Emperors - Greg Sanders
Questions: Jonathon Miller
Perth band Emperors have just released their highly anticipated second full length album Chupacabra, the follow up to their 2012 debut, Stay Frosty. Instead of hitting the road to celebrate like most bands would, it seems Emperors have gone into an indefinite hiatus, with lead vocalist Adam Livingston recently announcing that he has no intention of performing live to support the album’s release.
Founding member and co-songwriter Greg Sanders took time out to answer a bunch of questions for Caught in the Mosh and explains some of the dilemmas faced by the band in recording Chupacabra and where things go from here.
So, the album’s release has certainly brought with it some pretty big news… You’ve mentioned the process of recording this record took nine months, at what point was it apparent that things weren’t going to go the manner of your first album Stay Frosty, which I believe was recorded in just a couple of weeks?
As soon as Dane (Knowles) told us he wasn’t able to play drums on the record a week before we started we realised it was going to be a lot different. Having to replace him at the last minute was really distracting and took our focus away from the bigger picture for a few weeks. We were more fixated on teaching the songs to a new drummer and what we were going to do moving forward as a live act. Which is a shame because all that seems incredibly unimportant now.
The phrase “difficult second album” is often thrown around but it certainly sounds like an apt cliché...
Yeah, it’s really opened my eyes. Before this experience I’ve always mocked bands who talked about taking ages to record an album. Now I know better. Every recording I’ve done has been a massive learning experience in what to do or what not to do, so in hindsight it was very naïve of me to think this would be any different. There are too many variables in and outside of the band to know what to expect.
This record brought Fraser Cringle in to play drums (he also toured with the band following the release of Shooting from the Bell Tower, the first track to be released form the Chupacabra sessions). How did having a different drummer affect the album’s recording?
First of all he was a pleasure to work with. Despite us being very distracted by Dane not being there, he was completely professional and learned the songs really quickly, and was super easy to get along with. He added a few ideas of his own which brought an energy and freshness to the songs, which was hugely important given the problems we had afterwards. Once the drums were tracked we really felt like we were back on the front foot, and everyone was excited again. Then the shit hit the fan.
Chupacabra is definitely a more mature album with a more layered sound than Stay Frosty. With the dust having settled, this was obviously a different experience to your previous recordings, despite being with Dave Parkin again at Blackbird. How much did the state of the band influence the final product? Do you feel it’s a little darker by virtue of it being a significantly longer process?
From a song writing perspective I agree it’s more mature and is probably a bit more of a consistent record than Stay Frosty. The writing process was slightly different because we had more expectation and it was a little more rushed. Adam & I definitely spent less time together writing, it was more we’d each write some stuff and then throw it all together once we had time to meet up. To me it feels a lot darker. There was a lot of tension throughout the whole process and I think that’s certainly captured in the performances subconsciously. Lyrically, everything was written well before we went in to record, and now listening back I’m reading into everything differently, which I think is really great but also a little bizarre. The best example is the line that closes the record “Let’s get wasted, let’s get sober, let’s not look until it’s all over”. That seems like a pretty obvious reference to the band breaking up but it certainly wasn’t written with that intent.
Founding member and co-songwriter Greg Sanders took time out to answer a bunch of questions for Caught in the Mosh and explains some of the dilemmas faced by the band in recording Chupacabra and where things go from here.
So, the album’s release has certainly brought with it some pretty big news… You’ve mentioned the process of recording this record took nine months, at what point was it apparent that things weren’t going to go the manner of your first album Stay Frosty, which I believe was recorded in just a couple of weeks?
As soon as Dane (Knowles) told us he wasn’t able to play drums on the record a week before we started we realised it was going to be a lot different. Having to replace him at the last minute was really distracting and took our focus away from the bigger picture for a few weeks. We were more fixated on teaching the songs to a new drummer and what we were going to do moving forward as a live act. Which is a shame because all that seems incredibly unimportant now.
The phrase “difficult second album” is often thrown around but it certainly sounds like an apt cliché...
Yeah, it’s really opened my eyes. Before this experience I’ve always mocked bands who talked about taking ages to record an album. Now I know better. Every recording I’ve done has been a massive learning experience in what to do or what not to do, so in hindsight it was very naïve of me to think this would be any different. There are too many variables in and outside of the band to know what to expect.
This record brought Fraser Cringle in to play drums (he also toured with the band following the release of Shooting from the Bell Tower, the first track to be released form the Chupacabra sessions). How did having a different drummer affect the album’s recording?
First of all he was a pleasure to work with. Despite us being very distracted by Dane not being there, he was completely professional and learned the songs really quickly, and was super easy to get along with. He added a few ideas of his own which brought an energy and freshness to the songs, which was hugely important given the problems we had afterwards. Once the drums were tracked we really felt like we were back on the front foot, and everyone was excited again. Then the shit hit the fan.
