The Burning Of Rome
The Burning Of Rome is set to make their return next month with new single Norman Bates and album With Us.
I caught up with Adam from the band to chat about the new record, bringing their music to the UK and what lies ahead.
- You are about to release your new single Norman Bates so what can we expect for the new track?
Well it is our take on the Hitchcock film and it runs the gallant of everything from being frightening, joyful to down right psychotic, I guess (laughs).
- As the title suggests the song is about the Hitchcock character Norman Bates so what triggered the idea for the track?
It is a literal take on the film and I have been a huge Hitchcock fan my entire life. So it seemed rather fitting to do a homage to someone who inspires me as an artist.
So it is probably the most literal song that we have as there are not many hidden meanings in it - it’s pretty straightforward in the sense that it follows the plot of the film and the lyrics coincide with it.
- How have you found the response to the song so far?
It has been great, really good. It has been getting a lot of airplay and we just did a music video for it that is streaming online and that has been getting a lot of hits. A lot of people have been coming out of the woodwork and singing its praises so I am very happy.
- As you say there is a great and rather creepy video to go with the single which was shot by Patrick Fogarty so how did you find working with him and how did that come about?
He was filming a band on tour and they were actually staying at out studio in San Diego. He gave us his card and showed us his website and he really was a perfect fit for what we were doing.
I moved to Los Angeles not long ago and he also lives in LA, he lives about a mile away from me, and so we got together and were talking about concepts and ideas for videos.
Then the idea came up to shoot something for Norman Bates and he seemed to be the perfect fit. I glad that we did do it because he did an amazing job.
- So where did the idea for the video come from and how much of an input did you have into that?
We collaborated a lot with Patrick and made decisions on what direction it should go. But a lot of the twist was his idea and at the end when Marion gets her revenge and kills Norman was all him - I wanted to give him free reign with his own creative vision.
A lot of times when an artist butts their nose into another artist’s work it might not work out in the end and so I tried to give him as much creative reign as possible.
- This is the latest track to be taken for your brand new album With Us so how does this new track introduce us to the rest of the record?
I think that is it is a good catalyst into the band because the album as a whole is pretty eclectic as it is poppy and then it gets very mellow and then heavy and really loud - it is all over the place.
I keep using the analogy of taking a rubber ball and taking it into a small room and throwing it against the wall as hard as you can and it just ricochets all over the place.
I think that that track in particular shows off a lot of the different genres that goes through the album; it has mellow vibe to it and it has a really heavy vibe to it and satisfies all sides of the spectrum.
- I gave the album a listen this morning and, as you say, it is very eclectic and there are a lot of sounds in there so when you set out to make the record was that always the plan to have such a wide range of genres in there? Or is it simply the way that it has all worked out?
I think it just naturally out there we never planned to make a quirky record that combined a load of genres into one.
The biggest challenge was actually trying to make it that the genres weren’t too far apart as it was a delicate balance to try and find that common thread to tie those songs together so that the album itself would be cohesive.
I think we did it and I do think that it does work - even thought is does run a wide spectrum of sounds - we managed to pull it together and make it work.
- The album has already been released in America so how has gone down over there?
It has been going really well and getting a lot of airplay. We have been getting more and more fans at our shows and there has just been a load of positive feedback on it.
When we get back to the States we are going to head out to South By Southwest and just keep plugging away at promoting the record there. It has been going well.
- And how excited are you for UK audiences to hear the new material?
Very excited. The tracks that have already leaked out we have been getting some great feedback for them.
Even just in coming out here I was amazed… we just made a little post on line saying that we would be here and if any of our UK friends wanted to reach out to us here is our email and all these messages have been flooding in (laughs).
People are like ‘we love you here in the UK’ and I was like ‘wow, I didn’t even realise we had fans in the UK’. I am excited to see what transpires when it is officially and they can actually go and buy it.
- Tom Biller has produced the record so what were you looking for in your producer?
I picked him to co-produce the album with me because he has worked a lot with Jon Brion, who is someone who I really respect musically; I think that Jon Brion does a great job in having that wide spectrum of sound and yet pulling it all together in one cohesive package.
He has also worked with the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s, Fiona Apple, Elliott Smith and Kanye West and I just thought ‘if this guy can handle that spectrum he can handle ours ‘ (laughs).
- How has his experience influenced this record? And how did you find working with him?
It was great, it was really good. It actually, kind of, got me to move to Los Angeles (laughs). I was staying with him at his house for months on end and we were mixing and recording into the small hours of the morning.
We would tweak stuff and edits and experimenting and it was very much him taking me under his wing and showing me how to produce and how the city itself works. It was a great experience and it led me to make the move to the city.
- You have also had a hand in producing so how much is the part of making a record that you enjoy?
I think that I do wear both hats equally; being a member of the band and also being a producer of the band. I do the pre-production and the editing and make the decisions of how we are going to do what and when and the arrangements.
It is something that I love and want to keep on doing and hopefully I will start producing other bands eventually.
- How does the song writing work in the band is there one main writer or is it very much a collaborative process?
It is mostly myself. I will take an idea and demo it out; I do everything by myself from guitar to keyboard before I show it to the rest of the band. I am not a stickler where I go ‘no, you have to hit that there’ they very much have free range to interpret the music how they want to and make something new out of it.
- So where did your love of music first begin? And is a career in music something that you always wanted?
Yeah it is. Since I could walk I was walking to an instrument to play it. When I was a kid I started with guitar and piano and every few years I will get an itch to learn a new instrument; the hunger is still there.
There is a saying ‘I didn’t choose music, music chose me’ and it is involuntary and just happens. I can’t imagine doing anything else for the rest of my life.
- Adam you were diagnosed with a rare muscular disorder in both legs when you were fifteen so how much was music something that pulled you through?
It was my salvation throughout that whole process. I was bed ridden for months on end with nothing to do and I was home schooled for quite sometime because I couldn’t physically go to a school. I would get myself into a wheelchair and get over to the piano and play Beatles songs.
As much as it was a terrible experience it also helped me hone in a lot of skills so I am actually thankful for it.
- You have an ever growing fan base so for any of the fans, particularly in this country, who are reading this do you have a message for them?
Thank you. Thank you for existing. Come and exist with us, step aboard out spaceship and we can conquer space together.
- Finally what is next for you - are we going to be seeing the band playing some live shows here in the UK?
Absolutely. This trip was a preliminary trip to lay the foundations for getting the full band out here eventually.
I am sure when the record is out that will give us even more incentive to come out here and promote it. We definitely have plans to come out.
The Burning of Rome - With Us is released 25th March
Single Norman Bates is released 18th March.