jason_polaris wrote:Happy New Years Deryck! It's great to hear from you. My name is Jason and I've been a huge fan of Sum 41 for the last 12 years. Sum 41 was one of the first rock bands I became a fan of, and your show in London ON in April 2005 was my very first rock show. This amazing show single handedly influenced my enjoyment of live music, and I've seen Sum 41 live twice since then. I also met Dave three times in 2012, and he's definitely one of the nicest people I've ever met. It was great to talk about Sum 41 with him, along with your trip to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. I was very worried about you last year, and I'm so happy and grateful to hear that your recovery has been progressing favorably over the last few months.
I've always admired how you're a multi-instrumentalist, and having grown up playing the piano you've been a huge influence for me. I think it's awesome how you've incorporated piano and keyboard into Sum 41's songs, yet still ensured that they are aggressive and mostly guitar driven. I have a few questions pertaining to this:
1. Which keyboards and pianos have you used in the studio, and which ones are your favorite for live performances? I grew up playing on a Yamaha piano, and I've enjoyed using the Yamaha PSR-1000 for recording.
2. Do you write the majority of your songs using a guitar, or are the majority of your songs written on a piano first and then transposed to guitar? Or some combination of both?
3. I'm impressed with your songwriting prolificacy. What are some tips you have against writer's block, aimed at improving songwriting prolificacy?
4. I realize that you're still in the songwriting process for the new album, although do you anticipate that there will be some piano and keyboard on the new songs?
I'm so stoked to hear that you're working on a new Sum 41 album. I wish you all the best for your this upcoming year and your continued recovery. From the song clips I've heard I'm sure the new Sum 41 album will be amazing :)
hello. my answers in CAPS.
1. Which keyboards and pianos have you used in the studio, and which ones are your favorite for live performances? I grew up playing on a Yamaha piano, and I've enjoyed using the Yamaha PSR-1000 for recording. I HAVE AN OLD ROLAND PHANTOM THAT I USE A LOT. I BOUGHT IT WHEN I FIRST STARTED INTRODUCING KEYS ON THE CHUCK ALBUM. MOSTLY I USE AN ORHESTRAL SOUND THAT YOU CAN HEAR IN PIECES. AND I ALSO USE A YAMAHA P300 A LOT IN THE STUDIO AND LIVE. BUT ALSO THERE'S A LOT OF GREAT PROGRAMS IN PRO TOOLS NOW THAT HAVE TONS OF GREAT PIANO AND KEYBOARD SOUNDS. REALLY CRAZY SOUNDS. I'M REALLY INTO THAT RIGHT NOW BECAUSE IT SOUNDS DIFFERENT THAN ANYTHING I'VE USED ON THE PAST RECORDS. SO IT WILL GIVE A DIFFERENT VIBE TO THIS NEW ALBUM.
2. Do you write the majority of your songs using a guitar, or are the majority of your songs written on a piano first and then transposed to guitar? Or some combination of both? I USUALLY START ON GUITAR BUT SOMETIMES I USE PIANO. MOSTLY GUITAR THOUGH. BUT FOR A SONG LIKE CRASH I WROTE IT ALL ON PIANO. AND I HAVE A SONG I'M WORKING ON NOW THAT IS ALL PIANO.
3. I'm impressed with your songwriting prolificacy. What are some tips you have against writer's block, aimed at improving songwriting prolificacy? ANYTIME YOU GET A BLOCK JUST WALK AWAY AND LEAVE IT ALONE. ANOTHER GOOD TIP IS TO TRY AND WRITE BULLSHIT SONGS IN 10 MIN. SET A TIMER. WRITE AN INTRO VERSE, AND CHORUS WITH LYRICS EVERY MORNING WITHIN THE FIRST HOUR OF WAKING UP. IT'S NOT SOMETHING YOU WILL PROBABLY USE. YOU CAN JUST WRITE ABOUT THE WEATHER IF YOU WANT. IT EXECRCISES THE BRAIN TO BE CREATIVE. THAT HELPS ME A LOT.
4. I realize that you're still in the songwriting process for the new album, although do you anticipate that there will be some piano and keyboard on the new songs? YES THERE WILL BE. I'VE BEEN USING PIANO AND KEYS SINCE CHUCK AND I THINK THERE'S GOING TO BE JUST AS MUCH ON THIS NEW ALBUM IF NOT MORE. I LIKE FINDING WAYS TO ADD INSTRUMENTS WITHOUT TAKING THE MUSIC AWAY FROM BEING A ROCKING BAND WITH LOTS OF GUITARS. IF YOU DO IT RIGHT YOU CAN ACTUALLY MAKE THE GUITARS SOUND BIGGER BY ADDING THE RIGHT SOUNDS UNDER THEM. I'VE FOUND A WAY TO DO IT THAT I QUITE LIKE RIGHT NOW.