With little more than an independently released EP (2004's
'Killing All That Holds You') and a formidable reputation as a live
band, Knoxville (Tennessee) based 10 Years quickly made a name for themselves
as one of the biggest unsigned bands of 2004. The label didn't stick
around for long though with Republic Records (a division of Universal
Records) signing the band for their major label debut, along with renowned
producer Josh Abraham (Velvet Revolver, Korn, Atreyu) to help the band
realise their vision and potential.
In August 2005, the quintet (who are vocalist Jesse Hasek,
guitarists Ryan 'Tater' Johnson and Matt Wantland, bassist Lewis 'Big
Lew' Cosby and drummer Brian Vodinh) released their album 'The Autumn
Effect' to high praise with many placing the band in high esteem with
the likes of the obvious influences Staind and A Perfect Circle.
With successful tours with the likes of Disturbed, Ill
Niño, Breaking Benjamin, Mudvayne and Sevendust under their collective
belts, 10 Years have set their sights on distant shores, with Australia
clearly set in their sights. Hooking up with Korn on their current world
tour (alongside Disturbed and Hatebreed), the band will finally make
their live debut here in late April, which ties in perfectly with the
local release of their album.
Running immediately from the stage to the phone after
an energetic performance in Chicago (Detroit), I caught up with an exhausted
(yet excited) Jesse Hasek to fill us in on how well 'The Autumn Effect'
has been doing since its release and find out what to expect with their
upcoming tour of Australia.
"We've been really excited by the reaction to the
album. It's really allowed us to step things up in regards to our stage
performance. What also helps in that respect too is the fact that we're
not in a van any more - we're now in a bus. So that also relieves a
lot of pressure and stress of travelling on us. Our label (Republic
Records) is very pleased with the business aspect of the album's performance,
so from a sales perspective, the album has been selling very well. As
for the people buying the album, I'll be honest and say that I haven't
really been reading the reviews out there. We travel from city to city
every day, so we're almost our own secluded little crew away from the
rest of the world. Every now and then we get to see things, but I haven't
really seen too many interviews and reviews so far. All I know is that
the people that turn up to the shows seem to enjoy what we do, so that's
what really matters to us."
In a time when almost all mystery surrounding a band is
swept away with the access to information as far away as a click of
a mouse, it's refreshing to find a band that is more than happy to keep
some details to themselves. In this case, it's the band's name.
"Well to be completely honest, it has such a significant
meaning that it becomes personal. It came about from a very personal
subject, and we have chosen to keep that personal and not let that meaning
out to the public. So it sort of adds mystery to us in people's minds.
And the added bonus to that is people come up with their own meaning
behind 10 Years. A lot of fans will come up to us and tell us their
own meanings. Only recently, I had a fan come up to me and tell me that
he had a family member that had a battle with cancer for ten years,
and that's what our band name meant to him. And what is so amazing about
that is that what our name means to that person will mean a lot more
to them than what my definition of the name means to me."
The meaning behind 'The Autumn Effect' however is a completely
different story.
"The title 'The Autumn Effect' came about from a
dream that I had and it turned into an art piece - a sculpture or painting
if you like. I turned it into a song and it turned into an album cover.
So it's had a lot of growth and it's gone through a lot of cycles. But
the meaning behind it for the album, and the overall lyrical content
on the album in general all revolves around life. It's about the process
of life and a lot of the ups and downs - the negatives and positives
that come with that. We felt that comparison between all those factors
was like the way the seasons change around us. And the autumn effect
is effectively organic decay. It rots away the old and decays it and
eventually starts things again with a new palette for spring and eventually
summer."
Much like the many textures on the album (from the aggressive
to the atmospheric), Hasek's favourite on the album is usually dependent
on what mood he happens to posses at any given moment.
"I can't speak for all five of us, but personally
speaking, I can't say that I have a personal favourite because the one
thing that we feel like we've accomplished, and the one thing that we're
proud of is that there are a lot of different emotions and different
moods on the album. So I go through my phases, and sometimes I think
'Seasons To Cycles' turned out really well, and I enjoy that song a
lot when I'm really in the mood. But when you get to the more aggressive
songs, the enjoyment all depends on what mood you're in, or what emotion
you're going through."
