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33DEGREE

 
33DEGREE

dark, moody, powerful, melodic, chaotic

1 songs
164 plays
VOLUME Entertainment Mag Spring 2005 VOL. 01 ISSUE 07 A nice li'l news blurb in the new issue: "33DEGREE has been awarded "L.A.'s Best Female-Fronted Band 2004" by Rock City News. The band has also just completed the entire soundtrack/score of an upcoming independent horror film, The Lonely Ones. Not only did the band place several existing songs and original tracks but also provided piano compositions. DJ Laurie Steele of Las Vegas' KOMP Homegrown Radio Show writes: "33DEGREE works hard not only at perfecting their music and live stage show but also at promoting themselves. With tireless and inventive methods to increase their fanbase, it won't be long before the industry HAS to pay attention to them. The recent Volume II Release Show (also sponsored by Coffin Case and Jägermeister) in Las Vegas was a prime example that they ROCK!""
Band/artist history
Introduce yourselves for our readers. BLAIR: I play guitar. LIZ: I sing. JESUS: I lay the low end. MACK: Drums please. Why 33DEGREE and not 68 or 235? BLAIR: We picked the name for a specific reason, but after the fact, we realize it has many meanings. LIZ: Yeah, what he said. JESUS: Go to google.com and type in 33DEGREE, read the results, then search for 235DEGREE... you'll see! MACK: I really love 98 Degrees and I just don't think we are as powerful, emotional, talented and stuff as them, plus they're so hot, like pushing boiling point, so we're like pushing freezing point. Does that make sense? They're so hot and we're so cool. In a nut shell, I mean. Using as many creative adjectives as possible, how would you describe your music? BLAIR: Dark, moody, melodic, intense, heavy, introspective. LIZ: Emotional, provoking, painful. JESUS: Personal, instinctive, chaotic. MACK: Damn, they took all of my adjectives. Hmph. Add powerful, tight, stylistic, label-defying, mathematical, syncopated and of course, sarcastic. In honor of MackÕs acting experience, what kind of movie do you think your music would most fit the soundtrack for? BLAIR: A horror movie! Oh wait, our music will be in a horror movie called The Lonely Ones (www.thelonelyones.com). We just finished recording a bunch of music for it. LIZ: Horror or thriller. JESUS: Anything suspenseful, on the edge, something to keep the audience on the tip of their toes. MACK: That's actually funny that you asked us that. Great timing. And yes, it's true, we just recorded over two hours of music for the entire score of a very independent horror film. It's such a great project. The producer and director saw us at a show, started it as wanting one song, then another, then a third...finally I said why don't we just score the whole film? They thought it was a brilliant idea, so we'll get to make the whole soundtrack! Plus, I think that Liz and Blair will shine in this project, and especially Jesus pulling his piano talent out of his back pocket (his robe, I mean)... Did I answer the question? Uh, nope. So, I'd have to say that we have a lot of different parts and I think it just depends on the film or project. We could probably fit some stuff into anything, action, thriller, horror, drama, comedy... damn, bring it on! Blair and Liz were in the band God Among Men. What do the two different members offer that make the music different? BLAIR: After GAM fell apart, Liz and I took a year off from playing. We slowly started to write again and the music was much darker. I tuned down my guitar and Liz really started writing more personal lyrics. When we got together with Mack and Jesus we all decided to really focus on longer songs to express the full range of emotions and to throw in as many odd-time signatures as we could. I also think that we really learned all the ropes in GAM so we knew exactly what we wanted to do this time around so things have been moving quickly. LIZ: GAM was very different from 33. It really isn't fair to compare the players. JESUS: Since I wasn't a part of GAM, I'm not sure how things worked internally. 33DEGREE is a family, not only are we band mates, but we are best of friends. We hang out together outside of the band; we help each other out whether it be financially, personally or just taking care of each other's animals. So I think we connect on a personal level - differently than GAM ever did. MACK: Since I wasn't a part of GAM either, I can say that 33 is a new thing, especially for me. Had a couple past bands, I just never connected like this. Since I started playing drums, I always loved playing odd-time stuff so it was hard to find people who weren't afraid of branching out and using odd-time signatures that flow. And for me, adding a female member to a band really makes a difference. It feels more well-rounded. Who are your influences? BLAIR: I love Deftones, A Perfect Circle, The Cure, Coheed and CambriaÉ I really could go on forever. LIZ: I enjoy bands that don't underestimate their listeners. JESUS: Red Hot Chili Peppers, Far, 311, Incubus. MACK: Tool, Deftones, Pantera, Rush, Primus, Quicksand, Helmet, Soundgarden, Smashing Pumpkins, Jawbox, Metallica, 311, Rage Against the Machine, Corrosion of Conformity, White Zombie, A Perfect Circle, Filter, Skid Row (more cowbell) and Twin Peaks, of course. ThereÕs so much more too; itÕs crazy. Which do you like better: Tool or A Perfect Circle? BLAIR: APC. LIZ: APC. JESUS: Tool. MACK: I'll say Tool, so we're even. There has been aÊrise inÊfemale-fronted bands as of late. What do you guys think are the positive and negative aspects of having a female-fronted band? BLAIR: Well it's tough. I think men and women are equally creative and talented. You see bands like OTEP and if you just listen you have no idea it is a woman. Same for Coheed and Cambria. People ask all the time, "Is that a girl singing?" So, it just goes to show you that if the music is good, it doesn't matter. People make all these special rules for women in rock and it's stupid. It doesn't matter if you're male, female, black or Latino, we all love music. LIZ: Positive: very few. Negative: very