Saint's 7: The Expensives

With early influences of Britney Spears and The Backstreet Boys, a name spawned from a band name generator, and their debut album, Love Sick Commotion just released, The Expensives are here to take over the world.

I guess I'll just start off with some background information first- How did The Expensives come to be?, where does the name come from?, and all that good stuff.


Well, we first started in 2005. Fawn (the guitarist) and I went to middle school together and we both had this identical passion for music. So we were like, "Hey, let's start a band!" So for like 6 months, we were running around looking for a drummer. We finally found our current drummer Bean in May of 2006. She originally was the second guitarist but it wasn't working out. so we started writing songs with her on drums. At the time, we didn't even have a drum set. We ended up using pots and pans for about two months! and then we went through millions of ridiculous band names (i.e. The Above Average Goldfish, The Hickups) before we went online to a band name generator and found "The Expensives." It was an instant hit.


That's amazing. (Laughs.) You probably knew this question was inevitable, so we might as well get it over with: What's it like being an all female band in a mostly male dominated industry?


(Laughs.) I was expecting it! We obviously have to face extra challenges being an all-girl band. It's harder to be taken seriously. For example, it gets ridiculous when you're about to go on stage and this amazing guy band just gets finished and then you go up there and the crowd is like, "Oh, take your tops off!" like we're just some joke. But we try to stay headstrong and keep the music the most important thing. We know how to handle situations like that. We've prepared for it.


Are there any common misconceptions people have about all female bands that you would like to put to rest?


I guess some people still view most female bands as "whiny little girls" who have nothing better to sing about but boys. Honestly, some of this may be true. We do write about getting our hearts broken and falling in love. But situations like that are very drastic and relatable, which is why it makes perfect sense to sing about them. We base our songs off of personal experience. Whatever comes to mind at the moment gets jotted down, whether it be about finding a new boyfriend to ripping someone's head off. (Laughs.)


Right. right. What would you say makes your band stand out from all the other girl bands out there?


We have this discussion a lot within our band. We often find ourselves wondering where we stand in comparison to other local and well-known artists. All we can really agree on is that our music is far from anything we have personally ever heard before. I mean, we try to incorporate our influences in our music but it still comes out completely unique. Just recently, we had a guy from one of our shows tell us that we sounded like Tegan & Sara mixed with Tsunami Bomb. Up until then, we couldn't even pin-point what bands we sounded like. I guess that's what makes us stand out.


I’ve got a question about influences in just a moment, but we'll save that for after this: You gals recently released your debut album Love Sick Commotion, can you tell us a little about it? Sound wise, the recording process, how it feels to release a debut album, anything to give an insight into the cd.


It feels INCREDIBLE to finally have a full-length CD out. Some of the songs on the album are way old, like from three years ago. And some are brand new. It has a mix of different time periods and various emotions, which is where the CD gets it's name. A lot of the songs are about love and pain. We kind of recorded it all in a rush but we've had most of this material for so long and we felt as though it needed to be heard. Over all, it's amazing knowing that we can finally show everyone what we've been doing for the past three or four years.


Speaking in terms of the past, how do your childhood heroes/earliest influences compare to your current heroes/influences?


Personally, I grew up listening to Britney Spears and The Backstreet Boys! I was a total pop-star since day one. But as I grew up, I started to get more into hip/hop and then mainstream rock, which eventually led me down the road to more underground punk/alternative. Although, I still listen to a lot of mainstream rock. But I think I can speak for the entire band when I say we are obsessed with Paramore.


A large variety never hurt anyone! Finally, is there anything you'd like to conclude the interview with? maybe tell the readers where they can find love sick commotion or a message to your dedicated fans?


We love our fans to death! They should know that by now! Love Sick Commotion will be on iTunes, Napster, and Amazon very shortly, but fans can message us via MySpace for a hard copy. We will also be touring the East Coast this summer hopefully with our friends Subjunk, The Fallback, and maybe even Forgotten Fall for a couple of dates. So make sure you keep checking our MySpace for updates!

10 Questions with Canon of Last Chance Studio

Hi Canon, how?s it goin??

Hey Luis...may I call you Luigi for short (Mario Kart fan what can I say)? But getting to your question.... "IT'S" going thru a hard time. Lots of self doubt and image issues. But I keep reminding "IT" that everyone goes thru this sort of period in their lives and to keep "IT'S" head up. But I'M doing ok, 'busy as a one armed cloths hanger', as my dad would say (which I don?t fully understand but whatever it still sounds deep). But thanks for asking about "IT" rather than me, real profesh man, real profesh.

That?s good, that?s good. So you ready for some hard hitting questions? Wow, so you?re gonna breeze past what I just told you? I'm a little offended about your lack of interest in MY "goings" and you just brush that off without even noting it? Great this is shaping up to be one blasty blast of an interview.

Ok. (Great!) Let?s get started. (Fine.) You run Last Chance and you?re the lead singer for Hey Euphony! How do you make time for both?

