HEDLEY

Interview by Natalie K.
April 17, 2009
http://www.myspace.com/hedley

Estrella: Can you please state your name and what you do in the band?
Jacob: My name is Jacob and I double fist in the band. Two beers one in each hanh, why do you think you are on speaker phone? (laughs)

Estrella: What are your personal influences as to why you wanted to be in a band?
Jacob: My personal influences would have to go straight up the line to the crazy characters like Bob Marley and Steven Tyler. They are some of my favorite artists growing up and they kind of made me say to myself, “boy gee wiz I would love to be in a rock n’ roll band.” Why I love being in a band has everything to do with the fact I get to sustain a living making music and creating it. I’m really lucky to do that because not everybody gets to do that. I like to do it because obviously I kind of like the attention I mean not everybody can stand up on a stage and sing about how they feel and it’s a bit of an intensity. I love doing it because I love making music and doing exclusively that, I feel very privileged.

Estrella: Where did the idea come from for the US exclusive album Never Too Late?
Jacob: When we were going to release an album here we decided to take all of the best songs from our first album because we thought there were some really cool songs on there that we never really got to get out here so we wanted to include that with all our favorite songs from our second album. It’s in no way is it a greatest hits of sorts, its a uber album.

Estrella: Is the the first release in the US?
Jacob: We’ve had one release in the US before and that was self-titled as well and it was on Capital, and Capital kind of imploded and we were sort of bummed and thrusted out into obscurity. Luckily, we got to take another stab at it and we wanted to make sure that we could fit all of our songs from the first album that were strong enough to make the album better.

Estrella: Was it a collaboration when figuring out what songs were going to be on Never Too Late?
Jacob: Well, I rule with an iron fist.
Estrella: Your way goes? (laughs)
Jacob: It was definitely a collaboration between us guys and our manager. Our manager, him and I are very close and we have worked together for a number of years now so we are very much a team.

Estrella: What is the first single going to be for here in the United States?
Jacob: It is a song called “Old School”.
Estrella: How was that one chosen?
Jacob: We choose that one because we felt like it’s the strongest song and it’s getting a lot of attention. It’s a song I think a lot of people can relate too. Its a song about growing up and not forgetting about the good old days, it means a lot to us and we would like to think it has the potential of having that effect on a lot of people.

Estrella: What are your upcoming tour plans?
Jacob: We are actually going to be writing and recording up until fall of this year. We will go out this summer and do the summer festival circuit but for the most part we are going to be working on some new material.

Estrella: If you could see any band or artist perform any song live what would it be and why?
Jacob: It would have to be Bob Marley and The Wailers performing “No Woman, No Cry”.

Estrella: Any particular reason?
Jacob: It’s my favorite song and it is my favorite recording of his. I have probably like 68 favorite songs, but you know how you have a bunch of favorite songs but definitely one number one that has transcended generations, that is that one for me.

Estrella: Do you have any crazy tour stories that you are willing to share?
Jacob: Not ever, nothing crazy has ever happened.
Estrella: What?! That is hard to believe.
Jacob: Alright, there has been a few. One time actually and this was a few days ago there were firemen in my hotel room. The fire alarm went off and I just didn’t have the energy or ambition to evacuate the building like all the rest of the selfish human beings. The firemen ended up breaking into my room and I offered them some chicken wings. I climbed back into bed and let them do their business and asked them to turn the lights off on their way out.

Estrella: What is one of your favorite lines in one of your songs?
Jacob: There is a really great line in a Bob Marley song, “In this great future you can’t forget your past” that has always stuck with me.

Estrella: Do you have any in your own songs?
Jacob: Oh mine! I don’t write them, we have a monkey that writes all of them.
Estrella: The monkey does good work then.
Jacob: Actually “Old School” is a really cool one and I was really stoked about coming up with the whole concept. The first verse of the song talks about being young and being wild and the line goes, “We will drink by the fires, the burning car tires” and the second verse talks a bit more about being older and goes, “Now we are putting out fires and changing car tires” and it’s a nice little changed position.

Estrella: Do you have any final comments?
Jacob: Final comments, no guilty.
Estrella: I think those are more like final words.
Jacob: Oh, well I mean it!