Chupacabra is definitely a more mature album with a more layered sound than Stay Frosty. With the dust having settled, this was obviously a different experience to your previous recordings, despite being with Dave Parkin again at Blackbird. How much did the state of the band influence the final product? Do you feel it’s a little darker by virtue of it being a significantly longer process?
From a song writing perspective I agree it’s more mature and is probably a bit more of a consistent record than Stay Frosty. The writing process was slightly different because we had more expectation and it was a little more rushed. Adam & I definitely spent less time together writing, it was more we’d each write some stuff and then throw it all together once we had time to meet up. To me it feels a lot darker. There was a lot of tension throughout the whole process and I think that’s certainly captured in the performances subconsciously. Lyrically, everything was written well before we went in to record, and now listening back I’m reading into everything differently, which I think is really great but also a little bizarre. The best example is the line that closes the record “Let’s get wasted, let’s get sober, let’s not look until it’s all over”. That seems like a pretty obvious reference to the band breaking up but it certainly wasn’t written with that intent.
I guess it’s been an unusual run of doing press for this record. Obviously you have some people asking the standard questions, how, when, where, who, and I guess with the band coming to an end, is it weird to have a product to push without the usual run of shows to help plug it?
Yes, it’s very strange but actually pretty refreshing to have something to talk about, despite being a little self conscious of airing our dirty laundry in public. I had the intention of being a lot more opinionated than I have been about Adam’s decision but that was just emotion getting the better of me and I decided it’s probably something I would regret. I do think the biggest shame is the fact that we don’t get to say thanks to our fans / friends and have a beer with everybody on the road one more time. We’ve met some great people through playing our music and the highlight of touring for me was never so much the playing, but just getting to catch up with everyone. We developed a very small but loyal following, and we’d always see familiar faces wherever we went, which was fantastic and something we’re very appreciative of.
Once again, this album is out on your label, Gun Fever, which has moved from being a label focussing on purely Perth bands’ releases to working with bands in the eastern states. With Emperors currently on indefinite hiatus, is this something you’re going to continue to focus on?
Yes it’s my number one focus professionally. Starting a small business in the music industry, especially based in WA is certainly not the most fiscally responsible life decision to make, and is a stressful line of work, but it’s something I’m passionate about so I’m going to continue doing it for as long as I can. I’m constantly learning and my business model evolves regularly, but I love discovering new music and trying to make other people as excited about it as I am.
While on the topic of the label, you guys always seemed to be very concerned with making sure the fans got value for their dollar. The recent incentive of a shirt with pre-orders via Bandcamp comes to mind. It seems like this was something that was important to you guys?
Yeah of course, just like anybody running a business well we want people to feel like they’re getting good value. The t-shirt was to say thanks to our loyal fans so they’d have a collector’s item very few other people had (we only made 50), but also a way to drive CD sales, which I recognise are moving towards becoming obsolete very quickly. We would have loved to have pressed the album on vinyl but we couldn’t afford it. Fans don’t have to pay for music any more so you kind of feel obligated to reward the ones who do, to thank them for their support.
Yes, it’s very strange but actually pretty refreshing to have something to talk about, despite being a little self conscious of airing our dirty laundry in public. I had the intention of being a lot more opinionated than I have been about Adam’s decision but that was just emotion getting the better of me and I decided it’s probably something I would regret. I do think the biggest shame is the fact that we don’t get to say thanks to our fans / friends and have a beer with everybody on the road one more time. We’ve met some great people through playing our music and the highlight of touring for me was never so much the playing, but just getting to catch up with everyone. We developed a very small but loyal following, and we’d always see familiar faces wherever we went, which was fantastic and something we’re very appreciative of.
Once again, this album is out on your label, Gun Fever, which has moved from being a label focussing on purely Perth bands’ releases to working with bands in the eastern states. With Emperors currently on indefinite hiatus, is this something you’re going to continue to focus on?
Yes it’s my number one focus professionally. Starting a small business in the music industry, especially based in WA is certainly not the most fiscally responsible life decision to make, and is a stressful line of work, but it’s something I’m passionate about so I’m going to continue doing it for as long as I can. I’m constantly learning and my business model evolves regularly, but I love discovering new music and trying to make other people as excited about it as I am.
While on the topic of the label, you guys always seemed to be very concerned with making sure the fans got value for their dollar. The recent incentive of a shirt with pre-orders via Bandcamp comes to mind. It seems like this was something that was important to you guys?
