Nick: Yeah…well [All of a sudden some kids come up to us]

Nick: Well, I’m 20 so it won’t matter!

Nick: All right! [Laughing at the bizarre event that just took place]

Sharita: Wow!

Nick: Alrighty, where were we? [Laughs]

Karma: Well you guys have been together for awhile and you came up with the name when you 16 or so?

Nick: Basically, the drummer at the time decided on it and we were like, “Whatever! We just want to start playing shows!” It’s cool but we kinda got stuck with it. It’s whatever, I don’t mind it. At the same time it, it would be cool to have a cool name. [Laughs]

Karma: Actually, it is pretty cool; grant it there are hordes of “Dying” bands out there…

Nick: Exactly!

Karma: …but yours has character!

Nick: Well, thank you! [We all laugh]

Karma: I know it’s early in the tour, but how is it going so far?

Nick: Yeah, it’s only the second day but we weren’t allowed into Canada ‘cause of some stuff! Not like drugs or anything like that, we’re not cool enough for that! [Laughter ensues] Our drummer, something happened with the paperwork and him and he wasn’t allowed in so we had to turn home. But this was the second show, and tonight was amazing!

Karma: Yes, it was!

Nick: [Smiles] Yeah, it was awesome!!

Karma: Yes, very much so!

Nick: June we take off, we’re going to take a break then we’re doing Ozzfest this summer and we’re all really, really stoked for that.

Karma: Congrats on Ozzfest!

Nick: Thanks!

Karma: Cannot wait to see you guys on Ozzfest with The Haunted of course.

Nick: I can’t wait!! [Smiles widely]

Karma: You know it must be so cool for you to tour with them.

Nick: Yeah, it’s kinda insane because I’ve been listening to them for a while since their first record. Then it’s like, you’re going on Ozzfest with them and doing off-dates with them.

Karma:  Are you straightedge and/or vegan?

Nick: Not vegan, I’m straightedge and our bass player [Steve Lemke] is but other than that, everybody else does whatever so… [Laughs]

Karma: How’s life with Trustkill?

Nick: So far so good, it’s been pretty awesome! Pretty much since we’ve signed they been really cool with us and I really don’t have any complaints.

Karma: That is awesome to hear. How did the writing process go for the Caitiff Choir?

Nick: The way it went, Mike [Hatalak] joined our band, we had basically written our demo that we were going to start shopping around to labels and stuff and we had written 90% without him. It was me & Chris writing mostly, then he joined the band and had a couple of songs written already, we put them on the demos, and sent it out. That was half our record right there! [Smiles]

The way we write is just that we all come to practice and have ideas. What wound up happening we were kind of pressed for time so me & Mike just locked ourselves in his room for the last week before we had to go and record and wrote three songs in the matter of a couple of days. [Laughs] I don’t know it was sort of sketchy because we ran out of time. The songs turned out pretty good, I think. I mean it’s either me & Mike would write ‘em, me & Chris, or all of us or just Mike or just Chris.

Karma: Then this rather democratic method of course differs from the way Forever Scorned was written then.

Nick: Yeah, Forever Scorned was pretty much Chris.

Karma: Then overall, are you guys satisfied with the way Caitiff turned out?

Nick: Yes and no. I’m probably our biggest critic and there are certain things I dislike that other people really, really like a lot about it. If we had more time, I think we could have remedied a lot of the things, I dislike about it, and that’s pretty much it. I’m hoping with the next record we can really do what we were trying to accomplish with this one but kinda fell short of, you know what I mean.

Karma: Is there a specific meaning behind the time on the clock [12:24] on the cover of the album and then the setting?

Nick: Nope! [We all laugh] Basically what it was the graphic designer, Aaron Marsh, did the graphic design for the record. We’re like, “Dude, we don’t know what we want, just make it dark!” He’s like, “Here’s a bunch of stuff!” and we were like, “We like THAT one!” picked it out…

Karma: Okay!

Nick: We just thought it looked cool!

Karma: That it does!! [We chuckle] so for “A Threnody for Modern Romance” are you saying that the song is an elegy of the dead of modern romance? Is modern romance doomed?

Nick: [Smiles] Yeah, romance is dead in today’s world! [Laughs heartily] Basically, people are over it and are kind of scummy!

Karma: TRUE! Which song off the album is your favorite?

Nick: Either “A Threnody for Modern Romance” or the tenth track on our record is “Naenia” 

Karma:  Who are some of your favorite bands in the scene right now?

Nick: You know, I don’t listen to that much heavy music. [Laughs] But of heavy bands, I like The Haunted. I like Killswitch; I listen to early 80’s rock and The Cure and Joy Division and stuff like that. That’s what I’m into.

Karma: If you could collaborate with anyone, whom would you choose?

Nick: I’d say Robert Smith [The Cure] but that’s just me though! [Smiles]

Karma: Now that would be awesome!

Nick: That would be amazing!! I had backstage passes and tickets for Curioso this summer and I could have met Robert Smith…

Karma: Oh wow!

