An Interview with

'Jared'

of Melodic Rock band,

Classic Case

(from North Carolina/New York)

by Glenn Milligan, May 2006

Glenn: How did the band get together?

Jared: Mitchell Marlow (guitarist) and I started writing songs late 2002. We had trouble finding a rhythm section and eventually moved to NYC where ‘Classic Case’ really came to be in 2003 as a four piece with Eric Mendelson (bass) and Durijah Lang (drums). After an EP and a few tours we gained a member Josh Moore (guitar/vox) who took my guitar duties in 04 and have now kinda finalized what ‘Classic Case’ is and will be.

Glenn: What are your influences and why?

ared:So many artists and genres. For me it was classic rock like Yes and the Police to 90's rock like Alice in Chains, Jeff Buckley, Quicksand, Lifetime, etc...

The other guys like everything from Metalica and Faith no More to Ryan Adams and Sunny Day Real Estate.

Glenn:How would you classify your type of music - what made you choose this style?

Jared: Driving melodic Rock. It’s always been hard for me to describe the music I'm apart of.

Glenn: Did it take long to get signed up?

Jared: It didn’t take long to get label interest but it did take awhile to settle with a label.

Glenn: What made you sign to Fiddler/Help Records?

Jared: We liked that fiddler hadn't pigeon holed itself as a label that released one certain type of rock music. It was appealing that we would hopefully get more attention with fiddler as apposed to a huge label and get lost in the mix as well. Since the signing though fiddler has sort of fallen apart and we are currently talking with other labels.

Glenn :How was the gig at the Give it a Name ‘06?

Jared: Amazing! The biggest shows we had ever played. It was also our first trip to the UK so we really didn’t know what to expect and everyone was just amazing to us.

Glenn: What's your thoughts on UK audiences - how do they differ from New York?

Jared: Rock music seems to be a lot more apart of the UK culture. Not that it isn’t in America, but it’s not as mainstream and in your face as say country and hip hop nowadays, at least to me. The audiences seemed very open and eager to hear music and have a good time. People are less that was and more judging in America I think.

Glenn: What's your fave material on the album and why?

Jared: Elegy is my favorite track on the record. I love the harmonies and that it gets pretty heavy at times and then really soft too. The subject matter is a little more serious as it deals with losing someone very close to you, so I think that draws me to that song as well. Revival and Sub Rosa also stand out to me.

Glenn: How did you come with the album cover?

Jared: I heard of an artist named Ahren Hertel through a mutual friend and we saw his art and loved it. He had these designs of poor beaten up kids that seemed so hopeless and we thought it would work well with dress to depress. He did a few paintings for the record.

Glenn: What have been your fave times as a band so far?

Jared: Maybe because it’s such a fresh memory but we did have a blast in the UK. It had been a goal of ours to travel over seas to play music so I think that was kinda special for us and it was so new since we had toured the states so much. Besides that id say the overnight 15 hour drives are up there on our list of fun times. Ha ha.

Glenn: What hobbies and interests do you have outside the band?

Jared: Lately i have been into playing disc golf. Don’t know if you have that over there but its something dirty hippies enjoy. Just kidding, but its a great reason to get outdoors.

Glenn: If you could tour with anybody who would it be with and why? And whereabouts?

Jared: Foo Fighters because they rule and Dave Grohl is one of my heros. I don’t care where really but I'd be down for a world tour with FF.

Glenn: Got any good stories to tell - saucier the better?

Jared: I seem to get hurt just about every tour we do. I sprained my ankle bad in the UK, got a mic stand in my eye last summer. Eric slammed my finger in the van and I got stitches. Neck injuries and back injuries. All a part of rock n roll. Haha. Doesn’t stop us though.

Glenn:What's your area like for Metal?

Jared: North Carolina is pretty big for metal. It’s where between the buried and me are from as well as corrosion of conformity and daylight dies.

Glenn: What's next for Classic Case?

Jared: We leave for a month tour in the states day after tomorrow with our best buds in He is Legend. After that we plan to start writing and record and new record and hopefully coming back to Europe to support the release of our current record overseas.