Time Well Spent: An Interview with Engine Down

Engine Down are set to begin work on their follow up to 2002’s Demure. We chat about their recent tour and upcoming plans

Having recently concluded their tour with the Dismemberment Plan, Engine Down are set to begin work on their follow up to 2002’s Demure. Featuring progressive sounds that compliments indie rock roots with more novel ideas, Demure cemented the guys from Richmond, Virginia (by way of Harrisonburg) into the echelon of charismatic sounds that translates well on record, as well as on stage. Make no bones about it; their impressive resume boasts not only fine records but relentless touring and an ethic equaled by few.

Surprising listeners isn’t their only forte; they’re also in the habit of surprising those who do all the asking. Yes, as you’re about to discover, Engine Down are far from just being another touring entourage, they’re quite the savvy individuals whose tour van is probably more ‘tripped out’ than Nelly’s. And who says you can’t watch DVDs, write music, make movies and drive all at the same time?

[Interview with Jonathan Fuller and Matthew “Cornbread” Compton]

Billy: You guys recently wrapped up a tour with the Dismemberment Plan, who, evidently will ride off into the sunset soon. How was the tour?

Jonathan: The tour was amazing, we became fast friends on a tour of the West Coast with them a few months ago, so it was a lot of fun. It was also great to play the bigger venues on the east coast that we can't quite fill yet ourselves.

Billy: Was there a slightly different feeling during the tour, maybe knowing that this was one of their last? Did you guys take this as just another tour or something with perhaps, added nostalgic appeal?

Jonathan: We're all D-Plan fans, so watching the band play every night was definitely nostalgic, but what really affected me was thinking about how I would feel if I were in their shoes. If I knew we were playing the last shows as a band, and that the touring, rock band chapter in my life was coming to a close. I think it was pretty bittersweet for them.

Billy: I can imagine how it must feel knowing that the curtain will close soon. Is touring your favorite part of being Engine Down or do you perhaps prefer another aspect?

Matthew: I think my favorite part of Engine Down is the time that we spend on the road. I think playing live is a truer way to express ones' music. The audience is there specifically to hear your band and to be attentive to it, unless of course you are playing the Orlando and then everyone’s main goal is to take photos at the Bar-BQ-Bar. Also, I feel like I am finding out more and more about how lots of bands might work well professionally but as friends they totally clash. For us van rides are always a party because Keeley and I usually spend half of it on the computer making funny iMovies of the night before or thinking of little interactive things to do on our website for the next tour.

Jonathan: Reading your question made me nervous that anyone else reading it would think that the curtain was closing on US. Which is actually kind of funny, because we just got a couple calls from our friends in Cursive and Minus the Bear who saw posters for the D-Plan tour that said "Dismemberment Plan and Engine Down - Farewell Tour" and assumed that we were breaking up, but nothing is farther from the truth; it'll be a while before the sun sets on Engine Down.

Back to the question - touring is pretty amazing because the five of us (including our roadie Travis) are great friends, and we manage to have a pretty good time on the road, as well as the fact that we're sharing our passion with people every night. That's not to say that there's not a downside to touring, because as we reach a more and more "professional level" there's much more sitting around at a stinky club in the middle of the day while we wait for sound check, wait for doors to open, wait for interviewer to show up...etc. But it's still very fun and very worth it for those times when we really connect with the crowd, and create those electric moments.

As far as picking an aspect ... I don't think I can pick apart the experience, because there are things to love and hate about every aspect. And writing wouldn't be as rewarding if you didn't get to tour and share it with people, and touring would be as rewarding if you hadn't spent 3 months laboring over the new songs...the short answer to your question is... no, I love all my children just the same.

Billy: For someone living in Indonesia (me), who has not been fortunate enough to catch you live, how would you best describe an Engine Down show to them in a few words/sentences?

