Lackluster: As many bands as I like right now, none of them really influence me. I just like them, and that’s it. Trent Reznor is probably one of a select few that have ever inspired, and not necessarily musically. His approach to his craft, and the level of integrity he maintains, are things I find inspirational. Ask Keith Richards how he wrote Satisfaction. It was an accident. Melody can be such an anomaly, who can really say it inspires them to do anything original? I don’t know, maybe it could inspire someone to do something great, but musically it’s just going to inspire you to try to write a similar song. I’ve always found character more inspiring. 

Isaac: What has been one of your biggest setbacks and how did you overcome it? What lesson did you learn about yourself?

Lackluster: Life is the biggest setback. Things just happen to you, and you have no choice but to deal with them. When we were recording this album, all sorts of things kept getting in the way, financially impeding our progress. It ended up taking a year and half. I don’t think I’ve learned something about myself really though. I knew what I wanted to do, and that sooner or later I was going to do it.

Isaac: What type of feedback have you been receiving about your music from fans and music critics?

Lackluster: Generally it’s positive. We sometimes get reviews where the person obviously listened to one song and decided to criticize us based on that. As different as each song is from the next, I tend to feel personally slighted, even though I know I shouldn’t. One guy said our vocals were an unsatisfying fit for a band that sounds like Wolf Parade and MGMT. I guess that’s a good thing, since if he’d listened to more than one song he’d know we don’t sound anything like either of those bands. I find it strange that he made that association to begin with, but what can you do other than keep on doing what you do? For the most part, people have been extremely encouraging. It’s been a little odd actually. Having taken so long to record this thing, the songs almost tend to lose some of the personal attachment they once had when they’re not being played live. It’s kind of like people telling you they liked you when you were younger. I never know quite how to take it, but they seem to like it and that means a lot.

Isaac: How do you handle negative feedback or negative energy about your music?

Lackluster: It depends really. If it’s sincere and genuine, I can respect that. If you tell me I suck after a show, I’ll put as much effort into caring about your thoughts as you did in choosing your words. If a critic tears us apart with valid points, I’m cool with that too. Really, if you can take pride in what you say I’m cool with it either way. Though, I wouldn’t respect a book critic who based his opinions on the backs of book jackets. We’ve been fortunate enough to not get a lot of that though. We’ve been fortunate that bands and concertgoers have been very supportive of us.

Isaac: If you knew that you would never gain fame and fortune with what you are doing now, would you continue to make music? Explain.
 

Lackluster: Of course, we’re getting pretty good at it. If you’re going after fame and fortune, you’re pursing a formula. You know those performers who want to be called artists because they feel it’s more respectable? It's because they're tired of being associated with that formula. Mariah Carey wants to be considered an artist, yet she has small army of songwriters writing her songs for her. Is it now an art to hire a management firm that then hires a dozen songwriters and producers to write songs for you?

If you're really after the money, and you're fortunate enough to get a decent deal from a major label, they'll change everything about you. They'll have other people write your songs for you, or make you write songs for other people. You have an emotional attachment to anything you've created? If you're going after money, I'd hope not. If you reach that goal, congratulations, you’re now just as formulaic as every one of those vapid acts. I, personally, would rather toil in anonymity for the rest of my life than sell my passion to the highest bidder.

Isaac: What role do your family and friends play in the equation of your pursuant of a music career?

Lackluster: They’ve been incredibly supportive. I don’t know if you play music or anything, but it’s somewhat common for someone to hear your music and say something like “don’t forget me when you become famous.” Yeah, I understand that I’m probably not going to be rich and famous, but I’m definitely not going to remember you if you didn’t actually support us in some way either, you know? We’ve been blessed to have families, and a number of friends, who have been extremely supportive. Almost to the point where I don’t understand it, but I definitely appreciate it, and I'd never forget it.

Isaac: What is the best site/s that you can be found on the Internet?

Lackluster: Our one stop shop is www.lacklusterband.com.

Isaac: The floor is yours; final words & wisdom of thoughts...

Lackluster: I would like warn kids against pay to play “opportunities.” I really can’t stress that enough, and it’s something I feel very strongly about. A pay-to-play opportunity typically takes the form of a promoter, who deals almost exclusively in these types of shows, that books a somewhat reputable venue, and requires bands to sell tickets, for which they receive little if any pay from. These often take the form of “Battle of the Bands” types shows, and they’re a huge scam. The number of tickets you sell determines your place in a lineup roughly a dozen bands, and the supposed winner is selected by audience reaction, which is polled at the end of the night. Obviously, it would make sense to be one of the last bands to play, as any people you’re lucky enough to drag out to these things surely won’t want to stick around for 8 hours to give you a shot at some free recording time.

So, you sell 50 tickets, make them $500, you get nothing; but you somehow manage to win and move on to the next round where you get to do it all over again. By the time you win your grand prize of a few hundred bucks and some cheap studio time, you’ve made them thousands of dollars. Kids need to learn that if they had booked their own show they could have bought that studio time, and still walked away with more money than they ever would have had a chance of winning in the first place. If the show happens to be at a sweet venue that you’ve always dreamed of playing, by all means, live out your dreams. I think it’s often overlooked though that establishing this pattern behavior creates a reputation for naivety that will surely be taken advantage of.

Some time ago, we were spammed by one of the biggest perpetrators of these scams in an offer to play one of these battles in Philly. We’re from Columbus, OH. I can lose money without leaving my house, thank you. I, somewhat harshly, told them what to do with their offer, and thought that was the end of it. Several months later we were contacted by a band in Seattle that was being sued by this company for slander. In their suit, they suggested that this Seattle band had created a MySpace profile, and was harassing them. The profile in question was ours. They’d initiated contact with us and didn’t even take the five minutes it would have taken to know that we are a real band. So, you see, these shady promoters don’t care about you whatsoever. They don’t even care to know if you actually exist or not, and they most certainly don’t have your best interests in mind. It frustrates me that they target young, inexperienced, musicians to maintain an operation that really serves no other purpose than to exploit them. It bothers me even more when they claim to be musicians themselves, in an effort to build credibility. If you’d like information on specific companies that operate this way, check out www.neverpaytoplay.com .