TAS In Session: Colour Revolt

Facing label and lineup changes and the realization that they weren't going to be "an overnight success," Sean Kirkpatrick and Jesse Coppenberger, founding members of Colour Revolt, took a bold step and redirected the trajectory of the Oxford, Mississippi group.

They finally released their latest album, The Cradle, on their own this past August with a little help from their fans. The reformed band,  which also includes touring members keyboardist Brooks Tipton, drummer Patrick Ryan and bassist Luke White, kick off another tour on October 28 in Dallas and they're offering fans a free album download with a ticket purchase.

Colour Revolt dropped by The Alternate Side's Bronx studios recently - well, they did get a little lost in New Jersey on the way to the station - to play several tracks from that new record and also told Alisa Ali of their deep admiration for very soft, very large t-shirts.

Alisa Ali: ["Our Names"] is your first single?

Sean Kirkpatrick: First single, second song on the album.

Alisa: Did you give that away as a download?

Sean: All of it’s for free. That’s how it is nowadays.

Alisa: What else can you get for free from the Colour Revolt?

Sean: Probably the entire record if you look long and hard for it.

Alisa: Any idea of how many downloads on that single?

Sean: I don’t know. I don’t look at the stats out of fear that they won’t look good. Or there might be too many and I won’t be able to stand the pressure. Either way it’s bad for me. I’m very sensitive about downloading.

[video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dU89RyNLAY]

Alisa: This band is like the little engine that could, in the face of adversity. Mad props on your perserverance. Sean: Let’s save the drama for later.

Jesse Coppenbarger: We went to the University of Mississippi, didn’t really do anything our freshman year of college and then Sean joined. We wrote what was pretty much the first EP and when Sean came, it all changed pretty drastically in a good way. Colour Revolt became a serious band.

Alisa: Sonically, what were you like before?

Sean: Grunge.

Jesse: We didn’t know. We were in high school [when the band started]. Nirvana.

Sean: Who doesn’t like Nirvana in sixth grade?

Alisa: When you were recording the EP, Hurricane Katrina struck.

Jesse: True, true. It was the aftermath. I remember we had to change houses. We lost power on one street. We had to switch from a house to a basement. The basement was actually better.

Sean: Where we feel at home. Underground. That’s how we roll.

Alisa: So you went on tour, did SXSW.

Jesse: We did SXSW a couple of years ago and got some stuff stolen. We still played four shows.

Sean: With none of our equipment because someone took off with our van and trailer. We spent a lot of time in Austin talking with detectives trying to find our stuff [and trying to talk people into letting us use their guitars].

Alisa: The equipment never showed up?

Sean: It actually did!

Jesse: I had a guitar with no serial number on it - bought legally, but no serial number - and it was recovered. [The thieves] ended up pawning our stuff to five different pawn shops with five different IDs.

Sean: What was interesting is that we couldn’t get any interest from the Dallas police department until some fan’s mother, who was the head of Dallas musical instrument recovery or something, helped. We actually had a fan help us. It made us feel special. There are people out there who actually listen to us.

Alisa: You’ve been on a bunch of different labels, on them and dropped by them, and you ended up starting your own label. Fans helped fund that, didn’t they?

Sean: Yes they did. It feels good to almost feel self-sufficient; that a label doesn’t run your life.

Alisa: Are you getting demos from other bands or is it just “you” time right now?

Sean: It’s “us” time for now. It’s all about us! We’re one band, one label. It’s ours (laughs).

Alisa: But it is a scary situation to put yourselves in financially!

Sean: Thanks for reminding us!

Jesse: It’s why we’ve got jobs too.

Alisa: What jobs?

Jesse: I work at a day-care. With little babies. I care for babies. We stand for the babies. Well, more in the three to four year old range. Most of my best friends are people who poop themselves on a regular basis, but I prefer that.

Alisa: I hope you’re not referring to anybody in the band.

Jesse: That’s for me to know. You should have seen us last night.

Sean: Nothing happened! I have an on-and-off furniture moving job. Luke cleans houses. Everybody has a job.

Alisa: So Sean and Jesse, you’re the only remaining original members?

Sean: Yes, you’re right.

Alisa: So there were lineup changes. You were on Fat Possum, you got dropped and lost a few members. What happened?

Jesse: One is getting their creative writing Masters, the old bass player works at Fat Possum now. Well, he was working there when we were touring.

Sean: He decided to do that exclusively.

Jesse: And the other dude quit. He was done. It had been a long year.

[video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esysUuWcIEg]

Sean: The reality of the situation was that we were not going to be an overnight success. Reality is a harsh and bitter cup. They wanted other things. It took just doing the whole tour, constantly, for them to realize that they didn’t want to do it. They still love music, but they don’t want to be on the road anymore. It’s not where their life is leading. For the fan, it’s fun to follow a band. But for the band itself, in the car, not getting a lot of sleep.

Jesse: Getting to a venue at six when you don’t play until 11:30p and you’re like, “Well.”

Sean: It’s not a common lifestyle and nothing that someone would be jumping at the chance to do.

Jesse: It’s like playing the lottery. You sit around and wait.

Alisa: What do you do to pass the time?

Jesse: There used to be a lot of drinking. There’s not that much anymore.

Alisa: Yeah, but people say that they don’t want to be drunk while playing a show.

Jesse: We’ve learned that the hard way.

Sean: Some people experience it; others learn by observation. We’re more that experience type group. But wisdom comes forth from that. So we’re young, but much wiser than a lot of people our age. I’m filled with hot air right now. It’s all right.

Alisa: You’ve also asked your fans for t-shirts.

Jesse: Extra-large.

Alisa: You are not extra-large!

Jesse: I love extra-large though. [I’m wearing] a large now. It’s from the 70s.

Alisa: You can’t afford to buy clothes?

Jesse: Nope. I choose not to.

Sean: When he goes to the day-care, he stores [the kids] in his extra-large t-shirts and sneaks away with them. Not in a creepy way. I know that sounded creepy.

Jesse: But I do that with y’all. I shove y’all into my shirts.

Sean: Yeah, when I get cold, I ask Jess to stuff me into one of his extra-large t-shirts.

Jesse: And I say, “Sean, it’s done. Welcome. Come close to my bosom.” That’s where the heart lies.

Sean: There’s a theme right there.

Jesse: The warmth of the bosom.

Alisa: Is that the theme of the album?

Sean: Right now. Sometimes the stars align like that.

Alisa: So Jesse, receive any great t-shirts?

Jesse: I got a great Morrissey shirt. A nice grey shirt that’s very soft. I’m not that picky. There was a Coca-Cola t-shirt that looks cool, but it’s not soft.

Sean: There’s a softeness standard.

Jesse: There is.

Alisa: You need to wash it with fabric softener. Snuggle.

Sean: Jess needs to live in a land where there’s nothing but soft things.

Alisa: That’s not very rock and roll.

Sean: It’s not, but we’re not your standard rock ‘n’ roll band.

Jesse: You’ve got to be soft on the inside so you can ... rock.

Sean: And show that hardened exterior.

Jesse: If you’re hard, then you’re going to be soft on the outside.

Sean: So much wisdom.

Alisa: Is the next song soft or are you going to rock?

Sean: We gotta rock.

[video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTIIJVen1co]

Cradle”