Interview with Attack in Black frontman Daniel Romano and bassist Ian Kehoe

TORONTO! and all of you PureGrainAudio readers… I made my way to Belleville, Ontario to see Attack in Black open up for Sam Roberts and The Tragically Hip. There were 15,000 people at this outdoor event by the waterfront in Belleville. The place was packed, and the beer tent had a constant line the whole entire show. AIB brought the goods when they played an amazing set that day just shortly after the interview. I am excited for them to record more so I will have more of them to listen to. Here is what Daniel Tavis Romano (vocals, lead guitar) and Ian Daniel Kehoe (bass) had to say.

So first things first, how ware you guys doing today?
Ian: Good, we were playing some Frisbee earlier on, and that’s pretty much what we have been doing all day.

Dan: Yea mostly just playing a bunch of Frisbee.

Sounds like you guys are hardcore into Frisbee.
Ian: We’re casual players but we’re really passionate ones.

You guys are opening for Sam Roberts and The Tragically Hip…did you ever think your musical career would bring you to this day?
Dan: No, I never think of anything until it happens really.

Ian: Me neither, it kind of just comes and goes these type of things…People seem to think that this is a big deal or something like that and it is a cool thing that we get to do, we’re lucky but when you’re doing it I think you kind of think less of it then people who are watching you do it.

No doubt you get use to it.
Ian: Yea but it is very cool.

What has been your favorite experience as a band?
Ian: My favorite experience was recording our “The Curve Of The Earth” record. That was my favorite experience.

Tell me a little bit about that, I read it took you two nights and two days to create it…
Ian: Yea, that’s pretty much it…we recorded it on a little tape recorder, an 8track or whatever and we all did different things then we normally do in the band.

Why the full acoustic? Is that just how you started writing it?
Ian: I’m not too sure, I think we just started recording it…

Dan: It was just what was there…there is some electric in there

Ian: Yea it does have its heavier parts but nothing to uh…

Nothing to out of the box…
Ian: [laughing and pointing to my shirt] yea… no Too Pure To Die.

The album was only released as a 12” and as a digital download…any reason behind that?
Dan: CDs seem pretty obsolete these days and if you’re not doing a big run there really isn’t a point to it.

Ian: Yea I think it was something that we thought about so quickly, that happened so quickly. It was just like we wanted to get it out as soon as we could and we didn’t really care how many we made of it and we didn’t really care how much it got advertised or how much it got pushed…we just wanted it out as soon as possible so we were like “we’ll make 1000 records and then after that…that’s it”

Records are diffidently coming back, I have been planning to go out and get that album from Hits and Misses record store in Toronto…
Ian: That’s a cool record store…

Yea it really is. You guys have numerous instruments on the new album and you also contributed different instruments to the newest City and Colour CD. What is your favorite one to play?
Dan: Yea that was me…I have to say the Pedal Steel.

Ian: Mine might be the drums…

Dan: Actually mine might be the drums too.

Ian: It’s tough to say.

I’m going to go over some of the names that you have come up with and the meaning that comes from them…”The Curve of the Earth;” what significance does this title have?
Ian: We just named the album after a song that Dan had written prior to us recording it.

Dan: The song is sort of about being overwhelmed. Sometimes life becomes overwhelming and it’s hard to really…Well I guess for me sometimes I have anxiety attacks and when they happen I sometimes feel alone in the biggest place ever so its sort of about that I guess.

Ian: Understanding your own insignificance…

And Attack in Black, where did that come from?
Dan: It came from a 7 seconds’ song.

7 second songs, very cool… Lyrically what song are you most proud of?
Dan: Um…all the ones I don’t write… [laughs]

What does the future hold for AIB?
Ian: Well, we are recording very soon, making another record in August and September.

Beautiful!
Ian: We’re doing a fall time tour with two bands…one’s called Lady Hawk and one’s called Shotgun Jimmy which is going to be very cool.

Dan: This summer we’re doing a quick tour with Jimmy Eat World and then we’re touring back to the east and playing Sappy Fest in Sackville, New Brunswick. That will be fun.

Ian: Then we’re making an EP with Shotgun Jimmy, a 7” record for the fall tour.

Sweet dudes…You told me you were recording a new album this fall, is there anything you can tell me about that?
Ian: Well we actually don’t know to much about it yet other then…

Dan: We’re doing it ourselves…

Ian: Yea actually we built a studio in Dan’s basement, that’s a cool thing…we haven’t bought everything for it, that’s kind of what we are waiting for, but we’re going to record it in Dan’s basement like I said by ourselves and hopefully we’ll be really proud of it.

