will you sink or swim?

this is such a great interview with @joeythunder & @alextmarshall ↘

absofreakinglutely:

Joey Thunder & Alex Marshall interview

thunderlicious:

Straight Up Random had the chance to interview Alex Marshall and Joey Thunder of The Cab before their show at the Beacham Theater in Orlando, FL. We discussed their current co-headlining trek on the “Everything’s Fine Symphony Soldier Tour,” as well as their new album, the love they have for their fans, and an unreleased song of theirs called “Crown” which might not be unreleased for much longer…Read the interview below for all the details of our conversation:

SUR: Can you guys introduce yourselves please?

I am Alex Marshall from the band The Cab.

I’m Joey, and I’m from The Cab as well.

SUR: This is your first headliner in a really long time. How’s it been so far?

Marshall: It’s a co-headliner with The Summer Set, and you know, when we were talking about doing this, it was all just like hopes and dreams and then we started making it happen. And it’s cool to be on tour with your best friends. It’s not a tour, it’s bandcamp.

SUR: [To Joey] Do you agree?

Joey: I definitely agree with all that he just said.

Marshall: And Brian Dales is a stiffler. [laughs]

SUR: How do you feel about the overwhelming support from your fans? Some of the shows have sold out, and this show [Orlando] was moved from The Social [approx. 400 cap venue] to [The Beacham, approx. 1000 cap venue].

Marshall: I mean, it’s been such a crazy ride for The Cab. It seems like we’re always prepared for something to happen, you know what I mean? So the fact that they’ve supported, and the fact that we’ve stayed in touch – they’re not fans, they’re like family. The fact that we can still tour and sell out places like this, and the kids know all the words, and kids have tattoos, you know it’s really, we’re very fortunate.

Joey: Absolutely.

SUR: I know TWLOHA is joining you guys on this tour. How’d that come about?

Marshall: That was actually through the Summer Set. They have a good relationship with them. You know, we love what they’re all about, we just never [have] done a tone of work with them, but I’m so happy that they’re out with us. The guys that are on tour with us are great, great people, and couldn’t be happier.

SUR: Let’s switch gears and talk about your album Symphony Soldier. We all know the Cab has faced some troubles in releasing this album. Is there a since of relief now that it’s out?

Joey: Yeah, I mean from all the hard work and dedication we put in through fighting with labels, and and everything. Fighting with even which was once the Cab’s team back in the day when they first got started. I think it’s refreshing to have something new out, and it’s even more refreshing to have the fans that were there from the beginning still be there for us, with us now.

Marshall: And I mean, it’s like, with record labels; the record labels go in like waves. It’s whatever’s hot now is what they want. Which I don’t blame them, they’re investing a lot of money in the project. They want to make sure that their investment succeeds, you know? But as a band, they signed the Cab for our songs. So if they don’t believe in the next message that we’re going to [send] – Symphony Soldier – if they didn’t believe in that, then it’s kind of moot for us to put out a CD that they don’t believe in, so we decided to part ways, and it worked out.

SUR: So what kept you motivated through those tough times?

Marshall: Our love for music I’d say.

Joey: And each other.

Marshall: Our fans.

Joey: Yeah.

Marshall: Alex would always post lyrics, so we would post little snippets of the songs, and we’d get a lot of response. And we were gone for so long, and the fact that they stuck around – I mean it’s like you lose faith when everyone loses hope, and they still had hope, so that kept us up, you know what I mean?

Joey: It’s definitely like a family. The Cab and fans is just like a family unit. We are nothing without them, and I think without us they would lose something as well, so we need each other. Definitely family.

SUR: Cool, and what’s your secret behind building such a dedicated fan-base – or family?

Joey: Being yourself. Being ourselves, I feel like, is a big part of that. Not having a front or anything, you know?

Marshall: Yeah, I think being fake is kind of transparent. People can see right through it. You’re not going to win everybody over, but you’re going to win more people over being yourself than being somebody you’re not.

Joey: Absolutely.

Marshall: So between that and being personable, and making fans feel comfortable and not fans but family – that helps.

SUR: Ok, going back to talking about your album – what made you choose “Bad” as your first single?

Joey: We chose “Bad” because it’s the most radio-type song, you know what I mean? Like it’s kind of cliche to be like “that’s the radio song.” You have to have something lyrically that is accepted on radio if you’re going to go to radio. They don’t want something where you’re talking x-rated, or you’re cursing. For our kind of band, they don’t want something like that. It was kind of like, it had universal appeal for radio.

SUR: Do you have another song in mind as what you want to release as another single?

Marshall: I know that “La La” – we just added to Sirius as a second single or a second song they added, that doesn’t mean it’s our single per se. But my personal would be “Endlessly.” I mean, we have this song that we’ve all been talking about – it’s not released – it’s called “Crown.” And for some reason it just has this character about it that people are just like drawn to. I don’t think it’s finished yet, but we might bring out a new song and release it. We might do that.

SUR: Oh, like release it on an EP or just release it by itself?

Joey: No

Marshall: Just release the one song. We might do that, but “Endlessly” is my initial guess.

SUR: Ok. And could you explain the concept behind the title “Symphony Soldier?”

Marshall: A symphony is like a body of music, and a soldier is someone that is fighting for what they believe in. In our case, we fight what we believe in, and we believe in music. So I mean that pretty much sums up all of the record.

Joey: Yeah, absolutely.

SUR: I noticed you guys keep going with the war theme – I mean like “Whisper War” and now “Symphony Soldier.”

Joey: The Cab as an embodiment has been fighting since day one I feel like. It’s been such a struggle.

