In 2008, Alkaline Trio released their sixth studio album and major label debut, Agony & Irony. The following year, we spoke with singer/bassist Dan Andriano and talked about how the band partnered with Epic Records, as well as how the album was recorded and its overall style. We also discussed the reissue of their first album, Goddamnit, the unexpected passing of producer Jerry Finn, Nike’s custom Alkaline Trio shoe and more.
Bill – Agony & Irony is significantly more positive and upbeat than your previous two albums. Is this a result of occurrences in your personal lives or was it a deliberate choice to create music that conveyed a greater sense of optimism?
Dan – I don’t really know. That’s a good question. It’s still a fairly dark album, but I think the difference is that a lot of the subject matter from the last couple of albums wasn’t necessarily based in our own experiences. Matt got really into writing about books he had read or movies he’d seen, and I think those are really cool places to draw inspiration from, but obviously there wasn’t a happy ending with a lot of that stuff. As people, we just wanted to get back to writing more about our personal lives and writing about what we really know. That’s kind of what we got back to and I wouldn’t say it had anything to do with the occurrences in our lives at the time. We’re fairly positive people and we tend to write about dark stuff as a cathartic process. At the end of the day, we like to think that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel no matter what kind of pain you may be going through. Hopefully it can always be better. Maybe that’s where it comes from.
Bill – That makes sense. After three full-lengths with Vagrant, what were some of the main factors that led to your band transitioning to Epic Records?
Dan – Well, our contract was up and we just felt like we owed it to ourselves to see what else was out there. It didn’t have much to do with anything that Vagrant had done wrong. We had met and talked with some people, but our deal with Epic started as a deal with V2. There was a guy there we had met named Jon Sidel and then we met Andy Gershon, the president of V2. We felt like that was definitely the fit we were looking for. We really liked what they had to say and the fact that they were an independent label was very appealing to us. It was a label with a lot of pull, for lack of a better term, in the industry. We felt like it was good place to go, so we signed with them and then pretty much right after that the company ceased to exist. Andy Gershon subsequently got hired as the vice president at Epic and he was able to bring us over there and it was basically a seamless transition. We were really happy about that. It was more about the people though. We didn’t care if it was a major label or not, we just wanted to keep working with Andy. That’s kind of how that happened.
Bill – That’s great. Agony & Irony marks the first time that you guys collaborated with producer Josh Abraham. What aspects of the album’s recording are you most pleased with?
Dan – I feel like it’s one of our more natural-sounding records. The songs came together over a lot of time for us, so by the time we got into the studio we felt like they were pretty ready to go. Josh basically agreed. He had a couple things to say about the songs we had written and a couple little critiques here and there. Basically, he was more than happy to let us get in there with his engineer Ryan Williams, who’s a very talented guy, and just make the record and be relaxed. Josh more or less provided us with a very relaxing environment to record in. He owns his own studio in a nice part of Los Angeles that’s outside of Hollywood and kind of away from the Hollywood bullshit. We were really comfortable there and we just kind of hung out and recorded our songs. That was the best part about that and that was our main reason for going there.
Bill – “In Vein” and “I Found Away” cover new musical territory for Alkaline Trio, as they feature unique rhythms and additional instrumentation. Were there any specific influences that helped shape these songs or was there a certain type of vibe you were going for?
Dan – I guess I can speak more freely about “In Vein” because it’s a song I wrote. That for me just kind of came out of a reaction to our last couple records. I wanted to write something that was kind of a simple rock song. I didn’t want it to feel like we needed to add a bunch of supplemental stuff underneath it to make it cool or anything. I just wanted a fuckin’ rock song and it’s very much inspired by The Clash and some older stuff that I dig, so that’s kind of where that came from. Once the three of us put it together as a song we all felt the same way, like it didn’t need anything else and was a simple tune and we wanted to keep it as raw as possible. “I Found Away” was really exciting for us because when Matt sent Derek and I his demo it wasn’t very different from what ended up on the record. We all like such vastly different stuff and he had this idea to dance it up a lot without being cheesy or overtly ‘80s like everything else right now. We all dug the groove of it and just went with it. The song is cool and we can still keep it tough. It’s what the song needs, so we kept that dance element and a little bit of the electronic influence in the song.
