Interview with Midnight To Twelve lead vocalist Jon Hartman

Midnight To Twelve is not only an interesting band name but also a solid rock and roll group out of L.A. This five piece has been at it now close to a decade and are finally set to release their debut self-titled record on July 22nd. Staying true to the traditional rock and roll lifestyle, Midnight To Twelve are currently and will continue to tour the hell out of their new album, trying to get their music out to anyone and everyone. The summer will be particularly busy for the band as they’re touring right through the season including a few stops on the 2008 edition of the Van’s Warped Tour. Recently we had the chance to speak to Midnight To Twelve’s lead vocalist Jon Hartman. Here’s what Jon had to say.

Midnight To Twelve has been a band now for about eight years. How did the five members meet and get together musically?
Jon: Al and I met in Nashville but he wanted to start a band out near his hometown of Los Angeles. He said if I was interested to be in L.A. by a certain date, we would make it happen. I showed up a week early and was ready to get things going. We found Steve, Daniel and Drew through mutual friends. The connection both personally and musically was obvious from the beginning. From the very start we didn’t try to be a certain band or genre, we let the music drive.

How would you describe Midnight To Twelve’s sound? What other bands or artists do you take inspiration from in writing your music?
Jon: I would describe our sound as having high energy fused with honesty. Our inspiration for writing is our true life experiences and not just writing a song for the sake of writing a song. It’s something that is birthed out of us and is very organic both musically and lyrically.

Quite remarkably, the band sold thirteen thousand copies of its independently made recording that you sold out of your tour bus. This is a staggering number to say the least, how do you think you were able to sell CDs so well without any help from a record company?
Jon: We provide an experience night after night on stage. It’s not just a concert but a connection we have with our fans. If there are 5 people in a room or 5,000 – we put on the same show. We invite anyone listening into our lives and music and that is why through word of mouth the Midnight To Twelve experience has spread from ear to ear across the country one show at a time.

Your self-titled debut album is now set for release. How do you feel about how the record turned out?
Jon: The album is being released July 22nd everywhere! We couldn’t be more proud of the record. Right now we are all feeling that anticipation you feel when you blow a balloon up to maximum capacity and you know it’s about to bust and you are so ready to hear and feel the effect of your hard work.

What was writing and recording this album like? Were the songs all recently written or is it a compilation of material that you’ve been working on for several years now?
Jon: It felt so good to finally hear the songs recorded that we have been playing live night after night. It was a very satisfying feeling to put the past 3 years of our lives onto a 45 minute disc and know it’s being released to the world July 22nd.

To produce the album, you worked with the team of Rich Veltrop and Sylvia Massy Shivy who was previously worked with the likes of Tool, The Deftones and Johnny Cash. How did you first come in contact with them and why did you decide to go with them?
Jon: In a word, incredible! They both are so great at what they do and know how to pull out of you what you didn’t know you had. We had heard about Sylvia obviously from the other monster bands she has worked with (System of a Down, Tool). Her studio is in Northern California away from the hustle and bustle of L.A. which helped us stay completely focused on the record from beginning to end.

What was it like recording with Rich and Sylvia? What was the experience like?
Jon: In the industry now it seems like the attitude “we can fix it later” is all over the place when recording a record. Sylvia and Rich both are very organic when recording. We didn’t want to lose the edge or integrity of the songs on the album.

Now this album was released on JKH/Koch Records, a label to which you just recently signed with at the end of 2007. What made you decide to sign with this label?
Jon: We are on JKH and the record is being released through Koch Distribution worldwide July 22nd. Bob Chiappardi from Concrete Marketing is also very involved in the project. We wanted to make sure that whoever we signed with is excited about the band and could match and/or exceed our work ethic. We couldn’t be more excited about the team we have working with us.

The band has been touring through much of the southern states of the U.S. over the last few months. How have these shows been going? Are you pleased with how crowds are reacting to your music?
Jon: We are on the road 10 months out of the year and have been for the last 4 years. We feel that constant touring has kept us ahead of the pack and put us where we are today. Every opportunity we get to spend on stage we are thankful for. Whether it’s a new venue or one we have played many times over, we provide not just music but the experience of sharing ourselves from the stage. It takes two to tango.

What does Midnight To Twelve have planned for the rest of the year?
Jon: Tour. Tour. Tour. Tour. We are going to be busy busting our ass to get the bands name out there and doing everything we can to make this happen.  [ END ]