Comeback Kid - Jeremy Hiebert
Interview Date: March 31, 2007
Associated band: Comeback Kid
What are you guys up to right now?
JEREMY HIEBERT: Right now we're doing well, just taking a little time off at home. Heading out on tour in a couple days. We're just enjoying a little down time right now for a bit!
How excited are you to get your new album out?
Very. It's been a long time in the works, from the studio and basement writing and recording it to doing all kinds of press stuff to lead up to it, it's awesome to have everything that has led up to it just finally come to the release we've been talking about for so long. It's good to get it out there.
Did you find this album difficult to approach since you had just gone through a lead vocalist change?
I'm not going to lie; I was nervous going into the record. There were several variables that were at play when we were writing for this record. As everyone knows, our old vocalist quit about a year ago. We had that transition. We did have some time though to work through it and get comfortable with it. When it came to the actual writing of the record, it has always kind of been Andrew and myself for the writing and arranging of the music. That part didn't really change for this record. We had a slightly different sound that ended up coming out of the record, but it still has that same Comeback Kid feel to it. There were some things that made us very nervous, but we were happy with how everything turned out in the end.
Broadcasting seems to have an angrier feel to it. The fast parts feel faster; the heavy parts feel a lot heavier. What spurred this progression?
I think overall the record has a little more of a darker feel to it. I don't know if it's more like "pissed off," like some people have said. Maybe it could be. The record is more dynamic. There is still that more melodic feel that we've always had, but there is that darker feel too. It's a little heavier than what we've done on previous records. I think it's just a lot more layered. We spent a lot more time while writing to rewrite parts and rework songs. As other musicians say, you just learn from your past mistakes as a musician and move forward. I think we come out a lot more rounded out this time.
Why did you decide to release Broadcasting early on Myspace?
This day and age, the internet plays a huge role on delivering your music and just getting it out there. Our record got leaked, so it's not like it wasn't out there already, but we just wanted to get it out to so people could give it a listen. Initially we just put up one song, but we worked it out so we could stream the whole record. A lot of people say, "That's going to hurt your record sales!" Record sales are great, but that's not the be-or-end-all. We just wanted to get it out there and let people get their listen for a couple days before it came out. It allows kids to make up their mind on the record before they take a risk and buy it. I guess it's just a kind gesture we wanted to have for our fans.
Have you paid attention to the reaction that fans regarding your CD online?
For sure, we all pay attention on varying levels, but we want to see what kind of feedback is coming out. Obviously we can't hit up every message board and read every comment because there is so much going on at once. We are very happy with how people are speaking about the record. They get where we are coming from, and it seems like people understand the change. It's not like a huge change from record to record, but you can notice the difference between Turn It Around, Wake The Dead, and Broadcasting. There are some people who have never heard us before that like the record. There are also people who liked the last two records and like the new one. There are obviously kids who liked the first couple records and don't like the new record. And lately there has been this surge of kids who only like the first record now, which I find kind-of weird since we never really heard that much when the record first came out *laugh*. There are always those elitists that only like the demo or the first record. Those are the people in the minority. The overall feedback has been really good.
Why did Comeback Kid leave Facedown Records way back?
When we put out our first record, we sent out stuff to a lot of different labels. Facedown was the only label that really showed interest in what we were doing at the time. Other labels kind-of did, but not to the extent that Facedown did. We weren't the typical band that released records on Facedown because it's a Christian label, and we've never really set out to be a Christian band or anything. There have always been believers in the band, but that wasn't the reason for signing to Facedown. Also, the move to Victory did not have anything to do with any falling out of Facedown either. We had taken the band to a different label, and in order to get our music out there more with better distribution and stuff, it made sense. Jason at Facedown was really supportive of that decision. When he found out we were looking around at different labels, he was really supportive of us making the best choice for our band. We've been in touch and been friends ever since. He had us over like last year when we were touring through the area. We still have a really good relationship with him and are really thankful for his label. Sometimes a band has to move to a different label that just has more resources. Victory has a lot of resources. Sometimes in music, as much as I hate to say it, you have to make business decisions.
