United States of Adolescence

Houston Calls are kids born of an American punk and emo-tional ideal from New Jersey. Since “A Collection of Short Stories” in 2005, the group have been cutting and pasting to the best of their knowledge in preparation for the recently released “End of An Error”. Tom Sargeant turned on the inquisition before their Komedia show.

XYZ: How did you come to move away from your punk/ska origins?
Jarrett: “Well, me, Tom and Okie were in this band called Face First for a bunch of years but as everything was changing and bands with horns just couldn’t get signed and couldn’t play in the States unless they had already been successful, we started writing songs that didn’t have horns. It’s kind of funny ‘cause we rang Okie and we were like: “we’re stopping the band and you can start playing keyboards instead of trumpet” and he was like: “OK!”

So Okie, are you still hitting a little brass on the sly?
Okie: I have it at home, I wanted to fit it in on the last album but it just wouldn’t work. Maybe on the eastern/prog-rock album, album three!

“End of an Error” is the name of you new album: does this then signify the start of correctness, per se?
Tom: Pretty much, yeah! I’d say you summed it up. Most people just ask: “What does that mean?” You actually said exactly what I would want to answer with, so, you know…

So what differences do you see as a band touring the UK, as opposed to America?
Jarrett: The band we’re touring with, You Me At Six, have such a following. It’s never a challenging night, like we’ve never sat backstage and gone: “Are there kids outside, what’s the pre-sale at?” They are just so supportive over here.

When on tour and constantly in such close proximity, band relationships must be tested. I want to know, if forced, which instrument-utilising attack method you would favour?
Okie: Drumsticks!

What?!
Okie: Hear me out, hear me out, dexterity and um….

Break it over your knee and stab someone with it?
Jose: What about a huge bass string, wrapped around the neck?

This is far more thought through than I had expected…
Tom: Ah, one of those small symbols to throw at your neck.

At least now you’ve got the heads-up on each others ideas…
Jarrett: Yeah, I’ll be on edge tonight for sure, more than normal too…

www.houstoncalls.com
www.myspace.com/houstoncalls

Photography by Ian Greenland

Words by Tom Sargeant, December 2008