We Came As Romans at Download XXIII Donington Park- PipemanRadio Interview

0:04 Hi, you have done too y censure for see wow for you young. This is the pipe Man here on the Adventures pipe Man W four cy Radio, and I'm here with. Andy and Dave from We came as Romans Nice here at Download. Yeah, man, when's the last time you played Download? Ten years ago? Right? Yeah? I think it's been like ten years honestly. Wow, yeah, twenty sixteen, ten years ago. So how does it feel here now compared to them so far?

0:46 I mean, definitely a lot older. I think my knees hurt a little more in the last time. Yeah, I mean a lot more walking. We kind of, yeah, we kind of did everything a little backwards we last time, we hear, I think we had lighter music and we were younger so we could run around. And now we're now we're back with heavier music and there's more head banging and it hurts more, but hey, we're still happy to be back. Yeah man. I mean I also think that since then, the band's actually grown a lot, which wasn't really expected. You know, at this point in our career, I kind of thought we'd be coasting along, kind of playing the same stuff that we've been doing. But no, I mean our last couple of records have brought us to even new heights, So that's been unexpected and awesome.

1:28 Do you kind of think maybe that Kyle's helping you guys along from the other side. Yeah, man, I think, I mean there's there's there's definitely some kind of external forces at play, you know. I mean, just with some of the creative things that Andy's come up with in songwriting and and the and the boys and the stuff that they've been creating. And the shows just keep getting better and better and the albums keep selling. And I don't know, man, I didn't even think we'd still be doing this at our age now, but I mean it's growing and we're still going. So here we are. He's been good at either rooting for us, giving us direction, or yelling at us don't go over there, So it's good. I imagine that totally happened, you know.

2:08 And you know, it is funny that you're getting older and getting heavier. It's usually like the other way around, right, you know. And it's funny like you mentioned about the head banging, like I have osteoarthres neck from surfing and head banging, but I still headbang, like I'll give a shit. I'll give a shit respect, right, you know, it's like, fuck it, I'll be paid for a few days. It's worth it, amen, man. I mean it's I don't know. I think at this stage in our careers, we're just like, let's let's have fun. That's right, what we want to play, that's right, like what makes us happy, and just keep enjoying ourselves. And you know, it's been coming out heavier, I guess.

2:49 And well, isn't that key too when you got to be a band for a while, that you finally get to play the music and write the music you want to write. Instead write it for everybody else, you write for yourself and your tribe follows you. Yeah. Yeah, I totally agree. And it's it's actually funny too. The I think there's a lot of pressure when you're younger or like, you come out of the gates with some success and they always say you have your entire life to write your first record, But then you have, you know, a year to write your second record, so it's a little bit different, and you have pressure, and then you know families and you know, just different things and different obligations. But I think what we've learned as a band, especially over the years, has just been doing what we love because we love to do it.

3:34 And I know that's an easier set thing than done. It's always like, oh, we should always do what you love, but a lot of times you have a different motive or a different kind of thing in mind of oh, like how do we get on the radio or do this? And honestly, the when we get on the radio or when we get on those things are bigger slots on festivals is when we're trying to do. Not that that's the goal. The goal is always just to make ourselves happy, to write about what we feel and experience. And I think that over the years, learning that kind of combination is really not only helped us but made everything easier and a little bit more care free. And that's how it should be. You know music. Johnny from Bill Murray the day we're hanging out with him and he's like, dude, music should just be fun, Like you should just have one. I'm like, I say it.

4:14 All the fucking time, Like, first of all, if you're not having fun doing this is the wrong fucking industry, because yeah, there's a lot of crap that's not fun. So you might as well be having fun. Like I see some bands up on stage sometimes and it's like, yeah, they don't look like they're having a good time. And then you see others like you guys are like they're having the time in their life. That's the way it should be, because we can tell. Yeah, I agree, you know, And I think. That's why you're growing, because you're fings fan, you know. I think I think a lot of artists don't give fans enough credit. I think fans can totally see through when you put out a song you don't believe in, or a song that isn't important to you, or like you said, you know, if you're not having fun during your performance, and like if you're not dialed in and feeling it, fans can see it, man, and they can feel it too, And it's it's true. You got to be enjoying what you're doing. You gotta be believing in the music you're putting out.

