{"id":12687,"date":"2014-04-04T01:00:25","date_gmt":"2014-04-04T05:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southeastofheaven.com\/?p=12687"},"modified":"2014-03-25T10:51:01","modified_gmt":"2014-03-25T14:51:01","slug":"blowin-wind-with-crobot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/?p=12687","title":{"rendered":"Blowin\u2019 Wind with Crobot: \u201cBeef Jerky with potato salad in a tortilla. It\u2019s actually a lot more appetizing than you\u2019d think.\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"1267293_649721675047998_2015287122_o\"<\/a>In 2012 this little band from Pennsylvania sent me an email asking me to listen to their album.\u00a0 The email said, \u201cPlease listen to us.\u00a0 We all think that your musical taste is bar-none and we think you\u2019ll like our band.\u201d\u00a0 Well, that band was Crobot and they were wrong.\u00a0 I really didn\u2019t like the album.\u00a0 I fucking LOVED their album The Legend of the Spaceborn Killer.\u00a0 I loved it so much it make on top albums list 2012 and to this day gets regular spins in my car and in my house while doing laundry, cooking dinner, and being the domestic god that I am.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

All I wanted was to see Crobot live but it seemed like that was never going to happen.\u00a0 The band recently signed to Wind-Up Records and now I feel like Crobot has been popping up all over the place.\u00a0 Luckily one of the places they popped up in was here in ding dang Atlanta, GA as support for the Truckfighters.\u00a0 I had the pleasure of doing a full band interview with these guys.\u00a0 Usually, full band interviews are a nightmare but this one was hands down one of the most fun interviews I\u2019ve done to date.\u00a0 IT was like hanging out with old friends over beers and cutting up.\u00a0 Together we talked about the positive aspect to signing a record deal, the phenomenon now known as the Touritto, bowling, the new rhythm section, and what it\u2019s like being a full on touring band now.\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n

This was a really fun interview and I hope you all will dig getting to know Crobot: Brandon Yeagley (vocals), Bishop (guitar), Jake\u00a0Figueroa (bass), Paul\u00a0Figueroa (drums). \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

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So welcome to Atlanta.\u00a0 I have to say that I am very excited to finally get to wear my Crobot shirt to an actual Crobot show.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Brandon Yeagley<\/strong> : Thanks so much, Don.\u00a0 It\u2019s great to finally be here.<\/p>\n

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What took you guys so long to get here?\u00a0 Did you guys get lost or something?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bishop<\/strong>: We had a tour planned before but it got cancelled.\u00a0 It was just one of those things where we just had to find the right tour that made sense for us to be on.\u00a0 This past year we signed with Wind Up Records and that took a little bit of time to get settled to get some tour support because we\u2019re the poorest dudes in the world [laughs].<\/p>\n

Brandon<\/strong>: We were supposed to be here on previous tours but we also had terrible luck with tours getting cancelled at the last minute.\u00a0 That always changes up the dates and locations and what not.<\/p>\n

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Back in 2012 Crobot had the honor being listed as one of the Great Southern Brainfart\u2019s top albums of that year.\u00a0 Did this honor cause a shift in the cosmos for Crobot?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Brandon Yeagley<\/strong>: [laughs] Actually, we were very proud to be on that list among some of our favorite bands like Graveyard.\u00a0 It was totally an honor man.<\/p>\n

Bishop<\/strong>: Honestly we feel like the cosmos has aligned for everything in this band.<\/p>\n

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Crobot also managed to survive a pretty hefty lineup change.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bishop<\/strong>: Yeah, We\u2019ve had some rough luck with member changes and as soon as we got Jake and Paul in the band, immediately things just took off.\u00a0 Things have been working out great.<\/p>\n

