Interview With Sean Danielson of Smile Empty Soul
Posted: 20 May 2007
Contributed By: Nick
 photograph by joe major |
Smile Empty Soul is: Sean Danielson - Vocals, Guitar Ryan Martin - Bass Jake Kilmer - Drums |
TuneLab Music: Smile Empty Soul has been on the road supporting their new album 'Vultures'. What has the crowd response been after a lengthy time off the road?
Sean Danielson: Well, the crowd response is actually pretty good. You know for the most part we still have our following and we still draw a nice little crowd that's very enthusiastic and it's been fun
TL: The band canned the release of its original sophomore album 'Anxiety' after the Atlantic Records fiasco, but the album is for sale at your shows. How many copies of 'Anxiety' do you move per tour and was it difficult for the band to scrap an entire album and start over?
SD: Yeah it was definitely difficult and it was probably one of the hardest things we've ever had to do . You know when you pour your heart and soul into making an album like that and you had it all set to come out and everything and your mind is set a certain way and to have to deal with something like that is you know devastating. But in the end now we like where we're at and we're having a lot of fun and yeah, we definitely still have the record out there every week to sell at shows.
TL: Smile Empty Soul inked a deal with the rising indie label Bieler Bros. Records in mid-2006 to release 'Vultures'. How has working with Jason and Aaron Bieler and staff differed from the band's past experiences with the major label market?
SD: I mean the whole process was very different this time. We did the record before we signed with Bieler Bros. so we controlled the whole process of making the record. And you know once we got with Bieler Bros. they helped us put together a lot of the artwork and lay it all out and we stayed with them and here we are.
TL: I know they're big on letting their bands kind of do their own thing so I'm sure you were pretty happy with that.
SD: Oh yeah, definitely. Total creative control-it's cool.
TL: Sean, your lyrics are very revealing and extremely straightforward. Do you write mostly from personal experience or observation?
SD: Mostly personal experience, but obviously there's some writing going on from people watching and just you know careful observation around me.
TL : I'm sure on tour seeing people you get a lot of great ideas.
SD: Oh yeah, totally.
TL: What is the meaning behind the new album's title of 'Vultures' and what songs best represent the overall direction Smile Empty Soul is heading?
SD: 'Vultures' to us represents the old record label deal and our old producer and all these people who were fucking with our lives and they didn't give a shit about us. And I wrote that song "Vultures" that's on the record about people that are out there like picking your bones clean. But um, as far as the direction we're gonna go in the future, I wish I knew how to answer that. All three of our records sound different from each other and every record we make we want to try different things and it'll just be whatever we feel at that moment or that time.
TL: Smile Empty Soul has just been offered a million dollars to play for thousands of people at a party hosted by a certain President Bush-accept or decline?
SD: A million dollars?!
TL: For thousands of people, but it is for your boy Bush.
SD: Well, I would accept it and talk shit the entire time on stage.
TL: Your entry could probably be that song "Cody".
SD: Oh yeah, [laughs] absolutely. Yeah we'd just have that run as our intro music.
TL: The band scored a number one rock hit in 2003 with "Bottom of a Bottle", which saw your debut go gold. How has the attention surrounding the band changed over the past 4 years?
SD: Well I mean obviously there's less. Way less. We're on an indie record label so we don't have the money to promote it and we don't even have a single on the radio at the moment, so the only attention that we get is from touring. It's the only promotion we have really. And there's some stations that still support us and you know XM Radio and Sirius Radio supports us (sic), but it's definitely way different than being on a major record label.
TL: Smile Empty soul has toured alongside Evans Blue and The Exies among others on their current touring cycles. What has the band lined up for the remainder of 2007 and what bands would you love to share the stage with in the near future?
SD: Actually we're trying to get on the Alice in Chains/Velvet Revolver tour and we all have our fingers fucking crossed like crazy cuz that would be fucking amazing.
TL: The band got hit hard with criticism after using religious references in a song off 'Anxiety' entitled "Holes". On 'Vultures', the band included a song entitled "Jesus is the Manager at Wal-Mart". Has smile Empty Soul received the same type of criticism because of the aforementioned track?
SD: Actually, I don't really think many people get "Jesus is the Manager at Wal-Mart" you know, what I'm talking about, but um you know as far as how much criticism we've gotten-we got all that criticism for "Holes" because we were gonna release that song as a single and the Christian coalition got all pissed off about it. We were never gonna release "Jesus is the Manager at Wal-Mart" as a single and we're not really any type of threat on an independent record label, so we can put that out there and not even have to worry about it.
TL: That's a shame because "Holes" is an awesome song too. It could have done really well.
SD: Well thanks man I appreciate that.
TL: Some of you guys are involved in a side project entitled Troll Forcefield. Do you have any long term plans for that band and who was the brains behind the Village People meets Slipknot look you guys are going for?
SD: [laughs] Oh man, uh, that was just me, Ryan and Jake just for the shit of it between our last tour we did last year and the tours we're doing this year. We just decided we wanted to start a metal, a strait-core metal band so we just started jamming out some metal riffs and our buddy Cody-he was actually in Europe on tour at the time we started this, but he came back and was down to be the singer so our goal was just to kind of write six songs, record them, and play a show in like a month and so we did.
TL: What is one thing you'd like to see Smile Empty Soul accomplish before the year closes out?
SD: We just wanna stay on the road as much as possible and tour our fucking asses off. Cuz we'll get home at the end of the year and head into the studio and cut another record.
TL: Any new material in the works?
SD: Yeah I've already demoed 8 or 9 songs for the next record.
TL: That's about it man. Anything else you'd like to add?
SD: I'm good man, thanks!