Jonathan: I think that we've been playing together for so long, that when we play live we have this non-verbal communication between us, almost like a charge of electricity, that reflects how much we love and care about what we're doing. We definitely strive to make the live performance a notch higher than the records, energy wise. Also, you can download a live video from the front page of our website and see for yourself.

Billy: Would a trip all the way over to Indonesia seem something Engine Down would look forward to? (We just got Starbucks this year and our McDonald’s serves porridge)

Jonathan: I’d be totally stoked to come over (and I’d probably be even more stoked if you hadn't gotten Starbucks and McDonald’s)...we're always up for traveling to interesting places, but I guess we would have to be able to break even. Since this is our job, we can't really afford to lose money.

Billy: What is the band currently up to now that the most recent tour is over?

Jonathan: The long answer is: When 'Demure' first came out, it really missed the publicity boat, so we made a conscious decision to tour the record for a long time and get people to hear the songs that way. So, after more than a year of constant touring, we are starting to write songs for our next record. We’re all very very excited about this next record, we have always tried to push our limits on each record, and this one will be no different.

Billy: Speaking of 'Demure', how was recording and writing that record different to the previous records you’ve written and released?

Matthew: The new approach when writing 'Demure' was Keeley and I going in and forming some ideas with a couple of different parts and then having Jason come in and work close with the drums and Jonathan arranging and telling us what was too loopy and what we should keep.

Jonathan: We were actually jokingly talking about this the other day, because we've written every record in a different space. 'Pretense' was written in my basement in Harrisonburg, 'To Bury...' was written in a band mall in Charlottesville, 'Demure' was written in a refinished garage in west-end Richmond, and we've just started writing songs for our next record in a huge, sweltering, old car-detailing shop with big, industrial looking tools around us -- if we follow the analogy: 'Pretense' was our angry, loud, basement show-type record, 'To Bury...' was the record where we figured out where we fit as a band, 'Demure' was a bit more polished and neat, so...our next record should be huge, scary and hot.

Billy: And are you approaching the new album from perhaps, a different perspective?

Matthew: One thing that is weird about al of our albums, which I am not sure what this affects, is that they have all been written in different practice spaces. Which in my opinion seems to add to the change of the music. I don’t know there is something that no one knows. Anyway, we are going to work with the same formula but definitely have a different plan as to what sound we want to generally produce on this record.

Billy: You all have been Engine Down since 1996 – it’s been 7 years – does that ever sink in, that you’ve been able to do this for so long? Most bands today don’t last a few months; is there a secret ingredient to your longevity?

Matthew: Holy crap, 7 years!! I guess it does sort of seem like a slow build. You have to understand that our band has never been given anything and we are still working hard to get the distribution and attention that we feel we need. So I guess the secret ingredient is hard work.

Jonathan: We're really great friends, and we really love making music. If we were doing this for any other reason, we definitely would have broken up by now, because it’s hard work. We still consider ourselves lucky that we have this opportunity. Whenever I complain to my fiancé about not having enough time at home with her, not having enough money ... she humbles me really quickly by reminding me how lucky I am to be doing what I love all the time.

Billy: I think a lot of fans really appreciate the hard work; does it ever get to the point of near exhaustion? Times where you just want to go home?

Jonathan: We've definitely had near exhaustion, like when Cornbread got whooping cough in Japan and we thought he was going to die, and he had to take some pills that he couldn't read or understand, or when I got the stomach flu in California and threw up 'Stand By Me' style in front of the line of kids waiting to get in to see us and Q And Not U, or when Keeley racked his shin so hard while playing in Salt Lake City that his whole leg was swollen for weeks afterward, or when Jason got appendicitis on the first day of a short tour and had to go to the ER for emergency surgery. But we're figuring out how to stay healthy on tour. Mentally, there is usually a point on tour about 3/4 of the way through when I hit a wall, and just want to go home (this usually coincides with the point on tour when we're on our way back east from the West Coast: the drives are long, and the shows are mediocre) but I always know it's coming, and recognize it when it does, so it's really not that bad. So for the few people that happen to have caught us on one of those nights (you know who you are, Lubbock TX, Boise ID, San Antonio TX) I apologize.

