Post by Heather on Mar 30, 2012 21:29:19 GMT -5
Day 1 - March 31st
Q: Do you plan to release some stuff which didn't get on SBM, but we could hear them on studio update videos? - Iam The Ghost (TNS)
A: (Cone) Its hard to say what the next album will sound like at this point but there is 1 song that comes to mind with a cool verse and cool piano part that didn't make this album that I could see going on the next one.
Q: What are the perks and disadvantages about doing music for living? - samueeL (TNS)
A: (Cone) The perks about doing anything you love for life has always got to be amazing and this goes for every job you love. For me I love playing live, recording and the traveling, I pretty much like it all. Nothing really negative about it.
Day 2 - April 1st
Q: Dear Cone, do you consider the possibility to produce more records in the future or your collaboration with The Strumbellas was an one-time thing? Much love from Greece! - christinep8 (FC)
A: (Cone)Ya I totally would. After doing a few now I've decided I really like it. The thing with all the albums I've produced is I never went looking for an album to produce they kind of just landed in my lap. I just heard something one day and said I really want to do that. Maybe if I get an extended break from Sum 41 one day I would go looking for albums to produce but for now if something else fell in my lap that I loved I would do it.
Q: Whenever you guys write/record songs, do you think about how the song is going to be played live or how it will sound? Or do you figure out a live arrangement after the studio song has already been written or recorded? - cladam41 (TNS)
A: (Cone)Never really think about the live version until after we record the song. After its recorded we try and play the songs that fit best live. Some songs just don't work as good live but sound great on the record.
Day 3 - April 2nd
Q: Can you consider doing an acoustic/piano rendition of Screaming Bloody Murder and Blood In My Eyes? - Jeremy Kill (TNS)
A: (Cone) We could consider it but I'm not going to promise anything! There's an awesome piano version that we tweeted of Blood In My Eyes that a girl did. Love your videos by the way Jeremy.............
Q: What made you and Todd want to start a medical-themed band together? - Gregorovich (TNS)
A: (Cone) Don't quite remember why we wanted it be like that. I think we were just throwing around ideas one day and an idea came up to have nurses on stage (probably Todd's idea, haha) and so to go with that theme we came up with the name Operation MD.
Day 4 - April 3rd
Q: Cone, do you think that the excitement of your new album has faded a little due to the delay of your tour or do you feel more ready to rock since you had some time off? - Christine P (FC)
A: (Cone) Not really cause we didn't really get to play the new songs all that much before we had to break so when we play songs off the new album right now it seems new to me. Also, a new music video for "Blood In My Eyes" is coming out in the next few weeks which will add that extra little excitement for the new album as well.
Q: Cone, do you have any past experience with playing the upright bass? - cladam41 (TNS)
A: (Cone) I don't. I've thought about buying one and learning it but just haven't got to that yet.
Q: Will Someday the Pop Punk from All Killer No Filler back, or this is out of the plans, cause the band is focused on a sound most hardcore / Metal Alternative? - @vhenrique41 (TNS)
A: (Cone) Thats kind of an impossible question to answer. We are a band that does what we want in that moment so its hard to say in years to come what we'll be into.
Day 5 - April 4th
Q: What are the perks and disadvantages about doing music for living? - samueeL (TNS)
A: (Tom) The disadvantages of being tour are really just being away from our families and friends for extended periods of time. That sucks. Airport security, flight turbulence, long flights/drives can suck too, but the perks more than make up for it. Just this week we bullet train-ed around Japan, played a few awesome shows in Tokyo, Kobe and Nagoya and yesterday we visited the forbidden city in Beijing. No matter how hungover you are, you can't complain about that.
Q: Dear Tom, do you think being in Sum 41 has helped you evolve as a guitarist or changed your musical style and if so in what way? - Christine P (FC)
A: (Tom) Yeah totally, being in Sum 41 has definitely affected me as a musician. Deryck writes songs that cover a pretty large range of styles so in one song I could be going from a speed metal riff to picking arpeggios to a blistering solo then playing piano, all while singing harmonies. It definitely keeps me on my toes as a musician.
It would show in my songwriting as well since we all listen to a ton of different shit. We're always turning each other on to new records or old records we have just discovered, or even old stuff we haven't heard in a while.
Day 6 - April 5th
Q: Cone, have you ever been inspired by Geddy Lee of Rush in your career? - 2712 (TNS)
A: (Cone) Nope. I'm not too into Rush.
Q: The band had a lot of time (unfortunately) between the last and this tour. During this time, did you get inspiration and try to write some new songs? - Iam The Ghost (TNS)
A: (Cone) I don't think Deryck has been writing any new songs lately (I could be wrong) but I have been writing songs a bunch. Not sure what they are for yet but I always write songs.
Day 7 - April 6th
Q: dear cone, can you remember the first show you did with the band? where was it and how was it if you can remember - SKuMF_K
A: (Cone) Ya it was in a really small club in a town called Bolton and there was probably about 15 people there. It wasn't our show. We were opening for some metal band.
Q: How is it to be on tour again after such a long break? Is it the same as it was before or is it a feeling that something new has started? - FiFty_B
A: (Cone) Feels about the same. Feels good. I love playing so whenever I play I have a good time. Takes a few shows to get back into the swing of things though but I think its going good so far.
