The Hotseat – Garret Rapp of The Color Morale
on September 14th, 2014The Color Morale released their fourth studio album and Fearless Records debut ‘Hold On Pain Ends‘ earlier this month. They’ve toured with the likes of The Devil Wears Prada, August Burns Red, Of Mice & Men, and We Came As Romans, and will return to Australia next year on Soundwave Festival. This week in The Hotseat, we catch up with Garret Rapp from the band to answer our questions. You can grab a copy digitally [Here], or physically [Here]. Expand this post for his answers.
THE BASICS
Name : Garret Rapp
Band : The Color Morale
Job In Band : Vocalist / lyricist
Website Address : www.thecolormorale.net
HOME
Hometown : Rockford, IL.
Hometown is best known for : Being the “screw capitol” of the U.S. During WWII Rockford Illinois housed the factory that produced all the screws for the military.
Best venue in your hometown : We have no venues, find a basement and get rowdy.
Favourite show you’ve seen in your hometown : Hot Water Music at The Pit Skatepark.
Favourite show you’ve played in your hometown : Probably any shows back in the day at The Pit Skatepark.
THE BAND
How did the band first come to exist? Steve (drummer) and I did a band together and TCM became a hybrid from that.
How long has the band been going? We’ve been The Color Morale since 2008.
Any particular story behind the name? The Color Morale was just a general statement we wanted to make that was somewhat metaphorical of our mission statement as a band. The word “Color” refers to adding a sense of optimism or life to our current grey surroundings. “Morale” refers to holding fast to the common moral that people seem to lack in society. Some of the situations kids have to deal with on a daily basis have become so overwhelming, we wanted this band to be our way to connect and offer some sort of hope. That’s what this band is to us, that’s what we want it to be to others. We wanted a title that was simple and meaningful.
Got a personal stand out achievement of your band to date? I think seeing the connections and positivity that surrounds us daily is a huge achievement for us. I get so many letters and stories from kids all over the world explaining the connection our music makes lyrically.
OFF THE STAGE
What was your first introduction to music that made you think seriously about playing it? I used to run a skatepark and book shows back in the day. Music and action sports were pretty synonymous with one another so naturally I ended up singing in a band on accident.
Any particular band / album or song that you personally credit as a major influence? Jimmy Eat World in general was a band that taught me to feel through music. Especially when ‘Clarity’ came out.
Your first band name, and what style did you play? I was in a band called The Killer Apathy with Steve (drummer). This was back in 2004 so it was a screamo band haha.
Most prized music related item you own? My friend Steve from The Chariot’s old guitar he broke one night on tour. He wrote me a paragraph on it that made me feel really good about myself.
When you’re not doing band related stuff, what are you usually found doing? Sitting at Starbucks writing usually. Honestly I don’t really do much that isn’t band related. This has consumed and recreated my life.
The thing you most look forward to just before a tour is… The excitement of playing live again?.
The thing you least look forward to before a tour is… PACKING.
ON THE STAGE
When on offer, what’s your one must have item on the rider? Water.
Favourite place you’ve toured… and why? Australia! It’s beautiful and everyone is so welcoming there.
Most memorable show you’ve played? and why? It’s hard to pick just one. Offhand I remember a kid crowdsurfing over the barricade in a wheelchair, that was pretty surreal.
Got a favourite song to play live? This changes daily!
Any embarrassing on stage moments come to mind? I think every musician at some point or another has tripped and fallen while performing if they’re in any kind of aggressive band.
Any pre-show rituals? Just warm ups.
What do you find is the hardest aspect of touring in a band today? Being gone constantly and trying to maintain any kind of normalcy.
RIGHT NOW
Last song you listened to? Justin Nozuka – ‘After Tonight’
Last album you picked up? ‘Words’ by The Tony Rick Project.
Which band or album is currently on high rotation? Six60.
Tell us an up and coming band or artist you think we should go and listen to right now? Def Six60, another level of soul and amazing songwriting.
What’s on the cards for the next few months for the band? Tour, tour and more tour!
IF ONLY…
You can pick any one album for your band to cover in full, what would it be and why? Jimmy Eat World – ‘Clarity’, it’s a perfect record in my opinion.
You can pick any one band / artist to cover one of your albums in full, what would it be, and why? Queen, I want to hear alternative renditions and Freddy singing them.
One band you wish you were able to see live but never had the chance? Queen for sure
One venue you have yet to play that you would love to? Anywhere I can make noise and get wild.
The chance comes up to fill in for a member of a band for one tour, which band would it be, and why? That’s a tough one, I don’t know if I’d ever want to “fill in” for a band
A headline tour overseas comes up, tell us two bands you’d take along to support your band. Slaves and Vanna.
PLUG TIME
Got any final words? Our new record ‘Hold On Pain Ends’ is out now through Fearless Records and is available on iTunes. See you on Soundwave.
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THE COLOR MORALE – ‘Hold On Pain Ends‘
Available now on Fearless Records / Unified.
Order now on iTunes [Here].
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Catch The Color Morale touring in 2015 on Soundwave Festival.
Visit www.soundwavefestival.com for all the information. Tickets are on sale now.
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