Marianas Trench
Interview by Annette Hansen
Photos by Lori Gutman
In 2015, Canadian band Marianas Trench released their fourth full-length album Astoria, an album that both showcased the band’s love of the sounds of the 1980s as well as their ability to take some of the darkest moments and turn them into something great. In the year since, the band have logged in an immense amount of time on the road and have watched their career grow and their audience grow with it. We got the opportunity to speak with guitarist Matt Webb and talk about Astoria, their favorite ’80s influences and their expanding, dedicated fanbase.
Your latest album, Astoria, really draws lot from some very personal low points. Why do you think with this record it was important to create something so candid?
I think that it was something we’d never really done before. Songs are always written from personal experiences. I think that anytime you’re going to get up on stage and perform for somebody you should be telling the truth and saying something that you really mean. This record in particular, we had quite a bit of time off, and it was just nice to be back in the studio together. I mean, what else are you going to write about? You’ve got to be candid otherwise people won’t believe in it. It becomes such a fickle product that there’d be no point in listening to it. So why not be candid?
Do you feel letting Astoria be so exposed really pushed you all artistically and musically?
Yeah, absolutely. I mean, we really dove into an ’80s theme on this record, and we had a lot of fun with it. The recording was cool. We got to use a lot of ’80s instruments and ’80s recording techniques. It was just something new for us and something new we could just dive into as a group and have a lot of fun producing. It’s definitely the most fun we’ve had in the studio together as a band, and it’s something for the future; we’ll definitely try to recreate that recording environment again in the future and strive to have as much fun. We’re so used to working in stale studio environments. We turned Josh’s apartment into a studio and recorded there, and it was a lot of fun. We had our family and friends down and had dinners every night and turned it into a real family experience.
Do you feel like having that more laid back environment really allowed you guys to open up a little bit more than you think you would’ve in a studio?
Oh, sure. There’s no time constraints, no pressure. You’re not worried about budgets. It’s just a lot of freedom to be creative and to really enjoy what you’re doing.
What do you think it is about creating music that really works as a creative and emotional outlet for you guys?
It’s art. Anytime you’re doing something creative…you’d be faking it otherwise if it wasn’t an emotional outlet. Some people express themselves through painting or cooking or writing or whatever, and for us it’s through music.
As a band, how did it feel to be taking something very dark and transitioning that into a positive force?
It’s an outlet. It helps you get through some of those dark times and lets you deal with it through song or art and come out the other end of the tunnel a happier, fuller human being. It helps you release a lot of that shitty energy that was built up inside. You get it out and upwards and onwards, I guess.
How does it feel looking at the final product knowing where it came from?
It’s something we’re very proud of and to be able to pull out of a dark time like that I think it’s awesome. You do it with your friends and to be able to create something that you’re proud of and get through stuff like that, it’s a great accomplishment. I don’t know what else to say.
With Astoria and even with your current tour, you guys have really played around with the ’80s aesthetic. What is it about that era and its music and culture that you found so inspiring?
It was badass. You’ll hear tons of ’80s influences. There were songs inspired by The Police and Huey Lewis and Footloose and Annie Lennox and Eurhythmics and Depeche Mode. They were some of our favorite bands growing up and we sort of pulled from a few of those influences in the studio and we’re happy with how it turned out. It was really cool.
Since Astoria’s release, what has been the most rewarding or reassuring part of the last year?
Well, we’ve been on the road a ton the last year, and just to see the feedback from our fans. We’ve been playing a lot of new territories over the last year. We’re going to Europe in September and play a bunch of new cities in the states and play all over Canada. It’s so nice to have these crowds come to the shows and just sing along to the words. Especially when you’re in a new place that you’ve never been before, and you’re packing a place you’ve never been before, and they’re all screaming and going crazy. It’s a really rewarding feeling and it’s the reason we’re in this business to begin with.
Yeah, and you guys are from Canada, and you guys have gotten a lot more attention here in America recently, so how is that coming here and seeing that kind of growth in this area?
It’s fucking awesome. We love playing in the States. The shows are not that much different. We’ve got amazing fans all over the place, but the smaller venues are a little more intimate. You get to make eye contact with people and really sort of connect with the crowd which is something different from the larger arena shows that we would be playing in Canada. It’s a great experience. I love getting back to our roots. A lot of these shows here are really picking up and we’re getting some pretty big crowds in, so every night we’re surprised over and over again. It’s really encouraging; it’s very exciting for us.
What would you say has been the most difficult part of your career for you all personally and collectively?
I don’t know. We’ve all been doing this for a long time. I think it’s like four guys with a common goal sticking together over the last 10-15 years. It’s been my proudest accomplishment, absolutely. We’re still having a great time. We still love each other. Our crew’s great, our shows are awesome, our friends are amazing and I don’t think you could ask for any more.
How did you, or do you continue to, overcome any struggles you’ve faced?
Just keep writing music and rocking out and laughing. We laugh a lot. When it’s not fun anymore that’s when we’ll give it up.
What is the ‘highlight’ of your career so far?
That’s a tough question. There’s been so many over the years. I sort of come back to that thing about playing in new towns. When you’re taking a tour through a new area, you’re never really sure what’s going to happen. But people actually show up to the shows and know the words. It’s pretty god damn promising. We’re really blessed to have wonderful fans and we really appreciate it.
What is the one dream the moment at which point either personally or collectively you would be able to say yes I’ve achieved this, I’m living my dreams?
You know what? I’m definitely living the dream, but I don’t know if we’ll ever get there. The goals never stop. It’s always, like I said, onwards and upwards just trying to conquer the world. But if someone is talking about us in the same light as U2 or something, then we might feel like we’ve achieved it. Until that point I think we have a little ways to go.
Finally, what are you anticipating most about what comes next for Marianas Trench?
We’re going to Europe in the fall and we’ve never been there before and I think we’re all really excited about that. Playing a new place, seeing some new towns, and have a good time over there. I think it’s going to be great.
