The Warped Tour Interviews – Lower Definition
The Warped Tour Interviews – Lower Definition
Few bands from the golden era of post-hardcore have experienced a resurgence quite like Lower Definition. Originally emerging from San Diego’s thriving underground scene, the band earned a dedicated following through releases such as Moths and The Greatest of All Lost Arts, blending technical musicianship, emotional depth, and a sound that helped shape an entire generation of heavy music fans.
Now, nearly two decades later, Lower Definition finds itself experiencing a well-deserved renaissance. Armed with acclaimed new material on The Purpose of the Moon, anniversary celebrations for their classic releases on the horizon, and an appearance at Vans Warped Tour Long Beach, the band is once again connecting with old fans while discovering an entirely new audience.
Highwire Daze caught up with Matt Geise (lead vocals), Eddy Marshburn (lead guitar), Stefan Toler (bass), Valentino Arteaga (drums), and Mark Luciano (rhythm guitar) to discuss Warped Tour, their return to making music, the meaning behind The Purpose of the Moon, their Ferret Records years, and what the future holds for Lower Definition.
Several members of Lower Definition are here with us today. Please introduce yourselves and tell us what you do in the band.
Eddy: Hey, I’m Eddy, and I play guitar.
Mark: I’m Mark. I also play guitar.
Matt: I’m Matt, and I sing.
Valentino: I’m Valentino. I play drums.
Stefan: I’m Stefan, and I play bass.
What has been the highlight of the Warped Tour experience so far?
Eddy: For me, it’s been meeting all the fans at the merch booth. That’s been really cool. Getting to watch some of our favorite bands is going to be rad too, but honestly, just being back on stage in general is amazing.
Mark: I’m really just absorbing and taking it all in. It’s been about twenty years since we’ve been able to do a festival like this. We don’t play until tomorrow, so Day One for me is about enjoying the atmosphere and reconnecting with the fans. It’s incredible to still be doing this after all this time. It’s also insane to see how much Warped Tour has grown after such a long hiatus.
What made you decide to start releasing new Lower Definition music again?
Eddy: We played a reunion show in 2018 for the anniversary of The Greatest of All Lost Arts. The response was incredible, and we remembered how much fun it was to play together again. After that, we immediately started writing new music.
If that many people still care about this band, who are we to take it away from them? We’re back doing as much as we can and embracing it.
The Purpose of the Moon is such a compelling album title. What does it mean to you?
Eddy: The title follows the tradition of our somewhat ambiguous album names where people can create their own meaning.
With Moths, we were thinking about moths sacrificing themselves trying to reach the light. The Greatest of All Lost Arts was about honesty and being a real band making real music for real people. The Purpose of the Moon follows a similar path. The moon is something everyone sees and shares, but it means something different to every person. That’s why I can’t really give a definitive answer. Everyone gets to decide what it means for themselves.
Matt: For me personally, I had just lost my dad. I lost my cousin to suicide. I lost numerous friends to suicide and car accidents. I was going through a really difficult period mentally, and this record became an outlet for me.
It was a way to process everything I was feeling. To me, the album reflects the ebb and flow of life. People are born, people live, people die, and you just have to learn how to work through it all.
When Eddy brought up that title, I immediately thought it was perfect.
Let’s talk about some of the songs on the album. What is “Bloom” about?
Matt: That song was really about us coming together to build something bigger than ourselves. The community surrounding this band has stayed incredibly strong over the years. Even during the years we weren’t active, people were constantly asking us to come back.
In a way, it was about reconnecting the threads of Lower Definition and bringing the band back together again.
What about “God Mode”?
Matt: “God Mode” is about that toxic, angry feeling you get when you’ve been marginalized or overlooked. It’s about wanting to break out and show the world that you’re capable of doing whatever you set your mind to.
And let’s go to the end of the album “Aphasia”?
Matt: “Aphasia” is about getting older and realizing that nothing lasts forever. I’ve been married for about four years now, and I wake up every day thinking about how precious time really is. It’s more about being human and recognizing that life moves quickly. It’s about love, aging, and appreciating the moment while you’re living it.
The Greatest of All Lost Arts was released through Ferret Records in 2009. What was it like working with that label?
Valentino: It was really cool. Ferret was a dream label for us. A lot of the bands we grew up listening to were on that label, and if we were going to sign with anyone, it had to be a label whose musical taste aligned with ours.
We felt like our music belonged alongside the artists in that catalog. At the time, Ferret was one of the realest labels in the scene. It was important for us to be associated with that culture and that mindset.
Unfortunately, it was somewhat short-lived because shortly afterward they shut the label down, and eventually all of us went our separate ways.
