Alkaline Trio’s Dan Andriano Talks About New Solo Album and More (Interview)
Monday, 22 August 2011
Written by Rob Sleigh
Dan Andriano has been busy. After the release of Alkaline Trio’s new acoustic album ‘Damnesia’ last month and a US tour to celebrate the band’s 15-year anniversary, the bass player is now about to release the debut album from his new side project The Emergency Room. But it doesn’t stop there. Next month, Dan will be crossing the pond to join Chuck Ragan for the Hot Water Music frontman’s Revival Tour together with The Gaslight Anthem’s Brian Fallon and Dave Hause from The Loved Ones. Then, little more than a couple of weeks later, he’ll be back with us for another run around the country with Alkaline Trio.
Speaking to Stereoboard during a short break from the band’s stateside tour, Dan told us more about his new album and his forthcoming UK dates…
Your new album ‘Hurricane Season’ is due out here in the UK this month. Is it a solo project or a collaboration with other people?
No, it’s pretty much 100 percent solo. I wrote every song, recorded every song, played every song and did all the artwork [Laughs]. I did it all with just a couple of exceptions – I have to give huge credit to my friend Erin Lewis, who played keyboards and piano on two of the songs. Also, my friends Pete and Bryan Groleau helped me sing on one of the songs.
How long have you been working on this project and how did the idea first come about?
About four or five years ago, I started doing solo shows. Every once in a while, I’d go out and play a show by myself. I’ve always been writing stuff that doesn’t necessarily work for Alkaline Trio, so I’ve kind of been stockpiling tunes for the past two or three years. I had to sit down and analyse what I had and decide whether I had a full record. Once I was confident about that, I locked myself up in my little studio and got to work.
How did it feel to be working on this project compared with the stuff you’ve done in the past with Alkaline Trio?
It was very fucking frustrating [Laughs]. With Alkaline Trio, we’re so comfortable with each other and we’re such good friends that I have no problem with Matt or Derek saying: “That wasn’t that good, you’ve got to do it again”. But there’s none of that, so I would do something and I’m like: “OK… Was that good?” I started to get really neurotic about it and ended up recording things three or four times. Like, I would have a song pretty much done and then I would just scrap it and re-record it. It was a little maddening, but I got through it.
In terms of the songwriting, how did you approach these songs compared with the way you might have done with the band?
I tried to do it in a stream of consciousness-type way – at least, musically. I didn’t want to be bound to or adhere to any pop music-like formula. When Alkaline Trio writes a song, we do end up structuring and restructuring and that’s cool, it’s part of building the song. But with the stuff I did for The Emergency Room, since it was just me writing a tune, I tried not to over-think things. I saved all my over-thinking for the lyrics.
What sorts of lyrical themes have you explored on the album?
I didn’t really do it intentionally, but there did end up being kind of a theme to the record. Almost the entire record is written about me and my life and the way I handle my life on the road, missing my family and stuff. It’s very personal, but the theme that kind of showed itself when the album was almost done is about getting from point A to point B in terms of being comfortable and happy. On the first line of the record, I say: “It’s gonna rain all day,” and on the last line of the record, I say: “We’ll die in the sunlight.” It goes from very gloomy to very optimistic with more of an appreciative standpoint by the end. I’m pretty happy with how that turned out and I didn’t really mean to do it. When I realised it was there, it made sense to me.
For fans of the stuff you’re done with Alkaline Trio, what can they expect from ‘Hurricane Season’?
Well, it doesn’t really sound like Alkaline Trio, but it sounds like me and it sounds like songs that I’d write, just in a different context. But if you know or appreciate the songs that I write, I think you’d be into it.
Do you think you’ll be doing more stuff with The Emergency Room in the future?
Absolutely. One of the reasons I named it what I did is to leave the door open to do more in terms of getting more people involved. At some point, I’d like to make it a band and I’d like to make the next record in a proper studio with more players there with me and try to make it more of a live recording.
Do you think you’ve learned a lot this time around for next time? Yeah, I think so. If my arm was being twisted and I had to do it again the exact same way, I think it would probably go a little bit quicker and I would be a little more comfortable doing it. I want to do more with the band aspect of it. I really want to try and get some other people involved, just for the sake of always keeping things moving and changing. It’s kind of like Alkaline Trio – all our records sound a little bit different because we like doing different stuff and I feel really strongly about that. I’m going to keep that mindset for The Emergency Room.
In September, you’ll be here in the UK for this year’s Revival Tour with Chuck Ragan. How did you become involved with that?
I got a really awesome phone call from Chuck one day. The Revival Tour is Chuck’s thing – him and his wife Jill run it. They’ve done it in the States a few times and he wants to start taking it international. I’ve been a friend of Chuck’s for the last decade and I really appreciate where he comes from, from a musical and ethical standpoint. There’s no way to put it other than the dude is right-on. He does it for all the right reasons and he appreciates what he has. It’s about more than making money and playing shows. When Alkaline Trio started playing shows with Hot Water Music, 10 or 11 years ago, we made a pretty instant connection. When Chuck asked me to be a part of this, it was just a matter of where do you want me and when? I was really excited. One of the many good things about this tour is that I feel the same way about Brian and Dave. We’re all from the same scene, even if we’re from different parts of the country. I think we all share a little bit of the same DNA somehow.