Yeah of course, just like anybody running a business well we want people to feel like they’re getting good value. The t-shirt was to say thanks to our loyal fans so they’d have a collector’s item very few other people had (we only made 50), but also a way to drive CD sales, which I recognise are moving towards becoming obsolete very quickly. We would have loved to have pressed the album on vinyl but we couldn’t afford it. Fans don’t have to pay for music any more so you kind of feel obligated to reward the ones who do, to thank them for their support.
It’s a funny thing to consider the gigs that you don’t go to because you always assume there’ll be another chance in the near future. I’ve seen Emperors play countless times but for whatever reason, didn’t make it to your last Perth show (August 2014 at Amplifier Bar). Looking at it, it’s joined Queens of the Stone Age’s last ever show with Nick Oliveri and Silverchair’s Groovin’ the Moo run in 2010 as times when I assumed “there’ll be another tour soon enough.” At the time of that last tour, with recording under way and a new track out, was there any indication to you that this might end up being the last run of gigs? You guys were still working on the album at that time, right?
We were in the final stage of mixing putting the finishing touches on the album at that point, around August. As soon as we started rehearsals for the Shooting From The Bell Tower tour I think we all felt in the back of our mind the end was near. Adam’s voice was certainly far removed from how it had sounded in the past; we could all tell he was struggling. Plus there was a completely different energy in the room with a new drummer as well. It was a bizarre feeling and I definitely remember those few weeks of rehearsal sessions being absolutely no fun. I actually got drunk and smashed my guitar during the last song at that Amplifier gig you mentioned, and I remember thinking “this could be the last time we ever play here” as I walked off the stage. I was pretty much in denial about the band ending and it shouldn’t really have come as a surprise to me when Adam finally made the call in November, which hit me like a tonne of bricks.
While it may have been a truncated run, what are your thoughts looking back on the Emperors experience, and what are you looking towards in the future?
Truncated is an excellent way to put it - it’s all been so sudden. My only real regret is maybe taking it a little too seriously and maybe not realising how good the good times were when they were happening. It terms of playing live, we had a shit load of fun touring and got to do some amazing things that a lot of bands don’t get to do, like supporting our favourite bands that we grew up listening to and getting to travel to places like New York to play shows. I think touring with this band will be some of the best memories of my life. In terms of recorded work, I’m very happy with the two albums we made, and happy for that to be our recorded legacy. We didn’t release any shit. I’d much rather go out with two really good albums than three really good albums and three really shit albums, you know? In terms of the future I’ve got a couple of new musical projects in the works, so watch this space I guess!
Finally, what’s your beef with Kevin Costner in The Untouchables? There are a lot of examples you can pull out as his lesser work, but I think you’ve got it wrong on this one.
You’re right, he’s been far worse and I have no real beef, but if I was casting Eliot Ness I’d probably with less of a movie star type and someone who is a proper actor. Ed Harris or Gary Oldman maybe.
Thanks for your time and good luck with your future endeavours!
We were in the final stage of mixing putting the finishing touches on the album at that point, around August. As soon as we started rehearsals for the Shooting From The Bell Tower tour I think we all felt in the back of our mind the end was near. Adam’s voice was certainly far removed from how it had sounded in the past; we could all tell he was struggling. Plus there was a completely different energy in the room with a new drummer as well. It was a bizarre feeling and I definitely remember those few weeks of rehearsal sessions being absolutely no fun. I actually got drunk and smashed my guitar during the last song at that Amplifier gig you mentioned, and I remember thinking “this could be the last time we ever play here” as I walked off the stage. I was pretty much in denial about the band ending and it shouldn’t really have come as a surprise to me when Adam finally made the call in November, which hit me like a tonne of bricks.
While it may have been a truncated run, what are your thoughts looking back on the Emperors experience, and what are you looking towards in the future?
Truncated is an excellent way to put it - it’s all been so sudden. My only real regret is maybe taking it a little too seriously and maybe not realising how good the good times were when they were happening. It terms of playing live, we had a shit load of fun touring and got to do some amazing things that a lot of bands don’t get to do, like supporting our favourite bands that we grew up listening to and getting to travel to places like New York to play shows. I think touring with this band will be some of the best memories of my life. In terms of recorded work, I’m very happy with the two albums we made, and happy for that to be our recorded legacy. We didn’t release any shit. I’d much rather go out with two really good albums than three really good albums and three really shit albums, you know? In terms of the future I’ve got a couple of new musical projects in the works, so watch this space I guess!
Finally, what’s your beef with Kevin Costner in The Untouchables? There are a lot of examples you can pull out as his lesser work, but I think you’ve got it wrong on this one.
You’re right, he’s been far worse and I have no real beef, but if I was casting Eliot Ness I’d probably with less of a movie star type and someone who is a proper actor. Ed Harris or Gary Oldman maybe.
Thanks for your time and good luck with your future endeavours!
