Interview With Paul McCoy of 12 Stones
Posted: 18 July 2007
Contributed By: Chris
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12 Stones is: |
TuneLab Music: It's been three years since your last album was released, what have you been up to since then?
Paul McCoy: Writing... we have a new album called 'Anthem for the Underdog'. We wrote for about a year and half, two years total and recorded it about a month and a half. We did a lot of writing and stuff like that but we're finally back at it.
TL: There are two new band members this time around, what do they bring to 12 Stones?
PM: We have a new bass player DJ Stange he's a phenomenal showman and great live and our new guitar player Justin [Rimer], I actually wrote most of the record with him this time. We have two brand new guys that bring a lot to the table for us.
TL: 'Anthem for the Underdog' is your third album, how did recording this one differ from the others?
PM: This one is a little more structured from the writing side of it. Before, on the first two records we all got in a room and experimented with guitar parts here and there and created songs. This time we traveled around and met with a lot of producers and writers and spent some time to try to perfect it.
TL: The album was co-produced by Skid Mills and new band member Justin Rimer. How did you decide on a producer and how did working with those guys compare to Dave Fortman?
PM: Dave Fortman and us go way back. He's like a bother to me. He was really busy and we discussed it with him and decided that it was important for artists to expand and grow and work with different people. With this process we wrote with probably 20 different writers. The last group we worked with was Rimer and Skid. We got in and started knocking out some songs everything was coming along nice and the label liked it so here we are.
TL: What other writers did you work with on the album?
PM: Bob Marlette, The Matrix, Jimmy Harry, just an endless name of guys. We did a song called "Broken Road" with Chris Daughtry so that was nice little addition.
TL: Being from Louisiana you were obviously affected by Hurricane Katrina. How did that affect the band and the writing for the new album?
PM: You know, I think our songs have always had a message of overcoming diversity and coming through from the bottom. I don't think it really affected the writing as much as just trying to make sure your family and everybody was taken care of. There were a lot problems with the economy and businesses couldn't stay open cause they didn't have employees. It was a tough time for the whole area but they've rebounded nicely and I think we're finally getting everything back on track.
TL: What's your favorite track from the album?
PM: To be honest I think my favorite song on the new record is a song called "This Dark Day". I really enjoy all the songs. Its one of those records that it's hard to pick a favorite, but that's just one that I kinda had in the archive and we never used and we brought it out.
TL: How do you think the new album compares to your debut or 'Potter's Field'?
PM: The first one we were young, I got signed when I was 19 so going into the studio at that age and not having any prior studio experiences makes you nervous. The second album we were used to working with Dave [Fortman] so that was easy but we really didn't branch out as much. This record we went out and tried everything we could to make it a great record. Different writers, different guitars, different everything.
TL: "World So Cold" made it to YouTube after the Virginia Tech tragedy, what was your inspiration for the song and how do feel about people using it to cope with the event?
PM: The song was initially written about a serial killer. Its just one of those things where if people are using it correctly, whoever did the video did it tastefully and really took the time to show what the song is generally about. It's not about the killer, but about the people that were lost and the people who had no option but to die that day. It wasn't written about that [Virgina Tech], but if people can relate to that situation and if it helps them cope that's great. I just want people to listen to the song and really enjoy it, really take it for worth. It's about the lives that are affected by the deranged.
TL: The tour kicked off a few days ago, how are the fans reacting to the new tracks?
PM: Its pretty fun, I was talking about this earlier. Normally when you play a city on a new album, for at least the first few months epically if the CD is not out you get a lot of people when you play new songs their interested but they don't know so their just really focused so there's not a lot just going crazy. It really hasn't been the case with this record. The new single "Lie to Me" has been on the radio for a couple weeks and there's already been, every show we've played there's been 20 or 30 kids screaming it. One of the home shows in Baton Rouge, I just stopped singing and held the mic out and they were just killing it. It's really good to see everyone adapting and knowing the words already just by hearing the song on the radio and MySpace.
TL: How do you think MySpace will help you guys with the album?
PM: It's great. It's a very good tool if you use it correctly... if you can sort though all the junk. It gives you a chance to really connect to your true fans who seek every possibly to talk to you. They drop you messages of encouragement, questions about shows, it's done really well for us. The single is on there and we've already had a million plays. I'm glad technology has grown the way it has to help artist reach out. It makes it so much easier to talk to people in the UK, Israel and all these other places that we haven't had the chance to tour yet, but we have fans there.
