Last week Mark reviewed Anti-Hero's album Unpretty to conclude the HHH Special, Mark spoke with the band about a variety of topics. The full text of the interview is below. 

HHH: First off, thanks for doing this interview. The first thing I'd like to touch on is the amount of social commentary your band injects into its music. What inspires these kind of thoughts? What do you think human society should change? 

Rose: I think people are far too focused on the superficial. Too many people believe that having lots of money and material items is what's going to make them happy and that's really sad. Happiness comes from pursuing your dreams and finding something that you love doing and doing it. Money can only go so far before it wears thin. 

I also think there is a widespread epidemic of individuals becoming disenchanted with a collectivist type society. It would seem that everyone is thinking only for and about themselves at the risk of others. We are becoming increasingly selfish and disconcerned with how we affect other people in our lives. 

I think a lot of this stems from the fact that society currently doesn't have any great role models to look up to. If we are looking to society's current icons to change the world for the positive, we are in trouble. 

Jesse: The album is full of social commentary; way more so than political commentary. The album is a metaphor for the veneer our society carefully wraps around itself. 

Nic: Inspiration for the songs come from "deadbeats" in society or people who piss us off. People who try to put us down and tell us that we can't do things, just make us want to do it more which ends up coming out a lot in our music. 

HHH: Some of the lyrics have a refreshingly feminine perspective. As a guy obviously I have trouble PERSONALLY relating to some of it, but I can picture many girls hearing your lyrics and seeing your shows, and being more empowered by it to do things like speak their minds or perform; maybe even reject traditional female gender roles. Am I on to anything here ladies? As for you men in the band, is it weird playing songs like this? 

Rose: That is definitely the goal in mind when writing lyrics. Just because you are born a certain sex it doesn't mean you are predisposed to certain behaviours or attitudes accordingly. The ideas of being "feminine" and "masculine" are entirely constructed by society and because it's indoctrined into our minds from the moment of birth, many of us buy into it and as a consequence don't fulfill certain goals or aspirations because they are not thought of as appropriate for the gender to which we belong. 

Obviously as a female and the lyricist, I'm writing primarily from a perspective that can be appreciated by women. However, we do have plenty of male fans that sing along to the words and it's evident the music speaks out to them as well. 

I guess the whole point we're trying to make is just because the music is written from a women's point of view does not mean it can't rock as hard as music written by a man and there is no way in hell, Nic or I would ever let being women stand in the ways of what we strive to accomplish. 

Jesse: At first it was a little odd, but in music like in any other art form, you can learn to look past what's put in front of you and see the core of the issue. Just because the situation is talking about a specific female scenario does not necessarilymean that only females can relate to the situation. Once you can see that, it's not too long until you start seeing how men are also very much affected by stereotypes and superficialities; just as much, if not more, than women. 

HHH: I've seen on your Myspace that you have self-produced a music video for "Unpretty," and that after you submitted it to Muchmusic it was rejected. Why do you think that it was rejected? Is it possible the song's decidedly marked commentary on social norms concerning conceptions of beauty is in itself rather "unpretty?" In other words, is touching on this subject so honestly hitting a raw nerve, and thus holding your band back from greater recognition? 

Rose: That's definitely a possibility as some of the material presented in the music video and the song itself could be seen as controversial. 

To be honest, they were fairly vague with their reasoning and it appears that it was a case of corporate politics as they suggested to us to start touring, get our cd in stores, get media attention, and radio play -- well, if they bothered to look at our website or the press kit we submitted along with the music video, they would have known we have done ALL of that and continue to do so. 

They also suggested to us to get a VideoFact (a program which is run by Much) to assist with future videos which further indicates that we need an "in" in order to get airplay on their station. For that matter, many of our friends in independent bands who have self-funded their videos have experienced the exact same treatment. Co-incidence? I think not. 

Regardless, they can't stop our fans from requesting it and we hope to demonstrate that consumer demand is more powerful than corporate politics. 

Nic: I think MuchMusic has a very biased opinion on our music video because we are speaking the truth in society and we've got the balls to do so. They show nothing, but people who are "supposed" to be this and "supposed" to be that, but they won't show any raw musical talent. What they will show is people who get signed for playing two notes or have a perfect image - they are the ones that get the recognition which is really sad. 

HHH: You all individually cite a very diverse collection of musical influences. How do you mesh them without completely butting heads? I've got to admit fusing "50's doo-wop to Korn to Smashing Pumpkins" is a tough action. Any thoughts? 

