Josh Scogin - The Chariot (23/02/2013)
As Soundwave festival kicks into full gear, we chat with Josh Scogin, vocalist of The Chariot.
Hey Josh, thanks for speaking to the 59th sound today.
Yeah for sure, thank you for speaking with me.
No problems, it’s our pleasure. How are you today?
I’m doing really well, I’m at home right now and we leave Wednesday for Australia… Well Wednesday for us and yeah, right now just getting things together, packing and hanging out. Actually it’s very cold right now, so I’m actually really excited to get to Australia and feel that summertime.
It’s actually pretty great over here at the moment. Its pretty much 30 degrees everyday, so I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. So you guys must be excited for Soundwave!
Yeah, so excited. I really don’t know what to expect because its a lot bigger kind of calibre tour than were used to but all of our friend bands have done it before and they have nothing but good things to say. So yeah, I’m just really excited to get back to Australia and just get to do that whole thing too, so I’m really stoked on it.
Got to say, the crowds will be crazy. Something about metal brings out the best in people. How has your experience with the Aussie crowds been so far?
It’s been overwhelming; we’ve only been there twice. One real tour and one where we just did about three days just around Sydney, so one real tour basically and it has been awesome. I actually really don’t know what to say other that, we are really excited to get back and obviously the Soundwave thing was just incredible, it kind of just panned out for us so who knows what that will bring. But yeah it’s awesome, everyone is much too kind to us when we were there.
Now the line up for Soundwave has some pretty heavy names attached to it, is there anyone your excited to meet?
Yeah, so many people. For me personally, I’m really excited to meet the band Tomahawk, they're made up of some many good artists that I’ve loved for so many years. A Perfect Circle, I’m really stoked on seeing those guys and also Garbage, and Blink 182. I mean there are so many people and so many bands; I can’t even comprehend it to be honest. But I’m excited to even just see the bands, let alone to be able to watch them for free and that’s really cool to me.
I’ve read in a few reviews of your live shows that your band is known for their flare when playing. Is there any routine or rituals you guys do before going out to the crowd?
Not anything specific. I personally don’t do anything, the only thing I really do is watch if not every band that plays before us, I’ll watch several of the bands that play before just because for me it’s a good way to get the crowd and to understand who’s there and sort of feel out the night. We don’t have set lists, we kind of just wing it when were up on stage, so it helps to watch the bands play and sort of gather what songs you’ll might want to perform that night. I know a couple of the dudes in the band will have a couple of stretches that they will do or run around the block a couple of times just to get their heart rate up. But there isn’t really much set in stone rather than just watching all the bands because A – we love the bands and B – I think it helps for us to not have a set list and to stay on point that night.
And from your Australian tour last year, do you have any expectations for Soundwave?
I really don’t, every band that I’ve talk to that we know have had nothing but good things to say, so my expectations are very positive. But I really just don’t know, cause we’re a punk rock band so are normally used to 200 to 300 capped rooms full of people touching you and sort of being able to touch them back and that kind of comradely that comes along. But this being such a big festival, with the huge barricades and a big stage, that is something I would say is not our forte, but as with every show we don’t want to bring what was magical about last night show into tonight’s show instead we want tonight to be it’s own entity, we want it to be it’s own thing, we want it to be just as special for the night. So, we’ll just kind of wing it as we get up there and I’m sure we will find the pros and cons of everything, its obviously nice to have all that room on stage and all the different things, so we’ll see. Just got to figure it out and we will make the most of every show and I’m excited about it, I really am, just to see what it looks like.
So, I noticed that your band gathers a bit of inspiration from Christianity, which is really rare in considering how mainstream you guys are and Christian music being an industry itself. Do you think that by incorporating religious themes in your songs it give a breath of fresh air to your listeners?
Um, I don’t know. I mean its funny how you say it’s an industry all to itself, I do agree with that; I think it kind of is. I don’t really know why, like something so deep and personal based on my beliefs puts us in it’s own genre. But at the end of the day I can’t sort of deny where I’ve come from and I can’t deny who I’m, so I’m ok with it. But I feel like when I sit down to write there’s always going to be an overflow of the inside to come out and I think that by writing who you are and your experiences, be it good or bad, that is the best art. There’s always stuff that comes out of real experiences and I’m not trying to be someone else, I’m trying to be myself and so having said that, I feel like my spirituality and my beliefs are very much put into our music and my lyrics and there definitely edited there, but it’s not based on any set of guidelines that any genre places upon us. No sort of ‘oh you guys are Christians so y’all do this’ or ‘oh your mathcore, so you do this’, any of that stuff is out the window. I mean we just write based on what we feel like were suppose to write at that moment and we write based on our experiences and lives and who we are and so having said that obviously it’s very thick in our lives, our world and the things we’re going through, be it spiritual or not. But yeah, I find it very difficult to understand why Christians have their own genre; I don’t really understand where that got started. I mean you never talk about ‘The Killers’ as Mormon rock even though ‘Brandon Flowers’ is an open and outspoken Mormon. So, I don’t know how it got started, it got started long before I was doing anything. So I don’t really care, I write based on what I need to write, what I feel like is important at the time in my life and I think people seem to respect that, since we are all humans and we can respect each other regardless of our beliefs and backgrounds. So, hopefully that answered your question.