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So for the new guys, how was it coming into this band and having to pretty much learn an albums worth of material.\u00a0 Was it hard to come in and \"20140310-Crobot1499\"<\/a>play other people\u2019s parts at first before getting to do your own thing with the band?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jake<\/strong>: Coming into it, it was definitely a little strange jumping into something that already had its developmental feet but me and Paul just started waking up every day and playing this stuff till our finger bled [laughs].\u00a0 We literally moved into Brandon\u2019s house and everyday Bishop would come over at like 11 or 12:00 and we\u2019d play until 11 or 12:00 at night.\u00a0 We also really quickly started writing new music.<\/p>\n

Bishop<\/strong>: Yeah, they learned the old album but at that point me and Brandon and already been working on new stuff.\u00a0 Once that first album was released we were almost already playing all new shit because it took so long for the album to come out.\u00a0 When Jake and Paul came in it really was like a fresh start for us.<\/p>\n

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So with a lineup change, especially the rhythm section, comes a change in dynamics within the band.\u00a0 What was that change if any?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Brandon<\/strong>: These guys, being brothers, are tight already as a rhythm section.\u00a0 Not only that we had played shows with these guys in their previous band Thick Leather Brick.\u00a0 We had a real tight knit scene up in NJ\/PA of blues rock\/old school rock which was awesome.\u00a0 We all liked the same shit and were already best of friends so when we came together it was just super easy.<\/p>\n

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So two years later and two new members later, what do you guys have in store for us?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Brandon<\/strong>: We\u2019re about to release \u201cThe Legend of the Spaceborn Killer\u201d again.\u00a0 We re-recorded that one and some new tracks that will be released as an EP sometime in May.\u00a0 It\u2019ll be available as a digital download and physically on vinyl only.\u00a0 A full length album will be released around September.<\/p>\n

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You guys signed with Wind-Up Records.\u00a0 What did signing to a label bring to the table that wasn\u2019t there when on your own?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bishop<\/strong>: You can definitely do things DIY but it\u2019ll take longer.\u00a0 For us, we signed with Wind-Up and now that we\u2019ve got everything locked down things are picking up very quickly and got us to a level that we really wanted to be at.\u00a0 Every horror story we\u2019d heard about singing with a label has been completely opposite with Wind-Up.\u00a0 They were the first big label to get behind us and that really went a long way for us.\u00a0 They give us the freedom to be who we are and to play the music we want.\u00a0 It\u2019s been a really good thing.<\/p>\n

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That\u2019s really cool to hear because you hear a lot of stories of bands having to compromise their sound and what not when signing with a label.\u00a0 That\u2019s cool that you were able to find a label that allows Crobot to just be Crobot.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Brandon<\/strong>: Yeah they even told us, \u201cWe don\u2019t want you guys to think you need to start writing a certain way.\u201d\u00a0 We were like, is this fucking reverse psychology or something [laughs].\u00a0 It just didn\u2019t feel right but as the months progressed we got to really know everybody a lot more and got to be like family with them before we even signed on the line.<\/p>\n

Bishop<\/strong>: We had our producer and we had everything ready to go before we even signed the deal.\u00a0 They put the faith in us and trusted us and they even gave us tour support before we signed.\u00a0 They knew we were good people and so were they so it all worked out.<\/p>\n

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\"Crobot<\/a>I\u2019m so psyched to see Crobot for the first time.\u00a0 What can I expect from a Crobot live experience?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bishop<\/strong>: You\u2019re going to fucking love it [laughs].<\/p>\n

Brandon<\/strong>: Sweat.<\/p>\n

Jake<\/strong>: Lots of stink faces [laughs].<\/p>\n

Bishop<\/strong>: James Brown baby!<\/p>\n

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Crobot has quickly earned a reputation for being a really dynamic and great live act.\u00a0 Did the live show come together instantly or was it something you guys worked towards?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bishop<\/strong>: It\u2019s just who we are individually.\u00a0 In bands we were in before we always played like this.\u00a0 We\u2019ve always just been really high energy performers.<\/p>\n

Brandon<\/strong>: Jake sang and played guitar in his last band.<\/p>\n

Jake<\/strong>: I just like to freak out [laughs].\u00a0 Usually I look like I\u2019m having a seizure but I\u2019m ok with that because it feels pretty cool [laughs].<\/p>\n

