Projekt Revolution: Interview with The Bled

Tweeter Center At The Waterfront – Camden , NJ , United States – August 25, 2007
By Kristin Biskup

The tour to see this summer had to have been Projekt Revolution. Headliners, Linkin Park hand picked the line up which included the likes of My Chemical Romance, Taking Back Sunday, Mindless Self Indulgence and more. The Tucson Arizona band named The Bled was asked to perform on the Revolution Stage. The five some just recently finished recording their new album "Silent Treatment" scheduled to be released on September 25th 2007 on Vagrant Records. I was able to talk to Michael Pedicone (drums), Jeremy Talley (guitar) and Darren Simoes (bass) on their tour bus at the New Jersey tour stop.

Kristin: How has Projekt Revolution been?

Talley: It has been really good. We play at the same time every day which is awesome. The majority of the shows have been very good. We are meeting a lot of new people.

Simoes: A lot of new people who wouldn't usually see us are seeing us play which is kind of the point.

Talley: He [Pedicone] gets to play with My Chemical Romance sometimes which is pretty cool.

Kristin: Did you have any fear going into a tour of this caliber?

Talley: Not really. We toured with some of these bands already. Before this we did a tour with My Chemical Romance and played arenas. We have adjusted to playing in front of a lot of people so it took down the intimidation factor. I think if we were a newer band that hasn't done any of that then it may be a little overwhelming.

Simoes: If there is any nerves it is towards how fans who mostly come to see Linkin Park react to us.

Kristin: How was the experience of recording 'Silent Treatment?'

Talley: Good! It was the best out of our three recording experiences. The environment we were in was very comfortable. We are all proud of the songs we have written. It was just an awesome experience and it was fun working with Brian McTernan. He made the situation really comfortable.

Kristin: What was your first show, who did you play with/ where was it, and how does it compare to shows today?

Talley: Poison the Well was our first show that we were really excited about. We are excited about all of our shows but that one was just one of our first big shows.

Pedicone: Yeah it was in like 2001.

Talley: We were only a band for like two months.

Pedicone: He [Simoes] and our singer [James Munoz] were probably in that crowd. Screaming and dancing along, trying to get our autograph afterward. (Laughs)

Kristin: Do you have any rituals before you perform?

Simoes: I pee six or seven times. I get nervous.

Pedicone: We have a baseball chant kind of thing. We stand in a huddle and go through it. It is called 'The Power Bear' named just like our fan club. We also have the chant 'Set it off.' So we 'Set it off' before each show.

Kristin: Of what you have experienced over the years in the music industry, what have you liked and disliked about the industry and what would you change?

Pedicone: I would take it back to the 80's where bands were signed for what they were worth and people were still buying records.

Simoes: I think digital music is cool but I fell that buying records in their 'package' is dying.

Talley: Back to when records were actually records.

Kristin: Did you ever do anything foolish onstage that you later regretted?

Pedicone: Sometimes I regret what I wear onstage. Other than that I don't regret anything ever.

Simoes: I have fallen off the stage a few times.

Talley: I regret that handlebar mustache I wore one day. I shaved a real handlebar mustache.

Simoes: He shaved it off right after we played. (Laughs)

Kristin: If there was a The Bled, who would be the first voted off and who would win?

Pedicone: Ross Ott (guitar) would be the first voted off. I don't think he would survive. I think I would be one of the first voted off because I wouldn't have been able to eat any of those fucking worms or goddamn raw eggs or whatever the hell they are eating out there. I am not going to do that. This guy [Simoes] would probably make it. He is one with the forest.

Kristin: Have you ever played any pranks on other bands or other bands on you?

Pedicone: poison the Well played a really good prank on us. They rented smoke machines and put them on the stage. They cranked them up all the way with all their juice during the last some of our set. All of a sudden you couldn't see anything. It would be all foggy and you would be like "What the fuck?!"

Talley: I think Saosin put a dozen rotten eggs in our air conditioner.

Pedicone: Real bad eggs. You can still smell it now and again but not every day.

Talley: We can't prove it but we are suspicious.

Pedicone: You know those bottle stink bombs? It smelled like that. They probably threw those on here those dicks.

Talley: Yeah they are jerks. (Laughs)

Kristin: What is your most awkward or craziest fan moment?

Pedicone: Oh I can tell you that one right now! (Laughs) We were at a signing the other day and this girl comes up just wearing a bra. I don't know how to put this but she had the biggest pancake boobs and they were slapping all over my back when she came for a photo with us. I was like "Oh man this is not cool." I was trying to move out of the way and she came up to show me a picture on her camera and was like "Oh you trying to pop it? You trying to pop it?"

Talley: Her boob was like over his shoulder.

Pedicone: Yeah and I had a pen in my hand so it could have looked like it was going that way. I was like "I'm not going to pop it." Then she proceeded to hand out her massage cards to each of us and said she would give us free massages.

Talley: Then later she walks onto our bus uninvited.

Pedicone: She was trying to give us massages that we didn't ask for.

Talley: Good thing for Ed our tour manager over there. He took care of it.

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