Less Than Jake’s Peter “JR” Wasilewski and Vinnie Fiorello – HuffPost 10.8.10
Mike Ragogna: What advice do you guys have for new artists?
Peter “JR” Wasilewski: Just don’t sound like every other band. I went and saw this band last night, and they’re wonderful kids and great performers. But musically speaking, there’s no difference between them or a thousand other bands that sound just like them. It’s kind of like a watered down New Found Glory, or something like that. Be yourself. I think so many people are afraid to cut their own path in the jungle out there and do something that’s not safe. That’s why there are so many bands that just sound the same, you know? There are some younger kids in different bands that are doing things that maybe people don’t like, or maybe some people do like. But I think the coolest bands, to me, are the ones where there is no gray area–people are either like, “Wow, I really like this band,” or, “Wow, I really hate this band.” I don’t want to specifically start name-dropping different bands and stuff like that because what I listen to is what I listen to; what Vinnie listens to is what he listens to, and what the other guys in the band listen to are what they listen to. I think that’s what makes us such an interesting kind of band because we all have so many influences, you know?
Vinnie Fiorello: I’m going to interrupt you real quick. JR makes the point that, to be a band, have a career in music, and to have that “look to the horizon line” mentality, you have to cut your own path. You’re not going to be a career musician by following a trend–that’s just the bottom line. Here are my three things for bands that are new: Be up on technology and understand technology; talk and interact with fans; and the third thing is tour. You learn every single thing about being a band by being a band–by being on tour. That’s a simple fact, you know? So, if you’re a young band listening to this right now, use technology and go out on tour, man. Interact with your fans and understand what they like and what they don’t like about your band. They want to tell you what they like about your band, and they want to tell you what they don’t like about your band, so listen to it, take all that knowledge, and just cut your own way through the jungle.