TL: You will be partaking in Daughtrymania in a couple weeks. Are you prepared for that?
PM: I don't know if I'm prepared for it! We're excited about it! I don't know how prepared we are... naw we are. We've been working really hard. The two new guys bring a lot to our show. We're hard workers. He's [Daughtry] a really talented singer, that's a tough competition to be in... the focus is on you every night. I think it's definitely a great tour for us and we'll get along famously.
TL: How did you get hooked up on the tour?
PM: We did the song "Broken Road" with him... it just worked out where he liked our band, liked our sound and what we were trying to do and how we play so I think he made the decision to let us come out and do some shows. It's going to help their show cause we are going go out and give everything we got and its going to help us cause brings us to a totally different audience who have never gotten into 12 Stones. I think this record is a lot more geared toward radio and a lot more sing-able songs on this one.
TL: What's the hardest part about being on the road?
PM: Being away from family. I have a two year old girl at home... everyone in the band is now a dad so leaving our kids at home to come out here and do this is really tough. Their all really young so it's a crucial time with them growing up. Our wives and families have been great and really helpful for us to continue to do this.
TL: How did becoming a father change your writing style?
PM: It loads you up with emotion and plenty of inspiration for songs. It makes you realize when you're here there's a point... ya know when we got signed I was 19, so for me... I graduated high school, went to a half semester of college and then I was touring with Creed in arenas. Then it was all about experience, touring and being out on the road. Now it's about... we're here to work... the bands we play with we want to make them work hard... we really want to benefit whatever tour we're apart of.
TL: Have you had any upset Breaking Point or Presence fans?
PM: No, not yet! I think they understand cause Presence was done regardless. Breaking Point were kinda still jamming but Justin was getting into producing and writing, that's how we met. The opportunity kinda presented itself were we needed a new guitar player. Justin and I wrote most of the record together so he already knew most of the songs he needed to know so I was like "you wanna go back out on tour or stay here and write". So he opted to obviously to come back out with us and he believes in the project a lot so that's great. It means a lot to us that he committed enough of his time to this band.
TL: If you had to pick one of your songs that best represents 12 Stones, which one would it be?
PM: From the new record I'd have to say "Anthem for the Underdog", the title song. It was one of those songs where we got in the studio one day and that came out in like 30 minutes. We had Justin and one of the guys that was helping us play bass on the record, not DJ. We were playing it and went though it a couple times and we were like "that was pretty cool". Within like 45 minutes we had most of the lyrics and kind of a melody. We were in this big building full of other bands rehearsing. Like 5 of the bands came down and were like "whatever you just played was awesome". We already pretty much had the tracks for the new record lined out. We just took it to Skidd, the producer, and recorded a rough version which wasn't really that rough and pretty much kept it like that.
TL: 12 Stones has been a band for seven years. Are you where you want to be at this point in your career and where do you see the band seven years from now?
PM: Hopefully still sitting on the bus doing interviews! You know really it's great. People in bands these days, its tough there's not a lot of money in it. We get an hour a day to jump around on a stage like fools. I get paid to sing and see the country and make friends... its great. We have families at home that really support what we do and believe in us. We just come out every day and take advantage of the time we have. Times like this doing interviews it still feels so surreal even after seven years. The fact that people want to pick your brain and just ask you questions... it's cool, its flattering... very humbling. Three records in seven years... it's been a long little run.
TL: In those seven years, how would you describe the changes that the music industry has gone through?
PM: The internet and all those things play a big role. It's been tough though, we're not 3 Doors Down or Nickelback size yet. Bands that are our size tend to have to work a little bit harder at it. It's gotten worse since we started, being a young band then was easy and now being a young band, to have a third record at this time is pretty unheard of. Especially for a band that hasn't had a single gold record. We've sold a little over 500,000 records combined, but you know we're still chugging along. I think this our best effort and our best shot. Everyone seems to be really embarrassing it and excited to see what happens when the record comes out.
TL: That's all I have, anything you want to throw in?
PM: August 14th! The new album comes out on August 14th. We have 12stones.com and MySpace with tour dates.