For The Blank Theory, the language of assaulting guitars and grooves underpinning melodic and cerebral melodies remains the essential medium to communicate in a world that has become fragmented and fraught with the pains of modern life.

The Blank Theory played their first show at the underground performance space The Cold Room. With a month of practice behind them, a certain groove was achieved, a hint of transcendence in the midst of their inexperience. It was enough of a hint for the band to continue and work their asses off to hone their craft to a crisp perfection. The result is 13 songs of hard-edged grooves mixed with emotionally astute songwriting contained on their debut album “Beyond the Calm of the Corridor”, released September 24th on Scratchie/New Line Records.

Growing up in Chicago the members of The Blank Theory have know each other for most of their lives, the brothers Leone are, in fact, identical twins. The twins always knew Michael as a musical prodigy. He had been playing guitar since age 10, practicing the riffs of Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin and burning with the need to make music his life. Following a few years in college the two twins returned to Chicago where they sought out Michael and found that, despite the years of separation, the three shared a common musical vision and more importantly, a shared outlook on the social world. When the three later brought in drummer, James Knight and keyboardist Shawn Currie, The Blank Theory was born.

For four years The Blank Theory honed their songwriting and played live to a growing cadre of dedicated fans. As an unsigned group with a few self-released EPs, the band managed to repeatedly sell out such vaunted spaces as Chicago?s Cabaret Metro with their sound that brought together the groove heavy riffs of Black Sabbath with the modern-day influences of bands like Helmet and Tool. With such a groundswell of grass-roots fan support, it was almost a demand that the band create a full-length album for a hungry fan base hungry. In 2001, The Blank Theory signed with Scratchie/New Line records and with producers James Iha (Smashing Pumpkins) and Adam Schlesinger (Fountains of Wayne) and crafted their debut “Beyond the Calm Of the Corridor”.

More than ever, rock music has a purpose, explains Matthew. “I remember hearing Smashing Pumpkins or My Bloody Valentine and feeling as if my very emotions were being translated into music. There is a lot of gimmicky music out there, but rock music really has the power to take those angst-ridden emotions such as anger and frustration and transcend them, turning them into something cathartic and useful. With all the insanity in our present day world, we aim in our music to take the full range of emotions and issues, both personal and political and turn them into something people can feel as their own and identify with”.

The Blank Theory aspires to enter the musical landscape with the squeal of an electric guitar and the unrelenting force of rolling drums. And with their hearts on their sleeves, they will remind us that rock music is still the language that can best translate the modern world into a beautiful, yet harsh, moment of understanding.

The Blank Theory refers to the notion of a person or institution with the prepotency to peddle an ideal to the masses. Their methodology aims directly at the most prevalent global weakness, insecurity. The cost of subscribing is not a monetary one, but of high value nonetheless. It is the cost of free thought and the desire to pursue a greater understanding.

I’d just like to thank you in advance for taking the time to do this interview with us today.
No, thank you.

Q: How are you doing today?
A: I’m feeling quite well today, thanks!

Q: Could you please introduce yourself for us?
A: Nathan Leone, vocals, rhythm guitar for The Blank Theory.

Q: Where did you guys come up with the name ‘The Blank Theory’?
A: A lot of the subject matter in our songs involves a certain amount of disdain for organized religion. We certainly see benefits of having faith and believing in something, but all religions provide a platform for extremists to turn to violence. It is our belief that many religions cripple mental growth and provide crutches, excuses, and justifications for immoral behavior. The Blank Theory is our way of encouraging people to follow their own beliefs, rather than subscribe to a predetermined, conditional, and discriminating set of ideals.

Q: To those out there who haven’t had the pleasure of hearing you guys yet, how would you describe your sound?
A: We are a groove-oriented, heavy rock band. We try to focus on groove, melodies, and quality song-writing.

Q: You guys were recently signed to New Line Records, how did they approach you and why did you go with them?
A: There were several labels calling us and coming out to see shows. Adam Schlessinger (Fountains of Wayne, Ivy) came out to see us and reported back to his camp at Scratchie Records (an A&R division for New Line) that he wanted to sign us. Soon after that, the whole camp at New Line and Scratchie came out to about 3 more shows and that was it. They moved on it fast which is what set them apart from all the other labels in our eyes. Every label wants to be your friend, but many are too afraid to move on something.

Q: You guys have been chosen to be on the soundtrack for the movie ‘Blade 2′ how excited are you all about this? Have you picked out a song yet?
A: Actually, we had picked to do a re-mix of “Recluse”, but due to recent contractual hold-ups, we had to withdraw from the Soundtrack. It’s a bit of a bummer, but it was good business to withdraw. We are slated to do about 3 more movie soundtracks within the next 4 months, so I guess it’s all good.

Q: You guys have recently been gearing up for your debut album, how far into the process are you so far, and what can we expect from this album?
A: We are getting quite far into it. One of the best things about New Line is that they are very patient and have agreed that until we are ready to make the best album we can make, we should just take our time. We’ve spent the Holidays working about 10 hours a day on songs. We’re scheduled to go into the studio on Jan. 27th to start tracking. The songs we have compiled to go onto the album are absolutely the best we’ve done yet. Sonically, they’re heavy, melodic, and we’ve added a lot of programming, drum machine, and synth sounds to our songs. It has really opened up a new world for us, musically.

