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LOBH EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH VERRA CRUZ |
One thing I love about Switchfoot is they bring totally ROCKING bands along with them on tour.
When I heard that Verra Cruz was opening for Switchfoot for the European tour, I made a mad dash to their myspace to check out their music – and immediately LOVED their sound.
The SF European Tour wrapped a few weeks ago, so I thought "Why not interview Verra Cruz as part of our Exclusive Interview series?" I talked to the VC guys, and soon an interview was underway.
REad on to join us in our exclusive LOBH Interview with Jimmy Cooke, the drummer, of Verra Cruz!
For more info on Verra Cruz, check out their myspace!: http://www.myspace.com/verracruz
Land of Broken Hearts: Thanks for doing the interview Jimmy, you guys are a great band. How did Verra Cruz get picked as the opening band for the Switchfoot tour?
Jimmy Cooke: Er, we are on the same label as Switchfoot in UK (Fierce) and have friends in high places!
LOBH: Always an advantage. What was it like touring with Switchfoot?
Jimmy: The Switchfoot tour was definitely the best tour we've ever done. We've toured a lot in small venues so it was awesome to hit the big stages and most of the shows were sold out. Switchfoot were very generous with our show times and gave us around 40 minutes a night, which is pretty unheard of for a support band. Their crowd was great and seemed to dig what we do. Also Switchfoot is probably the nicest band we've ever toured with - on the first night Jon came into our dressing room to say hi and they were always very cool to us. And hey, you get to watch Switchfoot rock every night for free which is awesome!
LOBH: Any crazy tour stories to share?
Jimmy: Not that crazy, but on the last night of the tour in Derby, we got Drew from Switchfoot up onstage during our set to play a ropey, but rocking, version of 'Johnny Be Good' with us which was really fun. He and Marc doing over the top ripping blues solos, it was really fun and I think the crowd loved it.
LOBH: I saw a video of that, it was incredible! Is there one moment of the tour that you will never forget? What was the best show?
Jimmy: I think, for me, the London show was the best moment of the tour. It was sold out at Shepherds Bush Empire, a really famous venue, and our friends and family were there. It was the kind of show that you wait years for and it was the pay-off for all the bad ones with terrible sound and where you play to 5 people (normally the other band!). Plus the London crowd was really singing all of the Foot songs word for word which is always pretty cool to hear...
LOBH: What five words would you use to describe the tour with Switchfoot?
Jimmy: Totally rocking dude every night.
LOBH: Well said! I'd like to ask you a few questions about your band. What is the story behind the bands name?
Jimmy: The bands name is from a t-shirt my wife brought back from Brazil. [It's] not really significant, it just seemed to fit our sound. Marc then married an Argentina girl called Veronica, who everyone calls 'vero'. [That] sounds a bit like verra. Maybe it was a prophecy...!
LOBH: How would you describe the bands sound?
Jimmy: Hard-rocking British blues three-piece (I think that's what is on our myspace).
LOBH: How do you approach the song writing process?
Jimmy: Marc is the songwriter and also writes the lyrics, although the whole process is a team effort. It varies but a lot of the songs start with stuff that comes out of rehearsals like a riff, or groove, or melody. Then we demo it a lot, maybe gig it too, and it finally feels like a finished song when we record it properly, because Marc normally leaves lyrics till the end.
LOBH: That's cool. What's a Verra Cruz show like? What do you want fans to come away with?
Jimmy: Well we are a three-piece instead of a five (like Switchfoot) so [we had] more room onstage and more space to fill! We always try to give it everything we have. Definitely passion first, we won't beat ourselves up over a bum note or anything like that. We're loud, everyone seems to think we are american maybe its because of the lapsteel - Marc (singer/guitarist) plays a few songs sitting down with a vintage lap-steel guitar, but these are some of the most rocking songs in the set and the steel always seems to be a real crowd-pleaser. Maybe expect some guitar smashing at the end of the set if things are going well...
LOBH: Heck yes! THAT is something I want to see! What would be your dream support slot on a tour?
Jimmy: Well without sounding corny, Switchfoot was a dream support slot, but now we've done that... well I heard Rage Against the Machine are reforming for Coachella in April – that would be hard to beat.
LOBH: Now I sort of got a random question, but I think it will prove interesting. If you could tell ONE THING to the whole world, what would it be?
Jimmy: To quote kiss: "God gave rock and roll to ya." Sorry I know its lame...
LOBH: Ha ha no, I actually like that. To wrap it up, we have what we call the LOBH Three:
1. What is one song you wish you had written and why?
Jimmy: Well this would be different for each of us (I'm the drummer) but probably for me, "Smells Like Teen Spirit."
LOBH: 2. What is one question you've never been asked and the answer?
Jimmy: Er probably this question!
LOBH: (I love it when they say that...) 3. What's the best advice you've ever been given/heard?
Jimmy: A really good friend of ours called Graham Ord (grahamord.com) supported the band from the early days and he always said "If it's in you, it will come out" which has definitely been the case for us.
LOBH: Jimmy, thanks so much for your time, I really enjoyed this interview.
Jimmy: Cheers Jeanna! God bless
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