Since the release of 'The Autumn Effect' back in August
2005, 10 Years have constantly been clocking up the miles on the road,
with their present company being none other than Korn and Mudvayne.
"We're actually playing really, really large arena
type shows at the moment. There's just multiples of thousands of people
at the shows and it's almost surreal. It's almost like it's not you
that's standing on stage in front of all these people. When I'm done
and I step back from it all and reflect back on what we had achieved
in that short thirty-five minute set, I'm like 'Wow! That actually happened!'
This is by far the largest tour that we have been a part of so far.
I think that Mudvayne drops off prior to us coming to Australia, but
that's only because they happen to be working on a new album at the
moment. Korn is bringing us with them to Australia, Japan, New Zealand
and Korea. These are countries that I've always wanted to visit. I want
to see as much of the world as I can and to experience the different
cultures. I personally think that American's have this arrogance and
mentality where they think that the US is the greatest and there's no
need to see anything outside of the country. I think that's quite retarded.
Honestly, it's much more intriguing for me to see other countries rather
than just other states in the US. We're very fortunate for the opportunity
to visit places like Australia and we can't thank the people within
Korn enough for allowing us to do so. The rapid pace around the way
things have been moving for us since the release of 'The Autumn Effect'
has helped too. We've travelled all over the US, and we've been to Canada
a few times, and it's almost like a whirlwind. It's like a hurricane
of success and sometimes you don't really know what's going on until
well after the fact."
And Hasek isn't joking either as 10 Years have had virtually
no time yet to sit back and reflect in the eight months since the release
of 'The Autumn Effect'.
"We got signed in December 2004 and we had January
off. We moved out to Los Angeles (California) in February to record
the album and we got back in April. We only had one week to rehearse
the album we had just recorded and we stayed on tour the whole time
until two days before Christmas. We then had January off and we've been
out since the start of February so it's been pretty wild. It's all happened
so fast that when I get home, I get a little anxious because I don't
know what it's like to sit still anymore, or to stay stationary in the
one place for any great length of time. I'm always ready to get back
out there and travel and play some more."
Although having enjoyed plenty of success in the US, Hasek
is the first to admit that this first visit to Australia is only an
introduction of the fans to the band at this stage of their career.
"I guess our biggest expectations are that every
time we step foot on the stage, we're in front of a crowd that will
only have a few people that know who we are. For the most part, we're
still fairly new to a lot of people out there. But by the time we step
off that stage, we're hoping that there will be some that will be scratching
their heads wondering who that band was. I would like to see them intrigued,
and have them look into us a little more. That's what we want to do
at this point right now. That's our goal and our job."
After Australia, it's on with the show for 10 Years as
they set their sights towards Europe in the coming months.
"We'll be touring Japan first and then Korea before
hitting Australia. This whole tour that takes in these three countries
happens over a three-week period so it's a tight schedule. We're just
bouncing around all over the place. I think the two places we stay the
longest are Japan and Australia. I think that we're only in some places
for a single day. I know that we have more touring booked for June and
July. We have some European summer festivals that will take place too.
Meanwhile, we'll be back in the US doing some of our own headlining
shows where we are the main attraction. That's just to fill in the time
until we can hook up with something else. All up, it's a pretty hectic
schedule."
Somewhere in amongst all this, Hasek mentions that the
band will be recording an album, even though an exact time frame has
yet to be set.
"It all depends on how many singles or songs you
have come off the album and land on radio here in the US. We're only
now onto our second single (the follow up to the hugely successful 'Wasteland'),
and it's just getting started. We haven't even filmed the video for
our second single yet. So from my personal outlook and opinion, I think
that we'll finish this year out touring and we will end up in the studio
next year some time. I don't know if that will be early next year, middle
or late next year, but it will definitely be next year sometime."
I would personally like to thank Jesse Hasek for his
generous time and Chris O'Brien at Solitaire Management for making the
interview possible.
For more information on 10 Years, check out - http://www.10yearsmusic.com
© Justin Donnelly - justindonnelly@ozemail.com.au