Nick: [Sadly shakes head] …and I didn’t go because my ride dicked me over and I was super sick…

Karma & Sharita: Ohhh!

Karma: That’s horrible!

Nick: [Look of disgust fills countenance] It was the biggest bum out ever!

Karma: Sorry to hear that!

Nick: I know but eh, what are you gonna do?

Karma: Well there is next time. Not like, they’re breaking up today, right!

Nick: I hope not! They’re getting old! [We laugh hysterically]

Karma: I’d like to see It Dies Today’s name on a marquee next to______? Of course, The Haunted will be in there somewhere I am sure.

Nick: [Without an upwards glance] Love you, man! [Turns back to me] Sorry!

Karma: That’s quite alright!!

Nick: But yeah, basically, every band that’s on Ozzfest pretty much, I mean we’re playing the same shows as Iron Maiden and Black Sabbath, that’s insane to me! [Laughs] Like that’s awesome! I don’t know, sure!! Pretty much Ozzfest in a fest takes care of every band I’d ever want to play with. 

Karma: What can we look forward to in the future from It Dies Today past Ozzfest?

Nick: Pretty much, we’re gonna start writing for the new record all summer and when we have that month off in June, we’ll probably start writing then. Then we’ll have a bus [laughs] which is kinda weird, so we’ll try to write on the bus at least. Hopefully record in the winter or something like that because I don’t ever want to tour in the winter.

Karma: I can totally understand why! What mark would you like to leave on your fans?

Nick: I hate that question! [Laughs]

Karma: Why?

Nick: I don’t know, like as far as shows go, we just aim to give everybody what they came and paid for. Like we try to give everybody what the best, show we can possible give them and try to connect with them on a certain level. Hopefully we can accomplish this at every show, that’s pretty much it. That and to be able to connect with kids and have kids say, ‘You’re music really means something to me’. That’s pretty much the best thing that can ever happen; I love hearing that! I don’t know if I answered that question at all!

Karma: In a way you did. [Laughs]

Nick: I kinda rambled.

Karma: Here’s a quick Speed Round of Questions for you.

Nick: Okay.

Karma: If not music then what?

Nick: Community college and who knows, I’ll probably be working at a department store.

Karma: What would your bandmates do if it weren’t for IDT?

Nick: Mike would record. Mike’s a producer, he’s a recording engineer; he’s amazing! Steve would be going to like his 10^th year in college because he's bad at college. With Chris and Nick, who knows what they would be doing.

Karma: Do you possess a special talent?

Nick: No, I’m really not that talented. [We all laugh] I don’t!

Karma: Guilty pleasure song/CD/artist.

Nick: I don’t feel that guilty about it but I love Justin Timberlake. He’s talented, he’s like the new age Michael Jackson! I’m into it! [Laughs]

Karma: Coolest way to relieve pressure.

Nick: Playing I guess, that’s pretty much it! I don’t really do anything else now so it’s pretty much all I have now.

Karma: Things you cannot live without.

Nick: Aquafina water, ohhhh…[pauses] Aquafina and flip-flops.

Karma: If I could turn back the hands of time, I would…

Nick: I wouldn’t change anything. I don’t think I’d be where I was if I did things differently; and I’m pretty happy where I'm at right now.

Karma: There you go! First job?

Nick: First real job, I used to deliver for a pharmacy when I was like 16.

Karma: How many candles did you blow out on your last birthday and on which date?

Nick: It was September 13^th and I blew out 20.

Karma: If ____ asked me to join their band, I would leave IDT behind.

Nick: If Queen did a reunion, which they are doing a world tour but the dude from Bad Company has already taken care of that! [Smiles] I couldn’t sing like Freddy Mercury so that couldn’t happen. I don’t know, I like a lot of bands Queen, The Cure…pretty much those two because we’d be playing arenas and stuff and it would be worth it. [We laugh] I’m just kidding around and being an asshole!

Karma: If you could commission a band to cover a IDT song, which song would you chose and who would cover it?

Nick: I would commission Acceptance to do probably “Threnody” without screaming because that dude’s voice is incredible!

Karma: If you could take a bath with anyone…

Nick: [Laughs mischievously] Oh…

Karma: ..who would be your perfect Bath Mate?

Nick: I’m going go ahead… it’s a tie right now, I just saw Sin City and Jessica Alba makes me want to kill myself! I'm never gonna have anything like that and Adriana Lima, the Victoria Secret model. I’m gonna say Jessica Alba and Adriana Lima, the both of them!

Karma: You have a choice of 3 CDs to make your Bubble Bath Soundtrack.

Nick: I’m gonna say Disintegration by The Cure. I’m trying to think of sexy CDs. Ohhhh, 3? You’re killing me!! [Laughter ensues] I don’t know!

Karma: Disintegration is pretty good! That’s a sexy enough CD.

Nick: Yeah, we’ll just go with that!

Karma: Whom would you ask these Speed Round Questions of?

Nick: Probably Matt Skiba of Alkaline Trio.

Karma: Alright, well thank you very much Nick!

Nick: Thank you very much! This was awesome!!