Chat with Tom Thacker Recap

Everything related to Sum 41 Here!

Moderator: Jeremy Kill

Post Reply
User avatar
Heather
Moderator
Posts: 3071
Joined: Tue Nov 11, 2008 10:43 pm
First name: Heather
Age: 26
Gender:
Instrument 1: vocals
Instrument 2: guitar
Twitter: @HMac41
Location: South Carolina
Contact:

Chat with Tom Thacker Recap

Post by Heather »

Image

Thanks to Tom and everyone who joined the chat. Below is a condensed recap of the questions asked, Tom's answers are in italics

Gob

How did you hook up with New Damage Records for the release of Apt. 13? A friend, Bill Crook from the band Living with Lions recommended New Damage, I hadn't heard of the label at the time but I had Dine alone on my list of labels to contact. New Damage is basically an arm of Dine Alone, so 2 in one! I reached out to a bunch of labels. New Damage was the best fit so we went with them.

After hearing the album competed and playing some of the new songs live, which song jumps out to you as the highlight of the record? Hard to say which is a highlight, It always changes. I think Walking Alone and Radio Hell are definite contenders but I really love some of the other tracks like Same as it ever was and New York. Some are pretty personal so it kind of hits me in the gut to hear em

Back in 2012, you said the new album was an artistic improvement over Muertos Vivos and had better writing, what elements of Apt. 13 give it the edge? I'm really proud of what we did on Muertos Vivos so it's hard to say that the writing has improved for this record, I think both are great. This record has a more eclectic mix of songs though, I think the songs we chose for this record take more chances so in that way I feel it's stronger. Like putting a song like Keep you standing there on a record with Walking alone is kind of a ballsy move. they are quite different.

This album took a while to complete, what would you say was the final piece of the puzzle that made it all come together? There wasn't necessarily a final piece of the puzzle, it just took a long time to organize everything especially since we self-produced and Theo and I live in different cities. We couldn't just get together whenever we wanted , I had to finish recording at home and email tracks and throughout that time I was touring a whole bunch w Sum

skand: there are more guitar solos on gobs new album? There are quite a few guitar solos on the new gob record. I always try to limit the amount of solos but they somehow wind up in almost every song haha

blinksumnofx: if I were going to introduce a friend to Gob, what album/song should I start with that perfectly encompasses the band's overal sound? hard to say which gob record. i would say the new one apt 13. world according to gob is a favorite for a lot of people. i love all our records but i like looking forward, not back

raptor_536: how's this album going to sound? is it punk or alternative? the new record is punk/pop punk- there are some new wave sounding songs, kind of a bit of everything

blinksumnofx: why did Theo stop singing on the records after TWATG? theo just started writing less after that, he has been writing more lately do maybe you'll hear more theo soon

bizzykill: Have you favorites Gob songs to play in live ? prescription, b flat, beauville, self appointed leader

Sum41

skand: Why dont you guys make a song toghether (sum41 and Gob)? haha, that's kind of what happens when Deryck and I collab but might be cool to get everyone involved! I'll mention it to all the dudes

Dan: tom! how are u? dave lately said that he will come back to sum 41 if he was asked to, will you want it? how it will feel for you for him to comeback? hard to say how that would work, I guess it could, it isn't something that we have discussed tho

NicoDone: Hi Tom how are u? I would like to know which of the sum 41 songs you have not played live yet you'd like to play more. tough question, i think we tried a lot of the songs live with sum 41, some don't go over as well in a live setting, I always liked the jester though

Tisu: Hey Tom! Are you guys planning to make the new Sum 41 record heavier or a bit softer like Underclass Hero? we def plan on going in the direction of SBM with the new release. I think all the old records are great but with SBM, deryck kind of tapped into a more original sound for the band, we want to kind of run with that. honestly, I think we should meet half way between SBM and the more stripped down sound of DTLI

Ozymander: Did you see Deryck, lately? i haven't seen deryck but spoke to him a few days ago. he sounds like he's doing great so that's awesome

LulaWhibley: Have you written a few song for Sum41 new album? How would you like the sound of the new album? I have some song ideas in mind, I'll let Deryck hear them when we get into writing mode

