is like! It weird when they say they are 30 years old though – we are like, where have you been?
If you want to read more about Rooney, check out our Calling The World review or go to Rooney's MySpace for more info.
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