Marshall: Yeah. I mean it’s been…

Joey: Not easy…

Marshall: They say once you make it, the best times are the times you were struggling. And we’re fortunate enough to be where we are now, but it’s definitely not been easy. Between van crashes, member changes, you know, separating from labels, to becoming lactose intolerant.

[everyone laughs]

Marshall: I’m kidding.

SUR: The artwork fits the album perfectly. How’d you come up with the idea for it?

Marshall: Me and Alex were talking, and we came up with this idea. We didn’t know how it was going to translate, you know, from our minds to paper, but…

[A friend of the band, Jorge, has joined the interview site showing Joey something in a box]

Joey: [looks in box] Wow.

SUR: [Directed toward Jorge] Introduce yourself in the interview.

Joey: This is Jorge [everyone laughs]. He’s our personal bodyguard in Florida [laughs]

Jorge: And liquor purveyor [laughs]

SUR: [laughs, back to Marshall] So about the artwork…

Marshall: So me and Alex had this idea, and we weren’t sure how it was going to translate on to paper, but we had a designer and literally we described what we wanted, and the first thing he sent over was that [the album cover]. And we were like “are you kidding me dude?! This is amazing!” And he was so shocked. Like he had taken the pictures – they were all copyrighted pictures that he used, so he was like “you like it?!” And we were like “we love it. That’s what we want. Exactly. No changes.” He’s like “well, I can’t do that, it’s all copyrighted images, so I’m going to have to re-create it.” So he re-created it, and it’s my album cover, but , it’s pretty fucking awesome. I love it.

SUR: Yeah, it’s really cool.

Marshall: Thank you.

SUR: Definitely. So how do you guys feel that you’ve grown as artist and people?

Marshall: I think as an artist you just grow with age. For lyrically content, you just draw from what you’ve experienced and you experience more with age. I mean musically, the same thing. You just, you get older, and just hear different things. We’re all like sponges, you know? So when we hear something that strikes our ear in a different way or if you’re writing with somebody, and they have a different technique than what you use, you’re always just learning and learning. So I mean, just growth, just like anything.

SUR: Cool, and plans after this tour?

Joey: We have overseas dates with Australia…

Marshall: Manila…

Joey: And are there any others as of right now that have been announced?

Marshall: Australia and Manila are announced right now.

Joey: And then we have other things in the works that we can’t talk about.

Marshall: Yeah, just stuff that’s not fully locked down and confirmed, but as soon as we are able to say, we’ll say it.

Joey: Yup. Lots of touring.

SUR: Here in the U.S.?

Marshall: Both.

Joey: We’re going to try and do everything. That’s the goal. Always the goal.

SUR: Cool. Can you give me one straight up random fact about each member of the band?

Marshall: Joey has like a – it’s not a coloring book, it’s an artist book – like he doesn’t use Crayola. And he has these drawings that he creates. He doesn’t really show people very much, but he has these drawings, and when he shows me, like somebody who can’t draw – like I can’t even draw a stick figure straight – I’m just like “are you for real? This is like straight-up better than comic books.”

[Joey laughs]

Marshall: He’s pretty talented. He doesn’t show people. So now that it’s “noted”

[laughs]

SUR: People are going to start asking you [laughs]

Joey: Alright, random fact about Marshall…Actually I just learned about this fact about 20 minutes ago. Yeah, this is like a weird little mental psyche note he has to do before he goes on stage. He has to put chapstick on. I never knew that. So for fans out there not knowing what to get Marshall when he has, I don’t know, 50 Subway cards in his wallet, which he may or may not have right now, get him chapstick!

Marshall: Here’s the thing, here’s the thing. That’s my one thing that I need to have, which I do, it’s true. I just don’t like my lips like cracking when I’m playing. It’s just not a good thing, you know?

Joey: Marshall needs chapstick, Joey needs gum.

SUR: Is there a certain brand of chapstick you need?

Marshall: It’s called Aloe Lips, but I’m pretty stocked on it. My Grandma calls me and she’s like [talks in “grandma” voice] “Hey, just seeing what’s going on, I ordered you some new chapstick, I’m sending it to you.”

Joey: [laughs] His Grandma doesn’t sound like that.

Marshall: But uh, I’m pretty stocked on that. Subway is definitely where it’s at for me. Once a day, everyday. I’m coming for you Jared.

[everyone laughs]

SUR: What about straight up random facts about other members of the band?

Marshall: Dave is obsessed with Packers, even though they’re not in it anymore, which is awesome.

Frank is addicted to comedy. Literally. Like when Frank drives the van, probably 80% of it maybe…

Joey: [is] always comedy.

Marshall: It’s always coming on. Comedy will be on no matter what.

And Alex is literally addicted to anything Disney.

Joey: I think Tiger is the one thing…

Marshall: Yeah, like he went to Disneyland today. He slept an hour and got up to go to Disneyland.

Joey: He sacrificed sleeping and his voice for Disney.

SUR: I hope he sounds good tonight!

Joey: You’re telling us!

[everyone laughs]

SUR: Well that was my last question for you. Is there anything else you’d like to add?

For the fans that haven’t come to any of the shows yet – if you haven’t come in your area, just come out. Come out, check the show out. It’s fun – there’s a lot of great bands: Paradise Fears, Days Difference – which are a tour favorite. They’re awesome. They’ve got a really great style.

Joey: He Is We

Marshall: He Is We which is awesome. And The Summer Set.

Joey: They’re ok.

Marshall: Bryan is doing an a cappella of Cher. I can’t tell you what song; actually he’s doing “Believe” by Cher. So, he’s got the autotune, he’s got it all.

[everyone laughs]