See You Auntie interview 8-9-01

Lauren: How did See You Auntie form?
Mike: Well, I moved here a few years ago from Philly cause of my day job. Then my day job required the hiring of four people, so I took it upon myself to hire a guitar player and a bass player and start a band. That was the original lineup. We all became friends, and then enemies, and now we're friends again, we're just not all together in the same band now.
Lauren: Unsung Hero reviewed your first CD (a 4 track EP called "Wake") and declared that it set new standards for metal in the local music scene. Did you think that "Wake" was going to be so popular and draw so much attention?
Mike: I didn't, our old guitar player did. I didn't, I still don't really like it.
Lauren: You still don't like it? Why?
Josh: I like it.
Lauren: See, Josh likes it.
Mike: That's all that matters, as long as other people like it. I mean, who cares if I like it, I just wrote it ... (laughs) Because everybody's their own worst critic.
Lauren: SYA will be releasing their first full length CD soon that will be titled "Drama Queen". What do you plan to do differently on this CD from what you did on "Wake"?
Mike: Spend a lot more money!
Josh: A lot.
Mike: In everything. It's not leaving the studio till it's perfect.
Lauren: Do you have the tracks picked yet?
Mike: We have a few of them, pretty much.
Lauren: Do any of them really stand out, that you think are going to be really popular songs?
Mike: Yeah, a few of them stand out. Well, we think we're gonna get a lot more attention from this one, just because there's more effort, more time, more thought being put into it, and the song writing is better. So, actually, quite a few of the tracks I think are going to go over really well. We've gotten heavier but at the same time we've gotten softer too.
Lauren: Do you have a certain theme for the CD?
Mike: We have a theme for the album that's why we are naming it drama queen, because people are drama queens. Like Josh ...
Josh: Yeah, I'm a drama queen.
Mike: (Sarcastically) That's actually why we named it, after Josh, because he's got more drama ... (laughs)
Josh: Not Ryan (vocals), but me. (laughs) The Queen and the Princess.
Mike: We really don't try to get too deep in our music, we just kind of write. Whatever sounds good. We have themes around the CD, the structure, and the lyrics. But musically, it's just whatever comes out.
Lauren: How has your music changed as your lineup has changed? I know you will probably still be searching for the perfect guitarist, but in other aspects. Mike, you used to be the drummer, and then you played guitar, and now you're the drummer again. So how have these changes affected your music in general?
Mike: How has it changed? More complex.
Josh: Harder to play. We use upwards to four notes a song now! (laughs)
Mike: Like I said, it's harder and softer. We have sensitive songs now too. Like this is one of our sensitive songs. (Starts strumming on an acoustic guitar.) Feel free to cry!
Lauren: What are your goals as you embark on this new CD? Do you have any goals as far as promotion or playing certain venues or anything?
Mike: We are gonna be the first band to make it without a record deal. That's our goal, for real. We don't want a record company. Josh does, but we don't. (laughs)
Josh: Yeah, I do.
Mike: Record companies are blood sucking vultures, and all they do is steal your money.
Lauren: Am I allowed to publish this?
Mike: Yeah, go ahead! We say fuck you to all record companies.
Josh: Except me.
Mike: Yeah, except Josh.
Josh: Even though I haven't bought an album for 2 years. (laughs) Don't publish that!
Mike: Yeah, we'll sue. (laughs) Actually, a sound guy sued me.
Lauren: A sound man sued you? I gotta hear this!
Josh: Tell it fast, I don't wanna hear it again.
Mike: Well, we played a show. I hired a sound guy, who passed it on a sound guy, who passed it on to a sound guy. That third sound guy showed up late. I gave him shit, and said "Whatever, just get in there and set up your shit, we're ready to go. He set up all his equipment in the middle of the floor, and I told him, "Look, I know this looks like a little hick nowhere bar, which it is, but I guarantee you there are gonna at least a hundred people in here soon, and they're gonna want to mosh and crowd surf. And your shit's gonna be knocked over and broken." And he said "Oh, I've been doing this for 13 years, and I know what I'm doing."
Josh: That's a long time.
Mike: And I said, "Dude I'm telling you, whatever." So we also hired two bands to play it with us, and they played, and everything was cool. We got up and played, and there were way over a hundred people in there. And needless to say they moshed and crowd surfed. Right into his equipment. He shut us down, so I said "Fuck you, I'm not paying you." So he sued me. I had to go upstate and go to court and everything.
