Unwritten Law – Interview

The San Diego-based band’s legacy continues with its sixth release, the upcoming album titled Here’s To The Mourning, which will be released on Lava Records in early 2005. The band made an effort this time around to compose music that flowed from beginning to end. “We felt like each of our records have been written and played really well, but they haven’t been that cohesive as a piece from front to back,” comments Scott Russo, the bands lead singer. “This time, we’re really making sure that all the songs are fused together, so it stands as one piece of music, with a really defined sound as well.” Guitarist Steve Morris adds “[This record was] something that was fresh and fun for us.”

We interview guitarist Steve Morris!

Hitting the road for a long period of time can be daunting—are you looking forward to it?

I like playing and going on the road but everything else sucks. (Laughs)

I know you jumped to a new label—and this isn’t the first time—how is that working out?

Going to a new label has always been a good experience for us. I got nothing to complain about, every move that we’ve made has been at the right time for the right reasons.

Do you approach everything the same even with a new label or do you try something new?

It’s easier to try something fresh. I’d rather be with a company that wants us rather than a company that doesn’t.

Is it weird to meet fans who think you are a new band?

It’s cool. It’s always going to happen because we haven’t sold millions of records. It’s time to bring them to the dark side. (We both laugh)

Unwritten Law, to me, has been surprisingly floating under the radar.

We are on a four year plan for each record. I don’t know why. In a way it’s a bad thing because we do disappear and come back. Maybe it’s a good thing because people have to reacquaint themselves with us. Sometimes we pull a curveball and give them something unexpected.

Do you have your own expectations?

We make the best record we can.

I mean you put out good records but it has to be frustrating that they don’t become the number one album when so many bands with less talent do.

Well, often times the record label or management drops the ball. There are little things that happen. You can’t cry over spilt milk. We’ve been doing this for so long that nothing f*cking fazes us now.

I read a review where it said that “these guys know how to play their instruments” (we laugh) but are we setting the standards too low for punk and rock?

You can buy punk rock in a store now and that is pathetic. It is what it is. Something else will come out and it’ll be underground and then you can buy it in a store three years later. So many people will say we’re punk or pop punk but were really just an f*cking rock ‘n’ roll band.

That is the thing, too, you get put in a genre. I read someone say you were Nu Metal.

Someone called us that?

It was a fan. (We both laugh) I wouldn’t put you in the same category as pop punk bands.

We don’t sound like, whoever you know?

I don’t hear it.

Well you can really call us whatever you want… I don’t give a f*cking sh*t. (We laugh) Know what I mean.

It’s all rock ‘n’ roll. If you rock then you don’t need a name.

Exactly.

Do you work on the tracks before you head into the studio?

Sometimes we have the entire song written and sometimes we sit in the studio and we change a whole song around. The song is never done until it’s mastered. Even when we were mastering we would go and remaster stuff. We are nuts and I don’t know if it’s a good thing. Sometimes we do overkill. We can think too much. We are just crazy when it comes to this stuff but we want to make it the best it can be.

Is everyone in the band perfectionists?

Everyone is perfectionists. The only reason we get a producer is because we don’t want to deal with it. We could do it on our own. We know how to make records but we just become such freaks in the studio. I could tweak for days. It’s fun because you can delve into your own music.

But on the negative side you could be in there for years and years and still never get anything done.

Exactly.

The producer can help because he’ll say ‘come on guys, we’ve done this forty-five times.’

Yeah and what is funny is it’s the same every time. (We both laugh) The producer was laughing at us because we were arguing about the smallest things that in the end don’t even matter.

Bands like Gomez are self-produced and you know they are a good band but the songs tend to be two times longer then they should be. You can’t help but wonder how great they’d be with a producer.

It’s funny because when you do that as an artist you really think ‘I won’t hear the song any other way’ until someone comes in and changes and you are like ‘wow, that is really better.’ There are ups and downs to all of it. I like to have a producer who is almost a sixth player in the band.

What got you into playing guitar?

Slash from Guns ‘N’ Roses.

Were you pretending you were in the band?

I was like eight but I was totally into it. I saw the “Welcome to the Jungle” video and I wanted to be him. It really got me into music.

Mine was Nikki Sixx, but I didn’t realize he was playing bass. I just thought he looked kind of cool and crazy so I wanted to be him.

Exactly, it was something like that. I thought Slash was awesome.

+ Charlie Craine