Interview Set It Off: Cody, Maxx

Artiest: Set It Off

Geïnterviewden: Cody, Maxx

Interview afgenomen op: Groezrock

Label: Equal Vision Records


Op Groezrock was ook de pop punk/symphonic rock band Set It Off aanwezig. Wij maakten alvast een praatje met Cody en Maxx.

Hey guys welcome, can you start with telling me who you are?

Hey I am Cody, I am the singer of the band.

I am Maxx and I am the drummer.

So first of all, how did this band get started?

Cody: Well we started this band in 2008 and we knew each other from college.

How would you describe the genre that you guys play?

Maxx: I think we can describe it the best as pop rock with influences from the rock out of the ‘90s.

That gives an interesting sound and there aren’t a lot of bands that do something like you do. Do you feel out of place then?

Maxx: No not really, our fans love our music and they support us. Everything we accomplished is because of them. As long as they like it we keep playing this genre.

Cody: It is kind of weird to play on a festival where there are so many core bands and punk bands and we are the 'softest' band but the fact is that we enjoy what we play. We grew up in this scene. We can sound like a real pop-punk band sometimes but other times we are a pop band. That combination is what we like.

What is the difference between let’s say your first record and your latest record?

Cody: Well I think you can say we grown as a band but also as individuals. You can see that in the writing process.

Set It Off is nominated for the best song of the year and best video of the year. Did you expect that?

Cody: No not really but we are very proud.

Maxx: Yeah the support we got from everyone is so great.

About the show today, you started later than expected, what went wrong?

Cody: We had a lot of technical difficulties. The first songs we couldn’t hear each other and a lot of stuff wasn’t working.

Maxx: Yeah and the crowd saw all the issues we had but we try not to show it and give them a good time.

And what were your thoughts about the crowd today?

Cody: We loved that they made the sign of a diamond when we came up.

Maxx: That was awesome but I still think the crowd was hard to please, especially at the beginning.

Cody: True but after some songs they started to sing along and started jumping and stuff. Even though it was a hard crowd we really enjoyed playing for them and playing at this festival. A lot of fans wanted some pictures and they asked for plectrums and stuff.

Are you going to check out some other bands?

Cody: Of course, we love to see bands like Atreyu and Motion City Soundtrack.

What is the best experience you have had since the start of this band?

Cody: We have so many great experiences, for example our first shows in the UK, Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany, Japan and many more things.

What are some differences between the crowds in different countries?

Cody: Japan was interesting. When we play for example in Boston, everyone is screaming and shouting but when we play in Japan after a song the crowd claps and screams and then it is silent, scary silent.

Mass: And also Germany is special, you can feel that they really appreciate music. Other countries have genres and people only go to that genre but there, everyone loves different kinds of music.

How do you stay in touch with your fans?

Cody: We have Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, all the social media. When a fan sends us a message we personally reply to them and after shows we hang around to talk with them. We like to see our fans happy.

Do you have some pre-show rituals?

Cody: Yeah actually we have something really funny. We are really into Dragonball Z. We all get in a circle and scream "kamehamehaaaaa" and then we go on stage. After a while we realized we had to do more. So our guitar players were at a festival show and they had some drinks and were running around and they decided it was funny to sing a song that described what it was to hang out with Set It Off. The song is Ain’t no party like a set it off party cause a set it off party is the best. The dip at the end of that is an inside joke that whenever you say those words (is the best) however you say them, a black man will come out and will do the “is the best” part. We also have different variations about it. We also have a dance with it. So we do the Kamehameha then we do the singing part with a little dance and then we walk away.

Ok thank you for this interview, enjoy Groezrock and do you have anything left to say to your fans?

Cody: Thank you for having us, and for the fans, watch our website because new stuff will come out soon.

Categorie: