Trapt
RAD recently sat down with Trapt's lead singer/guitarist Chris Brown on December 16th and discussed the band's recently completed Warner Brothers' debut album, as well as, their journey from Los Gatos to landing the record deal THEY WANTED. “Headstrong” is not only the group's smash debut single off their self-titled album, but also the bands attitude and approach to life. The band from the bay area is made up of Brown, lead guitar Simon Ormandy, lead bass Peter Charell and drummer Aaron Montgomery.
- RAD
- Let's start off by talking about your hometown. You are all from Los Gatos except Aaron. Correct? How would you describe the town and your younger days growing up there?
- Chris
- Yeah, all of us except Aaron. He is from around Seattle. Los Gatos was a good place to grow up, probably similar to any other suburban California town. You know it was a place where everybody knows each other. Therefore, it was easy to get into trouble. Party's there lasted like an hour before the cops would show up. When it was time for us to leave and go off to college we were definitely ready for it.
- RAD
- When did your band and music begin to be the main focal points of your lives?
- Chris:
- It really became a big deal after we graduated from high school. In high school we were busy doing other things, like I played football. We officially started the band on August 19th, 1997.
- RAD
- Has the band always been named Trapt, and why is that the name?
- Chris:
- Yeah, Trapt has been our only name. We named it that because of experiences we had growing up. It was hard for us to do what we wanted to do. There were always people trying to keep us grounded and out of trouble. Really all it did was hold us back, it was kind of frustrating.
- RAD
- Your band started of playing rap-core music. Why did you change your style?
- Chris:
- We rapped a little bit when we first started. We used to play with Papa Roach, and they did some rapping. When they switched their style of play we kind of followed their lead and got away from it.
- RAD
- Going to college was a defining moment for your band. What was your experience in college?
- Chris:
- The first quarter of college was great because there were all kinds of parties and girls everywhere. When I moved out of the dorms I lived in a house that had a great place for the band to practice. So our bass player would come down from Santa Cruz and swing by and pick up the drummer at Cal Poly, which was south of the bay area, and come down to my place in Santa Barbara.
- RAD
- How far of a dive is that?
- Chris:
- About four to five hours each way.
- RAD
- How often would they do this?
- Chris:
- Every weekend.
- RAD
- You guys decided to quit school and move to L.A. to pursue a music career. How did the people around you respond to this?
- Chris:
- Obviously they were very reserved about it. They told us it was not a smart move and all that stuff. We pretty much told them that it is our lives, and this is our chance to walk the path not many people walk. We went and did our thing. They weren't very happy about it. (Laughing) Now they are pretty happy for us, because we are doing pretty well.
- RAD
- Your website describes your approach to music as a stubborn, uncompromising dedication to doing it your own way regardless of the consequences. What does this refer to?
- Chris:
- There are decisions in life, you have to make. You have to your own thing; just like we had to quit school to pursue our music career. You have to do what you need to do even if other people are telling you not to. You have to do what's in your heart. When I write lyrics, I write them for myself not anyone else.
- RAD
- Landing the record deal you guys wanted became a difficult task. What were the reasons for turning down your first couple of offers?
- Chris:
- We wanted to use our own producer and didn't want any label telling us how to make our record. They (Immortal Records) had a problem with that. We said okay you’re not for us and moved on. Warner Brothers came along said they were down with it. They didn't go in there and say they were going to change anything. They gave us creative control and that is what we wanted.
- RAD
- What has been your biggest influence on this Do it your way attitude and approach you have taken to your music and lives?
- Chris:
- It was pretty much how I was raised. It was the attitude I developed from just growing up, getting frustrated with a lot of things. My mom is kind of like that, she is stubborn about a lot of her ways. I found that you need to do stuff your way, and can't always do what others want you to do.
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