Semi Precious Weapons’ lead vocalist Justin Tranter took a break from his busy schedule to have “A Conversation” with “Jake’s Take.” (Photo courtesy of Siren Sounds PR)
By: Jacob Elyachar, jakes-take.com
40 years ago, New York-based band The Ramones changed the music world forever when they introduced punk rock to the masses.
Today, one of the legendary group’s many heirs, the Brooklyn-originated & LA-based Indie Pop-Rock band Semi Precious Weapons, is about to claim their birthright with the announcement of their fourth studio album, which is to be released this fall!
Over the past couple of years, the band opened for both Lady Gaga’s The Monster Ball Tour and Kesha’s Warrior Tour and traveled across North America and overseas to London in their solo outing: The Dirty Showbiz Tour.
In addition to their tours, the band is currently signed to iconic music producer Tricky Stewart (Britney Spears’s “Me Against The Music,” Rihanna’s “Umbrella” and Mariah Carey’s “Touch My Body”)’s record label: RedZone Entertainment.
Lead singer Justin Tranter took time out of his busy schedule to talk to me about the band’s new single: “Brando,” the challenges that the Millennial Generation’s artists and bands face in today’s recording industry and how social media changed the way the band reached out to their fan base.
Jacob Elyachar: Could you please share Semi Precious Weapons’ origin story with my readers?
Justin Tranter: We all met as freshman at Berklee College of Music in Boston. Cole (Whittle) and I were roommates and fast friends. He started playing in my solo folk band and also playing strange jazz with Dan (Crean) and Stevy (Pyne). After we graduated, we all moved to New York and were taken aback at how tame it was there. So, out of boredom and needing to rebel from our college experience, we started a loud, wild and mostly naked rock & roll band called Semi Precious Weapons.
JE: Could you please share the group’s songwriting process to my readers?
JT: When our band writes, it is a free for all. We sit in our house, get drunk, and write the best song we can.
JE: What was the inspiration behind your new single: “Brando”? How long did it take the group to record the song from conception to single?
JT: “Brando” is a tale of love, time travel, and finding comfort in controversy. The concept hit us at around 2 p.m.; the song was done by 10 p.m. We believed in it so much that two weeks later, it was on the radio.
JE: Semi Precious Weapons will be releasing its fourth full-length studio album this year. What were some of the challenges that the band faced while you recording the album? How did you overcome them?
JT: I honestly do not even remember how many studio albums we have made, let, alone which is the fourth one. It is a challenge to try to make a drink with an empty bottle, I can tell you that. The new album that we just finished was written and recorded in two weeks. We really pushed ourselves to make something honest.
Justin Tranter and his Semi Precious Weapons will release their second full-length studio album of 2014 this fall! (Photo courtesy of Siren Sounds PR)
JE: What are some of the challenges that artists and bands from the Millennial Generation face in the modern-day recording industry?
JT: No one has mailed us a speedboat full of money yet. That is a challenge, because I am pretty sure all my musical heroes got mailed a speedboat full of money every week in the glory days.
JE: How has social media helped the group reach out to your fanbase?
JT: It may sound stock, but we truly get off on knowing our fans, keeping up with them on the webs, and meeting them wherever we play. The Internet makes the concerts so much more intense because you can look out into the crowd and see these people that you have a relationship with. They love our explicative music and we love their support. It is basically marriage.
JE: 2014 will be ending in three months. What can your fans expect from the band in the year’s remaining months?
JT: Our new album will be released in the fall, and then our fans can expect us to come play really loud for them everywhere ever forever. We want to be on tour forever.
JE: If you had the chance to meet with a band who is interested in having a career in the entertainment industry, what advice would you share with them?
JT: Make sure you are ready for an endless battle that will be really, really miserable. But, at the same time, it is the most fun you can ever imagine! Including partying with James Brown, Joan of Arc and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in a fluorescent dragon’s lair in Ibiza!
For more information about Semi Precious Weapons, visit their website: http://www.semipreciousweapons.com/
You can also connect with the band through their social media channels! Visit their Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube pages!
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