On the third date of the Warped Tour in Ventura we caught up with vocalist Mike Hranica and guitarist Jeremy DePoyster to catch up with current TDWP happenings. The big news was their announcement about being signed to Ferret Records as well as their cover of the Big Tymers song Still Fly which they have just begun to play live in their set. Here are excerpts from our conversation…
How would you compare the Warped Tour to the Sounds Of The Underground? Mike: This tour we actually have fans. Sounds Of The Underground was primarily to gain more fans – and hold off until we have more fans to play Warped Tour – which obviously we’re doing this year. Sounds was a crowd that, for the most part, doesn’t listen to us. So we had some tough times on that tour. And production gave us a hard time because we’re young dudes – Christian dudes and all that jazz.
You go onstage and say that you are a Christian band here at the Warped Tour. Did you do that on the Sounds tour too? Mike: We did. We were warned not to – but we did every single show, like always – because I think God would be ashamed if we didn’t. Like what kind of Christian wouldn’t say that because of a certain crowd? It’s the most idiotic thing in the world! You’re supposed to tell everyone and not be ashamed to anyone. Primarily people that don’t even believe in God – that’s the people you should be preaching to. Jeremy: He has a lyric that say’s “Don’t be ashamed of your faith.” So it would be kind of hypocritical if we sang that and then didn’t say anything about it. Mike: We definitely received flack from it on that tour. Got flipped off and some stuff thrown at us. We’re alive, so who cares.
Did you get to meet GWAR? Mike: We ate lunch with their bassist like everyday. He’s a really cool dude. That’s actually the only member I could identify. I actually only watched them once the entire tour, which is really weird.
Tell me about Shipshape Clothing. Is everyone in the band involved with it? Mike: It’s just me – and I have a partner back home named Jeff who works on it with me – and then my girlfriend Jade does order fulfillment with me. I have a small team. Chris from the band actually helps with graphic design, but it’s primarily me – I guess I’m the CEO and President. I actually started because of the band and that it was easy promotion to start getting my stuff out there. I had done little tiny stuff before, but I never really had the leverage to really get it out there. I started it and I was just able to use the band to help try to promote it. I still do the same thing – as well as a whole handful of bands that help me out. It’s just glossy bright t-shirts and accessories.
Your signing to Ferret Records is pretty big news now. How did that come about? Mike: We actually signed it about a year and a half ago…
And you had to keep it a secret all the time? Mike: Yeah! It was kind of rough, because we were so stoked on Ferret. A long time ago they expressed interest – actually before our first record came out, we heard they were talking to our manager – and we freaked out! The contract came through and we did. Jeremy: We met Carl a few times and he was a really cool guy. He was really stoked on it. I think it’s a good relationship for us. Pretty much everybody who works for us is really stoked on the band – and we like to keep it that way. Just so it’s not some major label guy who’s out of the loop just looking to make some money.
Now that you’ve seen the movie The Devil Wear Prada, how do you feel about having that band name still? Mike: It really sucks! Wish we could go back and change it. It’s just a silly name and we try to keep it that way. I don’t know – it happens, I guess.
What made you decide to cover the Still Fly by Big Tymers for Punk Goes Crunk, and did you know that song before you decided to cover it? Jeremy: Our manager asked if we wanted to do it, and we said, “Yes, definitely!” Like how funny is that being able to cover a rap song. And we were throwing around a few different ideas, but nobody was really too stoked on the ideas. And I think his girlfriend brought up the idea of doing Still Fly. They just talked about like Prada and different brands and stuff like that – and we thought it would be kinda funny. It wasn’t too vulgar of a song. Mike: It was really hard to pick out a song, because all of theses songs are about sex and drugs – and that’s rap. But this song was about being broke. We had to change some lyrics around, but generally it was just a goofy song. It was fun to do for sure.
How close are you to recording all new material? Mike: Very far! Our guitarist Chris is creating a riff bank right now. So when we do settle down and try to write, we’re going to withdraw from the riff bank and just compose some songs. We’re just in the very, very early stages right now. We’re going to try and write this winter – and maybe record.
Do you write lyrics as you go? Mike: I actually have half a record of lyrics ready, but no songs to write the lyrics to. I’m ready to go – I just need some songs.