Has the bad publicity Victory has received lately regarding legal suits with other bands affected your relationship with the band at all?
I wouldn't say that much. A lot of the bands that are having these issues with them are a lot bigger than we are. Whatever it is--royalty issues or whatever is going on--it hasn't really affected us as a band. A lot of people will off-the-cuff say they don't believe in supporting Victory Records for whatever reasons they believe. We understand that, and support people making decisions based off their own experiences and morals and such. Overall, they are a record label, and they have business they need to do. We are a band, and we need a record label. I'm not trying to badmouth Victory or any other label, but a record label is kind-of that necessary evil a band needs if they want to get to that next level and get their music out as much as possible. You're always going to hear horror stories from bands, and a lot of the time, they involve misunderstandings. It's never going to be a 100% ideal situation.
What are your upcoming tour plans?
After our CD release shows here at home, we're going to be heading off to Europe. We're doing two weeks there, some of it on our own in the mainland and some in the UK with Alexisonfire. From that, we fly straight back to Toronto and start our North American tour for approximately six weeks in Canada and America. After that, we have plans in May with Sick Of It All. I think we just confirmed the Rise Against tour we're going to be doing in the summer as well. That's the general plan until early fall.
Do you guys have jobs that you go back to between tours?
The band is pretty much our primary focus. It's hard to hold up a job when you're only around for two weeks here and a month here and a week there. That makes businesses not want to hire you. I had a job up until about three years ago, and the schedule just kept getting more and more busy. I haven't had a real job in like three years. Fortunately we've been able to make enough money on tour so that when we come home, we can pay our rent and not have to steal anything when we get home. We've been very fortunate for that! You don't want to get too set on it because you never know what's going to happen tomorrow.
What is your passion outside of music?
I live in a very cold city in Winnipeg so I can't do it right now, but I really like just riding my bike. I just recently got into it like last year. I bought a new mountain bike and fell in love with it. I almost didn't want to go on tour because I just loved going on rides for a couple hours a day. I am in love with the outdoors, doing that kind of thing. I don't get to go camping as much as I want to, and I love being around nature by myself and stuff. We close quarters with the same people over and over again on tour, so it's nice to have that switch and flip it around so I can be outdoors in the open.
Do you find it cool that hardcore and punk has been expanding its popularity so you guys can tour in areas of the world you never would have dreamed about touring before?
It's amazing how things have just happened lately. Outside of this band, I never would have even guessed how to go to like Europe, which we are going to for like the seventh time soon. I'm about thirty now, and I would have been lucky to get over there once if I wasn't in a band. Same with Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and all those places. Obviously we don't have time to be touring and see everything there is out there to see all the time because of our tight schedules, but just to get to experience what we have so far, it's just an amazing experience. We've been getting so many emails from kids asking us to come to like Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and all these places in Indonesia. There seems to be this really strong scene growing there. I really hope we can make it happen one of these days. It's always excited to be a part of something that is starting new, fresh, and exciting. When you tour in America, sure there's kids who are excited to see you, but there are also kids that are very jaded because they've been around it so much. I hope we can hit some of these new spots that are growing really fast.
What is the number one album that has influenced your life?
At this point in my life, there is this electronica thing called Air, and I am all about it right now. I love the songwriting on it. When I heard it the first time, I thought it was awesome, but since then, I've listened to it like a million times. I can't not listen to it. Itunes is playing it constantly when I'm on the computer. That's one album that I can't seem to get tired of.
Do you have any final comments or shout-outs to the readers?
Basically we just want to thank the people that have been behind us from day one. You know, there are always kids who come and go and get over it. The people who mean the most to us are the ones that like stuck behind us in our first tours and are still coming out. Even though they are older and may not go to shows anymore, they still somehow manage to come out to our shows and support. It's always great to see those old faces again. It breaks up the monotony of tour tour tour. Just a shout-out to our friends who have been behind us for so long!