Tickle Me Pink Interview
Read our interview with Tickle Me Pink to discover all of their upcoming 2010 plans!
Interview with Sean Kennedy (vocals, bass), Stefan Runstrom (drums), Joey Barba (guitar), and Steven Beck (guitar)
Interview by Jason Schleweis | 04.03.2010 | Denver, CO | The Marquis Theater
Tickle Me Pink fans are in a unique position right now; the next exciting chapter of the band is about to be written and experienced first-hand. It's been three years since TMP released their debut album, but On Your Way Down promises to be a another brilliant effort, with a new level of polished, "dark" maturity. "We've been through a lot in the last five years, to say the least" comments lead vocalist Sean Kennedy.
To say the least.
After the unexpected death of band mate and best friend Johnny Schou nearly two years ago, and a recent dispute with Wind-Up Records which have left the Fort Collins, CO natives without a record home, the odds seemed insurmountable.
Yet here they are, one month in advance of their new three-song EP release and the band are as successful, if not as determined as ever. Continue reading to find out all of Tickle Me Pink's upcoming plans (there's a lot!) for what should be end up being an extremely rewarding 2010.
Sean: I think a lot of it is just growing up to be honest. I know it sounds funny but Madeline was written when we were seventeen years old and we've been through a lot in the last five years, to say the least. We don't have a dark, narcissistic approach to life, but even in our poppy songs in Madeline we kind of would write about dark things just set to pop music. We're not going straight for heavy music, we still want to have that pop aspect, but with Steven and Joey being on this next record it just seems like the most natural thing.
In regards to the EP, it's the first release of new music since your debut album in 2007; three years ago. What led to the decision to release an EP instead of a second full length?
Sean: To be honest, it's kinda politics. Just disagreements with our record label.
Steven: We ended up just releasing an EP, but we'll have a full record coming out soon.
Sean: It really is just politics.
Joey: Also to with the way music is, the way kids are buying more singles on iTunes [instead of full length albums] and an EP is basically just a glorified single. We figured we'd just get our best songs together and just really pump them as singles on iTunes since that's what's selling the most.
Sean: It sucks with Colorado in the aspect of...before we were on a label we had released Madeline like a year and a half on our own. And then Wind-Up Records bought that record and released it. And then we toured, but before that Colorado was the only place that had heard that record. So it's kinda like taking a long time to get stuff out to Colorado fans and for that we apologize.
Are you guys still with Wind-Up Records? I noticed on your MySpace page it states your label is Indie...
Sean: We actually went a different direction. Madeline we released on our own and then Wind-Up Records bought it and we're disagreeing on the direction they want us to go in. So we're like well, if a record label bought Madeline that we did and had full creative rights on, why not do it on our own right now and have another label buy it? Or not even, or just release it independently. Have creative rights, that's what being a musician is about.
How nice is it for you guys to have a professional, nationally recognized recording studio (The Blasting Room) right in your back yard? Has that given you any benefits?
Stefan: It's pretty cool, we grew up going there and recording there. Joey's band did some stuff there before joining this band and I played some stuff there. Without it, I don't know where we'd be. I have no idea where the fuck we'd record besides there.
Steven: A lot of those guys are our friends there too, so they've helped us out a lot in the process.
Sean: Stefan and I recorded there when we were only 17, 16 years old? And we got hooked cause we were in high school and we just keep going back. They've watched our band grow and they know what sound we're going for so it's awesome.
Joey: Isn't that where you met like Puddle of Mudd?
Stefan: Yeah, basically all of our networking starting there!
The one thing that really stands out in Colorado is that local radio stations like 93.3 are really focused and dedicated to helping local acts get national exposure. Not many cities have that type of backing. How does it feel to have such great support from the state of Colorado?
Sean: It's great.
Steven: It's a huge help.
Sean: That's another big reason our band has taken off. Like Nerf who's over at KTCL believed in our band and we won a few competitions over there. But yeah, 93.3, we owe a lot to that station, they're a great station.
Joey: It's cool because it kind of gives Colorado music like a "thing." You know you hear things like "yeah the scene is cool in Austin, or Seattle." But [this is proof] that there is something going on with Denver and the local scene.
Sean: They just did an article in Rolling Stone talking about the Colorado scene, so it's great. I mean you think about the bands that have come out of here like Flobots, The Fray and 3oh!3. Some of these bigger Colorado bands are huge everywhere else too. I feel like radio stations around kinda know what they're doing too and it's rad that people support bands like that to get to the level they're at regionally and then nationally.
Joey: There's a lot of local camaraderie. Like the Flobots just borrowed our van and we've played shows with 3oh!3 and it's like this creative thing if that makes sense.
You guys are one of the first punk-rock/alternative bands in the state of Colorado to break out to the national scene with a major record label. Is it awkward for you guys to now be back playing with local bands who are wondering "when is it our turn?" and "what's it take to finally break through?" knowing that they look up to you for guidance and with hope knowing that it can be done?
Sean: I think we've gotten more used to it. Not in like a cocky way but we've done terrible shitty tours without a label for years, and we've worked really hard. So we definitely really appreciate where we're at right now. We don't take anything for granted, we love to help out when we can.
Stefan: I think we empathize more than anything now because we do know how shitty it can be.
Steven: We learned a lot on the road too touring with bigger bands like [Red] Jumpsuit [Apparatus]. To be in that position locally here, [headlining] like tonight helping these guys out is cool.
I noticed that you guys have a small handful of shows around the state this month, but are you guys planning a national tour this summer?
Sean: Probably the end of summer we'll support our EP and go on a tour. We're just playing in Colorado right now and figuring things out because we just broke off our ties with Wind-Up Records.
Stefan: We're figuring out the best way to approach how we want to deal with our next chapter.