Well it?s a simple matter math and quantum mechanics. You see I was able to break down the molecular mapping structure of my DNA and extrapolate the core elements of my genetic makeup, which I then synthesized with bio compounds familiarly found in mosquitoes (yes kinda like the Jurassic Park movie theory, but they really dumbed it down, skipped past the more data heavy parts of the whole process...they basically turned a Dragon Force song into a Blink 182 one, in a guitar playing musicianship parallel sort of way). Long story short, I took a note out of Michael Keaton's book (look up MULTIPLICITY on imdb.com) and solved all my problems.

It seems like having so much responsibility is pretty stressful, is it as bad as people think?

It?s almost as if you?re not even listening to anything I?m saying. And no, thru my ingenuity I?ve found a way to make time for everything in my life, while falling into silly subplots involving myself dating my other self?s girlfriend (who is more sensitive, which highlights my inner inability to commit fully to my relationships due to my dedication to my jobs), which ends with a hilarious series of events leading to me learning my lesson, and to be more open and prioritized to love, and how I should put my construction business...err...I mean my studio and band on the backburner of importance in my life....

So you record bands for much cheaper than the average studio ($25 an hour). Why did you decide to settle on that price? How can you afford to record for that price? Do you think other studios overcharge musicians?

You know what, I wasn't really done with what I was saying, and don?t appreciate you cutting me off. BUT, we've tried various prices and methods to getting bands into our studio, and feel like our current rate of $25 an hr for tracking and $50 per song for unlimited mixing, works the best. Cause trust me when I say the mixing aspect to getting a song sounding its best is the key factor...and that?s where most studios make their money. We spend at least 6-9 hours per song on the mixing alone but only charge bands for 2 hrs worth. It?s our way of saying "thank you for recording with us." And to make this even more of a special thing...any band reading this right now, I?ll give you an hr of tracking free. Just mention this interview when booking.

I've been to your studio myself, and I have to say, its pretty much in the middle of nowhere. Why did you choose to have your studio so far out?

Well shesh that?s not a great sell on our studio haha. YES we are kinda further out in the country than most studio's, but good studio's aren?t exactly like McDonald's or Starbucks...there?s not one on every corner...no matter what, you're gonna have to make a decent drive to your studio of choice, so what difference does a few minutes make? Ya feel me? And it?s been working out, so I think people get that.

Do you think the scenery and location help you and the other musicians work better?

Absolutely! I've heard on countless occasions from multiple musicians that our studio is very relaxed and comfortable, and the being out in the country is very soothing. When things get stressful a musician can take a quick walk out in the field and get their head straight and anxieties worked out. It?s really amazing how laid back it feels out here, while still being a very serious process to us. We are really fortunate to have such a great spot.

I see that you also do graphic designs and printing for a very low price. You busy, busy man, how do you do it!?

Yes sir, that all came about while doing my own bands merch. I just stepped back and realized how sketchy most places that do shirts are, and saw an opportunity to reach out to other bands in our position. When I say we have a very low profit margin I?m not kidding or exaggerating. I don?t do this to make money; I do it to help bands get everything together to start making their OWN money. The two things every band needs in order to get things rolling is a good sounding CD, and shirts. And why go thru 2 completely different companies for what you can get from one? That?s kinda my motto.

I see that Last Chance has their own nifty shirt....can I have one?

Every band that prints shirts with us gets a free LAST CHANCE THREADS one to sport on stage and in photo shoots (or at least that?s what I hope for). We also offer bands a sponsorship with our clothing label, meaning we put our logo on the back of their shirts (at our cost). I guess I should preface that with, "A band with shirts is cool, a band with shirts that are sponsored with a logo on the back, and shirts from that company that they wear, is better" and makes them look like a bigger band. People see logos and label names and they make assumptions as to the size of a band...it just makes you seem more important. And while that may be sneaky and giving away our legitimacy, I insure you that we are working daily on getting our name bigger and better. And as far as getting a free shirt, more importantly, the same theory of what I?ve been saying applies to record labels...you need to have shirts that YOU and bands under your label should be wearing out everyday. We should talk details. ;)

Ok. One last question and then we're done here. Let the people know what sets you apart from any other studio in the area and why they should come to Last Chance instead of any other place for all of their recording needs.

Well I guess it wasn?t much of a question. But still. Well seeming how there was no punctuation in that entire numbered paragraph indicating an Q&A type response, aka there was no question mark (?), I?m just going to make one last point, because I feel I?ve listed a number of reasons as to why we are not only more affordable, but more understanding than other studios. You know that feeling you get when you show a song you recorded from scratch to someone in their car/house/computer/meth lab? That feeling of anxious excitement waiting for their reaction to your song. Be it in their words or facial expressions, everything is important. That is what got me into this business. I LOVE THAT PART!!! And nothing can ruin that moment more than a poorly recorded and produced song. So do yourself a favor, give me a call (919.210.2108) or email (cmo1106@gmail.com) and let?s setup a recording session. -Canon O'Briant (LCS)

Oh and for most of this to make any sense, you're gonna have to go rent MULTIPLICITY, WHAT THE BLEEP DO WE KNOW and JURASSIC PARK...all three well worth the watch btw.

Well that was a damn good interview sir. We truly appreciate it. We should discuss quantum mechanics in detail at some later point. That?ll be the video interview. So if you?re in the state of North Carolina and need a good place to record, go check out Last Chance Studio. DO IT!

-Luis of PGRNC/3AM