2009 has been a remarkable year for music.  Boundaries of all sorts have been pushed; indie by the likes of Grizzly Bear, metal by Mastodon, and hardcore by Converge, among others.  And yet, in the midst of all of the high profile releases that made their way onto store shelves this year, a little record called Old Pride by soon-to-be worshipped screamo outfit Pianos Become the Teeth impressed its way to many a ear in the hardcore/screamo community.  It is a record comprised of raw emotion and honest songwriting, two things that don’t make their way into (what has now become known as) screamo these days.

For a record from a previously (mostly) unknown band to make such a significant impact is impressive, and after one listen through Old Pride, it is hard not to want to return just to see if it draws the same emotional response it did the first time.  Well, it does, no matter how many times you listen to it.  You owe it to yourself to check out this record, and support this band.  And speaking of the band…

We were able to sit down with vocalist Kyle Durfey and guitarist Mike York (ex-Age Sixteen, another band you should check out) and talk a little bit about “screamo”, The Black Dahlia Murder, and touring in Canada.  You can read it while you check them out on Myspace.

First off, who are you?

Mike: Hey! I am Mike, and I play guitar in Pianos Become the Teeth.

Kyle:  I am Kyle, and I sing.

I’d like to first congratulate you on two things – your newest full-length Old Pride, which is a favourite among a few Hearwax members, as well as your signing to Topshelf Records.  Care to throw in a comment on both?

Mike: Well, the only thing I really can think to say is thank you so much! Being a part of something that can be considered one of someone’s favorite records is a big compliment, and it truly means a lot. As for us signing to Topshelf Records that’s another big thank you. We are truly fortunate to work with such awesome people.

One of my friends posted the music video for “Houses We Die In” on his Facebook profile, and said that he finds it hard not to cry during the dialogue.  Being a raw and honest scream band, is there intent in the songwriting process to draw that kind of emotion? Or does it come naturally as songwriters?

Mike: I don’t think we ever write anything with the intent to make something sound sad, angry, or anything else, we just kind of write what comes out. We all draw upon a lot of different influences, so when we write we just write music that we ourselves would listen to. The fact that people are touched by something we write means a lot.

Kyle:  Just as a broad statement, I feel like most of us and most bands we are into tend to write about darker things.  It’s hard to write when you’re happy.  This doesn’t mean we aren’t happy as people.

With such raw emotion in the music itself, one has to ask: What are some of the lyrical themes on the album? I know that the actual lyrics are online, but are they as personal as they sound?

Kyle:  To put it simply, I would say the overall theme of the record is about dwelling on the future, dwelling on getting older.  It’s funny, sometimes when I read my own lyrics, to me, it seems so obvious what they are about but when people ask me about them, I realize they are so personal and open ended and could be interpreted in so many different ways.  But yeah, if definitely write about what is directly going on in my life.  I think I would feel phony if I was screaming about something I didn’t honestly care about or hadn’t directly touched me.

What is Pianos’ songwriting process? Does it start with a guitar riff, lyrics, or something else?  Are there primary songwriters, or does everyone have a say?

Mike: The whole song writing process usually starts with a guitar riff, an idea of the way a song should start, or something of the sort. Everyone definitely has a say in the way the song should turn out. We don’t finish it until everyone is completely happy with the final product. We ran into the problem of having a full song except an ending a few times, and it took forever to write one. If four of us like something and the other one person doesn’t, we won’t use it. It can be time consuming sometimes, but at the end of the process we at least know that all of us love what we made.

Looking through your listed influences, most of them make sense.  However, The Black Dahlia Murder raised a flag.  How do they influence the band? Is it sonically or in another way?

Mike: Haha, well David loves metal. So they have influenced his playing a lot. Same with the Red Chord as you can also see on the influence list. We all just love music. We all like something/someone in every style and listen to just about anything. There is a lot that we listen to that may make some people wonder how we make the music we do when we listen to some stuff. For example, most of the time on tour we have an eclectic mix of electronic, indie pop, hip hop, metal, folk, etc. We listen to just about anything.

Kyle:  Chad only listens to Andrew Jackson Jihad.  Nothing else at all.

There has been a shift in what is considered “screamo” over the last decade.  Now, bands wearing an abundance of eyeliner and painted fingernails are frequently referred to as screamo.  It seems to have become more of a fashion statement than the actual music.  Do you guys have an issue with the gradual mainstream-ization of this type of music? Is it just a natural change that should be ignored?  Do you even care?

Mike: Eh, I don’t really care. Music labels are always going to be out there, and someone is always going to call one thing something that isn’t that genre, etc. etc. but it doesn’t really matter. Music is music. Just because someone is calling “insert band here” a screamo band doesn’t affect me much. People have called us an “Art Post Rock Indie” band before. I don’t even know what that means, but if that’s what they want to consider us then that’s cool.

Kyle:  I feel like people just like to classify genre’s to make it easier for themselves, when they should just worry about if they think that band is good or not.  If they are a good band, I feel like they deserve to be more popular, they write good music and if it’s more accessible for people, I think that’s a great thing.  I’ll be looking at message boards and there will be wars about who is screamo, who is hardcore, who is emo, etc.  Some genres seem obvious but some people will get into these violent debates about it.  It seems pointless to me.  If you like something, great, if you don’t, great.  In our case, I feel like we get thrown in as a post hardcore band or screamo.  I feel like if I had a different, more manly voice, people would perceive us differently, same if the drums were different or the tones of the guitars were different. It’s just interesting to see. We just write what we would want to hear. It’s strange that people get upset when bands mix genres.  In most cases, that’s when music progresses and some of the best records have been made. Unless you try to mix polka with new wave or something.

I’m basing this solely on one picture I found on your Myspace of you guys in your underwear, but you seem to have a good sense of humour.  Am I accurate, and if so, does this help any aspect of the band’s life? Songwriting? Touring?

Mike: We are all a bunch of idiots. Having a good sense of humor is a must when you are packing yourselves in a van with one another for over a month. We all get along really well because we love having fun and being stupid. We may write serious music, but we like to have a lot of fun. That’s one of the main reasons we love doing this in the first place.

Kyle:  Ya, I don’t know how bands go on tour when they barely get along.  Tour is the best.

Are you guys planning on coming to Canada someday?  I wouldn’t miss it.

Mike: Well, we tried setting up a few days this past tour but it didn’t pan out so well. We drove through there though! I am sure we will be there at some point.

Is there a vinyl release planned for Old Pride? Or did I just miss it?

Mike: Definitely. Just don’t know when yet. Hopefully before our summer tour in 2010.

Any other upcoming releases from you guys that we should be aware of?

Mike: Nothing as of yet! We are just concentrating on playing these songs for awhile. Still writing, but nothing concrete just yet.

What are some of your favourite records from 2009? Of all time?

Mike: Hmm… of 2009? Well, I can’t think off the top of my head what came out this year vs. what I have been listening to a lot this year so… things I have been listening to a lot of this year are: Have Heart – Songs To Scream at the Sun, Modern Life Is War – Witness, and Planes Mistaken for Stars – Up In Them Guts. Actually I know that none of those came out this year, but I really love them as albums.

Kyle:  As for bands I’ve been digging lately, I would say I’ve been listening to rawer sounding stuff: old JUNO stuff,  Make Do and Mend, Young Livers, Chris Wollard and the Ship Thieves, but ya, we definitely listen to everything.

Any last words?

Mike: Thanks for giving us the opportunity to talk to you! It really means a lot. Also, thanks for the kind words and the support! I am sure we will see you soon.

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