Thieves And Villains

Posted Sep 2, 2007, by Josh Snider.

JOHN - DRUMS
SERGIO - VOCALS/GUITAR
CHRIS - GUITAR/VOCALS
ROBERT - BASS

www.myspace.com/thievesandvillains
www.purevolume.com/thievesandvillains

What bands have influinced you guys for your style of music?
The Graduate, NFG, Alkaline Trio, All time Low and a lot of of the newer bands coming out now like the dangerous summer and holiday parade.

How did you come up with your band name?
it is lyrics from a song from our old band southcott.

I was just going to ask if you have been in any other bands?
Me and Chris were in a band called Southcott and Sergio was in a band called Always Rushing By.

How was being on Warped Tour this year?
It absolutly rocked. a lot of bigger bands in buses came to our aid many times. It was also great to see old friends from when I used to be in the crowd at their concerts. We met tons of kids and it really helped us get more involved in the scene.

How was it being able to tour with some of the bands you grew up a fan of?
It was great, and actually kind of weird to finally see these people like eating and walking and talking. for years i had imbeded images of them just with a guitar in their hands or whatever haha, so it was cool to see theyre not robots, haha !

How about being on FuseTV?
Also a complete trip for us! A lot of people saw us working/running round the clock at warped and we were glad to have a kind of payback and respect from Fuse. I'm incredibly thankful they gave us a chance, so thankful for sure. we got to hang out with the filmers producers and crew and stuff, it was great.

I have seen you make blog/promotional videos for the band, did that make it easier because you knew more of what to expect?
Yeah, we always are filming everything. It defintly helped out a ton and were getting used to like having cameras and all that around. It really used to make us all tense up a lot , it still kind of does.

What has been your favorite venue to play at so far?
The Element in Colorado Springs, Colorado. But i always say that theres plenty of venues that know how to take care of bands. and its kind of hard to top that level without venues like spending tons of money, so we've realized theres almost a standard of a good venue, and really nothing much above that, aside from like ampitheatre type accomidations.

When, Where and How was your first show?
our first show was @ jaggard UMC in altoona, Pennsylvania in febuary with Sullivan and The Dangerous Summer. I was a nervous wreck considering the sullivan tour took us out of our practice space pretty much, but the guys kept assuring us we'd play fine and we did Great! it was stressful but yet a huge rush and a lot of fun to look back on.

I just saw Sullivan with MxPx, they were great! How did you get to meet them, and how was it being invited to go on tour with them as your first set of shows?
We met them thru friends down south where they are from. It was a blast to find out that we could open some shows , it really was awesome. it also helped us test out some songs which was great.

How have you seen yourselves get better since then?
Yeah, playing everyday really changes the way we work as a band. weve gotten tons more aware of eachothers playing habits and what not.

Who would you like to open for?
it would rule to play with Rancid or Jimmy Eat World.

What makes you want people to listen to your music?
in hopes that they can enjoy it for the same reason i listen to my favorite bands. i think its amazing if a person can appreciate my band the way ive listened to other bands.

What are most of your lyrics about?
we are well aware of the current movement. the late 90's and early 2000s spoke so loud, between blink 182 starting things off, taking back sunday following up with a well packed punch. . not to mention fall out boy recently just making a huge mark, everyones been stoked on our music scene and furthermore really curious to as to whats next. We are just as curious and all our lyrics chalk upto asking the big question what happens from here and more importantly at times what we think might go next.

Do you have anyone in the band that didn't start out with you?
we are all founding members but i think lineup changes are healthy for a band. because theres only one thing that happens if its not a full circle, the band breaks up! so its like lose it all, or just one guy.

What brought your band together?
me and chris were in a band called Southcott and Sergio was in an up and coming local band Always Rushing By that used to open up all the tours in New York and began to really make a name for themselves. Our bassist rob floated around local bands downstate near me, he plays guitar, bass and can sing so its great to have a well rounded outlook on the local and national levels.

What do you think about vegiterians?
chris and sergio are vegitariens and all i think is that i now have to go to taco bell way too much! for the record id like to apologize to mcdonalds in and out burger carls jr and burger king whataburger jack in the box and all my favs because ive barely been able to go to anything but T Bell since april when we hit the road.

Do you have any upcoming shows?
we finish warped tour and then go straight on tour with the hush sound and then do a home show in my downstate area and then record more and then work on pegging down the fall.

Do you have any advice to starting bands?
do whatever it takes 24/7 and get out of dodge.

Any funny/interesting storys?
we've already had people driving way too far to see us the next day, but that rocks!
we stayed with one of favorite bands singers fathers house for a week when our van broke and that rocked!
we got raped by police in birmingham alabama and that sucked
the rest of the stories defintly arent here for a reason or two hahaha.

What do you think of UFOs?
ive seen 2 on tour in my life, once back in southcott days and once now with thieves
my thieves story is actually on a warped tour drive! after atlanta warped tour heading to jacksonville i was driving with everyone asleep focusing on a rather white spot that was just definitly not a star and then i realized was tangably close! and then in "ufo speed" (if youve ever seen one move you know what i mean) it just took off to my left and i almost pulled over to just think about it haha.

Do you guys do anything else for work right now other than the band?
definitly not , this is who and what we are/do every second of everyday.

What do your parents think?
no comment on my end, but everyone elses parents rock.

What were some of your favorite bands growing up?
the police, 311, blink 182, nofx, and tons of hip hop.

How many tours have you been on?
5 or 6 so far . .

Along the way, what has been your favorite thing to stop and see?
colorado might be the best thing this country has to offer , texas too!

What do you guys to on the road to keep busy?
skateboard and think and practice my drumming and struggle to find a computer.

Do you have any advice to bands going on their first tour?
all water all the time, give your band members space. dont be crappy to your merch guy EVER
and let your driver sleep in the best places.

Where can we get your latest album?
in spring 2008 at shows, in stores everywhere or on I tunes hopefully (or else we'll be on the wrong label haha).

Do you have anything you would like to say to fans reading this interview?
Thank you for adding us on myspace, feel free to message us anytime. and thanks to all the people that worked hard to find us at warped tour, because we know thats never easy!

What do you think of BigSmileMagazine.com?
i think its the bombs! and im glad you guys are down with TAV!! ill be checking in to see the site updates and everyone else should too!!
Any last words?
No Free Hugs haha