Scott: What is your personal favourite Sum 41 album and why, Tom? my fave sum album is SBM, i was part of it from start to finish so it means more to me. i like all the other records for certain reasons as well but SBM hits closer to home

Scott: Hey Tom, 2014 is the 10 year anniversary of Chuck. Is there no plans to do a 10th anniversary tour for the album like you guys did in 2012 with Does This Look Infected? as far as i know there are no plans to do a chuck reunion, i think deryck is more focused on doing a new record

teenager17: do you know if there is any chance that Dave could have a guest performance on the new Sum 41 album, or co-write a song? it's great that d and dave are talking. not sure what the future holds but a guest performance could be cool

Touring

taurusgirl: Do you plan to do any U.S. tour dates? At this point we only have Canadian dates booked for gob but we def plan to tour everywhere we can.
It's been a while since we toured the states and we're itching to do some US dates. So yeah, US dates for sure.


Scott: Hey Tom, do you have a favourite city and/or country to play in? And if so, why? shows are kind of the same for us everywhere, the audiences are all awesome. japan is always interesting, you finish a song the audience is screaming then once you start talking everyone goes quiet so they can hear what you say, it's very surreal, everywhere else in the world people constantly scream at you btwn songs

blinksumnofx: What was it like opening for Avril in 2003? I can't find any footage of you guys playing that tour. Was it weird that probably no one in the crowd was expecting an actual punk band? the avril tour was really fun, the crowd seemed to love us it but yeah we must have sounded like slayer to that audience

Music

Heather: Have you bought any new guitars lately? I haven't bought any new guitars lately but I've been thinking about it. The main SG I use for gob has been broken 4 times, snapped at the headstock, I used to play a fender that I used to literally surf onstage. I may start playing a gtr that is more durable, we'll see tho, I still love the sg and the way it sounds

Dan: what is your dream guitar? I don't know if I have a dream guitar, I kind of pick up whatever guitar I have and make it work for me.

bizzykill: What bands do you listen to now? lately i've been listening to the bronx, the flatliners, hollerado, jiffy marker. and some non punk rock stuff like, kanye-yeezus, lcd soundsystem, robyn, future islands

LulaWhibley: You first create songs take inspiration from other bands or do everything in your head? i almost always start a song by getting an idea in my head, usually when i 'm out for a walk, a melody, a riff, a beat, then i'll pick up the gtr and figure out what i hear in my head

blue: What is your fav Guitar? my fave gtr is my cream 1970 les paul. it sounds like a fng monster but it weighs like one too. its too heavy for me to play live

Hentaiman: I remember there was a talk about Cone and Todd doing an Operation MD tour, and there was a talk you might go out play guitar with them, any news about that? todd's pretty busy w the offspring, in the future if they book dates i'll def do em!

Tisu: Who are your favourite guitarists? i like john frusciante, hetfield, doyle from misfits, greg hetson, brian baker, j mascis, elliott smith. i kinda borrow from tons of peops

raptor_536: do you think punk is dead? i think punk as a feeling will always be alive, i think punk as a category was dead as soon as it began

batsy41: Is the lyrics of a song affect of how the music will be like? lyrics don't necessarily affect how the music will turn out but it's def an important part, it's the one part of the song everyone can relate to. once or twice i started w lyrics and wrote music around it. losing face from too late no friends was written lyrics before music

raptor_536: what metal bands you like? i like metallica, maiden, motely crue-"shout at the devil" i like stuff like at the gates as well, i don't listen to a lot of metal these days tho

Mark: What way to you approach writing songs and is there any tips you could give on it? i write all the time and sing or sing and play every idea into a voice recorder, it gives me a ton of ideas to choose from then i can be more critical of the ideas and choose the best to work on

Cvija: how often do you play with your guitar and how much guitars you have? whats your favorite guitar cover song of all time? i honestly, don't know how many guitars i have, 15 maybe? i have 4 that i use at home regularly, a gibson 339, a yamaha acoustic, a fender p bass and a fender jaguar. i play guitar or piano pretty much every day, usually just to hash out song ideas

batsy41: when you write a song in particular so you limite yourself to the subject of what's it's about or some time you just but stuff because you want in it ? not necessarily, i will sometimes write verses that have nothing to do with the general theme of a song, sometimes it works, somtimes no. or sometimes i'll write stream of consciousness for a while and edit it down to a song later

