Photos: Nicole Kibert
The roots of Calculator start when you were all in middle school. How have you maintained to stay friends and a band throughout this time while still going to college as well?
That’s a really good question. Started with a smoking gun, eh. Well, I want to say we stayed friends because we were just that good of friends, but I know that we stayed so close because we had this constant thread tying us together. Every chance we had, we conspired about the band and the things we wanted to do together. If we didn’t have this band, we would not have created such a strong bond despite being so far away from each other.
Was it difficult balance the band and college at the same time?
Extremely so, but only because we did not have the convenience of living near each other. Once we all went to college, we were so entrenched in just figuring out our new lives that the band became secondary in a way. We were hoping to reverse that with the writing and recording of This Will Come To Pass.
Had you put off college for a few years and instead focused on Calculator after high school, do you think the band would be in a different place than it is now?
Yes and no. Yes, because if we had stayed closer together we could have just done more, but at the same time no, because I have done everything I’ve always wanted to do with music regardless of the difficulties ahead. The place I’m in now would be the same place I would be in if we had put out more material and played more shows. I would still be here, so to speak.
Early in the band’s formation, how was the decision made that this style, of screamo or post-hardcore or whatever you want to call it, was the style of music you wanted to play?
When Calculator started in late 2009, we didn’t know what “screamo” was. We were listening to mostly Texas is the Reason and Cap’n Jazz, along with local bands Werewolf with Robot Hands and Seasons. We just got together and played music we wanted to hear. The label of “screamo” came after we released Arguments. I guess we were just playing emo with screamed vocals?
Were there any bands or albums that were really integral in opening your eyes or changing your outlook to different types of music?
The easiest answer to that question would be Comadre. I remember the day Jeff, our vocalist, sent me Burn Your Bones and told me that I had to listen to it as soon as possible. He had gone and seen Horse the Band and Comadre opened. Without that silly show, we would not have found DIY punk at such a young age. I mean yeah, I listened to Minor Threat and Black Flag, but I never went beyond my own angst and really understood any of it as a middle schooler.
Earlier this year you did a Kickstarter to fund the These Roots Grow Deep repress and the new album, This Will Come To Pass. Was there any hesitancy to go the Kickstarter route and were you surprised by the amount of support you received?
There was tons of hesitancy, because kickstarter gets a really bad rep and I’m personally still on the fence about it. We needed a way to jumpstart costs for the record, tour, and the repress when we were already in debt from recording. If I were to do it today, I would use a different site or a simple paypal donation button. We were definitely surprised by the response, because we thought we would barely get it funded. When it went through, it was nice to know that enough people out there care about having a physical copy of our records.
How much time and effort was put into This Will Come To Pass and how difficult was it with everyone living in 5 different cities?
For This Will Come To Pass, we actually had not written much after New Forms and we were becoming restless. We decided that following summer, we would get a space for ourselves and practice three times a week for three months. By the end of that time, most of the record was written and ready to be prepped for recording. It was an amazing experience to just take a bite out and write something we could call an album.
After putting all that time and effort into it, how did it finally feel to have the album done and out?
It feels great. It is our first album and we think it represents us as individuals, but also as a band. This is our sound. We’re actually gearing up for a repress and I couldn’t ask for more.
How has the band’s sound evolved from the early days with Arguments to now with This Will Come To Pass?
We, as people, have changed tremendously, from our music tastes to our daily lives. I think that is reflected within the music, because we generally write and play music that interests us at the moment. We’d rather not worry about prescribing to a genre. In fact, I hate when I’m asked what we sound like. Just listen. I don’t want to put our sound into a nice neat little box you can judge. In many ways, after we were being drawn up as this “revival skramz band”, we wanted to shake that skin off and confuse the shit out of people because we knew that isn’t what we were.
What weaknesses have you approved on in the band over time that would now be considered a strength?
Our band is a difficult one to get moving and together, but when we are, it just becomes explosive. I say that in the way that it could go either way. The hard part is getting all of us in the room with the time to make it happen. Our dynamic is somewhat of our weakness and our strength. Not all explosions are good ones, haha.
On your earlier material, the lyrics we’re mainly written by Jeff and yourself, but everyone was able to contribute to them. Was the same kind of collaboration used for the lyrics on This Will Come To Pass?
