The Mascara Story Interview – York Fibbers – 15 August 2005
Cheeky Irish boys…very attractive cheeky Irish boys…is what I was faced with when I went to interview The Mascara Story. After Daveit, Jay and Sean finished sound check and had their dinner we eventually managed to find somewhere relatively quiet to talk…after attempting to squeeze five of us into a dressing room the size of a matchbox!
E. Have the last few months have been a whirlwind since entering the Kerrang/Snickers Unsigned competition? What kind of reaction have you received so far, especially considering that you have only been playing together for 16 months?
S. Yeah it’s been really crazy, the last four months actually since the Snickers competition have been crazy, we’ve been doing a lot of everything.
J. It has taken us from the local scene to the sort of A list scene overnight, and it has really been odd, but it’s not to say that we didn’t work for it or that we just got it handed to us on a plate.
D. We’ve worked really hard for it. We’ve been working harder in the past couple of months than we have done for a while.
E. So did you all play individually before you got together as a band?
J. Well the story is that Daveit and Sean had a band called Crash before and we would all be in various bands, I was in this sort of metal band…
D. Shit band!
J. ..and I was just a laughing stock doing covers and then we were just so sick of it and then me and Dave were chatting on the internet we were like lets get together, lets do something
D. yeah bandwise… lets get together bandwise, nothing else!
J. and we took one jam and then he rang up Keddy and he was like ‘we got this two piece sort of thing going and we want a bass player’ so later we ended up being really good friends…and we just hooked up then.
E. This year has proved to be an excellent one so far for bands just emerging and people are really starting to embrace newcomers such as Bullet For My Valentine and Trivium. Do you feel that it was very good timing for you to make yourselves known on the scene this year while people are so receptive?
D. Yeah it was a great time that we actually emerged because as you say like Bullet For My Valentine and Trivium have just gone up really really fast so yeah I think it was great timing actually, couldn’t have been better.
J. The ideal time to come out is summertime, ‘cos you come out at Christmas and you bring out a single then you’re gonna have like Elton John bringing out a Christmas single and maybe a Michael Jackson greatest hits album and so it was good but there are a lot of bands pulling up this year, and it’s good to have competition.
E. Have you seen any change in your home lives yet – have you suddenly started receiving phone calls from old school friends and acquaintances?
D. That’s actually a really good question!
S. Not really, I don’t know it’s more of a thing where everyone you meet now back home, all they wanna talk about is the band, you know, so it seems like everybody is just band, band, band…
D. there’s no relationship talking.
S. So we’ve lost a lot in personal relationships, but people are just curious though.
J. There’s a lot of people you would never ever speak to, they wouldn’t really give you the time of day and then as soon as all this happened they would stop you in the street and they’re now your new found fucking friend! Then some of my old teachers were like ‘if you keep practising in the back of class on them drumsticks you’re never gonna get anywhere’ … and then every time I meet one of them and tell them about it their face just crinkles right up like! So yeah, you do get everyone wanting a wee piece, and they always ask ‘where’s Sean, where’s Dave?’ as if we’re joined at the hip the whole time. But no, it’s good…you get that a lot.
E. This is the seventh night of your tour – how is it going so far? Any funny stories you would like to share with us?
D. Excellent! Sean’s gonna tell a story about vases.
S. No, that’s like the next question
S. Yeah it’s been going excellent, were all enjoying ourselves. We’re actually touring at the moment with Brigade and we’re quite like family at the moment because we get on so well with them and it’s amazing, it really is excellent so I just hope that the rest of it is the same.
J. We like going to a new place every night, when you’re in the back of a van you wake up and you’re like ‘where are we?’, ‘don’t know’ but as long as there’s a subway in each town I’m happy!
E. Yeah Cheese Steak Melt!
D. That’s what he had
J. That’s what I had today man!
D. This is bonding!
J. As far as any funny stories… there’s just the story where…
S. There’s none!
J. There was Liverpool, when we played Liverpool there was this insane crowd, and you know the way they want drumsticks and plecs and set lists…well they came up on the stage after and took everything that was on the stage and they took about maybe seven pairs of my bloody drumsticks, so I was walking around today trying to buy new sticks and everything.
