Last Friday night (December 5th, 2014) at KTCL's Not So Silent Night after a great opening set from Modern Suspects and an amazing full night of music from Half Moon Run, Vance Joy, Fitz and The Tantrums and Cage The Elephant I had the chance to interview Garret, Bart and Tyler of Modern Suspects, a great local band here in Colorado. They were the lucky and very talented winners of KTCL's Hometown For the Holidays 2013 and thus had the honor to open up the show and get the crowd warmed up. I know I speak for all when I say it was one for the record books.
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| Matt, Andrea, Joel, Bart, Me, Tyler, and Garret Photo Credit: 93.3 KTCL |
Here's the whole interview:
Please introduce yourselves and what you do in Modern Suspects.
Garret Myers: Lead vocals and keyboards
Tyler Frees: Bass and synth
Bart Williams: Lead guitar and background vocals.
For Live shows we hire additional guitarists and a drummer.
When you won Hometown for the Holidays (HTFTH) you were called Claymore Disco. Why the name change?
- After winning HTFTH we realized we needed to make some big changes if we wanted to continue to move forward. We needed to improve our writing and update our image. As everything began changing and going in a new direction, it only seemed fitting that we changed our name to give us a fresh start and define a new chapter for us as a band.
What’s one thing you want people/fans to know about Modern Suspects?
- We are all about connecting with people with honesty and transparency.
Are you guys beyond excited to be playing here at Not So Silent Night?
- YES! This has been a very surreal experience to be able to share a stage this size, in front of so many people, with some of our favorite artists!
Which bands are you most excited to hear and or meet tonight?
- Cage the Elephant has always been a favorite band to see live! Half Moon Run however had a very pleasantly surprising live set! Didn't know what to expect seeing them and they totally killed it!
Describe you creative process in 3 words.
- Intentional, weird, feeling
Have you always been musicians/vocalists?
- Garret was a classically trained (10 years) pianist since a very young age. Tyler comes from a very musical family and studied music business for 3 years Anderson University in Indiana. Bart has been playing guitar for 11 years. And of course we all still have our day jobs on the side to help support the band.
You have your new debut single out “Sequel” have there been good reactions to it?
- We've gotten a lot of really good responses to it actually! It’s the first release we've had that we’re all pretty proud of. We’re very excited to release our EP at the beginning of next year!
What are you guys most excited for this upcoming year, musically or just in general?
- Man, there are so many things we’re excited for this next year! Probably what we’re most excited to do is get in front of as many people as we can. We hope to play a lot more shows this year to build our audience and make connections with other bands, venues and other industry reps. Denver has a really great music scene and there are a lot of people to get around to!
If you were stranded on a deserted island and you could only bring one item what would it be?
- A Frisbee, definitely a Frisbee!
Who are your musical influences?
- Wow, we have a lot! To mention some of the big players who significantly influence us and our writing, Coldplay, Mutemath, The 1975, Two Door Cinema Club, Phoenix.
What’s the hardest thing about being in a band?
- Probably the hardest thing is making the sacrifices necessary to grow. It takes being willing to give up your free time to hang with friends or play video games or other hobbies to commit to practicing and fine tuning your craft, emailing venues and promoters, writing songs, planning goals etc. So in short, you have to be willing to pour all your time and money into the band.
You describe your music as “Popternative,” please explain?
- Pop-ternative is simply putting alternative pop into one word! (help us spread it!)
I know some of you are not from Colorado, what made you guys move here in the first place? What made you stay?
- Well all 3 of us ended up moving here with our families in our younger years, Tyler however went to school in Indiana. When Garret and I (Bart) needed an additional player, we asked Tyler who was a childhood friend if he would be willing to move back to join the band, an offer he simply couldn't refuse!
What was the first concert you attended? First album you bought? Favorite album?
Tyler: First concert and album was by the Newsboys, Thrive. Favorite album of all time is probably “The End is not the End” by House of Heroes.
Bart: My first concert was a Relient K show at the Fillmore in Denver. I honestly can’t even remember the first album I bought…. Might have been a Cake record. Favorite album right now would have to be Wolfgang Amadeus by Phoenix.
Garret: First concert I ever saw was John Tesh at Red Rocks.
What are you listening to right now? Song wise, band wise?
Bart: I've been on a really big Metronomy kick lately, loving their song Aquarius.
Garret: I've been listening to a lot of Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr., specifically Simple Girl.
Tyler: Listening to The Wild Wild, Tokyo Police Club, and The Knocks song “Classic.”
What was it like hearing your song on the radio for the first time?
Bart: First time I ever heard one of our songs on the radio I had just gotten off work and was driving down the highway when one of our songs came on. I remember cranking it as loud as it would go, rolling down my windows and screaming all the lyrics! It’s a wonder I didn't get in a wreck haha.
If you could trade places with any musician for a day who would you pick and why? (you would gain their skills)
Bart: This might be the hardest question yet! I think I would trade with Jack White. His creativity, simplicity and songwriting have always fascinated me!
Tyler: Drums, Darren King from Mutemath because he’s in his own league and zone. Bass, Chris Wolstenholm from Muse because his bass lines make peoples ears bleed.
Garret: Jon Foreman of Switchfoot. He’s a vocalist and frontman that I believe does it for the good of people and not necessarily for himself.
What kind of advice do you have for aspiring musicians and bands?
- Do what you love. The whole reason we do this “band thing” is because we love the music that we’re making. If you lose sight of why you’re making music in order to be famous or make tons of money then the whole process becomes a chore and you lose the joy of it all. This is probably one of the hardest industries to be a part of, but we’re willing to go through all the crap and work 12+ hr. days because the love we have for it makes it so worth it.
Dream venue? Dream band to tour with?
- Red Rocks would be incredible! We would love to be able to tour with Switchfoot or Mutemath someday!
Where can fans go to see you next?
- We actually don’t have any shows posted right now but are putting together details for our EP release early Feb, so be on the lookout for that date!
What’s next for Modern Suspects?
- We've spent the entire last year writing and really laying the groundwork for the band, so this year will be full of promoting what we've been working on. So you’ll see lots of shows posted in the near future, new music and new videos.
I volunteer at the Denver Zoo, so what are your favorite animals?
Bart: I've always loved the octopus because it’s so weird! Tyler: Tigers!
Garret: Zeerbras… lookup Kevin Hart for details! (half deer, half zebra)
You can check out and "Like" Modern Suspects on Facebook here
Follow them on Twitter here
Instagram here
Download there new single "Sequel" on Noisetrade here
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