Bill – “Love Love, Kiss Kiss” is a classic Alkaline Trio song that recalls the band’s early days and demands repeated listens. What inspired its lyrics?
Dan – Pretty much all the stuff I’ve ever written since I’ve been in this band has been for me, like it deals with me directly or someone very close to me. I had written a bunch of stuff for this album, we had so many demos, and by the time we went into the studio it was getting overwhelming. I didn’t want to stop writing songs, but I was kind of trying to write a song for everyone else for once. I had to reach back into my early twenties and I think that’s how a lot of people tend to feel at that age, kind of just over it. Everyone’s been dumped or bummed out, and everyone’s sat at a bar and listened to their friends talk about how rad this person they met is and how happy they are. They’ve had to be like, “Oh, that’s great. I’m happy for you,” but underneath they’re like, “Yeah, fuck you.” I think everyone’s kind of felt those defeated feelings towards relationships and all that. Hopefully everything ends up working out for everyone, but I just felt like it was something anyone could relate to. I wanted to write a song like that instead of being content with the fact that I can relate to it and don’t care if anyone else can. I wanted other people to get something out of it more so than usual.
Bill – I can totally understand how you’d want to change it up and write from a different perspective. In terms of the artwork for the deluxe version of Agony & Irony, it’s very elaborate and unique. How did everything come together in terms of its design?
Dan – John Yates was a huge factor and he’s had a hand in our last few releases. He did our B-sides collection called Remains, which has brilliant packaging. He also did our re-release of Goddamnit, which was great too. This was the first new record that he was going to do for us and he was really excited about that. We had a couple different photographic concepts that we toyed around with, but no one was really digging it. We decided to go with something really simple and just kind of put our heart and skull logo that our friend Heather designed years ago on the cover. We wanted to go with that, so we let John take it and make it a little more interesting. As far as the booklet, we really just let him go nuts. We told him we might be into some sort of sheet music theme or some kind of old-time, colonial-like libretto. We gave him some direction and he ran with it and knocked it out of the park. He’s such a good designer and has such a good grasp of what we do, as well as all the bands he’s worked for. He just gets what those bands are about and makes their albums look great.
Bill – Speaking of album artwork, your first album, Goddamnit, recently received a refurbishing and re-release via Asian Man Records. When you went back and revisited material from that era, what were some of the fondest memories that you recalled?
Dan – I would have to say the easiness of it all. Everything was different, not that it doesn’t come easy anymore, but everything is thought about more these days. It’s a natural progression and I wouldn’t really change anything, but we have management now and there’s this whole process and protocol that goes into almost every decision. Back then it was like we were on tour and we would write songs and we would play the songs before we were in the studio. People would have already heard them live and it just made recording easier and more carefree. Things were happening and we were just kind of there. We were obviously the catalyst for them happening, but it wasn’t this whole big deal. Part of me misses that, but like I said, obviously there’s a natural progression and we want our music to reach as many people as possible. Therefore, you have to do certain things to help that cause.
Bill – With all the band members living in different states these days, how do you guys make it work in terms of songwriting and practicing?
Dan – We do a lot with the internet, which is kind of the same as everyone. We send each other songs and we give each other a call and talk about them. It’s not that hard for us to jump on a plane either. We have a rehearsal space in Los Angeles that we can use and we have our old rehearsal space in Chicago that we can still go to and bring our stuff in. We kind of get together and work on stuff before tours and over the internet. It’s never been an issue. Writing for Agony & Irony was probably the most productive writing we’ve ever done and we were on complete opposite corners of the country at that time.
Bill – Sounds like you’ve figured out how to make it work despite the distance. On a more somber note, news of Jerry Finn’s untimely passing must have been tragic and overwhelming to receive. Many people will likely remember Jerry as a gifted and accomplished producer. How will you remember him?
