Interview with Joel Reader of the Plus Ones (ex-MTX) conducted 4-4-02 by Joel Scheingross. Make sure to check out the Plus Ones' new record "It's A Calling" in stores now. This interview picks up in the middle of a conversation Joel and I have were having about the state of the current music scene and how some bands seem to be just exploding.

JS: I was having a conversation with some of my friends today about Dashboard (Confessional) and how we think it's cool for him how he's getting so huge and can make a living playing music. But at the same time, it's sucks for us because when you see his music video playing when you walk into Target, it becomes so much harder to like him because he becomes so much less personable, and it's so much harder to identify with him.
JR: I imagine that Chris probably has a much harder time with that then even your ordinary underground band, just because his appeal to his fans is so intensely personal and one on one, everyone must feel like he's singing just to them. I saw him for the first time a while ago on the Vagrant tour with Alkaline Trio, I saw him play at Gilman St., and I didn't even know that much about him, and there were girls next to me freaking out and crying. I was like, 'Who is this guy?' and 'Why is everyone losing their minds over him?' Then I saw his more recent show on this last tour, he actually sold out two nights in San Francisco.
JS: Yeah, every time he comes here he keeps selling out bigger and bigger places.

JR: So what's the San Diego punk scene like?
JS: It was kinda dying for a little bit after SOMA shut down, but now there's a ton of new venues opening up. Like before, there would be no shows, and now it's like, 'Well should I go to this show? Or what about this show?'
JR: You know that's a lot what the music scene in the Bay Area is like. And, what my observations are about how that's effected the mentality of the average concert goer is that you're faced with so many options; every night of the week you can go see a good band or a quality show in a good club. That's seven days a week, and on weekends it's even more. So, I think the people in San Francisco are really jaded. They feel like they're almost entitled to having superior entertainment, so therefore you see people being a lot more reserved, especially in the way they show their approval for the bands; it's almost like it should be a privilege for you to play for them. I can totally see that happening here (in San Diego) too.
JS: Yeah, already if there's a Friday night and there's no good show you feel like you've been cheated.
JR: Yeah, it's like 'How'd that happen?'

JS: So do you think it's a lot harder to break into the Bay Area now then it was say five or ten years ago?
JR: I couldn't say. I had kinda a unique perspective in that I joined a band, right out of high school, that had been established for ten years. At the point I joined Mr. T Experience, they had been out of commission for awhile, you could say their profile
was probably at an all time low, at that point. I remember we played some really small shows when I first started playing with them. We definitely had to gain a lot of ground, but the timing was really good. My first album with the band came out in '95, right when the popularity of the type of music we were playing was at its peak, the summer of Dookie. So the trickle down effect of the popularity of Green Day on down to all the bands on Lookout, and all the pop-punk bands in the Bay Area; Green Day was pulling all those bands along. So it so happens that we came out with a good album, with a good representation of that type of music at a point when the time was just right. So I remember things seemed to happen fairly quickly for us, but it was a band whose name had been around for years, and years, and years, and who had a good representation; so I was just along for the ride. So I don't really know what it was like to start a band from scratch, back then and take it.

JS: What about starting the Plus Ones? Like, I'm sure the fact that you had all been in popular bands helped, but was it still really hard to start making a name for yourself?
JR: Yeah, it was interesting, and I tried to have proper perspective on it at the outset. I knew it was going to be a struggle, and that it was starting from square one. I kept telling myself that, and to not expect to have an instant fan base; I knew that we were going to have to earn everything we got. And although I thought I knew what I was getting myself into, I don't think I realized exactly how difficult it is to start with zero name recognition, and to try to gain people's attention, and then from that spread by word of mouth. And it is really difficult, even now, we've been a band for three years now, even back home I feel like a lot of times when we play, we're playing to an entire different audience then the last time we played. Sometimes that's not so bad, it's definitely a challenge, it makes you sharp; you have to play your best, and make your best impression every time out. I don't know, maybe it only seems like we're playing to all new faces every time, because people are more reserved up there, but there are moments of break through, so you'll have the occasional show where you'll like 'Alright, we're taking a real step forward!' But it's never guaranteed that your next show is going to be just as a good. The life of an indie-rock band is a difficult one, you have to know what you're getting in for.
JS: You never know what's around the corner?
JR: You never do, and it seems like when things start to go well, it can happen so quickly, and I'm sure you hardly notice it happening. Like my first couple shows with MTX started kinda small, and then when our record came out we started to being able to sell out small clubs in Berkely and San Francisco. Then we went out on tour, and every time we would come back from tour it would seem like we could count on more people there than when we left. I remember it was a big break through when we got to the next club size up from the small one; but it was so gradual, you almost didn't notice it happening, and you started taking it for granted. But when I think about it now, it happened over a relatively short period of time, like a year or two. At the time it feels like the most normal thing in the world, but I'm sure it's hard to take stock of what's going on as it's happening. Sometimes you feel like you can play a show and it will be a low turn out when people won't shower you with love and approval, but it's hard to tell what's going in people's heads, and that can be the one where the right people see you, or you earn people's loyalty and they'll come to see you next time; you really could turn a corner any moment.

