Interview with Shaun Lopez from FAR

FAR . Interviewer Oliver Marx . Email Interview . 2009 . label: Vagrant Records

Far - Ginuwine Pony video

Punk76: May you please introduce yourself and your function in the band?
Shaun: Shaun Lopez- I play guitar, write songs (along with the others), and I’m producing the new record.

Punk76: FAR was started in 1991 by Jonah Matranga, Shaun Lopez, John Gutenberger and Chris Robyn. So where did you guys knew each other from?
Shaun: I met Chris and John in high school. We met Jonah through our old bass player…

Punk76: May you please characterize the members in FAR?
Shaun: We are all very different people. Somehow, when we come together, we make good music. I’d make some cool drawings of each member, but I’m no artist by any means :)

Punk76: What kind of music is FAR known for? I often read on the internet, that your music often got described as “Emo” music. May you comment that please and may you describe your music style please afterwards?
Shaun: We have always thought of ourselves as a Rock band. Emo has turned more into a look than a sound unfortunately. We were influenced by so many sounds/bands that we just ended being a product of our surroundings.

Punk76: In 1996 you recorded your album “Tin Cans With Strings to You” with famous producer Brad Wood. The album got released trough a big major label (Epic Records). Can you describe the evolutionary steps that the band has made from a small underground band to a major-label-band?
Shaun: Hard work. We played constantly, toured the west side of America and picked up more and more fans along the way.. Eventually, this turned into a record deal with Epic. Not much changed after that.. We still toured a lot and did all the other things we did before the record deal…

Punk76: I read that you (Shaun Lopez) wrote a lot of lyrics for the band. What are your lyrics about? (politics, romance, love?)
Shaun: I didn’t write lyrics for Far. Jonah Matranga is the lyrical mastermind!

Punk76: You released in every two years a new album. May you give us a few comments on these records, please? (For example: Which was the most successful record, which recording process was the most exhausting one, who was the best producer on these records, any good or bad feelings on these records, etc.):

Listening Game (1992) Shaun: Youth, reaching, almost succeeding..

Quick (1994) Shaun: Departure from LS. Raw emotion, sound..

Tin Cans With Strings To You, (Epic, 1996) Shaun: The major label debut. Stubborn band… Not a record I’m that proud of..

Water & Solutions, (Epic, 1998) Shaun: Finally figuring it out. The record I am most proud of (so far)

Punk76: Shortly after “Water & Solutions” was released the band resolved. Jonah has started a couple of new projects, like New End Original, Onlinedrawing or Gratitude (which got released trough Atlantic Records). So, what happened to the band after 1998?
Shaun: We went our own separate ways. I started Revolution Smile in 2000. In 2002 we got signed to Geffen, made a couple records, toured the world and the band ended in 2005. I went fully into producing by this time.

Punk76: How did it came that you reunited in 2008 again?
Shaun: We started talking again and it just seemed right. We always said we’d only play again if it felt right. So far everything has been pretty good.

Punk76: HOT LITTLE PONY – it seems as if the band story started new with this project. May you comment this please?
Shaun: Hot Little Pony was the name we chose to play a couple secret shows under before we did out first official shows in the UK. With a name like HLP, we kind of just had to run with it and have a little fun. We created a fake Myspace page and with that decided we'd record a cover to put on the page as well. Since I own my own studio this was pretty simple. We had always loved the original version back in the late 90's so it seemed fitting. Little did we know that this fun little song would lead us here...

Punk76: PONY was originally recorded by famous Hip-Hop artist “Ginuwine”. I heard that Alternative Radio stations play it on air. The track has become a real “hit”. Any words on this?
Shaun: It was a total shock to us, since it happened all organic. There was no radio promotion, no label, no nothing. Someone started playing it and people called in and wanted to hear it again, again, and again. It was really great.

Punk76: FAR has signed with famous Indie/HC/Emo label Vagrant records. What made the label so interesting for your band?
Shaun: Vagrant seemed to share in our vision on what we wanted and it’s just as simple as that. They seem like a smart label that spends money wisely, unlike majors who spend money un-wisely…

Punk76: Any last words for the european fans?
Shaun: I can’t wait to play over there again, especially Germany. Thanks for the interview!

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