If you guys weren’t in The Devil Wears Prada tonight, what do you think you would be doing? Jeremy: I’d probably be going to college. Mike: Yeah, I’d be in college – maybe something in English or literature. Jeremy: I thought about being a teacher, but I don’t think I’d be a very good teacher. Maybe I would.
Do you have messages for your fans out here in the LA/OC area? Jeremy: Thanks for supporting us and buying our records and coming out. We have the best fans – they’re always so stoked. We love it! Mike: I concur.
Here are two more earlier interviews with The Devil Wears Prada...
The Sonic Plagues of The Devil Wears Prada
Updated: 10/06/07
The Devil Wears Prada spent their summer vacation on Sounds Of The Underground, touring with the likes of Amon Amarth and the mighty Gwar! Their latest CD Plagues has been unleashed via Rise Records to positive acclaim and their fan base has been increasing accordingly. We recently spoke with vocalist Mike Hranica about the new CD, their Sounds Of The Underground adventure, his clothing line, the movie/book their moniker references, and other topics of interest...
Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in The Devil Wears Prada, and tell me how long you’ve been with the band.
My name is Mike Hranica, I do vocals and write lyrics, and I’ve been with the band since probably August of 2005.
Although there is a book and a movie called The Devil Wears Prada, what does the band name mean to you?
When I joined the band, the name was already picked out, and we already gave it our own meaning as anti-materialism, and the fact that possessions aren’t important as concepts of love and grace. That’s what the most important things are, and a lot of people get caught up in materials and possessions. That’s what we all thought of and that’s what we gave it. And then we ended up reading the book after, and realized that’s not what the book gave it at all. But that’s what we have behind it.
What did you think of the book when you read it?
I thought it sucked! I read a lot of books, and I thought it was pop culture trash honestly.
Did you ever get around to seeing the movie? If so, what were your thoughts on that?
I did. It was pretty much the same. I felt there were people that dressed well, but other than that, it was pop culture trash.
What made you decide to call the new CD Plagues? Is there any story behind the title at all?
Basically all there is to it is that it’s obviously a biblical reference in Revelations in that plagues straighten out humanity – and things of that nature. We chose that because it was very visually appealing as well. Obviously that’s not as important as the meaning we put in behind it, but it was basically for a lot of biblical reference and to tie that into the record name – that’s what we were trying to go for.
Where did you get the ideas for some of your lyrics this time around?
Pretty much the same as the last record. It’s based a lot on what I see in the world – problems with the world that I see. People that I know and people that I think kind of let go of what they believed in, and compromised what they believed in. Those personal relationship types of lyrics worked into some songs and all had something to do with God – and everything has the strong foundation of having to do with God.
How did Craig of Chiodos become involved with the recording of your CD?
I have no idea, honestly. I think we played a total of five shows with those dudes, and he’s like the nicest guys. It wasn’t me – it was someone else who through out the idea of him doing vocals – for coming down to Indiana where we recorded and doing a song with us. It was really nonchalantly thrown out there and somehow it actually got worked into the album budget. He came down and sang for a short segment on a song, and it worked out really well. It was a real casual idea at first, but it pretty much fell together real well and it just happened.
Do you think you guys might perform that song together on the upcoming tour?
We’ve talked about it. I don’t know if we have anything set in stone just yet, because we haven’t consulted him about it. We already decided the only way we’re going to play that song on the tour is if he comes out and does it. We don’t want to work it into our set list and then he not want to do it, because then that’s putting too much pressure on him – and it’s up to him. Honestly, I don’t think we’ve really decided. We’ve had the last couple of weeks off. We’re all just trying to relax and spend some time apart because we argue a lot and stuff. I don’t know what the general consensus is on it now. I think last time we talked about it, it was looking like we were not going to do it. But we’ll see what happens.
What exactly are Goats doing On A Boat?
All our song names are complete jokes with no meaning on it. Goats On A Boat is a rip off of Snakes On A Plane. That’s all there is to it.
Of course the big news for you guys this summer was the Sounds Of The Underground tour. How did you guys wind up on such a huge tour?
I have no idea. Management got us on it and we were down to do it. It was a crowd that we were no used to playing to, so it was a good idea as far as promotion and trying to get our name out there to new fans and new dudes – so that’s why we decided to do it. Bur as far as getting on it, I know that they wanted to have us on it because we did have a new record coming out soon. One thing lead to another, and it was mostly management – and we ended up doing Sounds for most of the summer.
