Switches Interview
Thursday, June 12, 2008, 5:17 p.m. CST
So, dreams can really come true. Matt Bishop, Thom Kirkpatrick, Ollie Thomas and I discussed on the Switches’ tour bus their debut album Lay Down the Law, the bands’ inspirations, Thom joining Switches and iTunes.
AARON KEKER: Hey everyone! This is Aaron Keker from Always Acoustic™ on the tour bus with Matt Bishop
and––
MATT BISHOP: Thom Kirkpatrick.
AARON KEKER: Thom Kirkpatrick. So, how are you guys doing?
MATT BISHOP: Good!
THOM KIRKPATRICK: Good! Thanks!
AARON KEKER: What date did Switches U.S. tour begin?
MATT BISHOP: It began on the 8th of May in Anaheim.
AARON KEKER: I read on Switches’ MySpace page a while ago that you guys have played several acoustic shows in California and Texas. Do you guys enjoy playing acoustically?
MATT BISHOP: Yeah, it makes a change from playing electrically, it gives us a chance to just––
THOM KIRKPATRICK: You can actually hear what we’re singing as well for a change.
MATT BISHOP: Harmonies you know. It’s fun. It’s a change. It’s a good change.
AARON KEKER: Besides The Bravery and She Wants Revenge, are there any other bands or musicians that Switches would enjoy touring with?
MATT BISHOP: Weezer.
THOM KIRKPATRICK: Yeah, we’d like to tour with Weezer.
MATT BISHOP: Yeah, we’d like to tour with Oasis.
THOM KIRKPATRICK: Bowie.
AARON KEKER: Yeah.
THOM KIRKPATRICK: [laughs]
AARON KEKER: [laughs] That’s cool. I read two different Switches’ press releases some time ago and it had different bassists in each one. Did the band change bassists from Max to Thom?
MATT BISHOP: That’s correct.
THOM KIRKPATRICK: That’s correct.
AARON KEKER: [laughs]
MATT BISHOP: Max left the band on his own choice and Thom filled in.
AARON KEKER: Welcome!
MATT BISHOP: Welcome Thom!
AARON KEKER: [laughs]
MATT BISHOP: [laughs]
THOM KIRKPATRICK: Nice to be here!
AARON KEKER: [laughs]
MATT BISHOP: [laughs]
AARON KEKER: What was it like playing at Lollapalooza last year?
MATT BISHOP: Hot.
THOM KIRKPATRICK: It was really hot.
AARON KEKER: As hot as today?
MATT BISHOP: Yeah! Well I have not been outside today but I’m not sure.
AARON KEKER: Yes, that’s true.
MATT BISHOP: But it was boiling last summer. Hot at Lollapalooza.
THOM KIRKPATRICK: Ah, boy.
MATT BISHOP: But it was good fun you know. Good fun. Can’t complain. Good stuff. Good times. Yeah.
THOM KIRKPATRICK: Yeah. A nice little crowd there and they seemed to enjoy it.
AARON KEKER: What bands or musicians inspire Switches?
MATT BISHOP: There’s lots of them, bands or musicians we like, you know. David Bowie probably is as far as a lot of artists in our sort of league, which have the same style.
THOM KIRKPATRICK: Blur.
MATT BISHOP: Blur. Ben Folds.
THOM KIRKPATRICK: Ben Folds.
MATT BISHOP: … Weezer, we mentioned them. So, yeah there’s a few there.
AARON KEKER: It’s cool. How excited was the band when Lay Down The Law was finally released on March 18, 2008 in the U.S.?
MATT BISHOP: Very, very excited. It’s just nice to get our first album out in America. A dream of mine come true really. So, here we are right here trying to promote it but being on first at 6 p.m., probably not the best way. But you know.
THOM KIRKPATRICK: [laughs]
AARON KEKER: [laughs] No, but it’s all right. So, that’s your official U.S. debut album though?
MATT BISHOP: It is, yeah.
AARON KEKER: I noticed on the U.K. iTunes store that Lay Down The Law is not available. The album that is available is––
MATT BISHOP: Heart Tuned to D.E.A.D.
AARON KEKER: Yes.
MATT BISHOP: It is the same album but a different title.
AARON KEKER: Exactly.
MATT BISHOP: It’s basically because the record label in American wanted something more direct and easy to stomach. So we just chose the most catchy song on the album.
AARON KEKER: Right. So, does D.E.A.D. stand for anything or is it just Dead?
MATT BISHOP: Dead. D.E.A.D. are strings as well on the guitar.
THOM KIRKPATRICK: You can tune your guitar like that.
MATT BISHOP: It’s tuning isn’t it dead like that…
AARON KEKER: Okay. What are some of your favorite songs on Lay Down The Law?
MATT BISHOP: I like “Step Kids in Love” and I like “The Need to be Needed.”
THOM KIRKPATRICK: I like “Coming Down” it has a nice… vibe to it.
MATT BISHOP: Yeah. That’s it.
AARON KEKER: Okay. Are there any songs that did not make it on Lay Down The Law that you wished they would have?
MATT BISHOP: “Give up the Ghost” that was a track that was on our U.K. release that got shelved which we all agree is probably one of our best songs…
THOM KIRKPATRICK: Sometimes we play it live…
MATT BISHOP: Apart from that no, I think we’re happy with the choices on the album.