5:12 Agreed, And what do you think made you I won't say decide because it probably wasn't a decision, but what created you getting heavier? Do you think? Well? I mean, like. We had this, like our fourth record, which is our self tided record, we really were kind of had a lot of people on our ear and it's no one's fault but our own of just making decisions, you know. But I think we were definitely, you know, kind of had this bug in our ear being like, oh we could do radio and did this whole radio game and played this whole thing and just was like fitting in a suit that didn't feel good and was very uncomfortable. And so after that, I think we were you know, Dave and I started a side projects with our other guitarist.

5:53 Louis that was heavier. It was called Crucible, and we were just like trying to get this like just demon out, you know, and just just just angstiness, and eventually we're like, hey, we just want to do this in the band. And so from that, I think there was just a lot of like, yeah, man, like we we feel this way, why can't we write about it. Why do we have to have this guideline or this thing, or why do we have to be a radio band? Like no one's telling us to do it. We are the artists at the end of the day. Yeah. So I think once once that was kind of gone and we started taking accountability for not only our decisions, but the things we write about, we're like, no one is holding us back but ourselves. So then we started really being like, well, let's do this is keep pushing the boundaries. And I think our fans really enjoyed that because they're like, damn, dude, like not every record sounds the same or not every you know, there's evolution, there's steps, it's fresh, it's new, it's fun, it's exciting for us, it's scary for us, but at the end of the day, you know, it's it reminds us of like the first time of doing all this shit, and those feelings are really hard to get back. And there I feel like a lot of people will always try to do that or like like we're gonna make a song like this like on purpose, and it just doesn't ever feel authentic.

6:57 So I think the only way is kind of dipping your toe into that unknown. And so when we started doing that, I feel like it really started igniting more cool shit. And I just always kept going that north heavy. So we were like, all right, turn the tuning down, tune her down. I love it. And it is so true, man, Like it's so much harder to not be authentic and I think you will get all your goals by being authentic. You may get them for a short time when you're not, but then it disappears. Yep. And you made a point that I say all the time. It's like, why do you want to write the same album over and over, same song over and over. You're an artist, You're getting better at your craft. You want to expand you want to experiment. If you're a musician, you want to experiment. You don't want to be in this box.

7:52 Yeah. And I always. Say, you know because I come from the eighties where the record labels would tell the bands how to play their music. The business needs to be there, but let the suits do their job and let the artists be the creative. Sure, I agree, amen, Man's it's like I said, I mean, I think the most successful this band is ben is when we've done what feels right for us, and like we've stayed true to what we want to play and what we believe in. And and you know, the records that we aren't proud of. I mean, at the end of the day, that's no one's fault but our own. And I think taking accountability for those two helped us to move forward. And be a better band. And yeah, I agree with that too, Like, even though you may have stuff that you're not proud of or maybe thought you should have done differently, had you not done it, you wouldn't be where you are now.

8:43 Oh man, I say it on stage every day because like a lot of aspiring artists need to hear it too, that doing this you fail all the time. Man. It's like and and you put stuff out that sucks and you listen back on it like that sucked? Why did I do that? Or like you make mistakes of course, but like the difference is continuing on and learning from it and making your band better and making your music better, making your shows better, whatever it was, and just learning from those failures and continuing on. Yeah, And it's it's an important lesson to learn. It hurts and it sucks sometimes, but looking back on everything we've done, I'm like, I don't think we'd still be doing this if like we wouldn't have learned from those mistakes and like improved from them and totally you know it's it's it's.

