By Bryan Menegus, Staff Writer
While the Epitaph tour brought its hurricane through Long Island’s famous Crazy Donkey this past Monday, Keith Buckley, singer of Every Time I Die sat down with me a few hours prior, like a calm before the storm, answering a plethora of questions, and proving to be one of the humblest and most humorous veterans of not only the hardcore scene, but any scene.
The Chronicle: Alright, so you are Keith.
Keith: Yes, I am Keith. I’ve got some ID to prove it.
The Chronicle: Hopefully that won’t be necessary. So you guys are on the Epitaph tour now. How’s that going and what’s it like touring with Bring Me the Horizon?
Keith: Awesome! These shows have been some of the best we’ve ever played, and we’re playing places that…I hadn’t thought about a headlining tour and I never would’ve imagined playing them because they’re just incredible, like the House of Blues in Boston yesterday- we had almost two thousand people. It was f–kin’ nuts, so, I’m really excited. It just validates the record, really. I mean we put out the record a few weeks ago, and people are obviously liking it, ‘cause they’re coming out and watching us and singing along.
The Chronicle: You’re a big touring band, and at the shows you maintain the intense sort of screaming you put on the record. How do you manage to keep that up?
Keith: I think a lot of it’s mental actually. I don’t subscribe to the whole like, “after the show you don’t talk”, “you gotta drink eight gallons of water a day”. I just feel like being confidant is all it takes- and staying hydrated and making sure you get sleep. Today my voice is going a little bit so, I think my body knows, like I said with it being mental, I think my body knows that we have tomorrow off so it’s starting to shut down, cause tomorrow I won’t do anything. I definitely think just being confident and…y’know…I advise drinking beer before playing. It’ll make you a little mucusy and that always makes for a better-sounding scream.
The Chronicle: It’s also probably the terrible Long Island weather. That can’t be helping…
Keith: That’s true. We are getting back to the cold weather, which is gearing us up properly for Buffalo.
The Chronicle: Recently you guys lost Mike [Novak] on drums. What happened? Was it a pleasant parting or is there animosity between you guys?
Keith: I dunno…I know that he didn’t leave on the best of terms. He was kinda forced into leaving, but I dunno man, it’s not like there’s any ill-will really. I mean, he’s gunna do something. I think he’s trying to get back into a band, so…good for him. We don’t really have anything in common so there’s no reason for me to pursue a friendship afterwards. Just kinda went our own ways.
The Chronicle: That’s good I suppose. I was actually watching a bunch of interviews of you guys…
Keith: To get geared-up?
The Chronicle: Yeah and, I can’t remember in which one, but you mentioned that a big inspiration on The Big Dirty was watching Federico Fellini’s 8 ½, which is a wonderful movie. I was wondering if there were any pieces of cinema that spurred on New Junk Aesthetic.
Keith: Y’know, I’m not too sure. I definitely think that Rosemary’s Baby was one of them. Just kind of the idea of it, and that kind of spawned ‘Roman Holiday’…
The Chronicle: Which really is a big departure, sonically…
Keith: Yeah, it is! I’m very excited about it. I think that the idea of stoner rock like that- just kind of like slow, drudgy stuff. We all listen to it but we’ve never really incorporated it, so I was really glad that we got to this time. I think that was due in part to the fact that our drummer, who usually puts the kibosh on any new idea we have, really stopped caring about the recording process, so we were able to experiment a little more. As Far as movies, I dunno…8 ½ was definitely a big one. Another Fellini movie, La Dolce Vida, was a big one for me too. I guess if there’s any movie that kind of sums up this record, it’s that. I mean, it translates to ‘the sweet life’ and there’s a song (on the record) called ‘the sweet life’. That was a big part of it. It’s like, refusing to grow up when everyone around you is, and the disastrous effects it has- just being the last dude at a party, just breaking someone else’s stuff…was kind of the theme that stuck with me when writing.
The Chronicle: Haha, that’s a great image. As far as recording the album, what’s it like working with Steve Evetts?
Keith: He’s a great dude. He knows where we’re coming from, and knows what we hope to achieve through the music. Very hands off. He’ll propose amazing ideas but if we don’t like them, he doesn’t push them, he just lets us feel out our own vibes. We appreciate that. He’s guiding us- he’s not making us go in any direction, he’s just making sure we get across the road safely.
The Chronicle: Now, on a lot of your albums you have a lot of big-name guest vocalists- Howard Jones from Killswitch Engage, Gerard Way of My Chemical Romance, Daryl Palumbo from Glassjaw…
Keith: Howard wasn’t even in Killswitch back then! He was in Blood Has Been Shed. I made him!