You guys are signed to Dine Alone Records and are good friends with them…If the opportunity came up to sign to a major American label, is that something you would be interested in?
Dan: I don’t think so, Dine Alone is probably the biggest label anyways.

Ian: We don’t have an American label or anything like that but I don’t see the point.

Dan: No we diffidently wouldn’t go to a major, it would just be so personal you know? I wouldn’t want to owe anybody that much money.

In the beginning, before AIB broke loose, did you have any hopes and dreams to do anything else besides playing music?
Ian: Not really, there was nothing I was more passionate about I guess you could say but when I was a kid I wanted to be different stuff…like I wanted to be a marine biologist when I was younger and stuff like that.

Dan: I kind of just always wanted to play music.

Every day we’re faced with devastating news about what is going on in and around our society…where do you think this goddamned nation is headed?
Ian: That’s a tough question…
Dan: It’s hard to say right now, it’s such a turning point that it could go either way.

Presidents are changing and whatnot…
Ian: Yea.

Dan: Yea that’s a tricky one…hopefully somewhere good, somewhere where we can breathe and it’s not too hot and I think the seasons are changing.

Ian: It can be hot sometimes…

Dan: Yea I’ll take the hot day.

Ian: That’ll be accepted.

You need some water around though…
Ian: Some water, a big body of water…or a big bottle of water.

Dan: A really big bottle of water. [all laughs]

More importantly where do you see the music industry heading in the oncoming years?
Ian: Pffft, I don’t know.

Dan: I think it’s going to be more based on musicians and less based on people who control the musicians. It has sort of taken that turn already.

Ian: Or really crappy musicians, which it seems there is kind of a lot of…not to say that we’re not one of them.

You guys are great!
Dan: No, we’re pretty crappy but there are a lot of us out there and it’s consuming a lot of space. [laughs]

Ian: There needs to be way less of us.

What have you been listening to lately?
Ian: What have I been listening to lately? Uh…a band called Double Negative who are a hardcore band, they’re great…also a band called Mad Men. Hmm what else…I’ve been listening to King Con and His Shrime, they’re very good…Guided by Voices, The Beatles all the time, a little Lee Hazelwood in the van earlier, that was good.

Both: Chad VanGaalen!

Ian: Shotgun Jimmy constant…

Dan: July Delarue constantly as well.

Ian: Lots of stuff all the time.

This one’s different, but I’d like to know top 3 things you love, then top 3 things you hate…
Dan: 3 things I love would be playing drums, skateboarding, and playing music.

Ian: Swimming in water, playing music, and waffle cones.

Dan: Ok 3 things that I hate…really tricked out Honda civics, trailers…and uh…what else do I hate, I hate so much stuff…what is something that I really hate though…

Ian: Hmm I don’t know, I’m trying to think for you not me…but I can’t even.

Dan: God there are so many things…uhmm I hate…

What has pissed you off lately?
Dan: The way I look generally all the time. [laughs] No that’s not true, maybe it’s half true.

Ian: I really can’t even think of one thing that I truly really, really hate.

Dan: It could do with people…

Ian: That I really hate? Yea you probably can. I don’t know…I’m just going to leave it with the things I love I think. Summer of ’08, freedom, love, whatever.

Dan: I’m going to learn to deal with the trailer.

Ian: So wait, I’m going to change the 3 things I love to freedom, happiness, and peace.

Going back to the band, you guys are all close friends right?
Ian: Yea.

Dan: Yea, absolutely.

What do you all like to do when you’re not playing or making music?
Ian: Frisbee, bike rides, swimming, hiking.

Dan: I like to make art and go skateboarding…

What kind of art?
Dan: Generally just graphic design for bands and shit like that but I’m having my first art show with a girl named Julie Fader who is actually Sarah Harmer’s backup singer usually but not today. She asked me to do it and I’m super nervous about it. It’s going to be interesting but that’s something that I’m working on.

Ian: I guess recording is kind of all of our hobbies, sometimes I write stuff down but that’s mostly just for music stuff again…so that’s not really a hobby…but yea that’s enough.

Just keeping yourselves busy, keeping yourselves sane…
Dan: I tried to make an animation the other day…it’s alright, it took a really long time and it’s really short…

What was this for?
Dan: I was just goofing around.

Last but not least, last words for the world?
Dan: See you later world! [laughs]

Ian: This is a message to people 15 years from now…to remember this year as the Tick scare of 08’…  [ END ]