Q: Also, you guys have recently been on the Vertigo Productions compilation, alongside many other great underground acts such as [minus], Element of Surprise, Dredg, and Ethynol, how did this come about?
A: We were fortunate enough to be Band of the Month on ThePRP.com in April of 01 and this was the best thing that ever happened to us. There was a bit of an explosion of people that got into our band. One of them was, Twon, who put together the Vertigo Comps. He invited us on and that was an honor in-and-of-itself because there are so many incredible bands on it.

Q: Nathan, your twin brother Matthew is in The Blank Theory also, what is it like to have him in the band with you?
A: It’s pretty amazing actually. The whole band has become really close friends and having a brother as part of it is that much better.

Q: How would you describe your live show?
A: We play from our hearts so whenever people see us, they’re not getting the corporate mold of a rock band. We practice a lot, but when we play live, none of that seems to matter. The idea of conveying what we set out to convey in our songs, live, is overwhelming. Playing live is the best thing about being in a band.

Q: What is your favorite song to play live?
A: Thicker and Recluse are my favorites.

Q: You guys have been on many music sites including ours (Break The Static) and ThePRP.com, how has the internet helped you to get where you are today?
A: It’s been unbelievable. Sites like your have turned so many people onto us and we are so grateful. To put it into perspective, we have street team members from Cypress (a country near Greece that I hardly even knew existed!).

Q: You guys come from Chicago, where the scene has produced many great acts lately, what was it like trying to get your band heard in the city?
A: It’s an arduous process in a bigger city like Chicago, but the community for heavier rock has been unbelievable. Once you forge relationships with other bands in your area, you start sharing fans and opening up bridges. Also, clubs like Metro have been amazing to us.

Q: Are there are other bands in Chicago that the world should know about?
A: Probably a ton, but some off the top of my head include Red River, Colonel Stem, Crash Poet, Life Without, From Zero (as you all probably know!), etc.

Q: What are some of the band�s hobbies outside of music?
A: We have decided that we all want to get back into RC cars. So we will probably buy one or 2 before we go on tour. We already have a plane. Otherwise, I’m in the process of getting certified to scuba dive and I can’t wait!

Q: What can we expect from The Blank Theory in the near and distant future?
A: We will record the best record possible and then tour for as long as it takes to get in front of every music fan on the planet.

Q: That about wraps it up, any last thank yous or shoutouts?
A: Thank you very much for the help, promotion, and everything else!

Once again, thank you so much for your time, and we at Break The Static wish you the best of luck in the future!

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My bud Spit and I were out at a club in Missouri called Niener’s one night and we ran into a band called BLANK THEORY. We were very interested in this band. They sounded a bit like Radio Head meets Smashing Pumpkins. Very tight band from Chicago. Here is the interview we did. There are also some pics off to the left – just click the thumbnails and check them out.

O.W: How long has the band been together?
B.T: About a year and a half.

O.W: What are your goals as a band?
B.T: For our creations and dynamics to be more experimental.

O.W: What makes your band different from all the others?
B.T: We have a mix of very light songs and very heavy songs.

O.W: What was your worst experience as a band?
B.T: It was our first gig in Chicago and we had this strange feeling that the bands we played with were gay! We have nothing against gays, but it was a little off the wall. We think it was a bad joke. We haven’t been able to get to the bottom of it yet.

O.W: Are there any special projects going on?
B.T: Yes, we have a video upload on the Internet at Jamtv.com. Go check it out!
O.W: Sorry, we couldn’t locate the site.

O.W: What’s the best experience the band has had yet?
B.T: Just being on this tour. We have been all over the place. To name a few: NYC, Atlanta, Chicago, Kansas and Missouri.

O.W: What’s the music like in Chicago?
B.T: Very segregated and pretentious. Posers everywhere. It’s dead, but we’re working on getting it back on its feet.

O.W: I hear you guys have your own record label.
B.T: Well, we opened a record label in this building and we had some friends open a recording studio downstairs. It makes everything very convenient.

O.W: What’s the name of the record label?
B.T: 4 Alarm Records. It’s out of Chicago.

O.W: What’s the name of your CD?
B.T: Lighting Process.

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I was invited to take time out of my busy schedule to go see a local band that I had heard whisperings about, but never actually had the chance to see. The venue was new to me, too. A place called the Hideout, if I told you where it was, I’d have to kill you. (It’s on Wabansia, near the corner of Elston and North near a Municipal motor pool) NO subconscious, STOP!! Don’t tell themOh well. Great people and great beer, I recommend it. It’s an interesting place to see shows. Lots of kitschy stuff on the walls like fish and old signs, but not in a cheesy, chain restaurant sort of way. Richard Milne from XRT was there; he seemed like a pretty down to earth guy and was having fun talking to the crowd. I was worried, because the description I had of the band didn’t match with the type of music they play on WXRT, so I thought maybe I got it wrong. Not to worry, Blank Theory got up there and rocked the place enough to make those fish on the walls swim and shake the dust off of those antiques. Matthew Leone bobbed up and down with his bass like he was hooking in one of those fish. Nathan Leone sang and wailed on the ax, both with equal precision and Michael Foderaro played lead with both pro flair and reckless abandon. James Knight slapped out the pace at high speed on the skins. During the slower parts, he looked about to burst with all the untapped energy that he had to hold back. Shirley Hemphill watched matronly over the band as they kept the crowd gyrating. After their show, they told me to go backstage for the interview and they would join me in a minute. I walked back and stood in what was no bigger than a janitor’s closet, with equipment surrounding me. “No, no, further backout the door and into the alley!” Matthew directed me. There we were standing out with some lawn chairs, a folding metal table in a freezing cold alley

CRC: I read about you in the New City article, and your website, which was very cool, had some info and background, but not too much
Nathan: It’s all under construction right now, it’s only been up for a couple weeks, so we’re gonna do a little more work on that one.