Lyrically, we usually try to open up the floor to everybody just as we are musically. I always like the idea of anyone being able to present anything they have in their head to the band whether it is a bass line, vocals, or a drum fill. Anyone as part of the band can just throw it. Most of the vocals have always been written by Jeff and I, but Chris A and Nik (our guitar players) have always contributed here and there in the best of ways. For example, “Daylight” was written by them two and “Come Closer” was written by Chris A.
You mentioned in another interview about Memorial Collective, which is an outlet for your own releases. Is that something you are working on and are there any releases coming out from it in the future?
We basically just used that imprint to release New Forms with Melotov, because we wanted to start owning our own releases as we could afford them. Thus, This Will Come To Pass was basically put on Memorial Collective because we put it out. It was just a name we came up with for the stuff we release. There’s never been more than whispers about taking to any other level than that.
You said before that your personal main goal with the band and music was fulfilment. What is it about this band and music in general that is so fulfilling? Do you think you will ever get to a point where the fulfilment starts to wane?
Creating art is fulfilling. Putting something together that in some way can outlast myself and reach others that may never know me is something that cannot be explained with words. If I did not create in some shape or form I would not feel that I was spending my time wisely. There will never be a time when that is untrue. Will I always play music with Calculator, no. Things end. We will end. I may put down music to focus on other things I’m drawn to like film, but I am very much so a creative person and I always will be.
You tore your trachea a while back, how did you do that and did it have any affect on additional vocals you do?
It was one of the most frightening health issues I’ve had and after a few sleepless nights and a trip to the ER where over six doctors basically studied me because they had no idea what was wrong, it magically healed itself. The accident has definitely informed my role as a vocalist. I tend to take on less and strain myself less live. I only have a handful of parts on the new record as to not further break my voice.
The options for releasing music for independent bands these days are limited to putting out albums on CD, vinyl, and then on outlets like Bandcamp. Looking at the choices you’ve made with putting out your releases, which formats worked best for Calculator and is there any route you would encourage young bands to take when releasing their music?
Doing everything yourself is where I would start. Write music, record a demo on a shitty mic in your friends garage and put it online. You don’t need anything fancy until you feel you’re ready. As far as what worked best, I think everything played its part. We don’t release things in terms of sales or what others want. It’s more or less, what do we want and what can we afford. Obviously, when it comes to vinyl there’s always a larger risk, because if nobody wants it then you’ve thrown a lot of money away. In that respect we just try to gauge how many records to make based off of the way our last record did. As far as the first record, we were lucky enough to have Mel from Melotov Records put up the money and it steadily sold until it was gone.
From releasing your own music to making your own videos, Calculator has a strong DIY work ethic. In your experience in the music scene, do bands have a strong DIY ethic get farther then the bands who don’t?
No, I think it is actually the contrary. Bands who are just waiting to “sign” papers at the drop of a hat are the ones who seem to get further these days as they always have. They get on the big tours with terrible radio quality bands, they get asked to play the “official” showcases at SXSW, they get reviewed on Pitchfork and Spin. We just do our thing autonomously and with the help of like-minded friends as a means of alternative existence. There is no dream of selling out or “making it big” for me. In fact, I feel that many bands use the DIY platform as a jumping off point in local scenes and hop the train to the next level once the label man comes knocking. It’s funny because I actually just submitted my senior thesis on DIY called “DIY or CRY” and I basically asked a form of this question to many of the people I interviewed. Here is the rough cut I told myself I wouldn’t show anyone, oh well…..
Calculator played two shows at FEST this year, one as Calculator and one as Rites of Spring on Halloween. How did the Rites of Spring cover show come about and how was your overall experience at FEST?
The Fest is great. It is a weird experience to go to a small college town that has basically been taken over by punk music. Besides the alcoholic sponsor, I love it. Rites of Spring was just a band we all like and adore. They were also one of those bands we felt we could cover and not butcher. It was extremely fun to perform and we’ve even talked about possibly playing them again.
A while back I had read somewhere that you were also working on some splits as well. Are those splits still happening and are you working on any new material?
We have a split called Sound of Young America with Innards, Capacities, and Itto coming out February with Flannel Gurl Records. It is something that has been in the works for a long time. We actually recorded the songs at the same time as our full- length. Other than that, we are currently writing for something, but we don’t know what yet.
2013 was a big year for Calculator with the month long summer tour and releasing the full-length. What items are you looking to cross off you your band’s bucket list for 2014?
We are chalking up something abroad, another release, and constantly just looking forward and embracing what comes our way.