UNEARTH INTERVIEW
October 26, 2002
Ed Martin for Prophecy21.com: This is the only date you guys are doing with Mudvayne right?
Trevor Phipps Vocalist for Unearth: Yeah this is the only date, our friend Heath hooked us up with this.
P21: Are you a fan of any of the bands playing tonight?
TP: I wouldn't say I'm not a fan, but I don't listen to their music really. I don't own anything by any of em.
P21: Where are you guys playing after this?
TP: Tuesday we're playing in Hollywood. We're flying out for one show at the Knitting Factory.
P21: Who else is playing that show?
TP: Lamb of God and Nevermore, so its gonna be a good metal show.
P21: Where are some of your favorite places to play?
TP: Jersey is one of em. Jersey is an awesome place, kids always come out and really destroy each other in the pit. Like tonight the pit was insane, like it's a different crowd for us, but it was still insane. Canada is awesome. Boston, obviously. Syracuse. California. Europe was great too.
P21: What bands have been some of your favorites to play with so far?
TP: I love Killswitch Engage, Shadow's Fall, Shai Hulud, Underoath, Sworn Enemy, Poison The Well, so there's a whole bunch of bands.
P21: It seems that in general your lyrics tend to be a little more positive or uplifting then a lot of other metal and hardcore bands today. Do you feel that will keep some people away from you guys?
TP: Well not all my lyrics are so uplifting. Actually on the new EP I have a couple of songs, ones about the murdering of children at schools by other people, its called "Internal War" and it was inspired by Columbine and other shootings, like a shooting that took place about 600 yards from my house in Wakefield, Mass., that took place last year around Christmas. So that's a pretty depressing song. I think I keep a pretty even balance of positive lyrics and the real life stuff. The song "Endless" isn't really a happy song either.
P21: Do any of you guys still work other jobs when you aren't on tour?
TP: Definitely. I mean we tour full time, but we have to keep part time of temp jobs back home. Cause, I mean playing hardcore metal stuff doesn't pay your bills, but its fun! That's why the bands do it I mean it's a great time.
P21: What do you do?
TP: I work in shipping and receiving. I'm also starting my own label, hopefully that'll pan out, cause I'd really like to do that.
P21: When do you plan to get started on the next full length?
TP: Well, we're writing songs right now, so we're doing a tour in December with From Autumn To Ashes and Hope Conspiracy. We're playin the Birch Hill on the 23rd. So after that we're gonna really focus on writing and hopefully record by April and have it out by June or July. This is all tentative though, no rush.
P21: What bands have you been listening to lately?
TP: There is a band Rise Over Run I like a lot, there from Canada. The new Shadow's Fall I listen to all the time. I also picked up the new Foo Fighters and Red Hot Chili Peppers CDs. So, those are killer CDs.
P21: What was the first album you ever got?
TP: First album I ever had I was 2 or 3 and for Christmas I got Dynasty by Kiss, that was in 1979 or something like that. Then when I actually started to pay attention to music I was, I think, 10 years old and I got I'm The Man by Anthrax and that turned me on to metal and then I got into hardcore a couple years later.
P21: What do you hope people will be able to get out of listening to your music?
TP: I hope they have fun! I mean, we do this and we have fun doing it, I hope people can get their agressions out. I hope they can go and have fun, I hope that they can read my lyrics and pay attention to what I'm writing. I kind of write things from an abstract point-of-view, so people can kind of take what they want from the lyrics. I might write with a certain idea in mind, but I can write it sort of abstract so they can take something else from it.
P21: Do you guys ever play covers live, if not if you could do a cover of any song what would it be?
TP: The band has never done a cover, ever, and we've been in existence for a little over 4 years. I don't think the band wants to do a cover, but I dunno I couldn't really tell ya what song I would wanna do.
P21: If you could see a show with any 5 bands whether they are still together or not what would the line up be?
TP: That'd be a mixed up show man. Hmm, not together I would have to say Overcast, the Beatles, and umm Nirvana I guess, I never got to see them. I can't really think of five so just those three.
P21: Thank you, is there anything you would like to add?
TP: Thank you for doing the interview and everyone check out the CD the new one is Endless on Eulogy Recordings and we have a full length The Stings of Conscience that is on Eulogy as well, so check that out too.