Opiate for the Masses 5/30/08

Washington DC – 9:30 Club

 

*Editor’s Note: My apology in advance for not posting this earlier. Due to recent storms on the East Coast, PBP has been running a little behind.*

 

I’ve never been a huge fan of hard rock or heavy metal. I grew up on Madonna, Cher, and The Eagles. So you can imagine how out of place I felt when I went to see Opiate for the Masses, a band known for kicking some hardcore, industrial ass. But as always, I go to every show with an open mind, without judgment… and let me say that I was more than pleasantly surprised to find myself not only rocking out to their set, but I was in total awe of their stage performance. I have never, in nearly a decade of covering bands, seen a sharper stage performance. Perfect vocals, one of the most talented drummers I've ever seen, and and all around tight sound. Opiate for the Masses is, in my humble opinion, one of the hottest rising bands.

 

After their set, I had the pleasure of sitting down and chatting with Jim and Anna… for an unforgettable interview….

 

 

PBP – Ok to start off, standard questions. Tell me a little bit about yourself, your band, for people who haven’t heard you guys before.

Jim – Well, I’m Jim Kaufman, I play guitar, and synthesizer.

Anna – And I’m Anna K. and I play bass.

Jim – And we are in Opiate for the Masses originally from Phoenix, Arizona. We formed in 1999 however, Ron and I are the original members, Anna has been in the band about a year now, Chris (Seven) has been in the band about 4. And we met in Los Angeles after Ron and I moved out there 5 years ago. So this is the new and improved Opiate for the Masses.

 

PBP – Your new cd, “Manifesto” is coming out July 8^th. Your last album “Spore” was about telling a story about life and death, what kind of story does this new album tell?

Jim – “Spore” was more of a concept record going from introduction to the end, as you said the cycle of life. This really isn’t a concept record, although its title may suggest it, its more of a dedicated piece of art feeling like we’ve become what we’ve always wanted to be. And this is the first true Opiate for the Masses record now that we have Anna and Chris. And now that we’ve gone through the music writing cycle a few times and gone through a national tour and doing all those things we did on “Spore,” it really got us to a place emotionally and in our song writing that we can just lay it down a little bit more, so this is our statement. This is Manifesto.

 

PBP – “21^st Century Time Bomb” is on your Myspace. Do you guys check it yourselves and see what fans think? 

Anna – Yeah, we’re on there occasionally. We have WiFi on the bus and are on our laptops when we’re bored. We definitely check in on that and all the messages from the fans. We try and message back if we have the time.

Jim – We try to answer as much as we can.

 

PBP – You guys just finished filming the music video for “Burn You Down”. How awesome was it to sit there and blow shit up all day?

Anna – It was great. It was really hot though.

Jim – It was really hot. The fire was EXTREMELY hot. Cuz there’s no CGI…

Anna – We’re standing in a ring of 4 foot flames. It was really hot.

Jim – It was awesome. But just so if you guys see the video, there’s no CGI at all, its (fire) really done there. There are no computers used except to edit the film.

 

PBP – There were a bunch of fans rocking out up front tonight who knew a bunch of your songs. What was your favorite song to perform tonight?

Anna – Wow, that’s a tricky one. Well in a way “21^st Century Time Bomb” is because it’s the 1^st song you come out with and you’re so excited and ready to rock.

Jim – I really love getting to do “Burn You Down” because it’s a huge landmark for us as far as being the 1^st single. And the crowd at that point is warmed up and so into it. We have that song really locked down, and I enjoy playing that one.

 

PBP – What are your expectations for the new CD?

Jim – WORLD DOMINATION!

(we all laugh because this isn’t the first time Jim has claimed this)

 

PBP – If a new fan wanted to get some of your old music, where could they find it?

Jim – You can buy all of our old catalog at our shows. You can download the “Spore” on iTunes. And on OpiatefortheMasses.com which is in its final stages of being rebuilt. You guys will be able to buy all the old music…

Anna – and all the old merchandise as well.

 

PBP – How would you explain your sound?

Jim – I would call it rock industrial. If you would have to use some bands that everyone knows, you would have Nine Inch Nails and Alice in Chains and they had a baby that would be us.

Anna – Alice in Chains and Prodigy as well.

Jim – Faith No More for sure.

Anna – It is industrial, it is heavy. But I don’t think its that much metal really.

 

PBP – Your show was heavy, but some songs you could even dance to.

Jim – It’s more of a rock thing but there is a dance influence and there’s a good amount of electronics. We just have a good time and throw down.

Anna – We still have the choruses, the melodies, and the harmonies.

Jim – Almost like a blues rock band would.

 

PBP – A lot of bands get their inspiration from politics and social issues or religion. Where do you guys find your inspiration?

Jim – We find it from any place. Obviously there’s a definite social commentary with our imagery and stuff like that. With this album I think the writing was more about personal things.

Anna – We don’t have a message in the lyrics. But like Jim said with the imagery and the name of course some kinda think that obviously. We’re not trying to tell people anything.

Jim – I think the point of it is for people to think for themselves and to take their own belief system on it. If there’s any commentary socially it would be you’re force fed, this is what you’re supposed to be, this is what you’re supposed to do, your entire life. And what we’re trying to say, if anything, is do what you want to do, be yourself.

Anna – Educate yourself, find things out, learn, soak it in.

 

PBP – Ok time for the random questions. Favorite fast food place?

Jim – I can’t stand fast food.

Anna – I don’t eat fast food.

 

PBP – Oh come on there’s gotta be something.

Jim – Ok, if I HAD to pick something I guess it would be Subway and their veggie sub.

Anna – What is considered fast food? I mean I can do Denny’s.

Jim – I can’t do Denny’s.