Brandon<\/strong>: This is the first band I\u2019ve ever been in where I don\u2019t have to think about anything.\u00a0 I don\u2019t have to think about anything but the music and I\u2019m just happy that people like it.<\/p>\n

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As an old fuck like me, it\u2019s so great to hear newer, up and coming bands playing this kind of music that I grew up listening to.\u00a0 What is it about this kind of music that is having bands bringing it to the forefront again?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bishop<\/strong>: I think it\u2019s just timeless music really.\u00a0 We\u2019re all musicians and that\u2019s the shit that we learned how to play when we were kids.\u00a0 It\u2019s the music that we grew up loving because our parents loved it.\u00a0 I think, for us, we\u2019ve all played different music and we all listen to different music but we always seem to go back to the roots.<\/p>\n

Jake<\/strong>: I have to agree with that a lot.\u00a0 I think the rawness of this music is so appealing.\u00a0 As a younger kid, I realized that there\u2019s that untapped aggression that all of the sudden is acceptable when you pair it with loud rock n\u2019 roll.\u00a0 Being able to take a crack at harnessing that and being the projector of that just really gets you high and makes you want to go back to it.<\/p>\n

Bishop<\/strong>: It is like counter culture now.\u00a0 There are so many bands out there doing this kind of music like Graveyard for instance.\u00a0 It\u2019s cool because it\u2019s almost becoming a bit mainstream now and that\u2019s cool.\u00a0 Hopefully bands like us can take over.<\/p>\n

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I just love the fact that old dude music is fucking cool now.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bishop<\/strong>: [laughs] You should come to one of our shows in PA, man.\u00a0 It\u2019s nothing but old dudes [laughs].<\/p>\n

Jake<\/strong>: Old heads have the best drugs [laughs].<\/p>\n

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And the hottest daughters!\"20140310-Crobot1055<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Crobot<\/strong>: [laughs] Yyyyeahhhhh! [laughs]<\/p>\n

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I don\u2019t have any kids so I\u2019m safe from you dirty fuckers.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Crobot<\/strong>: [laughs]<\/p>\n

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Crobot has gone from being a band that plays one off shows here and there to being a full on touring band with bands like Clutch and now Truckfighters.\u00a0 Was this a hard transition for you guys to make?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Brandon: It\u2019s not really that hard because we want to play every day of our lives.\u00a0 From going from not doing that to actually doing it has completely flipped our lives around but totally in the way that we wanted it to.\u00a0 Its complete relief and happiness.\u00a0 It feels good.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

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So there hasn\u2019t been any negatives to this transition?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jake<\/strong>: I think it\u2019s a way more negative impact on us when we have a few weeks off.\u00a0 We were stir crazy in February when a tour got cancelled.\u00a0 By the end of that month, even though we had a couple of local gigs here and there, we were tearing our eyes out.\u00a0 I\u2019d much rather sit in a van for 14 hours smelling these guys\u2019 farts than sitting at home doing nothing.<\/p>\n

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Touring in a van can be pretty brutal.\u00a0 How do you guys managed to do so without killing each other?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bishop<\/strong>: Well, there\u2019s a little space beside the benches that dips down to where the door is.\u00a0 Usually that\u2019s where someone sleeps and then everyone else gets a bench [laughs].<\/p>\n

Jake<\/strong>: Beef Jerky with potato salad in a tortilla.\u00a0 It\u2019s actually a lot more appetizing than you\u2019d think.<\/p>\n

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Are you fucking serious?\u00a0 That sounds fucking awesome.\u00a0 I\u2019m totally going to come and eat your band food now.\u00a0 It\u2019s like a tour burrito.\u00a0 The Tourito!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Crobot<\/strong>: [laughs]<\/p>\n

Jake<\/strong>: And you can feed everyone on those for like seven bucks.<\/p>\n

Bishop<\/strong>: He\u2019s not kidding.\u00a0 We can eat that for the whole tour [laughs].<\/p>\n