What’s cool now is seeing Ferret have a resurgence. Much like our band, it’s the fans who bring everything full circle. Looking back, we created some incredible art with them.
At the time, we didn’t realize what we were doing was significant because we were simply making music that we wanted to hear. Nearly twenty years later, we’re seeing more listeners than we’ve ever had before.
Back then, we didn’t have access to streaming numbers or analytics. Today it’s easier for people to discover music, and a band like us may not even need a label to reach an audience anymore.
Looking back, being part of Ferret during that era was incredibly important, and now we get to celebrate something really special that we created together.
Moths celebrates its twentieth anniversary next year. When you look back at it now, what do you think?
Mark: First of all, it’s hard to believe it’s already been twenty years since we recorded that EP.
Honestly, I’m still surprised by how well it holds up. The production still sounds great, and I can still put it on and enjoy it. The fact that people continue to connect with it after all this time is incredible.
Some of those songs remain among our most requested. We’ve been hearing people ask for “The Ascending” all week leading up to this show.
And what a time it was tp be alive too! It was kind of the Wild West for bands. We were completely DIY, somehow making our way across the country, sleeping in garages, writing music, and sharing it with anyone who wanted to hear it.
The fact that we’re still here making music and performing songs we wrote twenty years ago is something I never could have imagined.
You’re also taking part in the upcoming In Vogue anniversary celebration with Drop Dead, Gorgeous. What does that mean to you?
Valentino: We’re really excited to share the stage with Jamie’s Elsewhere and Drop Dead, Gorgeous while celebrating such an iconic album.
In Vogue was incredibly important to that early scene. Along with the first Dance Gavin Dance record, it helped bridge hardcore, post-hardcore, and metalcore in a unique way.
We worked with Kris Crummett on our records, and albums like In Vogue were a huge reason we wanted to work with him in the first place.
We’ve known those guys for years, so when they invited us to celebrate that record in their hometown, it was an immediate yes. We didn’t even know how we were getting there yet. We just knew we had to be a part of it.
What makes it special is that these are our peers and friends, but they’re also people we’ve looked up to. They’re pioneers of a sound that became much more influential than anybody realized at the time.
Back then, none of us were thinking about legacy. We were just making music we wanted to hear.
Now, twenty years later, it feels like some of these bands are finally getting recognized for what they contributed. We weren’t chasing trends. We were creating something genuine.
That night is going to be a celebration of all of that coming together after two decades, which is pretty surreal.
At this stage of your career, would you still like to tour again?
Matt: Honestly, a lot of it comes down to logistics these days. We all have careers, families, schedules, and responsibilities that didn’t exist twenty years ago.
Valentino: Eddy just had a kid, too. Everybody’s in a different stage of life now.
The most important thing for us is creating meaningful experiences for ourselves and for the fans. If the right tour comes along, maybe we’ll do it. It’s definitely a “never say never” situation.
What matters most is making every opportunity feel intentional and special. We don’t want to hit the road just for the sake of being on the road.
Our fans are the reason we’re here again, and we want every moment to feel meaningful.
In San Diego, we had over a thousand people come out to our last show. It felt like a family reunion and a high school reunion. People are bringing their kids now. Everyone has families.
For us, it has to be deeper than music. It’s about community. That’s what this band was built on, and that’s what we’re going to continue focusing on.
Stefan: Also, next year is the twentieth anniversary of Moths, and the year after that is the twentieth anniversary of The Greatest of All Lost Arts the year after.
We definitely want to do something special for the fans to celebrate those milestones. Nothing is locked in yet, but we absolutely want to create something memorable for everyone.
Any messages for Lower Definition fans who are reading this now?
Stefan: Thank you. We appreciate everyone who has stuck with us over the years.
We know it took us a while to get things going again, so we’re incredibly grateful for the support. We love you guys, and we can’t wait to see you in the future.
In Conclusion
As Lower Definition prepares to celebrate major milestones including the twentieth anniversaries of Moths and The Greatest of All Lost Arts, it’s clear that this is far more than a reunion. The passion that originally fueled the band remains intact, but it is now paired with experience, perspective, and a profound appreciation for the community that never stopped believing in them.
Whether discussing loss and healing on The Purpose of the Moon, reflecting on their Ferret Records days, or planning meaningful future celebrations for longtime supporters, Lower Definition continues to embody the authenticity that first connected them with audiences nearly two decades ago. Judging by the excitement surrounding their return, the next chapter may prove just as impactful as the first.
And this just announced – Lower Definition will be playing The Roxy on December 9th!!!
(Interview by Ken Morton – Photos by Vivian Ortega of So Finch Photography)
Lower Definition on Instagram