The Chronicle: Crafted him with your own two hands
Keith: [Joking] If it wasn’t for that guest spot he wouldn’t be in Killswitch!
The Chronicle: Do you invite people that you’re already friends with to sing on albums, or do you make friends through it?
Keith: I have never made friends through doing it- it’s all people I know. I was actually attempting to make friends with one guest spot- I wanted William Elliott Whitmore to be on the record, I had never met him before- it didn’t pan out. But, I’ve known all the people that have been on them, and they’re just people I admire, one way or another- musically, artistically, sometimes just socially, where it’s just that I love the dude.
The Chronicle: I know you’re very close with Dallas Green- which category does he fall into?
Keith: Finding his music, City and Colour, was at a very optimal point in my life. We were in Europe, and I was super f–kin’ homesick, I was losing my mind. Shitty shows, shitty weather, shitty conditions I was on the f–kin’ bring of losing it and quitting the band. Found that CD in our tour manager’s collection, and it was just the perfect thing to calm me down…hate to say the f–kin’ cliché but it spoke to me. So, we got home, and then we did the Warped tour and they were on it, so I met him through that and we ended up becoming friends. I think he’s one of the most incredible voices out there, I mean he’s got more soul in a dude that size than ive ever seen in my life. Little Canadian dude, he’s got so much soul, it’s amazing…
The Chronicle: Changing gears a bit- if you had to pick, what’s your favorite alcoholic beverage?
Keith: Sake. Absolutely my favorite. Bloody Marys are also a big favorite. Really dirty vodka maritini’s with Belvedere vodka. But normally, because that’s f–kin’ highbrow, I mean look around you, [gestures to inside of beat-up tour trailer] I really don’t have many options here. It’s usually just rum and diet cokes.
The Chronicle: Now Andy [Williams- guitarist] is straight-edge. Does that ever cause problems?
Keith: Only when I get super-annoying, which I think I’ve learned to tone it down a bit. I kinda know the limits, and he’s not the kinda dude that, when you’re drunk, you want to jump on his back and scream in his ear. So I know my boundaries when it comes to Andy. I know to respect his space and his quiet.
The Chronicle: Speaking of other possibly divisive issues, Andy is also is also an outspoken fan of Marvel Comics. Are the rest of you guys big comic book fans?
Keith: Nope! In our camp, he is the biggest. Zach, our sound guy, and Big, our merch guy, I think they’re just starting to get pretty into it. I used to be. When I was little I was collecting Uncanny X-Men stuff, but I never followed into it. Doug, who does all the DVDs for us, is the biggest I’ve ever seen. Massive. Not really my thing. I’ll watch the movies though. I liked the Ironman movie. I really thought I’d hate that. I remember seeing the commercial and I was like “they’re only making this movie to use the song. They want to put Ozzie’s song on the sound track and build a movie around it”, but the movie was actually pretty fantastic.
The Chronicle: Robert Downey Jr. was surprisingly awesome in that.
Keith: He really was!
The Chronicle: How do you feel about his Sherlock Holmes thing that’s coming up?
Keith: That- ehh. That’s sensationalized. I kinda feel like a poseur pretending to get into all the movies and understand where the characters come from, ‘cause I really don’t. I’ll watch it on the merit of ‘it looks sweet’.
The Chronicle: Any bands that you’re getting into now, listening to a lot while you’re on the road?
Keith: Right now I’m listening to M. Doughty, who used to sing for a band called Soul Coughing. So that’s what’s on right now.
The Chronicle: Man, I listened to the cassette of Ruby Vroom (Soul Coughing’s debut) until it broke!
Keith: Oh yeah? I love that stuff! Golden delicious- his solo stuff- is awesome. But the thing is, it’s a lot of Howard Stern, so…
The Chronicle: On the M. Doughty record?!
Keith: Oh, no no! In the van. Pretty much exclusively. Band of Horses, I can’t stop listening to that. Kings of Leon I f–kin’ love. Just recently I purchased a new Health record…a Stone Roses record…the new Mute Math record…and Def Jux Presents 4 compilation.
The Chronicle: Any final words for anybody trying to start up and band and get into the music scene?
Keith: If you want to start up a band, you’ve gotta have nothing. You really can’t get into this game with everything and expect longevity. Pretty much start from scratch, and build it up from there. I mean, you can buy your way in, and there’s plenty of bands that have, but nobody takes them seriously. Just be willing to f–kin’ be twenty-nine years old, sitting on a bed that people probably shit on [gesturing again to tour trailer], in f–kin’ early October, when you could be home, comfy on your couch if you wanted to be. Give it all up.