Dan – More than anything, and I would say the exact same thing if he was still with us, and that’s that Jerry is a friend first and a producer second. I got along famously with Jerry. We just had a lot in common when it comes to other stuff aside from recording. We both really dig gear and guitars, and we like the same kind of food. We like to cook and talk about cooking and stuff like that. I’m really going to miss him. We got the word he was going to the hospital the day that it happened and unfortunately the weeks that followed were really painful with having to wait and see what was going to happen. That’s the way things go sometimes and he’s going to be dearly missed by a lot of people. He really left a beautiful stamp on the world. All you can really ask for is to hopefully contribute nice things to the world while you’re here and I certainly think that he did.
Bill – That’s definitely true. On a lighter note, tell me about Nike’s Alkaline Trio shoe and whether or not they’re still available.
Dan – I don’t think they’re still available, but maybe a couple stores might have a few pairs lying around. I don’t really know if they ever hit eBay. I’m sure a couple of them probably did. We’re friends with a few people over at Nike and they’ve hooked us up with a couple pairs of shoes here and there or whatever. They kind of approached us and asked if we had any interest in designing a shoe. We were sincerely flattered. I know it’s on a very different level, but being from Chicago and being a huge Chicago Bulls fan and Michael Jordan fan, it’s very cool. It was just a fun thing for us to do. They let us design the shoe completely, from top to bottom. I think it’s the first 100% vegan shoe that Nike’s ever made, so we were really happy about that too.
Bill – That’s awesome. Last year you toured with The Gaslight Anthem, Thrice and Rise Against. Who put this impressive lineup together and how’d the tour go?
Dan – That tour was amazing and that was all due to Rise Against. I have to give them credit for coming up with such a great lineup. That was a lot of fun. It’s kind of rare when a tour consists of that many good bands, but then it’s also rare when all those bands are friends. I hadn’t met The Gaslight Anthem before that tour, but on that tour we became fast friends. I love those guys. By the second week of the tour everyone was having a really good time and we were really happy about that.
Bill – Alkaline Trio has been together for over 12 years and sold well over a million records. What other goals do you guys have or do you not really look at your band in an objective manner like that?
Dan – I don’t think we do look at it like that anymore. Matt and I were actually talking last night and it’s kind of amazing. We’re on a tour right now and it’s only our fifth or sixth show of this tour and the shows have been great. We can’t really be thankful enough. We’re almost astonished. We were talking last night and it’s kind of weird how we keep waiting for people to stop showing up. I feel it’s got to happen someday, but maybe it doesn’t. We would love to do this for as long as we can. We’re just going to keep touring and making records. Some stuff has gone down and I don’t even know if we have a record label anymore or what. We’re just going to keep making records and if we have to put it out ourselves that’s what we’re going to do. It’s going to be really fun. We’re going to record this summer and it’s going to be the best record we’ve ever made and I’m really excited. We’re just going to keep doing it. We were talking about it and kind of thought why wait? We waited too long to put out the last record and now we’re just itching to do it again. So, we’re just going to do it and keep trying different ways of making records and different ways of writing songs, and hopefully people keep showing up.
Bill – Are you saying that Alkaline Trio is no longer with Epic?
Dan – Yeah, I don’t think so. I don’t know if I’m even supposed to say that or not, but I mean we pretty much had a one-record deal and I think we’re going to do something else. Not that they didn’t do a great job. They’re kind of reformatting what they do and I think some people in light of the, dare I use these buzzwords, economic fuckin’ terribleness, might have lost their jobs over there who were working for us. I don’t know how much of this I’m supposed to divulge, but that’s basically it. They kind of lost a few employees and we’re sad to see them go, but we’re also behind it to do whatever we have to do to keep putting out our records. Like I said, we might do it ourselves, we might talk to some friends that we know that run labels. Who knows? We’re going to record this summer and it’s going to be out shortly.
Bill – That sounds really exciting. Is there anything else that you’d like to add?
Dan – Like I said before, thanks to all the people that keep coming to our shows. We’re having more fun than ever at this point. Things just seem to be a little more lighthearted and the shows are a lot of fun. We were just in Chicago again and those shows at the Metro were amazing and a lot of fun for us.