Matthew: There was a time like that, when I had a girlfriend, but now I would rather be playing out as much as possible. I love playing in front of people that have never heard us before.

Billy: That’s quite the list of tour related ailments. Do you find that after being on tour many times you develop some sort of immunity to such things?

Matthew: YES, I think I know exactly when I'm about to be sick and which OdWalla drink will help it. Really that stuff works, it says so on the label. Sleeping on any floor use to wreck me and my allergies but now I can fall asleep anywhere.

Billy: Having a wealth of tour experience, do you come to accept that often little mishaps [getting sick in Japan, throwing up in California] like these are just part of the touring?

Matthew: Of course, as dumb as it sounds usually you only get sick when you've been having lots of fun, like traveling non-stop, sleeping less, drinking.

Billy: Do you guys have a favorite part of America? A section of tour locations that you always say “we have to play there”. If I were ever to “tour” somewhere, I’d want to go through as many Southern and Midwestern states as I could. I’m not sure why.

Matthew: Yes, we love Gainesville because we have lots of close friends that live there. Also I think I'd add San Francisco and NYC because of the weight that those shows carry.

Jonathan: The West Coast is phenomenal ... it's like the promised land.

Billy: Are there any significant differences in regards to touring and/or releasing and writing since those earlier days?

Matthew: It was a different world. I guess some differences can be broken down to the fact that Jason used to book us, now Flower [Booking] does. If we were lost on tour, WE WERE LOST. Now we can afford cell phones and check MapQuest on a laptop in the van. A 15-passenger van with a trailer versus a piece of crap Dodge Van, which in the back seat had an uncomfortable couch and no windows or AC. Plus cell phones, we like to talk to our girlfriends and family. For recording we are able to work with a bigger budget than before which makes time in the studio a little less stressful.

Jonathan: Oh, definitely. At the beginning, it was about playing shows in whoever's basement would have you, showing up in our old converted cargo van with a loft and no windows at 8 or 9 at night, loading down some sketchy wooden stairs after the band before you finished, and singing through one mice plugged into a combo amp. (Hopefully getting enough money to cover your gas) then staying at the house that you just played, which is trashed from the show. Now, we have a fantastic booking agent who helps us with that side of things. We are traveling more comfortably in a newer van with a trailer, playing venues with good PAs (most nights) where you can actually hear the vocals, doing a proper sound check, even staying in hotels about half of the time, and making enough money to cover expenses, and live off of (meagerly).

The way we release records has also changed in a similar way. In the beginning, it was kind of like, wow, Brian at Lovitt Records wants to put out a record for us, cool, I think we have enough songs. Record it in a couple of days, master it, release it, and see what happens. Now we write songs specifically for the next record, get more time in the studio to actually make sure the songs are represented the way we want, and actually time the release with press and publicity and touring. So sure, the way that we operate has changed a great deal, but we're still just doing what we love.

Billy: Would you consider Engine Down to be a “tech savvy” band (or at least the members of)? I mean, when not working, on the road or performing, do you spend time with gadgets, computers and such?

Jonathan: Even on the road, we are pretty techy. In that van we have 3 laptops (one capable of wireless web in conjunction with a cell phone, so we can use the internet on the highway) 5 cell phones, 2 i-pods that we hook into the van stereo, 1 Game Boy Advanced, and an AC power adapter to plug all this crap in. Cornbread makes movies and music on his laptop in the van, Keeley works on album and website design for the band in the van, I keep track of money/business stuff on my laptop. At one point we even had a TV and an Xbox in the van, but we decided that was a little excessive (but there is something to be said for playing racing games while actually feeling the effects of the van moving and turning)

Matthew: You have no idea. There is so much I could say about his question that it's hard to get out. Both Keeley and I graduated college with degrees in Graphic Design so we learned to get around very well on a MAC. It seems like most of my day is spent on the computer either working on design or sketching out songs with various programs. It's pretty amazing how much more people can do now with computers than two years ago. I own both an i-pod and a digital camcorder so between the two I can always find something to do. If you want to see what I do in my free time go [here] or [here] and [here]. That should explain it.

