The honesty and vulnerability of a band that is creatively expressing and channeling their thoughts and experiences effectively, and finding a devoted audience to connect with, is what makes a band like The Drums stand the test of time. With 10 years under their belt and 4 albums to their name, the band has consistently delivered. We talk to Johnny Pierce (singer/songwriter) short of The Drums appearance at this years Neon Desert Music Festival in El Paso about the longevity of the band, getting older and making consistently great records.
This year marks 10 years for The Drums, how does that feel?
JP: You know, the word that I would use is grateful. I know that being in a band, is had enough, and keeping a band relevant, and keeping a band putting out good records is a lot of hard work. To be able to keep doing that for 10 years and still be working on new records, feels really good. I see a lot of bands start and put out a record, and then kind of disappear, so I’m just really grateful that we’ve been able to keep going and a big part of that is the fans that we have. I feel like we have a really intensely loyal fan base that is sort of the envy of a lot of other bands so, I’m grateful for that too.
What else is key to the longevity?
You know, I think a really big part is…I feel like The Drums have always filled a void in indie-rock and what I think that void is sort of, I don’t know there are many other bands that make records of their own, not go out and hire outside producers, and kind of keep things a bit DIY, even when there’s been an opportunity to make something much bigger or “bad ass.” There’s something about keeping it pure you know? And I think our fans really appreciate that, and understand that we’re just doing what we’re doing and it’s sort of like, I don’t know, there’s been lots of chances for us to make a big step up you know? We had really famous producers approach us and want to work with us and we turned a lot down because we really believed in what we’re doing. I think that’s a big part of it, and I don’t know that it will be like that forever, so far we’ve really recorded all of our own stuff, produced and mixed our own stuff for the most part and, I think there’s something about that.
I think the other part is, look, I’m like a full grown man and in today’s society I think it’s kind of looked down upon for someone of my age to kind of say that…you know I think men need to often feel like they need to come across as having it all together, and they’re strong and brave and courageous and have all the answers and they don’t need to ask for directions. And so I don’t feel that way, so I’m not going to pretend that I feel that way. In my songwriting more and more, I’m just becoming more and more honest and vulnerable about how I feel and you know, I’m not too proud to say that I feel lost a lot of the time, and I feel really depressed a lot of the time, I feel out of sync with the world a lot of the time, and sometimes I feel downright hopeless, and that’s what I talk about. I think that in a lot of the music we listen to today, the message is the opposite. The message is “I’m great” and there’s a lot of self esteem and a lot of people you know, talking about how wonderful that life is, and I think it’s kind of rare to have a band be as vulnerable as we’ve made ourselves.
Does it get any easier or harder creatively, making music for so many years?
When I first started the band the songs were just flying out of me. I would write a song a day, and those songs, I released all of them. It’s not like I wrote a song a day and I never released a bunch, it’s just like, boom boom boom boom boom and then I had a record. It really just was almost completely effortless. The songs were good, and then, Portamento once again, there wasn’t a lot of work involved it just was a total joy to create, it wanted to be written. And then with Encyclopedia I think we sort of went through, the band was down to just Jacob and I, and so we wanted to make a record that really showcased both of our strengths. I really love songwriting, and Jacob loves synthesizers, and we decided to sort of, really push that side of things. It’s almost sort of like a synth-pop record, ultimately. To me it didn’t feel fully like a Drums album, and that one was harder to make because people really just kind of aware of all of we were doing, we got a little more like, nerdy on it. And then Jacob went his own way and I was able to kind if bring things in a little bit. Being alone kind of, there was 2 sides to that coin: in one hand there was a big weight because I had to carry this entire album on my own—record it, produced it. I sat down and I was co-mixing it, I was there when we mastered it, you know, very much a Johnny Pierce record, but it was kind of easy to make because for the first time since the very beginning, I felt as though it was kind if like a fresh start.
You remind me a lot of Morrissey because of your strong connection to your Mexican and Chicano fan base, and I saw that you recently put out that single Meet Me in Mexico, can you tell us more about that?
I was at a point where I was really pissed off at Donald Trump and his whole bullshit world, and sick of hearing him talking shit about Mexicans and you know, and I am fully aware that if it wasn’t for my Mexican fans that, there’s a big chance that we wouldn’t be putting out records because I receive so much encouragement, so much love from my Mexican fans, it’s undeniable. Wether it’s from Mexico itself or Mexicans living in America, or anywhere else you know, I really feel it and I pick up on that love. And so I wanted to write a song dedicated to my affection towards my Mexican fans.
What would you like for people to take from the music of The Drums?
For me, in the 10 years of being in this band, the biggest lesson that I’ve learned is that being honest and vulnerable and taking risks by just being yourself, are the most important things, those are the things that are going to bring you joy. When I was starting a band I was really nervous about being gay, and I didn’t really want people to know, and I kinda shy away from it, and so I was kind if playing a part, and I progressively stepped into who I am and I talk about who I am now. What I’ve noticed is that I connect better with the audience, and I connect better with myself, so when I’m playing a show or making a record, it’s much more fulfilling. I hope that on some small level I can be connecting with my fans and that people will maybe follow my lead and start connecting with each other in a more a more open and honest way. That’s really the only real point that we’re on this planet just to kind of be there for each other, the only way we can do that is by living with openness.