CRC: You’ve got that picture of that chick that looks like something out of Heavy Metal or something
(We’re all laughing)

Matthew: Yeah, we wanted a classy way to put a boob in there. (More laughter)
Nathan: Did you see the prison?

CRC: Yeah, what’s that all about?
Nathan: We came up with this thing, like for people that piss us off for some other reasonwell, like when we play shows with other bands, we try to set up in as quick a time as possible, play for our allotted time and then take down as quick as possible. There’s all these bands that don’t do that. We played with this band that played for an hour and a half, they were only supposed to play for 40 minutes

CRC: They ate all your time up?
Nathan: Exactly, we went on at 1:30 on a Thursday night and there was like 2 people left, so it really pissed us off, that’s the type of people that go into our jail

CRC: Was that that Geddy Lee/Rush looking dude with the mullet chop?
Matthew (laughing): No, no we pulled him off of mullet school.com. Who ever thought such a small group of people could provide such a huge amount of laughs?
Nathan: It’s actually quite a big group. I was thinking of getting one myself.

CRC: Really now? I would reconsider that before you go down to Austin, you might get the wrong crowd.
Nathan (laughing): Yeah, that’s true, maybe not.

CRC: Right. So where did you come up with the name Blank Theory?
Matthew: Right, it’s sort of a concept of the band, like the global navet of ideals, sort of thing. It’s kind of intense I guess.
Nathan: We’ve got all these theoriesReligious norms and ideals that people kill over
Matthew: and they force them on the young and the weak and they just brainwash people and nobody really knows for sure, so how can they insist that they’re right. Yet, they’re causing so much corruption and trouble in the world that we’re supposed to be enjoying. Like that, all their theories are blank. There’s no meaning, no truth, no substance to them, whatsoever.

CRC: Like a Jean Boudrillard/ Matrix type of thing, like the quotes from him in the movie, the whole simulation vs. real life thing?
Nathan: Yeah, whoever that is. (Laughing) Like the Matrix kind of deal.

CRC: So you guys are out on 4 Alarm records?
Nathan: No, no actually, well, me and him (Matthew) run that together. We just put the 4 Alarm name on the CD so that we could look professional and book shows without hassle. It’s so hard to book shows when you first start out, you know, in the city it’s hard enough, but out of town, especially.

CRC: So you have an EP out, though? Is that the CD with the 4 Alarm name on it?
Nathan: Yeah, that’s the one. It’s self-released. We didn’t go through our distribution company with 4 Alarm for that one. We consigned some to stores and took the rest out on the road with us to help pay for gas and expenses.
Michael: Yeah, it’s done its job really well, too.

CRC: Really? You’ve sold a lot then?
Michael: Oh yeah, definitely.
Matthew: Yeah, we must have sold like 500 or 600 of them. It’s going pretty good. We’ve sold them mostly at shows, primarily in other cities. (Laughs)

CRC: Not going over too well in Chicago?
Matthew: No, seriously, we are doing okay. It’s just that there’s not too many venues with all ages shows and that’s primarily our demographic, you know, so we either have the Metro or Fireside Bowl. We go to Toledo, St. Louis, or whatever and the kids always go to the shows, no matter who’s there. They’re not pretentious and they’re getting right up in front, getting all involved.

CRC: You’re playing an all ages show at the Metro soon? Is that the first time?
Nathan: Yeah, that show’s coming up, but it’s not the first time. We’ve played Metro and Double Door a few times. We’ve done pretty good there, sold a few CD’s and gotten a good crowd. The CD is about a year old, maybe a little over, so it’s run its course. We’re hoping to record again soon.
James: Yeah, it’s been over a year, we need to get some of our new music out.

CRC: You’re planning on doing a full length LP now, right? Are you going to do that on your own, with 4 Alarm, or work with another label?
Nathan: We’re actually talking to a few labels right now like MCA, Dreamworks and Arista. Arista’s kind of an interesting story. About 10 months ago they got in touch with us and we talked with them a couple times. They brought us back to New York to play a showcase at CBGB’s, which was just amazing. They put us up in a hotel, paid for food, gave us spending money and just treated us wonderfully

CRC: They really wined and dined you.
Nathan: Totally, but then about 4 months ago, they were preparing us an offer and then Claude Davis, who was working with us, got booted.
James: Completely run out of there.
Nathan: Which meant that they were going to dissolve their rock department. They put a freeze on all signing and everything and we were just kind of like “AagghWhat now?” I mean, its cool because they haven’t abandoned us
Matthew: Yeah, they’re still on our side and all. They’re helping us shop around, but they can’t control what happens to us with that. They’re still burning off demos for us and getting big time managers and producers to come to our shows. So, that’s why we’re balking at recording our full length ’cause we want to see what happens with them.

CRC: So you’re going to stick with the major label camp now?
Matthew: Yeah, we need the tour support and the money to record a good record. We’re not looking for a million-dollar advance
Nathan: No, not at all.
Matthew: What we need is financial tour support, to be able to record a good record and get good distribution and promotion.
Nathan: Yeah, definitely, maybe some videos with cute girls
Matthew: Like a Spinal Tap thing, you know.

CRC: Very cool, best of luck with that, but you know the drummer always buys it somewhere down the line.
James: I always get the comparisons. I fear for my life.