Day 8 - April 7th
Q: Do you think is it possible to tour with your other bands (O.M.D. and GOB) in Europe someday? - stevo32 (TNS)
A: (Cone) Ya I think its possible for Operation MD to one day tour over there. We were trying to get something together a few months ago in Europe but it didn't pan out.
Day 9 - April 8th
Q: Tom: What made what to start playing guitar? Influences? And did you teach yourself? -SickOfEveryone (TNS)
A: (Tom) I took guitar lessons for about a year but I am basically self taught, I mainly learned by ear and from reading music theory books. When I first heard Guns and roses Appetite for destruction, I was blown away by the guitar playing. Other 15 yr olds sat in their rooms beating off, I just played guitar all day. If I heard a song and liked it, I learned how to play it by ear. I didn't really care what style, I would learn "The girl from Ipanema" one day and "Master of puppets" the next. I got into punk rock when I started writing songs, I learned to appreciate the "less is more" approach to music. Having a million notes in a song doesn't necessarily make it better, it usually makes it worse.
Q: Do you think is it possible to tour with your other bands (O.M.D. and GOB) in Europe someday? - stevo32 (TNS)
A: (Tom) I doubt that our other bands(gob/OMD) will tour with Sum 41. We put a lot into a Sum41 show, It's probably best to concentrate on one band at a time.
Day 10 - April 9th
Q: What was the most awkward thing that has happened on stage? - HugoDisasters (TNS)
A: (Cone) I think there's been a few but from what I can remember I full on fell on stage after a jump. I jumped, tripped and landed square on my back. This was around 1998 when I had just joined the band. Everyone had a pretty good laugh about that. The other thing I remember was in Quebec on my 20th Birthday. Deryck got a girl to come up on stage and give me a lap dance. Don't get me wrong, I liked it but it was a little strange having a 500 person audience while it was happening.
Q: What kind of warm ups does the band do before going on stage? - SickOfEveryone (TNS)
A: (Cone) Nothing crazy. I stretch, do a few vocal warm ups, warm up on my Bass for a bit and have a few drinks and I'm ready to go.
Day 11 - April 10th
Q: How do you write basslines for songs? - Dr. Cliterus of Ponty (TNS)
A: (Cone) Every song is different that but normally I'll learn the song structure and learn what the guitars are doing first. Then if I feel a part needs a fill somewhere or needs an actual bass line then I'll try and work something out that I hear in my head. Sometimes some songs just need to follow the guitars and sometimes I feel like they needs bass lines. Every song is different and I approach every song with an open mind.
Q: What intrigues you most about a song (lyrics, mood, drumming....)? - samueeL (TNS)
A: (Cone) For me its the song as whole but normally things that stick for me is lyrics, melody, vocal performance and the groove of the song. Also, a big thing is how the song makes me feel is huge.
Day 12 - April 11th
Q: Cone, does Shannon and/or other family members call you Cone or Jason/Jay? - sprinks41
A: (Cone) My family and Shannon call me Jay or Jason. Mostly friends call me Cone cause it was more of a high school nickname.
Q: Do you plan to release further video material to the fans online such as more episodes of Road To Ruin and/or video updates of your tour? - HugoDisasters (TNS)
A: (Cone) Ya we will but Matt Mustard who was our videographer for a while now has left touring and is going to College and since we haven't been touring all that much lately we haven't needed to have anyone come out with us.
Q: What intrigues you most about a song (lyrics, mood, drumming....)? - samueeL
A: (Tom) It's usually the melody that makes me love a song, lyrics are pretty much equally important to me as well tho. I don't think songs need to be terribly wordy, I like lyrics best when they reflect the songwriter's feelings/opinion. I think Deryck's lyrics for Sick of everyone are fucking great.
Q: Tom, what is your main touring guitar, amp, pedal board setup? - SKuMF_K (TNS)
A: (Tom) I have a pretty basic setup. I use 2 Gibson Les Paul Goldtops live. For my main dirty sound I generally use a Marshall JCM 800 or a Diesel Herbert head through a Marshall 1960 cabinet. For my clean sound I usually use a fender '65 deluxe reverb. I have a few pedals. An MXR GT-OD to overdrive my clean sound for a buzzy sound. An MXR phase 90 and a Micro chorus for modulation effects and a Boost pedal for guitar solos.
Q: Have you ever thought of posting tabs online for some of the songs you've written? I'm a big fan of Sleepyhead and would love to know how to play some of my favourites off How Far as well. Also, would you play songs like The Mend or Nothing New live again? They're my personal favs.- Alex (FC)
A: (Tom) Posting tabs for whole songs would be too time consuming for me, gotta use my time to make records and play shows. Since it's my birthday, I'll give you a present. Here's a tab for the intro/verse of Sleepyhead, written in my own personal chicken scratch, hope you can read it and make sense of it. First tune all your guitar strings down a semitone. Start here and maybe you can figure out the rest on yr own.
We(gob) try to play different songs from "How far" and "WATG" every time we play a show. I can't see us playing "the mend" in the near future, we haven't played it in years. Nothing new is a possibility, and we do play Sleepyhead now and then.