Rose: I think that we all just respect each other's insight and input as we known we are all experienced musicians who have something to offer. 

Jesse: Yes, our most heated battles definitely always take place in the writing stage of our development, or did at one time. The hardest part was probably writing the initial CD because of all these differences. Everyone wanted to take the CD in different directions. By the time we we're finishing it up, we had all fallen into our routines and came to agreements about how our individual contributions would be used and how the overall sound direction was moving. Now that we've found our groove, it seems to be much easier. All of the songs we've been writing from here on out have really just come together like a car crash; fast, effective and bone jarring. 

Nic: I can't say exactly that we haven't butted heads, but we all respect each other's opinion and musical talents in certain areas. We sit down, argue, make it work until everyone's happy and that's the way it goes - end of story. 

Matty: I think that with the huge variety of influences that butting heads won't ever really come between us, simply because we all hear different things when we are writing new music. Sometimes, I hear guitar riffs here or an echo there, I'll suggest it, but if it doesn't work I'm not hurt, by all means, it's just a suggestion. I think that with the wide range of influences, it brings a whole new element to writing original music. 

HHH: Being a fractionally balanced act in terms of gender (two guys and two girls) how does touring play out? On paper, two guys and two girls crammed together like that on the road can probably get a little crazy. Any horror stories for us readers? 

Rose: Haha well first off, Nic is more of a guy than the others at times with her bizarre and often crude sense of humour so it's really like one girl, three guys! But, we all generally get along so it's really an non-issue. Sometimes, Matty and myself bump heads as we are both fairly aggressive people, but we work it out. 

Jesse: It's not as bad as one would think as we all get along pretty well. Despite the fact that everyone leads a different life morally, we do our best to live and let live. 

Nic: It works out just fine. We are very comfortable with each other's unmentionables haha. There are some horror stories, but I'm not sure if I'm allowed to speak of the grotesque ones. Let's just say that the key word "ghetto" is finding whatever you can to go the bathroom in, while driving in a traffic jam - it's got to be one of the worst things ever that we had to do around each other - being that we are guys and girls. Yeah I know it's pretty gross - hahah. On another note, Matty is very scared of sharing a tour bus with me -- *devilish laugh*. 

Matty: I have no horror stories as of yet about the gender roles in this band. Eventually though, I think that the main thing will be........Washroom Space! 

HHH: You often speak of having a greater message beyond their music. Everyone interprets lyrics differently, so let's jump on a soapbox for a second or two; what message do each of you have for the band? 

Rose: I hope to inspire others to do what makes them happy in life, not just what is expected of them and I hope to provoke thought and get people to look deeper into things rather than just accepting them at face value. 

Jesse: I think my goal as a musician has always just been to have people question the things they are presented with, especially authorities, political and social. At the end of the day, don't be afraid to swim against the stream. 

Nic: I hope to inspire people to have an attitude to not take shit from anyone and to always have a fuck you in your face approach if anyone tries to stand in you way. Don't ever let anyone tell you that you can't do something. 

Matty: Dude, if I jump on a soapbox, it will snap...just kidding! My message for the band is have fun, enjoy playing live, don't take things for granted, and always stay positive. We have kicked down some major barriers in less than a year than most bands have done in 10 years. Just enjoy it! 

HHH: It appears that your band had a brief "internet flame war" with fans of the band The Anti-Heroes from New Zealand. Would you mind touching on this issue? 

Rose: All I'm going to say on that issue is that The Anti-Heroes and us are friends. We approve and support each other and each other's music, so if you have a problem with that, then that's your dilemma. We are all mature and professional enough to get past a name similarity considering we are from opposite ends of the world. We are not infringing upon each other's territory nor do either of us plan to take out the other band. 

HHH: Being Canadians, you can probably all view the United States with a kind of detached scrutiny. What do you guys think about your neighbor to the South? How do you like our policies, or dare I say it, our president? 

Rose: I definitely think in a lot of ways the States offer more opportunities for those who are artistic and creative and professions in that area are more encouraged. However, because of the ridiculous amount of competition, it is not always advantageous. Regarding Pres. Bush, I've got nothing nice to say so I'm not going to say anything at all. 

Jesse: This question is probably more directed to my forte since I am the one you can catch watching political news at all hours of the night. 