CRC: I heard you also are into a lot of self-promotion booking your own shows, doing your own management?
Nathan and Matthew: Yeah, yeah, exactly.
James: We just show up and play. (Points to himself and Michael)

CRC: But, now you’re telling me you want backup support here, some big promotion, which kind of conflicts with the whole DIY thing, what’s up with that?
Michael: We are trying to cover most of it, but up to that very last point is too much, those final steps
Matthew: Yeah, well, our goal is to get up there, so we do all this work, we put posters up all over town, (pointing to Nathan) he steals e-mail names off of like, other web pages, lists

CRC: What’s this now, you’re buying lists? (Laughing)
Matthew (laughing): Oh, yeah, you want names, we got some people.
Nathan: Most of it is managerial stuff, like if you’re talking to labels, you know if they call us, like lawyers and producers, then we have to take care of that. Part of our managerial role is booking the shows, we all promote ‘em like crazy; we practice for them like crazy, but then also dealing with all the politics about being in a band.
Matthew: What we want to do DIY, is get ourselves big and get ourselves signed. We want to establish a huge fan base so that people can’t turn away or deny it.

CRC: You’re on the verge of that now, though. Being touted as the “next big thing” and all. That’s a lot of pressure, how are you dealing with that?
Matthew: Yeah, it’s a lot of pressure, but we want people to be talking.
James: You know, we’re still going to do what we do, and we’re never gonna freak out if we don’t get signed. We’ll just keep rolling, you know, look out here we come!
Michael: Oh yeah, I don’t think anything’s going to stop us.
Nathan: And once we get signed, we’re still going to work as hard as we do now. Nothing will change that. We’re going to be calling stores to make sure they get our CD, we’re going to be promoting everything. This is what we want to do, indefinitely, so

CRC: Right now, though you all are hanging on to your day jobs?
(Laughing)
Matthew: Yeah, I don’t know, I think if we have an income right now, it’s about 5 bucks!
James: No shit, I think I’m the only one that brings in something passing for money.
Michael: They run their label, James is a truck driver and I temp, that’s about it.
James: I got a mean van. (Points to the van parked a few feet further down the alley)
Blank Theory: It’s our van!

CRC: It looks like some stuff is falling off of there, like it’s seen better days.
Nathan: What are you talking about? We designed it that way!
James: It works well for us.
Michael: Looks can fool you, an Oldsmobile is like a speed bump for that thing.

CRC: Oh yeah, you do a little off-roading with it?
James: Hell yeah, it will get you out of a swamp.
Nathan: It’s great, it’s got us to New York three times. We can hack it in there.
Michael: It’s like a party in there, get some girls, you know, it’s the Abductor!

CRC: Real Love Machine, eh? Mattress in the back and everything?
Matthew: Aspiring to be maybe, we can’t hold up our end of the bargain!
Michael: Well it’s aspiring to be something, it wants to be the make-out mobile, but we let it down all the time.

CRC: It’s hurtin’, eh? It’s saying, “Feed me!”
Nathan: “Get laid in me!” (Mass laughter)

CRC: Okay, sowhat are some major influences for you guys, bands, people and how did that help you starting out?
Nathan: Mike’s actually the primary songwriter for the band, so
Michael: Yeah, umearly on it was Black Sabbath, Hendrix, Zeppelin, Stones, Beatles, etc., later on big influence was of course, Metallica, for that guy (points to James) it’s a big Slayer thing. Dave Lombardo sits in behind that drum kit every so often.
Matthew: We also bring in some of the indie influences too, like Built to Spill and Idaho
Michael: Yeah, yeah, I like Idaho a lot. As far as listening, its anythingRadiohead, PJ Harvey, Portishead, Luscious Jackson, man, those are all girl bands I just named, aren’t they? I like men, too, umJames Brown
Matthew: He likes men too. Ha ha!
Michael: Yeah, I mean everything. I don’t want our music to be isolated to just one genre, either. I can’t take it that way, there’s just nothing interesting about redundancy. I want to stay diverse, and I think we do that. They bring a lot to the table, tooarrangements
Nathan: Posters!
Michael: Ha ha! Yeah, they make great posters!
Nathan: Yeah, but we have a lot of material that’s just out there, that’s just spacey, eclectic.

CRC: Yeah, I noticed some of that in the show, some of the slower stuff.
Michael: We’ve got a bit of that stuff. We try not to throw so much in live, you know, the energy level can get down. We’re not ready for that, but we can’t wait to get to recording some of it.

CRC: Are you going to balance it out with some of your faster stuff? I noticed you had a bit on stage there, where you started with a punch, then leveled it out and then brought it back up, speeding it up at the end there.
Nathan: We put a lot of thought into our set list.
Michael: Eventually, when we can bring those real slow, spacey songs in there, its going to sound like a roller coaster ride.
Nathan: The stuff we’re talking about won’t even hit the stage for a long time, it’s like almost more pressure.
Michael: We recorded a couple of them on 4 track, but we’re really waiting for that major label budget. (Laughing)
Matthew: MA-JOR LA-BEL! Hint hint.
Michael: Yeah, we’re gonna get that 5th member on keyboards!

CRC: Maybe get a horns section in there, too?
Michael: NahSynth, strings violins and cellos. (Laughs) We can’t wait to get exploited.