E. Yeah we saw you two (Jay and Daveit) wondering around the street when we got here
D. We were trying on new handbags, that’s what we were doing! No seriously. So the vase story Sean…oh wait will that tarnish your career?!
S. Oh yeah if we tell the vase story we’ll get arrested…I’ll get fucking arrested!
E. How did you enjoy playing Download (twice!)? Did you get the opportunity to watch & hang out with any of the other bands?
J. What do you expect us to say, it was amazing…it really was.
D. One of the best experiences we’ve ever had ever. We’ll never forget it. We met every band that we actually liked on the bill, we met every last one of them…really good guys.
J. I got to meet Reuben, the whole band and just hang out with them and ask them all the questions I ever wanted to ask.
D. My Chemical Romance
J. Yeah, everybody…The Bled, The Used.
E. Would you rather play at a huge festival, or play a day like Give It A Name or A Taste Of Chaos?
D. I’m definitely a big festival kinda guy
S. I think I would probably more like Taste Of Chaos and stuff because I don’t really like outdoor gigs, I think they lose a lot of sound. I like a good compact venue
D. Like the barfly’s
J. I love the big big big gigs like the Snickers stage…I just loved every minute of it. We go on stage and we have this little tiny amp but I had this big drum raiser and it was so powerful and I was ready to do it
D. You were in heaven
J. I loved it
E. You have been recording with Pedro to record This Is Not A Bruise single – do you have any plans to work with him in the future to record your first EP or album?
J. Well like, you know like, as far as recording the new single…we loved our EP version a lot more, but we were recording with this producer back home and we love him to bits he’s called Neal Calderwood and he gets a fantastic sound and for the money you pay and for the length of time you’re in there it’s just unbelievable, so you know, I’m sure Pedro is very good for the rock sound like The Darkness and maybe he would have done good for Magnus Blaze – if Magnus Blaze had of won.
D. Yeah … great
J. But we haven’t really stayed in touch…
D. And we don’t have any plans to work with him in the future, we love Neil Calderwood.
E. I have been reading the stuff on your website – Jay it seems you’re into Mathcore, whilst the other two are into less hardcore music. Do you think that your differing musical tastes is an advantage for you as a group, or have there been any differences of opinion whilst writing, over which direction the band is taking?
S. I think me and Daveit, we like anything at all
D. …with melodies and harmonies and stuff
S. My favourite bands are girl-singing bands
J. not to say that I don’t listen to everything, my dad used to like sit me down when I was a wee baby before I could speak and make me listen to Madonna and mum used to sit me in the kitchen and listen to country music with her on a Sunday when I was younger. I like the hard edge stuff like The Dillinger Escape Plan.
J. If we all listened to Motley Crue then we would sound like Motley Crue, but because we listen to Sixth and Silverchair, it does definitely help when everyone has their own differences and influences.
D. We’re all starting to settle now on sound that we want and on a song that we like and the way we want our choruses and the way we like our instruments…we’re starting to really set it all out.
S. Yeah we’re comfortable with our sound
E. If you had to describe The Mascara Story in five words what would they be?
J. Really…
D. Summer Sounding Sunshine Power Pop!
E. What role would you say each of you has on a personal level within the group?
S. Two of us are drunks!
D. Yeah two of us are drunks and the other one of us has to call us a cab at the end of the night!
J. We have things we all do when we’re on tour and we’re all gigging…Daveit takes care of all the internet stuff cos he knows his shit about computers, Keddy does all of the arty stuff and I look after all of the odd bits.
