Todd talks to David Scotney of Janus about new release ‘Nox Aeris’ and a whole lot more.
ToddStar: Hey David. We really appreciate you taking time out for The Rockpit today.
David: Sure, no problem. Thanks for having me.
ToddStar: If you don’t mind, I would like to jump right into the new release, Nox Aeris. Man, compared to Red Right Return and even going back as far as Influx or Armor, this is probably the strongest release you guys have had so far.
David: Thanks man. We are really happy with it.
ToddStar: What can you tell us about the disc? Something that maybe somebody would not know on the surface.
David: I would say it is probably the fastest we have ever worked, as far as writing and recording a record. We do all the recording and producing ourselves. We had some help on the mixing side from a guy, Bruce Grainger. I would say working under pressure like that I think was actually a good thing. I think it pushed us to kind of work hard and keep the standards high and because we worked so quickly I think there’s a cohesiveness to the record that might not have been there if we had taken our time.
ToddStar: The disc does have many of the same basic components. The band is the band, as far as the early releases go. In your opinion, how does this vary from the earlier releases, other than the speed with which you used to record it?
David: I would say it is a little heavier; it is probably a lot heavier in spots. It is probably the darkest record we have ever made in terms of its point of view, content wise.
ToddStar: There are several songs that I think are very strong that I find myself going back to. Are there certain tracks you find yourself going back to, thinking to yourself, “man, this just turned out awesome?”
David: I would probably say, “Promise To No One” is one of those tracks. It is probably the heaviest track we have ever done. It is going over really well live; it is a lot of fun to play live. That song and “Lifeless.” “Lifeless” is probably the one song that is pretty far from… that song and “Always Rains” would have never shown up on any prior Janus record. They kinda point in a new direction, but that is another song that is fun to play live too, so those are probably my favorites.
ToddStar: You nailed my favorite, which is “Promise To No One.” I really find myself going back to the opener, “In Flames” and I think you guys really closed this disc well when you put polarized at the end. It has me looking to the next release already, and this one is not even on the streets yet. This is such a strong song to end on in my opinion.
David: Oh, cool. Thanks, I appreciate that.
ToddStar: Are there any songs you wish came out differently, now that you are listening to them?
David: You know, whenever you are in the writing process or the final recording process, you know putting final touches on things, it is easy for an artist to struggle to put down the mixing board or stop turning the knobs. I think you are always hearing ideas, hearing things that you can make better, or for me, harmony parts or a specific vocal part. With us, it was nice having that deadline, because it forced us to kinda pull the plug at a certain point. I was glad we did, because I am not sure what we would have gained by continuing to turn knobs for another year.
ToddStar: Of the songs, was there one that was easier to write the others and conversely, was there one that just took forever to finalize in the writing process?
David: I would say, “Lifeless” for me actually was a song about writers block. It funny though, because it happened quickly for me actually. Then there are songs like “Polarized” for instance, where I had to write probably five or six different verses and three or four different choruses and it took forever for me to wrestle that song to the ground. We are a democratic band. So, if I write a verse or lyric that someone doesn’t like or have the band doesn’t like I have to go back to the drawing board and keep at it until another idea surfaces. It can be a long painful process, but it yields results.
ToddStar: You guys have been tagged with the label Alternative Metal. However, if you had to describe Janus’ sound to somebody, not in a comparison mode, but to just describe the sound, how would you describe it to someone who had maybe never heard of you?
David: Rock or metal and somewhere in between. That is a tough question to kinda try to wrap your head around what label you would want to slap on yourself. I would say somewhere between rock and metal.
ToddStar: When performing live, especially now that you guys, you have obviously had these songs ready for a while (the disc drops March 27, 2012), do you find that you are mixing your material up evenly, are you guys playing a lot of the newer material, or are there just certain songs you will always have to play?
David: Well, we are currently out playing a short opening set for a band called Chevelle, so we are primarily playing most of the new songs and only a couple old songs. Actually only one and it is off the last album. It is called “Six Letters Sent.” So we are leaning heavily on the new stuff and it is going over pretty well. There are a lot of people out there who have heard “Stains.” It is out on the radio right now. It is on Sirius on Octane. So we seem to be getting a good reaction.
ToddStar: I was going to say, in the listening I have been doing, Kayla (Riley – a DJ on Octane radio) love you guys, it seems like. So what is next for you guys? You have the new record coming out; you are finishing a run with Chevelle.
David: We are about half way through. We have a handful of dates and we are wrapping this run in March 17th. After that, we have some headlining dates back home in our hometown, and then we’ve got three weeks out with Cavo. Then after that, we have festival dates over the summer. Hopefully until we can release the next single.
ToddStar: I know you guys are coming back to the Machine Shop in Flint, MI at the end of March.
David: Yeah, we are looking forward to that.
ToddStar: If you had to pick possible pairing for an ideal tour in your mind, what bands would you see yourself going out on the road with?
David: I would say we are pretty happy to be out with Chevelle. They are great guys; great guys to be out on tour with. It is a good match for us musically. There are other bands out there like Incubus; I have always been a fan of those guys – mostly of their earlier stuff. I grew up a huge Helmet fan, so I would love to tour with those guys. We actually got to play some shows with those guys, became friends with Page and the band. That would be the short list for me.
ToddStar: If there were one piece of music in the history of time that you wish you had written, what would it be? One thing that jumps out that you wish was yours.
David: One piece of music… The band is probably gonna hate me for saying this but, probably The Cure Disintegration.
ToddStar: That is an excellent choice – I love that album. Why would the band hate you for that?
David: They mostly listen to like Lamb Of God, pretty hard-hitting metal. That is not entirely true, but I would say our diet is heavy on that side of things.
ToddStar: I know we are fresh into 2012, any resolutions or goals for you or the band for this year?
David: You know I think we just wanna be, I think we just want to get our music out to the fans and see if they like it. See if there is a bigger audience for it. If there is, we would love to drop another single and keep playing shows. Just keep pushing it.
ToddStar: You had two big singles off the last album, “Eye Sore” and “If I Were You.” In addition, you mentioned “Stains” is out already, Are you guys eyeing, or have you already picked out what you would like to see as the next single?
David: I would like to release “Promise To No One.” I think it is a pretty bold, heavy tune, but we are not sure we can get the opportunity to get another single. We are still pretty focused on supporting “Stains” and then killing it live every night.
ToddStar: Final question before I let you get about your day, David. What is the meaning of life?
David: I would say make it count. Life is fleeting, so make it count.
ToddStar: I like it. We here at The Rockpit love the new album; we cannot wait to see it do well. We know it is just going to skyrocket. We look forward to you guys rocking in 2012 and beyond.
David: Thank you, sir. Thanks a lot.