CRC: Well, for real though, you want to get experimental like that and really spread those wings?
Nathan: I think it’s a matter of retaining the credibility and creativity at the same time.
Michael: Yeah, I think to pull that off at shows, you have to have some die-hard fans that will like that. Otherwise, it brings the energy way down.
Nathan: So we have to be kind of smart about it

CRC: Well, are you catering directly to your fans?
Matthew: Well, we need people to trust us first, we do need to go where we want to go.
Michael: That’s exactly it.
Nathan: They’re all our songs, we work them all in
Michael: Yeah, we like ‘em all. We don’t care which ones we play. You just need to have some strategy when you’re arranging a set.

CRC: You guys don’t play any covers do you? Or did you used to?
Michael: We’ve done minimal covers. We did Go-Go’s for one compilation we were on, for the 4 Alarm compilation. We do a couple live covers, like the Stooge’s “Search and Destroy.”
Matthew: That’s a great tune.
Nathan: Yeah, we love doing that one.
Michael: So, once in a while we’ll pull out one. We don’t have much else in the way of that, of covers.
(There was another off topic discussion into the van, which I couldn’t follow all of off the tapeSomething about Christine devouring her victims. Massive Laughter.)
James: Is anyone else getting really cold out here?
BT: SoonNot reallyI’m too drunk to care.

CRC: You guys have a bit of fascination with movies and strange celebrities.
Michael: Yeah, we like Christopher Walken and Arnie Cunningham
Matthew: All the nerds, too.
Michael: Yeah, we like the Revenge of the Nerds movies. I want to get pictures of all these people and put them up on the website, like Crispin Glover, Shirley Hemphill

CRC: Explain the Shirley Hemphill thing, I saw her picture up on the stage.
James: We never play without her. We were playing one Metro show once, and she wasn’t there, and it was, wellAnyway, we heard “Shirley’s in the house!” and we started playing better. She makes it all right.
Nathan: Someone went home and got her for us.
James: Yeah we were scared without her.
Matthew: When we were out of town we played a couple shows without her, and it honestly just wasn’t good. So we’re kind of superstitious about it.

CRC: So, you just can’t do it without her, huh?
Nathan: Exactly, we need Shirley.
Michael: Our savior.
James: I do it without her every night.

CRC: What, you aren’t pulling that picture into the bathroom with you? (Laughter)
Matthew: We each have our own copy.
(Some gay inuendo and an uncomfortable silence)
Michael: Speaking of gigs and dick, there is one coming up
Nathan: Oh yeah. We’re having that whole 4 Alarm Records showcase down in Austin with us, Monkey Paw (who’s playing with us tonight), Pinehurst Kids, The Frogs and Chainsaw Kittens. The thing about this guy from the Chainsaw Kittens is that he’s outrageously gay. He met this friend of ours, Skip, and they fell in love, I guess. So, we’ve decided to have a wedding at the end of their set, the Chainsaw Kittens set. It’s become a whole big deal now, MTV coming to film it, Music.com and bunch of other TV people. So, it’s going to be a blast, pretty hilarious, I think.
Matthew: It’s all about the Blank Theory.

CRC: Hey sounds cool, you’re all about diversity.
Nathan: It’s interesting because MTV called us and they’re doing a story on California, that whole legal issue. Some proposition to make gay marriages legal and they want to get different opinions of it. They called us about it and asked what kind of political statement are you trying to make, and we’re just like, “Hey, two people love each other, we’re just there for the happy occasion.” Its not legal or anything, of course, we won’t have a real priest there or anything. We just want to help them recognize it.
Matthew: We’re trying to be funny and everyone else is being all serious about it.

CRC: Well, how serious are the two that are getting married, what do they have to say about it?
Nathan: Well, they’re both good friends of mine and they like each other, they live in different cities and they’re just kind of likeum

CRC: So, it’s more of a gag event than anything?
Nathan: Yeah, but not like a gag event that could be offensive to the gay community. We’re not out to offend anybody.

CRC: Ok, I understand.
Matthew: We didn’t know about the whole movement and the proposition that was out there, we just want people to be happy.

CRC: Cool. What were your musical influences growing up and where did that take you?
Michael: Well, my mom was all about Motown and Prince, and stuff. My dad was Zeppelin, Beatles, Stones, etc. I had tastes of everything. They slapped headphones on me at an early age and almost pushed me into it. I wanted to play guitar, but I didn’t want to be like in high school, just getting stoned and jamming out. I wanted to be the real thing, a guitar player. I wanted to stay diverse and I still do, I love everything, different things.
James: Yeah, we all have our different influences and different music going on. We throw everything into the pot and mix it in to the Theory.
Michael: It will always end up as Blank Theory, no matter what is thrown in.
James: I’m a big Tool fan. I’m into some heavier stuff.
Matthew: There’s some stuff out there, like Chris Cornell, his solo stuff
Michael: The new Nine Inch Nails album
Nathan: I can’t wait for the new Pumpkins album. I think Billy Corgan is a genius, he comes and goes on a pop level, but I think we like all his stuff.
James: There’s not too much out there right now on the really popular level, like the whole Rap ‘n Roll thing.
Nathan: Yeah, we’re not too big fans of the Korns and Limp Bizkits and all
Matthew: It’s just not interesting at all.

