Musicpix.net

Vans Warped Tour is known as an incubator for talent that is fresh, outrageous and CUTE…  CIWWAF’s covers most of the bases.  The band’s fans are rabid My Spacers and are a primary reason the band is at where they are today and the band gives credit where credit is due.  They’ll openly tell you it sure helps to get a deal if you have a built in fan base via the internet.

Cute IWWAF-is the product of Fueled by Ramen ala Pete Wentz & Co. and with one listen you know it.  Their producer, Matt Squire was also the producer for other stage cuties Panic! At the Disco. 

A newcomer to the Warped Circus, CIWWAF formed in 2005 and hails from Buffalo, NY. Lead vocalist Shaant Hacikyan is feeling confident and overwhelmed at the same time given the fact that the only songs he has ever written are on their debut release “The Same Old Blood Rush with a New Touch” which released in ’06.  The band has been touring ever since.

I sat down with Cute Is What We Aim For’s lead singer Shaant Hacikyan and guitarist Jeff Czum after their performance in 90+ degree heat-mid-day. We had a room with a view as we hooked up in the Green Room Terrace which overlooks the Ohio River.  Mid-conversation, Shaant summed it up:  “The lesson is: good people do good things.  If you work together, you can do great things.”  Read on…

Musicpix:       I just caught your show and it was a lot of fun –everybody’s sweaty, sun-baked and singing your lyrics.  Not bad for a maiden voyage on Warped.  So how often does Tom break a cymbal during a show? 

Shaant:         First of all, thanks for watching. 

Jeff:             That was the first time…[cymbal breaking]

Shaant:         No, it was the stand.

Jeff:             I don’t know even know what had happened.  I just saw Tom carrying something off the stage later.

Musicpix:       Talk about your rising star?  It must be a ride…How do you stay grounded?

Shaant:         I don’t think we have…What is grounded?  The rise sucked to be truthful.  It was the toughest two and a half years of my life.  We formed the band.  We knew each other (Jeff) but we didn’t know the other two.  We had to blend friendships.  People took sides and it was awful.  But now, we’re back.

Musicpix:       Emotionally…it was really hard for while huh? 

Shaant:         It still sucks.  It happened so fast…We’re played in front of 6,000 people today.  Just a year ago, we were playing in front of 10…no maybe three.  Because of the internet, we have this huge fan base.

Jeff:             Getting used to this lifestyle is like, wow.  I never thought I’d be here.

Musicpix:       I want to talk about how valuable it is to hang out with your peers here?

Cute Is What We Aim For Live Photos

Jeff:             Our best friends are New Found Glory- we’ve learned so much from them.

Shaant:         Life, music, touring, everything…funny shit- they are hysterical guys.

Musicpix:       What’s the greatest lesson that you’ve learned from your label, Fueled by Ramen, Wentz & Co.?

Shaant:         We’ve had a brilliant experience with our label but other people that we’ve worked with, we haven’t.  I’d say it’s not everything you see…it’s not the glitz or glamour.  Our label:  perfect.  The lesson is:   good people do good things and if you work together, you can do great things.

Musicpix:       Your mantra and mission statement:  To be fun and to be deep and intelligent at the same time.  It sounds like to me that you want to go long and go deep and its working.  Talk about that depth…how do bring it up to a level where everybody and can grab a hold of it?

Shaant:         I’m a huge believer in broad appeal.  Sometimes I think I dumb it down and put in into witty phrases that people can understand and grasp.

Shaant:         I thank you for what you said.  Really.  Just like any other writer does, I just write.

Musicpix:       It’s evident that you are a true lover of music and you can tap into that on stage but I also I detect a healthy dose of sarcasm…  Your band name for one and lyrically too?

Shaant:         No, no, I hold back like crazy….the next record will probably be a lot worse.  There are probably a lot of things I shouldn’t say. On the first record, we were just trying to find ourselves.  Every song that I have ever written is on that record …there aren’t 30 songs cut down. We’re a bit all over the map, but we still try to bring it in.  It just seems so polished.  We went in with 6 songs and came out with 14.  That’s scary.

Musicpix: Hit   Fast-forward…where do you want to be a year from now?

Jeff:             Right here.

Musicpix:       We love Warped too and we enjoy talking with new artists and see fresh [cute] faces.  What does the rest of the year hold for you?

Shaant:         We’ll take some time off to write then a Fall Tour-then write, go home, do pre-pro.  January, February, March we’ll be in the studio and release in the summer.

Jeff:             It’s going to be a great year…

Shaant:         It could be a great year. [Emphasizes could]

Musicpix:       It will be a great year.  Safe travels and good tunes to you!

The Band:
Shaant Hacikyan-lead vocalist
Jeff Czum-guitarist,piano
Tom Falcone, drums
Jack Marin-bass

Van Warped Tour

08/04/07  Phily, PA
08-05/07  NYC
08/07/07  Indianapolis, IN
08/08/07  Pittsburgh, PA
08/09/07  Boston, MA
08/10/07  Buffalo, NY
08/11/07  Barrie, ON
08/12/07  Montreal, QC
08/14/07  St. Louis, MO
08/15/07  Kansas City, KS
08/17/07  Boise, ID
08/18/07  Seattle, WA
08/19/07  Portland, OR
08/22/07  Fresno, CA
08/23/07  Sacramento, CA
08/24/07  San Diego, CA
08/25/07  Los Angeles, CA

By
Gwyn Tyme