I definitely agree that the States seems to be more of a land of opportunity and you get a much better chance at taking your dreams to the top. I would like to make it my home one day. However, there is also an undercurrent you can be dragged into where you can very easily fall victim to those who want to suck everything out and exploit you for whatever they can. 

As for the political agenda, I completely disagree with President Bush's views and actions, but I agree that through the mid-term it would be better to let him finish his job than let John Kerry clean up someone else's mess. 

The president claimed we were judging him before his job was finished, so I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt and see how he tries to pull this all together for his second term. 

The biggest upset I have is how the media seems to have been reduced to a circus act. Watching the news these days, American or Canadian, has become a joke. The media is immediately jumping to conclusions before any details have been offered, and as a result of all the political charge our world has suffered over the last few years, everyone seems to have a hero complex. 

You can turn on your local news channels to see reporters saving puppies and/or standing in the middle of hurricanes; anything to portray themselves as heroes, and sad attempts at that. 

I am a large supporter of the fight that Jon Stewart is currently leading. 

Nic: I'm just going to simply say that I don't necessarily like what's going on with the US and Iraq and I don't necessarily like the policies the US has towards band coming into their country to play music. I believe everyone should be able to share their music with everyone without having to pay a hefty fee. Other than that, I get along with anyone so long as they are nice to me. 

Matty: No comment. 

HHH: A lot of people in more critical circles have begun to verbally crap on emotional, carthartic music that focuses on the singer's life experiences and feelings. Do you think that your music holds relevancy outside of just being angsty or confrontational? Is this music something you could look back on a decade from now and feel wasn't just the perils of youth and growing older? How do you feel about the opinion that some have that angst and teenage emotions in general are increasingly being stolen and sold for profit in the form of mass-produced music? 

Rose: Well first off, I'm not going to sit here and tell you that I don't bitch about things in my lyrics, but I don't do just that. I may write about things that stir up anger within me, but I try to write in a way that can relate to others and inspire others. 

At this point in my life, the music definitely has a harder edge because a lot of the inspiration for our album, Unpretty was coming from a dark place that needed venting due to some bad experiences I had went through. 

I may not necessarily always write this aggressively, but this is the point at which I'm at right now and I definitely don't regret speaking out for what I believe in. 

I think that all music is emotional - whether the artist is writing about their politic views, a heartache, or a social issue -- your emotions about that subject are what inspire you to put it into words and music so to even use the term "emo" for a genre doesn't make any sense. 

I definitely would agree that there are too many bands that sounds alike, but with every new fad, there are millions who jump onboard trying to get recognized. The industry sees a new "brand" of music, that was once underground, gaining popularity and so every artist they sign sounds exactly the same. The thing with fads, however is they are short-lived and die out. 

We aren't trying to be like anything that is out there or trying to catch onto the next big thing just to get a record deal. We are writing sincere music that comes from within us, whatever labels or comparisons we are given are not within our control.

We just call ourselves "Rock'n'Roll" and we write about what we believe in. 

Nic: It's not that we are trying to jump on the bandwagon and talk about teenage angst, but some of our emotions come from there and you just can't help it. However, all of our lyrics are not about teenaged angst - they are mostly about emotion and an attitude towards life and that's something that I would never regret saying or singing about because it's helped us grow into who we are now. 

HHH: What would you each like to accomplish with your band in the future? 

Rose: I hope to take ANTI-HERO as far as possible knowing that we gave it our all! 

Jesse: Our goal for now I think, is take this CD as far up the ass of society as we can shove it. Once we've gotten as far as we can with that, I would definitely expect a new CD from us that will be packed with all the shit we've gone through to get it there. 

Nic: Making myself happy - playing music is what I've always wanted to do -- there's nothing more accomplishing than that. I would like to get my name out there eventually (as a solo artist) so I could have more options for me on the side, along with continuing to play in ANTI-HERO. As everyone already probably knows, I'm very metally influenced, and I'd like to do something along those lines. 

Matty: Well, I would like to see a few more albums, videos, and major tours happen with Anti-Hero. We all know that we are capable of it, mostly though, I can't wait till we go platinum....that will be a major accomplishment for all of us. 

QUESTIONS FOR DRUMMER MATTY COLE: 

HHH: According to your band's myspace bio, you listen to some of the music I would consider heavy (Metallica and Pantera). You also once performed in New York's Radio City Music Hall. How do such varying influences lead you to Anti-Hero? 

