Marianas Trench: the pop-punk emo band from Canada that has been around for the better part of this millennium. The group has gone through its ups and downs, with the most recent of downs resulting in the high that lead to the creation of Astoria. The band has been touring for about a year, and has gone through the 10 year anniversary of their album, Fix Me. In a recent email interview, we had the chance to talk to Mariana’s Trench guitarist Matt Webb about Astoria, the 10 year anniversary of Fix Me, and what it is like to tour around the world with the other members of the band.
Webb remarks that it did not feel like 10 years since the release of Fix me. He also notes that the band’s sound has very much evolved since then. He says, “We have a lot of respect for artists that continue to reinvent themselves, it seems to be an integral part of a lengthy career in the music business. For that reason you’ll notice that Astoria doesn’t sound much like Fix Me.” (Webb, 2016) The band has taken on a very 80s sound, basing the latest album, loosely, on “Coming of Age Adventure Movies.” One such movie being The Goonies which takes place in the town Astoria. Matt talks about how he and the rest of the group keep the 80s vibe going on tour. He says the band watches a different 80s movie on the bus every night. He admits that they do find other ways of keeping it up as well, stating, “I find you can keep the 80s vibe going as long as you’re wearing tight pants, rocking a keytar, and exposing your man-chest whenever possible.” (Webb, 2016)
As mentioned, the band has been on tour for about a year, travelling to multiple countries outside of Canada. This means keeping occupied with activities, that, according to Matt, usually involve food and disinfecting the tour bus. The band also stays at some interesting places on tour. They find everything from dead rats in showers to kind old ladies offering to do laundry. He says this doesn’t usually affect their shows though. “We’re gonna rock the f*&k out anywhere we go, but somedays we smell better than others.” (Webb, 2016) The band truly believes that the travel is well worth it, as Matt mentions the incredibly rewarding feeling of packing a venue. An incredibly rewarding feeling is generated from filling a venue with fans that know every single word to their songs. Lastly, he left with some advice for young musician who look forward to one day celebrating 10 year anniversaries for well-known albums. Matt says, “Concentrate on writing badass songs. Then work as hard as you possibly can to get them in the hands of as many people as possible. Whether it’s through endless touring, online hustling, hand-billing, yelling them from the top of a mountain, ain’t nobody gonna get big if no one hears your shit.” (Webb, 2016)
Marianas Trench headlined at Mr. Small’s Theatre in July of this year. This was the second time they have played at the venue in 2016. They are currently touring in the United Kingdom.
Interview: Stephanie Connell
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Pittsburgh Music Magazine 