Drop Dead, Gorgeous - September 28th, 2007

1. Introduce who you are and tell what your position is in the band.

My name is Aaron Rothe and I play keyboards in Drop Dead, Gorgeous.

2. Is there any reason behind the band name?

Not really. I wasn't there in the very beginning when the band thought of it. But what happened was they just started jamming and they wanted to think of a band name and Kyle and Danny both thought of Drop Dead, Gorgeous and just went with it.

3. You just released a record last month called "Worse Than a Fairytale." What was the concept behind that specific title and the artwork.

Well the whole record is about this town of Saylor Lake which is a fictional town we made up. It's like this perfect little quiet town and these murders start happening. The whole album is about this decay of the town and how it effects everybody. It's kind of like when something so terrible happens so close to you, you know. The artwork starts out with the town being super happy and clean and then it just gets dirtier and then darker and darker as it goes on.

4. What was the writing and recording process like with "Worse Than a Fairytale?" How was it compared to your previous recordings?

This one was way more intense. Because, lets see... We recorded "In Vogue" in ten days and this one we recorded over four months and we also spent a month and a half writing it. Oh, and recording it was a lot more intense because we really focused a lot on having the music tell a story as much as the words. So, that's important.

5. Were you guys looking to accomplish anything specific before heading into the studio?

Not really. Well kind of. We just really wanted to find our own sound and something that would set us apart from all of the other bands in our little genre because everything is starting to sound exactly the same. We wanted to do our own thing and that's why we started the band in the first place; to just play the music that we wanted to hear and not worrying about impressing people or making money.

6. As you look back on the album after it's already hit shelves in stores and been in people's hands, is there anything that you want to change or you think you would've done differently?

No. We're all pretty happy with the album and the way that it came out.

7. In your opinion what song off the record is the most personal to you and why?

The last track on the album is called "I Want to Master Life and Death" and that one definitely is the most personal. I remember when we were just tracking drums that's what we started with first when we were recording. We were all crammed into a little vocal booth with the drums and our instruments in there. We had a smoke machine pumping in through the vents and the lights were dim and it was just really cool to record that. So yeah, that's my favorite one.

8. As a band, you probably deal with a lot of stress and pressure especially when it comes to releasing a new record. How do you put up with the critics and the fans that aren't too fond of the music you choose to put out?

We actually really dont care. -Laughs.- I don't mean that in a bad way at all but we're not doing it to impress anybody or make money or anything. So if they support us, and a lot of people have, that's awesome and we're very greatful for that. If they don't like the music or our band then we respect that too because everyone has an opinion.

Are you ever worried about your original fans not sticking with you anymore?

Yeah, kind of. But we're hoping that if they're true fans then they'll stick with us through whatever happens.

9. Being an artist yourself, how do you feel about the downloading of music and leaking of albums before they are actually released?

I hate it. That sucks a lot especially for bands trying. It takes money and you have to make some kind of money doing this and when people are just leaking your album out ahead of time it ruins the suprise for people.

10. Do you think the internet has helped a lot in the success of your band?

Oh yeah, absolutely. Definitely. That's probably where a majority of it came from.

11. You are currently half way through the tour with Aiden right now so how has that been going for you guys?

It's going really well and they're awesome guys. We knew Still Remains from Warped Tour so we were already kind of friends with those guys. But Aiden and 1997 are just awesome people.

12. What's your favorite and least favorite thing about being on the road?

My favorite is there's just different things every single day. Even though it's the same routine where you wake up, load in, play, load out, and drive. But there's so many things that make everyday different. My least favorite thing about touring is not sleeping and not being able to see friends and family.

 

13. If you could put together a tour with you guys playing, who would it consist of?

I would have Marilyn Monroe, Slipknot, Dance Gavin Dance, Goo Goo Dolls, and Nine Inch Nails. It'd be a great tour!

14. Is there anyone or anything that has inspired you to make the kind of music that you make today?

My dad always listened to this guy Bruce Hornsby. He's some old folk kind of singer guy but he shreds the piano. I grew up listening to him and I still do. My dad also plays piano so that's how I got into playing that.

Well what has got you into playing this type of music?

I don't know, I never really listened to this kind of music before. I always played 'poppier' stuff. I was always curious how this music worked when I joined the band.

15. If you weren't in a band what do you think you would be doing with your life?

I don't know. Probably nothing. -Laughs.- Something musical definitely. Whether it would be touring or tour managing. Definitely not school or working a job.

That's the end of the interview. Do you have any last words you'd like to say?

Thanks for this interview. It was fun. Thanks to anyone who supports us and anyone who has bought our record or came out to our shows and check out www.worsethanafairytale.com.