Matty: These types of influences help me to come up with the drum lines for our songs. Also, the sheer adrenaline I get from heavy music gives me the drive and energy that I love to feel when I am on stage jamming and enjoying the show. Playing Radio City Music Hall was such an awesome experience, I think that playing there has helped me overcome my stage fright due to the fact that it was so huge and it was pretty full of other schools competing as well. Playing in front of thousands of people is something that I look forward to with Anti-Hero. 

HHH: Drummers often have a very detached view of the concert and its fans. Describe an Anti-Hero show for me. 

Matty: Well, I guess you could say that drummers are a bit detached, however I try to be as much a part of out live show as anyone else in the band. I love jumping up on the top of my drum set and yelling at the crowd, and throwing sticks or drum skins into the crowd. I feel that the more you get the crowd into your show, the better of show you will have. Usually, once things get going at our shows, they don't slow down until the very last note is played and we say thank you, sometimes even then, it doesn't stop. All I can really say is that if you haven't caught one of our shows before, you had better come check it out cause it's something that you won't want to miss. 

Questions For Lead Guitarist/Songwriter Jesse Tomes: 

HHH: You describe your guitaring as "controlled chaos and orchestrated noise." What exactly does that entail? 

Jesse: Definitely a hard concept to put into words. I guess the only real way to describe what I do, is that I try to destroy the structure of the blue print that has been layed down before me. 

It's not enough to deter away from the obvious prerequisites that any song would require to be something respectable. I get away with as much as I can before the overall work suffers. 

I like adding dissonance or things that might seem out of place, if not a little odd, but still strangely necessary to the music. 

HHH: You were one of Anti-Hero's founding members alongside Rose Perry. How did you come to recruit the other members (Cole and VanHaverbeke)? Also, what kind of history do you have musically, and how did you get to know Perry through it? 

Jesse: When Rose and I were recruiting members for Anti-Hero, we had ideas of the types of people we were looking for, but sifted through a wide range of characters and auditions before coming to a final arrangement with Nicole and Matty. Nicole was an exception however. I met her while attending a Marilyn Manson concert. At this point, we had another female member in her current spot that was not doing the position justice. Myself, Rose and Matt all agreed that the position needed something more than what was currently there, and so, the idea of introducing Nicole was brought up. 

I phoned her up and we brought her into a practice where most of the songs had already been written, so it was just a matter of her learning the material (which she did very quickly). As she was in the midst of all this, we got a glimpse into her now trademark vocal technique, and we all knew immediately that she was the final piece to the puzzle. 

My musical history thus far, has been a strange and unpredictable journey. As a child, I spent a lot of time at my grandmother's house with nothing to do. She had an old out of tune piano that I'm sure at one point in time was a beautiful piece of instrumentation. I used to spend a lot of my time playing around on it and picking up what I could. I eventually went on to become a lover of classical composers such as Beethoven and Tchaikovsky to name a few. If you can picture the music of these greats of the past being played on an out of tune falling apart piano, it gave all this great music a real creepyness that would later prove to be the back bone of my personal tastes. 

After that, I went on to teach myself other instruments and I continue to pick up what I can to this day when I have the time. I currently have things like guitar, keyboard, didgeridoo, bullroar and many other strange instruments added to my arsenal. 

Nearing the end of highschool, I had an abundance of instruments under my belt, but had yet to take an actual lesson. I decided to start taking music courses to fill my credits up, and by the time I completed highschool, I held a perfect record for failing every single one of them. 

My test papers were always fine, but I was consistently punished for things like improvisation and adding creativity to pieces I felt were bland and unchallenging. After school I bounced around between different bands, and eventually moved from Hamilton Ontario to London for its musical scene. 

I almost immediately hooked up with the industrial band "Eliminate The Body". I played and toured for a little over a year or so until I left the band due to disagreements on the business end of things. I felt my services were not being utilized to the potential they could have been. 

About six months earlier, I had met Rose during which time her band as well was in the midst of its demise. She had sparked new CD rotations into my playlist - things with a little more of a punk rock edge to them, and with that I started to see the potential of what we could produce if we combined our clashing interests together. 

It took me about four additional months to convince her to trust me, but as soon as we got the project under way, it rapidly took off with its own momentum. 

Questions For Rhythm Guitarist/Bassist/Back-Up Vocalist Nicole Vanhaverbeke: 

HHH: You (like Matty Cole) site a bit more mosh-friendly bands as influences. How does growing up in the largely male metal/punk/hardcore community mold a woman like yourself? Are you feminine, or are you more a tom-boy whom the guys can hang out with? 