CRC: I understand that, I hear you. So, what do you think of the local scene? It seems like XRT is pushing more local stuff like this show for instance, and Q101 is doing that local band compilation that just came out. Where do you fit in?
Nathan: As far as the local scene, we’ve strayed from it and stayed completely independent. It’s very cliquey and a lot of bands cling together and keep a tight group, which is cool. But the manner in which they go about it is very arrogant and exclusive and we don’t really get into that.
Matthew: It’s very pretentious and there’s back-stabbing going on.
Nathan: We don’t want to name any names, but there’s just these situations where these bands group together and the outcasts fall by the wayside and get spit in the eye. We love to help every other band; we go to shows all the time, any time, anywhere. We want to help everyone, but some of these bands just want it on their terms, you know. They have their own group of friends and you’re in or you’re out.
James: We help them out and we want that in return.

CRC: You don’t feel like you get that, that support?
Matthew: Certainly not. I mean there’s a few bands that are cool, like Monkey Paw here, we help each other out, we play a lot of shows with them, promote and support each other to no end. Chevelle, another great band. They’ve been cool with us and we like them. Premium’s another one, we’ve played some shows with them.
James: Hopes, that’s another band.
Nathan: Lollypop Lovekills is a great band from Toledo. They’re well known there and we swap shows and help each other out. It’s been a great relationship back and forth.

CRC: You seem to have a big connection with Toledo I noticed. You’ve mentioned that a few times.
Nathan: Yeah, it’s a great city, there’s a couple that we really like. St Louis is another one.
Michael: Toledo has just 2 venues, and they’re right up the street from each other. A good mass of people.
James: They’re all in there it seems like
Nathan: We went down through St. Louis this time about a year ago, and we hit this all-ages club, it’s called the Creepy Club. We were touring on our way down to Austin. Right away there was a mosh pit and they were really into it. We sold about 20 CDs that night and all the kids were so wonderful. We came through again a couple weeks ago and there was about 150 people there, and some of the kids knew the words from the CDs that they bought. They were super pumped, very loyal and energetic. We love those all-ages crowds.

CRC: Your (4 Alarm) label stable is amazing there, I’ve heard of The Frogs, who are legendary and The Pinehurst Kids and Chainsaw Kittens, how did you bring all these bands into the fold?
Nathan: Well I used to work over at Scratchy Records, which was owned by D’arcy and James of the Smashing Pumpkins and The Frogs and Chainsaw Kittens were both on that label at the time, so I was able to befriend them that way. As Scratchy went up and down, they all kind of left for one reason or another and we were able to pick them up. Pinehurst Kids were the first band we discovered, via CD. They were the first band we ever signed. We put out their first one and they were virtually unknown then back in Portland. It was amazing and the response was incredible and we put out their second one and just kept going. CMJ has been all over them and they’ve gained a little notoriety. So, yeah, it’s been very cool to have them with us.

CRC: You’re going down to SXSW (South by Southwest) with this bill and are gonna slay ‘em down there? Sounds like a fun time.
Matthew: Yeah, it’s going to be great.

CRC: Our organization tries to promote better and more rock oriented radio in Chicago. To us, it seems that coverage is almost nil and that rock is practically dead on the air. How do you feel about the state of the radio scene in Chicago?
Matthew: Commercial radio in this town, I hate to say it, is virtually corrupt. Anything you hear over commercial radio has essentially been paid for by the labels. These independent radio promotion companies get to them and broker deals. There’s a lot of money and a lot of politics involved and its virtually impossible for a local band that’s not represented by a major label to get air time on the radio. You could be a very successful indie band, like The Get Up Kids, for example, who have sold more than 20,000 records, gained tons of popularity. Vagrant is an indie label; they’ve managed to promote them very well. They toured like crazy and right now there’s this whole emo movement that has cropped up. For an indie label, their success is phenomenal and they’re having a great time, making a living and everything’s greatThen you can go the major label route and sell like, 50-100, 1,000, hell, even 250,000 copies and be done. That’s it, you’re dropped.
James: Yeah, and they won’t even treat you decently, like shit. Then it’s over, bye-bye to your career!

CRC: Sure, like they’ll half-assed promo the bands, then blame it all on you for not doing enough
Nathan: I don’t know how much I want to get into this, but when I was over at Scratchy, we were a subsidiary for Mercury/Polygram. You can see very much where they prioritize bands and where they don’t, and when they don’t, its evil. One band is worthy of the ad, like at radio, the Programming Director wants to give them the ad, likes the song, but the label prioritizes another band, it says, “No don’t give them the ad, give these other guys the ad.” There’s no integrity in that at all, obviously. If the band doesn’t “earn” this single or “earn” their keep, they’re done for. It’s tough, in major label situations, it’s very image oriented, its what’s hip and what’s “now.” No integrity or respect whatsoever. I know your next question is “Then why do you want to be on a major?” Well, it’s tough. It’s a gamble that we feel we have to take. One of the reasons that we feel we want to build a grassroots thing, because we want fans to love us and our music. We need the machine to come in and bring us to the next level. We’re not necessarily seeking it, we’re full on building our own crowd and popularity, if someone wants to give us a lot of money to record a great record, then fine, great. We’ll go for it. You have to realize that as an artist, well some people think its cool to be the starving artists. Really you need to find ways to sell your art. You have to find your ways around that. That’s what we’re trying to do is sell our art. We’re looking at a business side of things, as well as an artistic side.
James: It’s an interesting compromise. If we got on a major label, then we were dropped, you know hopefully we wouldNo, I knowWe’re still gonna do this, no matter what. We still want to do this. A major label dropping us won’t stop us. Say we get on to a major and sell 400 to 500,000 copies then get dropped, well we still would want to rely on those people that bought them to go out and get the next independently released one.
Nathan: So, we’re up for it. We’re doing this, touring like mad, sleeping in the van, we’ll do what it takes.
James: Well it sucks, sleeping in the van. We have to turn the heater on sometimes in the middle of the night, but heyAnyway, we are all on the same page, all 4 of us.

