Here is the interview we did tonight with the film makers for the launch party. Just wanted to share.
Four Color Eulogy: We are really excited to bring on this next band to entertain you! In part because they are so good, but also because THEY are so excited about being a part of this film! I am thrilled that this band is joining us all the way from Kentucky (no, not Canada!). Check out MANITOBA ROCK N' ROLLA! We are happy to welcome Tony Carroll and Jeremiah Floyd from Manitoba Rock N Rolla to our party!! Welcome guys!!
Tony Carroll: We are happy to be here! We are very excited to be a part of this! We admire your passion for this project and it's really rubbing off on us. This is the main thing that primarily attracted us to be a part of this in the first place!
Jeremiah Floyd: Yes definitely cool vibes surrounding this project.
FCE: And that was also what drew us to you guys, Tony! Your passion for what you are doing! I'm going to start with the obvious question: If you guys are from KY, why Manitoba?
TC: One of our very early collaborations had ended abruptly and we wanted a place to hide online and toss our creative ideas around and only share them with one another or select others before we officially launched another project. So we changed the online account we were using at the time as being a band from Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada. We didn't think that was quite incognito enough so we opted to change the band listing as well. Not sure why we felt we needed to be incognito but we were kids. Being a wrestling fan, and a fan of wrestler Chris Jericho, a wrestler from Manitoba who proclaimed himself The Ayatollah of Rock n Rolla, I immediately spat out Manitoba Rock n Rolla. We changed it as a joke and it always remained a joke as we did various other projects over the years. It kept coming up. When we started this project last year, we figured why the heck shouldn't we just use that band name? It's unique, and will lead all google searches directly to our work. So after coming up with the idea as a joke nearly a decade ago...here we are now as Manitoba Rock n Rolla. Haha See...nerds.
FCE: We LOVE nerds!!!! And speaking of nerds, I hear that you guys have another geek-ness in common with the Four Color team - comic books? Is that right?
TC: I'm a big comic book fan. I used to have an old stack of comics that I would read over and over. I will admit that these days, I'm more of a comic book MOVIE fan. But I read them enough over the years that I still catch myself sitting there watching a comic movie and thinking "Hey...that's not how it happened in the comics!" I'm like that girl in the theater complaining that Edward didn't kiss Bella that way in the Twilight books.
FCE: Wow… Just wow!!! We can't believe you just mentioned Twilight here!!
TC: But I was being derogatory towards it. Give me back my man card! haha
JF: I really dig Hellboy comics, that's my favorite.
TC: If I had to pick a favorite comic, I'd have to go with The Crow. I love the film, but I have to say, the graphic novel is an amazing entity all its own. It's so emotional and deep. They really steered to the left with the film version. It's good (the film), but the source material reigns supreme.
FCE: Jeremiah - How long have you been playing music?
JF: Since I was 7. I have been playing guitar for 24 years. Started off in church and I have played and recorded with several bands over the years. Even recorded last year with St Louis alumni Derek Feldman.
FCE: Nice… How long has Manitoba Rock N Rolla been playing together?
JF: Tony and I have played together in some fashion since 1999 or sometime around there. Manitoba Rock N Rolla was pretty much formed this time last year though as an outlet for some old songs of ours that we were reworking and we just started really digging the vibes so we made it our main project together.
FCE: Have you had any of your music in a movie before?
TC: If I'm right, I think Jeremiah did some stuff for an indy horror flick, but this is the first thing we've done as Manitoba Rock N Rolla and it's a much bigger production. We've had some talks with some folks but we don't want to just throw our music out there into anything. It has to be something that fits and something that really works with what we have. This really works for us and who we are.
JF: Yes. I recorded an entire 5 song soundtrack for a local horror movie called The Killbillies. I recorded it under the name Blackheart Bob and the Sawhorse Rodeo. It was a lot of fun and a lot of work and I ate up an entire month of free time tracking and editing everything.
FCE: Cool. Cross this off the bucket list, eh?
TC: Being in a movie like this is definitely bucket list material. We have been working together musically since 1999. Various genres, various band names. Once we got past the idea of trying to make a career out of music and just enjoy it for what it is (FUN and CREATIVITY) that's when we started making our best songs. We began telling stories about our lives as opposed to just writing what we thought "Sounded cool and macho" and it just kind of became a thing. Our first bucket list goal was to get radio play. We got that last year. This year it was to be in a film and we are just thrilled that this is going to happen. We really appreciate this opportunity.
JF: My biggest bucket list moment will be to make my own Wikipedia page that no one can take down.
TC: I don't think a lot of folks understand the power of film. Especially when it's in the right hands. The Garden State Soundtrack is one of my favorite albums/soundtracks. What those bands and songs did for that movie is just fascinating to me. Every song fit perfectly and helped convey the emotion of the story. I've always envied that.
Jason Contini (write/actor): Just wanted to tell you guys that I frequently go to your facebook page and just listen to everything you have on there. It's great stuff. Especially "Swan". Really love that one.
JF: Thanks! Swan is special because it was the song that I wrote to cope with the loss of my wife's father. I loved and thought the world of him and he was a huge influence on the way I view music and songwriting in general. A piece of my heart definitely went into the foundation of that song. I am glad you enjoy it.
TC: Thanks Jason! Jeremiah often says that song is too depressing for anyone to like but I think it's great. He wrote that one very quickly but sometimes that's how the best stuff happens. I think we write most of our stuff pretty fast. Very emotional song about the death of his father in law.
Jason Contini: I loved it. It was the first song that Gayle played for me and I immediately thought "These guys are fantastic!"
TC: We really appreciate it. I think it's more than important to tell stories with songwriting. Never be afraid to get personal. All of our songs are very autobiographical. It took me a long time, as a writer, to get to the point of being able to do things like this. Jeremiah really helped me get out of that funk and just dig deep and tell stories. I'm really proud of our work on our "Holy Toledo!" EP. We did some serious songs (Foundlife, Go Around (featuring Rhyan Sprague), Earwig, and Swan) but we also did a tad bit of comedy with Simmer Down Sally and Facts. We try not to stay with any one particular form. It's all about writing what's on our minds at the time. All of those songs, even the funny ones, have a distinct story behind it. Foundlife is about getting out there and finding what makes you happy. It's written from a religious point of view but you don't have to be religious to get something from it. It's about just finding what makes you happy and getting out of a funk. I wrote that one when I was a little down on a church experience where a preacher spoke and got everyone in the congregation as emotional as possible, then...asked for offering because he knew folks would give at their weakest. Go Around was about small town relationships and how it's like being on a merry go round moving up and down. Simmer Down Sally is about couples who fight but somehow make it work. Facts, Jeremiah wrote about barstool preachers and hypocrisy. All of those songs have a tale to tell. I guess it's obvious that we're proud of that release. Looking forward to putting out the follow up later this year. The one thing I think people should know about us is that we really love what we do. We love creating. We are very blue collar. We aren't making a living making music. We do it for fun. If there's monetary gain here and there, that's great. But if we go out and expect money for doing this, that's the moment creativity is compromised and watered down, and it goes from being fun to being a job. We absolutely love the creative process of music.
FCE: Well guys… THANK YOU so much for being a part of our Four Color Eulogy family!!! We'll be in touch, and we'll keep your tunes jamming' here at the party!!!
TC: Thank you guys for having us and thank you again for the opportunity! We'd also like to invite everyone to check us out on facebook at
www.facebook.com/manitobarocks The more the merrier!