Other

yobrowntom: Hi Tom, what languages do you speak? i speak english, i try to learn a few words in other languages though, i know a couple phrases in mandarin and i've been picking up some spanish, i live in spanish harlem so it could come in handy

Tomi: Do people recognize you on the streets now that you've been featured in the NY Times? haha people havent noticed me in the streets from the NYT article but a lot of people I meet have seen the article, some band dudes have seen it as well, a dude from 88 fingers louie mentioned that he saw it, i guess it was good promo!
Image
User avatar
SumGeek
Does This Look Infected?
Posts: 1858
Joined: Thu Apr 08, 2010 7:19 pm
First name: Chelsea
Age: 23
Gender:
Twitter: chelsealouanne
Location: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Contact:

Re: Chat with Tom Thacker July 19

Post by SumGeek »

Sent an e-mail! :)
Image
User avatar
HandleThis
Newbie
Posts: 20
Joined: Fri Jun 20, 2014 1:40 pm
First name: Udit
Age: 13
Gender:
Instrument 1: Vocals
Instrument 2: Drums
Location: New Delhi, India

Post by HandleThis »

I wont be there... :(
Can anyone ask Tom something regarding the new label?
Or maybe what Deryck's actually doing right now? I saw on his website he'll be recording drums..
Hope it's with Jonah Rocks


I can't sit back and wonder why.
It took so long for this to die.



Click to view the fullsize image.http://images2.fanpop.com/image/photos/ ... 80-600.jpg[/imgwidth]
User avatar
Heather
Moderator
Posts: 3071
Joined: Tue Nov 11, 2008 10:43 pm
First name: Heather
Age: 26
Gender:
Instrument 1: vocals
Instrument 2: guitar
Twitter: @HMac41
Location: South Carolina
Contact:

Re:

Post by Heather »

HandleThis wrote:I wont be there... :(
Can anyone ask Tom something regarding the new label?
Or maybe what Deryck's actually doing right now? I saw on his website he'll be recording drums..
Hope it's with Jonah Rocks
I'm making up a short Q&A for the gob album and will include a question about the label for ya.
Image
User avatar
HandleThis
Newbie
Posts: 20
Joined: Fri Jun 20, 2014 1:40 pm
First name: Udit
Age: 13
Gender:
Instrument 1: Vocals
Instrument 2: Drums
Location: New Delhi, India

Post by HandleThis »

Thnx fella.


I can't sit back and wonder why.
It took so long for this to die.



Click to view the fullsize image.http://images2.fanpop.com/image/photos/ ... 80-600.jpg[/imgwidth]
User avatar
HugoDisasters
Jessica Kill
Posts: 2979
Joined: Sat Jan 09, 2010 4:19 pm
Gender:
n00b: You.
AKA: HHUGGZ
Instrument 1: Guitar
Instrument 2: Vocals
Instrument 3: Piano
Location: Sweden

Post by HugoDisasters »

Another chat in such short notice! That's great.
I'm looking forward to some fun questions like last time :P

Click to view the fullsize image.http://i34.tinypic.com/10e1sli.jpg[/imgwidth]
User avatar
Heather
Moderator
Posts: 3071
Joined: Tue Nov 11, 2008 10:43 pm
First name: Heather
Age: 26
Gender:
Instrument 1: vocals
Instrument 2: guitar
Twitter: @HMac41
Location: South Carolina
Contact:

Post by Heather »

6 days until the chat and only 1 person sign up! oh no!
Remember to sign up by sending me an email so I can send you and invite to the chat room
Image
User avatar
SumGeek
Does This Look Infected?
Posts: 1858
Joined: Thu Apr 08, 2010 7:19 pm
First name: Chelsea
Age: 23
Gender:
Twitter: chelsealouanne
Location: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Contact:

Re:

Post by SumGeek »