CRC: Any last comments?
James: Look out here we come!
Nathan: We certainly don’t mean to lambaste anyone or defame any other bands, we were just being honest.
James: No, not at all.

CRC: Any bands you think could use more attention; that people should be looking out for?
Nathan: Well, there’s some indie bands out there, like At the Drive In, Chevelle.
James: Yeah, Chevelle, Luscious Jackson, too Well, we wrapped it up, went back in and warmed up and drank some more. (The show was sponsored by Jim Beam.) One quick note: I had a really hard time telling the two twins’ voices, Matthew and Nathan Leone, apart on the tape, so I might have credited one with another’s speech, and vice versa, so on. Sorry about that guys.

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This interview was done on 12/24/99. Enjoy!
Josh Nacho: What made you decide to form a band? What first got you into music?
Blank Theory: We had been going to shows for years, everything from Metallica to local shows at Metro. There was definately a connection to music very early on. Matthew and I (Nathan) had never played any sort of instrument until we were about 20. We always loved music and both decided that we wanted careers out of it. In 1995 we began working in the idustry, I at Scratchie Records and Matthew at BMG. We hooked with an old friend who was a guitar prodigy at a very young age and basically he began teaching us how to play. About a year into it we hooked up with a fairly accomplished drummer (who was actually quite ahead of our expectations). The 4 of us were very much on the same page about what we wanted out of music. We all had a very emotional connection to it.

J.N.: Who are some of your biggest influences?
BT: It’s kind of intersting, our band is some what of a dichotemy as far as influences are concerned. Michael Foderaro, who is our lead guitarist and primary song-writer has grown up on Jimi Hendricks, Black Sabbath, Johnny Ca sh, and absolutely everything in between. Our drummer Jim had a very similar musical up-bringing but focused more on Slayer, Primus, the Beatles, etc. Matthew (bass) and I were not very well schooled in older music but focused on modern indie rock such as Built To Spill, Idaho, At the Drive In, Heroic Doses. So the blend of all influences really clicked well for us. Add to the mix Radiohead, Soundgarden, Stooges, etc.

J.N.: If you could tour with any band, past or present, who would it be and why?
BT: I think the Stooges would have been amazing to tour with based on Iggy’s energy as a person. Not only was his stage presence unprecendented, but he seemed to carry that energy with him everywhere else as well. As far as modern-day bands, we really respect the Deftones. They have an amazing live show and their music is head and shoulders above 99% of the crap out there.

J.N.: If you had to describe your music to someone who has never heard it before, how would you describe it?
BT: We are a groove-oriented loud rock band. We’ve been refered to as a power-rock, metal-alternative band, but the truth is we have a lot of really diverse material. When we play live, we like to give audiences energy so we play mostly our hard hitting stuff but we’ve recorded some really out there shit. Most of our songs have a groove and melodies which somewhat separates us from the death-metal label.

J.N.: What plans do you have for the future? (i.e. album releases, tours)
BT: We’ve done several tours through the Midwest, South, and East Coast and we’ll continue to do so. Recently, Arista Records brought us out to NYC to play a showcase at CBGB’s. They treated us very well, putting us up in a hotel, buying our meals, parking the van, and giving us some spending money while were there. Currently we’re talking to them about a deal but some personal changes are happening right now which has delayed things. We expect to have a full-length out within a year.

J.N.: What do you do to get noticed? What extra steps do you take to get kids to listen to your band, because you don’t have the mainstream radio play and Mtv coverage?
BT: That’s the hardest thing. Chicago doesn’t have a lot of all-ages venues. We’ve played several Metro shows and that has been the best thing for us so far because they’re usually at least 18 and up. We’ve got a website, stickers, t-shirts, and some other promotional material that helps but it really takes a lot more than that. We’ve started going to all-ages Metro shows (like Local H, Get Up Kids, etc.) to hand out flyers and stickers to the kids and that’s been fantastic. We’ve also played at some record stores out in the suburbs which has been equally rewarding. There are some local radio stations (Q101, WLUW and WJKL) which we’ve done interviews and stuff on. Q101 has a local show on Sunday nights that we did an interview on and that helps. Another thing we’ve really been focusing on is building a regional fan base so on the week-ends we drive out to Cleveland, Toledo, St. Louis, Champaign, Kansas City, etc. and that has been awesome. Not only for the experience but you learn a lot, meet a bunch of cool people, hone your live show, and hopefully get some fans.

J.N.: What do you think of the current music scene as a whole, and where do you see it going?
BT: It’s all cyclical to me. In the 80′s, hair bands and more image-oriented bands were really popular and you had your Def Leppard, Poison, Vanilla Ice, and New Kids on the Block. Then, out of nowhere, Kurt Cobain comes in and fucks everything up. So people finally start taking music seriously again (I’m speaking only on a mainstream basis). Now, you have Korn, Limp Bizkit(or whatever), Kid Rock (vanilla ice), and the BackStreet Boyz. What I epect and hope to happen is that some band will come in and blow away all the musical boudaries again and start paying music the respect it deserves.