9:25 An important part of being an artist. Yeah. Now, a really important question is did you check out the two Harley's outside. Dude, I did see those two bikes. I didn't get it. Like I had to go do like some uh the clothing mine, like wrap some stuff for the download. They're fucking sweet, dude. I just that I sold my bike about a year ago and I've just still got the hitch now. But I had I just had a little sporty like eighty three Harley, and you know it was it was great whipping around Detroit. Love it, you know. But I wiped it out once and if I had a buddy who wiped his out, and you know, so. I'm like, I'm just cool on the bike for a minute. You know. Plus in Detroit you can only really ride it like three months out of the year, right, You're really like bundling up.

10:07 But I don't even see the point. I eye the bike and I don't see the point of buttoning up while it's freezing out riding a bike. I mean, you gotta really love it to do it, you know what I mean. And I think if I would hop back on the bike, I would get like a Clyde or like a something I could do like longer journeys like up north, like Traverse City, like area, or just like by the water kind of cruising. But I have dude, we got scooters. Now, we do have scooters. That's cool. Now, I'm like, we have a we call the CCS Club, the Scooter Coffee Cocktail Scooter Scooters. Yeah. Nice. In the morning, we all get our scooters out. We can hit a coffee shop, get some work done, then play the show. Scooters out go get a nice No, man, not as cool.

10:50 But the scooter fits under the bus and it charges while we're driving. And it's great if you're like a big festival and you need to get around. Yeah. Like I always love seeing that. So when I got my motorcycle, it was during COVID and he was like sending me videos of Judas Priest when Rob comes out with the caves open up and he comes out with the Harley and he's texting the bench and he's like, dude, Andy, this is gonna be you when we come back to Europe and he's like hitting the gas. I'm like, that'd be fucking sick. We're not as cool though, So instead I think we were in like Kansas or something. We came out for the Encore on our scooters. We were like sipping back and forth on the stage.

11:32 It's the t MoU version of I think that's. Better actually, man, Like the whole crowd's probably like, what the fuck. There's a video somewhere of us just zipping back and forth on the stage. I think you should do that at Hellfest. Oh yeah, it'd be fucking sick, you know, man, I'll know that we're really doing well in Europe once we have scooters over here too. That's when I'll know we really made it over here. On the wrong side of the road, oh man. Every time I come here for bloodstock and download, I fucking I can't handle it. Man. I'm like, it's stick shift, the sticks on the wrong side. I'm sitting on the wrong side. I'm on the wrong side road, and I like, I don't even turn the music on. I'm like, white knuckling, where's at home? I don't even pay attention.

12:19 It's hard to even cross the street here. I wound up looking left, right, left, right, I'm like, okay, which way to All the cars are coming from the left this time. All right, that's the worst thing for me. I can't tell you how many times I've been in London and friends have literally grabbed my shirt because I just walked right into the street because I looked that way in the car. It fox went my head so bad, man. And then it's it's shocking to me that none like you, especially you, dude. You were like you were really bad for me, and we would have to hold him every time we crossed the. Street in the same way. Dude, that's totally me like together, you know, every single time. Like I even did it today walking into the festival and there was a car like, oh shit.

13:03 Yeah, and they'll just run you over. They don't care. Smokey out here, dude, serve from Detroit. Were used to potholes and bad roads and pissed off drivers. But over here, man, you know the. Potholes that kind of slows them down a little bit. Over here, they can just zip around. Get hot, right potholes in Detroit and just dug exactly, that's right over you. Well, you guys fucking rock. I'm glad you're here at download. I normally do health Fest, but I'm doing a Father's Day thing instead, so. I canceled that for you man, for you, it is a good thing. I wish I were going to be at your show at health Fest, but that's more important. But man, it's all good. That is a badass festival. I love that one.

13:43 Yeah, that one's gonna be a ripper. I can't wait. It's it's one of the ones we're looking forward to a lot for sure. Cool. Well, thanks for being here and thanks for being on the Adventures of pipe Man. Thanks so much for having us, brother, thanks for having us man, you got it. Thank you for listening to the Adventures of Pipe Man on W four c u I Radio. Mm hmm.