Billy: That’s one high tech tour van. I’m afraid to ask; do all the gadgets and gizmos detract from the driving? Who drives?

Matthew: I do most of the night drives and I love to watch DVDs and make music; lots of fun when you’re trying to stay awake.

Billy: For the new record, do you guys have a producer/engineer lined up yet, maybe a location for recording?

Jonathan: We’ve been talking to Brian McTernan who did the last record, he's a great guy, did a phenomenal job with the last record, and has lots of good insight.

Matthew: At his studio, Salad Days.

Billy: Do you have a favorite in-studio moment?

Jonathan: Generally I’m pretty stressed out in the studio, because there's never enough time, and I’m the type of person who likes to have everything lined up perfectly before I start ... so I kind of wig out. But, there's some great footage of us cutting up in the studio at Inner Ear on the Lovitt DVD that's coming out soon.

Matthew: I think when the phrase "Jaah" got introduced into my life. When recording with Brian McTernan he would answer us with "Jaah" and we took to it so fast. It was all we said for the next year.

Billy: Are the majority of the songs formed before entering the studio or does plenty of writing and rewriting occur during the recording process?

Jonathan: Oh yeah, typically everything is totally written and just goes to tape the way we wrote it. We usually try and play the new songs live before we record them, so they develop a little of that live energy. Sometimes we put additional stuff on songs, and that is written in the studio, but we never have the luxury of enough time in the studio to rewrite anything.

Matthew: Thinking about writing in the studio totally stresses me out. We really haven't ever had the time to do that in the past. ‘Demure’ was done in two weeks and that is the longest we have ever had in the studio, and we were still worried about having enough time to finish it. Hopefully this time we will have more time in the studio and this will allow us to have more time to be experimental. We'll see.

Billy: How does the design process work (whether it is album artwork, websites, promotional material) and how involved is the band with it all (seeing as Cornbread and Keeley are graphic design alums)?

Matthew: KEELEY DOES IT ALL. He does the website, artwork, merch. It's all his. We kind of have a strict identity that we like maintain when representing our band.

Jonathan: We all have input, but it's kind of his baby. Cornbread has designed a couple of things for Engine Down and lots of stuff for other people and bands, and his stuff is totally amazing.

Billy: Is there a tentative date for your new album and once it is released, what will you guys be up to?

Jonathan: We're looking at recording this winter, then releasing late spring or summer 2004, once it is released we are going to tour like MAD.

Matthew: We have been working with some big rock ideas for the new album. I'm nervous with excitement to talk about it.

Billy: Finally, hypothetical situation: Engine Down adopts a little Asian kid for an entire tour and grows extremely attached. Time is now up, the tour is finished and the little kid has to go home – what piece of advice/thought/opinion do you leave him/her with?

Jonathan: I’d think I’d give him a totally lame fortune cookie tidbit like: “From listening comes wisdom and from speaking comes repentance.”

Matthew: Damn Asian kids are cute. I actually feel like I have already been in this situation. In Japan we met this kid Taka who we took with us just because we loved him SO SO much. I really want to adopt him even if he is a few years younger than me. When we left Japan it was like leaving one of your own. But I guess the advice I would leave for any other Asian baby that might adopt would be, "Don't let the good ones go. If you're in a relationship (as friends or whatever) with someone then don't take it for granted. It's hard to find other people you work well with. And, take care of your fingers. I have hit mine about 1 million times and scarred them from playing so much that I dread opening a jar of peanut butter in 10 years.