Anna – I can’t do the burgers and that taco hell.

 

PBP – When you go to the soda fountain, do you mix a bunch of sodas or do you stick with one?

Jim – I’ve been raised on Diet Coke. My mother raised me on that shit.

Anna – And I’m similarly as boring and I drink only Classic Coke.

Jim – So we’ve got Coke and Diet Coke on the bus. I used to mix the sodas when I was younger, but I don’t think I’ve done it in awhile. Are you a mixer?

 

PBP – I am a mixer.

Jim – I see you mixing them all. You just like an abundance of flavor.

 

PBP – I like to mix the slurpees too.

Jim – Slurpees will stay on top of each other so you can get different flavors at different times. But with the sodas…hahaha.

 

PBP – When you go into Target or Wal-Mart, can you go in there and come out without buying anything?

Jim and Anna – NO!

Anna – Especially on tour.

Jim – Because when you’re walking around on a day off or in the middle of the night at like 4am…

Anna – Yeah a Wal-Mart stop and everyone on the bus just pours in.

Jim – And you walk around and are like, “well that could be fun”. I have a whole junk bunk full of electronic dart boards and badminton nets.

 

PBP – Do you play with the toys in the aisles?

Jim – I’ll get on the intercom, “Anna K. please come…” We are big fans of Wal-Mart, and Target…

Anna – …and any big shopping center there is.

 

PBP – You’ve been touring for a number of years, on Taste of Chaos, on Warped Tour. I can’t believe you were on Warped Tour, that’s like pop-punk.

Jim – Twice! We were definitely the eyesore on that tour. However it was a good experience to show these kids that have been fed that pop-punk forever a different kind of music and maybe wake them up a little bit or just show them there is other things out there they can look into.

 

PBP – On a game of Survivor, who gets kicked off first?

Jim – Me. Well I’ve never seen Survivor, so I don’t know what that is.

Anna – You know what it is!

Jim – I know they put everyone on the island! But I’ve never seen it. Who would get kicked off first?

Anna – I would probably win.

Jim – I would probably be raiding the crafts service food table, cuz you know they’re filming there and they have to have craft services for the crew. I’d be sneaking there at night getting a sandwich. So it would be me, I’d have 12 hours on there.

 

PBP – Who came first, the roadie or the groupie?

Jim – The groupie. Yeah? Sure.

Anna – Well there were bands pushing around their own stuff.

Jim – Well even before, there were musicians in the King’s Court that girls were attracted to.

Anna- I thought they were all gay.

Jim – (looking at Anna) Maybe in Sweden. She’s Swedish if you didn’t know.

 

PBP – What’s the craziest thing a fan has ever done?

Anna – I have a few. But a more recent one, Seven and I toured with the Revolting Cocks a few years ago and a fan asked to buy my sock straight off stage. They were soaking wet.

Jim - $50 dollars dude!

Anna – Yeah, $50 dollars I got for them.

 

PBP – Seriously you sold them to him?

Anna – Yeah they were nasty. I had worn them for probably a week. I use the same socks to put on right before I go on stage so I don’t have to do as much laundry. So I really stink them up before I wash them. They are nasty let me tell you.

Jim – You know he was rubbing himself on them when he got home.

Anna – I don’t wanna know what he did with them!

 

PBP – Anna, being the only girl in the band do you have weird guys coming up to you and asking you to marry them and weird shit like that?

Anna – Yeah we get guys like that. Some with signs that say, “Anna K. Marry Me?!” Now this is the funny thing being a woman in a band, you don’t get more of that than you do working at Wal-Mart. Because guys are always interested in girls no matter they do.

 

PBP – Jim, who would you rather fuck, Hilary Clinton or Laura Bush?

Jim – HAHA! I’d probably hate fuck Laura Bush. Can I say that? EW! Uhh, I don’t know. I don’t really want to think about that. I’d do both of them at the same time.

 

PBP – To get it over with?

Jim – Nah, I’d be doin’ two chicks at the same time! HAHA! I don’t know, that’s just disgusting.

 

PBP – Which would you rather wear, plaid or polka dot?

Jim – Plaid.

Anna – Plaid.

Jim – I mean you’re talking to a couple of people who’s favorite band is Alice in Chains. So we went through the fucking plaid and flannel stages. Plaid is fairly familiar.

 

PBP – What is your favorite bad word?

Jim – FUCK!

Anna – Helvete. Its Swedish.

Jim- What does it mean?

Anna – Its Hell in Swedish.

 

PBP – Last question, How much wood would a woodchuck chuck, if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

Jim – A lot I guess, it’s a woodchuck. Haha, she’s never heard it before.

Anna – I’ve heard it but what is it?

Jim – They don’t even exist do they?

 

PBP – Yeah they do. It’s like a groundhog.

Jim – But they can’t chuck any wood. How do you chuck wood? I mean do they go, “aarrrrgggghhhh” (Jim pretends to gnaw on a piece of wood)? That’s what I see is a woodchuck going “chuck chuck chuck chuck chuck chuck” (again, with the gnawing). HAHA! You know like that Mr. Bungle song “ahh chucka chucka chuck chuck chuck chuck”.  (Anna looks at Jim like he’s crazy)

 

PBP – Well thank you that was awesome.

Jim – Awesome, thank you. That was interesting. That was the most interesting interview ever probably.

 

 

 *Editor’s Second Note: Special thanks to Opiate for the Masses for not only giving us a hilarious interview, but also for inviting us out to a second show a few days later. Their new album “Manifesto” drops on July 8^th and you can pre-order it now through their myspace page. The pre-order package comes with a signed copy of the CD and a bunch of other sweet swag. Pick it up, it’ll be worth it.