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Web Exclusive: A conversation with Therefore I Am's Alex Correia

Alternative Press - Scott Heisel on 7/1/09 @ 9:00 AM - altpress.com

Since their induction into the post-hardcore scene in 2004, THEREFORE I AM have churned out a handful of self-released EPs, toured relentlessly, undergone three member changes and dealt with untimely personal tragedy. Vocalist ALEX CORREIA spoke with MICHELLE ABBASCIANO about the release of their first full-length album, The Sound Of Human Lives, Warped Tour and which of Correia's family members you'll hear on their album.

Where did the title of the album come from?
Somebody had brought up the title to us, and it just kind of seemed to fit what we were trying to accomplish with the lyrical content, the music and what we were feeling when we were writing it. Having to work a full day at a retail or food-service job and then go make music and have that be your release, it really was like trying to translate what we were doing into each song. That's just how it came out. The title seemed fitting with what we were trying to accomplish.

So it's about everyday life, human emotions and experiences?
Yeah, it's about experiences and trying to understand things--which I think is impossible; you can't understand everything about the world. There are a few songs that touch on being confused and fearful, and how that can take over your life. Sometimes you just need to chill out. [Laughs.] But every song is different. [The album] talks about family and friends and a friend passing away, and things like that.

For me, music is always about taking something of your own from it. I write the majority of the lyrics, and they come from real experiences, but I know when somebody listens to them, they're going to apply it to something in their lives. It's kind of like going through a museum and looking at the art and paintings. You can look at a painting and [the artist] could've had a certain intent behind that piece of work, but you are always going to perceive it a different way and take what you want from it.

The beginning riffs of "Splinters" reminds me of A Day To Remember's "The Plot To Bomb The Panhandle." Is that just a coincidence?
I've heard of that band, but I've never actually listened to them. Somebody else actually said [the same thing]. We let a friend listen to the record while we were making it, and they said it had a similar rhythm in the beginning. I guess it's just a coincidence.

You're also filming a music video for "Splinters," right?
Yeah, it's pretty exciting, because it's the first music video we've ever filmed. I guess you could call it a single. I don't really look at any of our songs as "singles," but we thought that [song] lent itself well to the whole video thing, so we decided to go with that one.

What's the concept of the video going to be?
Well, the song references relationships--like when splinters of wood get stuck in your hands, and they're always a pain to get out. Sometimes you can't always get the splinters out, and your body has to naturally force them out. So the video has a lot to do with that.

There's a lot of imagery that's going to tie in with the lyrics, so that should be pretty cool. I'm definitely excited. I kind of want to be there just to watch more than [I want to] be a part of it, because I've never seen anything like that being made before.

Who is speaking at the beginning of "I Am Only An Island"?
That's my grandmother. For this record, I took a lot of time on my own and spoke with friends in Boston, which is where we're from, and I went and saw my Aunt Brenda in Northern Maine. She was diagnosed with breast cancer, so I went to go hang out with her around Christmas with my grandmother. I had a series of questions [for them] that pertained to all of the songs. I didn't really show them any lyrics, but I talked to them about the subject matter, and gathered a lot of audio clips from them. So that's my grandmother in the beginning of "I Am Only An Island"; the other audio clips on the rest of the record are [voices of] friends or family of mine.

So are there any guest musicians on this record?
Not really, but "Big Blue" is about a friend of ours who really supported our band and helped us out and was an amazing friend. He passed away about two years ago. He was also a good friend of our friends in Vanna. The song is about a benefit show we did after he passed away to raise awareness for bike riders in Boston. I recorded everybody saying a brief comment about him, like who he was as a person or sharing a story. So when you listen to the end of the song, it's actually layers of our band and the guys in Vanna explaining how they felt about him.

How has life been on Equal Vision?
It's been amazing. We always listen to Equal Vision bands. A lot of them have influenced us musically and personally. They're a great team and a great group of people, so we're really happy to be working with them. I know a lot of people might say this, but it's really like a family over there; it's really tight-knit. So we're stoked that they're so supportive of us and our new record. We couldn't ask for anything more.

Signing has given us more opportunities, exposing our music and our band to a lot more people. I know people trust that label. We've had multiple people come up to us and say, "If it has an Equal Vision logo on the back, I know I can trust it and I'll buy it."

What makes this record different from your previously released EPs?
This record is a lot more aggressive, and I like to think it's more dynamic. The fact that we got to write an entire full-length gave us the chance to be a little more experimental with ideas and [gave us] avenues that we might have just walked on briefly with older songs. We got to go into really melodic places and then really, really aggressive places. I mean, Boston is a cold, dreary, dark place, so I feel like this album really reflects that because it's really bitter and angry and just kind of eerie.

The band have had quite a few lineup changes since your start. Did it feel comfortable with the five of you recording this album?
It did. It felt the most comfortable that it ever has. For a while, it was kind of awkward while those member changes were happening. But to me, this band formed when our current members joined. We were kind of young when we started this band. Well, not young as people in comparison to some other bands, but as a group of friends creating art, it was an odd experience. Our EP, Escape, was actually the first time that we wrote music together. It was kind of like an experiment, because some songs were written six months apart, and that's why I think there is a variation of sound and style between some of the songs. But with Human Lives, we got to sit in a practice space for months and really chisel away at what we wanted to do. It has one fluid sound, rather than different stuff happening all over the place. It is one giant piece of work, rather than 13 individual pieces of work. I think that's how it should be.

What's the craziest thing that happened during the recording of this record?
Well, it snowed a lot in Providence, Rhode Island. No, that's not that crazy. Well, we went crazy. We all got sick. We actually played a show on the last day of tracking in Providence with I Am The Avalanche. We went in at 9 a.m., tracked vocals, left around 4 p.m., went five or six blocks down the street, played a show, and then went back after the show and finished tracking the record. That day was long. It was crazy.

You guys are playing the Skullcandy Stage at Warped Tour all summer. Is that a big accomplishment?
Yeah, I think so. We've all been to Warped before, and we've always dreamed of playing it. It's pretty awesome and it's a great opportunity for us. We're really happy and thankful for being a part of it.

Are you nervous?
I'm only nervous about getting skin cancer. I've never been exposed to so much sun before in my life. I'm more excited. I'm, like, 90 percent excited and 10 percent nervous. I'm going to need SPF 3,000 though. [Laughs.]

Are you hoping any particular bands check out your set?
I haven't really thought about that, to be honest. I mean, we're there to play for people, so it would be nice if other bands were supportive. We're really big on community and helping other people out, especially bands, so the more support we get, the better.alt

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