For those who may not have come across The Revival Tour before, please could you explain a bit about what it’s all about?
I’ve never been a part of it, so it’s hard for me to describe. I’ll do another interview for you after we’re done and I’ll let you know. Basically, it’s a little bit of a collaboration and it’s a little bit of a solo show, but it’s a non-stop party. The show’s going to start and all four of us are going to come out and do a couple of songs, and then everyone might leave except for one guy. So I might be up there and do a set by myself, and then maybe Chuck will come out and help me play a song or two. It’s going to be really fun and it’s going to give people a chance to see us in a completely different light.
Will you be getting a chance to play some of your own stuff on the tour?
Absolutely. I’m going to try and play as much of ‘Hurricane Season’ as I can. I’m going to play a couple of Alkaline Trio songs and some cover songs, but I’m really looking forward to showcasing some of the Emergency Room stuff for the beautiful people of the United Kingdom.
Then, a short time later, you’ll be back to tour ‘Damnesia’ over here with the Trio. Will it be another acoustic tour to support that album?
No, that’s going to be a little bit of everything. We’re on tour right now in the States and we’re playing a rock set with a few songs that we don’t play too often. Then we break it down with some acoustic stuff before we build it back up with some more rock songs.
How did the idea come about to release an acoustic album for the band’s latest offering?
The idea was presented to us by someone that said we should do a greatest hits album to commemorate the band’s 15-year anniversary. But none of us were really excited about putting out a greatest hits album. It seemed kind of pointless these days, because anyone can go on iTunes and make their own greatest hits record. When the idea came up to do a more ‘unplugged’ style like Nirvana, The Cure and a lot of other great bands did in the ‘90s for MTV, it seemed like a cooler option. An acoustic-based album, but really putting the emphasis on restructuring the songs.
How does it feel now that Alkaline Trio have been around for 15 years?
It’s crazy. Every night on this tour, I give a little speech, where I mention that Matt [Skiba] started this band in 1996. Every time I say that it freaks me out a little bit. I mean, it seems like a very long time ago and it was. It’s not… I was going to say it’s not easy, but that’s not really true [Laughs]. We just feel really lucky. So many bands get together and break up after a couple of years. When people ask us, we say it’s because we just have fun and because people keep coming back.
What has been the high point of being in the band in that time?
We’ve been blessed with so many great experiences. It would be hard to pick one high point, so I would just say that, in general, it’s been the amount of travelling that we get to do. The first couple of times we went over to the UK, it was pretty amazing. It’s still amazing to go over there, but the first couple of times, we didn’t even know if anyone knew who were and the shows were pretty fucking crazy. The fans were really awesome so that was pretty memorable but, in general, the travelling is the best part for me. We’ve been all over Europe, Australia, South Africa, the United States, Canada… We’ve been to some crazy places, it’s awesome.
What have the band got planned next once the tour is over?
We’ve been writing little bits of songs here and there on this tour and we’ve been talking about songs, but we haven’t really gotten onto when we’re going to record. That’s probably going to happen sometime next year. In the meantime, I’m going to try and keep busy touring and playing shows with The Emergency Room. Matt’s got a new solo record that he’s getting ready to put out soon, so I think people are going to be excited about that. It’s going to be cool.
‘Hurricane Season’ by Dan Andriano In The Emergency Room is out 22nd August.
Dan Andriano will be performing with The Revival Tour on the following dates:
Tue Sept 27th - O2 Academy Bristol
Wed Sept 28th - Manchester Academy2
Thu Sept 29th - The Academy Dublin
Fri Sept 30th - O2 ABC Glasgow
Sat Oct 1st - Northumbria University, Newcastle
Sun Oct 2nd - Rock City, Nottingham
Sat Oct 15th - O2 Shepherds Bush Empire, London
Sun Oct 16th - Cardiff University Solus
Mon Oct 17th - Portsmouth Pyramids Click Here to Compare & Buy Revival Tour Tickets
Alkaline Trio will be on tour in November:
Sun 6th November 2011 – Lemon Grove, Exeter
Mon 7th November 2011 - Pyramids Centre, Portsmouth
Tue 8th November 2011 - Manchester Academy 2
Wed 9th November 2011 – Leadmill, Sheffield
Thu 10th November 2011 – Solus, Cardiff
Sat 12th November 2011 – Kasbah, Coventry
Sun 13th November 2011 - Leeds Metropolitan University
Mon 14th November 2011 - Waterfront, Norwich
Tue 15th November 2011 - Electric Ballroom, Camden London
Thu 17th November 2011 – HMV Picture House, Edinburgh Click Here to Compare & Buy Alkaline Trio Tickets
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Yeah, I think so. If my arm was being twisted and I had to do it again the exact same way, I think it would probably go a little bit quicker and I would be a little more comfortable doing it. I want to do more with the band aspect of it. I really want to try and get some other people involved, just for the sake of always keeping things moving and changing. It’s kind of like Alkaline Trio – all our records sound a little bit different because we like doing different stuff and I feel really strongly about that. I’m going to keep that mindset for The Emergency Room. 
