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Conshafter started out like so many other bands, out of a garage. Founders Chris Konstantinos and Dave Cykert began to form a band from some jamming out in college. In 2004, they released Fear the Underdog and their sophomore release A Slow Drive Off a High Dive came out three years later. The band has had success with songs being featured on MTV, VH1, and was recently even a Spin.com Artist of the Day! Conshafter has performed shows with easily recognized names such as The Killers, Rooney, and the Von Bondies. Now with new band members and a new album, the band is ready to hit the road again with an East Coast tour in support of Bombs Away, Baby!
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Bombs Away, Baby! is Conshafter's triumphant return to the music scene after several years of re-grouping and revitalizing the group. A complete band again, since founders Chris Kinstantinos and Dave Cykert have been joined by the young Sarah McCalla and Austin Tevis, the new album is a very optimistic one, complete with album art by Jesse LeDoux (creator of The Shin's Chutes Too Narrow cover). "Bought and Sold (The Journeyman's Plea)" opens the album with energy and enthusiasm. Conshafter's energy continues strong throughout the album. "Drop Dead on the Dance Floor" follows and is easily one of the best of the CD. It is without a doubt a danceable track and the backup vocals by Sarah really complete the song. This album has plenty of songs that you can dance around your room to and make your day better! The almost title track "Bombs Away" features some fabulous drumming by Austin, especially leading into the chorus. The second half of the album contains the song "Going Down" which is another great energetic, radio-friendly tune. Chris seems to practically yell the vocals, but it works and gives the song a harder edge. On the opposite side, the last song on Bombs Away, Baby! "Remain" has quiet, whisper-like vocals. But like all good performances, the last song is not really the last song, and you do not want to miss the hidden track "Going Grey". These final two songs prove that while Conshafter loves to produce danceable tracks, they are equally capable of toning things down. "My hair is going grey/But it's all ok." |
| With the realease of their new album the four members of Conshafter chat with us! Interview by Rachel Coppenhaver FACrock: Thanks for talking to us. First, just tell us what part each of you play in the band. Chris Konstantinos: I sing and play the Glockenspiel. Dave Cykert: I play guitar and manage our paltry finances. Sarah McCalla: I play bass and decrease the average height of Conshafter's members dramatically. Austin Tevis: I play they drums and take care of all our on road wild and crazy video footage. D: Chris and I were on the crew team in college. We had a teammate named Mike Conschafter. When we started playing shows, which amounted to Chris and I trying to impress co-eds at crew parties, Mike commented that our band would never get anywhere. So we named it after him - changed the spelling to protect the innocent. C: If we'd known the band would actually amount to something ,we probably would have named it differently. S: We've heard and seen every possible variation of Conshafter: Conshifter, Cornshafter, Contractor, and my Aunt still thinks we're called Crank Shaft. I don't correct her. So, Chris and Dave, you are the founding members of the band. How did Sarah and Austin come into the picture and how did the dynamics of the band change with this? C: For the first time in our career, Dave and I have a rhythm section who are on the same page musically and personally. It has made a tremendous difference both to our songwriting and to our inner band chemistry. D: Yeah we met on the Internet actually, where all good relationships tend to blossom. We found Sarah on Craigslist and she knew Austin from work in a previous band. They've been playing music together and touring since they were single digit ages. S: When my former band broke up, I didn't know what to do with myself. But the timing worked out perfectly when I found an ad that Conshafter was looking for a new bassist. I think the ad mentioned that they wanted someone over 21 and without any serious drug issues. They also preferred to have a guy to make travelling in a filthy van easier on everyone. I only met one of those criteria, but I thought I'd give it try anyway. I was only 15, and I didn't have a driver's license yet, so my dad drove me out to the audition. I guess they liked me, because I got a call back the next day. As a side note, I think I'm pretty easy to travel with and am probably the worst smelling member of the band. (To Sarah and Austin) Was it difficult to join a band which had already been together for several years and been through a lot together or was it an easy fit? A: It wasn't difficult, but just a little odd at first just because it was a little change in style. But other than that it was smooth like butter. S: I wouldn't say it was an easy transition at first, but it quickly worked itself out to be the best situation I could have ever imagined. I feel like I learned a lot from them, but that they also learned a lot from us. For the first few months of my joining Conshafter, the former drummer was still with them. At that point, I played a much more passive role in the band. I worked hard and earned my ranks, and when it was time to look for a new drummer, I suggested Austin, my long-time friend and band-mate from a previous band. So then Conshafter became this great new force that formed like Voltron to create the fantastic sounds you hear on Bombs Away, Baby! Is the writing of the songs a group effort? D: It really varies. Sometimes things happen in practice organically as a group. Other times, individuals have a strong vision of a song ready to go. C: It's a lot more of a democracy now... back in the day Dave and I kind of did most of it but its evolved into a more organic thing where if somebody has an idea that everybody is instantly into, we just go with it, and usually I'll come up with the lyrics on the spot. I like it better this way and it seems to generate better songs too. S: Most of the songs on Bombs Away, Baby! happened by accident. Rarely did we deliberately sit down with a goal of writing a song. It usually happened at the very beginning of practice, when someone is warming up and plays some inkling of a riff that someone else jumps on and loves. The song grows from there and takes on a life of its own.
