Walls of Jericho Interview

Interview
Candace Kucsulain
Walls of Jericho

Members:
Candace Kucsulain - Vocals
Mike Hasty - Guitar
Chris Rawson - Guitar
Aaron Ruby - Bass
Dustin Schoenhofer - Drums

9/26/06
Interviewer: Josh Thorne

I remember years ago when a friend of mine gave me this CD called The Bound Feed The Gagged by Walls of Jericho. Until that point, the heaviest female vocalist I'd ever heard was Karyn Crisis. However, young Candace Kucsulain was an entirely new breed of angry. I played that CD to death, and did the same with Walls of Jericho's follow-up, All Hail The Dead. Throughout the years, they've been one of the few hardcore bands I've always enjoyed and that's why it was such a pleasure to interview Candace via phone from her home in Michigan. The band had just finished Ozzfest and Family Values, and was on a momentary break before their international touring to finish off '06. So, I'll stop rambling right here and let Ms. Kucsulain do the talking!

Josh: How are you doing, Candace?

Candace: I'm doing pretty good, Josh. How about yourself?

Josh: Just fine, thank you. How was the Family Values experience for you?

Candace: It was incredible. We were playing further away from the audience than we've ever played, and we were basically entertaining people, which is different than what we normally do. At our normal shows, it's basically us and the crowd participating together, so that was a bit strange for us. As far as the bands and crew go, everyone was great though.

Josh: Do you have any touring plans in the near future?

Candace: Yes, we're home for a few days and then we head to Canada with Bleeding Through. After that, we're going to Brazil and then to Europe, before coming home for Christmas.

Josh: Have you ever been to Brazil before?

Candace: No, we never have, actually. What's the language down there, Portuguese?

Josh: Yeah, and from what I understand, the crowds down there are insane.

Candace: Yeah, we went to Puerto Rico and those kids WERE insane! It was so much fun! I hope we can go back there soon, but I also hope it's that way in Brazil as well.

Josh: Changing gears for a second, I just wanted to congratulate you on the new album.

Candace: Thank you.

Josh: Tell me a little about the title, if you will.

Candace: It's just one of those things where, if you look around in the world, no matter where you look there's always going to be evil in the world. Aaron, our bassist, actually came up with the title. So, I'm just guessing here with my explanation! (Laughter)

Josh: It's funny, because that's actually the concept I'd derived from the title as well.

Candace: Ok, good! (More laughter)

Josh: You also decided to record this release with Ben Schigel, as opposed to having Mike record it like the records in the past.

Candace: Yeah, we needed to step up our game and go that extra mile. I'm not saying Mike couldn't do that, because he could. Really, we needed a new environment and to work with somebody different, so we could get an outside opinion. Ben Schigel did some other records that we enjoyed, and we loved working with him. It was such a fun experience working with him and it really energized us in the studio.

Josh: The actual songs have that same feeling you're speaking of. It's definitely a much more anthemic record than you've done in the past.

Candace: I agree! We wanted to present a massive live show and make an album that is anthemic from start to finish. We wanted the heavy parts to be fuckin' heavy, the metal parts to be fuckin' thrashing, and to be true to ourselves throughout it all. We don't fuck around. We love making songs that people sing along to. That's such a wonderful feeling when everyone sings those songs back to us in concert.

Josh: It seems like a very personal record for you as well, much like the other records have been.

Candace: It is, but in a different way. On the last album, I basically went out, screamed my guts out and said "This is what I think, this is what I fucking stand for, and if you don't like it, I don't give a fuck!" and not in a negative way either, but it was still very personal to me. On this album, most of the songs have a direct message in one way or another. Like, "A Trigger Full of Promises" is about finding love that you never think could be possible and finding the one person that gets you. "And Hope To Die" is about suicide and friends of ours that have killed themselves. There are other songs about opening up your life, looking around and seeing the bullshit around you and getting away from it. We're saying you can be true to yourself, be confident with who you are, and push past the bullshit that's affecting our lives to make something of ourselves.

Josh: That's part of the reason this album IS so anthemic, because these are topics everyone can relate to in some form or another.

Candace: Exactly, that's exactly what it's about.

Josh: Now, on the subject of "Trigger Full of Promises", you filmed a video for that recently.

Candace: (Excited) Yes, we did!

Josh: Tell me a little about that. I'm curious because I've seen one clip and it's you in a jail.

Candace: (Laughter) It's funny, because it's not a jail...in fact, it's actually a house that was used for extreme S&M videos in the 80's. I was really shackled to the floor! It was amazing! It's funny, because I know there are people out there who will see this video and actually be into that shit. (Laughter)

Josh: (Laughter)

Candace: The point of the video is actually two people being separated from one another, which is the basic message in the song. There's always shit people can't get past and it prohibits you from opening up to this one person that you love. It's about conquering that, and being with that one person that you love more than anything else. It's rare to find someone that gets you, and when you do, hold on to that person. Otherwise, that pain in your heart is always going to be there.