Josh: Mike counter sued.
Mike: I did. I counter sued him for loss of money at the door for shutting us down. I agreed to give him half what I was going to originally give him, but he still lost, cause I was only paying him like, $10 a week.
Lauren: So sound men beware!
Mike: That's just me. But yeah, that's my lawsuit story.
Lauren: What other bands in the area do you respect and like?
Josh: Spinebelt.
Lauren: Are you being serious?
Mike: (laughs) Are you being serious? Publish that! Josh says Spinebelt and the interviewer asks him if he's being serious!
Lauren: Well, he had a look on his face, I didn't know!
Josh: No, I'm serious.
Mike: I think we respect bands that respect us. As long as you don't act like a rockstar, like you're king shit from York Pennsylvania, then we're cool with you.
Lauren: Sounds like you're narrowing it down there.
Mike: Yeah, maybe. I don't like bands that act like rockstars when they have no reason to. I respect Bullet. What other bands?
Josh: Yeah, ummm ...
Mike: Margret Heater. Top of the list.
Josh: Fate Ends Now, too. Everyone should go see them.
Mike: Margret Heater is awesome. Great guitars, great vocals, and anyone who denies that is just jealous.
Josh: Great bass player too.
Mike: If anyone should get a shot it should be them.
Lauren: What is your opinion of the music scene in central Pa?
Mike: It sucks.
Josh: It's not heavy enough. Not enough all age venues.
Mike: It's controlled, and Pennsylvania itself sucks. They don't allow all agers in bars, they're screwing bands, and that's my opinion. The bands lose out, me and you. It's a big percent of fan base that are under 21. The only people in bars are just looking to get drunk and get laid. They don't care what the bands playing, unless it impresses the ladies. (laughs)
Mike: Our CD covers are gonna be bad ass.
Lauren: Why's that?
Mike: Well, some people might not like it.
Lauren: Are they offensive?
Mike: They could be. It depends on how you look at it.
Lauren: Who will they offend?
Mike: Parents. It's gonna be a little three year old girl with a gun in her mouth, leaning against a wall, looking all innocent. And cute.
Josh: That wasn't my idea.
Mike: No, it was mine, and it rocks! My friend daughter, she's the most precious thing in the world, and I had this squirt gun, and I was sitting at the computer, and she walked in the doorway, and she had the squirt gun in her mouth and she was all smiling, leaning up against the door, and I was like, "Hurry up and take a picture!" But of course, she moved. She is so adorable. It's gonna look awesome. Wait, I have a picture of her! (pulls out his wallet)
Josh: How come I never saw this?
Mike: Yeah, you saw it! Look, isn't she adorable?
Lauren: Awww ...
Mike: (puts wallet away) So yeah, that's the concept.
Lauren: So when are we going to see this new CD?
Mike: Umm, you're not ... supposed to expect it.
Lauren: So you're not going to tell us?
Mike: No, and you know why? It's because I did that before, and it didn't follow through. I announced a date and we're like, 8 months past that date. We're hoping for November, at the latest.
Lauren: So all the sudden, this CD is just going to BOOM onto the scene!
Mike: Pretty much. The whole ten people that know about us will be like, "Oh, SYA has a new CD!"
Lauren: No, more people know about you than that!
Mike: (laughs) Maybe ... but it's going to kick ass.


Interviewers Note
I have been good friends with the guys from SYA from the first time we played with them, up at Club Revolution. These guys have natural talent. They don't overanalyze their music, they simply play, and their stage presence is awesome. One of the best local shows I ever saw featured them at the Chameleon Club for a benefit show. I have never seen a local band get such a good reaction from a crowd, ever. Their music is heavier, and reminiscent of the Deftones, and their stage show is pure eye candy. Ryan Brambilla (vocals) is an explosive front man, and displays his dynamic vocal range and power in a fit of creative and artistic rage. Michael Brambilla is a driving force, whether playing drums or guitar, and he has the stage presence of a seasoned, sold out, arena tour musician. Josh Shaeffer's skills as a bassist, especially for his age, are unparalleled. Though he's not a very aggressive person onstage, his talent and relentless low end attack shape the band and give it balls. When SYA begins touring, do not hesitate to go see them! These guys have what it takes to go far.