D. I am sounding more and more ridiculous, not only do I like Natalie Imbruglia, I like Computers…next you’ll tell her about my knitting obsession and stuff…
E. If you could collaborate with any band…?
D. Silverchair.
J. I think it’s a more personal, individual thing…Dave and Silverchair…but if we had to decide on one band together…
S. The Used
J. Or Brigade, just for hell of it ‘cos they’re nice people and they write good music
E. Are you planning to get involved with the Kerrang/Samaritans Rock For Life Campaign?
D. (flashing Rock For Life Band and one dirty arm) Yeah we’ve got them!
E. Daveit I noticed that the first gig you ever went to was Bon Jovi!! What was the BEST gig you have seen?
D. It was a learning curve…
J. Actually the best performance I have seen live was at the Virgin Day Of Rock so far, and it has to be Bullet For My Valentine, they just blew me away and I haven’t seen a better performance than that yet.
S. Funny enough I think Bullet too
D. I can’t decide….
E. Are you middle of the pit guys or standing at the edge guys?
D. I’ll be standing on the edge, leaning on the bar with my pint hoping that no-one will bother me
S. I guess we’re a bit of both ‘cos when we’re drunk we’re in there going stupid and dancing like, so… showing ourselves up!
D. So that question actually depends upon alcohol levels!
E. Have you got any guilty pleasures…eg is any of you a closet Backstreet Boys fan?
D. Oh Damnit!
J. I don’t know, it’s not like I think Avril Lavigne’s music is really good, I just think she’s really hot. She’s got some good music but I like to turn it on mute, and then watch the…
D. With your pants round your ankles!
E. What is the best thing EVER?
J. Drums
D. Writing Songs
S. Sex
J. Yeah!
E. So a couple of questions for all the girls – you’re all around 19/20 is that right? What are your Starsigns? Do you all have girlfriends? Who are your ideal ladies?
S. We’re all 19…what age did you think we were?!
J. I’m Taurus
S. Virgo
D. Daveit is a Libra…Libra
J. I haven’t had a girlfriend since the last three days… I think I’m the only single one here…
J. I like really petite girls who have a nice wee sorta dress sense, who dress really cool
D. Come on Jay you go for boobs and that’s it!
J. No I see petite and cool wee chicks and I like ‘em
D…and they got nice boobs!
J. Yeah okay and they got nice boobs…anyway I’m more of an ass kinda guy!
S. I just like rock chicks
E. Anything else that you would like people to know about you?
J. I’m a complete fucking drum nerd
D. I have an eleven inch penis, all round
E. Girth too?!
D. It’s just an apple! A granny smith, that’s what it is!
J. (about Sean) he really likes Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, he likes comics and cartoons and really cool kid stuff that people should still like when they get older.
S. I still wear nappies
E. What are your plans after this tour?
D. Yeah well after this we’re probably gonna take a little tiny wee break and then we’re just gonna get back on the road again, and back into writing seriously and we wanted to play in Manchester.
S. Yeah we wanna get gigs in Leeds/Manchester next.
J. We might be recording another two track
S. And we might be doing another Irish tour at the end of September but we’re not totally sure, we haven’t agreed on it yet so it’s just really up in the air.
On that note I thanked the boys for their time and switched off the Dictaphone! We hung out for a while and had a few beers and a chat with Sean, rounded Jay up too to play a prank on the support band Brigade by decorating their tour van, and generally had a real good laugh.
Support act Brigade put on an excellent show and impressed me thoroughly! This is a band worth paying attention to… I am sure you will be hearing much more from them in the future.
The Mascara Story then took to the stage and chugged through a blistering set, captivating their audience. These guys have a fantastic stage presence and as they blitzed through their excellent tracks, including favorites This Is Not A Bruise, Episode, About Last Night and Cue The Violins, it became glaringly apparent why these guys beat down the competition at the Snickers Unsigned comp. The show was awesome and the guys threw a massive energy into their performance, clearly loving every second of it. Their hard work and obvious talent is paying off and I hope that Daveit, Jay and Sean go all the way with this group, they certainly deserve it. To top it all off they are actually all really cool, sound lads, and I will definitely be making time to catch up with them again when they are next in town (unless of course they think I’m a complete weirdo)!!
Emma