Did you ever feel nervous about playing in front of a lot of people at the Sounds show?
We were nervous a lot. We had a couple of night where we had a pretty tough crowd and people didn’t really like is because we’re not straight-like thrash or metal. We’re a fresh young band, and on top of all that, we talk about God and our relationship with God. And a lot of thick headed metal dudes that go out to that tour don’t really want to hear about it. So we were pretty nervous for some crowds, because a lot of people flipped us off and all that jazz. But no regrets. I think it was a good tour to do. I think I’d even want to do it again next year, because it did have some really huge crowds, and we had the pleasure of touring with some rad bands.
Did you get to meet the guys in Gwar, and what were they like?
Some people from the tour knew who was who in Gwar without their costumes on. The only dude I knew was their bassist, and he was like chillin’ every day. He was a really nice guy. It was fun eating with him at lunch or whenever. I heard some bad things about some of their members, but their bassist was really nice – I can say that much.
At this point in your career, would you still consider yourselves a Christian band?
Definitely. As far as calling ourselves straight Christians can kind of be argued – because all of us don’t 100 percent agree with what the church is doing and all the religion propaganda or whatever. But each one of us have a very strong relationship with God. And I don’t think this band will ever go on to play a show where we don’t talk about God or have a record that doesn’t deal with God. I’d say we’re a “Christian” band, eternally.
Is touring and being on the road everything you thought it would be?
There’s a lot of good times you’ll have touring. I get homesick a lot, because I’m a young dude, and I miss my girlfriend and my family and sleeping in my own bed. But there’s definitely some awesome times you’ll have on tour that you’ll never get to have any other place. Touring is good. Touring is fun.
Who in your band do you think is on Myspace way too much?
(Laughs) Dan is the one who kind of got us Myspace popular, because he worked a computer job and he basically just sat on the computer all day and promoted while he was bored. I wouldn’t say that he’s on it too much. I spend a lot of time on it. I’m on it right now. I run a clothing line that is completely based off of Myspace and I sell shirts off of my page. I not going to talk trash about anyone in the band for spending time on Myspace, because we all do it. We’ll all admit to it, I guess.
Tell me a little bit about your clothing line, and how you got it started.
Last summer we toured and we didn’t make any profits individually. All of our food and stuff was paid for by ourselves and our own individual part times jobs that we had. And I walked away out of the summer super low on money, and I was really far in debt to my dad. I wanted something to do with my time, so I ended up starting a little something called Shipshape Clothing, trying to pay my dad off, and see where it would take me. And now it’s really successful. Right now I’m sitting here working on it with orders, and all that jazz. It’s been really well lately. I did it to get myself out of debt and just kind of curious to see where it would take me. And now, I frickin’ love it. I would love to be doing Shipshape for a long time.
Do you take the clothing on tour with you and sell it there?
The first couple times I did, but then it got difficult. So now it’s all just shipped from home. My girlfriend ships it out, or I ship it out when I’m at home – like right now. I used to that, but it got pretty hard – so it’s just all off the Internet.
Do you any messages for fans here in the LA/OC area?
I’m gonna have to say you rule and thanks for the support. Come out to the shows and have fun.
Here is an earlier interview with The Devil Wears Prada below...
The Devil Wears Prada:
A Beautiful Discord
Updated: 08/06/06
Not the movie starring Anne Hathaway and Meryl Streep, this incarnation of The Devil Wears Prada is an imaginative post hardcore band based out of Dayton, Ohio. Setting the interesting timing aside when it comes to their moniker, the movie, and CD release date, their Dear Love: A Beautiful Discord effort on Rise Records is a debut well worth checking into. Here is a recent interview we conducted with their drummer Daniel.
Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in The Devil Wear Prada, and how long the band has been together.
Hey, my name is Daniel. I'm the drummer for The Devil Wears Prada. We've been together for about 9 months now with the current lineup, but the band was starting to form about a year ago.
What is the music scene like in Dayton, Ohio and has does The Devil Wear Prada fit into the scheme of things?