And again the Christian aspect is seen again in your name ‘The Chariot’, inspired by the story of Elijah and the chariot of fire. Can you tell us more about that?
Well, I didn’t grow up in a sort of a Christian home or background, so I don’t really know where I heard from first the first time. But I remember being very intrigued by the concept and for me it was pretty much an interesting story and it’s something I’m still curious about. But its just the idea of this guy who was so good and didn’t have to go through the whole death process to make it up into heaven or just the fact that god looked down and said ‘you know what, your coming straight up here’. Just that concept as a kid and I don’t remember when I heard that story or why I heard it but it was always something that stayed with me. The imagery that comes with it is very strong and it has always sort of stayed with me. So yeah, ages ago, when I was determining what to name this project, it just sort of came out and just seemed to sort of fit, something that I liked because of the curiosity and the imagery that comes with it.
So last year you guys released your fifth studio album, ‘One Wing’, how would you say your sound as a band has changed since your first debut album?
Well, I feel like it’s grown, the inspirations, the influences and the different things have widen a lot. I mean I love the first record, I was actually listening to it the other day for the first time in months and it was just awesome. But it’s funny because at that point in our lives, we had a gold percept and we had our debut record, so the ideas that were going around about it were a lot different from this last record because at the end of the day were basically writing what comes naturally to us and I think being on the fifth record that the learning curve is all the way done, maybe not done but it is much further along which to me there is a lot better. I mean you learn from all the successes and failures of the previous CDs, so for me it seems to get easier and easier and that’s a welcome thing, not that its really been a struggle.
Well thank you for speaking to us again.
Appreciate it, hopefully I see you when I’m down here. Take care.
Jason Cheung
Hey Josh, thanks for speaking to the 59th sound today.
Yeah for sure, thank you for speaking with me.
No problems, it’s our pleasure. How are you today?
I’m doing really well, I’m at home right now and we leave Wednesday for Australia… Well Wednesday for us and yeah, right now just getting things together, packing and hanging out. Actually it’s very cold right now, so I’m actually really excited to get to Australia and feel that summertime.
It’s actually pretty great over here at the moment. Its pretty much 30 degrees everyday, so I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. So you guys must be excited for Soundwave!
Yeah, so excited. I really don’t know what to expect because its a lot bigger kind of calibre tour than were used to but all of our friend bands have done it before and they have nothing but good things to say. So yeah, I’m just really excited to get back to Australia and just get to do that whole thing too, so I’m really stoked on it.
Got to say, the crowds will be crazy. Something about metal brings out the best in people. How has your experience with the Aussie crowds been so far?
It’s been overwhelming; we’ve only been there twice. One real tour and one where we just did about three days just around Sydney, so one real tour basically and it has been awesome. I actually really don’t know what to say other that, we are really excited to get back and obviously the Soundwave thing was just incredible, it kind of just panned out for us so who knows what that will bring. But yeah it’s awesome, everyone is much too kind to us when we were there.
Now the line up for Soundwave has some pretty heavy names attached to it, is there anyone your excited to meet?
Yeah, so many people. For me personally, I’m really excited to meet the band Tomahawk, they're made up of some many good artists that I’ve loved for so many years. A Perfect Circle, I’m really stoked on seeing those guys and also Garbage, and Blink 182. I mean there are so many people and so many bands; I can’t even comprehend it to be honest. But I’m excited to even just see the bands, let alone to be able to watch them for free and that’s really cool to me.
I’ve read in a few reviews of your live shows that your band is known for their flare when playing. Is there any routine or rituals you guys do before going out to the crowd?
Not anything specific. I personally don’t do anything, the only thing I really do is watch if not every band that plays before us, I’ll watch several of the bands that play before just because for me it’s a good way to get the crowd and to understand who’s there and sort of feel out the night. We don’t have set lists, we kind of just wing it when were up on stage, so it helps to watch the bands play and sort of gather what songs you’ll might want to perform that night. I know a couple of the dudes in the band will have a couple of stretches that they will do or run around the block a couple of times just to get their heart rate up. But there isn’t really much set in stone rather than just watching all the bands because A – we love the bands and B – I think it helps for us to not have a set list and to stay on point that night.