many. JESUS: Well, one positive aspect is that we are all forced to be clean people! One negative aspect is that we're all forced to be clean people! MACK: [A positive is] the kind of music we make. We stand out because of the female vocals and the female stage presence. [When] you look at Liz on stage and listen to her voice, it really makes you pay attention because she is so emotional. You just don't want to look away. She's engaging. I would rather the audience just stand there in one spot, not moving, just staring. That's a positive. The negative aspect... that's a good question. How did you get sponsored by Jagermeister? BLAIR: They made us drink 33 bottles in one day... and we passed the test. LIZ: Not sure; I don't remember much about that day. JESUS: Not only did we pass the test, but I think we all passed out! MACK: Since GAM was sponsored (not sure how) so that's a plus but we did have to re-earn the sponsorship. It could have helped when I product-placed a Jager t-shirt on myself as a guest star on a television show. Sponsors love that stuff. What is your favorite alcohol? BLAIR: Jager and Sunny DÉ mmm. LIZ: Um, Jager. JESUS: Jager and Sunny D for sure, with Jager & Red Bull as a close second. MACK: Damn, I feel like I should or supposed to say JAGER! JAGER! JAGER! I... um... kinda like... wine though... heh heh... Tell us about your most memorable experiences as a band. BLAIR: That's the hard part; I don't remember any of the last 2 yearsÉ LIZ: Most of our experiences ripple into the other, so I don't think it's right to single out just one. JESUS: That is a tough question, although our very first show will always remain in my mind. As a band, no one really knew how our stage show would turn-out, but it was effortless. A very natural, flowing experience, as if we had been playing for years! That naturalness has followed us to every show, every recording - everything this band does seems very real for us. MACK: Well, most of our time is spent in the van. Many hours... many, many hours in the van. So, it kinda has to be plush and comfortable. We have an L-shaped velvet couch, velvet walls and ceiling, captain's chairs, tinted windows all around, blinds and curtains, black everything, mood lights, a mirror on the vaulted ceiling, superior sound system w/ 6 speakers, a 12-disc changer, tow hitch, premium wheels and tires, and the most recent addition is the DVD player with a 10.4" LCD flatscreen TV built-in for the rear viewing. It's nice traveling in style. Why are you guys unsigned? BLAIR: Because we're not naive. We are open-minded about it, but right now we book our own tours, record, manufacture, market our own pocket cd's and it's fun for us. We're finishing our 1st DVD, and we just finished some work on a movie, so things are going well. So we just figure as long as we are able to do it ourselves, we like having control. But if things get to the point where we need help, we're always looking. I think it's hard right now to find a label that really understands what is going on out there. I think we will meet a company we can really connect with and things will work out, or we'll just start our own label. LIZ: Because I don't want to be a puppet. JESUS: I definitely agree with all of the above, a major label just doesn't seem like the right thing for us, and as Blair said, we do it all ourselves, so what's the point of having a middle man? MACK: That's another good question. No wonder you're the interviewer. Well, we actually haven't broached the label approach bridge yet. Yes, we do everything. We've met some great people, but it's just one of those things. If you don't do it yourselves, it doesn't get done right. We are inactively looking for an active manager who is actually very passionate about our music. There are some amazing small labels out there who would be great for us. Again, it's a control issue. We love it. It's personal. So, I think it's out there. It's a matter of time and timing. What are your goals as a band? BLAIR: To make great music, everything else is just icing on the cake. LIZ: To make the music we want to make. JESUS: It's all aboot the music - we enjoy having people truly connect on a personal level with our music. MACK: I think we're all on the same page. The connection and energy in this music is contagious. I want to play it live as long as I can possibly do it until someone tells me, "If you pick up those sticks, those are gonna be the last sticks to grasp." Like a priest or something. Our magazine has a color theme for every month, and this monthÕs is blue. What does the color remind you of? BLAIR: Blue Velvet, I love David Lynch. LIZ: The ocean. JESUS: Blue is a very positive color - a very calm, relaxing color, reminds me of peace and harmony. MACK: Ah yes, peace and harmony, like the blue furry handcuffs hanging off the rear view mirror in the van. Actually, the color blue makes me think of sadness and tragedy. Blue makes for some great stories. Makes me want to cry. Not like a single tear, like in the movies. An actual silent sob. Share with our readers any last wise words of wisdom you guys may have! BLAIR: As George W. spends the next 4 years imprisoning people in the name of freedom and killing people in the name of morality, we will be in the underground with the other 50 million people who voted against him. We live in serious times and people need serious music. I hope somehow we can help people make it through the day, so thanks Redefine for letting us speak our minds. LIZ: Fate cannot be tamed. What will be, will be. JESUS: If the restroom is full, grab some napkins and head off to the nearest secluded parking lot, hunker down and let the good times roll!!! MACK: I'm just a fucking actor. Don't listen to me. Please. Check out 33degree at their MySpace page, and tell them we sent you! Tell us your thoughts. Write us or visit our forum, and you may win Zoo, the first full-length release from this month's cover band, Anadivine. 2004 Redefine Magazine
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CURRENTLY ON THE SICK & TIRED TOUR 2006
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