Dayton is great. Luckily everyone around here is really cool. Sometimes we get crap for being Christian or whatever, but that's to be expected. There are tons of really good bands in the area, and we're just waiting for someone in a high place to snag them up. There are also some good venues and places to play, so shows are always good. We have been getting like 400 kids to the local shows here lately. Sometimes more.
How did you wind up being signed to Rise Records?
Well, we were checking out different labels. We had quite a few offers from some small labels, but we had some goals set so we turned those down. We found Rise and sent them a message. Luckily Rise checked us out and enjoyed what they heard. They offered us a deal, and we went from there.
A movie is just coming out called The Devil Wears Prada (interesting timing)? Do you guys plan on seeing it? And where did you come up with the name of the band?
Ah! THE question. haha. Well, we had no clue that a movie was going to be made. Actually we named the band off of the book title. The book was not popular at all at the time. However, it became a New York best seller, and was decided to be turned into a movie. Now we get six trillion emails containing "Do you know your band's name is the same as a movie coming out!?!?" It's a little out of hand. Oh well. We named our band this because of our own ideas about the name. We put a little religious spin on the name, and we like it. We actually were planning on going to see the movie and having a little Devil Wears Prada party, but we've been so busy with touring and everything that we haven't had a chance to do so. Soon though. I love chick flicks. haha!
If you had to describe your music to an elderly relative, what would you say?
That's tough. I would probably just tell them really heavy rock and roll. I mean, you cant use terms like metalcore, or hardcore to someone that's older than 40.
Where did you come up with the title Dear Love: A Beautiful Discord? What a great title!
THANKS! We were brainstorming, and we had an idea. We know that our music is kind of chaotic at times, and kind of crazy, but we know that God (God is Love) would think it was beautiful, no matter what. It’s almost like a present to Him. As you know we're a Christian band, so we do everything for Him. So this is like a presentation, to our Love. A beautiful, yet chaotic (discord) presentation. :)
How has Myspace helped your music? Any Myspace horror stories to report?
Myspace horror stories? No way. If it weren't for Myspace, we would never have gotten this far. It's truly a great tool. A lot of kids bash on Myspace or whatever because its gotten so popular. And kids bash on it just because everyone thinks that's the cool thing to do now. But we've got kids all over the United States singing our songs at every single show. There's no way this could have happened if we didn't have such a tool to reach out to so many kids.
Are there any The Devil Wears Prada groupies wandering the streets of Dayton or beyond?
Groupies? Well, I don't know about that. There are lots of great fans though! I love going to shows and seeing kids wearing our shirts and stuff. It's great to see kids supporting bands.
Describe a live The Devil Wears Prada show to those of us who have yet to see you play.
Oh, hopefully INTENSE! We've had lots of people tell us how intense we are live. Hopefully that's what everyone sees. We try to put on the best possible show that we can. We definitely think if you come to a show, you won't be disappointed.
Where do you get the ideas for these titles and some of the lyrics you write?
Well, the titles are all jokes. Gauntlet of Solitude? We got that by asking "What are the two most metal words you can think of?" GAUNTLET! ... SOLITUDE! haha. Dogs Can Grow Beards All Over, Swords, Dragons, & Diet Coke. Haha, all jokes. The lyrics, however, are very serious. They're all influenced by our Christianity, and life struggles and conflicts. Trials and Tribulations, etc. Mike writes all of the lyrics, so he could tell you a little more about that.
Rise Records is doing a hardcore Tribute to Madonna album and invites you to record a song on it. What song would you want to do and why?
LIKE A VIRGIN! Because its honestly the only Madonna song I know. haha. I mean, I know others, but I know that entire song. :)
What do you think sets The Devil Wears Prada apart from other bands in your genre?
I think we have some pretty brutal parts, but we also have some really sing-able, soft parts as well. And then of course, we throw some techno-influenced synth parts in as well. Listen to the end of Dogs can grow beards all over – it’s intense!
Any chance of you guys playing here in the LA/OC area?
We're playing Lancaster, CA in July. I think that's probably an hour from LA. This is our first west coast tour, so we've got to start somewhere. Hopefully we'll get a little closer to LA next tour.
Do you have any messages for people who might be interested in checking out your music?
Jesus Christ rules! and check us out at www.myspace.com/tdwp. Everything is possible through the work of God. :)
