Interview with Tom from Architects

By Adam Warner - 2009

You guys have had quite a few different names since you first started out, how did you guys settle on Architects?

Ahh well that is pretty embarrassing, we were pretty young at the time, it was just kind of a simple name, it wasn’t anything silly like blood and guts, and I feel it really didn’t tie us down to any particular sound, we can do whatever we want musically, basically what we want. I dunno we just ended up sticking with that, maybe we should have gone with something else. Maybe it would be better if we did.

I was wondering if you guys have gotten any feedback at all regarding if you have had any difficulty about fans being able to find any info about you online with the common name?

I don’t’ know about that, I know that there is another band called Architects. There were some kids at Warped Tour saying “you guys are great, you guys are awesome.”

The big thing is the UK version and the US version.

Maybe the people that can’t find the information will maybe call us and tell us that they can’t find us. (laughs)

You guys use to tour in the UK and Europe with Bring Me The Horizon, is it good to be back on tour with them but obviously in a different part of the world?

Yeah, I like them. It’s about getting schedules right together and stuff, it’s good to come together and we do it as often as we can.

Since this is the first day of the tour it is difficult to ask how the tour is going. So what kinds of things expect from this coming tour is there anything that stands out as far as cities you will see?

There is some places we haven’t been to before like some of the west coast like San Francisco and so I will be glad to see that part of the world. Apart from that I expect mostly long drives and ahhh I dunno I guess its part of being a new band in a new country it is just a little harder work then.

Is the mathcore that you guys are particularly famous for difficult to do live?

I don’t even think we are that technical anymore, in the US so we don’t really do that stuff anymore. No, so it’s easy.

Fair enough! Rumor has it that Hollow Crown was leaked on the net before it was released, did you guys ever find out what happened with that or how it got leaked?

No, it’s just the way it is, like our label thought it was going to leak a lot earlier than that. So when it ended up leaking that late on, we where just like whatever. It was better than we though it was going to be. We thought it doesn’t even matter because no one is going to buy it. It doesn’t matter when it leaks; I guess it’s cool anyways as long as people listen to it. It doesn’t matter even if it was leaked the day it was suppose to come out, the difference it makes wouldn’t really affect us. It really wouldn’t be big enough sales for us to be rewarded financially for it. Whatever I just don’t give a shit about it.

With you and Dan being brothers, do you guys feel that your brotherly connection has any influence on your songs and things like that?

Yeah I think it helps us write. We have the same parents, and I write all the stuff. Outside of practice with the rest of the guys, we can discuss stuff or whatever. If I feel like changing a song, I will say “hey Dan, I give up trying today” so it’s cool. There is bickering a lot but that’s normal so, I think it helps that’s for sure and we tend to agree on stuff.

So there is never any major brotherly fights or feuds during tours?

Nahhh, not anymore, nothing serious or we’ve never been physical.

I know you guys probably get asked this a lot, but is there any noticeable difference between US fans and the UK fans, or does it just all blur into the same?

The main thing to me is that we have UK fans and we don’t have US fans.

Not yet!

I think definitely we are still a very new band here! We still are definitely new and getting our name out. You know what I mean when we are in the UK we are the known band. We get bigger crowds or whatever you know? I don’t know what the difference is, because I haven’t found out what US fans are like. Maybe one day we will get to. That is why we are here I suppose.

Oh Absolutely! So when you guys are not on stage what sorts of things do you enjoy doing as far as hobbies?

When I am not playing guitar on stage, I play it offstage all day long.

So you are a 24/7 guitarist?

That is all I do with my time. If I can’t play computer games, and I don’t have an Xbox so I just play my guitar. Without it I am not complete, that is my favorite thing in the world.

Always room to learn.

Yes you can never finish that. It is a perfect example of how little there is to do right now. Wake up and sleep in a van all day and then you get here and sit around and nothing is going on.

You just wait to go on?

Exactly.

Who is your real big guitarist idols, who do you really draw inspiration from?

I have been asked that a few times, I can’t really think of that, I have never really been a guitar hero guy or idol. I don’t want to try to be like anyone else. A lot of people try to be like other people and then they lose any kind of individuality that they might have in the first place. I don’t really have a guitar hero, anyone that is good.

So what kind of non-metal bands would someone find on your ipod?

You will find mostly non metal bands like classic rock and Bjork.

That is kind of coming back around I suppose?

I never gave it much time of day. It’s great.

I am a little shocked by the Bjork, I didn’t expect to find that one. Aside from bands and music what other kinds of influences do you bring into the songs?

I don’t know, well obviously I don’t know what songs, or the lyrics but I write what I want to hear. I have never been like the Ocean effect is rippling away, I have never been like that. I kind of get that every now and then I will get that this track was influenced by my look at the celestial blah blah. So I usually just throw it out there, and just never know. From my bedroom window that I have been looking out since I was 4 years old; that is usually what I write about, maybe a little bit of the same.

So what can the fans expect from you guys’ live show?

I really wish I could say that, I don’t really know, what a lot of people would really like to see. Whatever, like we just play the best we can. Definitely not introduce the wrong song!

It will come together.

I think I have played so, many shows now that the charm and mystery has lost a little. I am not really sure what you are expecting.

It has to come natural.

Yes. I just want to write music and let it happen, and play it as best as we can.

That is all you can do. Thanks a lot Tom.

All right cool man, thanks.