AARON KEKER: Okay. Besides Drama Queen, do you expect any other videos like Lay Down the Law to be released on iTunes U.S.?
MATT BISHOP: I can’t tell you at the moment, I’m not sure.
AARON KEKER: Okay.
MATT BISHOP: I hope to put out another single, which is going to be the track “Lay Down the Law.” We already shot a video for that in England so we might just use that, I don’t know. I don’t know the answer to that question.
AARON KEKER: Okay. Yeah, I’m like a big iTunes video guy. So…
MATT BISHOP: Yeah.
AARON KEKER: I would love to check that out.
MR. iTUNES: Excuse me! [Sweeping the floor] Guys don’t worry about me. Just keep talking.
AARON KEKER: That’s all right. What about any bonus songs from your U.K. album like “Stephanie,” “No Hero” and “Solid Gold” will they be available on iTunes U.S.?
MATT BISHOP: I don’t know. You have to ask Mr. iTunes.
AARON KEKER: [laughs]
THOM KIRKPATRICK: [laughs]
MATT BISHOP: I’m not in any control of it––
MR. iTUNES: Mr. iTunes present!
AARON KEKER: [laughs]
MATT BISHOP: I’m not in control of anything in terms of what goes on iTunes. I don’t know. Can you not get them off iTunes U.K.?
AARON KEKER: Well you actually… I actually have to have a U.K. account. So…
MATT BISHOP: Okay. Well can that be arranged or…
AARON KEKER: Yeah. You know… I assume so if I pay someone to purchase them you know from the U.K. store, but…
MATT BISHOP: You probably can buy them on imports, I suppose––
AARON KEKER: Yeah.
MATT BISHOP: On cd’s.
AARON KEKER: Yeah. I’m big on buying imports too but I’m not sure.
MATT BISHOP: They’re all available on import cd’s those tracks.
AARON KEKER: It’s probably actually on that album too, right, Heart Tuned to D.E.A.D. anyway?
MATT BISHOP: Which songs are you referring too? “Stephanie.”
AARON KEKER: “Stephanie.” “No Hero,” maybe it’s not. No, I don’t think it is.
MATT BISHOP: “No Hero” was part of an EP release.
AARON KEKER: What was it like when you heard “Drama Queen” was the theme song for MTV’s Legally Blonde: The Search for the Next Elle Woods?
THOM KIRKPATRICK: [laughs] Watching the program––
MATT BISHOP: [laughs]
AARON KEKER: [laughs]
THOM KIRKPATRICK: it kind of makes a lot of sense because it’s those exact kind of people that we’re having to poke at with in that song you know.
AARON KEKER: No, go ahead.
THOM KIRKPATRICK: But they kind of played with it a little bit much with the theme which was a bit of a shame.
MATT BISHOP: Yeah.
THOM KIRKPATRICK: You know it works well.
MATT BISHOP: It’s good exposure you know. Cheers Ollie! Nice work!
OLLIE THOMAS: Semi-success, I can’t find the sodas.
THOM KIRKPATRICK: Quite ironic with the content of the lyrics of the song that is kind of a poke to those particular kind of people.
MATT BISHOP: Yeah.
AARON KEKER: It must be at least nice to have a song like, you know, on TV?
MATT BISHOP: It’s nice. We’re really grateful for the opportunity to have it, you know.
AARON KEKER: Has “Drama Queen” been featured on any other show besides Legally Blonde?
MATT BISHOP: Yeah, it has––
OLLIE THOMAS: Yeah, it has––
MATT BISHOP: but I’m trying to think. Was it––
THOM KIRKPATRICK: Was it Ugly Betty wasn’t it?
MATT BISHOP: Was it? I don’t know if it was. I mean––
OLLIE THOMAS: I think it was.
MATT BISHOP: I mean a lot of our tracks have been featured on America shows but I can’t remember which belongs with which.
THOM KIRKPATRICK: Grey’s Anatomy.
OLLIE THOMAS: A lot of bad English guys. [laughs]
AARON KEKER: [laughs]
OLLIE THOMAS: Sorry Ollie! Nice to meet you!
AARON KEKER: Hi! Aaron!
OLLIE THOMAS: Hey Aaron!
AARON KEKER: How you doing?
MATT BISHOP: Yeah. I can’t remember the names of the shows but it has been featured on other things I think. It was part of a Rimmel ad that Kate Moss was on as well.
AARON KEKER: All right. Well, final question. When the tour concludes on June 12th, I mean June 21, 2008 in L.A., what’s next for Switches?
MATT BISHOP: We’re going to go home and record another album, I think.
OLLIE THOMAS: Yes.
AARON KEKER: You guys have a new album title?
OLLIE THOMAS: No, not at all yet. We’ve got some songs and I think we’re just going to rehearse them up and try this and––
MATT BISHOP: Make some recordings.
OLLIE THOMAS: Get some recordings. Stuff from there really.
AARON KEKER: All right guys, well thanks a lot! I will see you in I guess in a half hour!
MATT BISHOP: All right!
OLLIE THOMAS: All right! Cool!
THOM KIRKPATRICK: Yeah!
MATT BISHOP: See you later!
OLLIE THOMAS: Cheers man!