JS: Do you feel more pressure now, that you have to make a good impression on people? Or was there more pressure before in MTX, when you had to please the longtime fans?
JR: Looking back on it, I had a lot less responsibility in that band. I definitely tried to pull my weight, but kinda my job coming into a band that well known was just to not mess it up, and when I succeeded in not doing that, I had done most of my job. This time around, the direction the band takes; whether it be musically in the song writing or what shows we decide to play, all that rides on my shoulders. So I definitely feel more responsibility, I don't like to think of it as pressure, and I'm trying to be better about being relaxed. Like on this tour we're on right now, I've been really good about not caring whether the shows are big or small, and I've really just been enjoying playing our songs, and that feels great, and I hope we'll continue that. I've been known to lose some sleep every now and then worrying about our place in the world, but there's just so many bands, and it's really hard to convince people that they should take notice of you. So there's no point in trying, you just have to do your art for your art's sake, and I'm slowly becoming comfortable with that. It was a whole new world for me to go from just supporting Dr. Frank's vision to-
JS: Trying to find your own.
JR: You have to figure out what you're own is, you have to find your own voice.
JS: How'd you go about doing that?
JR: You just have to struggle through it. The first songs I wrote were just experiments to see how good I was at doing it; and I liked it and wanted to keep on doing it. But it was all an excersise for me, I wanted to put a verse and a chorus together that works, and my only goal was to make it as catchy as possible, and to finish enough songs to finish to fill up a short CD. And I think we succeeded at that point, but after I sort of became comfortable in my self as a song writer and band leader, I realized I had things I actually wanted to say, and that if I was going to bother to sit down and try to write the best song I could, and then go out and play it, then at least it should be something that matters to me and a subject that I have a personal stake in. So that's why the songs on our new records are to a large extent autobiographical, all things that have happened to me, or things I really feel; and that makes it a lot easier as a singer to have conviction when performing it, and as a performer to lay into it. I'm still learning.

JS: Has your song writing developed on it's own regardless of the member changes, or have the line-up changes started to affect your approach?
JR: That's a good a question. It was interesting for me the first time I brought in a song I'd written to band practice. I had no idea how it was going to turn out, I'd never even sung the song at full volume- the way I write is that I have an unplugged electric guitar in my bedroom, and I kinda strum softly humming over the chords. I bring it and play it for my bandmates, and kinda leave it in their hands. Being in a band you have to have a lot of faith in the other members, and trust them in that they're going to take your song in the best direction possible. I think I'm really lucky to have gotten to play with the people I have, because I can sort of close my eyes and take that leap that with them, and it's worked out great. But yeah, the songs definitely are different with different people playing them; Luis' drumming I think has really changed the feel of the songs so that they flow better, and adding a second guitar player when John joined the band gave a lot more room for guitar solos, and also interplay between two guitars- that opened up a whole new world of possibilities too. So I think the song writing is a little more sophisticated than when we were a three piece, and sometimes I'm surprised myself by the way the songs come out, so far I've always been pleasantly surprised.

JS: I read in an interview you did back in '99 and you were talking about how you really liked being a three piece because it made things a lot easier.
JR: It does make it a lot easier, I wasn't lying about that. Having four people in your band is a logistical nightmare. Right before we started this tour and playing our record release shows, we hadn't played a show in something like three months, and it wasn't because we were lying low and getting ourselves road ready, it was because one or another of us could not make it. My bandmates have particularly active lives; some are in other bands and we all have jobs. If I could have my way, we would all live in one house like the Beatles in "Help" and all we'd do would be to sing together and practice all day long and play shows at night. But sometimes you have to be well-rounded individuals and you have to have more to life than that; so there's certain sacrifices you have to make, and one of them is you can't play every show that comes up.
JS: But you think the fuller sound makes it worth it?
JR: Yeah, there's that, and musically I'm totally sold on the idea of having two guitar players. When I first conceptualized having my own band, I wanted to have two guitar players, and then it was so easy with a three piece in the beginning, we just coasted along for awhile. But it got to the point where we realized we wanted to play songs, that needed a second person.
JS: So it was just a natural step as your developing?
JR: It was, I think it was the music that dictated the change more than anything else. But there's also a comradery; playing in a band is a great experience because of your relationship with these three other people, and having an extra person can sometimes alter the dynamic in difficult ways, but it can also make it a lot more rewarding. We're having a lot of fun being out now, and I wouldn't want to mess with that chemistry. So yes, it causes me to pull my hair out sometimes, but I think the sacrifices are ultimately worth it.
JS: So the four-piece is here to stay?
JR: I think the four piece is here to stay. Some people have the right idea that they see these performers every once in a while that play to pre-recorded backing tracks, and all they have to worry about is themselves, I can see where they're coming from on that, but for me I like the experience of being in a band, it's more than just making music.
JS: I think the fans like it more too.
JR: Yeah, you have a whole different relationship with the audience; like there's bands where you can tell it's just one dude and then some other people, and I've never been interested in presenting myself that way. Yeah, in the Plus Ones, I'm the only person who's written songs and I'm the only lead singer, but I still feel like it's an equal partnership as far as personality and contribution to the music, and that's good because I wouldn't want to shoulder any more weight.
JS: And if Scotty decided to write a song, you'd still be totally open to it?
JS: Oh yeah! He and I tried a few times to try to sit down and write some songs, in his old band he was the principal song song writer and singer, but I think he decided he just wanted to focus on playing guitar, which has worked out fine. I wouldn't object at all if my bandmates came to practice with a song, I'd would love see where that would go.

