Hidden Agenda
Interview with Steven Spence, of
Black Tide
by Chera Marker & Devin White
DTE Music Energy Theatre- Clarkston, MI
09/09/2011
(Chera) Tell us about how Black Tide got started and tell about their journey until this point.
(Steven) Gabriel actually started the band when he was about 10 or 11 with his older brother, who was the original drummer. They would just jam tunes out, play some cover tunes. Then it eventually grew into something that became serious. Then he realized he wanted to do something, make that a point of his life. Meanwhile I was playing drums; I started when I was about 13, so it was about the same time. Just in different areas. I was playing with a guy named Austin, Austin Diaz. Who is actually in the band now and that didn’t happen ‘til later, about a year or two years after we were out touring and everything. We decided to bring Austin in after we had a departure with the [bands] first guitarist. So Gabriel started it with his brother when we were young, and his brother left the band. [They] didn’t really see eye to eye, with the music […] wanted to be happy. I joined the band. We went to record our first record in 2006, it was released in 2008. Followed by a lot of touring, pretty much excessive touring for the next two, three years that followed. We worked on the next record, which is called Post Mortem. Which is finally available now. I know we put everyone through a lot, it’s been postponed a few times, but it’s finally out now, which is big for us. We’re very excited about that. It took us a long time to get where it is today, to get it where it is. We wrote about fifty songs for it, and narrowed it down to ten that are on the album. […] It’s a big step for us, so now we’re out supporting it, and ready to do so.
(Chera) Writing fifty songs for one album is a lot. Ten are on Post Mortem, what is the thoughts for what to do with the remaining songs?
(Steven) We don’t scrap anything, we’ve got ruff versions on our computers. Nothing that has been released or recorded as of yet. We recorded I think 13 or 14 of them that will be released. There’s one extra track on Itunes. The rest I’m not sure.
(Chera) Do you feel that your age has helped [the band], hurt [the band], had any influence at all?
(Steven) I believe the pros definitely out weight the cons. I mean the only thing I can see as a hindrance is, off the bat, […] in our early stages when Gabriel was 13, 14 and I was like 18 out on the road people would see us as a bunch of kid. […] Not so much any more. Gabriel is the youngest one and I am the oldest, I’m 23 he’s 18, that’s the spectrum of our ages. Now that we’re getting older it’s not such a big deal
(Chera) Have you guys found a way to balance being on the road so much and focusing on the band with being teenagers and living life.
(Steven) Ya know, it’s a difficult thing. There are definitely sacrifices that were making being out here so long. It’s tough to keep relationships at home, as far as friendships [or] any kind of relationships. You leave your family for so long, but we’ve grown to adapt. We’ve got our eyes set on our goals and we’re ready to do what we have to do, [ready to] make the sacrifices to get to the next level. With that, this band is like a brotherhood, it is like a family. I love the band members I’m with, and wouldn’t change it for anything. That helps me, I wouldn’t be able to do this on the road if I didn’t have my guys.
(Chera) In regards to the brotherhood you talk about. Is there anything else that helps keep you together as a band, that keeps you going.
(Steven) We’ve definitely had our ups and downs as Black Tide and though out the early years when we started touring it was just getting us to it. It was very difficult. Now at the point we’re at, with our sophomore record out, I feel like we’re seasoned on the road. We know this is our space, and it’s important to have that. We’re more lenient going into things like that, we understand we all have to make sacrifices. People say ‘you’re in my bubble right now’ but the thing is we’re all in every buddy’s bubble every time, all the time. We just gotta get use to it, luckly it’s with people I love.
(Chera) Where would you say was your favorite place, or worst place you’ve played while on tour.
(Steven) I don’t even know if there was a worst place, something is coming to mind when I think of that but my favorites, I love Japan. I would go back any day of the week, and literally any day. The first time we went to Japan was for a weekend, and we came back home. Its kind of a long tip just for a few hours if you think about it. Another place I love is Ireland. I love it all over Europe, and we’re very fortunate to be able to tour anywhere. When I’m over there I just want to be back home. Then I come home, and there’s no place like home. Its amazing its really great.
(Chera) After completing the second album how do you feel your writing personally or as a group has evolved?
(Steven) I think all of us have evolved as musicians individually and collectively as a band. We’ve matured as song writers and musicians and that very important. In the earlier days we were just like ‘if it’s not fast, it’s not good’. We had that mentality […] now we’re really about the song, that’s what we want to be. We want to be tasteful. Me as a drummer in particular I want to be tasteful ‘cus that’s what I like. I listen to the drummers that whale and their just sloppy. [Their] not really doing what I like to hear, that’s not what I want to be, that’s not my goal. I want people to be able to listen to something and love it.
(Chera) With the transition from albums, and your music getting heavier. where do you see your music and the band going from here?
(Steven) I don’t necessarily think I music has gotten heavier, I think it has gotten wider as far as what it covers. Yes we’ve released the heaviest song […] and we’re writing whatever we want to, which is awesome. On Post Mortem we’ve a song with Matt Tuck from Bullet For My Valentine, called “Ashes”. I would say it’s the heaviest song we’ve ever released. We’ve also got a song called “Into the Sky” and it’s Gabriel on acoustic guitar just singing […]. It just shows you the album and it’s very diverse, […] which is what we want. One thing about us is were not really trying to do anything. We don’t have an agenda as far as our genre, we don’t want to label ourselves with a genre. That’s one thing I want to let people know, we just want to be able creative, get into a studio be creative, have fun, no limits what so ever.
(Chera) How has the response changed for the band since your first tour to now. How did you see the fans and crowds progress?
(Steven) Its definitely changed, their more die hard. We see kids coming out, singing all our lyrics, even on the new album that just came out two weeks ago. It’s great to see that, people coming out and showing support. It’s really what we need, what all bands need, support from their fans and it really makes all the hard work we put in worth it. Getting on stage, seeing people and how they connect with our music, because this music really is us. People might not realize it but these songs are real, these songs especially on Post Mortem are our experiences, our relationships, our losses. Every thing we’ve been through the past four years, every thing Black Tides’ been through, it is Post Mortem. People just being able to connect with that means a lot for us.
(Chera)Who is someone you’d love to play with or spend time with?
(Steven) It’s funny I’ve been asked this question before, and I can’t even think about it. We’ve been so fortunate with all the bands we’ve been able to perform with. We’ve literally been all over the world playing with our idols. We’re out on tour right now with some of our favorite bands, and our best friends. That’s all we can really ask for is just to continue doing what we’re doing and progress.
(Chera) Has there been a favorite group out of everyone you’ve toured with?
(Steven) Definitely, the boys in bullet treat us so awesome. Bullet For My Valentine, they’ve taken us out so many times. We met them back in ‘08 back and I love those guys.
(Chera) Now that you have more of a following, is there anything you’d like fans to know about the band?
(Steven) I like to spread the word, its not necessarily just about Black Tide, I just want to let them know how important they really are in this industry. How important fans are and if it wasn’t for them we would have nothing, no band would have anything. If you want this to keep going support the bands you love, go out to shows, see them, get a shirt, buy the record. Even if you’re not going to buy the record listen to it and come out and show support physically because that’s really the driving force in a lot of the bands out here. So go out, support music, even if its not Black Tide.