Josh: On another subject, pertaining to the record, you did an entire song with clean vocals in the form of "No Saving Me". You'd experimented with those in the past on "All Hail The Dead" and even the song "Angel" from "Bound Feed The Gagged".

Candace: Yeah.

Josh: I usually get very wary when brutal vocalists start using clean vocals more regularly, but your clean vocals actually sounded very good on this record. How long did you prepare before doing that song?

Candace: I was actually a nervous wreck! I was very excited to do it, because I used to be a total choir dork. I sang in the choir! But after years of screaming, it took a toll on my vocals and I can't sing high unless I take some time off. That was the last song I did and I was very nervous about doing it, but Ben was very supportive and he coached me through it. It was something I really wanted to do, and if we ever get to play that live, I'd love it. If I can, I will.

Josh: Is there anything special that you do to take care of your voice, considering the amount of screaming you do?

Candace: Not like I should. I'll take a few days off and not speak for a while, but my voice is breaking right now because we practiced yesterday. I don't do anything that special, and nothing works, so I just try to rest.

Josh: You've been a part of the hardcore scene for many years now, so I'm interested to know what you think of the scene now as opposed to how it once was.

Candace: I'm really frustrated by the actual scene, but I try not to focus on it. I focus on the music and the shows, rather than the scene. I don't care who you are or what you're into, if you're at our show, singing along and having a good time, I want you there. That's why it's so frustrating because I feel like hardcore is becoming such an elitist scene and trying to push these kids away. I used to be one of those kids and it's something I don't really like to think about. I don't want anyone to think that I'm down on hardcore because I'm not. I still love this music dearly, but sometimes, things change.

Josh: And speaking of change, you've done a lot to change the climate of hardcore because before Walls of Jericho, female singers were not that prominent in hardcore. Now, it seems that there are many more females in this genre than there were before and the majority of them cite you as an influence. How does that make you feel?

Candace: I think it's amazing and I feel honored that I helped in that. It's hard to get up there, especially when you're a woman. They don't care about the lyrics as much, because now it's all about how tough you look and how heavy your mosh parts are. And that's tough!

Josh: No question.

Candace: So yeah, it's very much an honor to hear that from female singers. It's such an honor.

Josh: Well Candace, the time has now come for the FourteenG Speed Round Questions.

Candace: What the hell is that? (laughter)

Josh: Basically, it's a short question. Just answer honestly with whatever comes to your mind.

Candace: Oh God! (More laughter)

Josh: Are you ready?

Candace: Definitely! Bring it on.

Josh: Evolution or Creation?

Candace: No comment! I don't discuss that with anybody, sorry!

Josh: First thing you do when you get home from a tour?

Candace: I think I get coffee and watch T.V.!

Josh: If Walls of Jericho were a cocktail, what kind would you be?

Candace: We'd be a Jack and Coke!

Josh: If not music, then what?

Candace: Gymnastics!

Josh: Really?

Candace: Mmhhm.

Josh: If not for Walls of Jericho, what would your bandmates do?

Candace: Work at a grocery store. Chris would work there, Hasty would be recording, and Aaron would be doing tattoos.

Josh: Favorite song lyric of all time?

Candace: It's a song by Elliot Smith and it says "I'm Damaged Bad At Best".

Josh: If you could choose any band to cover a Walls of Jericho song, who would you choose and why?

Candace: I'd choose Bob Dylan or Tori Amos, just because it would be so fucked up!

Josh: Your favorite guilty pleasure artist?

Candace: Taking Back Sunday. That's terrible, right?

Josh: It's pretty tame, compared to some of the answers we've gotten. [Note: Lest we forget Alex Webster and Devo]

Candace: I still love their first one! I can't help it!

Josh: Now, for role reversal...do you have any questions for me?

Candace: Do you think people really like our new record?

Josh: Of course!

Candace: Ok, just checking. (Laughter)

Josh: What hopes do you guys have for the future?

Candace: If you'd asked me a year ago, I'd have told you that I didn't even know how much longer I could continue doing this. I was having a very rough time, because our band wasn't tight and we weren't friends like we should have been. A few months ago, we sat down, talked about this and finally worked everything out. So now, all I want to do is make fucking music with these guys as long as I can! I don't have high expectations, just because I think things will happen for us if they're supposed to. If they're supposed to happen, they'll happen. If not, they won't. I'll be happy no matter what, because everything happens for a reason.

Josh: Any last words for our readers?

Candace: Come to the fucking shows, sing along and have a good time! That's all we care about!

I'd like to thank Candace for an amazing interview and for sticking with it all of these years. With Devils Among Us All is out now! Pick it up now!