JR:Having to come up with twelve songs for an album is a lot of work.
JS: How long did it take you?
JR: It took me two years to come up with the songs for "It's A Calling," but that's not on purpose. My plan was to have this recorded, our first full length album in 2001, but we stalled as a band. We had trouble finding a label that would commit, and then our drummer, Dan, got to the point where he wasn't interested in playing anymore, but it took like six months for him to finally work up to deciding he wanted to move time. So there was definitely that period of time where the brakes got put on. I had enough songs for an album then, but it was actually a blessing in disguise that it took longer for us to find a home and a solid line-up, because I ended up writing half a dozen songs that wound up on our album that I'm prouder of, and are more representative of where we are now. But I don't want that to happen again, but I want to have another album within a twelve month period, so I have to pick up the pace. I have a goal to write at least one song a month, that way I'll have the bare minimum. I'm doing alright, I already have six new songs so far-
JS: How long ago did you finish recording?
JR: We finished recording in September, so I'm on pace?
JS: Yeah.
JR: Good! Hopefully there will be no more set backs.

JS: So out of all the songs on "It's A Calling" which one are you most proud of?
JR: Well, um... It's so hard, you start thinking of your songs as kinda like your kids, and you never wanna place one above the other. I was really pleased with
the way "Serve in Heaven, Rule in Hell" and I like the lyrics on "I Stand Corrected," I think I did a good job there. But it was nice having the extra time to put the band back together and to write the extra songs, it resulted in the fact that of all the songs on the album, I don't think there are any bad ones (laughing), well who would think there would be? Maybe with a few years perspective, I'll change my mind on that, but right now, I feel like I could be proud of them all.
JS: The extra time gave you enough time to be able to put out something solid.
JR: Yeah, and I have a long way to come still as a song writer, and that's fine, the editing process- this is how it works for me, the creative process: I'll come up with an idea and it will seem at the time that it's the most inspired thing that's ever sprung from my brain, and then the next day I'll look at what I did and I'll think, 'God, that's just awful, why did that seem like a good idea?' And then a few months down the road, I'm actually able to make the call, like 'Oh no, that was okay.' The immediate flood of excitement is deceptive, and also the crash is deceptive; so it's nice to have some leisure from which to do it.
JS: Do you rely on your bandmates for their opinion on it?
JR: I do, but they're all so polite, they all say it's good. We were just working, right before we left on tour, on the latest song of mine, and John, our guitar player, was like , 'I don't want to get in the habit of saying this every time, because one day I may not think that your next song is any good, because then I'll set this precedent, but I think this is the best one you've done' (laughing). But yes, I do, and I'm hoping that if I ever do come up with a total stinker, they won't be shy about telling me. There was some ones that got vetoed off the album, by bandmates, and they were very fair about that, they said, 'It's not one of your best, it's not as good as it could be.'

JS: Alright, I think this is my last question for you, was yesterday (April 3) your birthday?
JR: Yes, yesterday was my birthday, I turned the ripe old age of twenty-five.
JS: Did you celebrate?
JR: Yeah, actually, you know what? I spent so much time in the days leading up to my birthday preparing for the departure on tour, thinking about all the last minute details that need to be taken care of, that I didn't even have a thought about the fact that it was my birthday until midnight when John handed me a present, and I was like, 'Oh yeah, it's my birthday.' So I kinda thought it would be not a let down, but kinda a wash, like this would be the year when my birthday would take a back seat to the band, which is more important to me anyways. But now that I think about it, we played a great show in LA at the Troubadour, I felt really good about our set, and afterwards I was hanging out with my closest friends, all the guys in my band, some friends I have in LA, and I was thinking, what better way to celebrate the day of your birth then that? I couldn't ask for anymore. And now I get to do it all again today.

JS: Alright, I think that is it, but thank you very much, I really appreciate it.
JR: No problem, I'm happy to do it.

http://www.theplusones.com/
http://www.asianmanrecords.com

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