Heather wrote:6 days until the chat and only 1 person sign up! oh no!
Remember to sign up by sending me an email so I can send you and invite to the chat room
Hey Heather, did you send my invite out yet? I remember you saying you were going to so I just wanted to let you know if so, I haven't received anything yet!
Image
User avatar
TomiT14
Moderator
Posts: 4261
Joined: Fri Apr 13, 2007 2:19 pm
First name: Tomi
Age: 31
Gender:
PSN ID: TJT41
Last.fm Username: TomiT14
Twitter: TomiT14
Location: Espoo, Finland

Re:

Post by TomiT14 »

Heather wrote:6 days until the chat and only 1 person sign up! oh no!
Remember to sign up by sending me an email so I can send you and invite to the chat room
Haha, private chat wouldn't be that bad. :glad:
User avatar
Heather
Moderator
Posts: 3071
Joined: Tue Nov 11, 2008 10:43 pm
First name: Heather
Age: 26
Gender:
Instrument 1: vocals
Instrument 2: guitar
Twitter: @HMac41
Location: South Carolina
Contact:

Re: Re:

Post by Heather »

SumGeek wrote:
Heather wrote:6 days until the chat and only 1 person sign up! oh no!
Remember to sign up by sending me an email so I can send you and invite to the chat room
Hey Heather, did you send my invite out yet? I remember you saying you were going to so I just wanted to let you know if so, I haven't received anything yet!
Just did a test run and I don't think it's working for some reason. So we're just going to use the direct link: Chatzy.com/TomThackerChat
Image
User avatar
SumGeek
Does This Look Infected?
Posts: 1858
Joined: Thu Apr 08, 2010 7:19 pm
First name: Chelsea
Age: 23
Gender:
Twitter: chelsealouanne
Location: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Contact:

Re: Re:

Post by SumGeek »

Heather wrote:
SumGeek wrote:
Heather wrote:6 days until the chat and only 1 person sign up! oh no!
Remember to sign up by sending me an email so I can send you and invite to the chat room
Hey Heather, did you send my invite out yet? I remember you saying you were going to so I just wanted to let you know if so, I haven't received anything yet!
Just did a test run and I don't think it's working for some reason. So we're just going to use the direct link: Chatzy.com/TomThackerChat
That works! Thanks, Heather! I will be there.
Image
Raku
Ma Poubelle
Posts: 624
Joined: Wed Jul 07, 2010 8:15 am
First name: Scott
Age: 100
Gender:
360 Gamer Tag: MySummerJob
PSN ID: MySummerJob
Instrument 1: Vocals
Last.fm Username: MySummerJob
Twitter: MySummerJob
Location: Pennsylvania

Post by Raku »

I'll try to make this one with the same username as always =)
User avatar
Heather
Moderator
Posts: 3071
Joined: Tue Nov 11, 2008 10:43 pm
First name: Heather
Age: 26
Gender:
Instrument 1: vocals
Instrument 2: guitar
Twitter: @HMac41
Location: South Carolina
Contact:

Post by Heather »

First post now updated with chat recap.
Image
User avatar
TomiT14
Moderator
Posts: 4261
Joined: Fri Apr 13, 2007 2:19 pm
First name: Tomi
Age: 31
Gender:
PSN ID: TJT41
Last.fm Username: TomiT14
Twitter: TomiT14
Location: Espoo, Finland

Re: Chat with Tom Thacker Recap

Post by TomiT14 »

blinksumnofx: why did Theo stop singing on the records after thingyG? theo just started writing less after that thingyG, he has been writing more lately do maybe you'll hear more theo soon
Probably a stupid question, but what is thingyG? :glad:
User avatar
Heather
Moderator
Posts: 3071
Joined: Tue Nov 11, 2008 10:43 pm
First name: Heather
Age: 26
Gender:
Instrument 1: vocals
Instrument 2: guitar
Twitter: @HMac41
Location: South Carolina
Contact:

Re: Chat with Tom Thacker Recap

Post by Heather »

TomiT14 wrote:
blinksumnofx: why did Theo stop singing on the records after thingyG? theo just started writing less after that thingyG, he has been writing more lately do maybe you'll hear more theo soon
Probably a stupid question, but what is thingyG? :glad:
Probably a typo on my part or the chat doing some icon. Think it suppose to be TWATG
Image
Post Reply