J.N.: Who are some of your favorite bands in your local scene, or just bands that deserve recognition they might not be getting?
BT: I love Chevelle. They are finally starting to get the exposure they deserve but that took several years. We saw them for the first time at Double Door over a year ago and it was totally empty. The next 3 or 4 shows we saw, empty. Now these guys rock. Finally they got signed to Squint and the machine dumps a bunch of money into them and the next time they played at Metro, it was all but sold out (and we got to play with them!). I was thinking to myself how pathetic it is that they’ve been playing for 4 years and nobody cared until they got a little radio airplay and some MTV attention. So many bands never get their day even though they deserve it. But you take a bunch of clowns, dress them up and put a hip-hop beat behind them, they’ll sell millions.

J.N.: If the Mr. T Experience had a video on Mtv and were adored by millions of screaming girls nationwide, would you still like them and wear their shirt?
BT: If I like a band, I like them. I really don’t concern myself with the whole “sell-out” thing. What people have to understand is that the “starving artist” thing is cool and all but talented people deserve to make a living from that talent. There are down sides to it such as ony being able to see them in an amphiteater but what can you do, so be it. If one were to turn on them once they got big, you have to ask yourself why you really liked them in the first place. If it’s “cool” to like a band, then you might not actually like them at all.

J.N.: How do you feel the effect of skateboarding and all the “extreme” sports has played a part in the music scene, whether it be punk, rap, hardcore, ska or a combination? Do you think it has been positive, or negative?
BT: I think it’s really cool that extreme sports are taking off. People love it and they’re good as hell at it. I respect anybody who has a passion for what they do. It also provides a nice platform to mix music and sports. In my opinion, extreme sports are very much more of an art form then most other sports. It’s very creative, much like music is supposed to be. The only problem is that as soon as corporations smell money, these events become as corrupt as could be. The bands that get chosen to play the Warped tour or whatever are chosen on an entirely politically driven motive. Most kids are neive to this but it’s true. Big money involved.

J.N.: Do you believe that everyone who saw Blink 182 on Mtv and voted for their video, even owns their first CD, or will stick by them in the future when they are no longer the “trend”?
BT: No. 99% of the record buying public are strictly “trend” motivated. I could talk for days about the politics of commercial radio air-play and MTV. Kids are force-fed music, plain and simple. Thousands and thousands of dollars are paid to these radio stations to play that Lit song a million times a day. It’s quite sad actually.

J.N.: Do you feel that when bands become mainstream, it helps other bands that are not well noticed to become more noticed? (i.e. Blink 182 hits Mtv, and people start buying Strung Out albums)
BT: Yeah and I think that’s cool. It helps out that entire genre. Look at the emo-core movement. Emo bands tour like crazy together and once a band like Promise Ring starts selling records, all sorts of other emo bands start to get noticed. As far as I know, not many emo bands are occupying the Billlboard charts right now, but they are very successful from an independant label standpoint. The Get Up Kids have sold almost 20 thousand records in the past 4 months. A major label would drop them, but Vagrant (their label) is doing wonderfully.

J.N.: What is the key message to all of your music?
BT: We’re a very emotional band. Our songs are quite serious. Some topics include religion, depression, disease, etc. We want people to pay attention to the music and the lyrics, and we want to evoke some thought and feeling. A lot of people seem to not want to accept the burden of thought which makes them very vulnerable to the corporate norm. Those are the kids that will buy a Nirvana record and only play “Teen Spirit”. Later in life they’ll join a frat, become a banker, get married, have kids, have a mid-life crisis and cheat on their wives, then die. Too many people have already done that.

J.N.: Would you ever play for free in front of the President of the USA if asked to?
BT: If there were people who were into it there, absolutely.

J.N.: Do you have any final thoughts you wish to add?
BT: I don’t mean to lambast any other bands. The examples I’ve used are solely to clarify my point. Thanks!

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January 7th 2002
We will be writing and recording for our debut full-length over the next few months. We’ll keep you informed of our progress. We would like to thank everyone for their continued support and we can’t wait to get the record out to you all! Once we are done, we plan to hit the road for a long time, so stay tuned!

October 15th 2001
Our trip to New York was incredible! Thanks to Jeremy Freeman, Adam Schlesinger, James Iha and Lollipop Lust Kill for treating us so well. We tracked an acoustic cover of “hey bulldog” by the Beatles for the upcoming soundtrack to the I Am Sam feature film, along such artists as Eddie Vedder and Moby. Unfortunately our show at Sputniks has been cancelled. We hope to reschedule soon. Our next Metro show has been confirmed for December 8th, other bands performing will be announced shortly. For those of you inquiring about tour dates, we hope to do some midwest shows before the holidays, but we certainly will tour shortly after that! We will be working on our record in the meantime. Thanks!

October 1st 2001
We are leaving for New York on Saturday to do pre production on our record. We are stopping over in Toledo to play the Main Event with good friends Lollipop Lust Kill on Saturday night, so check it out if you’re in the area! Thanks to all who showed up for the WTC benefit, the place was packed and a lot of money was raised!

September 25th 2001
The Blank Theory would like to extend our sincerest condolences to the victims, and their families, of the horrific terrorist attacks on America. We are playing a mini set at Double Door on Friday, September 22nd to benefit a WTC relief charity. All proceeds will be donated to the Twin Towers Disaster Fund. The show starts at 830pm.

July 2nd 2001
We have to apologize to everyone who came out to see us at St. Andrews in Detroit. Our van suffered a fatal injury on route to the show, and we were stranded in the unruly town of Albion, MI for 2 days. The full story will be posted soon with photographs of this miserable weekend. Huge thanks go out to Eric Malnar of Monkey Paw who came to our rescue in their bands touring Ambulance.