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What is each of your favourite songs on the album and why?
D: OK, first a shameless plug. The album will be TUESDAY MARCH 24th on iTunes worldwide and lots of other places too (Rhapsody, Napster, eMusic, GroupieTunes, Amazon MP3, Lala, Shockhound, Amie Street ). With that out of the way, I like "Drop Dead on the Dance Floor" best...cool counter rhythm guitar parts and a big beat. Easy to dance to. C: Hmmm... that's always a tough one, kind of like picking out which of your children is your favorite...of course, I don't have kids, so that's an easier question than this one. I guess I'd have to pick "Bought and Sold" as one of them, I love the way it came out; I think it's an excellent example of the type of songs we do, and the lyrics have really intense personal meaning to me. I also am really fond of "So Long, Sweet Dreams" and "Remain". "Going Grey", the hidden song at the end of the album, always makes 'em smile and is probably my favorite song of all time to play live. S: Well that just depends on the situation. My favorite to play live is undoubtedly "Going Down?". I feel like such a bad ass and I love it. My favorite song in the studio was "Remain". Samantha "Slammin' Sammy" Wood joined us in the studio to record viola on the song and we had so much fun coming up with the wildest sounds we could create including using two cell phones on speaker phone to create crazy feedback. Finally, my favorite song to listen to is "So Long, Sweet Dreams". It is my proudest accomplishment and I couldn't be happier with the way it came out. A: Really I can't give you one...I like everything we have put out or else we wouldn't have wrote it. So, in support of your new album, Bombs Away, Baby! you are going on tour throughout the east coast. Chris and Dave, you have been on tour with some pretty well-known names in the past, such as The Bravery and The Killers, is there any part of touring that you especially like or dislike? Any crazy stories to share from the road? D: Just some snippets I guess. Traveling over 3,000 miles together as a band in a Mini Cooper (they should have done an ad with us)... Trying to identify with the flu-stricken bassist of stellastarr* and instead grossing her out... Doing 'assassin' videos and tackling all kinds of things ranging from a trash can on the beach to a newsstand in Ohio (I think I nearly broke my sternum on that one). The really good ones I can't tell, I just wouldn't be a gentleman... C: Yeah, the best stories are probably not fit to print. The thing I remember most about touring is all the camaraderie among musicians. We've met so many cool bands and people, I think that will be the part that will stick with me for a long time. That and the crazy venues - a place in Atlanta with a built-in Elvis shrine. Haunted hotels. CBGB, which was every bit as filthy and awesome as I imagined as a kid. One recent amazing memory is when we played the Rock and Roll Hotel in Washington DC. We got there early and had the idea of just wandering the streets playing acoustic guitar and filming it. It turns out that we were in a really rough area of town, but everybody was so sweet to us as soon as we started playing... kids following us on bikes, people singing and shouting to us from cars. It was really amazing. I also remember the boredom, the endless miles in crappy vans, the equipment failures. The time I broke the drum riser. The million times I broke a mic stand or unplugged my mic in the middle of a song. The time I accidentally broke our old bass player's ribs on stage. Playing to thousands of people at an amazing festival, playing to like literally one person plus the sound man in Philly. I'll always remember the odd times I got to hang out with a childhood hero...I remember playing a show with Marcy Playground, who I loved growing up, and having the lead singer email me a couple days later telling me how much he liked our songs, and getting to ask Matt Sharp from Weezer what it was like to record Pinkerton. Little thrills like that make up for all the crap, a million times over. C: Absolute, pure energy. We won't promise that we'll play well, but we will promise that we will sweat profusely. D: A band trying to be worth your cover money. S: Everything you've ever wanted and more. A: Not only a great show but the chance to meet four amazing people with tons of energy. C: Heartfelt, honest, organic, loud. D: Dripping with nasty. S: Crunchy, sweet, and delicious. A: Like Oreos, you can't have just one! Thanks again for chatting with us! And good luck with the tour, hopefully all the stories from this one will be great and not involve any broken bones. |