Nic: I've always been the tomboy considered the "guy" that guys can hang out with - it's what I like, I can't help it, but once in a while Rose brings out the girly side in me! 

It makes me feel really good (to be part of the metal/punk/hardcore community) because all my life growing up, people took one look at me and didn't take me seriously. Then they found out who I'm influenced by, what I love, and hear me sing/scream, and they totally change their perspective. 

HHH: You obviously play in a band called Anti-Hero. Have you ever considered that you might actually be one? I.E. that some girl or loner or simply hurting person looks up to you as an unconventional hero of sorts? What do you consider being a hero?

Nic: I hope so. The whole reason of us joining this band and calling it ANTI-HERO is to inspire others. If our music doesn't inspire people, then really what's the point? We want to show people that there is more out there than just one conformist way of doing something - to speak their minds, and do whatever makes them happy and benefits them. 

Questions For Vocalist/Songwriter/Guitarist Rose Perry: 

HHH: You seem to have a very large hand in how Anti-Hero works being a founding member. What did you set to create with the formation of Anti-Hero? 

Rose: To be honest, initially I really didn't know what to expect especially fusing with an artist such as Jesse where he prides himself on the abstract, whereas I like the simple. I did know a few things for certain however. I wanted a strong female counterpart. I wanted to play rock'n'roll. Most importantly, I wanted to go all the way. 

I think that in my lifetime, if I'm ever going to be given the opportunity to really make a serious attempt to make a name for myself in the industry, it's going to be with this band. 

HHH: You also once played in a band called HER and you also run the HER record label. Could you describe your time in HER and explain why you're so eager to handle your band's own promotion, booking, etc. Where exactly does that drive come from within you? 

Rose: HER was my first real band - an all girl pop rock band formed by myself and my three best highschool friends at the time. Although, we achieved a fair amount of local success and even managed to gain the attention of some notable record labels, the other girls weren't in it for the long-run and it ended in a very tumultuous manner whereas none of us remain in contact and we all basically went our separate ways. 

My main reasoning for creating my own label spawned from two things. First off, I am a very self-determined woman who proudly ascertains the principles of D.I.Y. (Do It Yourself) in all of my actions. I feel satisfied in knowing that I can own what I have accomplished in my life to date - I had the goals and I made them happen. It is a much more fulfilling experience to be able to set out to do something and to actually accomplish what it was you set your mind to. 

My second reason for creating the record label was basically in response to all the corporate bullshit that I was seeing and still see in the music industry today. We are a self-made band who write their own songs, books their own tours, has their own funding, and we present ourselves in the way in which we want to. 

The last thing we ever plan on doing is signing a record deal in which our artistic integrity and abilities will either be lost, hindered, or questioned. 

Again, being a female fronted band in the industry definitely contributed to this decision because Nic and I are equal musicians in this band. We do not want to be marketed as the "sex kittens" or the eye candy by a label and have the guys be the only ones who are seen as the credible artists. If Nic or I wear something sexy, it's cause we want to - not because our label tells us that it's good for marketing. 

HHH: You and Jesse Tomes share songwriting duties. How do you go about songwriting? On paper, gender perspectives alone could cause plenty of arguments and turmoil. Is songwriting fairly democratic, or do you have to implement the iron fist sometimes? What inspires your lyrics personally? 

Rose: I suppose it's slightly misleading to say that the songwriting is a 50/50 definite effort. 

Basically what happens is that I write the lyrics, the vocals, the song structure, and chord progressions and then bring what I have roughly developed to Jesse. As he is a stronger guitarist than myself, he works on the strumming patterns, lead lines, riffs, and licks to make the instrumentation more interesting. We jam it out for a while until we come up with a total song concept that pleases us both, and at this point, we bring it to Nic and Matty who add their parts and perspective. We work on the song as a band for a few weeks to a month, ironing out all the details - making it an ANTI-HERO song, and thus a new track is created. I sometimes can implement a iron fist if I really feel strongly about a certain part of the instrumentation being untouched because it's written to flow with the vocals in a specific manner, but most of the time, we all have ideas to contribute that seem to gel with each others' just fine. 

As I solely write the lyrics, gender perspectives are a non-issue. However, for much of the new material I've been working on lately, I've been trying to write in a more broader sense so that both males and females can equally relate to what I'm saying.

Check out Mark's review of Unpretty

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