{"id":5553,"date":"2014-02-27T06:08:54","date_gmt":"2014-02-27T06:08:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.modernfix.com.php72-4.lan3-1.websitetestlink.com\/?p=5553"},"modified":"2014-02-27T06:08:54","modified_gmt":"2014-02-27T06:08:54","slug":"stun","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/modernfix.com\/interviews-2\/stun\/","title":{"rendered":"Interview: S.T.U.N."},"content":{"rendered":"

(this interview originally appeared in issue #35 of Modern Fix Magazine in 2003)<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>– interview by mary ellen gustafson<\/b><\/p>\n

One of the newer Punk bands to join the WARPED Tour, have a debut album drop (on Geffen yet – nothing like bypassing smaller labels and going right to a major!) and cause ripples in the music community (they\u2019re already listed as one of MTV\u2019s Top Ten Bands to Watch and the album isn\u2019t even out yet), has done a great job of making everything old seem new again – and they don\u2019t even know they\u2019ve done it!<\/strong><\/p>\n

The members of S.T.U.N. (Christiane J. – lead vocalist; Neil Spies – songwriter \/ lyricist \/ guitarist \/ vocalist; Nick S. – bassist; Bobby Alt – drummer) are described as having \u201c . . .the lyrical integrity of The Clash combined with . . . the fearless punk sensibilities of The Sex Pistols, empowered with . . . soundscapes of bands such as The Pixies and S.E.A. . . [and they] bring music back to its essence with volume, reason and movement. . .it\u2019s punk circa 2003.\u201d And that\u2019s just in the first paragraph of their press material. I hear shades of Black Flag and Rancid myself, but when I actually talked to Christiane J. (lead vocalist and band spokesperson) his response to comparisons to these punk legends was rather surprising.<\/strong>
\nYeah, people tell us that a lot, but I\u2019ve never really heard any of these bands, so I\u2019m not sure what they\u2019re talking about. It\u2019s cool to hear that, but we were really influenced by Jane\u2019s Addiction.<\/p>\n

I then asked why they chose to go in this particular musical direction, since they weren\u2019t trying for the old school punk sound?<\/strong>
\nThat\u2019s just the tempo it came out and it feels comfortable to us.<\/p>\n

Before I go on, I should make a note here. Due to circumstances beyond my control, my live interview with Christiane J. was cut short and I have to make do with what little information I was able to get from him during that time. My solution to this problem is to combine the \u201cofficial\u201d quotes from all the band members that were provided in the press materials I received with the advance of the album at the very beginning of May, with the \u201clive\u201d conversation I had with Christiane 06\/13\/03 while he was in Minneapolis, MN on tour with Dredge. I\u2019ll do my best to blend the quotes, but the serious material presented in their press kit is SO different from guy I talked to, I think I get to present a more well rounded look at the band than I would have relying on just the live interview.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

To continue the saga of S.T.U.N., which stands for \u201cScream Toward the Uprising of Non-Conformity,\u201d their debut album, \u201cEvolution Of Energy,\u201d was created to deliver their message through both their lyrics and music. Some of the topics: Government\u2019s growing control of the globe through lies and deception, the healing power in finding your own answers, the warning of the trap of blind compliance, the cowardice and effect of judgment, and the celebration of love and chaos until equality is accomplished.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Neil Spies, guitarist and songwriter\/lyricist says<\/strong>, \u201cOur music is a call for unity and awareness. When I grew up, every effort was used to force me to comply with the thought process that whoever was in authority was right – and that\u2019s rarely the truth. We\u2019re here to prove that if you are brave enough to fight adversity for what you believe in that you will have your own message to send that will enlighten the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not pushing opinions on anyone – everyone should question everything and make decisions for themselves,\u201d Spies continues. \u201cWe feel that we have a responsibility, though. When I was a kid, music saved and taught me you can\u2019t feel more alive than when you are part of revolution. When we talk to the kids, they really seem to be starving for a band to fight the \u2018play it safe,\u2019 fabricated passion state of the music industry right now. We are playing for them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Okay, even to me this all sounds pretty heavy handed, so I\u2019m going to switch to \u201clive\u201d mode for a few minutes. After reading all this (and there\u2019s plenty more), I expected to be talking to someone spouting political proclamations or anti-everything platitudes. Instead, the guy on the phone, Christiane, sounded like an excited kid on his first trip to Disneyworld who asked ME if I wanted to know what he\u2019d been doing that day. I said sure and he proceeded to tell me about some fans they made on a previous trip through the area, when S.T.U.N. was one of the bands opening for Jane\u2019s Addiction, that tracked him down and took him out to show him around their city. They took him to their favorite record store, to get a Falafel and to introduce him to one of their favorite local bands. He was absolutely thrilled by it all. He said he loved to listen to the kids\u2019 stories and the Mix CDs they made and gave him and just to have a chance to meet the people. By the way, Christiane is a genuinely nice guy and so opposite of what I expected after reading the press material. This sounded promising, so I thought I\u2019d ask about their audiences.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The lyrics in most of your songs are very rebellious. Who is your target audience? Do you consider yourselves leaders in getting people off their butts to pay attention to what\u2019s going on around them?
\n<\/strong>Everybody is our audience, from somebody at the mall to gutter punks to an old lady. Our lyrics are not about personal things, they\u2019re about world type things. They relate to people in their jobs or school or just their life.<\/p>\n

Then what\u2019s your average fan like?
\n<\/strong>There really isn\u2019t an average fan. There are people into the message, people that like the music and don\u2019t have a clue about the political part, a lot of young boys and girls and then a lot of the over 30 crowd who saw us when we played with Jane\u2019s Addiction and Bad Religion.<\/p>\n

Since you\u2019re on the second time around in many cities, has word of mouth affected the size of your audience?
\n<\/strong>Absolutely! We\u2019re seeing way more people this time. We gave away a two song sampler before (with the songs \u201cMovement\u201d and \u201cAnnihilation Of The Generations\u201d on it) and the people in the audience now know those songs and sing along.\u201d<\/p>\n