And from your Australian tour last year, do you have any expectations for Soundwave?
I really don’t, every band that I’ve talk to that we know have had nothing but good things to say, so my expectations are very positive. But I really just don’t know, cause we’re a punk rock band so are normally used to 200 to 300 capped rooms full of people touching you and sort of being able to touch them back and that kind of comradely that comes along. But this being such a big festival, with the huge barricades and a big stage, that is something I would say is not our forte, but as with every show we don’t want to bring what was magical about last night show into tonight’s show instead we want tonight to be it’s own entity, we want it to be it’s own thing, we want it to be just as special for the night. So, we’ll just kind of wing it as we get up there and I’m sure we will find the pros and cons of everything, its obviously nice to have all that room on stage and all the different things, so we’ll see. Just got to figure it out and we will make the most of every show and I’m excited about it, I really am, just to see what it looks like.
So, I noticed that your band gathers a bit of inspiration from Christianity, which is really rare in considering how mainstream you guys are and Christian music being an industry itself. Do you think that by incorporating religious themes in your songs it give a breath of fresh air to your listeners?
Um, I don’t know. I mean its funny how you say it’s an industry all to itself, I do agree with that; I think it kind of is. I don’t really know why, like something so deep and personal based on my beliefs puts us in it’s own genre. But at the end of the day I can’t sort of deny where I’ve come from and I can’t deny who I’m, so I’m ok with it. But I feel like when I sit down to write there’s always going to be an overflow of the inside to come out and I think that by writing who you are and your experiences, be it good or bad, that is the best art. There’s always stuff that comes out of real experiences and I’m not trying to be someone else, I’m trying to be myself and so having said that, I feel like my spirituality and my beliefs are very much put into our music and my lyrics and there definitely edited there, but it’s not based on any set of guidelines that any genre places upon us. No sort of ‘oh you guys are Christians so y’all do this’ or ‘oh your mathcore, so you do this’, any of that stuff is out the window. I mean we just write based on what we feel like were suppose to write at that moment and we write based on our experiences and lives and who we are and so having said that obviously it’s very thick in our lives, our world and the things we’re going through, be it spiritual or not. But yeah, I find it very difficult to understand why Christians have their own genre; I don’t really understand where that got started. I mean you never talk about ‘The Killers’ as Mormon rock even though ‘Brandon Flowers’ is an open and outspoken Mormon. So, I don’t know how it got started, it got started long before I was doing anything. So I don’t really care, I write based on what I need to write, what I feel like is important at the time in my life and I think people seem to respect that, since we are all humans and we can respect each other regardless of our beliefs and backgrounds. So, hopefully that answered your question.
And again the Christian aspect is seen again in your name ‘The Chariot’, inspired by the story of Elijah and the chariot of fire. Can you tell us more about that?
Well, I didn’t grow up in a sort of a Christian home or background, so I don’t really know where I heard from first the first time. But I remember being very intrigued by the concept and for me it was pretty much an interesting story and it’s something I’m still curious about. But its just the idea of this guy who was so good and didn’t have to go through the whole death process to make it up into heaven or just the fact that god looked down and said ‘you know what, your coming straight up here’. Just that concept as a kid and I don’t remember when I heard that story or why I heard it but it was always something that stayed with me. The imagery that comes with it is very strong and it has always sort of stayed with me. So yeah, ages ago, when I was determining what to name this project, it just sort of came out and just seemed to sort of fit, something that I liked because of the curiosity and the imagery that comes with it.
So last year you guys released your fifth studio album, ‘One Wing’, how would you say your sound as a band has changed since your first debut album?
Well, I feel like it’s grown, the inspirations, the influences and the different things have widen a lot. I mean I love the first record, I was actually listening to it the other day for the first time in months and it was just awesome. But it’s funny because at that point in our lives, we had a gold percept and we had our debut record, so the ideas that were going around about it were a lot different from this last record because at the end of the day were basically writing what comes naturally to us and I think being on the fifth record that the learning curve is all the way done, maybe not done but it is much further along which to me there is a lot better. I mean you learn from all the successes and failures of the previous CDs, so for me it seems to get easier and easier and that’s a welcome thing, not that its really been a struggle.
Well thank you for speaking to us again.
Appreciate it, hopefully I see you when I’m down here. Take care.
Jason Cheung